that the Terms proposed at the Beginning of the Dispute by _Dionysius_ and St. _Cyprian_ were agreed to by _Sixtus_, _viz._ That no Restraint should be laid on the Bishops of either Side, but that every one should be allowed to follow undisturbed which of the two Opinions he thought most agreeable to the Scripture and to Reason. This was allowing the Bishops to consult the Scriptures, and make use of their own Reason, in a Point already judged and decided by the Bishop of _Rome_. But the Successors of _Sixtus_ have not been so complaisant; for they pretend, that a blind Faith ought to be yielded to all their Decisions as infallibly true, a blind Obedience to all their Decrees as unquestionably holy. But now the Persecution, which had begun some Months before the Decease of _Stephen_, raged with more Violence than ever: [Sidenote: Valerian _persecutes the Church_.] For _Valerian_ having, at the Instigation of an _Egyptian_ Magician, changed the Kindness he once had for the Christians into an implacable Hatred, he ordered, by a Rescript to the Senate, all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, to be carefully sought for, and executed without Mercy[463]. [Sidenote: Sixtus _martyred_.] Pursuant to this Order, _Sixtus_, who among the first fell into the Hands of the Persecutors, was immediately either beheaded, as we read in the Pontifical of _Bucherius_[464], or crucified, as we are told by _Prudentius_[465]; having held the Chair only Eleven Months, and some Days. _Pontius_, a Deacon of the Church of _Carthage_, styles him a good and _pacific Prelate_[466], no doubt on account of his Conduct quite opposite to that of his ambitious and quarrelsome Predecessor[N8]. ----- Footnote N8: _Ruffinus_ published, under the Name of _Sixtus_ Bishop of _Rome_, the Book of a _Pythagorean_ Philosopher, named _Sixtus_. St. _Jerom_ reproaches him in two Places with that _Imposture_, as he styles it, supposing him to have known the Work, which he ascribed to Pope _Sixtus_, not to be his[N8.1]. St. _Austin_ was imposed upon among the rest; for, in his Treatise of _Nature and Grace_, he quotes that Book as the Work of Pope _Sixtus_; but he afterwards owned and corrected his Mistake[N8.2]. It was ranked by Pope _Gelasius_ among the Books of Heretics; so that he supposed it to have been written by a Christian, which was more than he could know, there not being a single Word in it whence we can argue the Author to have believed in, or to have had any Knowlege of Christ: and it is on this Consideration that it has been thought unworthy of a Bishop of those times. Footnote N8.1: Ep. ad Ctesiph. contr. Pelag. c. 22. & in cap. 18. Ezech. Footnote N8.2: Aug. l. 2. retract. c. 42. ----- ----- Footnote 459: Euseb. l. 7. c. 5. 9. Footnote 460: Idem c. 9. Footnote 461: Idem c. 5. Footnote 462: Cyp. ep. 77. Basil. can. 47. & ep. 8. conc. Arel. can. 8. Footnote 463: Cyp. ep. 82. Footnote 464: Buch. p. 268. Footnote 465: