A PREFACE TO THE EEADER. S3
very garbage of that beast. Into what hands also these epistles have fallen by the way, in their journeying down towards these ends of the world, is evident from those citations made out of them by them of old, which now appear not in them. Theodoret, Dial. 3, adv. Hsere., gives us this sen- tence from Ignatius : Eup^a^/ or/as xal Tr^osfooag oux uTocii^ovTai dia to /xtj ofjLoXoyiTv rriv sv^aoigriav edoxa, sivai rov (Scarri^og riiMMv 'iJicroD Xf/CroD rriV iiTi^ Tuv a/jba^Tiuv riij^uv 'TraSovGav ijv ^origrorriTi 6 UaTrj^ riyn^iv which words you will scarcely find in that Epistle to the Church of Smyrna, from whence they were taken. Jerome also. Dial. 3, con, Pelag., hath this passage of him and from him : " Ignatius vir apostolicus et martyr scribit audacter, elegit Dominus apostolos qui super omnes homines peccatores erant;" which words, as they are not now in these epistles, so, as one observes, if ever he wrote them, as is pretended, he did it audacter indeed. But of these things our doctor takes no notice.
The style of these epistles doth not a little weaken the credit of them, being turgent, swelling with uncouth words and phrases, affected manner and ways of expression, new compositions of words, multiplying titles of honour to men, — exceedingly remote and distant from the plainness and simplicity of the first writers among the Christians, as is evident by compar- ing tliese with the epistle of Clemens before mentioned, that of Polycarpus in Eusebius, [and of] the churches of Yienne and Lyons in that same author, and others. Instances for the confirmation of this observation are multi- plied by Blondellus ; my designed work will not allow me to insist on particulars. In many good words this charge is waived, by affirming that the author of these epistles was an Assyrian, and near to martyrdom, and that in the Scriptures there are sundry words of as hard a composition as those used by him. Ham. Dissert, ii. cap. iii.; and, as he says, from this kind of writing an argument of sufficient validity may be drawn to evince him to be tlie author of these epistles. Jerome was of another mind. Speak- ing of Didymus, " Imperitus," saith he, " sermone est, et non scientia, apostolicum virum ex ipso sermone exprimens, tam sensuum nomine quam simplicitate verborum." But seeing Ignatius was a Syrian, and near to martyrdom (though he writes his epistles from Troas and Smyrna, which, without doubt, were not in his way to Rome from Antioch, and yet every- where he saith he is going to Rome: Ad Eph., Ta 6s(r/xa a--o lufiag [J'iy^o} ''PoJ/xrig Ts^ifsgoy which in the close he affirms he wrote from Smyrna, whither he was had to his martyrdom), what is it to any man wliat style he used in his writings, what swelling titles he gave to any, or words he made use of! Who shall call those writings (especially Ignatius being a Syrian) into question!
But perhaps some farther question may here arise (and which hath by sundry been already started) about the use of divers Latin words in these epistles, which, doubtless, cannot be handsomely laid on the same account, of their author being a Syrian, and nigh to martyrdom. ' AptyJrrra, fisToV/ra, oias^rc/}^, it,ifJ''rrXdsiov, are usually instanced in, words to whose use no Roman customs, observations, orders, nor rules of government, do administer the least occasion. Of these the doctor tells you he wonders only that in so many epistles there are no more of this kind. And why so? The epistles are not so large a volume, a very few hours will serve to read them over; and yet I am persuaded, that in all that compass of reading in the Greek fathers which our doctor owns, he cannot give so many instances of words barbarous to their language, no way occasioned by the means before men- tioned, as have been given in these epistles. But he wonders there are no more, and some wonder that all are not of his mind ! But he farther
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84 A PREFACE TO THE READER.
informs us that a diligent reader of the Scripture may observe many more Latin words in the New Testament than are used in these epistles; and, for a proof of his diligence and observation, reckons up out of the end of Pasor's Lexicon sundry words of that kind made use of by the sacred writers. I fear, unto some men, this will scarce be an apology prevalent to the dismission of these epistles from under the censure of being at least foully corrupted. Of the whole collection of words of that sort made by Pasor, among which arc those especially culled out by our doctor to confirm his observations^ there is scarce one but either it is expressive of some Poman office, custom, money, order, or the like; words of which na- ture pass as proper names (as one of those mentioned by the doctor is, and no otherwise used in the New Testament) from one country and lan- guage to another, or are indeed of a pure Greek original, or at least were in common use in that age; neither of which can be spoken of the words above mentioned, used in the epistles, which were never used by any be- fore or after them, nor is there any occasion imaginable why they should. " Parvas habent spes epistola\ si tales habent." I would, indeed, gladly see a fair, candid, and ingenuous defensative of the style and manner of writing used in these epistles, departing so eminently from any thing that was customary in the writings of the men of those days, or is regular for men of any generation, in repetitions, aftected compositions, barbarisms, rhyming expressions, and the like; for truly, notwithstanding any thing that hitherto I have been able to obtain for help in this kind, I am en- forced to incline to Vedelius' answers to all the particular instances given of this nature, " This and that place are corrupted, — this is from Clemens* Constitutions, this from this or that tradition;" which, also, would much better free these epistles from the word eiyrig, used in the sense where- unto it was applied by the Valentinians long after the death of Igna- tius, than any other apology I have as yet seen for the securing of its abode in them.