The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1848-09-02
F0, The Cecil u h!g.
Pe-se ,ution Of the Early Christ; ms.

The world has uniformly opposed To"
prorrrss of Christianity. No Other >ys-
TEN OF religious belief with which h'sio-
nv acqnaints Us ever worked It's way
AMID SO many, and seemingly Insurmount
able Obstacles. The doctrines Of him Of
Nazareth, were, from thrir FIRST prom. !.
CATION besct by bitter opposition and tn
rolnntng hatred, The great and gSorl-
or founder Of hri>iiari,y himself fell
a MARTYR TO The Truths which he taught.
Bv prrtrp and By example he showed
what ii, who believed IL him should 81
poet and would he likely to suffer Al til"
hands Di mcu, for he cane not aS 4
prince. king, u a u,i-htv conqu'ior,
but as the cmbarrl>sador Of peace the
teacher Of humility. He was no Ladder
OF immense armies who nlght lrlng men
into sn!,j"c,ion BY the sI'leNdor and th"
terror o h arms H., cane unnotc"d
and unknown, without wealth Of world
" power. The prInci rleS which he and
his disciples incuIclt' d drpended entire
" upon their intrinsic Worth ChrIstIaNi-
" owes It's success to its inherent truth,
and
"Trnth asserted nnrc mast sill abide,
inauonclah,, rs are those fiery springs
Thai dny and night g,'siI from the mountain
slh";
rerpelnaI netcorg rin with lan,'"rh wings
Which the wild tempest losses t, and ITO,
Bu, cnnno, conquer with the turce il brings -
Those who first spread abroad the d.
VINE docttin"s OF tn, gospel We're d,'s,i
tnte of the worlds and The sword and
the spear were not their wea pons. ! h,
glitter OF gold was not seen among th"m.
Words. calm words OF truth were the
mighty engin IS Of their power. They
spoke and many believed but those who
were at first converted were generally
tie poor and humble of the ~ar,h The
Christians very soon began to be regard
ed with miStrust by rulers and kings who
were spprehensive lest the new religion
should ultimately oyerturn the systems
on which their power was built. The
naughty and the proud behcld with ha-
tired the humble followers OF the cross,
because their upright and lnotftnsive
lives were a reproach to the licentious-
ness Of paganSm Hence the wealth
and influence OF the world were opposed
in deadly strife to the disciples Of the
meek and lowly Jesus. Caeval with the
very commencement of Chrlststian,ty
began the persecution Of its advocates
Stephen, called the protomartyr, first
fell before the storm. After his death
the Jews increased their fury tenfold.
They cast out of their communion all
whom they suspected of iavoring the doc
triues Of the Saviour. As far as their
power extended they spared neither age
nor sex: but dragged forth both men and
women from their peaceful homes, and
committed them TO the prison and the
dungeon.
The prosecutions which the christians
suffered under TIE Jews were nothing in
comparison to those which they soon
afterwards endured under the Romans
and other pagan nations. The first great
persecut on was earned on by the COM
mand Of Nero. He was one Of the most
wicked and diabolical of the Roman EN-
pelors. By his own orders the city of
Rome was set on fire that he might use
the event as preteXt to massacre the
christians. He then practised such bar
barities upon them that It excited the
commiseration of the pagan Romans
themselves. H. mad christians sewed UP
in the skins Of wild beasts and exposed
to terocious dogs till they wore torn to
peices. Others were rolled up in cloth
DIPPED in wax and set up 10 burn as
lights for the city of Rome.
Under the reign Of Domitian the sec
ond, persecution ragged. This was car,
ried on with nearly the same eXtermina-
ting fury as the first.
During The time oftbe Roman EN-