he did not only not give any countenance to such an one, but was wont to stop his ears at him, and cried out with astonishment and grief, "Good God! to what times hast thou reserved me, that I shall endure this?" Nay, he would not tarry in the same place with such a person, but would leave the house, if he knew that any heretics were in it.

7. But of the care which these holy men had to keep close in every the least circumstance to the doctrine and practice of the Apostles, we cannot, I think, desire a fairer instance to convince us, than what Eusebius' has recorded of the same blessed martyr:-How that hearing of the difference between the Eastern and Western Churches about the time of keeping Easter, he thought it worthy his pains, at an extreme old age, to take a journey as far as Rome for the composing of it. And notwithstanding all that Anicetus, who was then bishop of that Church, could say to move him from his practice; yet having this ground for it, that St. John was wont to keep Easter as he did, the good man held close to it, and would not hear of changing a custom which that blessed Apostle had delivered to him.

8. And when such was the care which these holy writers had of holding fast, even to the least particular, of what they received from the Apostles, that they would not comply with the rest of the Church in such an indifferent matter, only because by so doing they should depart from the practice of one of them, surely we may with confidence depend upon the doctrine which they deliver, as most pure and genuine-what our Saviour taught his Apostles, and his Apostles them. And what Irenæus once said of his master Polycarp, we

2

1 Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. v. c. 26.
2 Iren. adv. Hæres. lib. iì. e. 3.

may with equal truth and assurance apply to all the rest of those Fathers whose Treatises I have here put together: "That they taught evermore what they had received from the Apostles, which also they delivered to the Church, and which only is "the true doctrine of Christ."

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9. To this general piety of their lives, and care for the truth and purity of their religion, let me add, Fourthly, their courage and constancy in the maintaining of it. How great this was, I have already shewn, in the particular accounts which I have given of the several Fathers whose writings are here subjoined. It shall suffice, in this place, to observe, that the most of them, after having spent their lives in a careful administration of the great charges to which they were called, were at last made perfect by martyrdom; and underwent the most exquisite cruelties with a courage and constancy worthy both of the religion they professed, and of the eminent characters which they had obtained in the Church.

10. Now though this does not immediately argue the purity of their doctrine, yet being added to what I have before observed, it will give us a new ground to rely upon the truth of what they deliver. For since we cannot reasonably doubt but that such persons as these, must needs have known what the doctrine of, the Apostles was, and have been perfectly instructed in that religion which they were esteemed able and worthy to preach to others, we have in this a clear demonstration of their integrity, both in their teaching, and writing of it; and must conclude, that they who lived such excellent lives, and took so much pains in the ministry of the Gospel-who stuck with such firmness to it, notwithstanding all the endeavours of their enemies to the contrary;

and chose rather to undergo the most bitter deaths, than they would in any wise depart from it-have doubtless dealt most uprightly in this matter, and delivered nothing to us but what they took for the true doctrine of Christ, and what therefore we may conclude undoubtedly was so.

11. Such good reason have we, upon all these accounts, to look upon the writings of these holy men as containing the pure and uncorrupted doctrine of our Blessed Saviour and his Apostles! But now, Fifthly, and to advance yet higher: These writers were not only thus qualified, by these ordinary means, to deliver the Gospel of Christ to us, but in all probability were endued with the extraordinary assistance of the Holy Spirit too: so that what they teach us, is not to be looked upon as a mere traditionary relation of what had been delivered to them, but rather, as an authoritative declaration of the Gospel of Christ to us; though indeed as much inferior to that of the Apostles and Evangelists, as both their gifts and their

commission were inferior to theirs.

12. For, (First,) That the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit with which the Apostles were endued and which, the Holy Scriptures themselves tell us, were in those days distributed to other believers as well as unto them-continued still in the Church after their departure, we have the express testimony of Justin Martyr, one of the most ancient writers, after those I have here subjoined, to assure us. They were communicated not only to men, but women'. And, that we may be sure he spake nothing in this matter

I See 1 Cor. iv. 12. Ephes. i. 6, &c. Acts. viii. 14, 17. xix. 6, &e. 2 Vid. Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. IV. c. 15. Just. Mart. Dial. cum Tryph. p. 308.

Ibid. p. 315.

but what he could undeniably have made out, we find him boasting of it against Trypho the Jew, and urging it as an unanswerable argument-in behalf of Christianity, and against the Jews from whom these gifts had a long time been departed. And even in the Fathers, whose writings are here put together, there appear sufficient indications of the continuance of these extraordinary powers.

13: This St. Clement* manifestly declares in his First Epistle to the Corinthians: he tells us, that some in that Church not only had such gifts, but were even proud and conceited upon the account of them. "Let a man," says he, "have faith";" (i. e. such a faith by which he is able to work miracles;) "let him be powerful to utter mystical knowledge;" (for to that his expression manifestly refers;)

let him be wise in discerning of speeches;" (another gift common in those times :) "but still," says he, "by how much the more he seems to excel "others," viz. upon the account of these extraordinary endowments, by so much the more will it "behove him to be humble-minded, and to seek "what is profitable to all men, and not to his own. "advantage." And St. Ignatius not only supposes 6 that such gifts might be in others, but plainly intimates, that he himself" was endued with a large portion of them.

14. Which being so, we cannot doubt (Secondly,) but that, as it was most reasonable, both the Apostles were careful to set those, in the chiefest places of honour and authority in their several Churches, who were the most eminent for these gifts; and that God was also pleased to grant to

+ See below, c. xlviii.

5 Clem. Alex. Strom. 1. vi. Hist. Eccles. lib. ii. c. 1. p. 30.

6 See his Salutation to the Smyrnæans.

7

Epist. to the Philadelph, sec. VII. To the Trallians, sec. V.

such persons a more than ordinary portion of the Holy Spirit, for the better discharge of those eminent places to which they were called.

15. Concerning the former of these, we are told by St. Paul, (Acts vi.) that when the Apostles thought it necessary to establish a new order of ministers, in the Church, that might take care of those things which they who were of a higher rank could not find leisure to attend to; though their ministry were of the lowest order, and which required much less capacities, in those who were to discharge it, than theirs whose business it was to govern and instruct the Church of Christ, yet they particularly laid it down to the brethren, as one of the qualifications that was to be required in those whom they chose for that purpose, that they should be Men well approved of, full of the Holy Spirit, and of wisdom, v. 3. And of one of them, viz. St. Stephen, it is particularly observed, (v. 8.) that he was full of faith and power, and did signs and great wonders among the people. And when the Jews disputed against him, we read, (v. 10.) that they were not able to stand against the wisdom and spirit by which he spake.

16. Now if such were the care which they took in the choice of those who were to be admitted into the lowest ministry of the Church, we cannot doubt, but that they were certainly much more careful not to admit any, into the highest rank of honour and authority in it, but what were, in a yet more eminent manner, endued with the same gifts. Hence St. Clement' tells us, that "the Apostles did prove by the Spirit the first "fruits of their conversions, and out of them set

1 Clem. Epist. num. xlii. xliv.