Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/435

 4b* 'TMIE. ^:I9TftWY10 .7Bo+:lo Pliny lib. xvu c. 44, lib. xxv. g. 9, anil lib/ hsiv. c. ii,. an4' Stukeley's Stonehenge. — ,0 Agric. V. c. &i r — "> Ibid. ^-.."Eit* febius Denr. Evang. • 1. iii. c. 7, f Cfetoensf Romahua Ep. t. £'& artd^Gildas c. $ and 6(Interea) — "Gil&fcc 7 and* 8w-*-' 4 Ter~ tullian • adv.' Jtid. torn. 1. p. at 2, Lutetian 1634. Writing, about the year 200, he fays that many even of the Caledonians. were then Chriftians— loca— Romanis-inaccefla— Chriftd fubdita. V . ' - • • * . . r . r • . r . IV., - * - * > • » . • ' - . - ! i » - > rf t - • * - 4 . % . / . A RELIGION like the Chriftian, once firmly footed ra-tfett' iflapd. was x certain to gain Ipeedily. upon the remaining heatfifeffxs of. ft. .And thougn it combated the native tehdjttiiies '6f the animal paffioris and profelyted only by arc a^fe&Ho the ra- tional, it a&ually gained very fpeedily upon : them. Early in M third century the Roman Britons were generally fettled in the profeffipa of the Chriftian faith  Idolatry indeed was ftill the national religion both of Romans and of Britain; Rjik dJfirif- tiari femples were publifckly opened in the iftiifcl, and &e <3ir*£f tian faith encountered fcafcely any- 6F that o^pofitftHv within it ^vhich it regularly met upon the Continent.- fe foffered no* perfecution at all till the conclufion nearly of the third oentoiyO And this oppofition was fuccfeeded by a great encouragement from ;the worthy Conftantius and bf an open' r profeffion from: the glorious Conftantme. Then the? ftandard of C^iftianity was: displayed viftorious over Roman Britain. Then the ruined/ churches were repaired and new temples were conftru&ed. And v then the great rites in the oeconomy of Chriftian worfhip were' universally celebrated with devotion, the principal .trania&idhs* in the hiftory of the Chriftian redemption were -for jnallycom-f memorated with gratitude, and the church of Britain was eftaV blifhed in piety and in peace immediately after the commence- ment of the fourth century ■'."/•; When the Chriftians were fifft formed inter a . ibciefyv they > muft uecefTarily have been fubje&ed to # regimen*' They could* r not
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