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"Church. Let us alfo love the Pro- SERM.III.

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phets, because even they preached the
Gofpel, believed in Chrift, and hoped
for him *."

The Meaning of these remarkable Words is plainly this. That he as firmly believed the Gofpel, as if he had heard Jefus Chrift himself alive, and in the Flesh, delivering

* Quod a Nemine, quod quidem fciam, huc ufque obfervatum fuit, monuit nos olim clariffimus Grabius, Ignatium utriufque hujus Canonis mentionem feciffe, in Epiftola ad Philadelphicos. Προσφυγών τῷ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΩ ὡς (αρκὶ Ἰησᾶ, και τοῖς ̓ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΙΣ ὡς πρεσβυτερίω Ἐκκλησίας· καὶ τὰς ΠΡΟΦΗΤΑΣ δὲ ἀγαπῶμεν, &c. Nempe per Εὐαγγέλιον, Codicem Evangelicum, per 'Amoróλes, Codicem Epiftolicum, per Пgopras, Canonem Vet. Teftamenti Cuvexduxixas intelligendum exiftimat. Id quod nobis poftea perfuafiffimum erat, etiam ex aliis Ignatii Locis. Nonnunquam enim Evangelii vocem ftrictius fumere videtur pro Codice Evangelico ; (ut cum Evangelicum ἐξαιρέτως effe ait, ἐν ᾧ τὸ πάθο ἡμῖν δεδήλωται, καὶ ἡ ἀνάςασις τελελείωθαι. Εpift. ad Smyrn. §. 7. & in Ep. ad Philadelph. Εξαίρεῖον ἔχει τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, THY άvasαow, &c. §. 8.) tum vero alias laxiori fignificatul Evangelium apud Eum pro Canone integro N. T. accep tum videmus; ubi fimul memorat Legem Mofis, Prophetias, & Evangelium; (xia ai weopniciar, & ô véμε Μωσέως, ἀλλ ̓ ἐδὲ μέχει νῦν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Εp. ad Smyrn. . 5.) Quod fi vero res ita fe habebat, Canon Epiftolicus mediocri Temporis intervallo præcefferit neceffe eft Epiftolas Ignatianas; ideoque & prodierit fub annum forte æræ Vulgaris CX. five etiam aliquanto ante, Millii Prolegom. pag. 24.

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SERM III to him the Precepts therein recorded; that

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he betook himself to the Writings of the Apoftles, with no lefs Affurance, than if that venerable Prefbytery were then acting, immediately under the great Bishop and Shepherd of their Souls, Jefus Chrift; that, after thefe, the next Regard was to be paid to the Writings of the Prophets, becaufe they had foretold our Saviour's Advent, his Death, and Paffion.

From hence we may gather, that the Canon of the New Teftament was then fettled and put upon a Foot of Equality with the Old. When he fays, Let us love the Prophets, who could be known to him no otherwise than by their Writings, he undoubtedly means their Compofitions, and the Books of the Old Teftament: And when he fays, he has Recourfe to the Gofpel, and the Apostles, he no lefs plainly means the main Body of the New Testament, as divided into the four Gofpels, and the Epiftles of the Apostles.

It

In his Epiftle to the Inhabitants of Smyrna, Section the 7th, he writes thus. "becomes us to attend to the Prophets, "but especially the Gospel, in which the "Paffion has been fhewn to us, and the Resurrection perfected.", And

And again, Section 5th, in the fame SERM. III. Epiftle, "whom neither the Prophecies, "nor the Law of Mofes, nor even the Gofpel, to this very Day could per

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From Ignatius, who, as St. Chryfoftom fays, conversed familiarly with the Apostles, and was intimately acquainted with their Doctrine; let us pafs on to Polycarp, who was not only inftructed by the Apostles, but by them conftituted Bishop of the Church of Smyrna ‡.

From him we learn, that in that early Age, the Books of the New Teftament were generally ftudied, and dignified with the Name of holy Writings, For, I "truft, fays he, that ye are well verfed in "the Holy Scriptures, and that Nothing "(of

(of this Kind) has efcaped you.-And "in thefe it is faid, Be ye angry, and fin not. And, let not the Sun go down upon "your Wrath *”

And in another very fhort Paragraph †, where he has quoted the Sacred Writings no less than four Times, he ftyles thofe

Irenæus, Lib. 3. cap. 3.

*Policarpi Ep. ad Philippenfes. Sect. 12,

+ Ibidem. Sect. 7th.

Writings,

SERM. III. Writings, which he quotes,

"the Oracles

"of the Lord." The Church of Smyrna, oyer which he prefided, in their Account of his Martyrdom, written immediately after his Death, appeals to the Scriptures, as of decifive Authority. "We do not com"mend, fay they, those who offer themfelves [to Martyrdom] fince the Gospel "teaches no fuch Thing

If, as it plainly appears from Ignatius and Polycarp, the Writings of the New Teftament were put upon a Level with thofe of the Old; then it will follow, that they were read at that Time in private Families and public Congregations; fince the Jewish Scriptures confeffedly had that dif tinguishing Mark of Refpect paid to them: And it is plain, they received the fame Scriptures, which we do: Since their Quo tations every where agree in Senfe and Subfance with the Books which we now receive, though they do not confine themfelves always precifely to the fame Words. For it was the Cuftom of that Age to quote memoriter.

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That St. Paul's Epiftles were thus publickly read, we have earlier Evidence. He Cotelerii Patres Apoftol. Page 196.

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himself orders one of them (if not two) SERM.III. to be read in the Churches of the Laodiceans and Coloffians *; and we may fairly gather from St. Peter's Words, that the reft of his Epiftles had the fame juft Honour done them.

Papias, who was Contemporary with thefe Writers, and converfant with the immediate Disciples of the Apostles, expressly afcribes the Gofpels of St. Matthew and Mark to their refpective Authors, and establishes the Genuineness of the first Epistle of Peter, and the first of John.

The Sum of the Evidence from the Apoftolical Writers is this: That the Writings of the New Testament were then gathered into one Volume, publickly read in Churches, and univerfally received; fince they are quoted by Clemens at Rome, by Barnabas at Cyprus, by Ignatius in Syria, by Polycarp at Smyrna, and by Papias at Hierapolis in Phrygia.

When Juftin Martyr, in the Year 140, in his fecond Apology mentions, (and men

Coloffians iv. 16,

+ 2 Pet. iii. 16.

Eufebii Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 3. cap. 39.

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