God for his church at Antioch; and of some of them desired that they would send Scopeσßeurny, a divine ambassador thither, on purpose to comfort them, and to congratulate their happy deliverance from the persecution. And because he knew that the prosperity of the church and the good of souls were no less undermined by heresy from within, than assaulted by violence and persecution from without, he had a peculiar eye to that, and took all occasions of warning the church to beware of heretics and seducers; those beasts in the shape of men, whose wild notions and brutish manners began even then to embase religion, and corrupt the simplicity of the faith. Indeed, he filled up all the measures of a wise governor, and an excellent guide of souls and St. Chrysostom runs through the particular characters of the bishop delineated by St. Paul, and finds them all accomplished and made good in him; with so generous a care, (says he,) so exact a diligence did he preside over the flock of Christ, even to the making good what our Lord describes as the utmost pitch and line of episcopal fidelity, "to lay down his life for the sheep" and this he did with all courage and fortitude; which is the last consideration we shall remark concerning him.

12. As a martyr he gave the higher testimony to his fidelity, and to the truth of that religion which he both preached and practised. He gloried in his sufferings as his honor and his privilege, and looked upon chains as his jewels and his ornaments: he was raised above either the love or fear of the present state, and could with as much ease and freedom (says Chrysostom) lay down his life, as another man could put off his clothes. The truth is, his soul was strangely inflamed with a desire of martyrdom; he wished every step of his journey to meet with the wild beasts that were prepared for him; and tells the Romans, he desired nothing more than they might presently do his work, that he would invite and court them speedily to devour him, and if he found them backward, as they had been towards others, he would provoke and force them. And though the death he was to undergo was most savage and barbarous, and dressed up in the most horrid and frightful shapes, enough to startle the firmest resolution, yet could they make no impression upon his impregnable adamantine mind, any more than the dashes of a wave upon a rock of marble. "Let the fire," said he, "and the cross, and the assaults of wild beasts, the breaking of bones, cutting of limbs, battering the whole body in pieces; yea, and all the torments which the devil can invent come upon me, so I may but attain to be with Jesus Christ" professing he thought it much better to die for Christ, than to live and reign the sole monarch of the world. Expressions certainly of a mighty zeal, and a divine passion wound up to its highest note. And yet, after all, this excellent person was humble to the lowest step of abasure. He often professes that he looked upon himself as an abortive, and the very least of the faithful in the whole church of Antioch; and though it was his utmost ambition, yet he did not know whether he was worthy to suffer for religion. I might in the last place enter into a discourse concerning his epistles; (the true indices of the piety and divine temper of his mind ;) those seven

I mean, enumerated and quoted by Eusebius, and collected by St. Polycarp, as himself expressly testifies; but shall forbear, despairing to offer any thing considerable after so much as has been said by learned men about them; only observing, that in the exceptions to the argument from St. Polycarp's testimony, little more is said even by those who have managed it to the best advantage, than what might be urged against the most genuine writing in the world. I add St. Polycarp's character of these epistles, whereby he recommends them as highly useful and advantageous; that " they contain in them instructions and exhortations to faith and patience, and whatever is necessary to build us up in the religion of our Lord and Saviour."

His writings-Genuine, "Ad Ephesios Epistola, I." "Ad Magnesianos, I.” "Ad Trallianos, I." "Ad Romanos, I." "Ad Philadelphenos, 1." "Ad Smyrnæos, I." "Epistola ad Polycarpum."-Spurious, "Ad Mariam Cassobolitam, I." "Ad Tarsenes, I." "Ad Antiochenos, I." "Ad Philippenses, I." "Ad Heronem, I." "Ad B. Virg. Mariam, I." "Ad Joannem Apostolum, II."

ST. POLYCARP.

ST. POLYCARP was born towards the latter end of Nero's reign, or it may be a little sooner; his great age at the time of his death, with some other circumstances, rendering it highly probable, if not certain. Uncertain it is where he was born; and I see no sufficient reason to the contrary why we may not fix his nativity at Smyrna, an eminent city of Ionia, in the lesser Asia, the first of the seven that entered their claim of being the birthplace of the famous Homer; in memory whereof they had a library, and a four-square portico, called Homereum, with a temple and the statue of Homer adjoining to it, and used a sort of brass coin, which they called 'Oμnptiov, after his name, and probably with his image stamped upon it. A place it was of great honor and renown, and has not only very magnificent titles heaped upon it by the writers of those times, but in several ancient inscriptions set up by the public order of the senate, not long after the time of Adrian, it is styled the chief city of Asia, both for beauty and greatness, the most splendid, the metropolis of Asia, and the ornament of Ionia. But it had a far greater and a more honorable privilege to glory in, if it was (as we suppose) the place of St. Polycarp's nativity, however of his education, the seat of his episcopal care and charge, and the scene of his tragedy and martyrdom. The Greeks, in their Menæon, report that he was educated at the charge of a certain noble matron, (whose name, we are told, was Callisto,) a woman of great piety and charity; who, when she had exhausted all her granaries in relieving the poor, had then. suddenly filled again by St. Polycarp's prayers. The circumstances whereof are more particularly related by Pionius, (who suffered, if, which I must question, it was the same, under the Decian persecution,) to this effect. Callisto, warned by an

angel in a dream, sent and redeemed Polycarp, (then but a child,) of some who sold him, brought him home, took care of his education, and finding him a youth of ripe and pregnant parts, as he grew up made him the major domo and steward of her house; whose charity, it seems, he dispensed with a very liberal hand, insomuch, that during her absence he had emptied all her barns and storehouses to the uses of the poor. For which being charged by his fellow-servants at her return, she not knowing then to what purpose he had employed them, called for the keys, and commanded him to resign his trust; which was no sooner done, but at her entrance in, she found all places full, and in as good condition as she had left them, which his prayers and intercession with Heaven had again replenished. As, indeed, Heaven can be sometimes content rather to work a miracle, than charity shall suffer and fare the worse for its kindness and bounty. In his younger years he is said to have been instructed in the Christian faith by Bucolus, whom the same Menæon elsewhere informs us St. John had consecrated bishop of Smyrna however, authors of more unquestionable credit and ancient date tell us, that he was St. John's disciple, and not his only, but as Irenæus, who was his scholar, (followed herein by St. Jerome,) assures us, he was taught by the apostles, and familiarly conversed with many who had seen our Lord in the flesh.

2. Bucolus, the vigilant and industrious bishop of Smyrna, being dead, (by whom St. Polycarp was, as we are told, made deacon and catechist of that church, an office which he discharged with great diligence and success,) Polycarp was ordained in his room, according to Bucolus's own prediction, who, as the Greeks report, had in his lifetime foretold that he should be his successor. He was constituted by St. John, say the ancients generally; though Irenæus, followed herein by the chronicle of Alexandria, affirms it to have been done by the apostles: whether any of the apostles besides St. John were then alive, or whether he means apostolic persons, (commonly styled apostles in the writings of the church,) who joined with St. John in the consecration. Eusebius says, that Polycarp was familiarly conversant with the apostles, and received the government of the church of Smyrna from those who had been eye-witnesses and ministers of our Lord. It makes not a little for the honor of St. Polycarp, and argues his mighty diligence and solicitude for the good of souls, that, (as we shall note more anon,) Ignatius passing to his martyrdom, wrote to him, and particularly recommended to him the inspection and oversight of his church at Antioch; knowing him, (says Eusebius,) to be truly an apostolical man, and being assured that he would use his utmost care and fidelity in that matter. The author of the Alexandrian Chronicle tells us, that it was the bishop of Smyrna (who could not well be any other than St. Polycarp) to whom St. John committed the tutorage and education of the young man, whom he took up in his visitation, who ran away, and became captain of a company of loose and debauched highwaymen, and was afterwards reduced and reclaimed by that apostle. But seeing Clemens Alexandrinus, who relates the story, sets down neither the name of the bishop, nor the city,

though he confesses there were some that made mention of it; nor is this circumstance taken notice of by any other ancient writer, nor that bishop's neglecting of his charge well consistent with St. Polycarp's care and industry, I shall leave the story as I find it. Though it cannot be denied but that Smyrna was near to Ephesus, as St. Clemens says that city also was, and that St. John seems to have had a more than ordinary regard to that church; it being, next Ephesus, the first of those seven famous Asian churches to whom he directed his epistles, and St. Polycarp this time bishop of it: for that he was "that angei of the church at Smyrna," to whom that apocalyptical epistle was sent, is not only highly probable, but by a learned man put past all question. I must confess that the character and circumstances ascribed by St. John to the angel of that church seem very exactly to agree with Polycarp, and with no other bishop of that church (about those times especially) that we read of in the history of the church. And whoever compares the account of St. Polycarp's martyrdom, with the notices and intimations which the Apocalypse there gives of that person's sufferings and death, will find the prophecy and the event suit together. That which may seem to make most against it, is the long time of his presidency over that see: seeing by this account he must sit at least seventy-four years bishop of that church, from the latter end of Domitian's reign (when the Apocalypse was written) to the persecution under M. Aurelius, when he suffered. To which no other solution needs to be given, than that his great, nay extreme age at the time of his death, renders it not at all improbable; especially when we find, several ages after, that Remigius, bishop of Rhemes, sat seventy-four years bishop of that place.

3. It was not many years after St. John's death, when the persecution under Trajan began to be reinforced, wherein the eastern parts had a very large share, ann. Chr. 107. Ignatius was condemned by the emperor, at Antioch, and sentenced to be transported to Rome, in order to his execu tion. In his voyage thither he put in at Smyrna, to salute and converse with Polycarp; these holy men mutually comforting and encouraging each other, and conferring together about the affairs of the church. From Smyrna, Ignatius and his company sailed to Troas, whence he sent back an epistle to the church of Smyrna, wherein he endeavors to fortify them against the errors of the times, which had crept in amongst them; especially against those who undermined our Lord's humanity, and denied his coming in the flesh, affirming him to have suffered only in an imaginary and phantastic body. An opinion (which as it deserved) he severely censures, and strongly refutes. He further presses them to a due observance and regard of their bishop, and those spiritual guides and ministers which, under him, were set over them; and that they would despatch a messenger on purpose to the church of Antioch, to congratu late that peace and tranquillity which then began to be restored to them. Besides this, he wrote particularly to St. Polycarp, whom he knew to be a man of an apostolic temper, a person of singu lar faithfulness and integrity; recommending to him the care and superintendency of his disconso

against heretics, and especially his carriage towards Marcion, we may suppose he learnt in a great measure from St. John, of whom he was wont to tell, that going into a bath at Ephesus, and espying Cerinthus the heresiarch there, he presently started back: "Let us begone," said he to his companions, "lest the bath wherein there is Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, fall upon our heads." This passage (says Irenæus) some yet alive heard from St. Polycarp's own mouth, and himself no doubt among the rest; for so he tells us elsewhere, that in his youth, when he was with St. Polycarp in the lesser Asia, he took such particular notice of things, that he perfectly remembered the very place where he used to sit while he discoursed, his goings out and coming in, the shape of his body, and the manner of his life, his discourses to the people, and the account he was wont to give of his familiar converse with St. John, and others who had seen our Lord, whose sayings he rehearsed, and whatever they had told him concerning our Saviour, concerning his miracles and his doctrine, which themselves had either seen or heard, agreeing exactly with the relations of the sacred history. All which Irenæus tells us he particularly took notice of, and faithfully treasured them up in his mind, and made them part of his constant meditation. These are all the material remarks which I find among the ancients concerning Polycarp, during the time of his government of the church at Smyrna. Indeed there are several miracles and particular passages of his life, related by the above-mentioned Pionius, which tend infinitely to exalt the honor of this holy man. But seeing the author is obscure, and that we can have no reasonable satisfaction who he was, and whence he borrowed his notices and accounts of things, I choose rather to suspend my belief, than to entertain the reader with those (at best uncertain) relations which he has given us.

6. In the reign of M. Antoninus and L. Verus, began a severe persecution (whether fourth or fifth, let others inquire) against the Christians. Melito, bishop of Sardis, who lived at that time, and dedicated his apology to the emperors, making mention of new edicts and decrees which the emperors had issued out through Asia, by virtue whereof impudent and greedy informers spoiled and vexed the innocent Christians. But the storm increased into a more violent tempest about the seventh year of their reign, ann. Chr. 167, when the emperor Marcus Antoninus, designing an expedition against the Marcomani, the terror of whom had sufficiently awakened them at Rome, summoned the priests together, and began more solemnly to celebrate their religious rites; and no doubt but he was told that there was no better way to propitiate and atone the gods, than to bear hard upon the Christians, generally looked upon as the most open and hateful enemies to their gods. And now it was that St. Polycarp, after a long and diligent discharge of his duty in his episcopal station, received his crown. So vastly wide of the mark are the later Greeks, making him, in their public offices to suffer martyrdom under the Decian persecution. Nor much nearer is that of Socrates, (however he fell into the error,) who tells us that he was martyred under Gordianus; mistakes so extravagant, that there needs no more

to confute them than to mention them. Concerning his sufferings and martyrdom, we have a ful and particular relation in a letter of the church of Smyrna, written not long after his death to the church of Philomelum, (or more truly Philadel phia,) and in the nature of an encyclical epistle, to all the diocesses (apoikiais) of the holy catholic church; the far greatest part whereof Eusebius has inserted into his history, leaving out only the beginning and the end, though the entire epistle, together with its ancient version, or rather paraphrase, is since published by bishop Usher. It was penned by Eauristus; and afterwards (as ap pears by their several subscriptions at the end of it) transcribed out of Irenæus's copy by Caius, contemporary and familiar with Irenæus; out of his by one Socrates, at Corinth; and from his by Pionius, who had with great diligence found it out. A piece it is that challenges a singular esteem and reverence both for the subject matter, and the antiquity of it, with which Scaliger thinks every serious and devout mind must needs be so affected, as never to think it has enough of it; professing, for his own part, that he never met with any thing in all the history of the church, with the reading whereof he was more transported, so that he seemed no longer to be himself. Which effect that it may have upon the pious, well-disposed reader, we shall present him with this following account.

7. The persecution growing hot at Smyrna, and many having already sealed their confession with their blood, the general outcry was "away with the impious," (or the atheists, such they generally called and accounted the Christians,) "let Polycarp be sought for." The good man was not disturbed at the news, but resolved to endure the brunt; till his friends, knowing his singular usefulness, and that our Lord had given leave to his disciples, when persecuted in one city to flee to another, prevailed with him to withdraw into a neighboring village; where, with a few companions, he continued day and night in prayer, earnestly interceding with Heaven (as aforetime it had ever been his custom) for the peace and tranquillity of all the churches in the world. Three days before his apprehension, falling at night, as he was at prayer, into a trance, he dreamed that his pillow was on fire, and burned to ashes; which when he awakened, he told his friends was a prophetic presage that he should be burned alive for the cause of Christ. In the mean time he was every where narrowly sought for; upon notice whereof his friends persuaded him to retire into another village; whither he was no sooner come, but his enemies were at hand, who seizing upon a couple of youths, (one of whom by stripes they forced to a confession,) were by them conducted to his lodging. Entering the house at evening, they perceived him to be in bed in an upper room; and though, upon notice before-hand of their coming, he might easily have saved himself by slipping into another house, yet he refused, saying, "The will of the Lord be done." Understanding his persecutors were there, he came down and saluted them with a very cheerful and gentle countenance; insomuch, that they who had not hitherto known him, wondered to behold so venerable a person, of so great age, and so grave

and composed a presence; and what needed all this stir to hunt and take this poor old man? He nothing concerned, ordered a table to be spread, and provisions to be set upon it, inviting them to partake of them, and only requesting for himself, that in the mean while he might have one hour for prayer. Leave being granted, he rose up, and betook himself to his devotions, wherein he had such mighty assistances of divine grace, that he continued praying nearly two hours together, heartily recommending to God the case of all his friends and acquaintances, whether great or little, honorable or ignoble, and the state of the catholic church throughout the world; all that heard him being astonished at it, and of them now repenting that so divine and venerable an old man should be put to death.

8. His prayer being ended, and they ready to depart, he was set upon an ass; and (it being then the great sabbath; though what that great sabbath was, learned men, I believe, will hardly agree till the coming of Elias) conducted him into the city. As they were upon the road, they were met by Herod and his father Nicetes, who indeed were the main springs of the persecution, and had put the tumult into motion. This Herod was an irenarcha, one of those, ad quos tuendæ publicæ pacis vigilantia pertinebal, as St. Augustine describes them: their office was much the same with that of our modern justices of the peace, they being set to guard the provinces, and to secure the public peace and quietness within their several jurisdictions; to prevent and suppress riots and tumults, robberies and rapines, and to enquire into the companions and receivers of all such persons, and to transmit to the magistrates the examinations and notices which they had received of such matters. They were appointed either by the emperor himself, or the præfecti prætorio, or the decurious; and at this time the custom in the provinces of the lesser Asia was, that every city did yearly send ten of the names of their principal persons to the governor of the province, who choose out one to be the irenarcha, the keeper or justice of the peace. Being afterwards found grievous and troublesome to the people, they were take away by a law of the younger Theodosius, though the office remained under another name. This office at Smyrna was at this time managed by this Herod, whom Baronius conjectures to be Herodes Atticus, a man of consular dignity, and of great learning and eloquence, and who had been tutor to the present emperor. Certain it is, that that Herod governed in the free cities of Asia, and resided sometimes at Smyrna: though it cramps the conjecture, that the name of that Herod's father was Atticus, of this Nicetes; unless we will suppose him to have had two names. But whoever he be, a great enemy he was to Polycarp, whom meeting upon the way, he took him up into his chariot, where both he and his father, by plausible insinuations, sought to undermine his constancy; asking him what great harm there was in saying, My lord the emperor, and in sacrificing, by which means he might escape. This was an unusual way of attempting the Christians; not that they made any scruple to acknowledge the emperor to be their lord, (none were so forward, so earnest to pay all due 101 (24)

subjection and reverence to princes,) but because they knew that the Romans, too apt to flatter the ambition of their emperors into a fondly usurped divinity, by that title usually understood God, as Tertullian tells them; in any other notion of the word, they could as freely as any call him Lord; though, as he adds, even Augustus himself modestly forbade that title to be ascribed to him.

9. St. Polycarp returned no answer to their demand, till importunately urging him, he replied, that he would not at any rate comply with their persuasions. Frustrated of the ends which they had upon him, they now lay aside the vizor of their dissembled friendship, and turn their kindness into scorn and reproaches; thrusting him out of the chariot with so much violence, that he bruised his thigh with the fall. Whereat nothing daunted, as if he had received no hurt, he cheerfully hastened on to the place of his execution, under the conduct of his guard; whither when they were come, and a confused noise and tumult was arisen, a voice came from heaven, (heard by many, but none seen who spake it,) saying, “Polycarp, be strong, and quit thyself like a man.' Immediately he was brought before the public tribunal, where a great shout was made; all rejoicing that he was apprehended. The proconsul (whose name was L. Statius Quadratus,) this very year, as Aristides, the orator, who lived at this time at Smyrna, informs us, the proconsul of Asia, (as not long before he had been consul at Rome,) asked him, whether he was Polycarp; which being confessed, he began to persuade him to recant. "Regard," said he, "thy great age; swear by the genius of Cæsar; repent, and say with us, Take away the impious." These were a ovundes autois, as my authors truly observe, their usual terms and proposals to Christians, who stoutly refused to swear by the emperor's genius; upon which account the heathens generally traduced them as traitors and enemies to the state; though, to wipe of that charge, they openly professed, that though they could not swear by the fortune of the emperor, (their genii being accounted deities, whom the Christians knew to be but demons, and cast out at every turn,) yet they scrupled not to swear by the emperor's safety, a thing more august and sacred than all the genii in the world.

10. The holy martyr looking about the Stadium, and with a severe and angry countenance beholding the crowd, beckoned to them with his hand, sighed and looked up to heaven, saying, (though quite in another sense than they intended,) "Take away the impious." The proconsul still persuaded him to swear, with promise to release him; withal urging him to blaspheme Christ; for with that temptation they were wont to assault Christians, and thereby to try the sincerity of their renegados; a course which Pliny tells us he observed towards apostate Christians; though he withal confesses, that none of them that were really Christians could ever be brought to it. The motion was resented with a noble scorn, and drew from Polycarp this generous confession: "Fourscore and six years I have served him, and he never did me any harm; how then shall I now blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" But nothing will satisfy a malicious misguided zeal the proconsul still importuned him to swear by Cæsar's