6 THE SABBATH. 



torted Quadratus. " I will reason with you," replied 

 Polycarp, " because our precepts oblige us to show re- 

 spect to those in authority; but I refuse to plead my 

 cause before a mob." His resolution was made known 

 to the crowd, who shouted for the lions. They were in- 

 formed that for that day the beasts had finished their 

 work. "To the flames, then!" cried the people; and 

 the aged man was led to the stake. There he publicly 

 thanked God for admitting him amongst those who had 

 suffered death for his name. The fate of Polycarp re- 

 minds one of that of the Jew Eleazar, described in the 

 sixth chapter of the Second Book of Maccabees. The 

 Apocrypha, I would remark, ought to be bound up with 

 all your Bibles; it contains much that is beautiful and 

 wise, and there is in history nothing finer than the de- 

 scription of Eleazar's end. 



The fortitude of the early Christians gained many 

 converts to their cause; still, when the evidential value 

 of fortitude is considered, it must not be forgotten that 

 almost every faith can point to its rejoicing martyrs. 

 Even the murderers of Polycarp had a faith of their 

 own, the imperilling of which by Christianity spurred 

 them on to murder. From faith they extracted the 

 ' diabolical energy which animated them. The strength 

 of faith is, therefore, no proof of the objective truth of 

 faith. Indeed, at the very time here referred to we 

 find two classes of Christians equally strong Jewish 

 Christians and Gentile Christians who, while dying 

 for the same Master, turned their backs upon each 

 other, mutually declining all fellowship and commun- 

 ion. The forces which, acting on a large scale, had dif- 

 ferentiated Christianity from paganism, soon made 

 themselves manifest in details, producing disunion 

 and opposition among those whose creeds and in- 

 terests were in great part identical. Struggles for pri- 



