A Preface to the Reader. better free thofe Epifilesfrom the wordo:yiis,us'd in the fence whereunto it was applyed by the Valentiniant long after the death of Ignatiuu then any other Apologie, I have as yet !yen, for the fecuring ofits abode in them. It is not a little burdenfome to the thought of lobee and learned men , to confider how frequently, cauflefy, abfurdly in themidit ofdifcourfes quite ofanother n.:tere, and tenden- cy, the Author of thole Epifiles ( or fome body for him)breaks w upon theCorn roerd,;;o:t ofChurch Officers Bilhopsand Prefbyters, exalting them with titles ofhonout to the greateft Potentates on earth and comparing them to God theFather and Son ; where as none of the Sacred writers that went before him, nor anyofthofegood and holy men who(as is hippofed) followedafter himdo hold the leafs communion or fociety with him. ', vay.u.v 't;r ,'v lap nctan,ävsu añ'Emrroax" J'Y regi,77e,vtfptes Epifl:adTeal: whereunto is immcdiafly fubjoynrd thatDo&rine concerning Deacons,which will fcarcely be thought to beexegetical of Aci 6.v:ÿ A eel) dlaxóveQSÓV7at µvsreíwr Xprsê Inns 4m orat7u `óxo}r ápcT2tiv,é Ft dpw úr>rw wo7mee mMzr -o, arc. And TiyZ4nrinísaove-'ata` v40175pfxñs ÿ i doiati7(3r-t,va adv7wv ea;. What the Wri- ter ofthis paffage intended to make ofa 73i/hop well I know not : but thus he (peaks of him Epifl:ad Magnet. 1pfvwvéhtd 'ÿlitaf,vaméc,vi,t'Emre7G)(Wit. rmue,dtra arri,s'y v.rsc;s =v yS rd ( as the Apoftle fpeaks concerningGod, Heb :6. to.) rotúrw dvned .' r. Thus indeed force would have it who to help the matter , have further framed filch an Epifcapacy , as was never thought on byany in the dayes of Ignatius, as (hall afterwardsbe made evident. And in the fame Epifile this is fomewhat uncouth and ftrange. `Evo sr-- , Wo7t tiu;,vct 7:ego' dt' ndr; ëa Xptsrr.r;ercp óUV i Kúeta. ;nu zû nuvy2ssdiv-svrc+, é f,ravru yS, pnci,iuor. v e,r =_u. tnä ñEr.'OraattjtipsÑiársvToti 'E7ntrxó7fxenj' áttleaßtfrspe-,t*++,,ioavg-,o',Aaï;ùs "'J nya<uprmy`¡.ÜViv. t awiv eapi 7lwkr vxyvoia.srv. Whether the Lord Chrift hellhound any fuch burden upon the fhouldersof the Saints, I much queftion ; nor can I tell What to make of thecomparifon, be- tween God the Father, and the Bifhop, Chrifi,and thereft of the Church; the whole lenience inwordand matter, being mat remote from the loftCountenance from theSacred writings Epifl:adPhiladeltitapéa3uTseytxjaiawexoeotao`Tetaasrtip( , 44974r7i7úeet. x7:75 SoTteirrao, xj 701s ápxxvt xj 7fÌ Kvs?uet (well aimed however ) 7Gi umaeOaw 7rrsu;xtlutnovr. TheEpiftle to the Church at Stetyrna is full offuchfluff, inferted without any occafion, order,coherence or any colour to induce us tobelieve that it is partof the Epifile as firft written. One paffage I may not omit.Tlra ;Heir (tria)T8sdv,s;ßamT4n igw Ps enrnn' ( in the languageofour Saviour repudia, ting thePharifees corrupted gio(fes on the Law ) 7iva a es6v u;sat7tov 7=~,v T-,v xip,ov , Ind. oz,n n, éÆ a`f eitepta NoVÉix p m0VY7a,>47+ for tóápxn,v 310E7 nsTI ó 4 7i ieo®7ejemXg:o' ) un' úrot rxeñ ßaoo,fe. SoPeter's millake is correeledi his reafons follow, 7i> ,,41,37rdv,",i1 m aTñvt©- dv arñvr zZvaty' óure ¡1 e, term 'nn ëlnaxóere ri an .n. iapmusys Oerá' :, °dnë nSeen vrec mt 7,,,..41,3 (as was Jefus Chrifi) and it is added, a'ó :aato.uvty 5myt-r,jnon d 'coo nifi oe `knit ckethc;tdv 7t.u'aotrpvyiyvtottiar, váonr engii7s xelev%á to3nñ?7,n tguedu, i ,'vev s'iaxó'n ,irtos'v , xtps¡r<vtiJ-t 'c.itpwavvn}ápt2,7Ó71dornv4en 'yéo¿o páorotsdvaCn?nads,Howwellthisfaitsthedo- C ine ofPeter and Paul, theReader will eafìly difcerne. Cesar or the Icing is upon all ac- counts thrufi behindthe Bifhop, who is Paid to be Cenfecreted to God for the (alvation ofthe World:him he is exhorted to obey; and in exprefsoppofition to the Holy Ghoft, the Bifhop's name is thruft inbetween God and theKing, as in a way ofpreheminence above the latter: 'And to doe any thingwithout the Bifhop is madea farre greater crime then to rife up againft the Icing. As this feemes fcarce to be the language of one , going upon an Accusation to appeare before the Emperour, fo I am certaine, ie is moil remote from the likenels of any thing, that in this affaire we are inftru&ed in from the Scripture. Plainly this language is the fame with that of the falle Impofior Pfeudo-Clement in his pretended4pefiolical Conftitutions. At this rate,orfomewhat beyond it have you him ranting, Lib. z, cap. z. E'or&,oaov (0.; 7ÚV.y ixttvix¿e pdoots,adv7wvzpxervúv9pám.v,h ;éwv,Raont a p, dptia'v,oe,n47'spoeu'<e;,11doedtnvre 7tav7fw;n áfe n'sCirne All Topes, with all forts ofPerfenswhatever 'Priefis, Kings, and Princes, Fathers and Children, all under thefeet of this Exemplar ofGod, and Ruler over men. Apaffage which doubtlefs eminently interprets and illuftrares that placeof Peter a Epifile ch. 5. t'.t. 2.3. The Elders that are amongyou Iexhort, mho alto am an Elder, and no munef of the fufferings ofChrifl and alfoapartakerof theglory that £ball be revealed j eed theflock ofGod,whith W amongyou,taf ing the everfzght thereofnot by cunflraint , but willingly ,notfor filthy lucre, bort ofa ready mind, neither as being Lords overGod's heritage,but bring Examples to theflock . But yet as if the man were fiarke mad,with wordldy prideandpompe He afterwards in the name ofthe Holy e.epoffles of ?erns Chrifl , commands all the Laity ( forfooth) to honour , lore, and feare the Bifhop, ws Kóetov,r s Ino'mirsr,Jo `Apyrpsa osoO. Lib, a.Cap zo. And thatyou may fee
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