ings which remain of their companions, and immediate followers exprefsly confirm. Clement, who is honourably mentioned by St. Paul in his epiftle to the Philippians*, hath left us his atteftation to this point in the following words: "Let us take (says he) the examples of our own age. Through zeal and envy the most faithful and righteous pillars of the church have been perfecuted even to the most grievous deaths. Let us fet before our eyes the holy apoftles. Peter, by unjust envy, underwent, not one or two, but many fufferings; till at laft being martyred, he went to the place of glory that was due unto him. For the fame cause did Paul, in like manner, receive the reward of his patience. Seven times he was in bonds; he was whipped, was ftoned; he preached both in the caft and in the west, leaving behind him the glorious report of his faith : and so having taught the whole world righteoufness, and for that end travelled even * Philip. iv. 3. unto unto the utmost bounds of the weft, he at last suffered martyrdom by the command of the governors, and departed out of the world, and went unto his holy place, being become a most eminent pattern of patience unto all ages. To these holy apoftles were joined a very great number of others, who, having through envy undergone, in like manner, many pains and torments, have left a glorious example to us, For this, not only men, but women, have been perfecuted; and having suffered very grievous and cruel punishments, have finished the course of their faith with firmness *." Hermas, faluted by St. Paul in his Epiftle to the Romans, in a piece very little connected with hiftorical recitals, thus fpeaks"Such as have believed and fuffered death for the name of Chrift, and have endured with a ready mind, and have given up their lives with all their hearts †," * Clem. ad Cor. c. v. vi. Abp. Wake's tranf Polycarp, Polycarp, the disciple of John, though all that remains of his works be a very short epistle, has not left this fubject unnoticed.— "I exhort (fays he) all of you, that ye obey the word of righteousness, and exercise all patience, which ye have seen set forth before your eyes, not only in the bleffed Ignatius, and Lorimus and Rufus, but in others among yourselves, and in Paul himself and the reft of the apofiles; being confident in this, that all these have not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness; and are gone to the place that was due to them from the Lord, with whom also they fuffered.. For they loved not this prefent world, but him who died. and was raised again by God for us *. " Ignatius, the contemporary of Polycarp, recognises the fame topic, briefly indeed, but pofitively and precifely. "For this caufe (i. e. for having felt and handled Chrift's body after his refurrection, and being convinced, as Ignatius expreffes it, both by his *Pol. ad Phil, c. ix. flesh flesh and spirit), they (i. e. Peter, and those who were present with Peter at Chrift's appearance) defpifed death, and were found to be above it *" Would the reader know what a perfecu tion in thefe days was, I would refer him to a circular letter, written by the church of Smyrna foon after the death of Polycarp, who, it will be remembered, had lived with St. John; and which letter is entitled a relation of that bishop's martyrdom'. "The fufferings (fay they) of all the other martyrs were bleffed and generous, which they underwent according to the will of God. For fo it becomes us, who are more religious than others, to ascribe the power and ordering of all things unto him. And indeed who can choose but admire the greatness of their minds, and that admirable patience and love of their master, which then appeared in them? who, when they were fo flayed with whipping, that the frame and ftructure of *19 Ep. Smyr. c. iii. their bodies were laid open to their very inward veins and arteries, nevertheless endured it. In like manner, those who were condemned to the beasts, and kept a long time in prifon, underwent many cruel torments, being forced to lie upon fharp spikes laid under their bodies, and tormented with divers other forts of punishments; that so, if it were poffible, the tyrant, by the length of their fufferings, might have brought them to deny Christ *.' " *Rel. Mor. Pol. c. ii. CHAP. |