that there was then a standing president over the rest of the pastors of Ephesus, and he the very same (as learned Doctor Rainolds addeth) with him whom afterward the fathers called bishop, may further be made manifest, not only by the succession of the first bishops of that church, but also by the clear testimony of Ignatius; who, within no greater compass of time than twelve years afterwards, distinguisheth the singular and constant president thereof, from the rest of the number of the presbyters, by appropriating the name of bishop unto him.

As for the former, we find it openly declared in the general council of Chalcedon, by Leontius bishop of Magnesia, that from Timothy (and so from the days of the apostles) there had been a continued succession of seven and twenty bishops, all of them ordained in Ephesus. Of which number the angel of the church of Ephesus, mentioned in the Revelation, must needs be one whether it were Timothy himself, as somee conceive, or one of his next successors, as others rather do imagine.

For that Timothy had been some time the pоEσTÙÇ (which is the appellation that Justin Martyrs, in his second apology for Christians, and Dionysiush of Corinth not long after him, in his epistle to the church of Athens, and Marcellus bishop of Ancyra in his letters to Julius bishop of Rome, do give unto a bishop) or antistes, or

c Conference with Hart, chap. 8. divis. 3.

4 ̓Απὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Τιμοθέου μέχρι νῦν εἴκοσι ἑπτὰ ἐπίσκοποι ἐγένοντο, πάντες ἐν ̓Εφέσῳ ἐχειροτονήθησαν. Concil. Chalcedon. Act. 11.

e Vid. Perer. in Apocalyps. cap. 2. disp. 2. Alcasar. Proœm. in cap. 2. et 3. Apocal. notat. 1. et Petr. Halloix. Notat. in vit. Polycarp. cap. 7.

Notandum est ex hoc loco, Timotheum in Ephesino presbyterio tum fuisse πроεσтτà (id est antistitem) ut vocat Justinus. Bez. annotat. in 1 Tim. chap. 5. ver. 19.

Qui politiæ causa reliquis fratribus in cœtu præerat (quem Justinus Tov πроεσTwта vоcat) peculiariter dici episcopus cœpit. Id. in Philipp. chap. 1.

ver. 1.

h Dionys. Corinth. in epist. ad Athenienses, eodem sensu Publium martyrem nominat προεστῶτα αὐτῶν, quo proximum ejus successorem Quadratum ἐπίσ KOTOV AUTOV. apud Eusebium, lib. 4. histor. Kɛp. Kу.

· Δεινὰ κατά τε τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκλησιῶν, καὶ ἡμῶν τῶν προεστώτων aνTшV TETOλμýrao. Marcell. Ancyran. apud Epiphanium, hæres. 72.

president of the Ephesine presbytery, is confessed by Beza himself; and that he was ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, we do not only read in the subscription of the second epistle to Timothy, and the ecclesiastical history of Eusebiusk, but also in two ancient treatises concerning the martyrdom of Timothy; the one nameless in the library of Photius', the other bearing the name of Polycrates", even of the Polycrates, who was not only himself bishop of this church of Ephesus, but born also within six or seven and thirty years after St. John wrote the forenamed epistle unto the angel of that church, as it appeareth by the years he was of, when he wrote that epistle unto Victor bishop of Rome, wherein he maketh mention of "seven" kinsmen of his who had been bishops," he himself being the eighth.

I come now to the testimony of Ignatius, whom Theodoreto, and Felix" bishop of Rome, and John the chronographer of Antioch, report to have been ordained bishop of Antioch by St. Peter in special, Chrysostom (who was a presbyter of the same church) by the apostles in general; and without all controversy did sit in that see, the very same time wherein that epistle unto the angel of the Church of Ephesus was commanded to be written.

In the Isle of Patmos had St. John his Revelation ma

Euseb. hist. lib. 3. ep. d.

1 Οτι πρῶτον Τιμόθεον ἡ παροῦσα συγγραφή φησιν Εφέσου ἐπισκοπῆσαι. Et post. "Οτι ὁ ἀπόστολος Τιμόθεος ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου καὶ χειροτονεῖται τῆς ̓Εφεσίων μητροπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος καὶ ἐνθρονίζεται. Phot. bibliot. num. 254.

m Polycrat. de martyrio Timothei: inter vitas sanctorum edit. Lovanii anno 1485.

η Ἑπτὰ μὲν ἦσαν συγγενεῖς μου ἐπίσκοποι, ἐγὼ δὲ ὄγδοος. Polycrat. epist. ad Victorem: apud Euseb. lib. 5. hist. κɛp. KE.

• Theodoret. in dialogo 1. sive 'Aτρέπтч.

P Felix III. in epist. ad Zenonem imp. recitat. in V. synodo Constantinopol. Act. 1. (tom. 2. concilior. pag. 220. edit. Binnii, anno 1606.)

Johan. Malela Antiochenus, chronic. lib. 10. MS.

* Παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων τὴν ἀρχὴν ταύτην ἐνεχειρίσθη, καὶ αἱ τῶν μακαρίων ̓Αποστόλων χεῖρες τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐκείνης ἥψαντο κεφαλῆς. Jo. Chrysost. in Ignatii Encomio.

nifested unto him, "towards the end of the empire of Domitian," as Irenæus testifieth; or the fourteenth year of his government, as Eusebiust and Hierome specify it. From thence there are but twelve years reckoned unto the tenth of Trajan, wherein Ignatius, in that last journey which he made for the consummation of his glorious martyrdom at Rome, wrote another epistle unto the self same church of Ephesus. In which he maketh mention of their then bishop Onesimus, as it appears both by Eusebius" citing this out of it, and by the epistle itself yet

extant.

In this epistle to the Ephesians, Ignatius having acknowledged that their numerous" multitude was received by him in the person of their bishop Onesimus, and blessed God for granting unto them such a bishop as he was: doth afterwards put them in mind of their duty" in concurring with him, as he sheweth their worthy presbytery did, being "so conjoined," as he saith," with their bishop, as the strings are with the harp" and toward the end exhorteth them to "obey both the bishop and the presbytery, with an undivided mind."

In the same journey wrote Ignatius also an epistle unto the church of Smyrna, another of the seven, unto whom those letters are directed in St. John's Revelation, wherein he also saluteth their bishop and presbytery, exhorting

* Πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῆς Δομετιανοῦ ἀρχῆς. Iren. advers. hæres. lib. 5. cap. 30. op. pag. 330.

Euseb. chron. Hier. catal. scriptor. ecclesiast. in Johanne.

" Euseb. lib. 3. hist. ɛɛp. Xɛ.

* Τὴν πολυπλήθειαν ὑμῶν ἐν ὀνόματι Θεοῦ ἀπείληφα ἐν Ονησίμῳ. Ignat. epist. ad Ephes. apud Coteler. tom. 2. pag. 12.

* Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ χαρισάμενος ὑμῖν τοιούτοις οὖσι τοιοῦτον ἐπίσω κοπον. Ibid.

* "Οθεν ὑμῖν πρέπει συντρέχειν τῇ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου γνώμη. Ibid.

* Τὸ γὰρ ἀξιονόμαστον πρεσβυτέριον, ἄξιον ἄν τοῦ θεοῦ, οὕτως συνήρμοσται τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, ὡς χορδαὶ κιθαρᾷ. Ibid.

* Ὑπακούοντες τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ἀπερισπάστῳ διαvoia. Ibid. pag. 16.

» Ασπάζομαι τὸν ἀξιόθεον ἐπίσκοπον [ὑμῶν Πολύκαρπον] καὶ τὸ θεος πрεTÈS πрεoßriptov. Id. in epist. ad Smyrn. Ibid. pag. 38.

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all the people to "follow their bishop, as Christ Jesus did his Father, and the presbytery, as the apostles:" and telling them that nod man ought either to administer the sacraments, or do any thing appertaining to the church, without the consent of the bishop.

Who this bishop, and what that presbytery was, appeareth by another epistle written a little after from Smyrna, by "Polycarpus and the presbyters that were with him,” unto the Philippians. And that the same Polycarpus was then also bishop there, when St. John wrote unto "the angel of the church of Smyrna," who can better inform us than Irenæus? who did not only know those worthy men, "who succeeded Polycarpus in his see;" but also was present, when he himself did discourse of his conversation with St. John, and of those things which he heard from those who had seen our Lord Jesus.

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" Polycarpus,” saith he, “ was not only taught by the apostles, and conversed with many of those that had seen Christ, but also was by the apostles constituted in Asia bishop of the church which is in Smyrna: whom we ourselves also did see in our younger age; for he continued

• Πάντες τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ἀκολουθεῖτε, ὡς ὁ Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς τῷ Πατρὶ, ap. Cotel. tom. 2. pag. 36. καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ὡς τοῖς ἀποστόλοις. Ignat. in epist. ad Smyrn. ibid.

· Μηδεὶς χωρὶς ἐπισκόπου τι πρασσέτω τῶν ἀνηκόντων εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἐκείνη βεβαία εὐχαριστία ἡγείσθω, ἡ ὑπὸ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον οὖσα, ἢ ᾧ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπιτρέψῃ. Οὐκ ἐξόν ἐστι χωρὶς τοῦ ἐπισκόπου οὔτε βαπτίζειν, &c. Ibid.

• Πολύκαρπος, καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ Πρεσβύτεροι, τῷ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ παροικούσῃ Φιλίπποις. Polycarp. epist. ad Philippens. Ibid. pag. 190.

1 Οἱ μέχρι νῦν διαδεδεγμένοι τὸν τοῦ Πολυκάρπου θρόνον. Iren. advers. hæres. lib. 3. cap. 3. op. pag. 177.

6 Id. in epist. ad Florinum : apud Euseb. lib. 5. κεφ. κ. et ad Victorem, ibid. κεφ. κστ.

* Καὶ Πολύκαρπος δὲ οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ ἀποστόλων μαθητευθεὶς, καὶ συναναστραφεὶς πολλοῖς τοῖς τὸν Χριστὸν ἑωρακόσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ ἀποστόλων κατασταθεὶς εἰς τὴν ̓Ασίαν ἐν τῇ ἐν Σμύρνῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπίσκοπος, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἑωράκαμεν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμῶν ἡλικία· ἐπὶ πολὺ γὰρ παρέμεινε, καὶ πάνυ γηραλέος ἦν ἐνδόξως καὶ ἐπιφανέστατα μαρτυρήσας, ἐξῆλθε τοῦ βίου. Iren. lib. 3. cap. 3. pag. 176. Vid. et Εuseb. lib. 3. hist. κεφ. λε.

long and being very aged, he most gloriously and nobly suffering martyrdom departed this life."

Now being ordained bishop of Smyrna by the apostles, who had finished their course, and departed out of this life before St. John, the last survivor of them, did write his Revelation: who but he could there be meant by "the angel of the church in Smyrna?" in which that he still held his episcopal office unto the time of his martyrdom, which fell out seventy-four years afterward, may sufficiently appear by this testimony, which the brethren of the church of Smyrna, who were present at his suffering, gave unto him: "He was the most admirable man in our times, an apostolical and prophetical doctor, and bishop of the Catholic Church which is in Smyrna." Whereunto we may add the like of Polycrates bishop of Ephesus, who lived also in his time, and in his neighbourhood, affirming Polycarpusk to have been both bishop and martyr in Smyrna. So saith he in his synodical epistle, directed unto Victor bishop of Rome, about twenty-seven years after the martyrdom of Polycarpus, he himself being at that time sixty-five years of age.

About the very same time wherein Polycarpus wrote this epistle unto Victor, did Tertullian publish his book of prescriptions against heretics, wherein he avoucheth against them, that "as' the church of Smyrna had Polycarpus placed there by John, and the Church of Rome Clement ordained by Peter, so the rest of the churches also did show what bishops they had received by the appointment of the apostles, to traduce the apostolical seed unto them." And so before him did Irenæus urge against

· Οὗτος γέγονεν ὁ θαυμασιώτατος ἐν τοῖς καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς χρόνοις, διδάσκαλος ἀποστολικὸς καὶ προφητικὸς, γενόμενος ἐπίσκοπος τε τῆς ἐν Σμύρνη kałoλikĤs ikkλŋoías. Smyrnens. eccles. epist. de martyrio Polycarp. Euseb. lib. 4. hist. κεφ. ιστ.

* Πολύκαρπος, ὁ ἐν Σμύρνῃ καὶ ἐπίσκοπος καὶ μάρτυς. Polycrat. epist. ad Victorem apud Euseb. lib. 5. hist. Kɛp. d.

Sicut Smyrnæorum ecclesia Polycarpum a Johanne conlocatum refert; si cut Romanorum Clementem a Petro ordinatum edit: proinde (or, perinde) utique et cæteræ exhibent quos, ab apostolis in episcopatum constitutos, apostolici seminis traduces habent. Tertul. de præscript. cap. 32. Vid. et ejusd. lib. 4

contra Marcion. cap. 5.