But here we must pause for a little, and look around us. There is something deeper far in the change of government towards the Church than the merely historical eye can discern. We believe that we are now come to the close of the FIRST PERIOD and the opening of the SECOND.
The EPHESIAN condition of the Church, looking at it in this light, may be said to have ended with the death of Antoninus Pius, in the year 101; and the Smyrnean condition to have commenced with the reign of Marcus Aurelius. The persecution in Asia broke out with great violence in the year 107, under the new edicts of this emperor; and Smyrna especially suffered greatly: the justly esteemed Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, suffered martyrdom at this time. But in order to prove the view we have taken, it will be necessary to glance briefly at the addresses to the churches of Ephesus and Smyrna. And first, the address to the church of Ephesus. Rev. 2:1- 7.
The grand object of the Church in this world was to be “the pillar and ground of the truth.” It was set up to be a light-bearer for God. It is thus symbolized by a “golden candlestick”—a vessel which bears the light. It ought to have been a true witness of what God had manifested in Jesus on the earth; and of what He is now when Christ is in heaven. We further learn from this address, that the Church, as a vessel of testimony in this world, is threatened with being set aside unless its first estate is maintained. But, alas! she fails, as the creature always does. The angels, Adam, Israel, and the Church, kept not their first estate. “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,” saith the Lord, “because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
There was still, however, much that He could praise, and He does praise all that He can. As an assembly, they had patience; they had labored and not fainted; they could not bear “evil men,” or those who were seeking the highest place in the Church. Nevertheless, He feels the departure from Himself. “Thou hast left thy first love.” He speaks as one disappointed. They had ceased to delight in His love to them, and hence their own love to Him declined. “First love” is the happy fruit of our appreciation of the Lord’s love to us.” “Outward testimony might go on,” as one has said, “but that is not what the Lord most values, though value it He does, so far as it is simple, genuine, and faithful. Still He cannot but prize most of all hearts devoted to Himself, the fruit of His own personal, self-sacrificing, perfect love. He has a spouse upon earth, whom He desires to see with no object but Himself, and kept pure for Him from the world and its ways. God has called us for this: not only for salvation, and a witness for Himself in godliness, though this is most true and important, but beyond all for Christ—a bride for His Son! Surely this should be our first and last, and constant and dearest thought; for we are affianced to Christ, and He at least has proved the fullness and faithfulness of His love to us. But what of ours!”
It was this state of things in Ephesus, and in the Church at large, that called for the intervention of the Lord in faithful discipline. The Church, as planted by Paul, had already fallen from its first estate. “All seek their own,” he says, “not the things of Jesus Christ.” And again, “All they which are in Asia be turned away from me.” Hence the tribulation spoken of in the address to the church in Smyrna. Though the Lord is full of grace and love in all His ways towards His fallen and failing Church, still He is righteous withal and must judge evil. He is not seen in these addresses as the Head in heaven of the one body, nor as the Bridegroom of His Church; but in His judicial character, walking in the midst of the candlesticks, having the attributes of a judge. See the first chapter.
It will be observed by the reader, that there is a measured distance and reserve in the style of His address to the church at Ephesus. This is in keeping with the place He takes in the midst of the golden candlesticks. He writes to the angel of the Church, not to “the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus,” as in the epistle by Paul.
There have been many disputes about “who is meant by the angel.” He was a person, we believe, so identified morally with the assembly, that he represented it, and characterized it. The Lord addresses the angel, not the church immediately. “The angel,” therefore gives the idea of representation. For example, in the Old Testament we have the angel of Jehovah; the angel of the covenant: and in the New, we have the angels of the little children, and so of Peter in Acts 12 They said, “It is his angel.”
We will now briefly glance at the address to the church at Smyrna. Rev. 2:8-11.
Our interest in the history of the Church is greatly increased when we see that the Lord has distinctly marked its successive epochs. The outward condition of the Church down to the death of the first Antonine—so far as it can be ascertained from the most authentic histories—answers in a remarkable way to what we learn from scripture, and short papers on church history especially from the address to Ephesus. There was outward consistency and zeal; they were unwearied. It is also evident that there was charity, purity, devotedness, holy courage, even to the greatest readiness to suffer in every way for the Lord’s sake. At the same time it is clear from both scripture and history, that false doctrine was making its way, and that many were manifesting a most unworthy zeal for official pre-eminence in the Church. That forgetfulness of self, and that care for Christ and His glory, which are the first-fruits of His grace, were gone. Historically, we now come to the Smyrna period. For the convenience of the reader we will give the address entire.
“And unto the angel of the Church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich), and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” Here the Lord meets the declension by sore tribulation. Milder means had not answered the end. This is no uncommon case; though they may have thought that some strange thing had happened to them. But all their afflictions were known to the Lord, measured by Him, and ever under His control. “Ye shall have tribulation ten days.” The period of their sufferings is exactly specified. And He speaks to them as one that had known the depths of tribulation Himself. “These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.” He had gone through the deepest sorrow, and through death itself—He had died for them and was alive again. They had this blessed One to flee to in all their trials. And as He looks on, and walks in the midst of His suffering ones, He says, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Thus He holds in His hand the martyr’s crown, ready to place it on the head of His faithful overcomer.
We will now turn to our history, and mark its resemblance to the above epistle.
THE SECOND PERIOD OF THE CHURCH’S HISTORY COMMENCED ABOUT A.D. 107.
The reign of Aurelius is marked, under the providence of God, by many and great public calamities. We see the hand of the Lord in faithful love chastening His own redeemed and beloved people, but His anger was kindled against their enemies. The eastern army, under Verus, returning from the Parthian war, brought with it to Rome the infliction of a pestilential disease which was then raging in Asia, and which soon spread its ravages through almost the whole of the Roman empire: there was also a great inundation of the Tiber, which laid a large part of the city under water, and swept away immense quantities of grain from the fields and public storehouses. These disasters were naturally followed by a famine which consumed great numbers.
Such events could not fail to increase the hostility of the heathen against the Christians. They ascribed all their troubles to the wrath of the gods, which the new religion was supposed to have provoked. Thus it was that the persecution of Christians in the Roman empire began with the populace. The outcry against them rose up from the people to the governors. “Throw the Christians to the lions!” “Throw the Christians to the lions!” was the general outcry; and the names of the most prominent in the community were demanded with the same uncontrollable hostility. A weak or superstitious magistrate would tremble before the voice of the people, and lend himself as the instrument of their will.
But we will now take a nearer view, under the guidance of the various histories that are before us, of the manner of these persecutions and of the behavior of the Christians under them the persecution in Asia. A.D. 167.
In Asia Minor the persecution broke out with great violence, such as it had never been before. Christianity was now treated as a direct crime against the state. This changed the face of everything. Contrary to the rescript of Trajan, and the conduct of still milder emperors, Hadrian and Antonine, the Christians were to be sought for as common criminals. They were torn from their homes by the violence of the people, and subjected to the severest tortures. If they obstinately refused to sacrifice to the gods, they were condemned. The wild beast, the cross, the stake, and the ax were the cruel forms of death that met the Lord’s faithful ones everywhere.
The prudent and dignified Melito, bishop of Sardis, was so moved by these unheard of barbarities, that he appeared before the emperor as the Christians’ advocate. His address throws much light both on the law and on the conduct of the public authorities. It is as follows:—“The race of God’s worshippers in this country are persecuted as they never were before, by new edicts; for the shameless sycophants, greedy of the possessions of others-since they are furnished by these edicts with an opportunity of so doing—plunder their innocent victims day and night. And let it be right, if it is done by your command, since a just emperor will never resolve on any unjust measure; and we will cheerfully bear the honorable lot of such a death. Yet we would submit this single petition, that you would inform yourself respecting the people who excite the contention, and impartially decide whether they deserve punishment and death, or deliverance and peace. But if this resolve, and this new edict—an edict which ought not so to be issued even against hostile barbarians—comes from yourself, we pray you the more not to leave us exposed to such public robbery.”
There is, we fear, no ground to believe that this noble appeal brought any direct relief to the Christians. The character and ways of Aurelius have perplexed the historians. He was a philosopher of the sect of the Stoics; but naturally humane, benevolent, gentle, and pious; even childlike in his disposition, some say, from the influence of his mother’s training; yet he was an implacable persecutor of the Christians for nearly twenty years. And the perplexity is increased when we look to Asia, for the proconsul at this time was not personally opposed to the Christians. Still he yielded to the popular fury and the demands of the law. But faith sees beyond the emperors, governors, and people; it sees the prince of darkness ruling these wicked men, and the Lord Jesus overruling all. “I know thy works and tribulation.........Fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer.........Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.........He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
Aurelius, with all his philosophy, was an utter stranger to the sweetness and power of that name which alone can meet and satisfy the longings of the human heart. All the speculations and boastings of philosophy have never done this. Hence the enmity of the human heart to the gospel. Self-sufficiency, which leads to pride and self-importance, is the principal part of the Stoic’s religion. With these views, there could be no humility, no sense of sin, and no idea of a Savior. And the more earnest he was in his own religion, the more bitter and vehement would he be against Christianity.
In a circular-letter addressed by the Church of Smyrna to other christian churches, we have a detailed account of the sufferings of the faithful unto death. “They made it evident to us all,” says the church, “that in the midst of those sufferings they were absent from the body; or rather, that the Lord stood by them and walked in the midst of them; and, staying themselves on the grace of Christ, they bid defiance to the torments of the world.” Some, with a strange, momentary enthusiasm, rushed in self-confidence to the tribunal, and declared themselves to be Christians: but when the magistrate pressed them, wrought upon their fears, showed them the wild beasts, they yielded and offered incense to the gods. “We therefore,” adds the church, “praise not those who voluntarily surrendered themselves; for so are we not taught in the gospel.” Nothing less than the presence of the Lord Jesus could strengthen the soul to endure with tranquility and composure the most agonizing torments, and the most frightful deaths. But thousands have borne with meekness, cheerfulness, and even with joyfulness, the utmost that the power of darkness and the fourth beast of Daniel could do. The pagan bystanders were often moved to pity by their sufferings, but never could understand their calmness of mind, love to their enemies, and willingness to die.
We will now conclude this general account of the persecution in Asia, and notice particularly the two most eminent persons who suffered death at this time; namely, Justin and Polycarp.
THE MARTYRDOM OF JUSTIN, SURNAMED MARTYR.
Justin was born at Neapolis, in Samaria, of Gentile parents. He carefully studied in his youth the different philosophical sects; but not finding the satisfaction which his heart longed for, he was induced to hear the gospel. In it he found, through God’s blessing, a perfect rest for his soul, and every desire of his heart fully met. He became an earnest Christian, and a celebrated writer in defense of Christianity.
Early in the reign of Aurelius, Justin was a marked man. Information was laid against him by one Crescens. He was apprehended with six of his companions, and all were brought before the prefect. They were asked to sacrifice to the gods. “No man,” replied Justin, “whose understanding is sound, will desert true religion for the sake of error and impiety.” “Unless you comply,” said the prefect, “you shall be tormented without mercy.” “We desire nothing more sincerely,” he replied, “than to endure tortures for our Lord Jesus Christ.” The rest assented, and said, “We are Christians, and cannot sacrifice to idols.” The governor then pronounced sentence—“As to those who refuse to sacrifice to the gods and to obey the imperial edicts, let them be first scourged and then beheaded, according to the laws.” The martyrs rejoiced and blessed God, and being led back to prison, were scourged and afterward beheaded. This took place at Home about the year 165. Thus slept in Jesus one of the early Fathers, and earned the glorious title “Martyr,” which usually accompanies his name. His writings have been carefully examined by many, and great importance is attached to them.