Polycarp, the disciple of John, though all that remains of his works be a very short epistle, has not left this subject 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 blessed Ignatius, and Lorimus and Rufus, but in others among yourselves, and in Paul himself and the rest of the apostles; 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 present 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 positively and precifely. "For this cause (i. e. for having felt and handled Chrift's body after his refurrection, and being convinced, as Ignatius expresses it, both by his

* Pol. ad Phil. c. ix.

flesh

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flesh and spirit), they (i. e. Peter, and those who were present with Peter at Chrift's appearance) despised death, and were found to be above it *."

Would the reader know what a persecution in these 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 sufferings (say they) of all the other martyrs were bleffed and generous, which they underwent according to the will of God. For so 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 so flayed with whipping, that the frame and structure of

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 sharp 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.

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CHAP. CHAP. V.

There is fatisfactory evidence, that many, profefsing to have been original witnesses of the Chriftian miracles, passed their lives in labours, dangers, and fufferings, voluntarily undergone in attestation of the accounts which they delivered, and folely in confequence of their belief of those accounts; and that they also fubmitted, from the fame motives, to new rules of conduct.

UPON the history, of which the last chap

ter contains an abstract, there are a few observations which it may be proper to make, by way of applying its testimony to the particular propositions for which we contend.

I. Although our scripture history leaves the general account of the apostles in an early part of the narrative, and proceeds with the separate account of one particular apoftle,

apostle, yet the information which it delivers fo far extends to the rest, as it shews the nature of the fervice. When we fee one apoftle fuffering perfecution in the discharge of his commiffion, we shall not believe, without evidence, that the same office could, at the fame time, be attended with ease and fafety to others. And this fair and reasonable inference is confirmed by the direct attestation of the letters, to which we have so often referred. The writer of these letters not only alludes, in numerous passages, to his own fufferings, but speaks of the rest of the apostles as enduring like fufferings with himself. " I think that God hath fet forth us the apofiles last, as it were, appointed to death; for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men-even unto this prefent hour, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; and labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless ; being perfecuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and as the offscouring of all things