Section 470
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 439 stored the Roman empire to its ancient state of one united body ; extending their peaceful sway around the world, from the rising sun, to the opposite regions, to the north and the south, even to the last borders of the declining day. All fear, therefore, of those who had previously afflicted them, was now wholly removed. They celebrated splendid and festive days with joy and hilarity. All things were filled with light, and all who before were sunk in sorrow, beheld each other with smiling and cheerful faces. With choirs and hymns, in the cities and villages, at the same time they celebrated and extolled first of all God the universal King, because they thus were taught, then they also celebrated the praises of the pious emperor, and with him all his divinely fa voured children. There was a perfect oblivion of past evils, and past wickedness was buried in forgetfulness. There was nothing but enjoyment of the present blessings, and expectation of those yet to come. Edicts were published and issued by the victorious emperor, full of clemency, and laws were enacted indicative of munificence and genuine religion. Thus, then, after all the tyranny had been purged away, the empire was justly reserved firm and without a rival, to Constantine and his sons. Who first sweeping away that enmity to God, exhibited by the former rulers, sensible of the mercies conferred upon them by God, exhibited also their own love of religion and God, with their piety and gratitude to Him, by those works and operations which they presented to the view of all the world. With the divine blessing, the end of the Tenth Book of the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus. THE END.