Teleλεiwa. Attendere autem prophetis, præcipue autem Evangelio, in quo paffio nobis oftenfa, et refurrectio perfecta est.

Thus the shorter Epiftles of Ignatius allude to the writings of the Apoftles; but in the larger Epiftles, which are generally fuppofed to be interpolated, the paffages of the Old and New Teftament are more numerous, and cited more accurately and directly, and fometimes impertinently, as in the Conftitutions, and introduced with, Thus faith our Lord, Thus fays Paul, and Peter, and Luke, and, Thus fay the Scriptures. The Apoftolical Fathers rather allude than cite; and therefore the hand of the Forger discovers itself in these larger Epiftles.

Ignatius wrote his Letters when he was condemned, and chained, and guarded, and conducted by foldiers, who were mere brutes, and used him ill; o sveglerýμevo, xeigus yílvonai, cu j τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον μαθητεύομαι. Qui et beneficio affecti, pejores fiunt: at ego eorum injuriis magis erudior, or, Chrifti difcipulus fio. Ad Rom. v. We may justly fuppofe, and the word Evεgynμeva implies it, that the Chriftians who attended this most venerable Bishop and Martyr, and reforted to him on his journey to Rome, gave money to his guards, that they might be permitted to converse with him, and to minifter to him, and that he might have leave to write and fend his Letters: and this fmall indulgence was granted by those ruffians with an ill grace, and in an infolent manner. Therefore it is more probable that the fhorter Epiftles

fhould

fhould be genuine than the larger, with their pomp and parade of paffages from the Old and New Teftament, which

- feceffum fcribentis et otia quærunt.

In the interpolated Epifiles of Ignatius Ad Εphef. v. λέγει ἢ καὶ ὁ Κύριθ πρὸς τὰς ἱερεῖς ὁ ὑμῶν ἀκέων, ἐμὲ ακέει. The Lord Jays to the Priefs, He that heareth you, heareth me, &c. From Luke x. 16. A very fufpicious phrase: why does this writer call the Disciples Priests? Ib. xii. ἐγὼ ἐλάχιςα Ἰγνάτιο-απὸ τὸ αἷμα ο Αβελ το δικαίε ἕως τὸ αἷμα @ Ιγνατίς ἐλάχις. Ego minimus Ignatius-minimus a fanguine Abelis jufti ufque ad Ignatii fanguinem.

In this application of Scripture there is a vanity, under a feigned modefty, which ill fuits with this humble and pious Martyr, who as yet had not shed his blood.

Ad Magnef. iii. Δανιήλ με το ὁ σοφὸς, δωδεκα εξής, γέγονε κάτοχῷ τῷ Θείῳ πνεύματι. Daniel enim ille fapiens, quum duodecim effet annorum, Spiritu divino afflatus eft. A childish romance; and what follows is no better.

Ad Philad. iv. οἱ ἄρχοντες πειθαρχείτωσαν τῷ Καίτ παρά, οι σρατιώται τοῖς άρχεσιν. Principes obediant Cafari, milites principibus.

This fmells of interpolation: Ignatius addreffes himself, not to Pagans, but to Chriftians; and it may be queftioned whether in his time there were Chriftian officers and foldiers in the Roman army. See Moyle's Letters concerning the Thundering Legion, whofe arguments in behalf of the negative are very ftrong,

Ad

Ad Smyrn. v. fpeaking of heretics, he fays, τὰ ἢ ἐνόματα αὐτῶν, ὅλα ἀπιτα, νιῶ ἐκ ἔδοξέ μοι ἐγράψαι μηδὲ γλύοιτό με αὐτῶν μνημονεύειν, μέχρις Melavonowo. Nomina vero eorum, cum fint infidelia, non vifum eft mihi [nunc] fcribere: et vero abfit a me ut eorum mentionem faciam, donec pœnitentiâ 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 Epiftle ad Trallianos, where he names Simon, Menander, Bafilides, the Nicolaïtæ, Theodotus, Cleobulus? The Interpolator feems to have been aware of it, and therefore he has flyly inferted a vov• vũv 8x édože, at this time I will not name them. In the shorter Epiftle we have x doe without the vv. Obferve that the nunc is not in the Latin tranflation joined to the interpolated Epiftles; but it is omitted or dropped by fome accident, for it is in the ancient Latin verfion of the interpolated Epistles,non eft mihi nunc vifum fcribere.

Ib. ix. Τίμα, φησιν, μὲ τὰ Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα, έγι δέ φημι Τίμα μὺ τὰ Θεὸν, ὡς αἴτιον ἢ ὅλων και κύριον. Επίσκοπον ἢ, ὡς ἀρχιερέα, Θεῖ εἰκόνα φορέντα καλά μελ τὸ ἄρχειν, Θεῖ, καλὰ ἢ τὸ ἱερατεύειν, Χρις. και με τέτον, τιμᾶν χρὴ καὶ βασιλέα. My Son, fays Solomon, honour God and the King: but I fay 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 alfo.

The

The author of this commandment, in all probability, was a Bishop, but not fuch a Bifhop as Ignatius. The Scripture fays — But I fay-I who am wifer and greater than Solomon. A very modeft fpeech truly, and much in character, and becoming the meek Ignatius!

Here the Bishop is equalled, or rather, is preferred to Jefus Chrift; for Chrift is not fuppofed 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 Chriftians to honour Cæfar. How condefcending and gracious, and how well contrived to make the Roman Emperors very fond of their Chriftian fubjects! But this is altogether in the style of the Apoftolical Conftitutions.

Ib. He fays to those who had shewed him Kindnes, ὁ τιμῶν δέσμιον Ἰησᾶ Χριςό, μαρτύρων ańve mudév. Qui honorat vinctum Jefu Chrifti, Martyrum accipiet mercedem.

Ignatius would not have spoken thus of himfelf.

There are in thefe Epiftles a multitude of places which agree with the Conftitutions; the one certainly transcribes the other, and both arę of the fame ftamp, ejufdem farinæ.

The Reader is defired to obferve, that these larger Epitles have been examined and condemned, as interpolated, by Ufher, Pearfon, Hammond, Cotelerius, If. Voffius, Le Clerc, and many others, to whose objections and arguments I have endeavoured here to add a few more, and fhall add fomething further, when I come to fpeak of Ignatius.

Polycarp,

Polycarp, in his Epistle to the Philippians, fuppofed to be written about A. D. cvII. has - paffages and expreffions from Matthew, Luke, the Acts, St. Paul's Epiftles to the Philippians, Ephefians, Galatians, Corinthians, Romans, Theffalonians, Coloffians, 1 Timothy, 1 Ep. of John, and I of Peter, and makes particular mention of St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephefians. Indeed his whole Epistle confifts of phrases and sentiments taken from the New Teftament. To the references in the margin might be added,

iii. ἥτις ἐςὶ μήτηρ πάντων ὑμῶν. from Galat. iv. 26.

vi. Πάνα ἡμῶν σκοπεῖται, (or μωμοσκοπείται) και λέληθεν αὐτὸν ἐδὲν, ἔτε λογισμῶν, ὅτε ἐννοιῶν, ὅτε τι * κρυπλῶν δ καρδίας. This is manifeftly taken from Heb. iv. 12, 13.

The Heretics alfo, who were contemporaries with the Apostles and Apoftolical Fathers, bear their teftimony to the existence of the New Teftament, and most of them had their forged or interpolated Gofpels and Epiftles, as knowing that without fomething of this kind they could not hope to get and retain any followers.

Simon the magician, and his difciples, are faid to have compofed books for the propagation of their stupid doctrines, and to have afcribed those books to Chrift and to the Apostles, that they might impose them upon filly people. If fo, this was done in oppofition to the books of the New Teftament, and in imitation of them.

The