However, the fathers and teachers of the church, whose writings are extant, constitute but a very small part of the whole number. Were the writings, books and testimonies of the countless hundreds and thousands of other teachers of the church, bishops, and laymen experienced in the word of God, who have written, preached, taught, and spoken against it, in various parts of the wide world, to come to light, and could we also have the original manuscripts of the fathers, namely, those who have written against infant baptism, and compare them together, we would be astonished to see how faithfully the truth has been maintained in all ages, but also, how it has been suppressed by the innovators of baptism (that is, those who baptized infants). Yet, however mutilated and corrupted the writings of the fathers as we now have them, are, there are nevertheless to be found in them many very excellent testimonies respecting Christ’s true ordinance of baptism, and very confused ones as regards infant baptism; for which we owe special thanks to God, and to him only, who thereby mightily confirms us in the truth. Bapt. Hist., 2d part, pages 481, 482.
Thus, not we, but those who have unfaithfully dealt with the writings of the fathers, are the cause that we must here close our account of the baptism of this time; however, in some of the following centuries, where we meet with more authentic writers, we shall be able to explain and amplify this more conclusively.
AN ACCOUNT OF THOSE WHO SUFFERED IN THE SIXTH CENTURY.
SUMMARY OF THE MARTYRS OF THE SIXTH CENTURY.
[The verse of Alcimus, reserved in the preceding account of baptism in this century, is now adduced, as the first proof of the martyrization of this time, and circumstantially explained.
Mention is made of various severe persecutions that occurred about this time, of which fifteen are enumerated; it is also shown in what kingdoms, principalities, or countries they took place, as well as who the tyrants were by whom all this was committed against the Christian believers.
An explanation that it is hardly credible, that all the countries in which the aforementioned fifteen persecutions occurred, were subject to the Roman See; which is amplified, and its signification shown.
Arnold, a teacher of the Gospel, martyred in a forest, in France, and buried by his wife, presented as a pious martyr in the year 511.
In the margin (in connection with Arnold) a severe persecution in Arabia, A. D. 520, is spoken of; what inference may be drawn from it.
The oppression of the church and the servants of God, under Granus, son of the King of France, is noticed, for the year 562; then, in the margin, mention is made of forty Christian peasants, who suffered under the Longobards; however, for certain reasons, they are not absolutely accepted.