The spirit of the martyrs revived in a brief compendious collection of the most remarkable passages and living testimonies of the true church, seed of God, and faithful martyrs in all ages: contained in several ecclesiastical histories & chronological accounts of the succession of the true church from the creation, the times of the fathers, patriarchs, prophets, Christ and the Apostles.

CHAP. II.

Several Remarkable Judgments of God, which have befallen several Per∣secutors for Conscience sake from Christs time until the end of the Ten first Persecutions, under the persecuting Roman Emperors.

* 1.1 HErod the great (so called) the great Persecutor of Christ, who that he might kill Christ in the Cradle, sent and slew all the Children in Bethlem from two years old and under, who afterwards, as History relates, being given up of God to wickedness, slew his own Wife, and Children, and neerest Kindfolks, and familiar Friends; but it was not long but the remarkabl•• Judgment of God

met with him, for he was smitten of God with a grievous sickness, viz. a Fire was kindled in his inward parts, a rotting in his Bowels, a grievous flux in his Fundament, a moist running humor in his Feet, and the like about his Bladder, and his privy Members ingendring a∣boundance of Worms, which continually swarmed out; he had al∣so throughout all the parts of his Body, such a violent Cramp as humane strength was not able to endure, who seeking to end his dayes by laying violent hands upon himself, was prevented by his Friends, and so at length in extreame misery, he ended his wretched life; see Clarkes Gen. Martyrol. page 26.

* 1.2 That wicked Herod the less, Murtherer of John the Baptist and con∣demner of. Jesus Christ himself, who putting away his own wife, took her Brother Philips wife, was himself and this incestuous Herodias condemned to perpetual Banishment to Vienna in France by Caesar Caligula then Emperor, where they both died miserably, see Acts and Mon. page 50.

* 1.3 Judas Iscariot that grand Traytor, and false Disciple of Christ, who after he had most wickedly betrayed his Lord and Master, and sold him for thirty pieces of Silver to the Jews, to be Crucified; he af∣terwards, when he saw that Christ was condemned, brought again the thirty pecies of Silver to the Priests and Elders, and cast them into the Temple, and crying out thorow horror of Conscience, said, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed Innocent Blood, and then went forth and hanged himself, and falling headlong he brust asunder in the midst, so that all his Bowels gushed out, Matth. 27.3, 4, 5.

* 1.4 Pilate, that wicked Governor, under whom Christ was Crucifi∣ed, in the dayes of Tiberius Nero, then Emperor, through the just punishment of Gods was first apprehended, and accused at Rome. and deposed, and then banished to the Town of Lyons, at length killed him∣self, Acts and Mon. page 50.

* 1.5 Caiphas, that wicked high Priest, that sate upon the Judgment Seat, and condemned Christ, was in the reign of the Emperor Caesar Caligula removed from his High-Priests Office and did not long after escape with his life. Acts and Mon. pag. 50.

* 1.6 Tiberius Caesar, who was also called, Tiberius Nero, under whose Raign a••d Goverment Christ himself suffered, was poisoned to death, Acts and Mon. pag. 50.

* 1.7 Caesar Caligula, that wicked Emperor, and bloody minded man, that wished that all the People of Rome had but one Neck, that he might at his pleasure destroy them at once, was cut off by the hands of a Tribune and others, being slain when he had raigned but four years. ibid.

* 1.8 Claudius Nero, of whom it is said, that he Ruled thirteen years with no little Cruelty to the Christians, was in the end slain, ibid.

Domitius Nero, which succeeded next in the Empire, but exceed∣ed all the rest of the Neros, for Fury, Wickedness and Tyranny; in∣somuch, as he was counted a prodigious Monster of Nature, more like a Beast, yea, rather a Devil then a Man, in that he was so mon∣sterously

given to uncleanness,* 1.9 that he abstained not from his own Mother, and his Natural Sister, and in that he was so wretchedly cruel as that he caused to be put to death his own Mother, his Bro∣ther-in-law, his own Sister, his own Wife great with Child, and his Tutor Seneca and Lucane, with divers more of his own Kindred; besides the Apostles Peter and Paul, who are said to be put to Death at the latter end of his reign, for the Testimony of Christ; and not only so, his Wickedness ended not here, but also he set on Fire the City of Rome in twelve places, and so continued it six dayes and se∣ven nights burning, and to avoid the Infamy thereby, laid the fault up∣on the Christians, and then caused them to be persecuted: He reigned fourteen Years, even so long in cruelty, till at last the Senate Proclai∣ming him a publick Enemy of Man-kind, condemned him to be drawn through the City, and to be whipt to Death; for the fear whereof, he flying the Hands of his Enemies in the night fled to a Mannour of his Servants in the Country, where he was forced to slay himself, complaining that he had neither Friend nor Enemy that would do so much for him, Ibid.

In a word, if Histories speak true, few or none of the Persecu∣ting Roman Emperors died in their Beds.

Decius the Persecutor, being overcome in War, to avoid his Ene∣mies hands, he leaped with his Horse into a Whirl-pool, and was drowned, Cla. Gen. Martyr. 54.

* 1.10 Valerianus the Emperor, and Persecutor of the Christians, was taken Prisoner of the Persians when he was Seventy Years of Age, and Sapores the King of the Persians used him for his Riding-block; for whensoever the King was minded to mount his Horse openly in the sight of the People, Valerian the Quondam Emperor was brought forth instead of a Block, for the King to tread upon his Back in go∣ing to his Horse-back; and in the end he was condemned to be slain, and powdered with Salt, for a perpetual Monument of his own wret∣chedness, Acts and Mon. 105. Ex. Euseb.

Gallienus, Killed by Aureolus, Acts and Mon. 51.

* 1.11 Aurelianus the Emperor began his reign with moderation and dis∣cretion, giving Toleration to the Christians; but at length giving ear to evil counsel, his nature inclinable to Severity, was altered to plain Tyranny, which he shewed in Murdering, First, his own Sis∣ters Son, then purposing in himself to persecute the Christians, he fra∣med a Proclamation against them for their Persec••••••n ••••d being rea∣dy, and about to sign it with his own hand, was by th•• ••••ghty stroke of the hand of the Lord suddainly from above stopt in his purpose, bin∣ding as a man might say, the Emperors hands behind him, for Utro∣pius and V••piscus affirms, that as the said Aurelianus was purposing to raise Persecution against the Christians, he was suddainly Terrified with Lightning, and so stopped from his wicked Tyranny.

* 1.12 Dioclesian, that Wicked and Impious Persecuting Emperor, ring whose life a great and most grievous Persecution was moved ••∣gainst the Christians ten Years together, and then he deposed him∣self

and as some say at Solona, Anno. 319. Poysoned himself, Acts and Mon. Fol. 51. and 121.

Maximinus was hanged, as it is said, by Constantine at Massilia, about the Year 310. Acts and Mon. 123.

* 1.13 Galerius the chief Minister of the Persecution, after his terrible Persecutions, fell into a wonderful sickness, having such a sore risen in the nether parts of his Belly, which consumed his Privey Mem∣bers, and so did swarm with Wormes, that being not curable, nei∣ther by Chyrurgery nor Physick, he confessed it happened for his cruelty against the Christians, and so calling in his Proclamations a∣gainst them; notwithstanding he not able to sustain, as some say, the stanch of his sore, slew himself, Acts and Mon. pag. 51.

* 1.14 Maximinus (the Son as it is thought) that Arch-Enemy to the Christians, and great Persecutor of tender Conscience, and stirrer up of others thereunto; as witness his advising his Idol-Priests to execute their Office with great Authority and Dignity, and with World like Pomp, being to Christian pity and Religion most incensed, exerci∣••ing cruel Persecution towards the East Churches (so called) was by the just Judgment of God suddainly and sorely vexed with a fatal disease, most filthy and desperate, and very strange, taking its first beginning in his Flesh outwardly, and from thence proceeding into the inward parts of his Body; for in his Members there happened to him a suddain Putrifaction, and botchey corrupt Boyles, with a Fistual, consuming and eating up his Intrales, out of the which came swarming forth an innumerable multitude of Lice, with such a pestif∣ferous stench, that no man could abide him, or to be near him, by reason whereof, the Physitians that had him in cure, some of them not able to abide the intolerable stench, were commanded to be slain, others because they could not heal him, being so swoln and past hope of cure were all cruelly put to Death; at length being put in mind and in rememberance, that his disease was sent of God; he began to bethink himself of the wickedness that he had done against the Saints of God, and coming unto himself, confesseth his sins to God, and sets forth his Edicts to command all men to cease from Persecuting the Christians, desiring the Christians to pray to their God for him, and this occasioned the very Infidels themselves to extol the only true God of the Christians; and not long after, by the very Violence of his Di∣sease he ended his life, Acts and Mon. 115.116.122.

Maxentius was vanquished by Constantine, and drowned in Tyber Acts and Mon. pag. 51.

Lycinius, being overcome by Constantine the great, was deposed from his Empire, and afterwards slain of his Souldiers, Ibid.

Notes

• * 1.1

  King Herod
• * 1.2

  Herod the Tetrarch.
• * 1.3

  Judas Jsco∣riot.
• * 1.4

  Pilate the Governour.
• * 1.5

  Caiphas the high Priest.
• * 1.6

  Tiberius Caesar.
• * 1.7

  Caesar Cali∣gula.
• * 1.8

  Claudius Nero.
• * 1.9

  Domitius Nero the first begin∣ner and stir∣er up of the ten Persecu∣tions, about the Year 67 Acts and Mon. page 54.
• * 1.10

  Valerianus his reward.
• * 1.11

  Aurelianus his Persecu∣tion won∣derfuly pre∣vented.
• * 1.12

  Dioclesian the Wick∣ed Persecu∣tor Poisoned himself.
• * 1.13

  Galerius confesseth to the Judg∣ment of God.
• * 1.14

  Maximinus the cruel Persecutor confesseth to the just Judgment of God