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
lifting up Chast and Undefiled Hands unto him Loving our gracious and merciful Father who has made us to partake of his Election For so it is written When the most High divided the Nations when he separated the Sons of Adam he set the Bounds of the Nations according to the number of his Angels His People Jacob became the Portion of the LORD and Israel the Lot of his Inheritance And in another Place he saith Behold the LORD taketh unto himself a Nation out of the midst of the Nations as a Man taketh the First-fruits of his Flour and the Most Holy shall come out of that Nation XXX WHEREFORE we being a part of the Holy One Let us do all those things that pertain unto Holyness Fleeing all Evil-speaking against one another all filthy and impure Embraces together with all Drunkenness Love of Innovation abominable Concupiscences detestable Adultery and execrable Pride For God resisteth the Proud but giveth Grace to the Humble Let us therefore hold fast to those to whom God has given his Grace And let us put on Concord being Humble Temperate free from all Whispering and Detraction and justified by our Actions not our Words For he saith Doth he that speaketh and heareth many things and that is of a ready Tongue suppose that he is Righteous Blessed is he that is born of a Woman that liveth but a few days Vse not therefore much Speech Let our Praise be of God not of our selves For God hateth those that commend themselves Let the Witness of our good Actions be given to us of others as it was given to the Holy Men that went before us Rashness and Arrogance and Confidence be to them who are Accursed of God But Equity and Humility and Mildness to such as are Blessed by him XXXI LET us then hold fast to his Blessing and let us consider what are the ways by which we may attain unto it Let us look back upon those things that have happened from the beginning For what was our Father Abraham Blessed Was it not because that through Faith he wrought Righteousness and Truth Isaac being fully perswaded of what he knew was to come chearfully yielded himself up for a Sacrifice Jacob with Humility departed out of his own Country fleeing from his Brother and went unto Laban and served him And so the Scepter of the Twelve Tribes of Israel was given unto him XXXII NOW what the Greatness of this Gift was will plainly appear if we shall take the pains distinctly to consider all the parts of it For from him came the Priests and Levites who all Ministred at the Altar of God From him came our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Flesh. From him came the Kings and Princes and Rulers in Judah Nor were the rest of his Tribes in any small Glory God having promis'd that Thy Seed says he shall be as the Stars of Heaven They were all therefore greatly glorified not for their own Sake or for their own Works or for the Righteousness that they themselves wrought but through his Will And we also being called by the same Will in Christ Jesus are not justified by our selves neither by our own Wisdom or Knowledge or Piety or the Works which we have done in the Holiness of our Hearts But by that Faith by which God Almighty has justified those also who were from the Beginning to whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen XXXIII WHAT shall we do therefore Brethren Shall we be Sloathful in Well-doing and lay aside our Charity God forbid that any such thing should be done by us But rather let us hasten with all Earnestness and Readiness of Mind to perfect every Good Work For even the Creator and Lord of all things rejoyces in his own Works By his Almighty Power he fixed the Heavens and by his Incomprehensible Wisdom he adorned them He also divided the Earth from the Water with which it is encompassed and fixed it as a secure Tower upon the Foundation of his own Will He also by his Appointment commanded all the Beasts that are upon it to exist So likewise the Sea and all the Creatures that are in it having first created them He enclosed them therein by his Power And above all he with his Holy and Pure Hands formed Man the most Excellent and as to his Understanding truly the greatest of all other Creatures the Character of his own Image For so God says Let us make Man in our Image after our owon Likeness So God created Man Male and Female created he them And having thus finished all these things he commended all that he had made and Blessed them and said Encrease and Multiply We see therefore how all Righteous Men have been adorn'd with Good Works And not only so but even the Lord himself having adorn'd himself with his Works rejoyced Having therefore such an Example let us without Delay fulfill his Will and with all our Strength work the Work of Righteousness XXXIV THE Good Workman with Confidence receives the Bread of his Labour But the Sluggish and Lazy cannot endure to behold him that set him on work We must therefore be ready and forward in Well-doing For from him are all things And thus he foretells us Behold the LORD cometh and his Reward is with him even before his Face to render to every one according to his Works He warns us therefore beforehand with all his Heart to this end that we should not be Sloathful and Negligent in Well-doing Let our Boasting therefore and our Confidence be in God Let us submit our selves to his Will Let us consider the vast Multitude of his Angels how ready they stand to minister unto it As saith the Scripture Thousands of Thousands stood before him and Ten Thousand times Ten Thousand Ministred unto him And they cry'd saying Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts The whole Earth is full of his Glory Wherefore let us also being gathered together in Love and Concord with one another with one Mind as well as one Mouth cry earnestly unto Him that he would make us Partakers of his Great and Glorious Promises For he saith Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither have entred into the Heart of Man the things which God has prepared for them that wait for him XXXV How Blessed and Wonderful Beloved are the Gifts of God Life in Immortality Brightness in Righteousness Truth in full Assurance Faith in Conviction Temperance in Holiness And all this has God subjected to our Understandings What therefore shall those things be which he has prepared for them that wait for him The Creator and Father of all things the most Holy He only knows both the Greatness and Beauty of them Let us therefore strive with all Earnestness that we may be found in the number of those
an Anvil when it is beaten upon It is the Part of a brave Combatant indeed to be Wounded and yet Overcome And especially we ought to endure all things for Gods sake that he may bear with us Be every day Better than other Consider the Times and expect him Who is above all Time Eternal Invisible though for our sakes made Visible Impalpible and impassible yet for us subjected to Sufferings enduring all manner of ways for our Salvation IV. LET not the Widows be neglected Be thou after God their Guardian Let nothing be done but with thy Knowledge and Consent Neither do thou any thing but according to the Will of God as also thou dost with all Constancy Let your Assemblies be more frequent Inquire into all by Name Overlook not the Men and Maid Servants Neither let them be Puffed up but rather let them be more Subject to the Glory of God that they may obtain from him a better Liberty Let them not desire to be set free from their present Service that they be not Slaves to their own Lusts. V. FLEE Evil Arts Or rather make not any mention of them Say to my Sisters that they love the Lord and be satisfied with their own Husbands both in the Flesh and Spirit In like manner Exhort my Brethren in the Name of Jesus Christ that they Love their Wives even as the LORD the Church If any Man can remain in a Virgin State to the Honour of Christ let him remain without Boasting But if he Boast he is undone And if he thinks that he knows more than the Bishop he is ruined But it becomes all such as are Marryed whether Men or Women to come together with the Consent of the Bishop that so their Marriage may be according to Godliness and not in Lust. Let all things be done to the Honour of God VI. HEARKEN unto the Bishop that God also may hearken unto you My Soul be Security for them that Submit to their Bishop with their Presbyters and Deacons And may my Portion be together with theirs in God Labour with one another Contend together run together suffer together sleep together and rise together as the Stewards and Assessors and Ministers of God Please him under whom ye War and from whom ye receive your Wages Let none of you be found a Deserter But let your Baptism remain as your Arms your Faith as your Helmet your Charity as your Spear your Patience as your whole Armour Let your Works be your Charge that so you may receive a suitable Reward Be long-suffering therefore towards each other in Meekness as God is towards you Let me have Joy of you in all things VII NOW forasmuch as the Church of Antioch in Syria is as I am told in Peace through your Prayers I also have been the more comforted in their Security if so be that by suffering I shall attain unto God that through your Prayer I may be found a faithful Disciple It will be very fit O most worthy Polycarp to call a Select Council and chuse some One whom ye particularly Love and who is patient of Labour that he may be the Messenger of God And that going unto Syria he may Glorifie your incessant Love to the Praise of God A Christian has not the Power of Himself but must be always at leisure for God's Service Now this work is both Gods and yours when ye shall have perfected it For I trust in your favour that ye are ready to do all the good Work that is fitting for you in the LORD Knowing therefore your earnest Affection to the Truth I have exhorted you by this short Epistle VIII BUT forasmuch as I have not been able to Write to all the Churches because I must suddainly Sail from Troas to Neapolis for so is the Command of those to whose pleasure I am subject Do you write to the Churches that are near you as being instructed in the Will of God that they also may do in like manner Let those that are able send Messengers and let the rest send their Letters by those who shall be sent by you That you may be Glorified to all Eternity of which you are worthy I salute all by Name particularly the Wife of Epitropus with all her House and Children I salute Attalus my Well-beloved I salute him who shall be sent by you into Syria Let my Grace be ever with him and with Polycarp who sends him I wish you all Happiness in our God Jesus Christ in whom continue in the Unity and Protection of God I salute Alcé my well-beloved Farewell in the LORD To POLYCARP THE MARTYRDOM'S OF St. IGNATIUS St. POLYCARP Written by Those who were present at their SUFFERING A RELATION OF THE Martyrdom OF St. IGNATIVS I. IT was but a little while after TRAJANS advancement to the Roman Empire that IGNATIUS the Disciple of St. JOHN the Apostle and Evangelist a Man in all things like unto the Apostles govern'd the Church of Antioch Who being scarcely able to mitigate the Storms of many Persecutions before under Domitian as a good Governour by the Helm of Prayer and Fasting by the constancy of his Doctrine and Spiritual Labour opposed himself to the Flouds of the Adversary fearing lest he should happen to overthrow any of those who either wanted Courage or were not so strong in the Faith as was necessary at such a time II. WHEREFORE the Persecution being at present somewhat abated he rejoiced greatly at the firmness of his Church Yet doubted within himself that he had not attain'd to a true love of Christ nor was come up to the Pitch of a Perfect Disciple For he thought that the Confession which is made by Martyrdom would bring him to a yet more close and intimate Union with the LORD Wherefore continuing a few years longer with the Church and after the manner of a Divine Lamp illuminating the Hearts of the faithful by the Exposition of the Holy Scriptures He attain'd to what he had so long and earnestly desired III. FOR Trajan after the Ninth year of his Empire being lifted up with his Victory over the Scythians and Dacians and many other Nations and thinking that the Church of the Christians worshipping the true God were yet wanting in an entire Obedience to him unless he compelled them after the manner of all other People to embrace the Service of Devils He obliged all such as were the Servants of the true God with the Threats of Persecution either to Sacrifice to the Heathen Deities or to Die Wherefore our Brave Souldier of Christ being in fear for the Church of Antioch was voluntarily brought before TRAJAN who was at that time there on his Way to Armenia and the Parthians against whom he was hastning IV. BEING come into the presence of the Emperor TRAJAN the Emperor ask'd him saying What a
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
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
find in your City and shall have Joy without Sadness or Fear Wherefore covet not the Riches of the Heathen for they are destructive to the Servants of God But of your own Abundance which you have do those things by which ye may attain unto Joy And do not commit Adultery nor touch any other Mans Wife nor desire her But covet that which is thy own Business and thou shalt be saved The Second SIMILITUDE As the Vine is supported by the Elm so is the Rich-Man help'd by the Prayers of the Poor AS I was walking into the Field and consider'd the Elm and the Vine and thought with my self of their Fruits an Angel appear'd unto me and said unto me What is it that thou thinkest upon thus long within thy self And I said unto him Sir I think of this Vine and this Elm because their Fruits are fair And he said unto me These two Trees are set for a Pattern to the Servants of God And I said unto him Sir I would know what the Pattern is for which these Trees are set Hearken saith he Seest thou this Vine and this Elm Sir said I I see them This Vine saith he is fruitful but the Elm is a Tree without Fruit. Nevertheless this Vine unless it were set by this Elm and supported by it would not bear much Fruit but lying along upon the Ground would bear ill Fruit because it did not hang upon the Elm Whereas now being supported upon the Elm it bears Fruit both for its self and for that See therefore how the Elm gives no less but rather more Fruit than the Vine How Sir said I do's it bear more Fruit than the Vine Because said he the Vine being supported upon the Elm gives both much and good Fruit Whereas if it lay along upon the Ground it would bear but little and that very ill too This Similitude therefore is set forth to the Servants of God and it represents the Rich and Poor Man I answer'd Sir make this manifest unto me Hear said he The Rich Man has Wealth howbeit towards the LORD he is Poor For he is taken up about his Riches and prays but little to the LORD and the Prayers which he makes are lazy and without force When therefore the Rich Man reaches out to the Poor those things which he wants the Poor Man prays unto the LORD for the Rich and God grants unto the Rich Man all good things because the Poor Man is Rich in Prayer and his Requests have great Power with the LORD Then the Rich Man ministers all things to the Poor because he perceives that he is heard by the LORD and he the more willingly and without doubting affords him what he wants and takes care that nothing be lacking to him And the Poor Man gives Thanks unto the LORD for the Rich because he do's this Work to him from the LORD With Men therefore the Elm is not thought to give any Fruit and they know not neither understand that its Company being added to the Vine the Vine bears a double Encrease both for its self and for the Elm. Even so the Poor praying unto the LORD for the Rich are heard by him and their Riches are encreased because they minister to the Poor of their Wealth They are therefore both made Partakers of each others Good Works Whosoever therefore shall do these things he shall not be forsaken by the LORD but shall be written in the Book of Life Happy are they who are Rich and perceive themselves to be encreased For he that is sensible of this will be able to minister somewhat to others The Third SIMILITUDE As the Green Trees in the Winter cannot be distinguish'd from the Dry so neither can the Righteous from the Wicked in this present World AGAIN he shewed me many Trees whose Leaves were shed and which seemed to me to be wither'd for they were all alike And he said unto me Seest thou these Trees I said Sir I see that they look like dry Trees He answering said unto me These Trees are like unto the Men who live in this present World I reply'd Sir Why are they like unto dryed Trees Because said he neither the Righteous nor Unrighteous are known from one another but are all alike in this present World For this World is as the Winter to the Righteous Men because they are not known but dwell among Sinners As in the Winter all the Trees having lost their Leaves are like dry Trees nor can it be said which are Dry and which are Green So in this present World neither the Righteous nor Wicked are discern'd from each other but they are all alike The Fourth SIMILITUDE As in Summer the living Trees are distinguish'd from the Dry by their Fruit and Green Leaves so in the World to come the Righteous shall be distinguish'd from the Unrighteous by their Happiness AGAIN he shewed me many other Trees of which some had Leaves and others appear'd dry and wither'd And he said unto me Seest thou these Trees I answer'd Sir I see them and some are dry and others full of Leaves These Trees saith he which are green are the Righteous who shall possess the World to come For the World to come is the Summer to the Righteous but to Sinners it is the Winter When therefore the Mercy of the LORD shall shine forth then they who serve God shall be made manifest and plain unto all For as in the Summer the Fruit of every Tree is shewn and made manifest so also the Works of the Righteous shall be declared and made manifest and they shall all be restored in that World merry and joyful For the other kind of Men namely Wicked like the Trees which thou sawest dry shall as such be found dry and without Fruit in that other World and like dry Wood shall be burnt and it shall be made manifest that they have done Evil in the time of their Life and they shall be burnt because they have sinned and have not repented of their Sins And also all the other Nations shall be burnt because they have not acknowledged God their Creator Do thou therefore bring forth good Fruit that in the Summer thy Fruit may be known and keep thy self from much Business and thou shalt not offend For they that are involved in much Business sin much because they are taken up with their Affairs and neglect to serve God And how can a Man that do's not serve God ask any thing of God and receive it But they who serve him ask and receive what they desire But if a Man has only one thing to follow he may serve God because his Mind is not thereby taken off from God but he serves him with a pure Mind If therefore thou shalt do thus thou shalt have Fruit in the World to come and all as many as shall do in like manner shall bring forth Fruit. The Fifth SIMILITUDE Of a True Fast and the Rewards of it
Also of the Cleanness of the Body I. AS I was fasting and sitting down in a certain Mountain and giving Thanks unto God for all the things that he had done unto me behold I saw the Shepherd who was wont to converse with me sitting by me and saying unto me What has brought thee hither thus early in the Morning I answer'd Sir To Day I keep a Station He answer'd What is a Station I reply'd It is a Fast. He said What is that Fast I answer'd I fast as I have been wont to do Ye know not said he what it is to fast unto God nor is this a Fast which ye fast profiting nothing with God Sir said I what makes you speak thus He reply'd I speak it because this is not the true Fast which you think that you fast but I will shew you what that is which is a compleat Fast and acceptable unto God Hearken said he The LORD do's not desire such a needless Fast For by Fasting in this manner thou advancest nothing in Righteousness But the true Fast is this Do nothing wickedly in thy Life but serve God with a pure Mind and keep his Commandments and walk according to his Precepts nor suffer any wicked Desire to dwell in thy Mind And trust in the LORD that if thou dost these things and fearest him and abstainest from every evil Work thou shalt live unto God If thou shalt do this thou shalt perfect a great Fast and an acceptable one unto the LORD II. HEARKEN unto the Similitude which I am about to propose unto thee as to this matter A certain Man having a Farm and many Servants planted a Vineyard in a certain part of his Estate for his Posterity And taking a Journey into a far Country chose one of his Servants which he thought the most faithful and approved and deliver'd the Vineyard into his care commanding him that he should stake up his Vines Which if he did and fulfilled his Command he promised to give him his Liberty Nor did he command him to do any thing more and so went into a far Country After then that that Servant had taken that Charge upon him he did whatsoever his LORD commanded him And when he had staked the Vineyard and found it to be full of Weeds he began to think with himself saying I have done what my Lord commanded me I will now dig this Vineyard and when it is digg'd it will be more beautiful and the Weeds being pull'd up it will bring forth more Fruit and not be choak'd by the Weeds So setting about his Work he digg'd it and pluck'd up all the Weeds that were in it And by that means the Vineyard became very beautiful and prosperous and not over-run and choak'd with Weeds After some time the LORD of the Vineyard comes and goes into the Vineyard and when he saw that it was handsomely stak'd and digg'd and the Weeds pluck'd up that were in it and the Vines flourishing he rejoyced greatly at the Care of his Servant And calling his Son whom he loved and who was to be his Heir and his Friends with whom he was wont to consult he tells them what he had commanded his Servant to do and what his Servant had done more And they immediately congratulated that Servant that he had received so full a Testimony from his Lord. Then he said unto them I indeed promised this Servant his Liberty if he observed the Command which I gave him and he observed it and besides has done a good Work to my Vineyard which has exceedingly pleased me Wherefore for this Work which he hath done I will make him my Heir together with my Son because that when he saw what was good he dissembled it not but did it This Design of the LORD both his Son and his Friends approved namely that this Servant should be Heir together with his Son Not long after this the Master of the Family calling together his Friends sent from his Supper several kinds of Food to that Servant Which when he had received he took so much of them as was sufficient for himself and divided the rest among his Fellow Servants Which when they had received they rejoyced and wish'd that he might find yet greater favour with his Lord for what he had done to them When his Lord heard all these things he was again fill'd with great Joy and calling again his Friends and his Son together he related to them what his Servant had done with the Meats which he had sent unto him They therefore so much the more assented to the Master of the Houshold that he ought to make that Servant his Heir together with his Son III. I SAID unto him Sir I know not these Similitudes neither can I understand them unless you expound them unto me I will says he expound all things unto thee whatsoever I have talk'd with thee or shewn unto thee Keep the Commandments of the LORD and thou shalt be approved and shalt be written in the Number of those that keep his Commandments But if besides those things which the LORD hath commanded thou shalt add some good thing thou shalt purchase to thy self a greater Dignity and be in more favour with the LORD than thou shouldst otherwise have been If therefore thou shalt keep the Commandments of the LORD and shalt add to them these Stations thou shalt rejoyce but especially if thou shalt keep them according to my Commands I said unto him Sir Whatsoever thou shalt command me I will observe for I know that thou wilt be with me I will said he be with thee who hast taken up such a Resolution and I will be with all those who purpose in like manner This Fast saith he whilst thou dost also observe the Commandments of the LORD is exceeding good Thus therefore shalt thou keep it First of all take heed to thy self and keep thy self from every wicked Act and from every filthy Word and from every hurtful Desire and purifie thy Sense from all the Vanity of this present World If thou shalt observe these things this Fast shall be such as it ought to be Thus therefore do Having perform'd what is before written that day on which thou fastest thou shalt taste nothing at all but Bread and Water and computing the Quantity of Food which thou art wont to eat upon other Days thou shalt lay aside the Expence which thou shouldst have made that Day and give it unto the Widow the Fatherless and the Poor And thus thou shalt perfect the Humility of thy Soul that he who receives of it may satisfie his Soul and his Prayer come up to the LORD God for thee If therefore thou shalt thus accomplish thy Fast as I command thee thy Sacrifice shall be acceptable uto the LORD and thy Fast shall be written in his Book This Station thus perform'd is good and pleasing and acceptable unto the LORD These things if thou shalt observe with
therefore they are Black because their kind is wicked Of the second Mountain which was Smooth are the Hypocrites who have believed and the Teachers of Naughtiness And these are next to the foregoing which have not in them the Fruit of Righteousness For as their Mountain is barren and without Fruit so also such kind of Men have indeed the Name of Christians but are empty of Faith nor is there any Fruit of the Truth in them Nevertheless there is room left to them for Repentance if they shall suddainly pursue it But if they shall delay they also shall be Partakers of Death with the foregoing kind I said Sir Why is there room left to those for Repentance and not to the foregoing kind seeing their Sins are well nigh the same There is therefore said he to these a return unto Life because they have not blasphemed their LORD nor betray'd the Servants of God But by their desire of Gain have deceived Men leading them according to the desires of Sinners wherefore they shall suffer for this thing Howbeit there is still left them room for Repentance because they have not spoken any thing wickedly against their LORD XX. THEY who are of the third Mountain which had Thorns and Brambles are those who believed but were some of them Rich others taken up with many Affairs The Brambles are their Riches the Thorns those Affairs in which they were engaged Now they who are entangled in much Business and in Diversity of Affairs joyn not themselves to the Servants of God but wander being called away by those Affairs with which they are choaked And so they which are rich with difficulty yield themselves to the Conversation of the Servants of God fearing least any thing should be ask'd of them These therefore shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of God For as Men walk with difficulty bare-foot over Thorns even so these kind of Men shall scarcely enter into the Kingdom of God Nevertheless there is afforded to all these a return unto Repentance if so be they shall quickly return to it that because in their former days they have neglected to work in the time that is to come they may do some Good If therefore having repented they shall do the Works of Righteousness they shall live But if they shall continue in their Evil Courses they shall be deliver'd to those Women that will take away their Life XXI AS for the fourth Mountain which had much Grass the upper part of which is green but the rest dry and some of which being touch'd with the Heat of the Sun is wither'd it denotes the doubtful who have believed and some others who carry the LORD in their Tongues but have him not in their Heart Therefore their Grass is dry and without Root because they live only in Words but their Works are dead These therefore are neither dead nor living and withal are doubtful For the Doubtful are neither Green nor Dry that is neither Dead nor Alive For as their Grass dries away at the Sight of the Sun so the Doubtful as soon as they hear of Persecution and fear Inconveniences return to their Idols and again serve them and are ashamed to bear the Name of their LORD This kind of Men then is neither Dead nor Alive nevertheless these also may live if they shall presently repent But if not they shall be delivered to those Women who shall take away their Life XXII AS concerning the fifth Mountain that is craggy and yet has green Grass They are of this kind who have believed and are Faithful indeed but believe with Difficulty and are bold and self-conceited that would be thought to know all things but really know nothing Wherefore by reason of this Confidence Knowledge is departed from them and a rash Presumption is entred into them But they carry themselves high and as prudent Men and though they are Fools yet would seem to be Teachers Now by reason of this Folly many of them whilst they magnifie themselves are become vain and empty For Boldness and vain Confidence is a great Seducer Wherefore many of these are cast away But others acknowledging their Error have repented and submitted themselves to those who are knowing And to all the rest of this kind there is Repentance allow'd forasmuch as they were not so much wicked as foolish and void of Understanding If these therefore shall repent they shall live unto God but if not they shall dwell with those Women who shall exercise their Wickedness upon them XXIII FOR what concerns the sixth Mountain having greater and lesser Clefts they are such as have believed but those in which were the lesser Clefts are they who have had Controversies among themselves and by reason of their Quarrels languish in the Faith Nevertheless many of these have repented and so will the rest when they shall hear my Commands for their Controversies are but small and they will easily return unto Repentance But those who have the greater Clefts will be as stiff Stones mindful of Grudges and Offences and practising Anger among themselves These therefore are cast from the Tower and rejected to be put into its Building therefore this kind of Men shall hardly live Our God and LORD who ruleth over all things and has Power over all his Creatures will not remember our Offences but is easily appeased by those who confess their Sins But Man being Languid Mortal Infirm and full of Sins perseveres in his Anger against Man as if it were in his Power to save or to destroy him But I as the Angel who am set over your Repentance admonish you that whosoever among you has any such purpose he would lay it aside and return unto Repentance and the LORD will provide Remedies for your former Sins if you shall purge your selves from this Evil Spirit but if you shall not do it ye shall be delivered to him unto Death XXIV AS for the seventh Mountain in which the Grass was green and flourishing and the whole Mountain fruitful and all kind of Cattel fed upon the Grass of it and the more the Grass was eaten so much the more it flourished they are such as believed and were always good and upright and without any Differences among themselves but still rejoyced in all the Servants of God having put on the Spirit of these Virgins and been always ready to shew Mercy to all Men and easily giving to all Men of their Labours without upbraiding and without Deliberation Wherefore the LORD seeing their Simplicity and Innocence has encreased them in the Works of their Hands and given them Grace in all their Works But I who am appointed over your Repentance exhort you that as many as are of this kind would continue in the same purpose that your Seed may not be rooted out for ever For the LORD hath try'd you and written you into our Number and all your Seed shall dwell with the Son of God for ye are all
and of the present Edition of it 1. THE next Piece that follows in the present Collection is the Epistle of St. Polycarp to the Philippians In placing of which I have follow'd the Example not so much of our most Reverend Archbishop Vsher as of St. Polycarp himself Though in the Order of Time the Epistles of Ignatius ought to have had the precedence St. Polycarp not writing this Letter to the Philippians till about the time that that glorious Martyr suffer'd for the Faith of Christ as from several Passages in the Epistle it self may plainly be made appear 2. FOR first Having in his ix th Chapter exhorted the Philippians to obey the Word of Righteousness and to exercise all Patience after the Examples of those Holy Men whom they had seen among them he particularly instances in Ignatius as one of them Now the Acts of the Martyrdom of that Holy Martyr tell us that the time when they beheld his Patience set forth before their Eyes was when he passed by them in Chains to Rome in order to his being cast to the wild Beasts according to the Sentence pronounced upon him by the Emperour Trajan By consequence that this Epistle must have been written some time after his Condemnation 3. BUT St. Polycarp goes yet farther and in the next Words supposes that Ignatius might have been dead at the time that he wrote to them For enforcing his Exhortation to them to follow the Examples of Ignatius and the rest of those excellent Men whom he there names he subjoyns Being confident of this that all these have not run in vain but in Faith and Righteousness and are gone to the place that was due to them from the LORD with whom also they suffered For they loved not this present World but him who died and was raised again by God for us In which words he evidently implies that Ignatius too as well as the rest of those whom he there mentions was by this time gone to the Place that was due to him from the LORD upon the Account of his Sufferings and by consequence had finished his Martyrdom 4. IT was then about the time of Ignatius's Death that S. Polycarp wrote this Epistle to the Philippians And yet that if this Holy Man had suffer'd it was but a very little time that he had done so is clear from another Passage of the same Epistle Where he desires the Philippians to send him word what they had heard with any Certainty concerning Ignatius and those that went to Rome with him And from whence it appears that though he supposed that Ignatius by that time might have suffer'd yet he had not received any certain Account of it but was still to learn the Manner and Circumstances of his Passion 5. NOW this will lead us to a yet more exact Conjecture of the time of St. Polycarp's writing the following Epistle viz. that it must have been just about the time of St. Ignatius's Death It being no way probable that had Ignatius been any long time dead so great a Bishop and so dear a Friend of his as St. Polycarp was should have been still to learn the Certainty of it 6. AND this may serve by the way not only to fix the Time when this Epistle was written but also to shew how groundless the Exception of those Men is against the Authority of it who pretend to find out a Contradiction between the two Passages I have now mentioned And would from thence infer either the utter Falseness of this whole Epistle or at least conclude that this latter part of it is none of Polycarp's but added by some latter hand to give the greater Credit to the Epistles of St. Ignatius which they are resolved by all means to reject as none of his For indeed were not Men willing to be contentious where is the Contradiction they so much boast of between the two Places I have before alledged Is it that in the former of them he sets before them the Sufferings of St. Ignatius and exhorts them to follow the Example of his Patience But 't is evident the Sufferings he there speaks of were those which the Philippians had seen in him The Weight of his Chains the Hardships of his Journey the Rudeness of the Souldiers that guarded him and of which the blessed Martyr himself complains in one of his Epistles and to add no more the Expectation of that cruel Death he was suddainly to undergo 7. BUT I suppose the Contradiction lies in what follows that in one place he speaks of him as if he had already suffered and yet in the other desires the Philippians to send him word what they heard of him Now what is there in all this that does not very well agree together St. Polycarp either by the Computation of the Arrival of Ignatius at Rome or by the Consideration of the Solemn Festival that was wont at that time to be held there and at which it was usual to exhibit such kind of Spectacles to the People or it may be lastly from the Accounts which he had received of the Holy Martyr from some of those that were with him did suppose nay if you will did not doubt but that Ignatius was dead when he wrote his Epistle to the Philippians Yet having not hitherto received any certain Account of it and being not sure whether he had suffered or no or if he had how he had been treated by his Enemies and how he had behaved himself in his last Encounter with the Beasts desires the Philippians who were much nearer to Rome than he was and might therefore very probably have heard much later from thence than he had done to send him a certain Account of what they knew as to this matter What is there in this I do not say that looks like a Contradiction but that is not very Natural And particularly most becoming the Love and Friendship of the Blessed Polycarp towards him concerning whom he so diligently enquired I am sure Photius who not only had read this Epistle but transcribed this last Passage out of it tho' as severe a Critick as any that have ever perused it since saw no Contradiction in it to any thing that went before Since if he had he was not of a Humour to have let it pass without making some Reflection or other upon it 8. LET me add yet more that neither could those see the Contradiction here pretended who in our present times would have been as forward as any to have made use of it to the Disadvantage of this Epistle had they had but the least Grounds so to do I shall instance only in Two the first the late Learned Divine of Leyden Monsieur le Moyne Who tho' he judged the Passage relating to St. Ignatius's Epistles which was wanting in his Manuscript to be abrupt and would from thence argue against the Authority of it yet has made no Reflection on the Words immediately following and in which those Others
no longer continu'd to these latter Ages may warrantably be despised in the Pretenders of the present days yet we cannot doubt but that at the time when this Book was written the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost were very frequent And we need not question but that such Revelations too among the rest were communicated to Holy Men for the Benefit of the Church 16. BUT I shall not pursue this Subject any farther Nor will I add very much to what I have before said with relation to St. Clement and his First Epistle concerning that Part which still remains of a Second under his Name and which concludes the following Collection 17. THAT this Second Epistle was not of so great a Reputation among the Primitive Fathers as the foregoing Eusebius not only plainly tells us but gives us this Testimony of it That he could not find it quoted as the Other was by any of them But St. Jerome is more severe he represents it to us as rejected by them And Photius after him calls it a Spurious Piece And not to mention any more our most Reverend Bishop Usher not only concurs in the same Censure but offers several Arguments too in proof of it 18. AND yet when all is done it do's not appear but that St. Clement was indeed the Author of this as well as of the other Epistle before spoken of tho' it was not so much esteem'd nor by consequence so generally known to the Ancients as that In the Manuscript of St. Thecla we find this set forth under the same Title with the other And in all the other Catalogues of the Ancients wherever One is spoken of the Other is for the most part set together with it As may particularly be observed in the Apostolical Canons one of the most early Collections of this kind 19. NOR does Eusebius deny this Epistle to be St. Clement's but only says that it was not so celebrated as the Other And true it is we do not find it either so often or so expresly mention'd as that But yet if the Conjecture of Wendeline approved by a very Learned Man of our own Country may be admitted Eusebius himself will afford us an Instance of one who not only spake of it but spake of it as wont to be publickly read in the Church of Corinth For discoursing of the Epistles of Dionysius Bishop of that See he tells us that in One of them which he wrote to the Romans he took notice of St. Clement's Epistle in these Words Today have we kept the LORD 's Day with all Holiness in which we have read your Epistle as we shall always continue to read it for our Instruction together with the former written to us by Clement What that Epistle was that Dionysius here speaks of as written by the Church of Rome to that of Corinth and publickly read in the Congregation there it do's not appear nor can we give any account of it unless it was that which St. Clement wrote to them in the Name of the Church of Rome and which Eusebius tells us was publickly read in that Church in those days But then if this be so as I think it most likely that it is we must conclude that the Epistle of which we are now speaking was indeed the first written to them however called his Second Epistle and wont to be read together with that other which he sent in the Name of the Roman Church to them in their Assemblies 20. NOW that which yet more favours this Opinion is that it seems by many Arguments to appear that this Letter which he wrote in his own Name tho' as being sent from a particular Person and not in it self so considerable as the Other it was usually set after that which he wrote by the Order of the Church and in their Name to the Corinthians was yet indeed the first written And for being read in the Churches Epiphanius expresly tells us that this Epistle no less than the foregoing was in his time wont to be publickly read in the Congregation And tho' St. Jerome and Photius indeed speak but meanly of it in those places where they seem to deliver the Judgment of Eusebius rather than their own Opinion yet upon other Occasions they make no exception against the Authority of it but equally ascribe it to St. Clement with the Other of which there is no doubt 21. IT were an easie matter to shew that the same was the Opinion of the other Ecclesiastical Writers of those Times But this having been done at large by Wendeline first and since by Cotelerius and his perpetual Transcriber Natalis Alexander I shall forbear and conclude with this That it is an Epistle tho' not of equal Value with the Other yet of good use and which if it were not written by St. Clement as I make no doubt but it was has yet nothing in it that is in the least unworthy of him 22. AND now having said thus much concerning these two last Pieces and with which the present Collection is concluded I have but this to add That they are Both of them now first of all put into our own Language and presented to the perusal of the English Reader The Former from the Old Latin Version which is by some much complained of tho' by others as stifly defended The Latter from the Original Greek as it was publish'd by Mr. Patrick Young from the Alexandrian Manuscript the only Copy that for ought appears do's at this day remain of it 23. IF any one shall ask how it came to pass that our Learned Country-Man Mr. Burton when he set out the former Epistle of St. Clement in English did not subjoyn this to it the Answer which himself warrants us to return is this That taking what has been said by the Antients before mentioned in the strictest Sense he looked upon this Epistle as a Spurious Piece And which tho' it carried the Name of St. Clement was yet truly no more his than those Constitutions and Recognitions which are also publish'd under the same Name but are generally acknowledged to be none of his as in the prosecution of this Discourse I shall take occasion more particularly to shew 24. AS for the Epistle it self I have concluded it somewhat sooner than the Greek which yet remains of it do's But that which I have omitted being only an imperfect Piece of a Sentence and which would have made the Conclusion much more abrupt than it is now I chose rather to add what follow'd here than to continue it there And to make the Reader the better amends for this Liberty I have not only subjoyn'd what remains of St. Clement but have endeavour'd to make out the Sense of what is wanting in our Copy from the Other Clement who seems to have follow'd this Original FOR the LORD himself being asked by a certain Person when his Kingdom should come answer'd When Two shall be One and that which is without as that
Men unto Thee to Spy out the Land bring them forth for so hath the King Commanded She answered The two Men whom ye seek came unto Me but presently they departed and are gone Shewing them withall a Contrary way Then she said to the Spies I know that the LORD your God has given this City into your hands for the fear of you is fallen upon All that dwell therein When therefore ye shall have taken it ye shall save Me and my Fathers House And they answered her saying It shall be as Thou hast spoken unto Vs. Therefore when Thou shalt know that we are near thou shalt Gather all thy Family together upon the House top and they shall be saved But all that shall be found without thy House shall be destroyed And they gave her moreover a Sign that she should Hang out of her House a Scarlet Rope Shewing thereby that by the Blood of our Lord there should be Redemption to all that Believe and Hope in God Ye see Beloved How there was not only Faith but Prophesie too in this Woman XIII LET us therefore Humble our selves Brethren laying aside all Pride and Boasting and Foolishness and Anger And let us do as it is written for thus saith the Holy Spirit Let not the Wise Man Glory in his Wisdom nor the Strong Man in his Strength nor the Rich Man in his Riches But let him that Glorieth Glory in the LORD to seek Him and to do Judgment and Justice Above All remembring the words of the Lord Jesus which he spake concerning Equity and Long-suffering saying Be ye Merciful and ye shall obtain Mercy Forgive and ye shall be Forgiven As ye do so shall it be done unto you As ye give so shall it be given unto you As ye judge so shall ye be judged As ye are kind to Others so shall God be kind to you With what Measure ye Meet with the same shall it be measured to you Again By this Command and by these Rules let us establish our selves that so we may always walk obediently to his Holy Words being humble minded For so says the Holy Scripture Vpon Whom shall I look even upon him that is poor and of a Contrite Spirit and that trembles at my Word XIV IT is therefore Just and Righteous Men and Brethren that we should become Obedient unto God rather than follow such as through Pride and Disorder have made themselves the Ring-leaders of a detestable Emulation For it is not an Ordinary Harm that we shall do our selves but rather a very great Danger that we shall run if we shall rashly give up our selves to the Wills of Men who promote Strife and Seditions to turn us aside from what is fitting But let us be kind to One Another according to the Compassion and Sweetness of him that made us For it is written The Merciful shall inherit the Earth and they that are without Evil shall be left upon it But the Transgressors shall perish from off the face of it And again He saith I have seen the Wicked in great Power and spreading himself like the Cedars of Libanus I passed by and Lo he was not I sought his place but it could not be found Keep Innocency and do the thing that is right for there shall be a Remnant to the Peaceable Man XV. LET us therefore hold fast to Those who religiously follow Peace and not to such as only pretend to desire it For He saith in a certain place This People honoureth me with their lips but their heart is far from me And again They Bless with their Mouth but Curse in their Heart And again He saith They loved him with their Mouth and with their Tongue they lied to Him For their heart was not right with Him neither were they faithful in his Covenant The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips And the tongue that speaketh proud things Who have said with our tongue will we prevail Our lips are our own who is LORD over us For the Oppression of the Poor for the Sighing of the Needy now will I arise saith the LORD I will set him in safety I will deal confidently with him XVI FOR Christ is theirs who are Humble and not who exalt themselves over his Flock The Scepter of the Majesty of God our Lord Jesus Christ came not in the shew of Pride and Arrogance tho' he could have done so But with Humility as the Holy Ghost had before spoken concerning him For thus he saith LORD who hath believed our Report and to whom is the Arm of the LORD revealed For He shall grow up before him as a tender Plant and as a root out of a dry Ground He hath no Form nor Comeliness and when we shall see Him there is no Beauty that we should desire Him He is despised and rejected of Men A man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief And we hid as it were our faces from Him He was despised and we esteemed Him not Surely He hath borne our Griefs and carried our Sorrows yet we did Esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted But he was wounded for our Transgressions He was bruised for our Iniquities The Chastisement of our Peace was upon Him and with his Stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every One to his own way and the LORD hath laid on Him the Iniquity of Vs all He was Oppressed and he was Afflicted yet he Opened not his mouth He is brought as a Lamb to the Slaughter and as a Sheep before her Shearers is Dumb so He openeth not his Mouth He was taken from Prison and from Judgment And who shall declare his Generation For he was cut off out of the Land of the Living For the Transgression of my People was he stricken And he made his Grave with the Wicked and with the Rich in his Death because he had done no Violence neither was any deceit in his Mouth Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him he hath put him to grief When thou shalt make his Soul an Offering for sin He shall see his Seed he shall prolong his days And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand He shall see of the travail of his Soul and shall be satisfied by his Knowledge shall my righteous Servant justifie many For He shall bear their Iniquities Therefore will I divide him a portion with the Great and he shall divide the Spoil with the Strong because He hath poured out his Soul unto death And he was numbred with the Transgressors and he bare the sin of many and made Intercession for the Transgressors And again he Himself saith I am a Worm and no Man a reproach of men and despised of the People All they that see me laugh me to scorn they shout out their lips they shake their head
Brethren to follow such Examples as these for it is written Hold fast to such as are Holy for they that do so shall be sanctified And again in another place he saith With the Pure thou shalt be Pure but with the Perverse Man thou shalt be perverse Let us therefore keep our selves firm to the Innocent and Righteous for such are Chosen of God Wherefore are there Strifes and Anger and Divisions and Schisms and Wars among Us Have we not all One God and One Christ Is not one Spirit of Grace poured out upon us All Have we not One Calling in Christ Why then do we rent and tear in pieces the Members of Christ And raise Seditions against our own Body And are come to such a heighth of Madness as to forget that we were Members one of Another Remember the words of the Lord Jesus how he said Wo to that Man By whom Offences come It were better for him that he had never been Born Than that he should have offended one of My Elect. It were better for him that a Mill-stone should be tyed about his Neck and he should be cast into the Sea than that he should offend one of My little ones Your Schism has perverted Many has discouraged many It has raised Doubts in many and Grief in us All. And yet your Sedition continues still XLVII TAKE the Epistle of the Blessed Paul the Apostle into your Hands What was it that he wrote to you in the very Beginning of his Instructions to you Verily he did by the Spirit admonish you concerning himself and Cephas and Apollos forasmuch as even then ye had begun to fall into Parties and Factions Nevertheless your Inclinations then led you into a much less Sin Forasmuch as ye placed your Affections on Apostles Men of Eminent Reputation in the Church and on Another who was greatly try'd and approved of among you But consider we pray you who are they that have now led you astray And lessen'd the Reputation of that Brotherly Love that was once so Eminent among you 'T is a Shame my Beloved yea a very great Shame and unworthy of your Christian Profession to hear that the most firm and antient Church of the Corinthians should by one or two Persons be led into a Sedition against its Priests And this Report is come not only to us but to those also that are without Insomuch that the Name of the LORD is Blasphemed through your Folly and even ye your selves are brought into Danger by it XLVIII LET us therefore with all hast put an End to this Sedition and let us fall down before the Lord and beseech him with Tears that he would be favourably reconciled to us and restore us again to a seemly and Holy Course of Brotherly Love For this is the Gate of Righteousness opening unto Life As it is written Open unto me the Gates of Righteousness I will go in unto them and will praise the LORD This is the Gate of the LORD the Righteous shall enter into it Although therefore there are many Gates that are opened yet this Gate of Righteousness is that Gate in Christ at which Blessed are All they that enter in and direct their way in Holiness and Righteousness doing all things without Disorder Let a Man be Faithful let him be Powerful in the Utterance of Knowledge let him be wise in making an exact Judgment of words let him be Pure in all his Actions But still by how much the more he seems to be Above others by reason of these things by so much the more will it Behove him to be Humble-minded and to seek what is profitable to All Men and not his own Advantage XLIX HE that has the Love that is in Christ let him keep the Commandments of Christ. For who is able to express the Obligation of the Love of God What Man is sufficient to declare as is fitting the Excellency of its Beauty The Heighth to which Charity leads is inexpressible Charity unites us to God Charity covers the multitude of sins Charity endures all things is long-suffering in all things There is nothing Base and Sordid in Charity Charity lifts not it self up above others admits of no Divisions is not Seditious but does all things in Peace and Concord By Charity were all the Elect of God made Perfect Without it nothing is pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God Through Charity did the LORD joyn us unto Himself whilst for the Love that he bore towards us our Lord Jesus Christ gave his own Bloud for us by the Will of God his Flesh for our Flesh his Soul for our Souls L. YE see Beloved How great and wonderful a thing Love is and how that no Expressions are sufficient to declare its Perfection But who is fit to be found in it Even such only as God shall vouchsafe to make so Let us therefore Pray to him and beseech him that we may be Worthy of it that so we may live in Charity being Unblamable and without any Humane Affections to one more than another All the Ages of the World from the Beginning of it even unto this time are passed away But they who have been made Perfect in Love have by the Grace of God obtain'd a place among the Just and shall be made manifest in the Judgment of the Kingdom of Christ. For it is written Enter into thy Chambers for a little space till my Anger and Indignation shall pass away And I will remember the Good day and will raise you up out of your Graves Happy then shall we be Beloved if we shall have fulfilled the Commandments of God in the Unity of Love that so through Love our Sins may be forgiven us For so it is written Blessed are they whose Iniquities are forgiven and whose Sins are covered Blessed is the Man to whom the Lord imputeth no Sin and in whose Mouth there is no Guile Now this Blessing is fulfilled in those who are Chosen by God through Jesus Christ our Lord To whom be Glory for Ever and Ever Amen LI. LET us therefore as many as have transgressed by any of the Suggestions of the Adversary beg God's Forgiveness And as for those who have been the Heads of the Sedition and Faction among you let them look to the Common End of our Hope For as Many as are endued with Fear and Charity would rather they Themselves should fall into Tryals than their Neighbours And chuse to be themselves condemn'd rather than that the Excellent and Just Charity delivered to us should Suffer For it is Good for a Man to confess wherein he has transgressed and not to harden his Heart as the Hearts of those were hardened who raised up Sedition against Moses the Servant of God Whose Punishment was manifest unto all Men
you I will make known my Speech unto you Because I called and ye would not hear I stretched out my words and ye regarded not But ye have set at nought all my Counsel and would none of my reproof I will also laugh at your Calamity and mock when your fear cometh When your Fear cometh as Desolation and your Destruction as a Whirlwind when Distress and Anguish cometh upon you Then shall ye call upon me but I will not hear you The Wicked shall seek me but they shall not find me For that they hated Knowledge and did not seek the Fear of the Lord. They would not hearken unto my Counsel They despised all my Reproof Therefore shall they eat of the Fruit of their own ways and be filled with their own Wickedness LVIII NOW God the Inspector of all things the Father of Spirits and the Lord of all Flesh who hath chosen our Lord Jesus Christ and Us by Him to be his Peculiar People grant to every Soul of Man that calleth upon his Glorious and Holy Name Faith Fear Peace Long-suffering Patience Temperance Holiness and Wisdom unto all well-pleasing in his sight through our High Priest and Protector Jesus Christ by whom be Glory and Majesty and Honour unto Him now and for Ever more Amen LIX THE Messengers whom we have sent unto you Claudius and Ephebus and Valerius and Bito with Fortunatus send back to us again with all speed in Peace and with Joy that they may the sooner acquaint us with your Peace and Concord so much pray'd for and desired by Us And that we may rejoyce in your good Order LX. THE Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and with all others that are any where called by God and through Him To whom be Honour and Glory and Might and Majesty and Dominion by Christ Jesus from Everlasting to Everlasting Amen THE EPISTLE OF St. POLYCARP TO THE Philippians THE CONTENTS After the Salutation 1. HE Commends the Philippians for their Respect to Those who suffer'd for the Gospel and for their own Faith and Piety Numb I. 2. He exhorts Them to continue in Both And that particularly from the Consideration of the Resurrection and Judgment to come N. II. For their better accomplishing whereof He 3. Advises them to call to mind the Doctrine which St. Paul had taught them whilst He was in Person among them and after wrote to them in his Epistle N. III. The Summ of all which he now goes on particularly to set before Them I. As to Practical Duties 1. Faith Hope Charity N. III. 2. Against Covetousness N. IV. 3. The Duties of Husbands Wives Widows Ib. 4. Of Deacons Young Men Virgins N. V. 5. Of Presbyters N. VI. All which He again Inforces with the Consideration of that Account we must one day give to God of all our Actions II. As to Matters of Faith 1. What we are to Believe concerning our Saviour Christ His Nature and Sufferings N. VII 2. Of the Future Resurrection and Judgment Ib. Which being thus set forth He finally Exhorts them 1. To Prayer N. VII 2. To Stedfastness in their Faith N. VIII Inforced from the Examples of the Patience and Constancy Of Our Saviour Christ. Ib. Of his Apostles and Saints N. IX 3. To Carefulness in all Well-doing N. X. And more particularly yet from the Miscarriage of Valens who had been a Presbyter among Them He Exhorts them 4. To beware of Covetousness N. XI 5. Not to be too severe towards such Persons either in their Censures of them or Behaviour towards them N. XII He Prays for them and then Exhorts them 6. To Pray for All others Ib. And having thus done with what was Instructive of his Epistle He advises Them of his sending Ignatius's Epistles to them N. XIII And desires an Account of Him from Them N. XIV And lastly He recommends Crescens by whom he wrote this Epistle together with his Sister to their Favour and Assistance Ib. THE EPISTLE OF St. POLYCARP TO THE Philippians POLYCARP and the PRESBYTERS that are with Him to the Church of God which is at PHILIPPI Mercy unto you and Peace from God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour be multiplied I. I REJOYCED greatly with you in our Lord Jesus Christ that ye received the Images of a true Love and accompanied as it behoved you those who were in Bonds becoming Saints which are the Crowns of such as are truly chosen by God and our Lord As also that the Root of the Faith which was preach'd from antient times remains firm in you to this day and brings forth Fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ who suffer'd himself to be brought even to the Death for our Sins Whom God hath raised up having loosed the Pains of Death Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of Glory Into which many desire to enter Knowing that by Grace ye are saved not by Works but by the Will of God through Jesus Christ. II. WHEREFORE girding up the Loyns of your Mind Serve the Lord with Fear and in Truth Laying aside all empty and vain Speech and the Error of many Believing in him that raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the Dead and hath given him Glory and a Throne at his right Hand To whom all things are made Subject Both that are in Heaven and that are in Earth whom every Creature shall worship who shall come to be the Judge of the Quick and Dead Whose Bloud God shall require of them that believe not in him but are disobedient to him But he that raised up Christ from the Dead shall also raise up us in like manner if we do his Will and walk according to his Commandments and love that which he hath loved Abstaining from all Vnrighteousness inordinate Affection and love of Money from Evil-speaking False Witness not rendring Evil for Evil or Railing for Railing or Striking for Striking or Cursing for Cursing But remembring what the Lord has taught us saying Judge not and ye shall not be judged Forgive and ye shall be forgiven Be ye merciful and ye shall obtain Mercy For with the same measure that ye meet withall it shall be measured to you again And again that Blessed are the Poor and they that are persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of God III. THESE things my Brethren I took not the Liberty of my self to write unto you concerning Righteousness but you your selves before encouraged me to it For neither can I nor any other such as I am come up to the Wisdom of the Blessed and Renowned Paul who being himself in Person with those who then lived did with all Exactness and Soundness teach the Word of Truth and being gone from you wrote an Epistle to you Into which if you look you
will be able to Edifie your selves in the Faith that has been delivered unto you which is the Mother of us All being followed with Hope and led on by a general Love both towards God and towards Christ and towards our Neighbour For if any Man has these things he has fulfilled the Law of Righteousness For he that has Charity is faâ— from all Sin IV. BUT the Love of Money is the Root of all Evil. Knowing therefore that as we brought nothing into this World so neither may we carry any thing out Let us arm our selves with the Armour of Righteousness And teach our selves first to walk according to the Commandments of the Lord and then your Wives to walk likewise according to the Faith that is given to them in Charity and in Purity loving their own Husbands with all Sincerity and all others alike with all Temperance and to bring up their Children in the Instruction and Fear of the Lord. The Widows likewise teach that they be Sober and Discreet as to what concerns the Faith of the Lord Praying always for All Men being far from all Detraction Evil speaking false Witness from Covetousness and from all Evil Knowing that they are the Altars of God who sees all things and from whom nothing is hid Who searches out the very Reasonings and Thoughts and Secrets of our Hearts V. KNOWING therefore that God is not mocked we ought to walk worthy both of his Command and of his Glory Also the Deacons must be Blameless before Him as the Ministers of God in Christ and not of Men. Not false Accusers not Double-tongued not Lovers of Money but Moderate in all things Compassionate Careful walking according to the Truth of the Lord who was the Servant of all Whom if we please in this present World we shall also be made Partakers of that which is to come according as he has promised to us that he will raise us from the Dead And that if we shall walk worthy of him we shall also reign together with him if we believe In like manner the younger Men must be unblamable in all things Above all taking care of their Purity and to restrain themselves from all Evil. For it is good to be cut off from the Lusts that are in the World because every such Lust warreth against the Spirit And neither Fornicators nor Effeminate nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind shall inherit the Kingdom of God nor they who do such things as are Foolish and Unreasonable Wherefore ye must abstain from all these things being subject to the Priests and Deacons as unto God and Christ. The Virgins admonish to walk in a spotless and pure Conscience VI. AND let the Elders be Compassionate and Merciful towards all turning them from their Errors seeking out those that are Weak not forgetting the Widows the Fatherless and the Poor but always providing what is Good both in the sight of God and Man Abstaining from all Wrath respect of Persons and unrighteous Judgment And especially being free from all Covetousness Not easie to believe any thing against any not severe in Judgment Knowing that we are all Debtors in point of Sin If therefore we pray to the Lord that he would forgive us we ought also to forgive others For we are all in the sight of our Lord and God and must all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and every one give an account of Himself Let us therefore serve him in fear and with all Reverence as both Himself commanded and as the Apostles and Prophets have preach'd to us who have foretold the Coming of our Lord Being Zealous of what is Good abstaining from all Offence and from all false Brethren and from all that bear the Name of Christ in Hypocrisie who deceive vain Men. VII FOR whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh he is Antichrist And whoever does not confess his Suffering upon the Cross is from the Devil And whosoever perverts the Oracles of the Lord to his own Lusts and says that there shall neither be any Resurrection nor Judgment he is the first Born of Satan Wherefore leaving the Vanity of many and their false Doctrines let us hold fast to the Word that was delivered to us from the Beginning Watching unto Prayer and persevering in Fasting Beseeching with all Supplication the All-seeing God not to lead us into Temptation as the Lord hath said The Spirit truly is willing but the Flesh is weak VIII LET us therefore without ceasing keep stedfastly to Him who is our Hope and the Earnest of our Righteousness even Jesus Christ Who his own self bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree Who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth But suffered all for us that we might live through Him Let us therefore imitate his Patience And if we suffer for his Name let us Glorifie him for this Example he has given us by Himself and so have we believed IX WHEREFORE I exhort all of you that ye obey the Word of Righteousness and exercise all Patience which ye have seen set forth before your Eyes not only in the Blessed Ignatius and Zozimus and Rufus but in others that have been among you and in Paul himself and the rest of the Apostles Being confident of this that all these have not run in vain but in Faith and Righteousness and are gone to the place that was due to them from the Lord with whom also they suffered For they loved not this present World but Him who died and was raised again by God for us X. STAND therefore in these things and follow the Example of the LORD being firm and immutable in the Faith Lovers of the Brotherhood Lovers of one another Companions together in the Truth being kind and gentle towards each other despising none When it is in your power to do good defer it not for Charity delivereth from death Be all of you subject one to another having your Conversation Honest among the Gentiles That by your good Works both ye your selves may receive Praise and the LORD may not be Blasphemed through you But Woe be to him by whom the Name of the LORD is Blasphemed Therefore teach all Men Sobriety in which do ye also exercise your selves XI I AM greatly afflicted for Valens who was once a Presbyter among you that he should so little understand the place that was given to Him in the Church Wherefore I admonish you that ye abstain from Covetousness and that ye be Chast and true of Speech Keep your selves from All Evil. For He that in these things cannot govern Himself How shall he be able to prescribe them to another If a Man does not keep himself from Covetousness He shall be polluted with Idolatry and be judged as if he were a
Gentile But who of you are Ignorant of the Judgment of God Do we not know that the Saints shall judge the World As Paul teaches But I have neither perceived nor heard any thing of this Kind in you among whom the Blessed Paul laboured and whom he mentions with so much Honour in the beginning of his Epistle For he Glories of you in All the Churches who then only knew God for we did not then know Him Wherefore my Brethren I am exceedingly sorry both for him and for his Wife to whom God grant a true Repentance And be ye also moderate on this occasion and look not upon such as Enemies but call them back as Suffering and Erring Members that ye may save your whole Body For by so doing ye shall edifie your own selves XII FOR I trust that ye are well exercised in the Holy Scriptures and that nothing is hid from you But at present this is not granted unto me As it is written Be angry and Sin not And again Let not the Sun go down upon your Wrath. Blessed is he that believeth and remembreth these things which also I trust you do Now the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ and He himself who is our Everlasting High Priest the Son of God even Jesus Christ build you up in Faith and in Truth and in all Meekness and Lenity in Patience and Long-suffering and Chastity And grant unto you that you may have your Lot and Portion among his Saints and that we also may be together with you and all that are under the Heavens who shall believe in our LORD Jesus Christ and in his Father who raised him from the Dead Pray for all the Saints Pray also for Kings and All that are in Authority and for those who persecute you and hate you and are the Enemies of the Cross That your Fruit may be manifest in all things and that ye may be perfect in Christ. XIII YE wrote to me both ye and also Ignatius that if any one went from hence into Syria he should bring your Letters with Him which also I will take care of as soon as I shall have a convenient opportunity either by my self or him whom I shall send upon your Account The Epistles of Ignatius which He wrote unto Us together with what others of his have come to our hands we have sent to you according to your order which are subjoyned to this Epistle By which ye may be greatly profited For they treat of Faith and Patience and of all things that pertain to Edification in the Lord Jesus XIV WHAT you know certainly of Ignatius and those that are with him signifie unto us THESE things have I written unto you by Crescens whom by this present Epistle I have recommended to you and do now again commend For he has had his Conversation without blame among us And I suppose also with you Ye will also have regard unto his Sister when she shall come unto you Be ye safe in the LORD Jesus Christ And in Favour with all yours Amen THE Genuine Epistles OF St. IGNATIVS I. TO THE Ephesians THE CONTENTS After the Salutation Chap. I. HE thanks them for sending Onesimus their Bishop to Him Whom he greatly Commends and expresses his Joy to receive from Him so good a Character of them II. He mentions the rest of their Members who were sent with Onesimus to Him And Exhorts them to Unity by a due Subjection to their Bishop and Presbyters III. He excuses the Liberty He takes of Admonishing them and so returns to his Advice to them IV. Which is still the same namely By a due Subjection to their Bishop to preserve Vnity among themselves V. The Benefit of which He particularly sets out to them VI. That they ought not to Respect their Bishop the less because he is not forward in exacting it from them But should rather Honour him the more which He also Commends them for doing VII He warns them against Hereticks bidding them stick to their Master Jesus Christ Whose Divine and Humane Nature he declares to Them VIII IX He Commends them for their Care to keep themselves from False Teachers and shews them the Way to God X. He exhorts them to Prayer and to behave themselves unblameably towards those that are without XI.XII. To be careful of their Salvation To Pray for Himself whose own worth he much lessens in Comparison of theirs Especially XIII XIV To be frequent in Publick Devotion To live in Unity in Faith and in Charity And XV. To shew forth the Truth of their Profession by their Works XVI XVII To have a Care that the Gospel of Christ be not Corrupted XVIII Vpon which occasion He treats particularly of the Three great Mysteries of Christianity viz. The Virginity of Mary And the Incarnation and Death of Christ Which he says were hid from the Devil XIX How the Birth of Christ was in a most extraordinary Manner reveal'd to the World XX. XXI Of all which he promises to Write more largely in a second Epistle And then finally Undertakes for their Salvation if they continued as he had exhorted them to pursue it by Unity among Themselves and Piety towards God THE EPISTLE OF St. IGNATIVS TO THE Ephesians IGNATIUS who is also called THEOPHORUS to the Church which is at Ephesus in Asia most deservedly Happy being Blessed through the Greatness and Fullness of God the Father and Predestinated before the World began that it should be always unto an Enduring and Unchangeable Glory being United and Chosen through his true Passion according to the Will of the Father and Jesus Christ our God All Happiness by Jesus Christ and his Undefiled Grace I. I HAVE heard of your Name much Beloved in God which ye have very justly attain'd by a Habit of Righteousness according to the Faith and Love which is in Jesus Christ our Saviour How that being Followers of God and stirring up your selves by the Blood of Christ ye have perfectly accomplished the Work that was Natural to you For hearing that I came bound from Syria for the common Name and Hope trusting through your Prayers to sight with Beasts at Rome that so by Suffering I may become indeed the Disciple of Him who gave himself to God an Offering and Sacrifice for us ye Hastned to see me I understood therefore how great a Multitude there was among you in the Name of God by Onesimus who if we consider his Charity is beyond all Expression but who is according to the Flesh your Bishop Whom I beseech you by Jesus Christ to love and that you would all strive to be like unto Him And Blessed be God who has granted unto you who are so worthy of Him to enjoy such an Excellent Bishop II. FOR what concerns my Fellow-Servant Burrhus and your most Blessed Deacon in things pertaining to
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
ye do ye may do it according to the Will of God V. MY Brethren the Love I have towards you makes me the more large and having a great Joy in you I endeavour to secure you against Danger Or rather not I but Jesus Christ in whom being Bound I the more fear as being yet only on the way to Suffering But your Prayer to God shall make me Perfect that I may attain to that Portion which by God's Mercy is allotted to me Fleeing to the Gospel as to the Flesh of Christ and to the Apostles as to the Great Presbytery of the Church Let us also love the Prophets for as much as they also have by their Doctrine led us to the Gospel and to Hope in Christ and to expect Him In whom also Believing they were saved in the Unity of Jesus Christ being Holy Men Worthy to be loved and had in Wonder who have received Testimony from Jesus Christ and are reckon'd in the Gospel of our Common Hope VI. BUT if any one shall preach the Jewish Law unto you hearken not unto Him For it is better to receive the Doctrine of Christ from one that has been Circumcised than Judaism from One that has not But if either the One or Other do not speak concerning Christ Jesus they seem to me to be but as Monuments and Sepulchres of the Dead upon which are written only the Names of Men. Flee therefore the wicked Arts and Snares of the Prince of this World lest at any time being Oppressed by his Cunning ye grow cold in your Charity But come All-together into the same Place with an undivided Heart And I Bless my God that I have a good Conscience towards you and that no One among you has whereof to boast either Openly or Privately that I have been Burthensome to Him in much or little And I beseech All among whom I have conversed that they make not use of that for a Testimony of it VII FOR although some would have deceived me according to the Flesh yet the Spirit being from God is not deceived For it knows both whence it comes and whither it goes and reproves the Secrets of the Heart I cried whilst I was among you I spake with a loud Voice Attend to the Bishop and to the Presbytery and to the Deacons Now some supposed that I spake this as foreseeing the Division that should come among you But He is my Witness for whose sake I am in Bonds that I knew nothing from any Man But the Spirit spake saying on this wise Do nothing without the Bishop Keep your Bodies as the Temples of God Love Unity Flee Divisions Be the Followers of Christ as he was of his Father VIII I THEREFORE did as became me as a Man composed to Unity For where there is Division and Wrath God dwelleth not But the Lord forgives all that Repent if they Return to the Unity of God and to the Council of the Bishop For I trust in the Grace of Jesus Christ that he will free you from every Bond. Nevertheless I exhort you that you do nothing out of Strife but according to the Instruction of Christ. Because I have heard of some who say Unless I find it written in some other antient Monuments I will not believe the Gospel And when I answer'd them It is Written They replied That it does not appear But to me Jesus Christ is instead of all the Antient Monuments in the World Together with those undefiled Monuments His Cross and Death and Resurrection and the Faith which is by Him By which I desire through your Prayers to be Justified IX THE Priests indeed are Good But much better is the High Priest to whom the Holy of Holies has been committed and who alone has been intrusted with the Secrets of God He is the Door of the Father by which Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets enter in as well as the Apostles and the Church And all these things tend to the Unity which is of God Howbeit the Gospel has somewhat in it far above all other Dispensations Namely the Appearance of our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ his Passion and Resurrection For the Beloved Prophets refer'd to Him But the Gospel is the Perfection of Incorruption All therefore together are Good if ye believe with Charity X. NOW as concerning the Church of Antioch which is in Syria seeing I am told that through your Prayers and the Bowels which ye have towards it in Jesus Christ it is in Peace it will become you as the Church of God to ordain some Deacon to go to them thither as the Embassador of God that He may rejoyce with Them when they meet together and Glorifie Gods Name Blessed be that Man in Jesus Christ who shall be found worthy of such a Ministry and ye your selves also shall be Glorified Now if ye be willing it is not Impossible for you to do this for the sake of God as also the other Neighbouring Churches have sent them some Bishops some Priests and Deacons XI AS concerning Philo the Deacon of Cilicia a most worthy Man He still Ministers unto me in the Word of God together with Rheus of Agathopolis a singular good Person who has follow'd me even from Syria not regarding his Life These also bear witness unto you And I my self give Thanks to God for you that ye received them as the Lord shall receive you But for those that dishonour'd them may they be forgiven through the Grace of Jesus Christ. The Charity of the Brethren that are at Troas salutes you From whence also I now write by Burrhus who was sent together with me by those of Ephesus and Smyrna for respect sake May Our Lord Jesus Christ Honour them in whom they Hope both in Flesh and Soul and Spirit in Faith in Love in Unity Farewel in Christ Jesus our Common Hope THE EPISTLE OF St. IGNATIVS TO THE Smyrneans THE CONTENTS The Salutation Chap. I. HE declares the Joy he had to hear of their Firmness in the Gospel The Substance of which as to what concerns the Person of Christ he briefly repeats to Them II. And this against such as pretended that Christ suffer'd only in Shew and not Really Against these III. He assures them that he knew Christ was a True Man even after his Resurrection And did give manifest Proofs to his Disciples of his Being such IV. He Exhorts them therefore to have nothing to do with those Hereticks whom he here Opposes Nor believe that He would Suffer so so much for the Faith of Christ unless he were very sure of the Truth of it V. He shews them farther the Danger of the Doctrine before mentioned And how they who held it did in Effect Deny Christ. VI. How Dangerous this is And how different those who maintain this Doctrine are in All other respects from the Church of Christ VII That it will
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
and standing by the LORD with much Assurance and in unspeakable Glory XV. Which when we saw being filled with Joy and glorifying God the Giver of all good things and assured of the Blessedness of the Saint we thought fit to manifest unto you both the Day and the Time That being assembled together according to the time of his Martyrdom we may communicate with the Combatant and most valiant Martyr of Christ Who trod under foot the Devil and bare down his Snares even unto the end Glorifying our LORD Jesus Christ in his Venerable and Holy Memory To whom and with whom All Glory and Power be to the Father with the Blessed Spirit in the Holy Church for ever and ever Amen The Circular EPISTLE OF THE Church of SMYRNA Concerning the Martyrdom OF St. POLYCARP The Church of God which is at SMYRNA to the Church of God which is at PHILADELPHIA and to all the Other Assemblies of the Holy Catholick Church in every Place Peace and Love from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied I. WE have written to you Brethren both of what concerns the other Martyrs but especially the Blessed Polycarp who by his Sufferings put an end to the Persecution setting as it were his Seal to it For almost all things that went before were done that the LORD might shew us from Above a Martyrdom truly such as became the Gospel For he expected to be deliver'd to the Persecution Even as the LORD also do's that we should become the Followers of his Example Considering not only what is profitable for our selves but also for our Neighbours Advantage For it is the part of a true and perfect Charity to desire not only that a Mans self should be saved but also all the Brethren together with him II. THE Sufferings then of all the other Martyrs were Blessed and Generous which they underwent according to the Will of God For so it becomes us who are more Religious than others to refer the Power and Ordering of all things unto Him And indeed who can chuse but admire the greatness of their Mind and that admirable Patience and Love of their Master which then appeared in them Who when they were so flea'd with Whipping that the frame and structure of their Bodies were laid open to their very inward Veins and Arteries nevertheless endured it And when all that beheld them pitied and lamented them yet shew'd so great a Generosity of Mind that not one of them let so much as a Sigh or a Groan escape them Plainly shewing that those Holy Martyrs of Christ at the very same time that they were thus tormented were absent from the Body Or rather that the LORD stood by them and conversed with them Wherefore being supported by the Grace of Christ they despised all the torments of the World By the Sufferings of an hour redeeming themselves from Everlasting Punishment For this cause even the Fire of their Cruel and Barbarous Executioners seemed Cold to them whilst they hoped hereby to escape that Fire which is Eternal and shall never be extinguish'd And beheld with the Eyes of Faith those good things which are reserved for them that endure to the End which neither Ear has heard nor Eye seen nor have they entred into the Heart of Man But to them they were now revealed by the LORD as who were no longer Men but already become Angels In like manner Those who were condemned to the Beasts being kept a long time in Prison underwent many cruel Torments Being forced to lie upon sharp Spikes laid under their Bodies and tormented with divers other sorts of punishments that so if it were possible the Tyrant by the length of their Sufferings might have brought them to Deny Christ. III. FOR indeed the Devil did invent many things against them But thanks be to God he was not able to prevail over All. For the Brave GERMANICUS strengthen'd those that fear'd by his Patience And fought Gloriously with the Beasts And when the Proconsul would have perswaded him telling him that he should consider his Age and spare himself He pull'd the Wild Beast to him and provoked him being desirous the more quickly to be deliver'd from a Wicked and Unjust World Upon this the whole multitude wondring at the Courage of the Holy and Pious Race of Christians cryed out Take away those wicked Wretches let POLYCARP be look'd out IV. THEN one named QUINTUS a Phrygian being newly come from thence seeing the Beasts was afraid This was he who forced himself and some others to present themselves of their own Accord to the Trial. Him therefore the Proconsul perswaded with many Promises to Swear and Sacrifice For which Cause Brethren we do not commend those who offer themselves to Persecution and especially seeing the Gospel teaches no such thing V. BUT the most Admirable POLYCARP when he first heard that he was called for was not at all concern'd at it but resolved to tarry in the City Nevertheless he was at the last perswaded at the desire of many to go out of it He departed therefore into a little Village not far distant from the City and there â—arried with a few about him doing nothing Night nor Day but praying for all Men and for the Churches which were in all the World according to his usual Custom And as he was praying he saw a Vision three days before he was taken and behold the Pillow under his Head seem'd to him on Fire Whereupon turning to those that were with him he said Prophetically That he should be Burnt alive VI. NOW when those who were to take him drew near he departed into another Village and immediately they who sought him came thither And when they found him not they seized upon two young Men that were there One of which being tormented confess'd For it was impossible the Holy Man should be concealed forasmuch as they who betray'd him were his own Domestic's So the Officer who is also called Cleronomus HEROD by name hastned to bring him into the Lists That so POLYCARP might receive his proper Portion being made partaker of Christ and they that betray'd him undergo the punishment of Judas VII THE Serjeants therefore and Horsemen taking the young Lad along with them departed about Supper-time being Friday with their Usual Arms as it were against a Thief or a Robber And being come to the place where he was about the Close of the Evening they found him lying down in a little upper Room from whence he could easily have escaped into another place but he would not saying The Will of the LORD be done Wherefore when he heard that they were come to the House he went down and deliver'd himself unto them And as they all wonder'd at his Age and Constancy some of them began to say Was there need of all this Care to take such an Old Man Then presently he
as ye do this day to make your Voice to be heard on High Is it such a Fast that I have chosen A Day for a Man to afflict his Soul Is it to bow down his Head like a Bulrush and to spread Sackcloath and Ashes under him Wilt thou call this a Fast and an acceptable Day to the LORD But to us he saith on this wise Is not this the Fast that I have chosen to loose the Bands of Wickedness to undo the heavy Burdens and to let the Oppressed go Free and that ye break every Yoke Is it not to deal thy Bread to the Hungry and that thou bring the Poor that are cast out to thy House When thou seest the Naked that thou cover him and that thou hide not not thy self from thine own Flesh Then shall thy Light break forth as the Morning and thy Health shall spring forth speedily and thy Righteousness shall go before thee the Glory of the LORD shall be thy Rere-ward Then shalt thou call and the LORD shall answer thou shalt cry and he shall say Here I am If thou put away from the midst of thee the Yoke the putting forth of the Finger and speaking Vanity And if thou draw out thy Soul to the Hungry and satisfie the afflicted Soul In this therefore Brethren God has manifested his Fore-knowledge and Mercy to us because the People which he has purchased to his Beloved Son were to believe in Sincerity and therefore he has shewn these things to All of us that we should not run as Proselytes to the Jewish Law IV. WHEREFORE it is necessary that searching diligently into these Matters we should write to you what may serve to keep you whole To which end let us flee from every Evil Work and hate the Errors of the present Time that we may be Happy in that which is to come Let us not give our selves the Liberty of disputing with the Wicked and Sinners least we should chance in time to become like unto them For the Consummation of Sin is come as the Prophet Daniel says And for this End saith the LORD are the Times and the Days shortned And the LORD will suddainly come to his Temple For so the Prophet speaks There shall Ten Kings reign in the Earth and there shall rise last of all another and he shall humble three Kings And again Daniel speaks in like manner concerning the Kingdoms And I saw the fourth Beast dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly and it had ten Horns I considered the Horns and behold there came up among them another little Horn before which were three of the first Horns pluckt up by the Roots We ought therefore to consider these things And I beseech you as one of your own Brethren loving you all beyond my own Life that you look well to your selves And be not like to those who add Sin to Sin and say That their Covenant is ours also Nay but it is ours only for they have for ever lost that which Moses received For thus saith the Scripture And Moses continued fasting forty Days and forty Nights in the Mount and he received the Covenant from the LORD even Two Tables of Stone written by the Hand of God But having turn'd themselves to Idols they lost it as the LORD also said to Moses Moses Go down quickly for thy People which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves and turn'd aside from the way which I commanded them And Moses cast the Two Tables of Stone out of his Hands and their Covenant was broken that the Love of Jesus might be sealed in your Hearts unto the Hope of his Faith Wherefore let us give heed unto the last Times For the time past of our Life and our Faith will profit us nothing unless we continue also to hate what is Evil and to withstand the future Temptations So the Son of God tells us Let us resist all Iniquity and hate it Wherefore consider the Works of the Evil Way Do not deceive your selves with your own private Thoughts as if you were already justified But coming All together into one place enquire what is agreeable to and profitable for the Beloved of God For the Scripture saith Wo unto them that are Wise in their own Eyes and Prudent in their own Sight Let us become Spiritual a perfect Temple to God As much as in us lies let us meditate upon the Fear of the LORD and strive to the utmost of our power to keep his Commandments that we may rejoyce in his Righteous Judgments For God will judge the World without respect of Persons and receive every one according to his Works If a Man shall be Good his Righteousness shall go before him If Wicked the Reward of his Wickedness shall follow him Take heed therefore least sitting still now that we are called we fall asleep in our Sins and the Wicked One getting the Dominion over us raise us up and shut us out of the Kingdom of the LORD But especially consider the great Signs and Wonders which ye have seen among the People of the Jews and how thus the LORD forsook them Beware therefore least it happen to us as it is written There be many Called but few Chosen V. FOR this cause did our LORD vouchsafe to give to up his Body to Destruction that through the Forgiveness of our Sins we might be sanctified that is by the sprinkling of his Bloud Now for what concerns the things that are written about him some belong to the People of the Jews and some to us For thus saith the Scripture He was wounded for our Transgressions He was bruised for our Iniquities and by his Bloud we are healed He was led as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a Sheep before his Shearers is dumb so he opened not his Mouth Wherefore we ought the more to give thanks unto God for that he hath both declared unto us what is passed and not suffer'd us to be without Understanding even of those things that are to come And therefore he saith The Nets are not unjustly spread for the Birds This he spake because a Man will justly perish if having the Knowledge of the Way of Truth he shall nevertheless not refrain himself from the Way of Darkness And for this Cause the LORD was content to suffer for our Souls although he be the LORD of the whole Earth to whom God said before the Beginning of the World Let us make Man after our own Image and Likeness Now how he suffered for us seeing it was by Men that he underwent it I will shew you The Prophets having received from him the Gift of Prophecy spake before concerning him But he that he might abolish Death and make known the Resurrection from the Dead was content as it was necessary to appear in the Flesh that he might
make good the Promise before given to our Fathers and preparing himself a New People might demonstrate to them whilst he was upon Earth that after the Resurrection he would judge the World And thus teaching the People of Israel and doing many Wonders and Signs among them he preached to them and shewed the exceeding great Love which he bare towards them And when he chose his Apostles which were afterwards to publish his Gospel he took Men who had been very great Sinners that thereby he might plainly shew That he came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance Then he clearly manifested himself to be the Son of God For had he not come in the Flesh how could Men have been able to look upon him that they might be saved Seeing if we behold only the Sun which was the Work of his Hands and shall hereafter cease to be we are not able to endure stedfastly to look against the Rays of it Wherefore the Son of God came in the Flesh for this Cause that he might fill up the measure of their Iniquity who have persecuted his Prophts unto Death And for the same reason also he suffered For saith God By the Stripes of his Flesh we are healed And again another Prophet When I shall smite the Shepherd the Sheep of the Flock shall be scatter'd Nevertheless he would suffer in this Manner Because it behoved him to suffer upon the Cross. For thus one saith prophecying concerning him Deliver my Soul from the Sword And again They pierced my Hands and my Feet And again The Congregation of wicked Doers rose up against me And again he saith I gave my Back to the Smiters and my Cheeks to be buffeted and my Face I set as an hard Rock VI. AND when he had fulfilled the Commandment of God What says he Who will contend with me Let him stand against me Or who is he that will implead me Let him draw near to the Servant of the LORD Wo be to you Because ye shall all wax old as a Garment the Moth shall eat you up And again the Prophet adds He is put for a Stone of stumbling Behold I lay in Zion for a Foundation a precious Stone a choice Corner-Stone an Honourable Stone And what follows And he that hopeth in him shall live for ever What then Is our Hope built upon a Stone God forbid But because the LORD hath put his Flesh in strength he saith this of it As it is written I have placed my self as a sure Rock And again the Prophet adds The Stone which the Builders refused is become the Head of the Corner And again he saith This is the Great and Wonderful Day which the LORD hath made I write these things the more plainly to you that ye may understand For indeed I could be content even to die for your sakes But what saith the Prophet The Counsel of the Wicked encompassed me about They came about me as Bees about the Hive And Vpon my Vesture they cast Lots Forasmuch then as our Saviour was to appear in the Flesh and suffer his Passion was hereby foretold For thus again saith the Prophet against Israel Wo be to their Soul because they have taken Wicked Counsel against themseves saying Let us lay Snares for the Righteous because he is unprofitable to us Moses also in like manner speaketh to them Behold thus saith the LORD God Enter ye into the Good Land of which the LORD hath sworn to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob that he would give it you and possess it a Land flowing with Milk and Hony Now what the Spiritual meaning of this is learn It is as if it had been said Put your Trust in Jesus who shall be manifested to you in the Flesh. For Man is the Earth which suffers Forasmuch as out of the Substance of the Earth Adam was formed What therefore do's he mean when he says Into a Good Land flowing with Milk and Honey Blessed be our LORD who has given us Wisdom and a Heart to understand his Secrets For so says the Prophet Who shall understand the hard Sayings of the LORD But he that is Wise and Intelligent and that loves his LORD Seeing therefore he has renewed us by the Remission of our Sins he has given us another form that we should have our Souls like the Soul of a Child Even as he himself has form'd us by the Spirit For thus the Scripture saith concerning us where it introduceth the Father speaking to the Son Let us make Man in our Image after our Likeness And let him have Dominion over the Beasts of the Earth and over the Fowls of the Air and over the Fish of the Sea And when the LORD saw the Man which he had form'd that behold he was very Good He said Encrease and multiply and replenish the Earth And this he spake to his Son I will now shew you how he made us into a second Form in the latter Days As also he saith Behold I will make the last as the first Wherefore the Prophet thus foretold it Enter into the Land flowing with Milk and Hony and rule in it Wherefore ye see how we are again formed anew as also he speaks by another Prophet Behold saith the LORD I will take from them that is from those whom the Spirit of the LORD foresaw their Hearts of Stone and I will put into them Hearts of Flesh. Because he was about to be made manifest in the Flesh and to dwell in us For my Brethren the Habitation of our Heart is a Holy Temple unto the LORD As he again saith Wherewithal shall I appear before the LORD my God and be Glorified He answers I will confess unto thee in the Congregation in the midst of my Brethren and will sing unto thee in the Church of the Saints Wherefore we are they whom he has brought into that good Land But what signifies the Milk and Hony Because as the Child is nourish'd first with Milk and then with Hony So we being kept alive with the Belief of his Promises and the Word of his Gospel shall live and have Dominion over the Land For so he foretold above saying Encrease and Multiply and have Dominion over the Fishes c. But who is there that is now able to have this Dominion over the Wild Beasts or Fishes or Fowls of the Air For you know that to Rule is to have Power that a Man should be Lord over what he rules But forasmuch as this we have not now he tells us when we shall have it Namely when he shall become perfect that so we may be made Inheritors of the Covenant of the LORD VII UNDERSTAND then my Beloved Children that the Good God hath before manifested all things unto us that we might know to whom we ought always to
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
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
about to come which if you please shall be nothing to you Keep therefore in mind the things which I have said unto you When she had spoken thus much she departed But I saw not whither she went But suddainly I heard a Noise and I turn'd back being afraid for I thought that the Beast was coming toward me The Second BOOK OF St. HERMAS Which is Called His COMMANDS The Introduction WHEN I had pray'd at home and was sate down upon the Bed a certain Man came in to me with a Reverend Look in the Habit of a SHEPHERD cloath'd with a white Cloak having his Bag upon his Back and his Staff in his Hand and saluted me I return'd his Salutation and immediately he sate down by me and said unto me I am sent by that Venerable Messenger that I should dwell with thee all the remaining Days of thy life But I thought that he was come to try me and said unto him Who are you For I know to whom I am delivered He said unto me Do you not know me I answer'd No. I am said he that SHEPHERD to whose Care you are delivered Whilst he was yet speaking his Shape was changed and when I knew that it was he to whom I was committed I was asham'd and a suddain Fear came upon me and I was utterly overcome with Sadness because I had spoken so foolishly unto him But he said unto me Be not asham'd but stir up Vertue in thy Mind through the Commands which I am about to deliver unto thee For said he I am sent to shew unto thee all those things again which thou hast seen before and especially such of them as may be of most use unto you And first of all write my COMMANDS and SIMILITUDES that by often reading of them you may the more easily keep them in Memory Whereupon I wrote his Commands and Similitudes as he bad me Which things if when you have heard ye shall observe to do them and shall exercise your selves in them and walk according to them with a pure Mind ye shall receive from the LORD those things which he has promised unto you But if having heard them ye shall not repent but shall still go on to add to your Sins ye shall be punish'd by him All these things that SHEPHERD the Angel of Repentance commanded me to write The First COMMAND Of Believing in ONE GOD. FIRST of all believe that there is One God who created and finished All things and made All things out of Nothing He comprehends all things and is only Immense not to be comprehended by Any Who can neither be defined by any Words nor conceived by the Mind Therefore believe in him and fear him and fearing him abstain from all Evil. Keep these things and cast all Iniquity far from thee and put on Righteousness and thou shalt live to God if thou shalt keep this Commandment The Second COMMAND That we must avoid Detraction and do our Alms-Deeds with Simplicity I. HE said unto me Be innocent and without disguise so shalt thou be like an Infant who knows no Malice which destroys the Life of Man And especially see that thou speak Evil of None nor willingly hear any one speak Evil of Any For if thou shalt hear them thou shalt be partaker of the Sin of him that speaketh Evil and by believing such a one thou also shalt have Sin because thou believedst him that spake Evil of thy Brother Detraction is a pernicious thing an inconstant Evil Spirit that never continues in Peace but is always in Discord Wherefore refrain thy self from it and keep Peace evermore with thy Brother Put on a Holy Constancy in which there are no Sins but all is full of Joy and do good of thy Labours Give without distinction to all that are in Want not doubting to whom thou givest But give to All for God will have us give to all of the Goods which he dispenses to us They therefore that receive shall give an Account to God both wherefore they received and for what End And they that receive without a real need shall give an account for it but he that gives shall be Innocent For he has fulfill'd his Duty as he received it from God not making any Choice to whom he should give and to whom not And this Service he did with Simplicity and to the Glory of God Keep therefore this Command according as I have deliver'd it unto thee that thy Repentance may be found to be sincere and that Good may come to thy House and have a pure Heart The Third COMMAND Of avoiding Lying and the Repentance of HERMAS for his Dissimulation MOREOVER he said unto me Love Truth and let all the Speech be true which proceeds out of thy Mouth that the Spirit which the LORD hath appointed in thy Flesh may be found true towards all Men and the LORD be magnified who hath given such a Spirit unto thee Because God is true in all his Words and there is no Lie found in him But they that lie deny the LORD not rendring to God what they received from him For they received the Spirit without a Lie if therefore they make that a Lyar they defile the Commandment of the LORD and become Deceivers And when I heard this I wept bitterly And when he saw me weeping he said unto me Why weepest thou And I said Because Sir I doubt whether I can be saved He ask'd me Wherefore I reply'd Because Sir I never spake a true Word in my Life but always lived in Dissimulation and affirm'd a Lie for Truth to all Men and no Man contradicted me but all gave Credit to my Words How then can I live seeing I have done in this manner And he said unto me Thou thinkest well and truly For thou oughtest as the Servant of God to have walked in the Truth and not have joyn'd an Evil Conscience with the Spirit of Truth nor have grieved the Holy and true Spirit of God And I reply'd unto him Sir I never before hearkned so diligently to these things He answer'd Now thou hearest them Take care from henceforth that even those things which thou hast formerly spoken falsly for the sake of thy Business may by thy present Truth receive Credit For even those things may be credited if for the time to come thou shalt speak the Truth and by so doing thou mayst attain unto Life And whosoever shall hearken unto this Command and do it and shall depart from all Lying he shall live unto God The Fourth COMMAND Of putting away ones Wife for Adultery I. FURTHERMORE said he I command thee that thou keep thy self Chast and that thou suffer not any thought of any other Marriage or of Fornification to enter into thy Heart For such a Thought produces a great Sin But be thou at all times mindful of the LORD and thou shalt never sin For if such an Evil
believe in his Works thou shalt live unto God And as many as shall believe in his Works shall live also unto God The Seventh COMMAND That we must fear God but not the Devil FEAR God says he and keep his Commandments For if thou keepest his Commandments thou shalt be powerful in every Work and all thy Counsel shall be excellent For by fearing God thou shalt do every thing well This is that Fear with which thou must be affected that thou mayst be saved But fear not the Devil For if thou fearest the LORD thou shalt have Dominion over him because there is no Power in him Now if there be no Power in him then neither is he to be feared But he in whom Power is Excellent he is also to be feared For every one that has Power is to be feared But he that has no Power is despised by every one Fear the Works of the Devil because they are Evil. For by fearing the LORD thou wilt fear and not do the Works of the Devil but keep thy self from them For there is a twofold Fear For if whilst thou fearest the LORD thou wilt do that which is Evil thou shalt not do even that But if thou wilt do good the Fear of the LORD is Strong and Great and Glorious Wherefore Fear God and thou shalt live And whosoever shall fear him and keep his Commandments their Life is with the LORD But they who keep them not neither is Life in them The Eighth COMMAND That we must Flee from Evil and Do Good I HAVE told thee said he that there are two kinds of Creatures of the LORD and that there is a two-fold Abstinence From some therefore thou must abstain and from others not I answered Tell me Sir from what I must abstain and from what not Hearken said he Keep thy self from Evil and do it not But abstain not from Good but do it For if thou shalt abstain from what is Good and not do it thou shalt sin Abstain therefore from all Evil and thou shalt know all Righteousness I said What Evil things are they from which I must abstain Hearken said he from Adultery from Drunkenness from wicked Riots from Excess of Eating from Daintiness and Dishonesty from Pride from Denials from Lying from Detraction from feigned Wickedness from Remembrance of Injuries and from Evil Reports For these are all the Works of Iniquity from which the Servant of God must abstain For he that cannot keep himself from these things cannot live unto God But hear said he what follows of these kind of things And indeed many more there are from which the Servant of God must abstain From Theft and Cheating from False-Witness from Covetousness from Boasting and all other things of the like Nature Do these things seem to thee to be Evil or not Indeed they are very Evil to the Servants of God Wherefore every such Person must abstain from all these Works Keep thy self therefore from them that thou mayst live unto God and be written among those that abstain from them And thus have I shewn thee what things thou must avoid Now learn from what thou must not abstain Abstain not from any good Works but do them Hear said he what the Vertue of those good Works is which thou must do that thou mayst be saved The first of all is Faith the Fear of the LORD Charity Concord Piety Equity Truth Patience Chastity There is nothing better than these things in the Life of Man who shall keep and do these things in their Life Hear next what follow these To minister to the Widows not to despise the Fatherless and Poor to redeem the Servants of God from Necessity to be Hospitable for in Hospitality there is sometimes great Fruit. Not to be contentious but be quiet to be humble above all Men to reverence the Aged to labour to be Righteous to keep up Brotherhood to bear Affronts to be equal minded not to cast away those that have fallen from the Faith but to make them gentle to admonish Sinners not to oppress those that are our Debtors and all other things of alike kind Do these things seem to thee to be good or not And I said what can be better than these Words Live then said he in these Commandments and do not depart from them For if thou shalt keep all these Commandments thou shalt live unto God And all they that shall keep these Commandments shall live unto God The Ninth COMMAND That we must ask of God daily and without Doubting AGAIN he said unto me Remove from thee all Doubting and Question nothing at all When thou askest any thing of the LORD say not within thy self How shall I be able to ask any thing of the LORD and receive it seeing I am so great a Sinner against him Do not think thus but turn unto the LORD with all thy Heart Ask without Doubting and thou shalt know the Mercy of the LORD How that he will not forsake thee but will fulfil the Request of thy Soul For God is not as Men mindful of the Injuries he has received but he forgets Injuries and has Compassion upon his Creature Wherefore purifie thy Heart from all the Vices of this present World and observe the Commands I have before deliver'd unto thee from God and thou shalt receive whatsoever good things thou shalt ask and nothing shall be wanting unto thee of all thy Petitions if thou shalt ask of the LORD without doubting But they that are not such shall obtain none of those things which they ask For they that are full of Faith ask with Confidence and receive from the LORD because they ask without doubting But he that doubts shall hardly live unto God except he repent Wherefore purifie thy Heart from doubting and put on Faith and trust in God and thou shalt receive all that thou shalt ask But and if thou shouldst chance to ask somewhat and not receive it yet do not therefore doubt because thou hast not presently received the Petition of thy Soul For it may be thou shalt not yet receive it for thy Tryal or else for some Sin which thou knowest not But do not thou leave off to ask and then thou shalt receive Else if thou shalt cease to ask thou must complain of thy self and not of God that he has not given unto thee what thou didst desire Consider therefore this Doubting how cruel and pernicious it is and how it utterly roots out many from the Faith who were very faithful and firm For this Doubting is the Daughter of the Devil and deals very wickedly with its Servants Despise it therefore and thou shalt rule over it on every Occasion Put on a firm and powerful Faith For Faith promises all things and perfects all things But doubting will not believe that it shall obtain any thing by all that it can do Thou seest therefore says he how Faith cometh from above from
God and has great Power But Doubting is an Earthly Spirit and proceedeth from the Devil and has no Strēgth Do thou therefore keep the Vertue of Faith and depart from Doubting in which is no Vertue and thou shalt live unto God And all shall live unto God as many as shall do these things The Tenth COMMAND Of the Sadness of the Heart and that we must take heed not to grieve the Spirit of God that is in us I. PUT all Sadness far from thee for it is the Sister of Doubting and of Anger How Sir said I Is it the Sister of these For Sadness and Anger and Doubting seem to me to be very different from one another And he answered Art thou without Sense that thou dost not understand it For Sadness is the most mischievous of all Spirits and the worst to the Servants of God It destroys the Spirits of all Men and torments the Holy Spirit and again it saves Sir said I I am very foolish and understand not these things I cannot apprehend how it can torment and yet save Hear said he and understand They who never sought out the Truth nor enquired concerning the Majesty of God but only believed are involved in the Affairs of the Heathen And there is another lying Prophet that destroys the Senses of the Servants of God that is of those that are doubtful not of those that fully trust in the LORD Now those doubtful Persons come to him as to a Divine Spirit and enquire of him what shall befal them And this lying Prophet having no Power in him of the Divine Spirit answers them according to their Demands and fills their Souls with Promises according as they desire Howbeit that Prophet is vain and answers vain things to those who are themselves vain And whatsoever is asked of him by vain Men he answers them vainly Nevertheless he speaketh some things truly For the Devil fills him with his Spirit that he may overthrow some of the Righteous II. WHOSOEVER therefore are strong in the Faith of the LORD and have put on the Truth they are not joyned to such Spirits but depart from them But those that are doubtful and often repenting like the Heathens consult them and heap up to themselves great Sin serving Idols As many therefore as are such enquire of them upon every Occasion worship Idols and are foolish and void of the Truth For every Spirit that is given from God is not asked but having the Power of the Divinity speaks all things of its self because it comes from above from the Power of the Holy Spirit But he that being ask'd speaks according to Mens desires and concerning many other Affairs of this present World understands not the things which relate unto God For these Spirits are darkned through such Affairs and corrupted and broken As good Vines if they are neglected are oppress'd with Weeds and Thorns and at last kill'd by them So are the Men who believe such Spirits They fall into many Actions and Businesses and are void of Sense and when they think of things pertaining unto God they understand nothing at all But if at any time they chance to hear any thing concerning the LORD their Thoughts are upon their Business But they that have the Fear of the LORD and search out the Truth concerning God have all their Thoughts with the LORD They apprehend whatsoever is said to them and forthwith they understand it because they have the Fear of the LORD in them For where the Spirit of the LORD dwells there is also a great Sense added Wherefore joyn thy self to the LORD and thou shalt understand and apprehend all things III. LEARN now O Unwise Man How Sadness grieves the Holy Spirit and how it saves When a Man that is doubtful is engaged in any Affair and do's not accomplish it by reason of his Doubting this Sadness enters into him and grieves the Holy Spirit and makes him sad Again Anger when it overtakes any Man for any Business he is greatly moved and Anger possesses his Heart and he is disturb'd in his Work which he is about and afterwards repents because he did amiss Thus both Doubting and Sadness hurt the Holy Spirit Doubting because his Work did not succeed and Sadness because he angr'd the Holy Spirit Remove therefore Sadness from thy self and offend not the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in thee least he ask the LORD and depart from thee For the Spirit of the LORD which is given to us in the Flesh endures not Sadness Wherefore cloath thy self with Chearfulness which has always Favour with the LORD and thou shalt rejoyce in it For every chearful Man do's well and relishes those things that are good and despises Unrighteousness But the sad Man do's wickedly because he grieves the Holy Spirit which is given to the chearful Man And again he do's ill because he prays with Sadness unto the LORD except he first makes a thankful acknowledgment unto him of former Mercies and obtains not of God what he asks For the Prayer of a sad Man has not always Efficacy to come up to the Altar of God And I said unto him Sir Why has not the Prayer of a sad Man Vertue to come up to the Altar of God Because said he that Sadness remaineth in his Heart When therefore a Man's Prayer shall be accompanied with Sadness it will not suffer his Requests to ascend pure to the Altar of God For as Wine when it is mingled with Vinegar has not the Sweetness it had before so Sadness being mix'd with the Holy Spirit suffers not a Man's Prayer to be Pure as it would be otherwise Wherefore purifie thy self from Sadness which is Evil and thou shalt live unto God And all others shall live unto God as many as shall lay aside Sadness and put on Chearfulness The Eleventh COMMAND That the Spirits and Prophets are to be tried by their Works and of a Two-fold Spirit HE shew'd me certain Men sitting upon Benches and one sitting in a Chair And he said unto me Seest thou those who sit upon the Benches Sir said I I see them He answer'd They are the Faithful and he who sits in the Chair is an Earthly Spirit For he cometh not into the Church with the Faithful but avoids it But he joyns himself to the Doubtful and Empty and prophecies to them in hidden Places and Corners and pleases them by speaking according to all the Desires of their Hearts For that which is fitted to empty Vessels is not broken but the one agrees to the other But when such a one comes into the Company of Just Men who have the Spirit of God and they pray unto the LORD that Man is emptied because that Earthly Spirit flies from him and he is dumb and cannot speak any thing As if in a Store-House you shall stop up Wine or Oyl and among those Vessels shall place an empty Jar and shall afterwards come to open it
dissemble thou shalt not be saved nor thy Children nor thy House Because thou hast judged that these Commands cannot be kept by Man IV. THESE things he spake very angrily unto me insomuch that he greatly affrighted me For he changed his Countenance so that a Man could not bear his Anger And when he saw me altogether troubled and confounded he began to speak more moderately and chearfully saying O foolish and without Understanding Unconstant not knowing the Majesty of God how great but withal how merciful he is who created the World for Man and hath made every Creature subject unto him and given him all Power that he should be able to overcome all these Commands He is able said he to overcome all these Commands who has the LORD in his Heart But they who have the LORD only in their Mouths and their Heart is hardned are far from the LORD To such Persons these Commands are hard and difficult Put therefore ye that are empty and light in the Faith the LORD your God and keep him in your Hearts and ye shall understand how that nothing is more easie then these Commands nor more pleasant nor more gentle and holy And turn your selves to the LORD your God and forsake the Devil and his Pleasures because they are Evil and Bitter and Impure And fear not the Devil because he has no Power over you For I am with you the Messenger of Repentance who have the Dominion over him The Devil do's indeed affright Men but his Terror is vain Wherefore fear him not and he will flee from you V. AND I said unto him Sir Hear me speak a few Words unto you He answer'd Say on A Man indeed desires to keep the Commandments of God and there is no one but what prays unto God that he may be able to keep his Commandments But the Devil is hard and by his Power rules over the Servants of God And he said He cannot rule over the Servants of God who believe in him with all their Hearts The Devil may strive but he cannot overcome them For if ye resist him he will flee away with shame from you But they that are not full in the Faith fear the Devil as if he had some great Power For the Devil tries the Servants of God and if he finds them empty he destroys them For as a Man when he fills up Vessels with good Wine and among them puts a few Vessels half full and comes to try and tast of the Vessels do's not try those that are full because he knows that they are good but tasts those that are half full least they should grow sowre for Vessels half full soon grow sowre and lose the Tast of Wine So the Devil comes to the Servants of God to try them They that are full of Faith resist him stoutly and he departs from them because he finds no place where to enter into them then he go's to those that are not full of Faith and because he has place of entrance he goes into them and do's what he will with them and they become his Servants VI. BUT I the Messenger of Repentance say unto you Fear not the Devil For I am sent unto you that I may be with you as many as shall repent with your whole Heart and that I may confirm you in the Faith Believe therefore ye who by reason of your Transgressions have forgot God and who company your Salvation with your Sins lead your Lives in Trouble that if ye shall turn to the LORD with your whole Hearts and shall serve him according to his Will he will give a Remedy to your Souls notwithstanding your former Sins and ye shall have dominion over all the Works of the Devil Be not then afraid in the least of his Threatnings for they are without force as the Sinews of a dead Man But hearken unto me and fear the LORD Almighty who is able to save and to destroy you and keep his Commands that ye may live unto God And I said unto him Sir I am now confirm'd in all the Commands of the LORD whilst that you are with me and I know that you will break all the Power of the Devil And we also shall overcome him if we shall be able through the help of the LORD to keep these Commands which you have delivered Thou shalt keep them said he if thou shalt purifie thy Heart towards the LORD And all they also shall keep them who shall cleanse their Hearts from the vain desires of the present World and shall live unto God The Third BOOK OF St. HERMAS Which is Called His SIMILITUDES The First SIMILITUDE That seeing we have no abiding City in this World we ought to look after that which is to come AND he said unto me Ye know that ye who are the Servants of the LORD live here as in a Pilgrimage For your City is far off from this City If therefore ye know your City in which ye are to dwell why do ye here buy Estates and provide your selves with Delicacies and stately Buildings and superfluous Houses For he that provides himself these things in this City do's not think of returning into his own City O foolish and doubtful and wretched Man Who understandest not that all these things are other Mens and under the Power of another For the LORD of this City saith unto thee either obey my Laws or depart out of my City What therefore shalt thou do who art subject to a Law in thine own City Canst thou for thy Estate or for any of those things which thou hast provided deny thy Law But if thou shalt deny it and wilt afterwards return into thy own City thou shalt not be received but shalt be excluded thence See therefore that like a Man in another Country thou procure no more to thy self than what is necessary and sufficient for thee and be ready that when the God or LORD of this City shall drive thee out of it thou mayst oppose his Law and go into thine own City where thou mayst with all Chearfulness live according to thine own Law without Wrong Take heed then ye that serve God and have him in your Hearts work ye the Works of God being mindful both of his Commands and of his Promises which he has promised and be assured that he will make them good unto you if ye shall keep his Commandments Instead therefore of the Possessions that ye would otherwise purchase redeem those that are in want from their Necessities as every one is able Justifie the Widows Judge the Cause of the Fatherless and spend your Riches and your Wealth in such Works as these For for this end has God enriched you that ye might fulfil these kind of Services It is much better to do this than to buy Lands or Houses because all such things shall perish with this present Time But what ye shall do for the Name of the LORD ye shall
false Pleasure for one Day and is one Day tormented that one Day of Punishment is equivalent to a whole years space Thus look how many Days any one pursues his Pleasures so many Years is he punish'd for it You see therefore how that the Time of Worldly Enjoyments is but short but that of Pain and Torments a great deal more V. I REPLY'D Sir forasmuch as I do not understand all these Times of Pleasure and Pain I intreat you that you would explain your self more clearly concerning them He answer'd me saying Thy Foolishness still sticks inseparably unto thee Shouldst thou not rather purifie thy Mind and serve God Take heed least when thy Time is fulfill'd thou shalt be found still unwise Hear then as thou desirest that thou mayst the more easily understand He that gives himself up one Day to his Pleasures and Delights and do's whatsoever his Soul desires is full of great Folly nor understands what he do's but the Day following forgets what he did the Day before For Sweetness and Worldly Pleasure have no Memory by reason of the Folly that is rooted in them But when Pain and Torment befal a Man a Day he is in Effect troubled the whole Year after because his Punishment continues firm in his Memory Wherefore he remembers it with Sorrow the whole Year and then calls to mind his vain Pleasure and Delight and perceives that for the sake of that he was punished Whosoever therefore have deliver'd themselves over to such Pleasures are thus punished because that when they had Life they rendred themselves liable to Death I said unto him Sir And what Pleasures are hurtful He answer'd That is Pleasure to every Man which he do's willingly For the Angry Man gratifying his Passion perceives Pleasure in it and so the Adulterer and Drunkard the Detractor and Lyar and Covetous Man and the Deceiver and whosoever commits any thing like unto these because he gratifies his Infirmities he receives a Satisfaction in the doing of it All these Pleasures and Delights are hurtful to the Servants of God For these therefore they are tormented and suffer Punishment There are also Pleasures that bring Salvation unto Men. For many when they do what is good find Pleasure in it and are attracted by the Delights of it Now this Pleasure is profitable to the Servants of God and brings Life to such Men But those hurtful Pleasures which were before mention'd bring Torments and Punishment And whosoever shall continue in them and shall not repent of what they have done shall gain Death unto themselves The Seventh SIMILITUDE That they who Repent must bring forth Fruits worthy of Repentance AFTER a few Days I saw the same Person that before talked with me in the same Field in which I had before seen the Shepherds And he said unto me What seekest thou Sir said I I came to intreat you that you would command the Shepherd who is the Minister of Punishment to depart out of my House because he greatly afflicts me And he answer'd It is necessary for thee to endure Inconveniencies and Vexations for so that good Angel hath commanded concerning thee because he would try thee Sir said I What so great Offence have I committed that I should be deliver'd to this Messenger Hearken said he Thou art indeed guilty of many Sins yet not so many that thou shouldst be delivered to this Messenger But thy House hath committed many Sins and Offences and therefore that good Messenger being grieved at their Doings commanded that for some time thou shouldst suffer Affliction that they may both repent of what they have done and may wash themselves from all desires of this present World When therefore they shall have repented and be purified then that Messenger which is appointed over thy Punishment shall depart from thee I said unto him Sir If they have behaved themselves so as to anger that good Angel yet what have I done He answer'd They cannot otherwise be afflicted unless thou who art the Head of the Family suffer For whatsoever thou shalt suffer they must needs feel it But as long as thou shalt stand well establish'd they cannot experience any Vexation I replyed But Sir behold they also now repent with all their Hearts I know says he that they repent with all their Hearts but dost thou therefore think that their Offences who repent are immediately blotted out No they are not presently But he that repents must afflict his Soul and shew himself humble in all his Affairs and undergo many and divers Vexations And when he shall have suffer'd all things that were appointed for him then perhaps he that made him and all things besides will be moved with Compassion towards him and afford him some Remedy and especially if he shall perceive his Heart who repents to be pure from every Evil Work But at present it is expedient for thee and for thy House to be grieved and it is needful that thou shouldst endure much Vexation as the Angel of the LORD who committed thee unto me has commanded Rather give Thanks unto the LORD that knowing what was to come he thought thee worthy to whom he should foretel that Trouble was coming upon those that were able to bear it I said unto him Sir Be but thou also with me and I shall easily undergo any Trouble I will said he be with thee and I will ask the Messenger who is set over thy Punishment that he would moderate his Afflictions towards thee And moreover thou shalt suffer Adversity but for a little time and then thou shalt again be restored to thy former Place only continue on in the Humility of thy Mind Obey the LORD with a pure Heart thou and thy House and thy Children and walk in the Commands which I have delivered unto thee And then thy Repentance may be firm and pure And if thou shalt keep these things with thy House all Inconveniencies shall depart from thee And all Vexation shall in like manner depart from all those whosoever shall walk according to these Commands The Eighth SIMILITUDE That there are many kinds of Elect and of Repenting Sinners And how all of them shall receive a Reward proportionable to the Measure of their Repentance and Good Works I. AGAIN he shew'd me a Willow which covered the Fields and the Mountains under whose Shadow came all such as were called by the Name of the LORD And by that Willow stood the Angel of the LORD very excellent and lofty and did cut down Boughs from that Willow with a great Hook and reach'd out to the People that were under the Shadow of that Willow little Rods as it were about a Foot long And when all of them had taken them he laid aside his Hook and the Tree continued intire as I had before seen it At which I wondred and mused within my self Then that Shepherd said unto me Forbear to wonder that that Tree continues whole notwithstanding so many Boughs
of his Spirit XXV AS concerning the eighth Mountain in which were a great many Springs by which every kind of all the Creatures of God was watered they are such as have believed the Apostles which the LORD sent into all the World to preach and some Teachers who have preached and taught purely and sincerely and have not in the least yielded to any Evil Desires but have constantly walked in Righteousness and Truth These therefore have their Conversation among the Angels XXVI AGAIN as for what concerns the ninth Mountain which was desert and full of Serpents they are such as have believed but had many Stains These are such Ministers as discharge their Ministry amiss ravishing away the Goods of the Widows and Fatherless and serve themselves not others out of those things which they have received These if they continue in this Covetousness shall deliver themselves unto Death nor shall there be any hope of Life for them But if they shall be converted and shall discharge their Ministry sincerely they may live As for those which were found rough they are such as have deny'd the Name of the LORD and not return'd again to the LORD but have become savage and wild not applying themselves to the Servants of God but being separated from them have for the sake of a little Anxiety lost their Lives For as a Vine that is forsaken in a Hedge and never dress'd perishes and is choaked by the Weeds and in time becomes wild and ceases to be useful to its LORD So this kind of Men despairing of themselves and being made sour have begun to be unprofitable to their LORD Howbeit to these there is at last Repentance allow'd if they shall not be found from their Hearts to have denied Christ But if any of these shall be found to have denied him from his Heart I cannot tell whether such a one can attain unto Life And I say therefore that if in these Days any one has denied he should return unto Repentance for it cannot be that any one who now denies the LORD can afterwards attain unto Salvation Nevertheless Repentance is proposed unto them who have formerly deny'd But he who will repent must hasten on his Repentance before the Building of this Tower is finished Or if not he shall be delivered by those Women unto Death But they that are maimed are the Deceitful and those who mix one with another These are the Serpents that you saw in that Mountain For as the Poyson of Serpents is deadly unto Men So the Words of such Persons infect and destroy Men. They are therefore maimed in their Faith by reason of that kind of Life in which they lead Howbeit some of them having repented have been saved and so shall others of the same kind be saved if they shall repent but if not they shall die by those Women whose Power and Force they enjoy XXVII FOR what concerns the tenth Mountain in which were the Trees covering the Cattle they are such as have believed and some of them been Bishops that is Governours of the Churches Others are such Stones as have not feignedly but with a chearful Mind entertain'd the Servants of God Then such as have been set over inferior Ministries and have protected the Poor and the Widows and have always kept a chast Conversation therefore they also are protected by the LORD Whosoever shall do on this wise are honour'd with the LORD and their Place is among the Angels if they shall continue to obey the LORD even unto the End XXVIII AS to the eleventh Mountain in which were Trees loaded with several sorts of Fruits they are such as have believed and suffered Death for the Name of the LORD and have endured with a ready Mind and have given up their Lives with all their Hearts And I said Why then Sir have all these Fruit but some fairer than others Hearken said he Whosoever have suffered for the Name of the LORD are esteemed honourable by the LORD and all their Offences are blotted out because they have suffered Death for the Name of the Son of God Hear now why their Fruits are different and some of them excel others They who being brought before Magistrates and being ask'd deny'd not the LORD but suffered with a ready Mind these are more honourable with the LORD The Fruits therefore that are the most fair are these But they who were fearful and doubtful and have deliberated with themselves whether they should confess or deny Christ and yet have suffered their Fruits are smaller because that this Thought came into their Hearts For it is a wicked and evil Thought for a Servant to deliberate whether he should deny his Master Take heed therefore ye who have such Thoughts that this Mind continue not in you and ye die unto God But ye who suffer Death for his Name sake ought to honour the LORD that he has esteem'd you worthy to bear his Name and that you should be delivered from all your Sins And why therefore do you not rather esteem your selves happy Why do you not think that if any one among you suffer he performs a great Work For the LORD giveth you Life and ye understand it not For your Offences did oppress you and had you not suffer'd for his Names sake ye had now been dead unto the LORD Wherefore I speak this unto you who deliberate whether ye should confess or deny him Confess that ye have the LORD for your God least at any time denying him ye be delivered over into Bonds For if all Nations punish their Servants which deny their Masters What think you that the LORD will do unto you who has the Power of all things Remove therefore out of your Hearts these Doubts that ye may live for ever unto God XXIX AS for the twelfth Mountain which was white they are such as have believed like sincere Children into whose Thoughts there never came any Malice nor have they ever known what Sin was but have always continued in their Integrity Wherefore this kind of Men shall without all doubt inherit the Kingdom of God because they have never in any thing defiled the Commandments of God but have continued with Sincerity in the same Condition all the days of their Life Whosoever therefore said he shall continue as Children without Malice shall be more honourable than all those of whom I have yet spoken For all such Children are honour'd by the LORD and esteemed the first of all Happy therefore are ye who have removed all Malice from you and put on Innocence because ye shall first see the LORD And after he had thus ended his Explication of all the Mountains I said unto him Sir Shew me now also what concerns the Stones that were brought out of the Plain and put into the Tower in the room of those that were rejected as also concerning those round Stones which were added into the Building of the Tower and also of those who still continued
all that he is in great Honour and Renown with God and is a Prince of great Authority and Powerful in his Office To him only is the Power of Repentance committed throughout the whole World Do's he not seem to thee to be of great Authority But ye despise his Goodness and the Modesty which he shews towards you II. I SAID unto him Sir Ask him since the time that he came into my House whether I have done any thing disorderly or have offended him in any thing I know said he that thou hast done nothing disorderly neither wilt thou hereafter do any thing and therefore I speak these things with thee that thou mayst persevere for he has given me a good Account concerning thee But thou shalt speak these things to others that they who either have repented or shall repent may be of the same opinion with thee and he may give me as good an Account of them also and I may do the same unto the LORD I answer'd Sir I declare to all Men the wonderful Works of God And I hope that all who love them and have before sinned when they shall hear these things will willingly repent and so recover Life Continue therefore said he in this Ministry and perfect it And whosoever shall fulfil the Commands of this Shepherd shall live and shall have great Honour both here and with the LORD But they that shall not keep his Commands flee from their Life and are Adversaries unto it And they that follow not his Commands shall deliver themselves unto Death and every one shall be guilty of his own Bloud But I say unto thee keep these Commandments and thou shalt find a Cure for all thy Sins III. MOREOVER I have sent these Virgins to dwell with thee for I have seen that they are very kind to thee Thou shalt therefore have them for thy Helpers that thou mayst the better keep the Commands which have been given thee for these Commands cannot be kept without these Virgins And thou seest how they are willing to be with thee and I will also command them that they shall not at all depart from thy House Only do thou purifie thy House for they will readily dwell in a clean House For they are Clean and Chast and Industrious and all of them have Grace with the LORD If therefore thou shalt have thy House pure they will abide with thee But if it shall be never so little polluted they will immediately depart from thy House for these Virgins cannot endure any manner of Pollution I said unto him Sir I hope that I shall so please them that they shall always delight to dwell in my House And as he to whom you have committed me makes no Complaint of me so neither shall they complain Then he said to that Shepherd I see that the Servant of God will live and keep these Commandments and place these Virgins in a pure Habitation When he had said this he delivered me again to that Shepherd and called the Virgins and said unto them Forasmuch as I see that ye will readily dwell in this Mans House I commend him and his House to you that ye may not at all depart from his House And they willingly heard these Words IV. THEN he said unto me Go on Manfully in thy Ministry Declare to all Men the great things of God and thou shalt find Grace in this Ministry And whosoever shall walk in these Commands shall live and be happy in his Life But he that shall neglect them shall not live and shall be unhappy in his Life Say unto all that whosoever can do what is right cease not to exercise themselves in good Works For I would that all Men should be delivered from the Inconveniences they lie under For he that wants and suffers Inconveniences in his daily Life is in great Torment and Necessity Whosoever therefore delivers such a Soul from Necessity gets great Joy unto himself For he that is grieved with such Inconveniences is equally tormented as if he were in Chains And many upon the Account of such Calamities being not able to bear them have chosen even to destroy themselves He therefore that knows the Calamity of such a Man and do's not free him from it commits a great Sin and is guilty of his Bloud Wherefore exercise your selves in Good Works as many as have received Ability from the LORD least whilst ye delay to do them the Building of the Tower be finish'd because for your sakes the Building is stopp'd Except therefore ye shall make haste to do well the Tower shall be finish'd and ye shall have no place in it And after he had thus spoken with me he rose up from the Bed and departed taking the Shepherd and Virgins with him Howbeit he said unto me that he would send back the Shepherd and Virgins unto my House Amen The Second EPISTLE OF St. CLEMENT TO THE Corinthians THE CONTENTS Chap. I. THAT we ought to entertain a Worthy Opinion of our Salvation And to do the utmost of what in us lies to express the Value we put upon it by a sincere Obedience to our Saviour Christ and his Gospel II. That God had before prophecy'd by Isaiah that the Gentiles should be saved III IV. That this ought to engage such especially to be very careful to live well without which they will still miscarry V. That whilst we secure to our selves the Favour of God and the Reward of the other World we need not fear what can befal us in this VI. That we cannot serve God and Mammon Nor if we follow the Interests of this present World is it possible for us to escape the Punishment of the Other VII The Consideration of which ought to bring us to Repentance and Holiness VIII And that presently knowing that now whilst we are in this World is the only time for Repentance IX We shall rise and be Judged in those Bodies in which we now are therefore we must live well in them X. That we ought as we value our own Interests to live well however few seem to mind what really is for their Advantage XI And not deceive our selves with any vain Imaginations as if no Punishment should remain for us if we do Evil or Good happen to us hereafter if we behave our selves as we ought to do Seeing God will certainly judge us and render to all of us according to our Works and how soon this may be we can none of us tell The Second EPISTLE OF St. CLEMENT TO THE Corinthians I. BRETRHEN we ought so to think of Jesus Christ as of GOD as of the Judge of the Living and the Dead Nor should we think any less of our Salvation For if we think meanly of it we shall hope only to receive some small Benefit by it And if we shall do so we shall sin not considering from whence we have been called and by whom and to what place and how
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
†Known * Inseparable Mind †Which you have not according to use but according to Possession ‖ Who am Bound * Multitude †Your Benevolence * According to God ‖ Vid. Vossium in loc 1 seem'd †Imitators * When. * Flee from Vid. Vossium in loc * Deacons Vossius in loc vid. aliter Cotelerium * A Church is not called * Habit of Body is great Instruction †Power Vid. Vossium Usserium in loc * I understand many things †Measure * Love ‖ Vid. Annot. Vossii in loc * Mildness ‖ Is. * Vid. de hoc loco conjecturas Vossii Cotelerii Junil apud Usserium Comp. Epist. Interpol in loc Et Voss. Annot. in Epist. ad Phil. p. 281. Vid. Usserii Obs Marg. Comp. Coteler ib. * Any thing Isaiah Lii 5 * Without * Seeing or looking on ‖ His Father raising him * The Father * Plants * The Concord of you * Be a Testimony among you Writing * Them * Vndivided ‖ Vid. Annot. Vossii in loc Vid. Pearson Vind. Ignat. Par. 2. ch 16. p. 214. * In. * In. * Type of the 〈◊〉 i. e. The â—huâ—ch of the â—â—mans See 〈◊〉 Annot. in 〈◊〉 * Vid. Voss. Annot. in loc ‖ Worthy of God * Have Grace ‖ My Lot * Is. * As. ‖ Enjoying †From me * Flesh. ‖ Being become a Chorus * Sing †That a Bishop of Syria should be found * That those things also should be firm ‖ Commanded Vid. Annot. Usserii in loc N. 26 27. * God ‖ Perswasion †Vid. Usser Ann. N. 31. * Forbid me ‖ Be not †By whom I may * Vid. Lat. Vet. Interpr Et Annot. Usser N. 33. ‖ Flatter 1 Cor. iv 4 * Ready ‖ Vid. Voss. in loc Usser Annot. N. 48. †Usser Annot. N. 48. Luke xlv 27 * Vid. Coteler in loc Rom. viii 38 39 ‖ Vid. Usser Annot. N. 56. †Ib. N. 57. * That I may enjoy * Ends. ‖ Of this Age. †Vid. Voss. Correct p. 301. * By matter ‖ Take Lay hold on * Vid. Annot. Voss. in loc †What things constrain me * Mind Will. ‖ Who are present †Vid. Voss. Annot in loc * Cotelerius aliter explicat Annot. in loc Usser N. 79. ‖ Voss. in loc Contr. Coteler q. v. * And that shall be †Willed ‖ Vid. Annot. Voss. in loc †By a short Letter * In. ‖ Vid. Vet. Interpr Lat. 1 Cor. xv 8 * According to the Flesh * Vid. Vet. Interpr Lat. ‖ Inseperably * Vid. Vet. Interp Lat. ‖ In. * Ministry belonging to the Publick ‖ Has struck me with Wonder †Those that speak Vain things ‖ In. * Vid. Voss. Annot in loc ‖ Evil. * Very much Poured out ‖ Vid. Voss. in loc * Vid. Voss. in loc * Opinion Council * Of some * Flesh. * Flesh. * Repent ‖ Who will loose from you †Vid. Voss. Annot in loc * Vntouch'd ‖ Messenger or Minister * Vossius a Martyr or Confessor Vid. Annot. in loe ‖ Vid. Vossius Annot. in Ep. ad Smyrn p. 261. * Comp. 1 Cor. vii 25 * Vnto the Lord. Mat. iii. 15 †Vid. Voss. Annot. in loc * Incorpâ—real and 〈◊〉 Luke xxiv 39 John xx 27 * Death ‖ Admonish †Have so * Had true Flesh. †It is Matt. xix 12 * Vid. Epist. Interp. * Vid. Annot. Coteler in loc ‖ The Eucharist * Vid Coteler Annot. * The Multitude * Make a Love-Feast ‖ Return to a sound Mind †Does worship * Vid. Voss. Annot. in loc * Ways ‖ Vid. Epist. Interpol †Spirit * * Vid. Voss. Annot in loc * Vid. Voss. Annot in loc * See for the reason of this Name Voss. Annot in loc Add. Coteler ib. * See Voss. Annot ex Epist. Interpol * Innocent ‖ Vid. 1 Cor. vii 34 †Be at leisure to c. * Vid. Voss. in loc aliter Vet. Lat. Interpr ‖ The Diseases * Superfusions Mat. x. 16 * Vid. Voss. Annot. in loc Collat. cum Coteler ib. ‖ Amaze Thee * Beaten †More Studious Diligent ‖ Being well-setled * Vid. Annot. Coteler in loc * Or Trades †Note that in what follows Ignatius speaks not to Polycarp but as in his Name to the People ‖ Vid. Annot. Vossii Coteler in loc ‖ That which is committed to your Custody to keep secure †The Security of God * Most becoming God * Footmen †Vid. Voss. in loc In the Eternal Work ‖ Ex Vet. Interpr Vid. Voss. in Annot. * Apostolical * Compare the Cotton MS. †Magis Simplices In MS. Cotton Infirmum ‖ As to himself * Order †More to a Familiarity of the Lord. * Candle †Every mans Heart ‖ See the Cotton MS. Comp Annot Usser N. 1 * Many and diverse †To enter into the Worship of Devils with all Nations ‖ Worshippers * Manly ‖ Devil Vid. Pears Vind. Ign. part 2. cap. 12. * Devil †Of those ‖ In our Breast So MS. Cotton To have an understanding of the Gods Or The Gods according to Vnderstanding So the other of A. B. Usher Metaphrastes joyns both together Vid. Annot Usser n 5. * Vid Graâ—â— Metaphr n. 5 * 2 Cor. vi 16 ‖ Spectacle * Beasts eating raw flesh Co. Auditor ‖ and. †Partake of his Spiritual Blessing MS. Cotton Hear his Discourses Metaphrast * To contend to his purpose ‖ That the more suddainly disappearing to the World †To. Acts xxviii 13 14. †The Ship being repell'd from the Forepart would not permit ‖ Hot. * Quietare Plebem ad non expetere perdere Justum ‖ See another Conjecture of Bishop Vsher Annot. n. 32. * Comp. Graec. Metaphrast apud Coteler Prov. x. 24 * According to what praeoccupying in his Epistle he desires to be made his proper fruition ‖ And buried Vid. Annot. Usser in Act. Ignat. n. 37. ‖ Bratificantes Sanctum Pronouncing him Blessed * Having manifested or made known * Philomâ—iia Vid. Annot. Uss. n. 1. Comp. Vet. lat Interpr Euseb. Hist. Eccles. l.iv. c. ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Martyrdom ‖ Him †Martyrdoms * Vid. Correâ—â— Coteler Vâ—â—lei in Annoâ— Euseb. l.iv. â— 15. p. 61. †Shewing to all of us ‖ For they had before their Eyes to escape 1 Cor. ii 9 * Shewn †See Bishop Vsher's Annot. n. 7. Euseb. l. â—v c. 15. â—n eum Annot. Valesii p. 62. D. * Their fearfulness ‖ Life of them * I must be ‖ Justice of the Peace Vid. Usser in loc num 14 15. Vales. in Euseb p. 63. D †Discoursed * Why was all this Diligence Vid Annot. 20 Usser in loc ‖ Freely * Comp. Euseb. l.iv. c. 15. p. 106. B. Edit Vales. Annot. Vales. p. 62. C. ‖ They spake bitter words †Getting out of the Chariot †Change my mind Vid. Vales Annot. in Euseb. p. 63. C. D. â€