acts of the state.  Pliny, in his letters to Trajan, though reputed an excellent prince, addressed him as only sir or master, and he wrote many years after the death of Paul.  Athenagoras, in addressing his book, in times posterior to these, to the emperors M. Aurelius Antoninus, and L. Aurelius Commodus, addresses them only by the title of “great princes.”  In short titles were not in use.  They did not creep in, so as to be commonly used, till after the statues of the emperors had begun to be worshipped by the military as a legal and accustomary homage.  The terms “eternity and divinity” with others were then ushered in, but these were confined wholly to the emperors themselves.  In the time of Constantine we find the title of illustrious.  This was given to those princes, who had distinguished themselves in war, but it was not continued to their descendants.  In process of time, however, it became more common, and the son of every prince began to be called illustrious.

[Footnote 51:  [Greek:  makarios] and [Greek:  philochrisos] are substituted by Athanasius for the word christian.]

[Footnote 52:  Acts, xxiii, 26.]

[Footnote 53:  Acts, xxiv. 3.]

SECT.  VI.

Thirdly against the alteration of the names of the days and months—­people, it is said do not necessarily pay homage to Idols, who continue in the use of the ancient names—­if the Quaker principles also were generally adopted on this subject, language would be thrown into confusion—­Quakers also, by attempting to steer clear of Idolatry, fall into it—­replies of the Quakers to these objections.

The next objections for consideration, which are made against the language of the Quakers, are those which relate to their alteration of the names of the days and the months.  These objections are commonly made, when the language of the Quakers becomes a subject of conversation with the world.

“There is great absurdity, it is said, in supposing, that persons pay any respect to heathen idols, who retain the use of the ancient names of the divisions of time.  How many thousands are there, who know nothing of their origin?  The common people of the country know none of the reasons, why the months, and the days are called as they are.  The middle classes are mostly ignorant of the same.  Those, who are well informed on the subject, never once think, when they mention the months and days, on the reason of the rise of their names.  Indeed the almost hourly use of those names secures the oblivion of their origin.  Who, when he speaks of Wednesday and Thursday, thinks that these were the days sacred to Woden and Thor? but there can be no idolatry, where there is no intention to idolize.”