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The History of Christ's Universal Church During the Primitive Times
The History of Christ's Universal Church During the Primitive Times Author:Henry Stebbing Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 58 CHAPTER III. Treatment Of The Christians Under Adrian—Apologies Of Quadratus And Aristides Growth Of Heresies Renewal Of Persecutions — St. Polyca... more »rp And Justin Martyr. The emperor Trajan was succeeded by Adrian, ' J who, like his predecessor, enjoyed great reputation for ability and philosophical refinement. But he was a faithful worshipper of the gods, and as such, could not view with very favourable sentiments a religion which taught that the worship which he rendered was the worship of devils. Encouraged by what was generally known of his character and opinions, the populace in various places assailed the Christians with all the fury of religious hatred. False accusations were multiplied against them, and the grossest follies and vices of those who only appealed to the gospel as a cloak for their mischievous heresies, were indiscriminately charged upon the wisest and most virtuous of believers. Affairs were in this state when Adrian visited the city of Athens, still no less renowned than formerly for the solemnity with which it celebrated the mysteries of Eleusis. To be permitted to take part in these solemn secret rites was the aim of the heathen, panting to attain to a supposed religious perfection. His initiation required at least an imaginary purity of both body and mind. Great was the awfulness of the truths with which he was made acquainted on being admitted to those recesses ofthe shrine in which the mysteries were exhibited. To reveal what he then beheld, was to expose himself to death both present and eternal; whereas, if he continued to preserve the sanctity with which the rites had invested him, he might hope to ascend by due gradations to the loftiest realms of divinity. Adrian aspired to this eminence, which neither his rank nor his genius coul...« less