for their own salvation, may learn both the character of his faith, and the doctrine of the truth." (Lardner's Credibility &c. vol. 2, p. 86, 87.)

126. In this epistle Polycarp speaks of the blessed Ignatius; of Ignatius, Paul &c. not having run in vain; and of their having gone to the place that was due to them from the Lord. He tells the Philippians, "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 subjoined to this epistle; by which you may be greatly profited; for they treat of faith and patience, and of all things that pertain to edification in the Lord Jesus." (Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians sec. 9.)

127. This strong expression of approbation and exalted esteem, this ranking Ignatius with Paul, this claim of an inheritance in the kingdom of Heaven for him, and this great regard and value set on the letters he left behind, show that Polycarp completely agreed with Ignatius in relation to the great concerns of the Church. All that we see, therefore, in the passages in Italics in the Epistles of Ignatius, stands supported by the evidence of Polycarp, as completely as if he had himself written those Epistles.

Polycarp suffered martyrdom, in the year 148, according to Bishop Pearson, who makes it earlier than any other writer: many learned men place it in 167 or thereabouts. (Lardner 2, 88.)

128. Irenæus was the disciple of Polycarp according to Eusebius and Jerome. "Tertullian mentions him as one of the most considerable writers of the Christian Church." "Eusebius says, 'when Pothinus had been put to death with the martyrs in Gaul, Irenæus succeeded him in the Bishoprick of the Church of Lyons; who, in his youth, had been a disciple of Polycarp." (Lardner's Credibility, &c. vol. 2, 154.)

After making other extracts from Eusebius respecting Irenæus, Dr. Lardner says, "It is perhaps needless to put down after these, St. Jerome's testimony: I shall, however, take a part of his account of this excellent person, which we have in his book of Illustrious Men.

"Irenæus, presbyter of Pothinus, who was Bishop of the Church of Lyons in Gaul, carried a letter from the martyrs of that city concerning some disputes of the Church to Eleutherus, Bishop of Rome, in which letter he is honourably mentioned. Afterwards, Pothinus having obtained the crown of martyrdom, when he was

almost ninety years of age, he was substituted in his room. It is certain, he was a disciple of Polycarp, Bishop and martyr. He wrote five books against heresies." (Lardner vol. 2, p. 156.)

Mosheim says of him, "Irenæus, Bishop of Lyons, a Greek by birth, and probably born of Christian parents, a disciple also of Polycarp, by whom he was sent to preach the gospel among the Gauls, is another of the writers of this century, (the second) whose labours were singularly useful to the Church. He turned his pen against its internal and domestic enemies, by attacking the monstrous errors which were adopted by many of the primitive Christians, as appears by his five books against heresies, which are yet preserved in a Latin translation, and are considered as one of the most precious monuments of ancient erudition." (124.)

129. The reader will bear in mind that Tertullian, Eusebius and Jerome are names of highest reputation in ancient times; and Lardner and Mosheim in modern days, and that the two latter were not Episcopalians, the former of the two being a dissenter from the English Church and the latter a Lutheran. Many other testimonies might be added from writers in different ages of the Church. Let us now inquire what Irenæus has written on the subject of Episcopacy. The following is a translation of the third chapter of the third of those books against heresies, said by Mosheim to be "one of the most precious monuments of ancient erudition.”

130. "It is, therefore, with all in the church, who wish to hear the truth, to understand fully the tradition of the Apostles published through the whole world; and we can enumerate those who were appointed by the Apostles Bishops in the Churches, and their successors even to us, who have taught no such thing; neither have they known what is idly talked of by these. (viz. the heretics.) For if the Apostles had known hidden myteries, which they taught apart and secretly to the perfect, they would have delivered them to those especially to whom they committed even the Churches themselves. For they wished those to be very perfect and irreprehensible in all things, whom they left their successors, delivering (to them) their own place of government, who acting correctly, great benefit would arise; but the greatest calamity, if they should fall away. But seeing that it is very long, in such a volume as this, to enumerate the successions of all the churches, by pointing out the tradition of the greatest, the most ancient, and universally known church, founded and constituted at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul, which (tradition) it has from the Apostles, and the faith announced to mankind, coming even to us by the successions of Bishops, we confound all those who, in whatever manner, either through their evil inclination, or through vain glory, or

through blindness and wicked designs conclude, more than is fit♫-For, with this Church, on account of its greater pre-eminence, it is necessary that every Church should agree; that is, those which are in all respects faithful; in which is always preserved, by those who are roundabout, that tradition which is from the Apostles. The blessed Apostles, therefore, founding and instructing the Church, delivered to Linus the Bishoprick TO GOVERN THE CHURCH. Paul makes mention of this Linus in the epistles which are to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; after him in the third place from the Apostles, Clement obtained the Bishoprick; who both saw the Apostles them selves, and conferred with them, when as yet he had the preaching of the Apostles sounding in his ears, and their tradition before his eyes. Not indeed alone; many as yet remained, at that time taught by the Apostles.

Under this Clement, no slight dissension having arisen among the brethren who were at Corinth, the Church which was at Rome wrote the most powerful letters to the Corinthians, exhorting them to peace, and refreshing their faith, and declaring the tradition which they had recently received from the Apostles, announcing one God Omnipotent, the Maker of heaven and earth, the creator of man, who caused the flood, and called Abraham, who led his people out of the land of Egypt, who spoke to Moses, who appointed the law, and sent the prophets, who will prepare a fire for the devil and his angels. They who desire may learn from the Scripture that He is declared to be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and may understand the Apostolical tradition of the Church, although those, who now teach falsely, and pretend there is another God above the Creator and Maker of all these things which exist, should have a more ancient epistle. To this Clement however, succeeded Evaristus; and to Evaristus, Alexander; and then Sixtus was appointed, the sixth from the Apostles; and after him Telesphorus, who likewise suffered martyrdom most gloriously; and then Hyginus, then Pius, after whom Anicetus. And when also Soter had succeeded Anicetus, now Eleutherus has the Bishoprick in the twelfth place from the Apostles. BY THIS ORDINATION AND SUCCESSION, that tradition in the Church which is from the Apostles, and the doctrine of the truth, hath come even unto us. And this is a most full showing that there is one and the same lively faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the Apostles until now and handed down in truth.

"And POLYCARP ALSO; who was not only taught by the Apostles and conversed with many of those who had seen our Lord, but was likewise appointed by the Apostles Bishop in that Church which is at Smyrna in Asia, whom we also have seen in our younger days: for he continued a long time, and departed this life when very old, most gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom: (literally bearing witness, faciens martyrium;) He always taught those things which he had learned from the Apostles, which he likewise delivered to the Church, and which are alone true. And all the Churches which are in Asia bear testimony to these things, and those who succeeded Polycarp until this time: which man is a witness of

much greater authority; and a more faithful witness of the truth, than Valentine and Marcion, and the rest who are of a perverse opinion. For it is he who, when he came to the city under Anicetus, converted many heretics, of those whom we have before mentioned, to the Church of God, declaring that he had received this one and sole truth from the Apostles, which likewise he delivered to the Church. And there are those who heard him saying, that John the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe in Ephesus, when he saw Cerinthus within, went hastily out of the bathing house without washing, saying that he feared lest the house should fall while Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, was in it. And Polycarp himself, Marcion meeting him once and saying, Do you know me? answered, I know you the first-born of Satan. So much did the Apostles and their disciples fear, lest they should even by a word communicate with any one of those who adulterated the truth; as Paul likewise says, A man that is heretical after one reproof, avoid; knowing that he who is so, is perverse and condemned by himself. And there is also a most excellent Epistle of Polycarp written to the Philippians, from which they who wish and have regard for their own salvation, can learn the character of his Faith and the Doctrine of the Truth.

"And the Church which is at Ephesus, founded indeed by Paul, but John remaining with them even to the time of Trajan, is likewise a true witness of the Doctrine of the Apostles."

(It is proper to remark that I had not seen Irenæus's works until after the 55th section of this essay had been printed off.)

131. This passage from Irenæus is most explicit in every particular. It is expressly stated,

1. That the Apostles appointed Bishops in all the Churches, and left them as their successors To GOVERN THE CHURCH.

son,

2. That the Episcopate or Bishoprick was delivered to one perand one Bishop only at a time, is ever mentioned as governing the Church: thus the Apostles delivered the Episcopate to Linus to govern the Church at Rome; Anacletus succeeded him, and after him, in the third place Clement obtained the Episcopate; and the names of twelve successive Bishops are given, who governed that Church, each in his day; as indicated by the expressions, under Clement, under Anicetus. (See 130.)

3. It is expressly stated that there were successions of Bishops in all the churches, and that with the Church at Rome, in which the names of twelve successive Bishops are given, every church should agree, that is, those which were in all respects faithful.

4. That Polycarp was taught by the Apostles, and was by them appointed Bishop of Smyrna.

132. This doctrine is repeated in other chapters. In the 63rd

K

chapter of the 4th book, Irenæus says, "True knowledge is the doctrine of the Apostles, &c. according to the successions of the Bishops, to whom they (viz. the Apostles) delivered that Church which is in every place," &c.

133. In the 20th chapter of the 5th book, speaking of those who derive their authority from the Apostles, in comparison with heretics, he says, "For they are all far behind the Bishops to whom the Apostles delivered the churches, and this we have with all carefulness made apparent in the third book:" In which it is shown that the Apostles delivered the government of the Church in each place to one Bishop at a time; (130) and that in immensely populous cities where there were numerous presbyters, as in Rome, the population of which has been estimated to have been, about that time, above a million.

134. Testimony more conclusive cannot, perhaps, be produced upon any subject not a matter of controversy when the writer lived. Had the doctrine ever been advanced, that the Apostles had committed the episcopate to the whole body of the presbyters in Rome, for the government of the Church, a more explicit declaration to the contrary could not have been necessary.

135. Strong however as is this testimony, Dr. Miller has made an effort to show that Irenæus is "an important and decisive witness on the subject before us." Important and decisive he truly is; but not on the side of the question Dr. Miller would have his readers believe. To make good his assertion, he quotes several passages.

136. In p. 150 of Dr. Miller's Letters, he has given, as a quotation from the commencement of the 3rd chapter of the 3rd book of Irenæus, the following words, "The Apostolic tradition is present in every church. We can enumerate those who were constituted Bishops by the Apostles in the churches, and their successors even to us, who taught no such thing, By showing the tradition and declared faith of the greatest and most ancient church of Rome, which she received from the Apostles, and which is come to us through the succession of the Bishops, we confound all who conclude otherwise than they ought,"

137. By comparing this with the translation given in a preceding section, (130) it may be observed that, independently of other liberties taken with the passage, several sentences are entirely left out, viz. commencing at the words, "For if the Apostles," and ending with the words, "cnumerate the successions of all the Church