§. 1. Thankless officiousness.
OF the state and occurrences of the Church this instant year, there is neither any particular given by S. Luke, nor any else where to be found in Scripture, save only what may be collected from the words of Paul concerning himself, namely that he is this year either in Arabia or Damascus or both, spending one part of it in the one place, and the other in the other. The Church (now this great persecutor is turned Preacher) injoyned no doubt a great deal of ease in the ceasing of the persecution, and benefit by the earnestness of his Ministry. And so let us leave her to her peace and comfortable times now growing on, and turn our story to the Ro∣mans.
Tiberius his reign being now come to the twentieth year, the present Consuls L. Vitellius, and Fabius Priscus, do prorogate or proclaim his rule for ten years longer. A ceremony used by Augustus, whensoever he came to a tenth year of his reign, but by Tiberius there was not the like cause. One would have thought the twenty years past of his inhumane and barba∣rous reign should have given the City more than enough of such an Emperor: and have caused her to have longed rather for his end then to have prolonged his dominion. But she will make a virtue now or complement rather of necessity, and will get thanks of him for continuing of that which she cannot shake off, and is willing that he shall reign still, because she knew he would do so whether she will or no. It is the forlorn way of currying favour, to please a man in his own humour, when we dare not cross it. The flattering Consuls received a reward befitting such unnecessary officiousness, for they kept the feast, saith Dion, that was used upon such occasions, and were punished. Not with death, for the next year you shall have Vitellius in Judea, but with some other infliction which it may be was pretended for some other reason, but intended and imposed upon a profound