Page:Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, 1842.djvu/57

25 before the  morning  star;  that  is,  before  the  constitution  of  the world, obtaining  an  immortal  priesthood,  subject  to  no  infirmity of age,  to  all  endless  ages. But the  great  and  convincing  evidence of  that  incorporeal  and  divine  power  in  him,  is  the  fact that he  alone,  of  all  that  have  ever  existed  to  the  present  day, even now  is  known  by  the  title  of  Christ,  among  all  men  over  the world; and  with  this  title  he  is  acknowledged  and  professed  by all,  and  celebrated  both  among  Barbarians  and  Greeks. Even to this  day,  he  is  honoured  by  his  votaries  throughout  the  world,  as a  king ;  he  is  admired  as  more  than  a  prophet,  and  glorified  as  the only true  high  priest  of  God. In addition  to  all  these,  as  the  preexisting word  of  God,  coming  into  existence  before  all  ages,  and who has  received  the  honours  of  worship,  he  is  also  adored  as  God ; but what  is  most  remarkable,  is  the  fact,  that  we  who  are  consecrated to  him,  honour  him  not  only  with  the  voice  and  sound  of words,  but  with  all  the  affections  of  the  mind ;  so  that  we  prefer  giving a  testimony  to  him,  even  to  the  preservation  of  our  own  lives.

These matters  have  thus  been  necessarily  premised  before  our history, that  no  one  may  suppose  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus Christ was  merely  a  new  comer,  on  account  of  the  date  at  which he appeared  among  men,  in  the  flesh. And now,  that  no  one may suppose  his  doctrine  is  new  or  strange,  as  if  springing  from one of  recent  origin,  and  in  no  respect  differing  from  the  rest  of men,  let  us  also  briefly  examine  this  point.

It is  evident,  that  but  a  short  time  after  the  appearance  of  our Saviour Jesus  Christ  had  been  made  known  to  all  men,  a  new nation suddenly  came  into  existence ;  a  nation  confessedly  neither small nor  weak,  nor  situated  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  earth,  but the most  populous  and  the  most  religious  of  all,  and  so  much  the more indestructible  and  invincible,  as  it  has  always  had  the  power