curately and directly, and sometimes impertinently, as in the Constitutions, and introduced with, Thus saith our Lord, Thus says Paul, and Peter, and Luke, and, Thus say the Scriptures. The apostolical fathers rather allude than cite; and therefore the hand of the forger discovers. itself in these larger epistles.

Ignatius wrote his letters when he was condemned, and chained, and guarded, and conducted by soldiers, who were mere brutes, and used him ill: οἱ δὲ εὐεργετεμενοι χείρος γίνονται· ἐν δὲ τοῖς αδικήμασιν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον μαθητεύομαι. Qui et beneficio affecti, pejores fiunt: at ego eorum injuriis magis erudior,' or, Christi discipulus fio.' Ad Rom. v. We may justly suppose, and the word susgyntóMEVOL implies it, that the Christians who attended this most μενοι venerable bishop and martyr, and resorted to him on his journey to Rome, gave money to his guards, that they might be permitted to converse with him, and to minister to him, and that he might have leave to write and send his letters and this small indulgence was granted by those ruffians with an ill grace, and in an insolent manner. Therefore it is more probable that the shorter epistles should be genuine than the larger, with their pomp and parade of passages from the Old and New Testament,

which

-secessum scribentis et otia quærunt.

In the interpolated epistles of Ignatius, Ad Ephes. v. λέγει δὲ καὶ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τῆς ἱερεῖς· ὁ ὑμῶν ἀκέων, ἐμᾶ ἀκάει. The Lord says to the priests, He that heareth you, heareth me,' &c. From Luke x. 16. A very suspicious phrase: why does this writer call the disciples priests? Ib. xi. ἐγὼ ἐλάχισος Ἰγνάτιος—ἀπὸ τὸ αἵματος "Αβελ το δικαίς ἕως τ8 αἵματος Ἰγνατίς ἐλάχισος. Ego minimus Ignatius-minimus a sanguine Abelis justi usque ad Ignatii sanguinem.'

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In this application of scripture there is a vanity, under a feigned modesty, which ill suits with this humble and pious martyr, who as yet had not shed his blood.

Ad Magnes. ii. Δανιὴλ μὲν γὰρ ὁ σοφὸς, δωδεκαετής, γέγονε κάτοχος τῷ Θείῳ πνεύματι. Daniel enim ille sapiens, quum duodecim esset annorum, spiritu divino affla

tus est.' A childish romance; and what follows is no better.

Ad Philad. iv. οἱ ἄρχοντες πειθαρχείτωσαν τῷ Καίσαρι, οἱ τρατιῶται τοῖς ἄρχεσιν. Principes obediant Caesari, milites principibus.'

This smells of interpolation: Ignatius addresses himself, not to Pagans, but to Christians; and it may be questioned whether in his time there were Christian officers and soldiers in the Roman army. See Moyle's Letters concerning the Thundering Legion, whose arguments in behalf of the negative are very strong.

Ad Smyrn. v. speaking of heretics, he says, τὰ δὲ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν, ὄντα ἄπιστα, νῦν οὐκ ἔδοξέ μοι ἐγράψαι μηδὲ γένοιτό με αὐτῶν μνημονεύειν, μέχρις ὦ μετανοήσωσιν. • Νο mina vero eorum, cum sint infidelia, non visum est mihi [nunc] scribere: et vero absit a me ut eorum mentionem faciam, donec poenitentia ducantur.

And accordingly the genuine Ignatius mentions not, I think, the name of any heretic. But how does this agree with the catalogue of heretics in the interpolated epistle ad Trallianos,' where he names Simon, Menander, Basilides, the Nicolaitæ, Theodotus, Cleobulus? The interpolator seems to have been aware of it, and therefore he has slyly inserted a νῦν· νῦν οὐκ ἔδοξε, “ at this time I will not name them. In the shorter epistle we have οὐκ ἔδοξε without the vuv. Observe that the nunc' is not in the Latin translation joined to the interpolated epistles; but it is omitted or dropped by some accident, for it is in the antient Latin version of the interpolated epistles,--- non est mihi nunc visum scribere.'

Ib. ix. Τίμα, φησὶν, ὅιε τὸν Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα. ἐγὼ δέ Φημι τίμα μὲν τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς αἴτιον τῶν ὅλων καὶ κύριον. ἐπίσκοπον δὲ, ὡς ἀρχιερέα, Θεῦ εἰκόνα φορἕντα· κατὰ μὲν τὸ ἄρχειν, Θε8, κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἱερατεύειν, Χρισε και μετά τέτον, τιμᾶν χρὴ καὶ βασιλέα. “My son, says Solomon, honour God and the king: but I say unto you, Honour God, as the author and the lord of all; and the bishop, as the high priest, who bears the image of God, of God, as he is a ruler; and of Christ, as he is a priest. And after him, honour the king also.'

The author of this commandment, in all probability, was

The scrip

a bishop, but not such a bishop as Ignatius. ture says---But I say---I who am wiser and greater than Solomon.' A very modest speech truly, and much in character, and becoming the meek Ignatius!

Here the bishop is equalled, or rather is preferred to Jesus Christ for Christ is not supposed to be agxwv, a ruler, though he be 'King of kings and Lord of lords.'

After this homage is paid to the bishop, leave is given to the Christians to honour Cæsar. How condescending and gracious, and how well contrived to make the Roman emperors very fond of their Christian subjects! But this is altogether in the style of the Apostolical Constitutions.

Ib. He says to those who had showed him kindness, τιμῶν δέσμιον Ἰησᾶ Χρισοῦ, μαρτύρων λήψεται μίσθον. “Qui honorat vinctum Jesu Christi, martyrum accipiet mercedem.'

Ignatius would not have spoken thus of himself.

There are in these epistles a multitude of places which agree with the Constitutions; the one certainly transcribes the other, and both are of the same stamp, ejusdem farinæ 9.'

Polycarp, in his epistle to the Philippians, supposed to be written about A. D. 107, has passages and expressions from Matthew, Luke, the Acts, St. Paul's Epistles to the Philippians, Ephesians, Galatians, Corinthians, Romans, Thessalonians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, 1 Ep. of John, and 1 of Peter, and makes particular mention of St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. Indeed his whole epistle consists of phrases and sentiments taken from the New Testament. To the references in the margin might be added,

ii. ἥτις ἐπὶ μήτηρ πάντων ὑμῶν-from Galat. iv. 26. vi. Πάντα ἡμῶν σκοπεῖται, (or μωμοσκοπεῖται) καὶ λέ ληθεν αὐτὸν ἐδὲν, ἔτε λογισμῶν, ὅτε ἐννοιῶν, ὅτε τι τῶν noun) wv Ths nagdías. This is manifestly taken from Heb. iv. κρυπλῶν τῆς καρδίας.

12, 13.

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The heretics also, who were contemporaries with the

The reader is desired to observe, that these larger epistles have been examined, and condemned, as interpolated, by Usher, Pearson, Hammond, Cotelerius, Is. Vossius, Le Clerc, and many others, to whose objections and arguments I have endeavoured here, to add a few more; and shall add something further, when I come to speak of Ignatius.

apostles and apostolical fathers, bear their testimony to the existence of the New Testament; and most of them had their forged or interpolated gospels and epistles, as knowing that without something of this kind they could not hope to get and retain any followers.

Simon the magician, and his disciples, are said to have composed books for the propagation of their stupid doctrines; and to have ascribed those books to Christ and to the apostles, that they might impose them upon silly people. If so, this was done in opposition to the books of the New Testament, and in imitation of them.

The Christians afterwards were even with this reprobate; for they related many an idle story about him, and also made him a more considerable impostor than probably he ever was, though he seduced several poor wretches.

The Gnostics admitted some and rejected other parts of the New Testament.

The Cerinthians received part of St. Matthew's Gospel, and rejected every thing else; particularly the Epistles of St. Paul, whom they had in great abomination.

The Ebionites and Nazarenes had a gospel according to the Hebrews, or a Hebrew gospel of St. Matthew corrupted and interpolated: they had also other forged books, bearing the names of apostles.

The Basilidians admitted the New Testament, but with such alterations as they judged proper; and so did the Valentinians.

The Carpocratians evidently made use of the Gospel of St. Matthew.

See Tillemont Hist. Eccl. ii. p. 41. 51. 59. 109. 220. 225. 261. quarto edit. to which I shall always refer.

These old heretics went about in quest of fools, whom they had the art to turn into madmen:

hic homines prorsum ex stultis insanos facit

an art, which is not to be reckoned amongst the deperdita.' Before the end of the first century, the world was pestered with the disciples of Simon, Menander, Saturninus, and Basilides: concerning whom see Le Clerc, Hist. Eccl.

The Basilidians made three hundred and sixty-five heavens; and were better castle-builders than those who give

us schemes of the seven heavens,' which is a poor inconside rable number. Basilides required of his followers five years silence, which was a proper method (as Le Clerc observes) to make an experiment of their folly; and indeed he might be sure that the scholar was mad in good earnest, who with a profound submission and silence had paid so long an attendance on a knave that taught and did a thousand absurdities.'

Basilides, in all probability, only required this silence from his disciples when they were in his company; and was so great a talker, that he suffered nobody else to put in a word. His lectures upon the three hundred and sixty-five heavens could not take up less time than a year; and he would never have ended them if he had been interrupted, and obliged to answer doubters and cavillers.

The predictions of Christ concerning the calamities of the Jews could not have been inserted as interpolations after the event:

Because they are incidentally placed up and down' in the

r For example:

Matt. v. 5. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.' This was literally fulfilled, when the believing Jews returned to their own country, after the destruction of Jerusalem.

x. 23. ' Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come."

xv. 13. Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.'

xvi. 28. There be some standing here, who shall not taste of death, till,' &c.

xxi. 19. presently the fig-tree withered away.'

xxi. 41. He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen,' &c.

xxi. 44. On whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.' xxii. 7. he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their city.'

xxiii. 36. all these things shall come upon this generation."

Luke xi. 50. That the blood of the prophets-may be required of this generation.'

xiii. 5. ·

except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.'

xiii. 9. If it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that, thou shalt cut it down.'

xvii. 24. As the lightning-so shall the Son of man be in his day.' xix. 27. Those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.'

xix. 42. If thou hadst known, even thou,' &c.