It gathers political power.  For many years Christianity manifested itself as a system enjoining three things—­toward God veneration, in personal life purity, in social life benevolence.  In its early days of feebleness it made proselytes only by persuasion, but, as it increased in numbers and influence, it began to exhibit political tendencies, a disposition to form a government within the government, an empire within the empire.  These tendencies it has never since lost.  They are, in truth, the logical result of its development.  The Roman emperors, discovering that it was absolutely incompatible with the imperial system, tried to put it down by force.  This was in accordance with the spirit of their military maxims, which had no other means but force for the establishment of conformity.

In the winter A.D. 302-’3, the Christian soldiers in some of the legions refused to join in the time-honored solemnities for propitiating the gods.  The mutiny spread so quickly, the emergency became so pressing, that the Emperor Diocletian was compelled to hold a council for the purpose of determining what should be done.  The difficulty of the position may perhaps be appreciated when it is understood that the wife and the daughter of Diocletian himself were Christians.  He was a man of great capacity and large political views; he recognized in the opposition that must be made to the new party a political necessity, yet he expressly enjoined that there should be no bloodshed.  But who can control an infuriated civil commotion?  The church of Nicomedia was razed to the ground; in retaliation the imperial palace was set on fire, an edict was openly insulted and torn down.  The Christian officers in the army were cashiered; in all directions, martyrdoms and massacres were taking place.  So resistless was the march of events, that not even the emperor himself could stop the persecution.

The first Christian emperor.  It had now become evident that the Christians constituted a powerful party in the state, animated with indignation at the atrocities they had suffered, and determined to endure them no longer.  After the abdication of Diocletian (A.D. 305), Constantine, one of the competitors for the purple, perceiving the advantages that would accrue to him from such a policy, put himself forth as the head of the Christian party.  This gave him, in every part of the empire, men and women ready to encounter fire and sword in his behalf; it gave him unwavering adherents in every legion of the armies.  In a decisive battle, near the Milvian bridge, victory crowned his schemes.  The death of Maximin, and subsequently that of Licinius, removed all obstacles.  He ascended the throne of the Caesars—­the first Christian emperor.

Place, profit, power—­these were in view of whoever now joined the conquering sect.  Crowds of worldly persons, who cared nothing about its religious ideas, became its warmest supporters.  Pagans at heart, their influence was soon manifested in the paganization of Christianity that forthwith ensued.  The emperor, no better than they, did nothing to check their proceedings.  But he did not personally conform to the ceremonial requirements of the Church until the close of his evil life, A.D. 337.