Page:The Church of England, its catholicity and continuity.djvu/24

 of the second century there were places in Britain not yet reached by the Romans which were subjugated to Christ.

As far back as the early years of the fourth century history gives us traces of an organized Church in Britain. We then find three Orders of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. In the year 303 we read of Christians in Britain being martyred by the Romans. Alban, Aaron, and Julius are among their number.

The story of Alban's martyrdom is beautiful, though pathetic. He was a Roman and a heathen, who had come to Britain. In the persecution he gave shelter to a Christian Priest, and on observing that he spent his time in continual prayer and watching, day and night, he was led to cast off his idolatory and become himself a Christian in all sincerity. The magistrates, knowing that Alban had sheltered the priest, sent to order him to hand the culprit over to them. But Alban gave the priest his own clothes, and he himself put on the priest's clothes and was taken to the magistrates in place of the priest. There he was again ordered to deliver the fugitive, but refused, and he told the judge that he had himself become a Christian, and "that he adored the true and living God who created all things."

Alban was scourged and whipped, in the hope of shaking his faith, but he bore all this, said Bede, not only patiently, but joyfully. He was put to death during the last Christian persecution of the Romans; and seeing that Christians in Britain were sought out at that time, it shows that at that early date Christianity must have had a footing here.

We have other testimony of the early date of Christianity