Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/57

 Western Europe before the Barbarian Invasions 21 Thus the Church sheds forth her rays over the whole world ; yet it is one light which is everywhere diffused. . . . Whoever is separated from the Church is separated from Demmcia- the promises of the Church ; nor can he who forsakes the tion ? f the Church of Christ attain to the rewards of Christ. He is a stranger ; he is profane ; he is an enemy. He can no longer have God for his father who has not the Church for his mother. If any one could escape who was outside the ark of Noah, then he also may escape who shall be outside of the Church. . . . These heretics appoint themselves prelates without proper ordination, and assume the name of bishops, although no one gives them the episcopate. . . . They sit in the seat of pestilence, are plagues and spots of the faith, deceiving with serpent's tongue and artful in cor- rupting the truth, vomiting forth deadly poisons from pesti- lential tongues ; whose speech doth creep like a cancer, whose discourse forms a deadly poison in the heart and breast of every one. . . . Though such a man should suffer death for confessing the name of Christ, his guilt is not washed away by blood, nor is the grievous and inexpiable sin of discord wiped out by suffering. He who is without the Church cannot be a martyr. He cannot reach the kingdom of heaven. . . . Though they are given over to the flames and burn in the fires ; though cast to the wild beasts, they lay down their lives, this shall not be a crown of faith, but a punishment of faith- lessness. Such a man may be killed, but not crowned. . . . III. THE CHURCH AND THE ROMAN EMPERORS In spite of the fact that the Roman emperors per- e. Edict of mitted the greatest variety of worship within their vast ^* 1 " l JJ licll realm and showed no disposition to compel their sub- first granted . ., toleration jects to think alike upon religious matters, they viewed t o the Christianity with the most cruel suspicion almost from Christians, its first appearance. Christians were assumed to be