away and corrupt my Resolution towards my God Let none of you therefore Help him Rather do ye joyn with me that is with God Do not speak with Jesus Christ and yet Cover the World Let not any Envy dwell with you No not though even I my self when I shall be come unto you should exhort you to it yet do not ye hearken to me but rather believe what I now write to you For though I am alive at the Writing this yet my Desire is to Die My Love is Crucified And the Fire that is within me does not desire any Water But being Alive and speaking within me says Come to the Father I take no Pleasure in the Food of Corruption nor in the Pleasures of this Life I desire the Bread of God which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ of the Seed of David and the Drink that I long for is his Blood which is Uncorruptible Love VIII I HAVE no desire to live any longer after the manner of Men neither shall I if you consent Be ye therefore willing that ye your selves also may be pleasing to God I exhort you in a few Words I pray you believe me Jesus Christ will shew you that I speak truly My Mouth is without Deceit and the Father hath truly spoken by it Pray therefore for me that I may accomplish what I desire I have not written to you after the Flesh but according to the Will of God If I shall Suffer ye have loved me But if I shall be rejected ye have hated me IX REMEMBER in your Prayers the Church of Syria which now enjoys God for its Shepherd instead of me Let Jesus Christ only Oversee it and your Charity But I am even ashamed to be reckon'd as one of Them For neither am I Worthy being the least among them and as one Born out of due Season But through Mercy I have obtain'd to be Somebody if I shall get unto God My Spirit salutes you and the Charity of the Churches that have received me in the Name of Jesus Christ not as a Stranger For even they that have not accompanied me in my Journy have yet been ready in every City to receive me X. THESE things I write to you from Smyrna by the most Worthy of the Church of Ephesus There is now with me together with many others Crocus most Beloved of me As for those which came with Me from Syria and are gone before me to Rome to the Glory of God I suppose you are not Ignorant of them Ye shall therefore signifie to them that I draw near for they are all Worthy both of God and of you Whom it is fit that you Refresh in all things This have I written to you the day before the Ninth of the Calends of September Be Strong unto the End in the Patience of Jesus Christ. To the ROMANS THE EPISTLE OF St. IGNATIVS TO THE Philadelphians THE CONTENTS The Salutation Chap. I. HE begins with a very Great Commendation of their Bishop whom they had sent unto Him II. He warns them against Divisions and to stick close to their Bishop as the best means to avoid falling into Errors and False Doctrines III.IV. Which Exhortation he again enforces and shews them the Danger of following Any Persons to the making of a Schism in the Church V. He excuses the length of this Advice which proceeded from his Love towards Them Desires their Prayers And shews how the Holy Men under the Law as well as since under the Gospel were all United in Christ. VI. Yet this must not prompt them to receive their Doctrine who would tempt them to Judaize VII He declares what his own Conduct had been whilst he was amongst Them VIII IX And exhorts them after his Example to maintain a Pure Doctrine in Unity with one Another X. He accounts to them how he had heard that the Persecution was stopp'd in his Church at Antioch And directs them to send some Messenger thither to Congratulate with Them thereupon XI He tells them what Persons were still with Him and thanks them for the kind Entertainment they gave to some of Them And so concludes with the common Salutation of those who were present at his Writing of this Epistle to Them THE EPISTLE OF St. IGNATIVS TO THE Philadelphians IGNATIUS who is also called THEOPHORUS to the Church of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ which is at PHILADELPHIA in Asia which has obtained Mercy being fix'd in the Concord of God and rejoycing evermore in the Passion of our Lord and being fulfilled in all Mercy through his Resurrection Which also I salute in the Bloud of Jesus Christ who is our Eternal and undefiled Joy Especially if they are at Unity with the Bishop and Presbyters who are with Him and the Deacons appointed according to the Mind of Jesus Christ whom he has setled according to his own Will in all Firmness by His Holy Spirit I. WHICH Bishop I know obtain'd that Great Ministry among you not of Himself neither by Men nor out of Vain Glory but in the Love of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ Whose Mildness I admire who by his silence is able to do more than others with all their Vain Talk For he is fitted to the Commands as the Harp to its Strings Wherefore my Soul esteems his Mind towards God most Happy knowing it to be Fruitful in all Vertue and perfect full of Constancy free from Passion and according to all the Moderation of the Living God II. WHEREFORE as becomes the Children both of the Light and of Truth flee Divisions and False Doctrines But where your Shepherd is there do ye as Sheep follow after For there are many Wolves who seem worthy of Belief that with a false Pleasure lead Captive those that run in the Course of God But in your Concord They shall find no place III. ABSTAIN therefore from those Evil Herbs which Jesus Christ does not dress because such are not the Plantation of the Father Not that I have found any Division among you but rather all manner of Purity For as many as are of Jesus Christ are also with their Bishop And as many as shall with Repentance return into the Unity of the Church even these shall also be the Servants of God that they may live according to Jesus Christ. Be not deceived Brethren If any one follows him that makes a Schism in the Church he shall not inherit the Kingdom of God If any one walks after any other's Opinion he agrees not with the Passion of Christ. IV. WHEREFORE let it be your Endeavour to partake All of the same Holy Eucharist For there is but one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ And One Cup unto the Unity of his Bloud One Altar As also there is One Bishop together with his Presbytery and the Deacons my Fellow-Servants That so whatsoever
Syllables And as soon as I had finished what was written in the Book the Book was suddenly caught out of my hands but by whom I saw not II. AFTER fifteen days when I had fasted and intreated the LORD with all earnestness the Knowledge of the Writing was revealed unto me Now the Writing was this Thy Seed O HERMAS hath sinned against the LORD and have betrayed their Parents through their great Wickedness And they have been called the Betrayers of their Parents and have gone on in their Treachery And now have they added Lewdness to their other Sins and the Pollutions of Naughtiness Thus have they fill'd up the Measure of their Iniquities But do thou upbraid thy Sons with all these Words and thy Wife which shall be thy Sister And let her learn to refrain her Tongue with which she calumniates For when she shall hear these things she will refrain her self and shall obtain Mercy And they shall be instructed when thou shalt have reproach'd them with these Words which the LORD has commanded to be revealed unto thee Then shall their Sins be forgiven which they have heretofore committed and the Sins of all the Saints who have sinned even unto this day if they shall repent with all their Hearts and remove all Doubts out of their Hearts For the LORD hath sworn by his Glory concerning his Elect having determined the certain Day that if any one shall even now sin he shall not be saved For the Repentance of the Righteous has its End The Days of Repentance are fulfilled to all the Saints but to the Heathen there is Repentance even unto the Last Day Thou shalt therefore say to those who are over the Church that they order their Ways in Righteousness that they may fully receive the Promise with much Glory Stand fast therefore ye that work Righteousness and continue to do it that your Departure may be with the Holy Angels Happy are ye as many as shall endure the Great Tryal that is at hand and whosoever shall not deny his Life For the LORD hath sworn by his Son that who so denieth his Son and him being afraid of his Life he will also deny him in the World that is to come But those who shall never deny him he will of his exceeding great Mercy be favourable unto them III. BUT thou O Hermas remember not the Evils which thy Sons have done neither neglect thy Sister but take care that they amend of their former Sins For they will be instructed by this Doctrine if thou shalt not be mindful of what they have done wickedly For the Remembrance of Evils worketh Death but the Forgetting of them Life Eternal But thou O HERMAS hast undergone a great many Wordly Troubles for the Offences of thy House because thou hast neglected them as things that did not belong unto thee and thou art wholly taken up with thy great Business Nevertheless for this cause shalt thou be saved that thou hast not departed from the Living God And thy Simplicity and singular Continency shall preserve thee if thou shalt continue in them Yea they shall save All such as do such things and walk in Innocence and Simplicity They who are of this kind shall prevail against all Impiety and continue unto Life Eternal Happy are all they that do Righteousness they shall not be consumed for ever But thou wilt say Behold there is a great Tryal coming If it seems good to thee Deny him again The LORD is nigh to them that turn to him as it is written in the Books of Heldam and Modal who prophecy'd to the Israelites in the Wilderness IV. MOREOVER Brethren it was reavealed to me as I was sleeping by a very goodly young Man saying unto me What thinkest thou of that old Woman from whom thou receivedst the Book Who is she I answered a Sybil. Thou art mistaken said he she is not I reply'd who is she then Sir He answered me it is the Church of God And I said unto him Why then do's she appear Old She is therefore said he an Old Woman because she was the first of all the Creation and the World was made for her After this I saw a Vision at home in my own House and the Old Woman whom I had seen before came to me and ask'd me whether I had yet deliver'd the Book which she had given me to the Elders of the Church And I answered that I had not yet She reply'd Thou hast well done for I have certain Words more to tell thee But when I shall have finished all the Words they shall be clearly understood by the Elect. And thou shalt write two Books and send one to Clement and one to Grapté For Clement shall send it to the foreign Cities because it is permitted to him so to do But Grapté shall admonish the Widows and Orphans But thou shalt read it to the Elders that are over the Church VISION III. Of the Building of the Church-Triumphant and of the several Orders of Reprobates I. THE Vision which I saw Brethren was this When I had often fasted and pray'd unto the LORD that he would manifest unto me the Revelation which he had promised by the Old Woman to shew unto me The same Night she appear'd unto me and said unto me because thou dost thus afflict thy self and art so desirous to know All things come into the Field where thou wilt and about the sixth Hour I will appear unto thee and shew thee what thou must see I ask'd her saying Lady into what part of the Field She answered wherever thou wilt only chuse a good and a private place And before I could begin to speak and tell her the place she said unto me I will come where thou wilt I was therefore Brethren in the Field and I observed the Hours and came into the place where I had appointed to go And I beheld a Bench placed it was a linnen Pillow and over it spread a Covering of fine Linnen When I saw these things order'd in this Manner and that there was no Body in the place I began to be astonish'd and my Hair stood on end and a kind of Horror seiz'd me for I was alone But being come to my self and calling to mind the Glory of God and taking Courage I fell down upon my Knees and began again to confess my Sins as before And whilst I was doing this the Old Woman came thither with the six young Men whom I had seen before and stood behind me as I was praying and confessing my Sins unto the LORD And touching me she said leave off now to pray only for thy Sins pray also for Righteousness that thou maist receive a part from her in thy House And she lifted me up from the place and took me by the Hand and brought me to the Seat and said to the young Men Go and Build As soon as they were departed and we were alone she said unto me sit here
entreats them to follow that which is here given to them LVIII Recommends them to God LIX Desires speedily to hear that this Epistle had had a good Effect upon them LX. And so concludes THE EPISTLE OF St. CLEMENT TO THE Corinthians The Church of God which is at Rome to the Church of God which is at Corinth Elect Sanctified by the Will of God through Jesus Christ our Lord Grace be to you and Peace from the Almighty God by Jesus Christ be multiplied THE suddain and unexpected Dangers and Calamities that have fallen upon Us BELOVED BRETHREN have we fear made us the more slow in our Consideration of those things which you proposed to Us As also of that Wicked and Detestable Sedition so unbecoming the Elect of God which a few heady and self-will'd Men have fomented to such a Degree that your Venerable and Renowned Name so worthy of all Men to be beloved is greatly Blasphemed thereby For who that has ever been among you has not experimented the firmness of your Faith and its Fruitfulness in all Good Works And admired the Temper and Moderation of your Religion in Christ And publish'd abroad the Magnificence of your Hospitality And thought you Happy in your perfect and certain knowledge of the Gospel For ye did all things without respect of Persons and walked according to the Laws of God Being subject to those who had the Rule over you and giving the Honour that was fitting to such as were the Aged among you The young Men ye commanded to think those things that were Modest and Grave The Women ye exhorted to do all things with an unblameable and seemly and pure Conscience Loving their own Husbands as was fitting And that keeping themselves within the Limits of a due Obedience they should order their Houses gravely with all Discretion II. YE were All of you Humble minded not Boasting of any thing Desiring rather to be Subject than to Govern to Give than to Receive being content with the Portion God had dispensed to you And hearkning diligently to his Word ye received it into your Hearts having his Precepts always before your Eyes Thus a firm and blessed and profitable Peace was given unto you and an unsatiable desire of doing Good and a plentiful Effusion of the Holy Ghost was upon all of you And being full of Good Desires ye did with a great readiness and with a Religious Confidence stretch forth your hands to God Almighty beseeching him to be merciful unto you if in any thing ye had unwillingly sinn'd against Him Ye contended day and night for the whole Brotherhood that through the Mercy of God and a Good Conscience the number of his Elect might be saved Ye were sincere and without Offence towards each other not mindful of Injuries All Sedition and Schism was an Abomination unto you Ye bewailed every one his Neighbours Sins esteeming their Defects your Own Ye were kind one to another without grudging being ready to every Good Work And being thus adorn'd with a Conversation altogether Virtuous and Religious ye did All things in the fear of God whose Commandments were written upon the Tables of your Hearts III. ALL Honour and Enlargement was given unto you and so was fulfill'd that which is written My Beloved did Eat and Drink he was Enlarged and waxed Fat and he Kicked From hence came Envy and Strife and Sedition Persecution and Disorder War and Captivity So they who were of no Renown lifted up themselves against the Honourable Those of no Reputation against those that were in Respect The Foolish against the Wise The young Men against the Aged Therefore Righteousness and Peace are departed from you because Every one hath forsaken the Fear of the Lord and is grown blind in His Faith nor walketh by the Rule of Gods Commandments nor liveth as is fitting in Christ But every one follows his own wicked Lusts Having taken up an Ungodly and Unjust Envy by which Death first entred into the World IV. FOR so it is written And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an Offering unto the LORD And Abel He also brought of the Firstlings of his Flock and of the fat thereof And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his Offering But unto Cain and unto his Offering he had not respect And Cain was very Wroth and his Countenance fell And the LORD said unto Cain Why art thou Wroth And why is thy Countenance fallen If thou shalt offer aright but not divide aright hast thou not sinned Hold thy peace Vnto Thee shall be his desire and Thou shalt rule over Him And Cain said unto Abel his Brother let us go down into the Field And it came to pass as they were in the Field that Cain rose up against Abel his Brother and slew him Ye see Brethren how Envy and Emulation wrought the Death of a Brother For this our Father Jacob fled from the Face of his Brother Esau. It was this that caused Joseph to be persecuted even unto Death and Bondage It was this that forced Moses to flee from the Face of Pharaoh King of Egypt when he heard his own Country-man ask him Who made Thee a Prince and a Judge over us Wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday For this Aaron and Miriam were shut out of the Camp from the rest of the Congregation seven days Emulation sent Dathan and Abiram quick into the Grave because they raised up a Sedition against Moses the Servant of God For this David was not only hated of Strangers but was persecuted even by Saul the King of Israel V. BUT not to insist upon antient Examples let us come to those Worthies that have been nearest to us and take the brave Examples of our own Age. Through Zeal and Envy the most Faithful and Righteous Pillars of the Church have been persecuted even to the most bitter Deaths Let us set before our Eyes the Holy Apostles Peter by unjust Envy underwent not One or Two but many Sufferings till at last being Martyr'd he went to the place of Glory that was due unto Him For the same cause did Paul in like manner receive the Reward of his Patience Seven times he was in Bonds He was Whipp'd was Stoned He preach'd both in the East and in the West leaving behind Him the Glorious Report of his Faith And so having taught the whole World Righteousness and for that end travell'd even to the utmost Bounds of the West He at last suffer'd Martyrdom by the Command of the Governours and departed out of the World and went unto his Holy place being become a most eminent Pattern of Patience unto All Ages VI. TO
saying He trusted in the LORD that he would deliver Him let him deliver him seeing he delighted in Him Ye see Beloved what the Pattern is that has been given to Us. For if the Lord thus humbled himself what should we do who are come under the Yoak of his Grace XVII LET us be Followers of those who went about in Goat-skins and Sheep-skins preaching the Coming of Christ. Such were Elias and Elisaeus and Ezekiel the Prophets And let us add to these such others as have received the like Testimony Abraham has been greatly witnessed of having been called the Friend of God And yet He stedfastly beholding the Glory of God says with all Humility I am Dust and Ashes Again of Job it is thus written That he was Just and without Blame True One that served God and abstained from all Evil. Yet he despising himself says No man is free from Pollution no not tho' He should live but one day Moses was called Faithful in all Gods House and by his Conduct God determined to deliver the Israelites from their Stripes and Pains And yet even this Man tho' thus Greatly Honoured spake not greatly of Himself but when the Oracle of God was delivered to him out of the Bush he said Who am I that thou dost send me I am of a slender Voice and a slow Tongue And again He saith I am as the smoak of the Pot. XVIII AND what shall we say of David so highly testified of in the Holy Scriptures To whom God said I have found a Man after my own heart David the Son of Jesse with my Holy Oil have I anointed Him But yet he Himself saith unto God Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness According unto the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out my Transgressions Wash me throughly from mine Iniquity and cleanse me from my Sin For I acknowledge my Transgressions and my Sin is ever before Me. Against Thee only have I sinned and done this Evil in thy sight that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest and be clear when Thou judgest Behold I was shapen in Iniquity and in Sin did my Mother Conceive me Behold Thou desirest Truth in the Inward parts and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know Wisdom Purge me with Hysop and I shall be Clean wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow Make me to hear Joy and Gladness that the Bones which Thou hast broken may rejoyce Hide thy face from my sins and blot out All mine Iniquities Create in me a clean Heart O God and renew a right Spirit within Me. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from Me. Restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit Then will I teach Transgressors thy ways and Sinners shall be converted unto Thee Deliver me from Blood-guiltiness O God thou God of my Salvation and my Tongue shall sing aloud of thy Righteousness O LORD open thou my Lips and my Mouth shall shew forth thy Praise For thou desirest not Sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in Burnt-offerings The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and a Contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise XIX THUS has the Humility and Godly Fear of these great and excellent Men recorded in the Scriptures through Obedience made not only Us but also the Generations before us Better even as many as have received his Holy Oracles with Fear and Truth Having therefore so many and such Great and Glorious Examples let us return to that Peace which was the Mark that from the Beginning was set before Us Let us look up to the Father and Creator of the whole World and let us hold fast to his Glorious and Exceeding Gifts and Benefits which are of Peace Let us consider and behold with the Eyes of our Understandings his Long-suffering Will and think how Gentle and Patient he is towards his whole Creation XX. THE Heavens holding fast to his Appointment are subject to Him in Peace Day and Night accomplish the Courses that he has allotted unto them not disturbing one another The Sun and Moon and all the several Companies and Constellations of the Stars run the Courses that he has appointed to them in Concord without departing in the least from them The Fruitful Earth yields its Food plentifully in due Season both to Man and Beast and to all that is upon it according to His Will not disputing nor altering any thing of what was order'd by Him So also the untrodden and unsearchable Floods of the Deep are kept in by his Command And the Conflux of the vast Sea being brought together at the Creation into its several Collections passes not the Bounds that He has set to it but as he then appointed it so it remains For he said Hitherto shalt thou come and thy Flouds shall be broken within Thee The Ocean unpassable to Mankind and the Worlds that are beyond it are govern'd by the same Commands of their great Master Spring and Summer Autumn and Winter give place peaceably to Each other The several Quarters of the Winds fulfil their work in their Seasons without offending one Another The Ever-flowing Fountains made both for Pleasure and Health never fail to reach out their Breasts to support the Life of Men. Even the smallest Creatures live together in Peace and Concord with Each other All these has the Great Creator and Lord of all commanded to observe Peace and Concord being Good to all But especially to Us who flee to his Mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ to whom be Glory and Majesty for Ever and Ever Amen XXI TAKE heed Beloved that his many Blessings be not to us to Condemnation except we shall walk worthy of Him doing with One Consent what is Good and Pleasing in his Sight The Spirit of the LORD is a Candle searching all the inward parts of the Belly Let us therefore consider how near he is to us and how that none of our Thoughts are hid from him nor any of our Conversation which we have with one Another It is therefore Just that we should not forsake our Rank by doing contrary to his Will Let us chuse to offend a few foolish and inconsiderate Men lifted up and Glorying in their own Pride rather than God Let us Reverence our Lord Jesus Christ whose Bloud was Given for us Let us Honour Those who are set over us let us respect the Aged that are amongst us and let us instruct the younger Men in the Discipline and Fear of the LORD Our Wives let us direct in Doing that which is Good Let them shew forth a lovely Habit of Purity in all their Conversation with a sincere Affection of Meekness Let the government of their
Hopes of Suffering for Christ unless they Prevent it II. Which he Earnestly Intreats them not to do III. But rather to Pray for Him that God would Strengthen Him to the Combat unto which He had called Him IV. He expresses the Great Desire he had to Suffer Martyrdom V.VI. And the Mighty Advantage it would be to Him so to do VII VIII And therefore again intreats them that they would not do any thing to prevent it IX He desires their Prayers for his Church at Antioch and expresses the Kindness of the Christians to Him on his Way to Them X. And then Concludes with his Recommendations of Those who came from Syria with Him and were gone before to Rome to their Favourable Acceptance THE EPISTLE OF St. IGNATIVS TO THE Romans IGNATIUS who is also called THEOPHORUS to the Church which has obtained Mercy from the Majesty of the Most High Father and his only Begotten Son Jesus Christ Beloved and Illuminated through the Will of Him who Willeth all things which are according to the Love of Jesus Christ our God Which also Presides in the Place of the Region of the Romans and which I salute in the Name of Jesus Christ as being United both in Flesh and Spirit to all His Commands and filled with the Grace of God All Joy in Jesus Christ our God I. I HAVE at last obtained of God through my Earnest Prayers to see your Faces which I have much desired to do For being Bound in Christ Jesus I hope e're long to salute you if it shall be the Pleasure of God to grant me to attain unto the End I hope for For the Beginning is well-disposed if I shall but be so Happy as without Hindrance to receive what is Appointed for me But I fear your Love least it do me an Injury For it is easie for you to do what you please But it will be hard for me to attain unto God unless you spare me II. BUT I would not that ye should please Men but God whom also ye do please For neither shall I ever hereafter have such an Opportunity of going unto God Nor will you if ye shall now be silent ever be intituled to a better Work For if you shall be silent in my behalf I shall become partaker of God But if you shall love my Body I shall have my Course again to run Wherefore a greater Kindness ye cannot do Me than to suffer me to be Sacrificed unto God now that the Altar is already Prepared That when ye shall be gather'd together in Love ye may give Thanks to the Father in Christ Jesus that He has vouchsafed to bring a Bishop of Syria unto you being sent from the East even unto the West For it is good for me to Set from the World unto God that I may Rise again unto Him III. YE HAVE never envied me in any thing ye have taught others I would therefore that ye should now do those things your selves which in your Instructions you have prescribed to Others Only Pray for me that God would give me Strength that I may not only be called a Christian but may also be found one For if I shall be found a Christian I may then deservedly be called one And be thought Faithful when I shall no longer appear to the World Nothing is Good that is seen For even our Lord Jesus Christ now that he is in the Father does so much the more Appear To be a True Christian is not a Work of Opinion but of Greatness of Mind especially when he is hated by the World IV. I WRITE to the Churches and signifie to them All that I am willing to die for God unless you hinder me I beseech you that you shew not an unseasonable good Will towards me Suffer me to be Food to the Wild Beasts by which means I shall go unto God For I am the Wheat of God and I shall be Ground by the Teeth of the Wild Beasts that I may be found the pure Bread of Christ. Rather encourage the Beasts that they may become my Sepulchre and may leave nothing of my Body that being Dead I may not be troublesome to any Then shall I be the True Disciple of Jesus Christ when the World shall not see so much as my Body Pray therefore unto Christ for me that by these Instruments I may be made the Sacrifice of God I do not as Peter and Paul Command you They were Apostles I a Condemned Man They were Free I am even to this day a Servant But if I shall Suffer I shall then become the Freeman of Jesus Christ and shall rise Free And now being in Bonds I learn not to desire any thing V. FROM Syria even unto Rome I fight with Beasts both by Sea and Land both Night and Day Being bound to Ten Leopards that is to say to such a Band of Souldiers Who though treated with all manner of Kindness are but the Worse for it But I am the more instructed by their Injuries Yet am I not therefore Justified May I enjoy the Wild Beasts that are prepared for me Which also I wish may exercise all their Fierceness upon me And whom for that End I will encourage that they may be sure to devour Me and not serve me as they have done some whom out of fear they have not touched But and if they will not do it willingly I will provoke them to it Pardon me in this Matter I know what is profitable for me Now I begin to be a Disciple Nor shall any thing move me whether Visible or Invisible that I may attain to Christ Jesus Let Fire and the Cross let the Companies of Wild Beasts let Breakin gs of Bones and Tearing of Members let the shattering in pieces of the whole Body and all the Torments of the Devil come upon me only let me enjoy Jesus Christ. VI. ALL the Compass of the World and the Kingdoms of it will profit me nothing It is better for me to die for Jesus Christ than to rule to the utmost Ends of the Earth Him I seek who died for us Him I desire that rose again from the Dead for us He is the Gain that is laid up for me Pardon me my Brethren ye shall not hinder me from living Nor seeing I desire to go to God may you separate me from Him for the sake of this World nor seduce me by any of the Desires of it Suffer me to enter into Pure Light Where being come I shall be indeed the Servant of God Permit me to imitate the Passion of my God If any one has Him within Himself let him consider what I desire and let him have Compassion on me as knowing how I am streightned VII THE Prince of this World would fain carry me
is called Simplicity the next Innocence the third Modesty then Discipline and the last of all is Charity When therefore thou shalt have observed the Works of their Mother thou shalt be able to observe all things Lady said I I would know what particular Virtue every one of these has Hear then replied she They have equal Vertues and their Vertues are knit together and follow one another as they were born From Faith proceeds Abstinence from Abstinence Simplicity from Simplicity Innocence from Innocence Modesty from Modesty Discipline and Charity Therefore the Works of these are Holy and Chast and Right Whosoever therefore shall serve these and hold fast to their Works he shall have his Dwelling in the Tower with the Saints of God Then I ask'd her concerning the Times whether the End were now at Hand But she cry'd out with a loud Voice saying O foolish Man Dost thou not see the Tower that it is always building When therefore the Tower shall be finish'd and built it shall have an End and indeed it shall soon be accomplished But do not ask me any more Questions What has been said may suffice for thee and for all the Saints with the renewal of your Spirits For these things have not been revealed to thee only but that thou mayst make them manifest unto all For therefore O HERMAS after three Days thou must understand these Words which I begin to speak unto thee that thou mayst speak them in the Ears of the Saints that when they shall have heard and done them they may be cleansed from their Iniquities and thou together with them IX HEAR me therefore O my Sons I have bred you up in much Simplicity and Modesty and Innocency for the Mercy of God which has dropp'd down upon you in Righteousness that you should be sanctified and justified from all Sin and Wickedness But ye will not cease from your evil Doings Now therefore hearken unto me and have Peace one with another and visit one another and receive one another and do not enjoy the Creatures of God alone Give freely to them that are in need For some by too free feeding contract an Infirmity in their Flesh and do Injury to their Bodies whilst the Flesh of others who have not Food withers away because they want sufficient Nourishment and their Bodies are consum'd Wherefore this Intemperance is hurtful to you who have and do not communicate to them that want Prepare for the Judgment that is about to come upon you Ye that are the more Eminent search out them that are Hungry whilst the Tower is yet unfinish'd For when the Tower shall be finish'd ye shall be willing to do good and shall not find any place for it See therefore ye that glory in your Riches least perhaps they groan who are in want and their Sighing come up unto God and ye be shut out with your Goods without the Gate of the Tower Behold I now warn you who are set over the Church and love the highest Seats be not ye like unto those that work Mischief And they indeed carry about their Poison in Boxes but ye contain your Poison and Medicines in your Hearts and will not purge them and mix your Sense with a Pure Heart that ye may find Mercy with the Great King Take heed my Children that your Dissentions deprive you not of your Lives How will ye instruct the Elect of God when ye your selves want Correction Wherefore admonish one another and be at Peace among your selves that I standing before your Father may give an Account for you unto the LORD X. AND when she had made an end of talking with me the six young Men that built came and carried her to the Tower and four others took up the Seat on which she sate and went away again they also to the Tower I saw not the Faces of these for their Backs were towards me As she was going along I asked her that she would reveal to me what concern'd the three Forms in which she had appear'd unto me But she answering said unto me concerning these things thou must ask some other that they may be revealed unto thee Now Brethren in the First Vision the last Year she appeared unto me exceeding old and sitting in a Chair In another Vision she had indeed a youthful Face but her Flesh and Hair were old and she talked with me standing and was more chearful than the first time In the third Vision she was in all respects much younger and comely to the Eye only she had the Hair of an Aged Person Yet she looked chearful and sate upon a Seat I was therefore very sad concerning these things until I might understand the Vision Wherefore I saw the same Old Woman in a Vision of the Night saying unto me All Prayer needeth Humility Fast therefore and thou shalt learn from the LORD that which thou dost ask I fasted therefore one Day The same Night a young Man appear'd to me and said Why dost thou thus often desire Revelations in thy Prayers Take heed that by asking many things thou hurt not thy Body Let these Revelations suffice thee Canst thou see more notable Revelations than those which thou hast already received I answered and said unto him Sir I only ask this one thing upon the account of the three Figures of the Old Woman that appeared to me that the Revelation may be compleat He answer'd me You are not without Understanding but your Doubts make you so forasmuch as you have not your Heart with the LORD I replyed and said But I shall learn these things more carefully from you XI HEAR then says he concerning the Figures about which you enquire And first in the first Vision she appear'd to thee in the Shape of an Old Woman because your ancient Spirit was decay'd and without Strength by reason of your Infirmities and the Doubtfulness of your Heart For as they who are Old have no hope of renewing themselves nor expect any thing but their Departure So you being weakned through your worldly Affairs gave your self up to Sloath and cast not away your Sollicitude from your self upon the LORD and your Sense was confused and you grew Old in your Sadness But Sir I would know why she sate upon a Chair He answered Because every one that is weak sitteth upon a Chair by reason of his Infirmity that his Weakness may be upheld See therefore the Figure of the first Vision XII IN the second Vision you saw her standing and having a youthful Face and more chearful than her former but her Flesh and her Hair were ancient Hear said he this Parable also When any one grows Old He despairs of himself by reason of his Infirmity and Poverty and expects nothing but the last Day of his Life But on the suddain an Inheritance is left to him and he hears of it and rises and being become chearful he puts on new Strength And now he no longer lies along but
much Jesus Christ vouchsafed to suffer for our sakes What Recompense then shall we render unto him Or what Fruit that may be worthy of what he has given to us For indeed how great are those Advantages which we owe to him in Relation to our Holiness He has illuminated us as a Father he has called us his Children he has saved us who were lost and undone What Praise shall we ascribe to him Or what Reward that may be answerable to those things which we have received We were defective in our Understandings worshiping Stones and Wood Gold and Silver and Brass the Works of Mens Hands and our whole Life was nothing else but Death Wherefore being encompassed with Darkness and having such a Mist before our Eyes we have look'd up and through his Will have laid aside the Cloud wherewith we were surrounded For he had Compassion upon us and being moved in his Bowels towards us he saved us having beheld in us much Deceit and Destruction and seen that we had no hope of Salvation but only by him Therefore he called us who were not and was pleased from nothing to give us a Being II. REJOICE thou Barren that barest not break forth and cry thou that travailest not for she that is desolate hath many more Children than she that hath an Husband In that he said Rejoice thou Barren that bearest not He spake of us For our Church was barren before that Children were given unto it And again when he said Cry thou that travailest not He implied thus much That after the manner of Women in Travail we should not cease to put up our Prayers unto God only And for what remains Because she that is desolate hath more Children than she that hath an Husband It was therefore added because our People which seem'd to have been forsaken by God now believing in him are become more than they who seem'd to have God And another Scripture saith I came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance The Meaning of which is this that those who were lost must be saved For that is indeed truly great and wonderful not to confirm those things that are yet standing but those which are falling Even so did it seem good to Christ to save what was lost and when he came into the World he saved many and called us who were already perishing III. SEEING then he has shew'd so great Mercy towards us and chiefly for that we who are alive do now no longer sacrifice to dead Gods nor pay any Worship to them but have by him been brought to the Knowledge of the Father of Truth Whereby shall we shew that we do indeed know him but by not denying him by whom we have come to the Knowledge of him For even he himself saith Whosoever shall confess me before Men him will I confess before my Father This therefore is our Reward that if we confess him we shall be saved by him But wherein must we confess him Namely in doing those things which he saith and not disobeying his Commandments By worshiping him not with our Lips only but with all our Heart and with all our Mind For he saith in Isaiah This People honoureth me with their Lips but their Heart is far from me IV. LET us not then only call him LORD for that will not save us For he saith Not every one that saith unto me LORD LORD shall be saved but he that doth Righteousness Wherefore Brethren let us confess him by our Works by loving one another in not committing Adultery not speaking Evil against each other not envying one another but by being Temperate Merciful and Good Let us also have a mutual Sense of one anothers Sufferings and not be covetous of Mony But let us by our Good Works confess God and not by those that are otherwise Also let us not fear Men but rather God For this cause and to the End that we should do thus hath the LORD said Though ye should be joyn'd unto me even in my very Bosom and not keep my Commandments I would cast you off and say unto you Depart from me I know not whence you are ye Workers of Iniquity V. WHEREFORE Brethren laying aside our sojourning in this present World let us do the Will of him who has called us and not fear to depart out of this World For the LORD saith Ye shall be as Sheep in the midst of Wolves Peter answered and said What if the Wolves shall tear in pieces the Sheep Jesus said unto Peter Let not the Sheep fear the Wolves after Death And ye also fear not those that kill you and after that have no more that they can do unto you but fear him who after you are dead has power to cast both Soul and Body into Hell Fire For consider Brethren that the sojourning of this Flesh in the present World is but little and of a short Continuance but the Promise of Christ is Great and Wonderful even the rest of the Kingdom that is to come and of Eternal Life But what then must we do that we attain unto it We must be converted to a divine and just Course of Life and look upon all the things of this World as none of ours and not desire them For if we shall desire to possess them we are fallen from the Way of Righteousness VI. FOR thus saith the LORD No Servant can serve two Masters If therefore we shall desire to serve God and Mammon it will be without Profit to us For what will it profit us if we shall gain the whole World and lose our own Souls Now this World and that to come are two Enemies This calls us to Adultery and Corruption to Covetousness and to Deceit but that commands us to renounce these things We cannot therefore be the Friends of both but we must resolve by forsaking one to enjoy the other And we think that it is better to hate the present things as little short-lived and corruptible and to love those which are to come which are truly good and incorruptible For if we do the Will of Christ we shall find Rest But if not nothing shall deliver us from Eternal Punishment if we shall disobey his Commands For even thus saith the Scripture in the Prophet Ezekiel If Noah Job and Daniel should rise up they shall not deliver their Children in Captivity Wherefore if such Righteous Men are not able by their Righteousness to deliver their Children how can we hope to enter into the Kingdom of God except we keep our Baptism Holy and Undefiled Or who shall be our Advocate unless we shall be found to have done what is Holy and Just VII LET us therefore my Brethren contend with all Earnestness knowing that we are now called to the Combat and that many go long Voyages to corruptible Encounters in which all are not concern'd but they only that labour much and