Tertullians apology, or, Defence of the Christians against the accusations of the gentiles now made English by H.B. Esq.

CHAP. XXXIX.

AFter shewing Christian Religion (which you call a factious society) innocent of all crimes by you attributed to it; its time I disco∣ver unto you its maners, to the end, that having refu∣ted the evill wherewith it is reproached, I shew you the good wherewith it is replenished. Wee make a body, or by certaine knowledge all conspire in the service of the true God, where we live united under one Discipline, and one onely Faith, or, by a happie conjunction, conceive all of us the like hope of e∣ternal felicity. We assemble together by troops in our prayers to God, as if thereby wee would carry as by force, the grant of whatever prayers we present un∣to him; it is a violence that is agreeable to him; we pray to him for the Emperours, their Ministers,

the magistrates that have the exercise of their pow∣er, for the polliticke estate, the tranquillity of the Empire, the retarding of the generall dissolution that must put an end to all things. Wee assemble together to read the holy Scriptures, and wee read them according to the condition of the times, what serves either to admonish, or confirme the faith∣full. In effct the Scriptures nourish our faith, lift up our hope, and assure the confidence wee have in God, neverthelesse we cease not to confirme our dis∣cipline by the strength of precepts we continually re∣peate.

In these assemblies wee make exhortations, and threatnings, and exercise Divine censure, that bani∣sheth sinners, and excludes them from our commu∣nion wee judge them with very much circumspe∣ction, because we know that God is in the midst of us, and sees what we doe; and certainly it is a great fortelling of the judgement God will, one day, pro∣nounce against the wicked, when the Church, mo∣ved with the enormity of their crimes, darts out up∣on wilfull sinners the thunderbolts of excommunica∣tion, and deprives them from the participation of its prayers, its society, and all sort of holy commerce with it. In our assemblies there are Bishops that pre∣side, and have authority over all the faithfull com∣mitted to their charge; they are approved by the suffrages of them whom they ought to conduct, and it is not bribes that acquire them this honor, but testimonies given of their good life. For in the Church of God nothing is done by the allurement of

gifts: if there be among us any kind of treasure, the money layd up makes our Religion not ashamed; neithercan it be sayd what brought unto us is a tri∣bute, or price payed to participate of its ho inesse: everyone contributes a little sum, at the end of the month, or, when hee will: but it is, if hee will, and can: for none are constrayned to give: if wee get a∣ny almes, it is of good will, riches gathered in this manner are as the pledges of piety; wee do not con∣found them in eating and drinking with excesse; we make not use of them for the fowle and loathsome exercise of gluttony: but we employ them in feeding the poore, and burying them, in comforting chil∣dren that are destitute of parents and goods, in hel∣ping old men who have spent their best dayes in the service of the faithfull, in helping the poore that have lost by shipwracke what they had, and in as∣sisting them that serve in the mines, are banished into Islands, or shut up in prisons, because the pro∣fesse the Religion of the true God, that during the time they suffer for the confession of his name they may be nourished with the stocke of the Church. But its a strang thing that this charity among us gives oc∣casion to som to blame us. See, say they, how they love one another; this astonitheth them, because they hate one another, See, say they, how they are ready to die one for another, hut as for them they are ready, to kil one another; & I think, they have nothing to say a∣gainst the name of Christian we give one another, for with them paternal names, & the affinity that blood produceth, expresseth but a fained affectiō, & disguised

amity. It must not seeme strange to you if wee call one another brethren, seeing wee are all your brethren by the right of nature, which is mother to us all. Wee have the same principles as you, but you renounce the humanity common to us; because you are evill brethren to us: but with how much more reason are they called and esteemed brethren; who acknowledge one same father, to wit, the li∣ving God, that have received the same spirit of Sanctitie, who being shut up in the same darkenesse, and ignorance, as children in the belly of their mo∣ther, came forth happily, and in opening their eyes were frighted at the sight of the same light, which is that o•• truth? But, it may bee, it is not believed we are brethren indeed, because there are no trage∣dies, that speake of the bloody disorders of Christi∣ans, or because wee are brethren, but unto the com∣mon usage of the goods of the world, which with you have the power to dissolve the union of bro∣therhood; therefore, as we live with the same intel∣ligence, as if we had all but one spirit, and one soul, we make no difficulty to put all things betweene us in common; we have nothing in particular but our wives, of all things in the world there is nothing but wives, whereof wee reject community; and, on the contrary, among them, of their wives onely there is community with other men, for as they have used to desile the mariages of their friends, they prostiture also marriages with very much pati∣ence to the unchastitie of their friends: that which they have learnt, if I be not deceived, in the schoole

of a Greeke Socrates, and Roman Cato, who have sometimes lent their wives to their friends, those they married to have children by, to bee engendred by others then themselves and out of their houses. I know not if they lent them against their wills; for why should they have any care of their chastity, whom their husbands abandon so lightly? O fa∣mous example of a Grecians wisdome, and Roman severitie! A Philosopher and a Censor make a shamefull trade of the chastitie of their wives.

Now seeing wee live together with so much cha∣rity, that all our goods are common; why should they wonder if wee make good cheere? for it is one of the excesses you reproach us with, besides the in∣famous crimes where of you accuse our repasts, you reproove us with prodigality; it may bee it is of us Diogenes hath said, the Megarians make feasts, as if they would die tomorrow and they build also, as if they would never die. Certes, each of you fees easi∣er the straw in his neighbours eye, then the beame in his owne. The aire is corrupted with the ill sents that goe out of the mouths of so many people, that spew in the streets.

What, the Saliens could not make one repast, un∣lesse they found some body that lent them money to supplie their expences? your stewards would bee troubled to make ready the accounts of the money spent in feasts, where you vow the tenth of your goods to Hercules? In Athens they chuse the excel∣lentest cookes to celebrate the feast of the Apaturies, wherein the midst of their deboystnes, they call upon

the Deity of father Denis; the souldiers who have the charge of watching by night, to hinder the bur∣ning of the City, are troubled at the sight of the smoake that riseth in the aire, in making ready sup∣per in honour of Serapis? And yet they will talke of nothing, but the excesse of the Tables of the Christi∣ans? But you need but consider the name given to our repast to know the quality thereof. They express themselves with the same word that signifies dilecti∣on with the Greekes, whatsoever the cost is that is made, it is profitable, for they gaine alwayes in this expence; because it hath piety for its foundation. Its a sweetnesse, wherewith wee comfort the want of the poore, but we do not treat them, as you those infamous gluttons, who glory in selling you their li∣berty for the price of the good bits, where with they fill their bellies in the midst of a thousand indigni∣ties. But wee will have the least served with our goods, because we know they, among all men, are, the most acceptable to God.

Then seeing our banquets have so honest an end, consider what our Discipline should be in the rest of our actions, even those which more concerne the duties of Religion; it permits nothing that is disho∣nest, nor far from modesty. Before wee goe to table wee are fed with heavenly meat; which is the pray∣er we make to God; wee eate as much, as is necessa∣ry to satisfie ones appetite, wee drinke as much as is permitted to persons that have a care of their puri∣ty. They that sit there take their refection with so

much temperance, as they may remember they are obliged to worship God, even at night. They enter∣taine one another as people that know God heares what they say. After the repast done, and washt their hands, and lighted the candles, they are invi∣ted to prayse God, and to sing Psalmes, taken out of the holy Scripture, or Hymns; every one composeth according to the capacity of his mind. By this it may be known, it they have committed any excesse at table; as the repast began with prayer, so it ends; they goe forth, no•• in diverse troopes to defile their hands with the bloud of men, not in severall bands running in the streets, not to doe insolencies; but with the same care they had in comming in, preser∣ving their modesty and chastity.

Finally, Christians retire with so much stayed∣nesse, that wee may very well see, they are not fed so much with corporall meats, as the substance of heavenly and holy discipline. Certes, it were but reason, that this society of the Christians should bee reputed unlawfull, if it were like to that the lawes forbid; it were but good reason it should bee con∣demned, if it were not different to that which deserves to bee condemned; if one would reproach it with the same things wherewith they accuse facti∣ous societies. But tell me, did wee ever assemble to procure the hurt of any one? As we are seperated, we are the same also in a bodie: as wee are in per∣ticular, so we are in generall that is to say, in what∣soever estate we are found, we offend no body, wee injure no body; when any vertuous or godly people

are associated, when any pious or chast persons assem∣ble together, their union should not be called a facti∣on, but a lawfull society.