Constantine was set up over the palace gate, with a cross over his
head, and under his feet the great enemy of mankind (who persecuted
the church by means of impious tyrants), in the form of a dragon,
transfixed with a dart through the midst of its body, and falling
headlong into the depth of the sea."

Verse 11 seems to indicate that many of the followers of Christ lost
their lives in this conflict, and this doubtless is parallel with the
statement that the man child was caught up to God and to his throne.
It may also imply that in the conflict the dragon employed the arm of
civil power in his opposition to the truth. But Christianity increased
notwithstanding the violent opposition. During the reign of the
Emperor Septimus Severus, about the close of the second century, when
a violent persecution of the Christians occurred, Tertullian, the
first of the great Latin Fathers, wrote a notable apology for the
Christian faith, addressed to the Emperor. In this important document
this noble defender of Christianity sets forth so clearly the nature
of the conflict between truth and error that I shall make rather a
lengthy quotation from his writing.

"Rulers of the Roman Empire," he begins, "you surely can not forbid
the truth to reach you by the secret pathway of a noiseless book.
She knows that she is but a sojourner on the earth, and as a stranger
finds enemies; and more, her origin, her dwelling-place, her hope, her
rewards, her honors, are above. One thing, meanwhile, she anxiously
desires of earthly rulers--not to be condemned unknown. What harm can
it do to give her a hearing?... The outcry is that the state is filled
with Christians; that they are in the fields, in the citadels, in the
islands. The lament is, as for some calamity, that both sexes, every
age and condition, even high rank, are passing over to the Christian
faith.

"The outcry is a confession and an argument for our cause; for we are
a people of yesterday, and yet we have filled every place belonging to
you--cities, islands, castles, towns, assemblies, your very camp, your
tribes, companies, palace, senate, forum. We leave to you your temples
alone. We can count your armies: our numbers in a single province
will be greater. We have it in our power, without arms and without
rebellion, to fight against you with the weapon of a simple divorce.
We can leave you to wage your wars alone. If such a multitude should
withdraw into some remote corner of the wo