W

kingdom of God." Paffages of fimilar import are found in St. Matthew, v. 3. 7. 10. vii. 1, 2. St. Luke, vi. 20. 37, 38.-"We must all stand before the judgment feat of Chrift, in order that every one may give an account of himfelf"." This alfo is found in the fame words, Rom. xiv. 10. 12.-He warns them againft covetoufness with the very fame arguments and expreffions as are found in 1 Tim. vi. 7. 10., "The love of money is the root of all evil. Let us therefore well confider, that as we brought nothing into the world, fo can we carry with us nothing out." In this work of Polycarp we meet befides with many fentiments in exactly the fame drefs in which they exift in the firft Epiftle of St. Peter;. which has also been remarked by Eufebius *. That I may not be too

prolix,

§. vi. p. 150.

w §. iv. p. 147.

Πολυ

καρπος

* Hift. Eccl. Lib. XV. cap, xiv. p. 162.

prolix, I will mention only the paffages below. From thefe paffages alone,

we cannot indeed conclude, that he has taken them from the undermentioned books of the New Teftament"; but when joined with the numerous and clear evidences which will be produced in the following pages, they greatly corroborate the proof of the Authenticity of the New Teftament.

SECT. III.

Teftimonies from Works of the first Century, which are now loft.

TO thefe evidences of the apoftolical fathers, we are enabled to add

καρπος εν τη δηλωθείση προς φιλιππησίους αυτού γραφῇ φερομένη τις δεύρο, κέχρηται τισι μαρτυρίοις απο της Πετρου προτεράς επιπολης.

y Compare §. i. p. 144. with 1 Pet. i. 8.-§. ii. p. 145 with 1 Pet, i. 21.-§. ii. latter part, with Pet. iii. 9.-And, §. v. p. 149. with 1 Pet. ii. 11.

I

See above, p. 38.

much is clear, that in the time of Ignatius there exifted certain writings of the Evangelifts and Apoftles, formed into a collection. Their nature and number however is uncertain, fince he has given us no catalogue of them.

In these epiftles are also many fentiments and expreffions, which appear to have been borrowed from the Scriptures of our New Teftament.-In the epiftle to the community at Smyrna, Ignatius fays of Jefus, "That he was according to the fleth, truly of the family of David, and a son of God, according to the will and power of God." St. Paul speaks of him almoft in the fame manner, Rom. i. 3, 4.-To the Ephefians he writes, "The cross of Chrift is a ftumbling block unto unbelievers; but to us falvation and eternal life. Where is now the wife, and the profound inquirer? Where is the boasting of them that are called learned?” • §. xviii. p. 32.

e

§. i. p, 2.

St.

St. Paul makes the fame remark on the evangelical doctrine, 1 Cor. i. 18-31. -Ignatius exhorts the Magnefians in almoft the very words of St. Paul, 1 Cor. v. 7. 8. "Caft away the evil leaven, which is become old and four; and be transformed into a new mafs, which is Chrift "In the epiftle to Polycarp, he recommends that he should exhort the men "to love their wives, even as Chrift loves his church." This excellent command is found in Eph. v. 25. -The many other paffages in which the New Teftament is faid to have been quoted, have either only a very diftant fimilitude', or are evidently different.

Ignatius may therefore be produced as a clear evidence for the Epistle of

f §. x. p. 42.

. §. v.

P.

16.

h See Lardner's Credibility of the G. H. vol. ii.

P. 70-85.

1 As for example, in Lardner, Numb. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7,

9, 13, 17, 18, 27, 31, 36, 38, 42.

* See Lardner, Numb. 43.

St.

St. Paul to the Ephefians, and that in his time exifted a collection of evange lical and apoftolical writings;-we may alfo with probability conclude from his Epiftle, that the Epiftle to the Romans, and the first Epistle to the Corinthians, were at that period already written.

5. Polycarp.

POLYCARP was an immediate dif ciple of St. John the Apostle, by whom he was also appointed to the bishoprick of Smyrna'. According to the information of Irenæus", he left behind him various writings. But none of them are come down to us except his epiftle to the Philippians; and even this is no longer entire in the Greek original".

In

1 See Irenæus, Lib. iii. cap. 3. §. 4. Eufebius, Lib. iii. cap. 36. p. 130. and Hieronymus De vir. illuftr. cap. 13.

m In Eufebius, Lib. v. cap. 20.

■ It stands in Cotelerius, vol. ii. p. 186-189; and the old Latin verfion, which contains the entire epiftle,