LAST EPISTLES OF PETER, PAUL, AND JUde. 107 habitation of God through the Spirit. Chap. iii.—The wisdom and glory of God displayed in the church. Chap. iv. v.—The oneness of the body, and the walk of the children of God. The mystery of the union between Christ and his church. Chap. vi.—Final exhortations, suited to the church of God as to its earthly relationships and state of warfare. About A. D. 64, it is supposed, that Luke wrote his two treatises to Theophilus; viz. the Gospel, and the Acts of the Apostles, for the use of the Greek believers. In the same year, probably, the epistle to the Hebrews was written, as mentioned before : also those to the churches of Philippi and Colosse; and that to Philemon, on which I would gladly dwell did my limits permit. About A.D. 65, it is said, Mark, who was imprisoned at Rome, was directed to write his Gospel for the use of the Christians there. In the same year Paul wrote his first epistle to Timothy and that to Titus, and Peter his first epistle. The year following Peter and Paul probably wrote their second epistles, shortly before their martyrdom. The epistle of Jude is supposed to have been written about the same time. The character of these three epistles is very marked; and there is a striking agreement between them. All contain the most distinct exhibition of evils already apparent in the church of God, with prophecies of coming danger and increasing evil. All of them, moreover, contain the plainest directions for the faithful till the end of the dispensation. The epistle of Jude is expressly addressed to those who are preserved in Christ Jesus, not to any particular church; and in the midst of all the evils around them, they are thrown simply upon the words spoken by the apostles, directed to build up themselves on their most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, &c., and commended to no human care, but to Him who is able to keep them from falling. The epistles of John, the Revelation, and the Gospel belong to a later period, and will be mentioned hereafter. The foregoing chapter must be read by way of parenthesis, as it will enable you better to understand the state of the Christians, when the second general persecution came upon them in the reign of Domitian. CHAP. XIX. DOMITIAN, EMPEROR.-HIS CHARACTER. HIS CRUELTY.-PERSECUTION OF THE CHRISTIANS.-MURDER OF DOMITIAN.NERVA, EMPEROR. HIS CHARACTER. DEATH OF NERVA. : DOMITIAN, who succeeded his brother Titus, A. D. 81, was the last and worst of the emperors distinguished as the twelve Cæsars. He had not lived on good terms with his father; and only the entreaties of Titus, during the Jewish war, had reconciled Vespasian to his disobedient son: yet, as we have said before, he was suspected of hastening the death of his affectionate brother. Domitian began his reign with some appearance of justice and mercy; but his real disposition was soon discovered and it is probable the respect for him, as the son and brother of their most beloved emperors, preserved him from the rage of the people during sixteen years more effectually than the strong guard with which he was surrounded. Vespasian and Titus had encouraged literature; and the latter was both a poet and an orator: but Domitian had never applied himself to study, and banished all learned men from his presence. Archery, horsemanship, and wrestling were his favourite pursuits; and he was so skilful in his aim, that he could send his arrows through the extended fingers of a slave, who stood for that purpose at a great distance. In his solitude he amused himself by catching flies, and sticking them through with a sharp bodkin; so that when a servant belonging to the palace was asked if his master were alone, he replied, that "he had not even a fly left to keep him company.' As we see Domitian's rapid progress in cruelty from these small beginnings, I hope my dear young friends will learn to love mercy, and not wilfully increase the groans of the creation, which is in the bondage of corruption and in pain on account of sin (Rom. viii. 20—22). At the commencement of his reign, Domitian renewed an inquiry his father had before made, as to whether any of the royal line remained among the Jews, who would be likely to dispute his title to the possession of Judea. On this occasion, it is said, that some one, out of enmity to the Christians, brought forward the grandsons of Jude, the Lord's brother, as descendants of the house of David. Upon examination, they spoke to the emperor of Christ and his kingdom; and he, being satisfied from their poverty, for they only supported themselves by the labour of their hands, that they were not likely to be his rivals, dismissed them with contempt. Whilst Domitian was indulging in luxury and vice at Rome, the news of Agricola's successes filled him with envy. This general had overcome Galgacus, a British chief, who had gathered an army of thirty thousand men; and, in a great measure, subdued the people of Caledonia, the ancient name for Scotland. The fleet under his command had also discovered that Great Britain was an island, and, in sailing round it, they went as far as the Orkney Isles. Domitian, by this intelligence, was roused from his indolence, and paid a visit to Gaul. On his return he boasted he had conquered the independent tribes of Germany, though he had never seen them; and, entering the city with a long train of slaves, purposely dressed in the German fashion, he desired a triumph, and took the surname of Germanicus. Nor was this all; he recalled Agricola from the province he had governed with justice, and obliged him to end his life in retirement. The loss of this able general was soon felt, as the empire was invaded by the Sarmatians of Europe and Asia, and the Dacians, a barbarous people inhabiting a region now comprehended in Turkey and Hungary. Decebalus, king of the Dacians, long contended with the Roman armies; and Domitian only got rid of the barbarians for a little while by giving them large sums of money. Yet, after they had withdrawn, the weak emperor expected to be treated as a victor, and worshipped as a god; and, since the poor heathens imagined there were gods in hell, as well as in heaven, Domitian might have fitly represented one of their infernal deities. His cruelties led to a revolt of the troops in Upper Germany, and the proclamation of their commander, emperor. But his defeat increased the pride and inhumanity of Domitian; and he treated not only the offending parties, but his most innocent subjects, in a savage manner, inventing cruel tortures to discover those who belonged to the party of his adversary, A.D. 89. It was Domitian's custom to treat with particular marks of favour those whom he intended to destroy, and to use the most gentle language towards a person whom he was about to sentence to death. Thus, it is said, he sent the steward of his house a dish from his own supper-table and ordered him to be 110 PERSECUTION UNDER DOMITIAN. crucified in the morning; and carried another with him in his litter the very day of his execution. We can, therefore, imagine the terror of the senators, whom he had often threatened to destroy, when they were invited one night to sup at the palace, and the emperor himself welcomed them at the gates. Their horror increased when they were conducted into a hall hung with black, and lighted by a few lamps which just enabled them to see a number of funeral couches with their own names inscribed upon them. They were soon surrounded by a number of men having their bodies blackened, each holding a lighted torch in one hand, and a sword in the other. These frightful figures danced round the astonished guests; and, while they expected nothing but death, a servant entered and told them they had the emperor's permission to return home. But, in other cases, Domitian's cruelties were real, and becoming gradually more hardened, he delighted to be present at the execution of his commands, and the sight of the tyrant, flushed with intemperance, added to the agony of the sufferers. In A.D. 95, after a rest of thirty years, the Christians again became objects of imperial persecution. It is said, the apostle John was brought before Domitian and thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil by his command; but, as his life was miraculously preserved, he was banished to Patmos, and probably condemned to labour in the mines there. Flavius Clemens, Domitian's cousin and the consul of Rome, was one of the martyrs at this period. After his conversion, he was entirely unfitted for the office he held, as the loss of his former ambition and his aversion to the worldliness and evil around him, soon brought upon him the accusation of slothfulness and neglect of the duties of his station. Many Christians suffered death during this persecution; others were banished, or deprived of their possessions; but the death of Domitian put an end to their sufferings in about two years. This wretched emperor's fears had increased with his cruelties; and he suffered dreadfully at times from the accusations of conscience and the dread of assassination. It is said, he had a wall of shining stones built round the terrace where only he dared to walk when alone, in order that he might observe by the reflection whether any one was behind him. His wife Domitia, whom he sometimes caressed and sometimes threatened, at length bribed one of his household to murder him whilst he was taking his morning bath, as she was informed he intended to have her put to death with many others. Thus perished the last of the twelve Cæsars, A. D. 97. Nerva, a native of Crete, the first foreigner who became master of the Roman empire, was chosen by the Senate as emperor, on the day that Domitian was murdered. The late tyrant was refused the common funeral honours; and all his statues of gold and silver were melted down for the public treasury. Nerva's conduct is spoken of as blameless; and his extreme gentleness and benevolence led him to forgive, when, as a just judge, he should have punished the evil-doers. We know not whether he was acquainted with the doctrines of the Christians, but he ceased to persecute, and recalled all who had been banished, except the wife of Flavius Clemens, who was left in exile on account of her relationship to Domitian. In gratitude to the senate, who had raised him to the imperial dignity, Nerva took a solemn oath that no senator should be put to death during his reign; and he was not induced to break his promise, even when two of them plotted against his life. He only appeared with them at the theatre, and, in the sight of the people, presented them with a dagger, bidding them strike him if they would, and thus made them ashamed of their intention. An anecdote is also given, proving that Nerva had not that love of money which is a root of great evil. One of his subjects having found a treasure, came to ask what he should do with it? Nerva replied, "Use it." The man then offered to give it to him, saying, it was too much for a private person to use. The emperor replied with a smile, "Then you may abuse it." The Prætorian guards alone were dissatisfied with an emperor who would not gratify their avarice; and a tumult arose among them under pretence of revenging the death of Domitian who had liberally rewarded them for executing his will. The gentle Nerva laid his bosom bare, desiring them to take revenge upon him rather than any other; but they still persisted in finding out all who had been concerned in the death of Domitian, and having put them to death, compelled the emperor to make a speech thanking them for their fidelity. Nerva, feeling his own weakness, chose, as his partner and successor in the empire, Trajan, a Spaniard by birth, then governor of Lower Germany. In the adoption of |