THUS far, that reverend doctor, whose observation touching "the angel of the church of Ephesus," in the second of the Revelation, that he was the same with him whom afterwards in the primitive Church the fathers called bishop, is clearly confirmed, both by the succession of the first bishops of that church, and by the 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 sevenand-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 some conceive, or one of his next successors, as others rather do imagine. For that Timothy had been sometime the (which is the appellation which Justin Martyr giveth unto him, whom other of the fathers do peculiarly term a bishop) or antistes, or president of the Ephesine presbytery, is confessed by Beza himself: and that he was or a D. Rainold. conference with Hart, chap. 8. divis. 3. b ̓Απὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Τιμοθέου μέχρι νῦν εἰκοσιεπτὰ ἐπίσκοποι ἐγένοντο· πάντες ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἐχειροτονήθησαν. Concil. Chalcedon. act. 11. c Vid. P. Halloix, notat. in vit. Polycarp. cap. 7. d Notandum est ex hoc loco, Timotheum in Ephesino presbyterio tum fuisse πρоɛστŵτа (id est, antistitem) ut vocat Justinus. Bez. annotat. in 1 Tim. cap. 5. ver. 19. Qui politiæ causa reliquis fratribus in cœtu præerat (quem Justinus TÒν πроεσTŵтα vocat) peculiariter dici episcopus cœpit. Id. in Philipp. cap. 1. ver. 1. dained 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 Eusebius, 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 that Polycrates, who was not only himself bishop of this church of Ephesus, but born also within six or sevenand-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 Theodoret1 and Felixk bishop of Rome, and John' the chronographer of Antioch report to have been ordained bishop of Antioch by St. Peter; 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 manifested unto him, "toward the end of the empire of Domitian," as Irenæus testifieth; or the fourteenth year of his government, as Eusebius" and Hierom specify it. From thence there are but twelve years reckoned unto the tenth of Trajan: wherein Igna e Euseb. hist. lib. 3. kɛp. d. * "Οτι πρῶτον Τιμόθεον ἡ παροῦσα συγγραφή φησιν ̓Εφέσου ἐπισκοπῆσαι. et post: Ὅτι ὁ ἀπόστολος Τιμόθεος ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου καὶ χειροτονεῖται τῆς ̓Εφεσίων μητροπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος καὶ ἐνθρονίζεται. Phot. bibliothec. num. 254. 1485. Polycrat. de martyrio Timothei: inter vitas sanctorum, edit. Lovanii anno ἡ Ἑπτὰ μὲν ἦσαν συγγενεῖς μοῦ ἐπίσκοποι, ἐγὼ δὲ ὄγδοος. Polycrat. epist. ad Victorem: apud Euseb. lib. 5. hist. KɛP. KE. i Theodoret. in dialogo 1. sive 'Aтρέπтη. * Felix III. in epist. ad Zenonem Imp. recitat. in V. synodo Constantinopol. act. 1. tomo 2. concilior. pag. 220. edit. Binii, ann. 1606. Johan. Malela Antiochenus, chronic. lib. 10. MS. m Пρòç τ TÉλei tñs Aoμeriavov áρxñs. Iren. advers. hæres. lib. 5. cap. 30. op. pag. 330. Euseb. lib. 5. hist. kɛp. ŋ. "Euseb. chronic. Hieron. catal. scriptor. ecclesiast. in Johanne. tius, 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 "obeyt 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 those seven unto whom those letters are directed in St. John's Revelation; wherein he also saluteth" their bishop and presbytery, exhorting all the people to "follow their bishop, as Christ Jesus did his father, and the presbytery, as the apostles;" and telling them that no man ought either to administer the sacraments, or do any thing appertaining to the • Euseb. lib. 3. hist. κεφ. λε. • Τὴν πολυπλήθειαν ὑμῶν ἐν ὀνόματι θεοῦ ἀπείληφα ἐν Ονησίμῳ. Ignat. epist. ad Ephes. apud Coteler. tom. 2. pag. 44. 4 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ χαρισάμενος ὑμῖν τοιούτοις οὖσι τοιοῦτον ἐπίσκοπον. Ibid. * "Οθεν ὑμῖν πρέπει συντρέχειν τῇ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου γνώμη. Ibid. • Τὸ γὰρ ἀξιονόμαστον πρεσβυτέριον, ἄξιον ἂν τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὕτως συνήρ μοσται τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, ὣς χορδαὶ κιθάρα. Ibid. • Υπακούοντες τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ἀπερισπάστῳ διανοίᾳ. Ibid. u - Ασπάζομαι τὸν ἀξιόθεον ἐπίσκοπον [ὑμῶν Πολύκαρπον] καὶ τὸ θεοπρεπὲς πρεσβυτέριον. Id. in epist. ad Smyrn. apud Coteler. tom. 2. pag. 38. * Πάντες τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ἀκολουθεῖτε, ὡς ὁ χριστὸς ̓Ιησοῦς τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ὡς τοῖς ἀποστόλοις. Ibid. pag. 36. • Μηδεὶς χωρὶς ἐπισκόπου τὶ πρασσέτω τῶν ἀνηκόντων εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· ἐκείνη βεβαία εὐχαριστια ἡγεισθω, ἡ ὑπὸ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον οὖσα ἢ ᾧ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπιτρέψη. Οὐκ ἐξόν ἐστι χωρὶς τοῦ ἐπισκόπου οὔ τε βαπτίζειν, &c. Ibid. Church, without the consent of the bishop. And that Polycarpus was then bishop, when St. John wrote unto "the angel of the church in 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, aud of those things which he heard from those who had seen our Lord Jesus. "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 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 surviver 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." 66 • Οι μεχρι νῦν διαδεδεγμένοι τὸν τοῦ Πολυκάρπου θρόνον. Iren. advers. hæres. lib. 3. cap. 3. op. pag. 177. Euseb. lib. 4. hist. Kep. id. a Iren. in epist. ad Florinum: apud Euseb. lib. 5. kɛp. K. et ad Victorem ibid. κεφ. κστ. • Καὶ Πολύκαρπος δὲ οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ ̓Αποστόλων μαθητευθεὶς, καὶ συναναστραφείς πολλοῖς, τοῖς τὸν χριστὸν ἑωρακόσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ ̓Αποστόλων κατασταθεὶς εἰς τὴν ̓Ασίαν ἐν τῇ ἐν Σμύρνῃ ἐκκλησία ἐπίσκοπος, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἑωράκαμεν ἐν τῇ πρώτη ἡμῶν ἡλικίᾳ· ἐπὶ πολὺ γὰρ παρέμεινε, καὶ πάνυ γηραλέος, ἐνδόξως καὶ ἐπιφανέστατα μαρτυρήσας, ἐξῆλθε To Biov. Iren. lib. 3. cap. 3. op. pag. 176. • Οὗτος γέγονεν ὁ θαυμασιώτατος ἐν τοῖς καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς χρόνοις, διδάσκαλος ἀποστολικὸς καὶ προφητικός, γενόμενος ἐπίσκοπος τὲ τῆς ἐν Σμύρνη και Ooλirñs ikkλnoias. Smyrnens. eccles. epist. encycl. de martyrio Polycarpi. Euseb. lib. 4. hist. Kep. (OT. Whereunto we may add the like of Polycrates bishop of Ephesus, who lived also in his time and in his neighbourhood, affirming Polycarpus 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 Polycrates wrote this epistle unto Victor, did Tertullian publish his book of prescriptions against heretics: wherein he avoucheth against them, that "ase 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 them" the successions of bishops, unto whom the apostles committed the charge of the church in every place." For all the heretics, saith he, "are much later than those bishops, unto whom the apostles committed the churches.' And "we are able to number those who by the apostles were ordained bishops in the churches, and their successors unto our days, who neither taught nor knew any such thing as these men dream of." For proof whereof, he bringeth in the succession of the bishops of Rome, from Linus', unto whom the blessed « Πολύκαρπος, ὁ ἐν Σμύρνῃ καὶ ἐπίσκοπος καὶ μάρτυς. Polycrat. epist. ad Victorem: apud Euseb. lib. 5. hist. cap. «ồ. e Sicut Smyrnæorum ecclesia Polycarpum ab Johanne conlocatum refert; sicut Romanorum Clementem a Petro ordinatum edit. proinde (or, perinde) utique et cæteræ exhibent quos, ab apostolis in episcopatum constitutos, apostolici seminis traduces habent. Tertullian. de præscript. cap. 32. Vid. et ejusd. lib. 4. contra Marcion. cap. 5. Successiones episcoporum, quibus apostolicam quæ in unoquoque loco est ecclesiam tradiderunt. Iren. lib. 4. advers. hæres. cap. 33. op. pag. 272. 5 Omnes enim ii valde posteriores sunt, quam episcopi, quibus apostoli tradiderunt ecclesias. Id. lib. 5. cap. 20. op. pag. 217. ch: Habemus annumerare eos qui ab apostolis instituti sunt episcopi in ecclesiis, et successores eorum usque ad nos, qui nihil tale docuerunt neque cognoverunt quale ab his deliratur. Id. lib. 3. cap. 3. op. pag. 175. · Θεμελιώσαντες οὖν καὶ οἰκοδομήσαντες οἳ μακάριοι ̓Απόστολοι τὴν VOL. VII. G |