Heroes of the early church

Prefatory Note

These graphic sketches of the " Heroes of the Early Church " are the latest series penned by the distinguished author, whom Spurgeon fittingly called " The Prince of Children's Preachers." The sketches are in many respects the best work of the gifted man. As he ripened in saintship for heaven, his literary style became even more rich with the aroma of the gospel, and so more forcible, simple and crisp than in his earlier writings.

The articles were originally prepared for The Youth's World, and were issued in that periodical. The revision and preparation of them for publication in this form has been an easy and delightful task. Indeed, so carefully did Dr. Newton prepare his copy for the press that little was required to be done beyond the omission of some repetitions of statement, necessarily incident to serial articles in a periodical. Dr. Newton had planned another series on the " Heroes of the Modern Church," to follow these, but was compelled by ill health to give up writing them. Yet he continued to work so diligently that the last article from his pen was written for the number of The Youth's World which appeared the month after his death. He was conscious that the "Masvi ' Prefatory Note,

ter's call " might come suddenly to him. In view of this sudden " translation," he committed to me the work of revising and issuing these sketches in a permanent form. With great regret he gave up the continuance of the series he had intended, as this note shows :

"Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia,

" April 9, 1887, "Rev. E. W. Eice, D.D.:

" My Bear Brother — I return the enclosed papers to you, and am very sorry to be obliged to say that it will not be in my power to go on with the new course of articles on ' The Heroes of the Modern Church.' . . . I am greatly interested in this work, and should like nothing better than to go on with it if I could. But this is impossible."

A week later came another letter :

" Your kind letter of yesterday is received. I never did anything in my life more reluctantly than to write the letter sent you the other day about discontinuing the articles on ' The Heroes of the Modern Church.' I have always considered it one of my highest privileges to be connected with the American Sunday-School Union in the noble work it is doing for the glory of God and for the good of men.

"And nothing but a sense of absolute necessity would ever have induced me to take this step."

Two weeks later there came another letter, showing the sweet submission and strong hope of the Christian in the deepest sorrow :

"April 30, 1887.

"My Dear Brother Rice:

"... I have been passing through deep waters for the last few weeks

in the loss of my dear wife, after we had journeyed on together in the

pilgrimage of life for half a century. All life's other trials seemed light

in comparison with this. And yet I never felt the power and precious-

ness of the gospel as I have done in going through this trial."

Then came a final note, in his own hand, written from his bed of sickness, from whence he soon after passed to the better land.

Prefatory Note, vii uULyrvu

A few days later on, May 25, 1887, in his seventyfifth year, Dr. Newton departed to be with Christ.

The gifted author has sketched the characters of these " Heroes of the Early Church " with a loving, vigorous and graphic pen, which will give young Christian readers of to-day a vivid impression of the greatness and goodness of the men who labored and sacrificed their lives in the early extension and strengthening of our common evangelical faith.

Edwin W. Kice.

Philadelphia, Sept. 1, 1888.

Contents

CHAPTER. PAGE.

I. Clement of Eome 11

II. Ignatius of Antioch .25

Chapter I. Clement Of Home

We now propose to study the history

and character of some of the Heroes in

the earHest ages of the Christian Church.

We will begin with the first century of

the Christian era. The good man whose

name stands at the head of this chapter

was the friend and companion of the

great apostles Peter and Paul. Origen

says he is mentioned by Paul in his epistle

to the Philippians. In the fourth chapter

and the third verse of this epistle the apostle is sending a message to some member of that church, and he beseeches him to " help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.'' -Here, perhaps, we have the good man whose story we are now sketching brought before us.

As we study the principal facts in his life he comes before us as an example of four important practical lessons.

I. Clement of Rome was an example of earnestness i7t seeking for the truth. He was born in the first century of the Christian era. Of course in his early education he was only taught about the gods whom the heathen worshipped. But this teaching did not satisfy him. The great question which troubled him was, " Will my soul live after the death of my body?" He wished to know if there was any authority for believing in the immortality of the soul. He made up his mind never to rest till this question was settled. But his heathen teachers could give him no satis-

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STCLEMEM ROMAJiUS,

Clement, 15

faction upon this subject. After hearing all they had to say, he studied diligently the teachings of the Roman and Egyptian philosophers ; but they had nothing to tell that gave him any help in settling this important question. Still he determined not to give the matter up.

Then he heard that the Son of God had come down from heaven to give light on these great subjects. This encouraged him to go on with his inquiries, in the hope that he should at last find out the truth about this matter.

Soon after this, tradition says that he became acquainted with the apostle Barnabas at Rome. He followed him to Alexandria, and then to Judaea. At Jerusalem, Barnabas introduced him to the apostle Peter. Peter gave him all the information he had so lonor been seekinofor, about the soul and its salvation. The true doctrine of eternal life was made clear to him. Thus he was brought to the Saviour, and was baptized and joined the church.

2. Clement of Rome comes before us as

1 6 H 67^06 s of the Early Chu7xh.

an example of hufmlity. And here let me say that in handHng these far-off histories, it is often very difficult to get the actual facts. Outside the Bible there is no authentic history of this early age of the Church. It is only the voice of tradition that speaks to us on the part of Clement's career now before us. What this voice says is that when the apostle Peter knew that his days were drawing to an end, and that the time of his departure was at hand, he was very anxious to have a suitable person selected to take his place as the head of the church at Rome. His intimate acquaintance with Clement satisfied him that he was better adapted for that position than any one else he knew. So he called a council of the church and urp-ed Clement on their attention as the best person to occupy the important office of bishop of their church.

The t^xmbishop is used in these sketches, in the New Testament sense, where the word episcopos or overseer is applied, and not as implying all that in these modern days is connected with the term bishop.

Clement. 1 7

3. We have in Clement of Rome an example of activity 171 doing good. He did good by promoting peace. When the Christian church was first estabHshed at Rome, it was a divided church. There was one branch known as the Jewish church and another as the Gentile church; but under the influence of the peace-loving spirit of this good bishop, the prejudices then existing were softened down, and the two parties became one.

Clement had been intimately connected with the church at Corinth. After he was made bishop he heard that there was a very bitter strife in that church, growing out of the parties into which it had been divided. This distressed him very much ; and here his love of peace came into play again. In the hope of allaying that bitter strife, and bring the opposing parties there together in unity, he wrote his fajnous epistle to the Corinthian church. This epistle was written in such an humble, gentle, loving spirit that it subdued the bitterness of the strife existing there, and acted on the disturbed church of Corinth very much as oil acts when poured on the surface of the troubled waters.

This epistle in its language and spirit is so very much like the epistle to the Hebrews that the members of the early Church regarded it as almost equal to the inspired writings, and for the first three centuries of the Christian era it used to be read in the churches, very much as the Scriptures were. Then it was lost to the Church for many centuries, but was discovered again between two hundred and three hundred years ago. Let us all follow the example of Clement as a lover of peace.

Again he did good by trying to spread abroad the gospel, as well as by making peace. Tradition tells us that he sent ministers to preach the gospel in distant regions, where the glad tidings of salvation . had never been heard ; and the amount of good which he accomplished in this way will never be known till the great day of final judgement.

4. We have in this " hero of the early Church" an example of indomitable courage.

Clement. 1 9

There are no historical facts on which we can draw to illustrate this part of our subject. It is only a late tradition that speaks to us here. But the story thus given affords a good illustration of the courage of this good man. And what tradition has to say here is that Clement was always trying to use his personal Influence in such a way as to bring those about him who were not Christians to a knowledge of Jesus as their Saviour. In this way he was the means of the conversion of a noble lady named Theodora, and also of her husband. He was a kinsman of the emperor Nerva, and a great favorite with him. This led the emperor to begin a very severe and cruel persecution. Clement of Rome did not escape this persecution. He was seized and cast into prison. When the time of his trial came, he had to make his choice between sacrificing to the idols of Rome and being sent into banishment. And here the courage of this brave man was well shown : he refused to sacrifice to the idols. Then the sentence of banishment was issued against

20 Heroes of the Eaidy Church.

him. He was sent away from Rome, to a far-off place called Cherson. This was a little town beyond the Pontic Sea. On arriving there, he found those banished hke himself were compelled to labor in the mines. They had to endure the severest labor and the most terrible hardships. They were whipped and beaten and chained ; their heads were half shaved, their right eyes bored out, their left legs disabled, and disgraceful marks were branded on their foreheads ; and in addition to all this, they were exposed to hunger and thirst and cold and nakedness. Clement found great numbers of Christians there condemned to all these miseries with himself. They were delighted to have so noble a Christian as he was to be their companion in suffering. Then he began to hold services and to preach the gospel to them after their day's work was done. Many of the heathen people from the surrounding country attended these services. Great numbers of them were converted. Before long the heathen temples in that region were deserted.

Clement, 2 1

"When the emperor heard of this, he sent an officer to stop this Christian work by persecution. But, finding that putting the common people to death did not stop the work from going on, he resolved to to make an example of one of the leading men among them ; so Clement was chosen for this purpose. He had to make his choice between renouncing his religion and being put to death. Here again he displayed the same courage which had animated him before. He refused to give up his religion. Then he was condemned to death. He was put on board a small vessel and carried far off from the shore. A heavy stone (or, according to another account, an anchor) was fastened to his feet, and he was plunged into the depths of the sea. Such, tradition says, was the end of this "hero of the early Church."

But when we think of Clement of Rome, let us remember the four good lessons taught us by his example — the lesson of earnestness in seeking for the truth, the lesson of humility, the lesson of usefulness, and the lesson of courage— and let us try

2 2 Heroes of the Early Chii^rch.

to Imitate his example In these respects, and then God's blessing will rest upon us, and we shall be successful In our life-work.

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\S7lGWATIUS AKTIOCHEKUS.

Chapter II. Ignatius Of Antioch

We come now to consider Ignatius the second in our list of heroes of the early Church.

About the exact time and place of the birth of Ignatius, and his parentage, we have no certain knowledge, and therefore on these points we shall not attempt to say anything. Only this remark may be made : that if the statement Is correct which represents him to have been about eighty years of age when he died, and if that event took place in the year ii6 or 117, then he must have been born between the years 30 and 40 of the Christian era.

Ignatius always used to speak of himself as Ignatius Theophortis. This is a Greek word which means being borne or

26 Heroes of the Early CJmrch,

carried by God. And every one who Is trying to be a true Christian may well be thus spoken of. For we are clearly taught In the Bible that God's everlastlnor arms are under all his followers, and his sheltering wings are over them.

It has been reported that Ignatius was the very child that our Saviour took up In his arms when he wished to teach his disciples the great lesson that they must be converted and become as little children If they wished to be his true followers. It would be an Interesting circumstance in the history of this good man If we could know that this was a fact ; but this cannot be known, and so we merely refer to the circumstance and pass It by.

Ignatius In his earlier years had the privilege of receiving Instruction from the apostles Peter and Paul. He not only heard them preach In public, but was also favored with their more familiar teachings In private. While thus Intimate with the apostles just mentioned, he tells us himself, that he was the disciple of the apostle John. Under the instruction of these great and good men he was taught " the truth as it is in Jesus"; and then, in view of the thorough knowledge he had of the gospel, as well as of his great piety and the excellent gifts which God had bestowed upon him, he was chosen by the apostles to be the head and ruler of the church in the city of Antioch. This is a city which has had a very interesting and important history. It was founded about three hundred years before Christ, and is situated on the river Orontes, sixteen miles from the Mediterranean Sea. It stands on a beautiful plain surrounded by ranges of mountains. The temples and palaces of Antioch were of the very finest kind. A wide avenue ran through the centre of the city, about four miles long, on either side of which was a covered way supported by marble columns. Antioch was one of the most famous cities of the East. The rulers and great men of Syria made it their headquarters. It was at the height of its prosperity in the days of Ignatius, and we are told that it then had a population of four hundred thousand inhabitants. One of the things of greatest interest to us in the history of this city is that the disciples of our blessed Lord "were first called Christians at Antioch."

It has been nearly destroyed a number of times by earthquakes, and is now only a small city, with a population of not over ten thousand.

But this famous city was the scene of the labors of Ignatius for about forty years ; and in the studying of the history of this good man's life, we find illustrations of four lessons which it is very important for us all to learn.

I. The lesson of practical wisdom. To know just what to do and how to do it, is the grand secret of success in all our life-work. This secret Ignatius posessed. The times in which he lived were times of persecution, trial, and difficulty. His position, at the head of the church at Antioch, was like that of a pilot steering his vessel through a dangerous channel, where rocks on one hand and shoals on the other are constantly presenting the danger of shipwreck. When false teachers were engaged in efforts to spread abroad erroneous doctrines, he sought in every way to guard his people against these dangers by simple, earnest and untiring statements of the truth as God had revealed it in his word. Thus the members of his church were preserved from the dangers to which they were exposed, and were helped to cling faithfully to the truths of the gospel in spite of the errors that were then prevailing. And when the days of persecution came upon the church, he was untiring in his efforts to strengthen those who were weak, to encourage those who were depressed, to point them all to that Almighty Arm on which they were permitted to lean, and to tell them of that omnipotent grace which would be sufficent for them in every time of need, and would bring them off at last more than conquerors through him who had loved them and given himself for them.

And when we think how successful this hero of the early Church was in finding out just what he ought to do amidst the perplexities that attended his path, and in

32 Heroes of the Eaidy Church.

securing the help and guidance which enabled him for so many years to do all that his important and responsible position made it his duty to do, we may learn a useful lesson for ourselves ; for the same wisdom which guided him to see what he ought to do, and the same grace which enabled him to do it, is just what we need, and just what God will give us if we seek it from him, as Ignatius did.

2. The life of this good man teaches us the lesson of patient endurance. Trajan, the Roman emperor, visited Antioch early in the second century of the Christian era. He had just gained a great victory over the Scythians and the Dacians, and was preparing for a war with the Parthians and the Armenians. He entered the city with great pomp and parade. One of his armies had been defeated by the Christians in another part of his empire. This made him very angry. He began to persecute the Christians in different places ; and while staying in Antioch, he made special inquiries about what the Christians there were doing. Ignatius thought it best to call on the emperor and converse with him on this subject. They talked freely about the different religions of the world. Ignatius was honest and faithful in what he said. He told the emperor what the Christian religion was and where it came from. He said there was but one true God, and that is the God whom the Christians worship. He declared that the Christian religion would surely in the end overturn all other religions, and fill the whole world. This made the emperor very angry. He resolved at once to persecute the Christians in Antioch and all through Syria. He began this persecution by ordering Ignatius to be cast into prison. This was done at once, and the good man was subject to the most severe and unmerciful treatment. He was whipped with scourges which had leaden bullets at the end of them. He was forced to hold fire in his naked hands, while the sides of his body were burnt with paper dipped in oil. His feet were placed on burning coals, while the flesh was torn off from his limbs with red-hot pincers.

But he bore all this without a murmur. His tormentors looked on with astonishment at his perfect endurance. They could not understand It. But when the emperor saw that no amount of torture could make any Impression on this heroic man, he pronounced the sentence of death upon him, and ordered that he should be bound In chains ; and appointed a company of ten soldiers to conduct him to Rome, where he was to be thrown as a prey to the wild beasts.

And now some of our readers may be ready to ask, "Well, how did Ignatius bear all this ? Did his patient endurance continue?" It did; for when he heard of the cruel decree which the emperor had pronounced against him, these were the words he uttered : " I thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast been pleased thus perfectly to honor me with thy love, and hast thought me worthy, with thy holy apostle Paul, to be bound with Iron chains." Then we are told that he cheerfully embraced his chains, and having prayed earnestly for his church, and commended It with tears to the divine care and protection, he delivered himself into the hands of the soldiers appointed to transport him to the place of execution.

Surely Ignatius was a hero ! How wonderful the grace of God was that could enable him to exertise such patient endurance ! Let us all seek that grace, and it will enable us to endure with the same patience any trials that we may have to meet.

3. The third lesson we find illustrated in the history of Ignatius is the lesson of untiring diligence. It is a long journey from Antioch to Rome, even in our days; but it was much longer in the days of which we are speaking. The question has often been asked why Ignatius should have been sent so far just to be put to death. Many reasons have been suggested for it. The most probable motive for it may have been that the sight of such a well-known person being carried in chains to Rome to be devoured by wild beasts, for the single reason that he was a Christian, might make the people in the countries through which he passed unwilling to think of becoming Christians, lest they might meet with such an end.

The journey of Ignatius from Antioch to Rome was attended with many incidents which helped to make it interesting. In the different towns where he stopped, the ministry and members of the churches there and from the country around would meet together to see and talk with this aged servant of Christ who was going to meet a martyr's death. They would have religious exercises together; they would ask his prayers and his blessing, and he would ask them to remember his muchloved church at Antioch in their prayers. Ignatius was an aged man at this time ; and when we think of the many years of hard labor which had occupied him, we should hardly have expected that while pursuing such a long journey, and bound in chains, he would still keep busily at work. Yet this was what he did. When they stopped on their journey, he was busy writing all t«he time. He wrote to his friends at home, the members of the church for which he had labored so long and so faithfully. Then he wrote to the churches in the regions of country through which he passed, exhorting them to be faithful to their Christian calling, and entreating them to pray for his church at Antioch. Some six or more of these epistles have come down to us. This is the way in which Polycarp, a dear friend of Ignatius, who lived at the same time, speaks of these epistles. '' They contain," says he, '' instructions and exhortations to faith and patience, and whatever is necessary to build us up in the religion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

And when we think of this ** hero of the early Church " working in this way while on his last journey to meet a martyr's death, we may well speak of him as illustrating beautifully for us the lesson of untiring diligence. And this is a lesson which we should all try to learn and practice.

4. The closing scenes of the life of this good man illustrate the triumph of faith.

When he was approaching Rome, the Christians of that city came out to meet him. They met him, naturally enough, with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow. They were delighted to have the presence and company of so great and good a man ; but this pleasure was greatly marred when they thought how soon and by how painful a death he was to be taken from them.

The authorities of Rome concluded that his martyrdom should take place on one of their great festivals, so that his punishment might be more public. Accordingly on the 29th of December, in the year 1 16 or 117, he was brought out into the amphitheatre and the lions were let loose upon him. They were not long in doing their work, but quickly devoured him, and left nothing but his bones. These the friends who came with him on his journey gathered up and carried back to Antioch.

And thus, as a martyr, Ignatius gave the highest testimony to his fidelity to the truth of that religion which he had preached and practiced. He gloried in his sufferings. When he looked upon the chains that bound him, he called them his jewels and ornaments ; and he laid down his life with as much ease and comfort as another man would put off his clothes. And though the death he had to undergo was cruel and barbarous, yet the thought of it had no more effect upon his mind than the dashing of the ocean's waves upon the solid rock. These were the last words that he spoke, before he was led out to the lions : " Let the fire, and the cross, and the assaults of the wild beasts, and the breaking of bones, come upon me, so that I may be with Jesus my blessd Saviour. I would rather die for Christ than live and reign the sole monarch of the whole world."

Surely in the death of this ''hero of the early Church " we have a splendid illustration of the triumph of faith.

Chapter III. Polycarp Of Smyrna

We come now to study the history of the third of our heroes of the early Church ; and in considering it our attention may be given to two leading points : these are the facts of Polycarfs life and the truths illustrated in them.

The place of Polycarp's birth is nowhere definitely stated. It is generally supposed, however, that he was born at Smyrna, which was the scene of his life's labors. The time of his birth is not distinctly stated either. At the time of his martyrdom, which is said to have taken place about the year 167 of the Christian era, he declared that he had been serving Christ for eighty-six years. This doubtless referred not to the years

S. POLYCARPUS^.

of his natural life, but to his Christian life, or to the years in which he had been working for his Saviour. And if we suppose that he was fifteen to rwenty years old when he became a Christian and joined the church, then he must have been over a hundred years old at the time of his death ; and according to this he must have been born between the years 60 and 70 in the first century of the Christian era. Early in life he became a disciple of the apostle John, and was taught the truths of the gospel by him and other apostles who had seen and conversed with our blessed Lord in the fiesh.

By the apostle John he was put in charge of the church at Smyrna ; and he spent the years of his long life in earnest and successful labors for its welfare.