by calling Constantine the Great to be the protector of Christianity. This Emperor, while still a pagan, was at war with Maxentius. Seeing that his enemy's army was far greater than his, Constantine prayed fervently to the true God for assistance; and behold, a bright cross appeared in the sky to him and to his whole army, with the following inscription upon it: 'In this sign thou shalt conquer.' In imitation of this cross, Constantine ordered a banner to be made, and had it carried before his army in battle. He then bravely attacked the superior forces of Maxentius, and overcame them; and from that time (a.d. 312) Constantine became the defender and protector of Christianity.
From the Conversion of Constantine to the Rise of Protestantism in the Sixteenth Century.
35. [1]The cross, that had hitherto been the sign of the greatest ignominy, now became a sign of honor and victory. It glittered on the imperial crown of Constantine, and was displayed in Rome — till then the principal seat of paganism — on the pinnacle of the temple of Jupiter, the Capitol; and it thus announced the triumph of the crucified God-Man to the whole world. Constantine granted the free practice of their religion to the Christians, built splendid churches for them, and showed marks of great honor and distinction to priests, and especially to the Popes. His example prompted thousands of the pagans to embrace the Divine doctrine; and the idols were soon abandoned and their temples deserted. In a short time paganism was completely
- ↑ What had the cross been before this, and what did it become now? Where was it particularly seen, and what did it announce to the world? What did Constantine do for the Christian Religion? What effect had his example upon the pagans? What became of paganism, and what was established in its place?
