A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

(2) The other kind of opposition which Satan made against the church, was in his endeavours to restore Paganism. His first attempt was to restore it in the Roman empire, was by Julian the apostate. Julian was nephew to Constantine the Great. When Constantine died, he left his empire to his three sons; and when they were dead, Julian the apostate reigned in their stead. He had been a professed Christian; but he fell from Christianity, and turned Pagan; and therefore he is called the apostate. When he came to the throne, he used his utmost endeavours to overthrow the Christian church, and set up Paganism again in the empire. He put down the Christian magistrates, and set up Heathens in their room: he rebuilt the Heathen temples, and set up the Heathen worship in the empire, and become a most notorious persecutor of the Christians, and, as is thought, against his own light: he used to call Christ, by way of reproach, the Galilean ▪ He was killed with a lance in his wars with the Persians. When he saw that he was mortally wounded, he took a handful of his blood, and threw it up towards heaven, crying out, Thou hast overcome, O Galilean. He is commonly thought by divines to have committed the unpardonable sin.

(2) The other kind of opposition which Satan made against the church, was in his endeavours to restore Paganism. His first attempt was to restore it in the Roman empire, was by Julian the apostate. Julian was nephew to Constantine the Great. When Constantine died, he left his empire to his three sons; and when they were dead, Julian the apostate reigned in their stead. He had been a professed Christian; but he fell from Christanity, and turned Pagan; and therefore he is called the apostate. When he came to the throne, he used his utmost endeavours to overthrow the Christian church, and set up Paganism again in the empire. He put down the Christian magistrates, and set up Heathens in their room: he rebuilt the Heathen temples, and set up the Heathen worship in the empire, and become a most notorious persecutor of the Christians, and, as is thought, against his own light: he used to call Christ, by way of reproach, the Galilean ▪ He was killed with a lance in his wars with the Persians. When he saw that he was mortally wounded, he took a handful of his blood, and threw it up towards heaven, crying out, Thou hast overcome, O Galilean. He is commonly thought by divines to have committed the unpardonable sin.