4 THE SABBATH. 



the emotion is called forth by the conception. There is 

 doubtless action and reaction here; but it may be 

 questioned whether the conception, which is a construc- 

 tion of the human understanding, could be at all put 

 together without materials drawn from the experience 

 of the human heart.* 



The changes of. conception here adverted to have 

 not always been peacefully brought about. The " trans- 

 mutation " of the old beliefs was often accompanied by 

 conflict and suffering. It was conspicuously so during 

 the passage from paganism to Christianity. Some of 

 the Eoman emperors treated the Christians with fair- 

 ness. Adrian was one of these. " If anybody," he says, 

 writing to the proconcul of Asia, " appear as accuser, 

 and can prove that the Christians have broken the laws, 

 let punishment be inflicted in proportion to the gravity 

 of the offence. But, by Hercules ! if any should de- 

 nounce a Christian slanderously, you must punish the 

 slanderer still more severely." This seems a very hon- 

 est line for a pagan emperor to pursue. Some of his 

 successors followed his example, but others did not. 

 During the reign of Nero the cruelties inflicted on the 

 Christians at Eome can hardly be mentioned without a 

 freezing of the blood. According to Eenan, the Anti- 

 christ of the Apocalypse was the Emperor Nero; he be- 

 ing raised to this bad eminence by reason of his atroci- 

 ties against the new religion. The mystic number 666, 

 which Protestants have so often fastened upon the Pope, 

 answers accurately to Nero's name and title. The nu- 



* While reading the volume of Principal Caird I was reminded 

 more than once of the following passage, in Kenan's Antichrist: 

 "Et d'ailleurs, quel est 1'homme vraiment religieux qui repudic 

 completement 1'cnseignement traditionnel a 1'ombre duquel il sen- 

 tit d'abord 1'ideal, qui ne cherche pas les conciliations, souvont 

 impossibles, cntre sa vieille foi et celle a laquelle il est arrive" pur 

 le progres de sa pens6e ? " 



