things more fully that Abraham who was the first that gave Circumcision in the Spirit looking forward to JESUS circumcised taking the Mystery of Three Letters For the Scripture says that Abraham circumcised three hundred and eighteen Men of his House But what therefore was the Mystery that was made known unto him I will tell you It consists first in the EIGHTEEN and next in the Three Hundred For the Numeral Letters of Ten and Eight are I H. And these denote JESUS And because the Cross was that by which we were to find Grace therefore he adds Three hundred the note of which is T the Figure of his Cross. Wherefore by two Letters he signified Jesus and by One his Cross. He who has put the Natural Gift of his Doctrin within in us knows that I never shew'd to any one a more Genuine Truth But I trust that ye are worthy of it X. BUT why did Moses say Ye shall not eat of the Swine neither the Eagle nor the Hawk nor the Crow nor any Fish that has not a Scale upon him I answer that under this outside Figure he comprehended three Spiritual Doctrins that were to be gathered from thence Besides which he says to them in the Book of Deutronomy and I will give my Statutes unto this People Wherefore it is not the Command of God that they should not eat but Moses in the Spirit spake unto them Now the Sow he forbad them to eat meaning thus much Thou shalt not join thy self to such Persons as are like unto Swine Who whilst they live in Pleasure forget their God but when any Want pinches them then they know the LORD As the Sow when she is full knows not her Master but when she is hungry she makes a Noise and being again fed is silent Neither says he shalt thou eat the Eagle nor the Hawk nor the Kite nor the Crow that is Thou shalt not keep Company with such kind of Men as know not how by their Labour and Sweat to get themselves Food But injuriosly ravish away the things of others and watch how to lay Snares for them when at the same time they appear to live in perfect Innocence So these Birds alone seek not Food for themselves but sitting idle seek how they may eat of the Flesh which Others have provided being destructive through their Wickedness Neither says he shalt thou eat the Lampry nor the Polypus nor the Cuttle-Fish that is thou shalt not be like such Men by using to converse with them Who are altogether wicked and adjudged to Death For so those Fishes are alone accursed and wallow in the Mire nor swim as other Fishes but tumble in the Dirt at the Bottom of the Deep But he adds Neither shalt thou eat of the Hare To what end To signifie this to us Thou shalt not be an Adulterer nor liken thy self to such Persons For the Hare every year multiplies the places of its Conception and as many years as it lives so many it has Neither shalt thou eat of the Hyena That is again Be not an Adulterer nor a Corrupter of others neither be like to such And wherefore so Because that Creature every year changes its kind and is sometimes Male and sometimes Female For which cause also he justly hated the Weesel to the end that they should not be like such persons who with their Mouths commit Wickedness by reason of their Uncleanness nor joyn themselves with those impure Women who with their Mouths commit Wickedness Because that Animal conceives with its Mouth Moses therefore speaking as concerning Meats deliver'd indeed three great Precepts to them in the Spiritual Signification of those Commands But they according to the desires of the Flesh understood him as if he had only meant it of Meats And therefore David took aright the Knowledge of his threefold Command saying in like manner Blessed is the Man that hath not walked in the Counsel of the Vngodly As the Fishes before mentioned in the Bottom of the Deep in Darkness Nor stood in the Way of Sinners As they who seem to fear the LORD but yet sin as the Sow And hath not sat in the Seat of the Scorners as those Birds who sit and watch that they may devour Here ye have this Matter perfectly set forth and according to the true knowledge of it But says Moses Ye shall eat all that divideth the Hoof and cheweth the Cud. Signifying thereby such an one as having taken his Food knows him that nourisheth him and resting upon him rejoyceth in him And in this he spake well having respect to the Commandment What therefore is it that he says That we should hold fast to them that fear the LORD with those who meditate on the Portion of the Word which they have received in their Heart with those that declare the Righteousness of the LORD and keep his Commandments In short with those who know that to Meditate is a Work of Pleasure and therefore exercise themselves in the Word of the LORD But why might they eat those that clave the Hoof Because the Righteous liveth in this present World but his Expectation is fixed upon the other See Brethren how admirably Moses commanded these things But how should we thus know all this and understand it We therefore understanding aright the Commandments speak as the Lord would have us Wherefore he has circumcised our Ears and our Hearts that we might know these things XI LET us now enquire whether the Lord took care to manifest any thing beforehand concerning WATER and the CROSS Now for the former of these it is written to the People of Israel how they shall not receive that BAPTISM which brings to Forgiveness of Sins but shall institute another to themselves that cannot For thus saith the Prophet Be astonish'd O Heaven and let the Earth tremble at it because this People have done two Great and Wicked things They have left me the Fountain of living Water and have digged for themselves broken Cisterns that can hold no Water Is my holy Mountain Zion a desolate Wilderness For ye shall be as a young Bird when its Nest is taken away And again the Prophet saith I will go before thee and will make plain the Mountains and will break the Gates of Brass and will snap in sundâ—r the Bars of Iron And will give thee dark and hidden and invisible Treasures that they may know I am the LORD God And again He shall dwell in the high Den of the strong Rock And then what follows concerning the Son His Water is faithful Ye shall see the King with Glory and your Soul shall learn the Fear of the LORD And again he saith in another Prophet He that do's these things shall be like a Tree planted by the Currents of Water which shall give its Fruit in its Season It s Leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he
the whole Church in those days what was permitted to be publickly read to the Faithful for their Comfort and Instruction must by this means have received a more than Humane Approbation and ought to be look'd upon by us tho' not of Equal Authority with those Books which they have deliver'd to us as strictly Canonical yet as standing in the first Rank of Ecclesiastical Writings and as containing the true and pure Faith of Christ without the least Error intermix'd with it CHAP. XI Of the Subject of the following Discourses and of the Use that is to be made of Them That in the following Treatises there is deliver'd to us a good account both of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church in the Apostolical Times This shewn in several particulars What they taught concerning God the Father our Saviour Christ and the Holy Ghost Of Angels and Spirits Of the rest of the Articles of the Apostles Creed Concerning the two Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper Of the Holy Scriptures and the Divine Authority of them What we meet with in these Treatises concerning the Government of the Church Of the Necessity of Communicating with the Bishops and Pastors of it Of Schismaticks Hereticks and Apostates Of their publick Assembling for the Service of God and what was done by them in those Meetings Of several other Instances of their Discipline particularly of their Fasting and Confession of Sins Of the Care which their Bishops had of the whole Church Of the Respect that was paid to them Of their Martyrs and the Veneration which they thought due to them Of their Practical Instructions and how severe their Morality was shewn in several particulars That upon the whole we may here see what the State of Christianity then was and still ought to be 1. AND now having shewn in the foregoing Chapter what Deference we ought to pay to the Authority of those Holy Men whose Writings I have here collected it may not be amiss in the Third place to enquire What it is which they deliver to us what account we find in them of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church in those Times in which they lived 2. IT would be endless for me to go about to make a just Catalogue of all the Particulars of this kind that occur in the following Pieces and I have already in a great measure perform'd it in the Index which I have for that purpose subjoyn'd to them I shall therefore here consider only a few particulars in such Points as may seem most worthy to be remarked and by them as by a short Specimen shew How the Judicious Reader may himself improve it into a more particular History of the Faith and Practice of the Church in the best and most ancient State of it 3. AND 1 st for what concerns the Doctrines of those Times there is hardly any Point that is necessary to be believed or known by us that is not very plainly delivered in Some or Other of the following Pieces 4. HERE we may read what we are to believe concerning the first Article of all of our Creed God the Father That he is One Almighty Invisible the Creator and Maker of all things That he is Omniscient Immense Neither to be comprehended within any Bounds nor so much as to be perfectly conceived by us That his Providence is over all things And that we can none of us flee from him or escape his Knowledg That we are to believe in him to fear him to love him And fearing him to abstain from all Evil. 5. IF from thence we go on to the next Person of the Blessed Trinity Our Saviour Jesus Christ here we shall find all that either our Creed teaches us to profess concerning him or that any Christian need to believe That he Existed not only before he came into the World but from all Eternity That he is not only the Son of God but is himself also God That in the fulness of Time he took upon him our Nature and became Man Was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified under Pontius Pilate That he suffer'd for our Salvation and was raised again from the dead not only by the Power of the Father but by his Own also That he is our High-Priest and Protectour now and shall come again at the End of the World to judge the whole Race of Mankind That there is no coming unto God but by him Insomuch that even the Ancient Fathers who died before his Appearing are yet saved by the same means that we are now 6. AS for what concerns the Holy Spirit the Third Person in the Glorious Godhead he is here set out to us not only as a Person but as distinct from the Father and the Son And to shew what kind of Spirit he is We may here see him joyn'd together in the same Worship with the Father and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 7. AND now I am mentioning the Holy Spirit let me add that we may here see what is needful to be known concerning all the Other Spirits of an inferiour Nature How the Holy Angels minister unto us but especially then when we have most need of them at the time of our Death And that tho' the Devil may attacque us and use all his Arts to draw us away from our Duty yet it must be our own Faults if we are overcome by him and therefore that we ought not to be afraid of him 8. BUT to return to our Creed and the Articles of it Here we may farther see both what a great Obligation there lies upon us to keep up a Communion of Saints in the Unity of the Church on Earth and what is that true Fellowship that we ought to have with those who are gone before us to Heaven That it consists not in the Worship of any tho' never so gloriously exalted by God but in Love and Remembrance in Thanksgiving to God for their Excellencies and in our Prayers to him joyn'd with hearty Endeavours of our own to imitate their Perfections 9. AND whilst we do this we are here assured of the Forgiveness of our Sins too through the Merits and Satisfaction of Jesus Christ. And that not only of those which we committed before our Baptism but of all such as we shall chance to fall into after if we truly repent of them 10. AS for the next Point the Resurrection of the Body it is not only asserted but at large proved too in the following Discourses There we may see not only that there shall be a future Resurrection but that we shall be raised in the very same Bodies in which we go down into the Grave And that being raised we shall be judged by Christ according to our Works and be either unspeakably rewarded or exceedingly punished and that to all Eternity 11. IF from the Articles of our Creed we go on to the Sacraments of the Church Here we have set out to us the great Benefit of our Baptism and
these Holy Apostles we may add a very great number of others who having through Envy undergone in like manner many Pains and Torments have left a Glorious Example to us For this not only Men but even Women have been Persecuted And having suffer'd very grievous and cruel Punishments have finish'd the Course of their Faith with Firmness and though weak in Body yet received a Glorious Reward This has alienated the Minds even of Women from their Husbands and changed what was once said by our Father Adam This is now Bone of my Bone and Flesh of my Flesh. In a word Envy and Strife have overturn'd whole Cities and rooted out Great Nations from off the Earth VII THESE Things Beloved we write unto you not only for your Instruction but also for our own Remembrance For we are all in the same Field and the same Combat is prepared for us all Wherefore let Us lay aside all Vain and Empty Cares and let us come up to the Glorious and Venerable Rule of our Holy Calling Let us consider what is Good and Acceptable and Well-pleasing in the Sight of Him that made Us. Let us look stedfastly to the Bloud of Christ and see how Precious his Bloud is in the sight of God Which being shed for our Salvation has obtain'd the Grace of Repentance for all the World Let us search into the Ages that have gone before us and let us learn that our Lord has in every one of them still given place for Repentance to all such as would turn to him Noah preach'd Repentance and as many as hearkened to him were Saved Jonah denounced Destruction against the Ninivites Howbeit they repenting of their Sins appeased God by their Prayers and were saved tho' they were Strangers to the Covenant of God VIII HENCE we find how All the Ministers of the Grace of God have spoken by the Holy Spirit of Repentance And even the Lord of All has himself declared with an Oath concerning it As I live saith the LORD I desire not the death of a Sinner but that He should repent Adding this farther Assurance Turn from your Iniquity O House of Israel Say unto the Children of my People Tho' your sins should reach from Earth to Heaven and tho' they should be redder than Scarlet and blacker than Sackcloth Yet if ye shall turn to me with all your Heart and shall call me Father I will hearken to you as to a Holy People And in another place He saith on this wise Wash ye make you clean put away the Evil of your doings from before mine Eyes Cease to do Evil Learn to do well Seek Judgment relieve the Oppressed judge the Fatherless plead for the Widow Come now and let us reason together saith the LORD Tho' your sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow tho' they be red as Crimson they shall be as Wooll If ye be willing and Obedient ye shall eat the Good of the Land But if ye refuse and rebell ye shall be devoured with the Sword for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it These things has God establish'd by his Almighty Will desiring that all his Beloved should come to Repentance IX WHEREFORE let us obey his Excellent and Glorious Will and imploring his Mercy and Goodness let us fall down upon Our faces before him and Cast our selves upon his Mercy Laying aside all Vanity and Contention and Envy which leads unto Death Let us look up to those who have the most perfectly ministred to his Excellent Glory Let us take Enoch for our Example who being found Righteous in Obedience was translated and his Death was not known Noah being proved to be Faithful did by his Ministry preach Regeneration to the World and the LORD saved by Him all the Living Creatures that went with one Accord together into the Ark. X. SO also Abraham who was called Gods Friend was in like manner found Faithful in as much as he obeyed the Commands of God By Obedience he went out of his own Country and from his own Kindred and from his Fathers House that so forsaking a small Country and a weak Affinity and a little House he might inherit the Promises of God For thus God said unto Him Get Thee out of thy Country and from thy Kindred and from thy Fathers House unto a Land that I will shew thee And I will make thee a Great Nation and I will bless Thee and make thy Name Great and thou shalt be blessed And I will bless them that bless Thee and Curse them that Curse Thee And in Thee shall all Families of the Earth be Blessed And again when he separated Himself from Lot God said unto him Lift up now thine Eyes and look from the place where thou art Northward and Southward and Eastward and Westward For all the Land which Thou seest to thee will I give it and to thy Seed for ever And I will make thy Seed as the dust of the Earth so that if a Man can number the Dust of the Earth then shall thy Seed also be numbred And again He saith And God brought forth Abraham and said unto Him look now towards Heaven and tell the Stars if thou be able to number them So shall thy Seed be And Abraham believed God and it was counted to Him for Righteousness Through Faith and Hospitality he had a Son given him in his Old Age and through Obedience he offer'd him up in Sacrifice to God upon One of the Mountains which God shew'd unto Him XI BY Hospitality and Godliness was Lot saved out of Sodom when all the Country round about was destroy'd by Fire and Brimstone The LORD thereby making it manifest that he will not forsake Those that trust in Him but will bring the Disobedient to Punishment and Correction For his Wife who went out with Him being of a different Mind and not continuing in the same Obedience was for that very reason set forth for an Example being turn'd into a Pillar of Salt unto this day That so all Men may know that those who are double minded and distrustful of the Power of God are prepared for Condemnation and to be a sign to all succeeding Ages XII BY Faith and Hospitality was Rahab the Harlot Saved For when the Spies were sent by Joshua the Son of Nun to search out Jericho and the King of Jericho knew that they were come to spy out his Country He order'd them to be taken that so they might be put to death Rahab therefore being Hospitable received them and hid them under the Stalks of Flax on the Top of her House And when the Messengers that were sent by the King came unto Her and asked Her saying There came
Tongues be made manifest by their Silence Let their Charity be without respect of Persons alike towards all such as truly fear God Let your Children be bred up in the Instruction of the Lord And especially let them learn how great a Power Humility has with God How much a Pure and Holy Charity avails with Him How Excellent and Great his Fear is and how it will save all such as turn to Him with Holiness in a Pure Mind For He is the Searcher of the Thoughts and Desires of the Heart whose Breath is in Us and when He pleases he can take it from Us. XXII BUT all these things must be confirm'd by the Faith which is in Christ for so He himself bespeaks us by the Holy Ghost Come ye Children and harken unto me and I will teach you the fear of the LORD What man is there that desireth Life and loveth to see Good days Keep thy Tongue from Evil and thy Lips that they speak no Guile Depart from Evil and do Good seek Peace and ensue it The Eyes of the LORD are upon the Righteous and his Ears are open unto their Prayers But the face of the LORD is against them that do Evil to cut off the Remembrance of them from the Earth The Righteous cried and the LORD heard Him and deliver'd him out of all his Troubles Many are the Troubles of the Wicked But they that trust in the LORD Mercy shall encompass them About XXIII OUR All-Merciful and Beneficent Father hath Bowels of Compassion towards Them that fear Him And Kindly and Lovingly bestows his Graces upon all such as come to Him with a simple Mind Wherefore let us not waver neither let us have any doubt in our Hearts of his Excellent and Glorious Gifts Let that be far from us which is written Miserable are the double-minded and those who are doubtful in their Hearts Who say These things have we heard and our Fathers have told us these things But behold we are grown old and none of them has happened unto Vs. O ye Fools Consider the Trees take the Vine for an Example First it sheds its Leaves then it Buds after that it spreads its Leaves then it flowers then come the sower Grapes and after them follows the Ripe Fruit. Ye see how in a little time the Fruit of the Trees comes to Maturity Of a truth yet a little while and his Will shall suddainly be accomplish'd The Holy Scripture it self bearing witness That the LORD shall suddainly come to his Temple even the Holy one whom ye look for XXIV LET us consider Beloved how the LORD does continually shew Us that there shall be a future Resurrection of which he has made our Lord Jesus Christ the First-fruits raising him from the Dead Let us contemplate Beloved the Resurrection that is continually made before our Eyes Day and Night manifest a Resurrection to Us. The night lies down and the day arises Again the day departs and the night comes on Let us behold the Fruits of the Earth Every one sees how the Seed is sown The Sower goes forth and casts it upon the Earth and the Seed which when it was sown fell upon the Earth dry and naked in time dissolves And from the Dissolution the great Power of the Providence of the Lord raises it again and of one Seed many arise and bring forth Fruit. XXV LET us consider that wonderful Type of the Resurrection which is seen in the Eastern Countries that is to say in Arabia There is a certain Bird called a Phaenix Of this there is never but one at a time and that lives five hundred Years And when the time of its Dissolution draws near that it must Die it makes it self a Nest of Frankincense and Myrrhe and other Spices into which when its time is fulfilled it enters and dies But its Flesh putrifying breeds a certain Worm which being nourished with the Juice of the dead Bird brings â—orth Feathers and when it is grown to a perfect State it takes up the Nest in which the Bones of its Parent lie and carries it from Arabia into Egypt to a City called Heliopolis And flying in open day in the sight of all Men lays it upon the Altar of the Sun and so returns from whence it came The Priests then search into the Records of the Time and find that it return'd precisely at the end of five hundred Years XXVI AND shall we then think it to be any very great and strange thing for the Lord of all to raise up those that religiously serve him in the Assurance of a good Faith when even by a Bird he shews us the greatness of his power to fulfil his Promise For he says in a certain place Thou shalt raise me up and I shall confess unto Thee And again I laid me down and slept and awaked because thou art with me And again Job says Thou shalt raise up this flesh of mine that has suffered all these things XXVII HAVING therefore this Hope let us hold fast to him who is Faithful in all his Promises and Righteous in all his Judgments Who has commanded us not to Lye how much more shall he not Himself Lye For nothing is impossible with God but to Lye Let his Faith then be stirred up again in us and let us consider that all things are nigh unto Him By the Word of his Power He made all things and by the same Word he is able when ever he will to destroy them Who shall say unto Him what dost Thou Or who shall resist the Power of his Strength When and As he pleased he made All things and nothing shall pass away of all that has been appointed by Him All things are Open before him nor can any thing be hid from his Counsell The Heavens declare the Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy work Day unto Day uttereth Speech and Night unto Night sheweth Knowledge There is no Speech nor Language where their Voice is not heard XXVIII SEEING then all things are seen and heard by God let us fear him and let us lay aside our Corrupt Desires of Wicked Works that through his Mercy we may be delivered from the Condemnation to come For whither can any of us flee from his mighty Hand Or what World shall receive any of those who run away from him For thus saith the Scripture in a certain place Whither shall I flee from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up into Heaven thou art there If I shall go to the utmost parts of the Earth there is thy right hand If I shall make my Bed in the deep thy Spirit is there Whither then shall any one go or whither shall he run from him that comprehends all things XXIX LET us therefore come to him with Holiness of Heart
therefore become them to Guard themselves against such Persons VIII To this end He Exhorts them to follow their Bishop and Pastors But especially their Bishop IX He thanks them for their Kindness to Himself X. And to those that were with Him which God will reward XI He acquaints them with the Ceasing of the Persecution at Antioch And exhorts them to send a Messenger unto them to congratulate with them on this Occasion XII He concludes with his own Salutation and the Remembrances of those that were with Him to them all in General and to several in Particular THE EPISTLE OF St. IGNATIVS TO THE Smyrneans IGNATIUS who is also called THEOPHORUS to the Church of God the Father and of the Beloved Jesus Christ which God hath Blessed with every Good Gift being filled with Faith and Charity so that it is wanting in no Gift To the most Worthy of God and Fruitful in Saints the Church which is at SMYRNA in Asia All Joy through his Immaculate Spirit and through the Word of God I. I GLORIFIE God even Jesus Christ who has thus filled you with all Wisdom For I have understood how that you are settled in an Immoveable Faith as if you were Nailed to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ both in the Flesh and in the Spirit and are confirm'd in Love through the Bloud of Christ being fully perswaded of those things which relate unto our LORD Who truly was of the Race of David according to the Flesh but the Son of God according to the Will and Power of God Truly Born of the Virgin and Baptized of John that so all Righteousness might be fulfilled by him He was also truly Crucified by Pontius Pilate and Herod the Tetrarch for us in the Flesh by the Fruits of which we are saved even by his most Blessed Passion that he might set up a sure Token and Earnest of Hope for all following Ages through his Resurrection to all his Holy and Faithful Servants whether they be Jews or Gentiles in one Body of his Church II. NOW all these things he suffer'd for us that we might be saved And he suffer'd truly as He also truly Raised up himself And not as some Unbelievers say that he only seemed to suffer they themselves only seeming to be And as they Believe so shall it happen unto them when they shall become Spiritual and Incorporeal III. BUT I know that even after his Resurrection he was in the Flesh and I believe that he was so And when he came to those who were with Peter he said unto them Take Handle me and see that I am not an Incorporeal Daemon And straightway they felt Him and Believed being convinced both by his Flesh and Spirit For this cause they despised Death and were found to be above it But after his Resurrection he did Eat and Drink with them as he was Flesh although as to his Spirit he was united to the Father IV. NOW these things Beloved I put you in mind of not questioning but that you your selves also believe that they are so But I arm you before-hand against certain Beasts in the shape of Men whom you must not only not receive but if it be possible must not meet with Only you must pray for them that if it be the Will of God they may repent which yet will be very hard But of this our Lord Jesus Christ has the Power who is our true Life For if all these things were done only in shew by our LORD then do I also only seem to be Bound And why have I given up my self to Death to the Fire to the Sword to Wild Beasts But now the nearer I am to the Sword the nearer am I to God What is between me and the Beasts is between me and God Only in the Name of Jesus Christ who was a Perfect Man and by his Assistance am I ready to suffer All things together with Him V. WHOM some not knowing do deny or rather have been denied by him being the Advocates of Death rather than of the Truth Whom neither the Prophecies nor the Law of Moses have perswaded nor the Gospel it self even to this day nor all our Sufferings For they think also the same things of us For what does a Man profit me if he shall Praise me and Blaspheme my LORD not confessing that he was truly made Man Now he that says this does in effect deny him and is in Death But for the Names of such as do this they being Unbelievers I thought it not fitting to write them unto you Nay God forbid that I should make any mention of them till they shall repent to a true Belief of Christ's Passion which is our Resurrection VI. LET no Man deceive himself Both the things which are in Heaven and the Glory of Angels and Principalities whether Visible or Invisible if they believe not in the Bloud of Christ it shall be to them to Condemnation He that is able to receive this Let him receive it Let no Man's Place or State in the World puff him up That which is worth All is Faith and Charity to which nothing is to be preferred But then consider those who defend a different Opinion from us as to what concerns the Grace of God which is come unto us how contrary they are to the Mind of God They have no regard to Charity No Care of the Widow the Fatherless and the Oppressed Of the Bound or Free of the Hungry or Thirsty VII THEY abstain from the Publick Offices and from the Holy Eucharist because they confess it not to be the Flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ which suffered for our Sins and which the Father of his Goodness raised again from the Dead And for this cause contradicting the Gift of God they die in their Disputes But much better would it be for them to love it that they might one day rise through it It will therefore become you to abstain from such Persons and not to speak with them neither in Private nor in Publick But to hearken to the Prophets and especially to the Gospel in which both Christ's Passion is manifested unto us and his Resurrection perfectly declared But flee all Divisions as the beginning of Evils VIII FOLLOW your Bishop as Jesus Christ the Father And the Presbytery as the Apostles As for the Deacons reverence them as the Command of God Let no Man do any thing of what belongs to the Church without the Bishop Let that Eucharist be look'd upon as Firm and Just which is either offer'd by the Bishop or by Him to whom the Bishop has given his Consent Wheresoever the Bishop shall appear there let the People also be As where Jesus Christ is there is the Catholick Church It is not lawful without the Bishop neither to Baptise nor to celebrate the Holy Communion But whatsoever he shall approve of that is also
pleasing unto God that so whatever is done may be secure and well done IX FOR what remains it is very reasonable that we should repent whilst there is yet time to return unto God It is a good thing to have a due regard both to God and to the Bishop He that Honours the Bishop shall be Honoured of God But he that does any thing without his Knowledge Ministers unto the Devil Let all things therefore abound to you in Charity seeing ye are Worthy Ye have refresh'd me in all things so shall Jesus Christ you Ye have loved me both when I was present with you and now being absent ye cease not to do so May God be your Reward for whom whilst ye undergo all things ye shall attain unto Him X. YE HAVE done well in that ye have received Philo and Rheus and Agathopus as the Deacons of Christ our Lord Who also give Thanks unto the Lord for you forasmuch as ye have refreshed them in all things Nor shall any thing that you have done be lost to you My Soul be for yours and my Bonds which ye have not despised nor been ashamed of Wherefore neither shall Jesus Christ our perfect Faith be ashamed of you XI YOUR Prayer is come to the Church of Antioch which is in Syria From whence being sent bound with Chains becoming God I salute the Churches being not worthy to be called from thence as being the least among them Nevertheless by the Will of God I have been thought worthy of this Honour not for that I think I have deserved it but by the Grace of God Which I wish may be perfect to the End that through your Prayers I may attain unto God And therefore that your Work may be fully accomplish'd both upon Earth and in Heaven it will be fitting that your Church appoint some One to the Honour of God who being come as far as Syria may rejoyce together with them that they are in Peace and that they are again restored to their former Greatness and have again received their proper Body Wherefore I should think it a worthy Action to send some one from you with an Epistle to congratulate with them their Peace in God and that through your Prayers they have now gotten to their Harbor For in as much as ye are perfect your selves you ought to think those things that are perfect For when you are desirous to do well God is ready to do well to you XII THE Love of the Brethren that are at Troas salutes you from whence I write to you by Burrhus whom ye sent with me together with the Ephesians your Brethren and who has in all things refresh'd me And I would to God that all would imitate Him as being an Exemplar of the Ministry of God May his Grace fully reward Him I salute your very worthy Bishop and your Venerable Presbytery and your Deacons my Fellow-Servants and all of you in General and every one in particular in the Name of Jesus Christ and in his Flesh and Blood in his Passion and Resurrection both Fleshly and Spiritually and in the Unity of God with you Grace be with you and Mercy and Peace and Patience for Ever-more XIII I SALUTE the Families of my Brethren with their Wives and Children and the Virgins that are called Widows Be strong in the Power of the Holy Ghost Philo who is present with me salutes you I salute the House of Tavias and pray that it may be strengthned in Faith and Charity both of Flesh and Spirit I salute Alcé my Well-beloved together with the very Excellent Daphnus and Eutychus and all by Name Farewel in the Grace of God To the SMYRNAEANS from TROAS THE EPISTLE OF St. IGNATIVS TO St. Polycarp THE CONTENTS The Salutation Chap. I. HE Blesses God for the Firm Establishment of Polycarp in all Piety And gives him many particular Directions for his Improvement in it II. But especially with Relation to the Church over which he was Bishop III. IV. He continues his Advice to Him And V. Then teaches Him what Advice he should give to Others VI. In which He continues and especially inforces Unity among Themselves and Subjection to their Bishop VII He accounts to Polycarp the Peace of His Church in Syria And directs Him to appoint some Messenger to go to Antioch to rejoyce with them on that Occasion VIII He desires Polycarp to write to the same Effect to the Neighbouring Churches which He had not Himself time to do And then concludes all with his Salutation both to Polycarp and to several of the Church of Smyrna by Name THE EPISTLE OF St. IGNATIVS TO St. Polycarp IGNATIUS who is also called THEOPHORUS to Polycarp Bishop of the Church which is at Smyrna Their Overseer but rather himself Overlook'd by God the Father and the LORD Jesus Christ All Happiness I. HAVING known that thy Will towards God is fix'd as it were upon an immoveable Rock I exceedingly give Thanks that I have been thought worthy to behold thy Blessed Face in which may I always rejoyce in God Wherefore I beseech thee by the Grace of God with which thou art cloathed to press forward in thy Course and to exhort all others that they may be saved Maintain thy Place with all care both of Flesh and Spirit Make it thy Endeavour to preserve Unity in thy Church than which nothing is better Bear with all Men even as the Lord with thee Support all in Love as also thou dost Pray without Ceasing Ask more Understanding than what thou already hast Be Watchful having thy Spirit always awake Speak to every one according as God shall enable Thee Bear the Infirmities of all as a perfect Combatant Where the Labour is Great the Gain is so too II. IF thou shalt love the Good Disciples what Thank is it But rather do thou subject to thee those that are infected in Meekness Every Wound is not healed with the same Plaister If the accessions of the Disease be vehement molifie them with soft Remedies Be in all things Wise as a Serpent but Harmless as a Dove For this cause thou art composed of Flesh and Spirit that thou mayst molifie those things that appear before thy Face But as for those that are not seen pray to God that he would reveal them unto thee that so thou mayst be wanting in nothing but may'st abound in every Gift The Times demand thee as the Mariner the Winds and he that is toss'd in a Tempest the Haven where he would be that thou may'st attain unto God Be Sober as the Combatant of God The Crown proposed to thee is Immortality and Life Eternal concerning which thou art fully perswaded I will be thy Surety in all things and my Bonds which thou hast loved III. LET not those that appear to be faithful but teach other Doctrines disturb thee Stand firm and immovable as
give Thanks If therefore the Son of God who is the LORD of all and shall come to judge both the Quick and Dead hath suffer'd that by his Stripes we might live Let us believe that the Son of God could not have suffer'd but for us But being crucified they gave him Gall and Vinegar to drink Hear therefore how the Priests of the Temple did foreshew this also The LORD by his Command which was written declar'd that whosoever did not fast the Appointed Fast should die the Death Because he also was one day to offer his Body for our Sins and so the Type of what was done in Isaac be fulfill'd who was offer'd upon the Altar What therefore is it that he says by the Prophet And let them eat of the Goat which is offer'd in the day of the Fast for all their Sins Harken diligently my Brethren And all the Priests and they only shall eat the Inwards not washed with Vinegar And why so Because I know that when I shall hereafter offer my Flesh for the Sins of a New People ye will give me Vinegar to drink mixed with Gall therefore do ye only eat the People fasting the while and lamenting in Sackcloath and Ashes That by this he might fore-shew that he was to suffer by them But hear then how he appointed it Take says he two Goats fair and alike and offer them And let the High Priest take one of them for a Burnt Offering And what must be done with the other Let it be accursed Consider how exactly this appears to have been a Type of Jesus And let all the Congregation spit upon it and prick it and put the Scarlet Wool about its Head And thus let it be carried forth into the Wilderness And this being done he that was appointed to convey the Goat led it into the Wilderness and took away the Scarlet Wool and put it upon a Thorn-Bush whose young Sprouts when we find them in the Field we are wont to eat So the Fruit of that Thorn only is sweet And to what end was this Ceremony Consider One was offered upon the Altar the Other was accursed And why was that which was accursed crown'd Because they shall see Christ in that Day having a Scarlet Garment about his Body and shall say Is not this he whom heretofore we crucified having despised him pierced him mocked him Certainly this is he who then said that he was the Son of God As therefore he shall be then like to what he was on Earth so were the Jews heretotore commanded to take two Goats Fair and Equal That when they shall see our Saviour hereafter coming in the Clouds of Heaven they may be amazed at the Likeness of the Goats Wherefore ye here again see a Type of Jesus who was to suffer for us But what then signifies this That the Wool was to be put into the midst of the Thorns This also is a Figure of Jesus set out to the Church For as he who would take away the Scarlet Wool must undergo many difficulties because that Thorn was very sharp and with difficulty get it So they says Christ that will see me and come to my Kingdom must through many Afflictions and Troubles attain unto me VIII BUT what Type do ye suppose it to have been where it is commanded in the Law that certain Men who had been guilty of many Sins should offer a Heifer and kill it and burn it And the young Men should take up the Ashes and put them in Vessels and tie a piece of Scarlet Wool and Hyssop upon a Stick and so the young Men should sprinkle every one of the People and they should be clear from their Sins Consider how all these things are delivered in a Figure to us This Heifer is Jesus Christ the Wicked Men that were to offer it are those Sinners who brought him to Death Who now are no longer Men there is no more any Glory of those Sinners remaining The young Men that sprinkled them signifie to us those who preach the Forgiveness of Sins and the Purification of the Heart to whom our LORD gave Authority to Preach his Gospel Being at the Beginning Twelve for a witness of the Tribes because there were Twelve Tribes of Israel But why were there Three young Men that were appointed to sprinkle the Sinners In Testimony of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob that they were Great before God And why was the Wool put upon a Stick Because the Kingdom of Jesus was founded upon the Cross And therefore they that put their Trust in him shall live for ever But why was the Wool and Hyssop put together To signifie that in the Kingdom of Christ there shall be evil and base Days in which we shall be saved And because he that has any Disease in the Flesh is by Hyssop purged from the Pollution of it Wherefore these things being thus done to us indeed are evident but to the Jews they are obscure because they hearkned not unto the Voice of the LORD IX AND therefore the Scripture again speaks concerning our Ears that God has circumcised them together with our Hearts For thus saith the LORD in the Holy Prophet By the hearing of the Ear they obeyed me And again They who are afar off shall hear what things I have done and shall understand And again Circumcise your Hearts saith the LORD And again he saith Hear O Israel Thus saith the LORD thy God And again the Spirit of God prophesieth saying Who is there that would live for ever let him hear the Voice of my Son And again Hear O Heaven and give Ear O Earth Because the LORD has spoken these things for a Witness And again he saith Hear the word of the LORD ye Princes of the People And again Hear O Children The Voice of one crying in the Wilderness Wherefore he has circumcised our Ears that we should hear his Word and believe But as for that Circumcision in which the Jews trust it is abolished For the Circumcision of which God spake was not of the Flesh But they have transgressed his Commands because the Evil One hath deceived them For thus God bespeaks them Thus saith the LORD your God Here you may find the New Command Sow not upon Thorns Be circumcised to the LORD your God And what do's he mean by this Hearken unto your LORD and circumcise the Hardness of your Heart and harden not your Neck And again Behold saith the LORD all the Nations are uncircumcised they have not lost their Fore-Skin but this People is not circumcised in Heart But you will say the Jews were circumcised for a Sign And so are all the Syrians and Arabians and all the Priests of their Idols But are they therefore of the Covenant of Israel And even the Egyptians themselves are circumcised Understand therefore Children these
it that they should be the first People and Heirs of the Covenant If therefore God shall have yet farther taken Notice of this by Abraham too Our Understanding of it will then be perfectly established What then saith the Scripture to Abraham when he believed and it was imputed unto him for Righteousness Behold I have made thee a Father of the Nations which without Circumcision believe in the LORD XIV LET us therefore now enquire whether God has fulfilled the Covenant which he sware to our Fathers that he would give this People Yes verily He gave it But they were not worthy to receive it by reason of their Sins For thus saith the Prophet And Moses continued fasting in Mount Sinai to receive the Covenant of the LORD with the People forty Days and forty Nights And he received of the LORD two Tables written with the Finger of the LORD'S Hand in the Spirit And Moses when he had received them brought them down that he might deliver them to the People And the LORD said unto Moses Moses Moses get thee down quickly for the People which thou broughtest out of the Land of Egypt have done Wickedly And Moses understeod that they had again set up a Molten Image and he cast the two Tables out of his Hands and the Tables of the Covenant of the LORD were broken Moses therefore received them but they were not worthy Now then learn how we have received them Moses being a Servant took them but the LORD himself has given them unto us that we might be the People of his Inheritance having suffered all things for us And it was therefore made manifest that they should fill up the Measure of their Sins and that we being made Heirs by him should receive the Covenant of the LORD Jesus And again the Prophet saith Behold I have set thee for a Light unto the Gentiles to be the Saviour of all the Ends of the Earth saith the LORD the God who hath redeemed thee Who for that very End was prepared that by his Own appearing he might redeem our Hearts already devoured by Death and delivered over to the Irregularity of Error from Darkness and establish a Covenant with us by his Word For so it is written that the Father commanded him by delivering of us from Darkness to prepare unto himself a Holy People Wherefore the Prophet saith I the LORD thy God have called thee in Righteousness and I will take thee by the Hand and will strenghthen thee And give thee for a Covenant of the People for a Light of the Gentiles To open the Eyes of the Blind to bring out the Prisoners from the Prison and them that sit in Darkness out of the Prison-House Consider therefore from whence we have been redeemed And again the Prophet saith The Spirit of the LORD is upon me because he hath anointed me he hath sent me to preach glad Tidings to the Lowly to heal the broken in Heart to preach Remission to the Captives and sight unto the Blind To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD and the Day of Restitution to comfort all that mourn XV. FURTHERMORE it is written concerning the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments which God spake in the Mount Sinai to Moses Face to Face Sanctifie the Sabbath of the LORD with pure Hands and with a clean Heart And elsewhere he saith If thy Children shall keep my Sabbaths then will I put my Mercy upon them And even in the beginning of the Creation he makes mention of the Sabbath And God made in six Days the Works of his Hands and he finished them on the seventh Day and he rested the seventh day and sanctified it Consider my Children what that signifies he finish'd them in six Days The meaning of it is this that in six thousand years the LORD God will bring all things to an End For with him One Day is a Thousand Years as himself testifieth saying Behold this day shall be as a thousand years Therefore Children in six Days that is in six thousand years shall All things be accomplished And rested the Seventh Day He meaneth this that when his Son shall come and abolish the Season of the Wicked One and jugde the Ungodly and shall change the Sun and the Moon and the Stars then he shall gloriously rest in that seventh Day He adds lastly Thou shalt sanctifie it with clean Hands and a pure Heart Wherefore we are greatly deceived if we imagin that any one can now sanctifie that Day which God has made Holy without having a Heart pure in all things He will therefore then truly sanctifie it with blessed Rest when we having received the righteous Promise when Iniquity shall be no more all things being renewed by the LORD shall be able to sanctifie it being our selves first made Holy Lastly he saith unto them Your New Moons and your Sabbaths I cannot bear them Consider what he means by it The Sabbaths says he which ye now keep are not acceptable unto me but those which I have made when resting from all things I shall begin the Eighth Day that is the Beginning of the other World For which cause we observe the Eighth Day with Gladness in which Jesus both rose from the dead and manifested himself to his Disciples and so ascended into Heaven XVI IT remains yet that we speak to you concerning the Temple How those miserable Men being deceived have put their trust in the House and not in God himself who made them as if it were the Habitation of God Much after the same manner as the Gentiles have consecrated him in their Temples But learn therefore how the LORD speaketh rendring the Temple vain Who has measured the Heaven with a Span and the Earth with his Hand Is it not I Thus saith the LORD Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my Footstool What is the House that ye will build me Or what is the place of my Rest Know therefore that all their Hope is vain And again he speaketh after this manner Behold they that destroy this Temple even they shall build another And so it came to pass For through their Wars it is now destroy'd by their Enemies and the Servants of their Enemies build it up Farthermore it has been made manifest how both the City and the Temple and the People of Israel should be given up For the Scripture saith And it shall come to pass in the last days that the LORD will deliver up the Sheep of his Pasture and their Fold and their Tower unto Destruction And it has come to pass as the LORD hath spoken Let us enquire therefore whether there be any Temple of God Yes there is And that there where himself declares that he would both make and establish it For it is written And it shall be that as soon as the Week shall be compleated the
has multiplied them for his Holy Churches sake is angry with thee because thou hast sinned against me And I answering said unto her Lady If I have sinned against thee tell me where or in what Place or when did I ever speak an unseemly or dishonest Word unto thee Have I not always esteemed thee as a Lady Have I not always reverenced thee as a Sister Why then dost thou imagine these wicked things against me Then she smiling upon me said The desire of Naughtiness has risen up in thy heart Does it not seem to thee to be an ill thing for a Righteous Man to have an evil desire rise up in his heart It is indeed a Sin and that a very great one to such a Man for a righteous Man thinketh what is righteous And whilst he does so and walketh uprightly he shall have the LORD in Heaven favourable unto him in all his Works But as for those who think wickedly in their hearts they take to themselves Death and Captivity and especially those who love this present World and glory in their Riches and regard not the good things that are to come their Souls wander up and down and know not where to fix Now this is the Case of such as are Doubtful who trust not in the LORD and despise and neglect their own life But do thou pray unto the LORD and he will heal thy Sins and the Sins of thy whole House and of all his Saints II. AS soon as she had spoken these Words the Heavens were shut and I remained utterly swallowed up in Sadness and Fear and said within my self If this be laid against me for Sin how can I ever be saved or how shall I ever be able to intreat the LORD for my many and great Sins With what Words shall I beseech him to be merciful unto me As I was thinking over these things and meditating in my self upon them behold a Chair set over against me of the whitest Wool as bright as Snow And there came an old Woman in a bright Garment having a Book in her hand and sate alone and saluted me saying HERMAS hail And I being full of Sorrow and weeping answered Hail Lady and she said unto me Why art thou sad Hermas who wert wont to be patient and modest and always cheerful I answered and said to her Lady a Reproach has been objected to me by an excellent Woman who tells me that I have sinned against her She replied Far be any such thing from the Servant of God But it may be the desire of her has risen up in thy Heart For indeed there is such a Thought even in the Servants of God leading unto Sin Nor ought such a detestable Thought to be in the Servant of God nor should a Spirit that is approved desire that which is evil nor especially HERMAS who contains himself from all wicked Appetites and is full of all Simplicity and of great Innocence III. NEVERTHELESS the LORD is not angry with thee for thine own sake but upon the account of thy House which has committed Wickedness against the LORD and against their Parents And that Act of thy Fondness towards thy Sons in that thou hast not admonished them but hast permitted them to live wickedly and for this Cause the LORD is angry with thee But he will heal all the Evils that are done before thee in thy House For through their Sins and Iniquities thou art wholly consumed in secular Affairs But now the Mercy of God hath taken Compassion upon thee and upon thine House and hath greatly comforted thee only as for thee do not wander but be of an even Mind and comfort thy House As the Workman bringing forth his Work offers it to whomsoever he pleases so shalt thou by teaching every day what is just cut off a great sin Wherefore cease not to admonish thy Sons for the LORD knows that they will repent with all their heart and he will write thee in the Book of Life And when she had said this she added unto me Wilt thou hear me Read I answer'd her Lady I will Hear then said she And opening the Book she read gloriously greatly and wonderfully such things as I could not keep in my Memory For they were terrible Words such as no Man could bear Howbeit I committed her last Words to my Remembrance for they were but few and of great use Behold the mighty LORD who by his invincible Power and with his excellent Wisdom made the World and by his glorious Counsel encompassed the Beauty of his Creature and with the Word of his strength fix'd the Heaven and founded the Earth upon the Waters and by his powerful Vertue establish'd his Holy Church which he hath blessed Behold he will remove the Heavens and the Mountains the Hills and the Seas and all things shall be made Plain for his Elect that he may render unto them the Promise which he has promised with much Honor and Joy if so be that they shall keep the Commandments of God which they have received with great Faith IV. AND when she had made an end of Reading she rose out of the Chair and behold four Young-men came and carried the Chair to the East And she called me unto her and touch'd my Breast and said unto me Did my Reading please thee I answered Lady These last things please me but what went before was severe and hard She said unto me These last things are for the Righteous but the foregoing for the Revolters and Heathen And as she was talking with me Two more appeared and took her up on their shoulders and went to the East where the Chair was And she went chearfully away and as she was going said unto me HERMAS be of good chear VISION II. Again of his Neglect in Correcting his Talkative Wife and of his Lewd Sons and of his Own Manners I. AS I was on the Way to Cumae about the same time that I had been the last Year I began to call to mind the Vision I formerly had And again the Spirit carried me away and brought me into the same Place in which I had been the Year before And when I was come into the Place I fell down upon my Knees and began to Pray unto the LORD and to Honour his Name that he had esteemed me worthy and had manifested unto me my former Sins And when I arose from Prayer behold I saw over against me the Old Woman whom I had seen the last Year walking and reading in a certain Book And she said unto me Can'st thou tell these things to the Elect of God I answered and said unto her Lady I cannot retain such great things in my Memory but give me the Book and I will write them down Take it says she and see that thou restore it again to me As soon as I had receiv'd it I went aside into a certain Place of the Field and transcribed every Letter for I found no