amusements of their heathen neighbors they conscientiously abstained; and the weak and the vain who suffered themselves to be betrayed into them, were promptly and severely rebuked.

"The Christian lady (says Tertullian, de Cult. II. 11,) visits not the heathen plays, and the noisy amusements of their feast days, but she goes out to visit the sick, to partake of the sacrament, or to hear the word of God."

It seems that some weaker brethren and sisters could scarcely relinquish the amusements and gratifications to which they had been accustomed in early life, and endeavored to justify themselves, as Christians now do who are fond of the same irregularities. They said that the gifts of God were good and might be used for our lawful pleasure, that plays and dances were nowhere expressly forbidden in Scripture, that it was right to dance, for David danced before the ark; that it could not be wrong to visit chariot races and horse races, for Elijah went to heaven in a chariot and with horses of fire, and the apostle Paul drew many of his illustrations from the race-course and the circus.

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Respecting such subterfuges, Tertullian exclaims; "O how wise does human folly deem itself in arguing, especially when it fears to love some worldly pleasure. Every thing is indeed the gift of God, but we must consider to what end the things of God are given, and use them in accordance with their original design, or we commit sin. True, we nowhere find in Scripture an express verbal prohibition of theatres and plays; but we find there the general principles of which this prohibition is the necessary consequence."

In respect to the argument from Paul's illustrations, he remarks: "It were better that they had never known the Scriptures than to pervert, to the defence of vice, those words and examples which were given to excite us to evangelical virtue; for these things are written to raise our zeal the higher for useful things, since the heathen manifest so great zeal for things of no use. Tell me, what should be our desire, other than that of the apostle, to depart and be with Christ? There is thy joy whither thy desire tends. Art thou so ungrateful as to overlook or be dissatisfied with the many and great joys which the Lord hath already given thee? For what is more joyful than reconciliation with God,

thy Father and Lord, than the revelation of the truth, the escaping from error, the forgiveness of so many sins? What greater joy than the declining of the vain joys of the world, than the true freedom, the pure conscience, the innocent life, the fearlessness of death? These are the amuse

ments, these are the plays of the Christian, which men cannot pay for with money, And what kind of joy is that which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived"? (Neander K. § I. 447-50.)

Whatever unfitted their minds for devotion to God, and an effective counteraction of the wickedness of the world, was avoided as inconsistent with their religious profession. Still they were cheerful, courteous, and companionable in all the usual intercourse of society. "We are no Brahmins, (says Tertullian, Apol. c. 42), we are no Hindoo Fakiers, we are not eremites or hermits, who flee from life. We are well aware of the obligations we owe to God, our Creator and Lord. We reject the enjoyment of none of his gifts; we seek only to preserve the requisite moderation, and to avoid abuses. We do not live in this world without participating in your markets, your baths, your public houses, your work-shops, your auctions, and every thing which pertains to the commerce of life. We engage with you in navigation, in military service, in agriculture, in trade. We engage with you in manufactures, and devote our labor to your benefit."

4. In their families.

The Christians were not a gloomy or morose set of men. In their families the spirit of kindness, love, and cheerfulness were everywhere conspicuous. Purity, peace and joy were the constant inmates of their households; and not only the natural members of the family, but every Christian, from whatever land or clime, was freely admitted to all its simple delights.

The following picture of a Christian family is given by Tertullian, (ad Uxor. II. 8.) "What a union is that between two believers! They have one hope and one desire; they serve one faith and one Master. Theirs is a union of the spirit as well as of the flesh-one spirit and one flesh. They read the Scriptures together, they pray together, they fast together, they teach, warn, bear one another's burdens. They are together at the church, and at

the Lord's table, they share together afflictions, persecutions, and joys. Neither conceals any thing from the other, neither avoids the other, neither is burdensome to the other. Freely the sick can be relieved, and alms distributed to the poor. They sing their psalms and hymns together, and emulate each other in sounding the praises of their God. Jesus Christ is pleased when he sees and hears such things as these; to them he gives his peace. Where two are in his name, there is he also, and where he is the wicked one cometh not."

Such a scene of quiet domestic enjoyment was unknown to the pagan world; it is the legitimate offspring of Christianity, and it strikes the unchristian world with surprise.

The following description of Christian intercourse in their love-feasts is also by Tertullian, (Apol. 39.) "They sit not down at table till prayers have been offered to God. They eat as much as the hunger of each one requires, and drink only so much as is necessary to health and cheerfulness. Being thus satisfied, they are mindful that the evening is to be spent in prayer. They enter into conversation with the continued reflection that God is hearing them. After their hands are washed and lights are brought in, each one is invited to sing something before the company to the praise of God, whether it be borrowed from the holy Scripture, or as his own heart may dictate to him. Then it is seen how much he has drunken. With prayer the interview is closed."

Such families were too happy in their own quiet homes to need or desire the noisy amusements of a restless world. The children found their happiness in the parents, and the parents in the children, and both in God. Such families were the nurseries of pure, consistent and efficient churches, and such churches were the lights of the world, which could not be hid, the salt of the earth, which never lost its savor.

Indeed, so simple-hearted, so pure-minded, so unaffectedly sincere were they in all their conduct, that they thereby won over multitudes even of unbelievers and atheists, and those who had the most violent prejudices of early educa tion and constant habit against them and their doctrines; in like manner as since, hypocrites and half Christians, by their affectation of religion in profession and violation of it in practice, have given false impressions of Christianity, and inade

SECOND SERIES, VOL. III. NO. I.

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unbelievers and atheists and scoffers of those who in early life had been educated to believe and reverence the Bible.

Such is an imperfect but faithful sketch of what Christians were doing the century and a half which immediately preceded the reign of Constantine. Is it any wonder that such Christians maintained their ground, and made progress in spite of the most terrible opposition, and in an age of the most gigantic corruption and wickedness? The silent power of a holy life is irresistible, and more terrible than an army with banners to all the hosts of Satan; but the devil, and all unbelievers, laugh in perfect security when Christians endeavor to hold their ground, and make their way by hoarse controversy and fierce denunciation, while they live so much like the world around them, that the Christian cannot be recognised except at the communion table. I have purposely omitted allusion to the bitter and terrific persecutions which they endured from the civil power, and their constancy and fidelity under them; because I would confine the attention to those points in which their circumstances resembled ours, and where we can have no excuse for not practising the same virtues, and to the same extent, that they did.

Some may here be disposed to inquire, " Had these Christians no faults? We have heard much of their imperfections, of their errors, of their imperfect morality." It is true that they had faults, many and great faults. Just emerging as they did from all the loathsome pollutions of heathenism, their views on many points of morals were imperfect, and their perceptions of moral truth were far from being clear. But whatever their faults were, they had no hypocrisy in their religious professions. In these they were altogether whole-hearted and sincere, and they performed their duty so far as they knew it. They were ready at any time to sacrifice their all for Christ; and when they said that they gave up themselves and all that they had to be the Lord's, they meant just what they said, and shrunk not from any of the responsibilities involved in such a profession. It was their simple, implicit, whole-hearted faith which gave them their mighty power, and decked them in panoply for their terrific conflict with the powers of darkness, and gave them at last the victory. It is true, they were roughly accoutred and imperfectly disciplined, but with the whole soul they

loved the cause in which they were engaged; and in comparison with the better instructed Christians of modern times, they were like the bare-footed and ill-armed continentals of our revolutionary struggle, who loved their country, and were ready to die for it, in comparison with the wellequipped and disciplined troops that were brought against them, who had no country to love, and whose chief motive of action was a determination to maintain an honorable and soldier-like reputation. We all know which of the two succeeded the best.

Let us conscientiously make the comparison, and judge whether the church now is characterized generally by the essential features of a sincere profession as strongly as it was then. Is there as much of deep and profoundly reverential feeling in regard to God and his word, and the same habits of devotional communion with him? Is there an equal self-respect and regard for consistency in those who profess to be the soldiers of Jesus Christ, and the high priests of God in this polluted world? Is there the same ardent love and community of feeling among Christian brethren, which makes every requisite allowance for human infirmity, and avails itself to the utmost of every existing excellence for the common good? Is there the same pious, tender, conscientious concern for the spiritual interests of an unconverted world, which beholds even in the most provoking scoffer and persecutor, a soul for which Jesus died, and which is capable of being made an heir of eternal glory? Is there the same quiet, devotional, happy, receptive, melting spirit in the meetings of the church, which feeds with delight on the milk of the word, and joins, with a soul filled to overflowing, in the exercises of prayer and praise? Is there the same conscientious regard to Christian duty in the common pursuits and business of life, which makes a man willing to relinquish any traffic, however lucrative, any profession, however gainful, which has one stain of pollution in it, so as actually to reduce himself to poverty, rather than do any thing inconsistent with the highest exercise of supreme love to God and benevolent affection to man? Is there the same avoiding for themselves and their children of the noisy and dissipating amusements of an irreligious world? Is there the same disregard of the fashions of the world? Is there the same quiet, peaceful, holy temper in the family circle?