Under Trajan, otherwise a most excellent prince, began the third persecution, in the 14th year of his reign. In answer to a letter of Pliny, he ordered: “that the Christians should not be sought after, but that if they were accused and convicted of being Christians they should be punished; such only excepted as should deny themselves to be Christians, and give an evident proof of it by worshipping his gods.” These were to receive pardon upon this their repentance, how much soever they might have been suspected before. From this imperial rescript it is abundantly evident, that this persecution of the Christians by Trajan was purely on the score of their religion, because he orders, that whosoever was accused and convicted of being a Christian should be punished with death, unless he renounced his profession, and sacrificed to the gods. All that was required, says Tertullian,[43] was “merely to confess the name, without any cognizance being taken of any crime.” Pliny himself, in his letter to the emperor, acquits them of every thing of this nature, and tells him, “that all they acknowledged was, that their whole crime or error consisted in this, that at stated times they were used to meet before day-light, and to sing an hymn to Christ as God; and that they bound themselves by an oath not to commit any wickedness, such as thefts, robberies, adulteries, and the like.” And to be assured of the truth of this, he put two maids to the torture, and after examining them, found them guilty of nothing but “a wicked and unreasonable superstition.” This is the noblest vindication of the purity and innocency of the Christian assemblies, and abundantly justifies the account of Eusebius,[44] from Hegesippus: “that the church continued until these times as a virgin pure and uncorrupted;” and proves beyond all contradiction, that the persecution raised against them was purely on a religious account, and not for any immoralities and crimes against the laws, that could be proved against the Christians; though their enemies slandered them with the vilest, and hereby endeavoured to render them hateful to the whole world. “Why,” says Tertullian,[45] “doth a Christian suffer, but for being of their number? Hath any one proved incest, or cruelty upon us, during this long space of time? No; it is for our innocence, probity, justice, chastity, faith, veracity, and for the living God that we are burnt alive.” Pliny was forced to acquit them from every thing but “an unreasonable superstition,” _i. e._ their resolute adherence to the faith of Christ. And yet, though innocent in all other respects, when they were brought before his tribunal, he treated them in this unrighteous manner: he only asked them, whether they were Christians? If they confessed it, he asked them the same question again and again, adding threatenings to his questions. If they persevered in their confession, he condemned them to death, because whatever their confession might be, he was very sure,