Severus, a general who had successfully practised the arts of war in Britain, was next sent into Judea, and found the rebels in possession of fifty of the strongest castles and nine hundred and eighty-five villages. Notwithstanding his abilities, he did not dare to attack Barchochab, who was at least an able warrior, but tried to cut off his supplies. The rebel leader often, however, rushed out from his different hiding places with his numerous and desperate followers, to the great annoyance and injury of the Romans; and it has been remarked, that when Adrian himself was with the army in Judea, he omitted in his letter to the senate the usual form of words, “I rejoice if all is well with you and your children, with myself and the army all is well.”

The sudden falling in of some of the vast subterranean vaults disheartened the rebels who occupied the ruins of Jerusalem; and in the bitterness of their disappointment they called the pretender who had so cruelly deceived them, Bar-cosba, that is, the Son of a Lie. When the Romans became masters of Jerusalem for the second time, Rufus caused every remaining building to be levelled with the ground, and then had a plough passed over the site of the city and temple that no traces might be left. Barchochab had taken refuge in Bithra, a fortified city; but it was stormed on the 9th of August, A.D. 135, and the deceiver's head carried in triumph to the Roman camp. In another fortified town, all the men killed their wives and children to save them from the enemy; and after these had gladly received death at their hands, they slew themselves: so that only a few who were hid remained to tell the story to the Romans on their entrance. It is calculated that 580,000 Jews fell by the sword in this second war, besides the multitudes that perished by famine, disease, and fire; and thousands more were sold as slaves. Judea is described as wearing the appearance of a desert, and the wolves and hyenas howled in the streets of the desolate cities.

Rabbi Akiba was tried before Rufus; and in the midst of his examination, remembering that it was the stated hour of prayer, he went through the usual forms regardless of all around him. He was, indeed, a true specimen of the nation who so long preserved the form of godliness while denying the power of it. In prison, even when distressed by thirst, he spent a great part of his scanty allowance of water in the ceremonial

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washings prescribed by tradition. He was flayed alive and then killed, as the chief actor in this disastrous war; and many of the rabbins suffered almost as severely, by the command of this cruel judge, on the supposition that they were the authors of the revolt. One of them, who was seized while he was expounding the law, was burned with his book.

Adrian fulfilled his design of founding a new city on the site of Jerusalem. It was called Ælia, after his family name, and Capitolina, because it was dedicated to the Jupiter of the Capitol. Elia Capitolina was peopled with foreigners; and all Jews were forbidden to enter, or even to come within sight of it, on pain of death. The image of a swine was placed over the gate leading to Bethlehem, in order to frighten away any who should dare to approach near enough to behold the holy mountain. The peaceful Christians, however, were allowed to re-establish themselves on the spot, and quickly increased there.

After spending thirteen years in his travels, Adrian returned to Rome, where he passed his time in the company of learned men, and made many useful laws. He protected slaves; a class that had been so much neglected by former lawgivers, that any master might use them as he pleased, and even kill them if he would.

At the age of sixty, Adrian began to feel the infirmities of old age, as his naturally weak constitution gave way from the fatigues and hardships he had endured; for it was his custom to make long marches on foot and bare-headed, whether through the sultry plains of Egypt, or in the cold climate of North Britain. Adrian's disposition altered with his health; and the very man who, at the beginning of his reign, said to his worst enemy, Ah, my good friend, you have escaped, for I am made emperor," now condemned to death many who were without offence, and, in the suffering of increased disease, tried to destroy himself. Antoninus, his appointed successor, afterwards called Pius, on account of his behaviour towards the emperor, tried to reconcile him to life, and would not suffer any one to destroy him as he desired. Adrian, in the agony of pain, exclaimed, "it was a miserable thing to seek death and not to be able to find it; and that he was master of the lives of others but not of his own." He then tried to hasten his end by neglecting the advice of his physicians; and, when

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POSITION OF THE CHURCH ON EARTH.

he found death approaching, he dictated to one of his attendants a verse expressive of his state of feeling, and died whilst repeating it. From this we find that he believed the soul was only the guest of the body, and on the point of leaving its old companion, but he expressed neither hope nor fear as to its future state. Thus the weakest of the persecuted Christians was far better instructed, and infinitely happier than the wisest of the Roman emperors. At the earnest desire of Antoninus, the Senate passed over the tyrannical conduct of Adrian in his last illness, and consented to rank him also among the gods, A.D. 138.

CHAP. XXIV.

EARTH.-EXALTATION OF THE

POSITION OF THE CHURCH ON

CLERGY.-OBSERVANCE OF DAYS.-LEAVEN OF PHILOSOPHY.

-JUSTIN MARTYR.

An inquiry into the state of the Church at the period immediately succeeding the apostolical age must be very interesting, as it leads us to the contemplation of human nature in a new situation.

It must be remembered, that the Church of God on earth was placed between two powerful and attractive bodies, namely, the Jews and the Gentiles; and it was only by holding the Head, even Christ, in heaven, that it could be kept steady, without inclining to one or the other, and exercise its power to attract individuals from either of these bodies. The tendency to incline towards Judaism was shown in the epistle to the Galatians and elsewhere; and the tendency to Gentilism, in 1 Cor. x. and elsewhere. During the seasons of repose, when the Church was not persecuted by the Jews or the Gentiles, these tendencies naturally increased; and even at this day it is suffering from the effects of its early mixture with the principles and habits of both.

But as the evil was progressive, and there have been, occasionally, recoveries from it; the work of the historian is to trace its progress, and to notice every measure of return to original simplicity.

Yet, first, I would state my own conviction, that the source

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135

of all error is in the evil heart of unbelief which leads to departure from the living God. We have seen this in the history of Israel; they grew weary of walking in His ways, and then tempted Him, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" They might have looked to the cloud which marked his presence, and yet they failed to believe in the living God. And so in the Church. How many visible proofs there were that the Holy Ghost was abiding in it, and that the living God was walking in his children according to his promise. Yet the rule and guidance of the Holy Spirit was so much forgotten, or neglected by the Church, that human authority and human arrangements were speedily put in His place; and human teaching substituted for His own teaching by the written word.

Hence the unscriptural exaltation of men who, instead of being filled with the Spirit and ministering the word, were soon put in the place of the Spirit and the word.

Andrew and Peter, James and John, the poor fishermen of Galilee, Matthew the publican, and the rest of the apostles, who were counted "ignorant and unlearned men,” the filth and offscouring of all things," might have been surprised to hear that in a few generations some of the richest and most learned men in the world, and occupying its highest places, would call themselves "apostles, successors of apostles, sons of apostles, princes of the Church, princes of the clergy,* princes of the people, high-priests, papa or pope, bishops of bishops, patriarchs, vicars of Christ, Christ's vicegerents, and vicars of God." Yet this was actually the case; and these swelling titles gradually increased from the time of Ignatius. This corruption, so naturally arising out of the proud heart of man, was according to the spirit of the Gentiles (Mark x. 42), and to that of the Jews (Matt. xxiii. 6, 7); but of course in direct opposition to the mind of Christ, "One is your master even Christ, and all ye are brethren,” and to the last apostolical address left on record, which is, "I, John, who am also your brother," &c. (Rev. i. 9).

* This term is only used once in the New Testament, namely, 1 Peter v. 3, where it is translated heritage. It is derived from the word translated lot (Acts i. 26), and was, perhaps, applied to the ministers of the Church on this account; but Peter refers it to the chosen people of God generally, not to the rulers.

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OBSERVANCE OF DAYS.

Polycarp, the friend of Ignatius, already mentioned, came to Rome in the interval of peace to consult with the bishop there as to the right time of observing the day of the Lord's resurrection, or Easter-day; some saying it should be according to the Jewish calculation for the observance of the Passover ; others, that it should be on the same day every year. This question seemed to be for a time settled; but, before the end of the second century, it caused such strife, that the bishop at Rome excommunicated all the Asiatic bishops for not agreeing with him about it.

This evil was also foreseen by the Spirit, and the remedy provided in the written word which was in the possession of the Roman Christians (Rom. xiv. 3—10). And in another epistle, Paul expresses a fear concerning the Christians who observed days and months, and times and years." If any one who loved the Lord, particularly regarded the day of the year, as well as the day of the week, on which He rose from the dead, condemnation was unjust and unreasonable; but if any were led away from the simplicity of Christ into Judaism, or into strife, by the observance of particular days, condemnation of them was just and scriptural. We have examples of both in the cases of the Roman and Galatian believers mentioned above.

Polycarp does not appear to have been occupied about this question to his own injury; but many who followed his example in making it a matter of discussion were so: and thus we always perceive the seed of any evil or mistake sown among men is very small, but, in such soil as the human heart, it soon grows up to a fearful height. Polycarp was very faithful in caring for the saints at Smyrna, and in rebuking the heretics whom he met at Rome.

On one occasion, when Marcion, a teacher among the Docetæ, greeted him in the street and cried out, "Polycarp own us!" (meaning own us, as Christians), the old man replied, “ I do own thee to be the firstborn of the devil." And so grieved was his spirit by the attempts of the heresiarchs (chief teachers of heresy) to overthrow the faith of the saints, that he often exclaimed," To what times, O God, hast thou reserved me!"

The Church of saints, gathered at Ælia (Jerusalem) in the early part of the second century, prospered after being freed from Jewish ordinances, and was under the care of Mark, a