The story of our Christianity; an account of the struggles, persecutions, wars, and victories of Christians of all times . r quit the faith of our Lord Jesus. Do,then, as you. think fit. In this extremity the governor was helpless. If he followed the dictates ofcompassion, and let these contumacious persons go free, he would be violatingthe laws, and liable to accusation at Rome. So he said, Speratus, Narzales,Cittinus, Veturius, Felix, Acyllinus, Loetantius, Januarius, Generosus, Vestina,Donata, and Secunda, having acknowledged themselves to be Christians, and 122 THE STORY OF OUR CHRISTIANIT
The story of our Christianity; an account of the struggles, persecutions, wars, and victories of Christians of all times . r quit the faith of our Lord Jesus. Do,then, as you. think fit. In this extremity the governor was helpless. If he followed the dictates ofcompassion, and let these contumacious persons go free, he would be violatingthe laws, and liable to accusation at Rome. So he said, Speratus, Narzales,Cittinus, Veturius, Felix, Acyllinus, Loetantius, Januarius, Generosus, Vestina,Donata, and Secunda, having acknowledged themselves to be Christians, and 122 THE STORY OF OUR CHRISTIANITY. refused to pay due honors to the emperor, I command their heads to be cut this they gave thanks, and again, kneeling, at the place of execution. Andthe Lord, says the chronicle, received His martyrs in peace. Few magistrates were as merciful as this Saturninus, who endeavored tosave the lives of his prisoners, and failing, sentenced them to the simplest andmost expeditious punishment, refusing to add any of the torments which wereusually so familiar. By this time it was understood that so much, and no more,. RUINS OF CASINO MINERVA. was required of a governor, in cases where the accused confessed their , in a letter to the proconsul Scapula, cited by Neander, tells him that he might fulfil all the law exacted from his office, without indulging in cruelty,if he would use only the sword against the Christians, as the governors of Mauri-tania and of Leon in Spain were in the habit of doing. PERPETUA FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH. More harrowing and far more famous than the tale of Speratus and hisfriends is that of Vivia Perpetua, a lady of rank, who with four young catechu- THE STORY OF OUR CHRISTIANITY. 123 mens (persons under instruction, and not yet admitted to communion), two ofthem slaves, Felicitas and Revocatus, was arrested at Carthage in the year was but twenty-two, and tenderly reared ; she had an infant at the breast, ahusband, a Christian mothe
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectchurchhistory, bookye
