11.07.2015 Views

Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

242 THE SECOND AGE OF THE MARTYR CHURCH.unbroken civilisation instinct with the principles<strong>of</strong> the pure Christian Faith. <strong>The</strong>n the northernflood <strong>of</strong> barbarism and the eastern tempest <strong>of</strong> afalse religion, which together were to break upthe fabric <strong>of</strong> a thousand years, might have beenbeaten back from its boundaries, and from themthe messengers <strong>of</strong> light have so penetrated theworld in all directions that the advance <strong>of</strong> thetruth should not have been impeded by any greatcivil destruction, but the nations <strong>of</strong> Europe havedeveloped themselves from their Roman cradle bya continuous growth, in which there had been noages <strong>of</strong> conquest, violence, and confusion, no relapseinto chaos, no struggle back into an intricateand yet imperfect order, but the serene advancefrom dawn to day.So, however, it was not to be. <strong>The</strong> time <strong>of</strong>probation in the reigns <strong>of</strong> Hadrian and AntoninusPius, wherein a sort <strong>of</strong> toleration had seemed tobe allowed to Christians, passed away, and thebeginning <strong>of</strong> a far different destiny broke upon theempire. With the accession <strong>of</strong> Marcus Aurelius thegreat old enemies, the North and the East, awokefrom their trance in fresh vigour. A Parthianwar <strong>of</strong> four years, a German war <strong>of</strong> twelve, withpestilence, earthquakes, and famines through alarge part <strong>of</strong> the empire, try to the utmost thevigour and temper <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> the most uprightsovereigns known to heathenism. Marcus Aureliusmeets both enemies with equal JL courage and

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!