In both these paffages we perceive the high refpect paid to the words of Christ as recorded by the evangelifts: "Remember the words of the Lord Jefus-by this command and by these rules let us eftablish ourselves, that we may always walk obediently to his holy words." We perceive alfo in Clement a total unconsciousness of doubt, whether thefe were the real words of Chrift, which are read as fuch in the gospels. This obfervation indeed belongs to the whole series of teftimony, and especially to the most ancient part of it. Whenever any thing now read in the gofpels, is met with in an early Chriftian writing, it is always obferved to stand there as acknowledged truth, i. e. to be introduced without hesitation, doubt, or apology. It is to be observed also, that as this epiftle was written in the name of the church of Rome, and addreffed to the church of Corinth, it ought to be taken as exhibiting

fage in Clement agrees more exactly with Luke xvii. 2. "It were better for him that a mill-ftone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he fhould offend one of thefe little ones."

the

the judgement not only of Clement, who drew up the letter, but of thefe churches themselves, at least as to the authority of the books referred to.

It

may

be faid, that, as Clement hath not ufed words of quotation, it is not certain that he refers to any book whatever. The words of Chrift, which he has put down, he might himself have heard from the apoftles, or might have received through the ordinary medium of oral tradition. This hath been faid; but that no fuch inference can be drawn from the abfence of words of quotation is proved by the three following confiderations:-First, that Clement, in the very fame manner, namely, without any mark of reference, uses a paffage now found in the epiftle to the Romans *; which paffage, from the peculiarity of the words which compose it, and from their order, it is manifeft that he must have taken from the book. The fame remark may be repeated of fome

* Rom. i. 29.

very

very fingular fentiments in the epiftle to the Hebrews. Secondly, that there are many fen tences of St. Paul's firft epiftle to the Corinthians standing in Clement's epistle without any fign of quotation, which yet certainly are quotations; because it appears that Clement had St. Paul's epistle before him, inafmuch as in one place he mentions it in terms too exprefs to leave us in any doubt" Take into your hands the epiftle of the bleffed apoftle Paul." Thirdly, that this method of adopting words of fcripture, without reference or acknowledgement, was, as will appear in the fequel, a method in general use amongst the most ancient Christian writers. Thefe analogies not only repel the objection, but caft the prefumption on the other fide; and afford a confiderable degree of positive proof, that the words in queftion have been borrowed from the places of fcripture in which we now find them.

1

But take it if you will the other way, that Clement had heard thefe words from the apoftles or first teachers of Christianity; with refpect

respect to the precife point of our argument, viz. that the fcriptures contain what the apostles taught, this fuppofition may ferve

almoft as well.

III. Near the conclufion of the epistle to the Romans, St. Paul, amongst others, fends the following falutation: "Salute Afyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobus, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them."

Of Hermas, who appears in this catalogue of Roman Chriftians as contemporary with St. Paul, a book bearing the name, and it is most probable rightly, is ftill remaining. It is called the Shepherd or Pastor of Hermas*. Its antiquity is incontestable, from the quotations of it in Irenæus, A. D. 178, Clement of Alexandria, A. D. 194, Tertullian, A. D. 200, Origen, A. D. 230. The notes of time extant in the epiftle itself agree with its title, and with the testimonies concerning it, for it purports to have been written during the lifetime of Clement.

In this piece are tacit allufions to St. Matthew's, St. Luke's, and St. John's gospels, that is to fay, there are applications of thoughts and expreffions found in these gofpels, without citing the place or writer from which they were taken. In this form appear in Hermas the confeffing and denying of Chrift; the parable of the feed fownf; the comparison of Chrift's difciples to little children; the saying," he that putteth away his wife and marrieth another, committéth adultery; the fingular expreffion, "having received all power from his father," in probable allufion to Mat. xxviii. 18. and Chrift being the "gate," or only way of coming" to God," in plain allufion to John xiv. 6.—x. 7. 9. There is also a probable allufion to Acts v. 32.

This piece is the representation of a vision, and has by many been accounted a weak and fanciful performance. I therefore obferve, that the character of the writing has

* Mat. x. 32, 33. or Luke xii. 8, 9.

Mat. xiii. 3. or Luke viii. 5.

1 Luke xvi. 18.

little