imagine what we please, but that more than this

Christian rules of conduct. The passages supposed to be alluded to by this father, are, in addition to those already specified, these which follow. Luke vi. 36, 37, 38. xvii. 2. Acts xiii. 22. xx. 35. Rom. i. 29, 30. 32. ii. 20. ix. 4, 5. xiv. 1. 3. xv. 1. 1 Cor. i. 12. x. 24. xii. 12. 15. 22. 24. xiii. 4. xv. 20. 2 Cor. iii. 18. viii. 5. x. 17, 18. xi. 24, 25. Gal. i. 4. Eph. iv. 4, 5, 6. Phil. i. 10. ii. 5, 6, 7. Col. i. 10. 1 Thess. v. 18. 23. 1 Tim. ii. S. iii. 13. v. 4. 2 Tim. i. 9. Tit. iii. 1. Heb. i. 3, 4, 5. 7. 13. iii. 2. 5. iv. 12. vi. 18. xi. 5. 7, 8. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37. 39. xii. 1, 2. 6. 9, 10, 11. James i. 5, 6, 7, 8. ii. 21. 23. iii. 13. iv. 3, 4. 6. 1 Pet. iv. 8. v. 5. 2 Pet. ii. 5, 6, 7. 9. iii. 4.

[This father's allusion to one of the above passages, Gal. i. 4. I insert here, though not connected with the present subject, as throwing a strong light upon the sense, which, in those apostolic days, was assigned to the phrase giving himself FOR us as applied to the sacrifce of Christ. Δια την αγαπην εν εσχεν προς ημας, το αιμα αυτε εδωκεν υπερ ημων Ιησους Χρισος ο Κύριος ημών, εν θεληματι Θεού, και την σαρκα υπέρ της σαρκός ημών, και την ψυχην υπερ των ψυχων ημων. (Patr. Apost. vol. i, pp. 189, 190.) Through the love which he had for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the will of God, gave his blood for us: his flesh for our flesh, his soul for our soul. The reader will please to carry this exposition of the passage of Galatians, i. 4. back to p. 247-252 of vol. i. where the sub. stitutive force of the word veg has been already considered.]

3. In the Shepherd of Hermas we meet with allusions (most of them remote) to ten passages of St. Matthew at the most: viz. Matt. v. 28. 42. x. 32, 33. xiii. 5, 6, 7. 20, 21, 22. 31, 32. xix. 23, 24. xviii. 3, 4. xxiii. 6. xxviii. 18. The other parts of the New Testament to which this father may be supposed to allude, are the following. Mark ix. 50. Luke xiji. 24, 25. xvi. 18. John xiv. 6. Acts v. 41. Rom.

is not revealed; of which it unfortunately hap

viii. 11. ix. 4. 2 Cor. vii. 10.

xi. 29. xv. 7. 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17. vii. 11. 15. Gal. iii. 27. Eph. iv. 4. 30, 31. Philip. iv. 18.

Col. i. 15, 16. 1 Thess. v. 13. 2 Tim. i. 14. iv. 18. Heb. xii. 17. James i. 5. ii. 7. iii. 15. 17. iv. 2, 3, 4. 7. 12. v. 1, 2. 4. 1. Pet. 1. 6, 7. iii. 15. v. 7. 2 Pet. ii. 15. 20. 1 John ii. 27. iv. 6. v. 6. 2 John 4. 3 John 3, 4. Jude xxi. 24. There are expressions also in this father resembling several in the book of Revelations. But in none of these allusions

to the books of the New Testament, do we find the author concerned with any other than topics of moral and religious exhortation.

4. In those Epistles of Ignatius which are received as genuine, there are to be discovered, besides the allusions to the first two chapters of Matthew noticed at p. 467 of this volume, but six passages of that Evangelist to which this father can be supposed to refer: viz. iii. 15. x. 16. xii. 33. xviii. 19, 20. xix. 12. In addition to these, he may be considered as referring to the following parts of the other Gospels and Epistles. Luke xiv. 27. John iii. 8. viii. 29. x. 9. xii. 49. xvi. 11. 28. Acts x. 41. Rom. viii. 38, 39. xv. 7. 1 Cor. i. 10. 18, 19, 20. iv. 4. v. 7. vi. 9, 10. xv. 8. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. Gal. i. 1. v. 4. Eph. ii. 22. iv. 3, 4, 5. v. 2. 25. 29. vi. 13, · 14. 16, 17. Philip. i. 21. ii. 3. 5. Col. i. 7. 1 Thess. v. 17. 2 Tim. i. 16. 18. ii. 4. Tit. ii. 3. Philem. 20. Heb. x. 28, 29. xiii. 9. 1 Pet. v. 5. 1 John i. 2. 3 Jolin 2. Of these, as of the passages of the New Testament alluded to by the fathers before named, i is to be remarked, that none are connected with any discussion concerning the nativity of our Lord. And the allusions, which this father (as observed at p. 467.) has made to that subject, will be found, upon examination, not to have been studiously and formally brought for ward for the purpose of proving the miraculous circumstances of our Lord's birth, as if they were at that time not generally

pens, that not one word is revealed-except by Mr.

assented to; but introduced familiarly and unqualifiedly, as relating to a fact well known, and about which no differ ence of opinion prevailed, or at least none that demanded a more detailed consideration.

Lastly, with respect to Polycarp, of whose writings the Epistle to the Philippians is the only one that has been preserved; his references to St. Matthew are as follow. Matth. v. 3. 7. 10. 44. vi. 12, 13, 14, 15. vii. 1, 2. xxvi. 41. These relate merely to matter of religious exhortation and enforce ment, as do his remaining references to other parts of the New Testament; namely, Acts ii. 24. Rom. xii. 17. xiii. 9, 10. xiv. 10. 12. 1 Cor. v. 11. vi. 2. 9, 10. 2 Cor. iv. 14. vi. 7. viii. 21. Gal. i. 1. iv. 26. vi. 7. Ephes. ii. 8, 9. iv. 26. Philip. ii. 10, 11. 16. Col. i. 28. 1 Thess. v. 17. 22. 2 Thess. iii. 15. 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2. vi. 7. 10. 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. iv. 10. Heb. iv. 12, 13. 1 Pet. i. 8. 13. 21. 1 Pet. ii. 11, 12. 17. 22. 24. iii. 9. 14. iv. 5. 7. v. 5. 1 John ii. 7. iv. 3. Jude 3.

The purposes, for which the Apostolical Fathers referred to the New Testament, will readily be discerned by a re. view of the passages, to which they can be supposed to have alluded, and which have been here very fully enumerated. In truth, so far are they from having had occasion to refer to such parts of scripture as relate to the family and birth of Christ, that, with the exception of Ignatius, their subjects in no instance lead them to any discussion or even notice of these points. The epistle of Barnabas consists of two parts: the one exhorting to constancy in the belief and profession of the Christian doctrine without the rites of the Jewish law; and the other containing a course of moral instructions. (See Menard. Judic. de S. Barn. Putr. Apost. vol. i. p. xxviii.) The epistle of Clement is designed to compose dissensions, which had sprung up in the church of Corinth respecting spiritual governors; and is principally occupied in recommending VOL. II.

Belsham: St. Paul having simply said, that Christ

peace, and harmony, and humility, and faith, and all the vir tues of a Christian life. The writings of Hermas consist of vi șions, mandates, and similitudes, all totally unconnected with the person and history of Christ. The short letter of Polycarp, which is scarcely of sufficient bulk to fill ten octavo pages, is entirely employed in godly exhortation. And in the genuine Epistles of Ignatius, in which heretical opinions are adverted to, we find that father opposing to those opinions the fact of our Lord's miraculous birth, agreeably to the account given of it by St. Matthew; and opposing that fact as decisive and unanswerable in argument, whilst it is itself assumed as a matter about which there was no dispute. That the heretical opinions, moreover, against which, he had to contend, were not those which maintained the simple humanity of Christ, but those, on the contrary, which denied his human nature altogether, and the reality of his suffering and resurrection; seems fairly deducible from the entire tenor and language of his Epistles, and more especially from the xith section of his Epistle to the Magnesians, in which he lays particular stress on these things having been done truly and certainly, πραχθεντα αληθώς και βεβαίως. [On this subject I cannot forbear recommending to the reader an excellent work of the late Mr. Wilson, of St. John's College, Cambridge, on the Method of Explaining the New Testament by the early opinions of Jews and Christians concerning Christ. Let him look particularly to p. 357, and the argument connected therewith. I cannot but think, that this ingenious writer has taken a juster view than that, which even the learned. Bishop Pearson, the great vindicator of Ignatius's writings, has formed, of the nature of the heresies with which this antient father had to contend.]

How little, then, upon the whole, these early fathers had to do with establishing the truth of the history relating to "the family and birth of Christ" how little they were, in

is now at the right hand of God, making intercession for us.-God however has no right hand; and interceding does not mean, interceding.*

with the nature of that work

their writings, concerned in " debates with Jewish unbelievers," how little they were urged to the necessity of "referring to the first two chapters of St. Matthew," and how little consequently Dr. Williams is at liberty to infer from the silence, which he attributes to them on the subject matter of those chapters, the conclusion that they are spurious,-I leave to the reader to determine. That he may form the better judgment of the value of the argument derived from the silence of the Apostolical Fathers concerning any assigned portion of Scripture, I shall conclude with transcribing some observations of the indust ious and cautious Lardner upon the subject of their writings. (Works, vol. ii. pp. 103, 104.). "All these are but short pieces. The largest is the Shepherd of Hermas, which is almost as large as all the rest put toge ther. But it was inconsistent for the writer to quote books. All these pieces, except the Shepherd of Hermas, are epistles written to Christians; who, it is likely, needed not at that time to be particularly informed what books they ought to receive; but only to be ad monished to attend to the things contained in them, and to maintain their respect for them, as is here often done." From these and other particulars, he proceeds to say," it is apparent, that these Apostolical Fathers have not omitted to take notice of any book of the New Testament, which, as far as we are able to judge, their design led them to mention, Their silence, therefore, about any other books can be no prejudice to their genuineness, if we shall hereafter meet with credible testimonies to them." What has been here justly remarked respecting the books of Scripture, equally applies to portions of those books.

* Mr. Belsham's remark on the force of the original word,