POLYCARP, and the Presbyters that are with him, to the Church of GOD which is at Philippi, mercy unto you and peace from GOD ALMIGHTY, and the Lord JESUS CHRIST Our Saviour, be multiplied. a 1. I rejoiced greatly with you, in our Lord JESUS CHRIST, that ye received the patterns of true love, and accompanied as it behoved you, those who were bound with chains, the fitting ornament of saints, the crowns of those who are truly chosen of GoD and our LORD: and that the firm root of your faith, which was preached from ancient times, remains until now, and brings forth fruit to our Lord JESUS CHRIST, who suffered himself to be brought even to death for our sins: "whom GOD raised up, having loosed the pains of death :" "in whom, having not seen him, ye believe; and believing rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Into which joy many desire to enter, knowing that "by grace ye are saved, not of works," but by the will of God, through JESUS CHRIST. b 2. "Wherefore, girding up the loins (of your minds)," serve God in fear and truth, laying aside all empty and vain speech, and the error of many, "believing in him Thus IGNATIUS, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, c. 11. calls his chains "spiritual jewels." Compare also his Epistle to the SmyrReans, § 11. In like manner CYPRIAN, Epist. 76. (Fell.) "Dicatis DEO hominibus, et fidem suam religiosâ virtute testantibus, ornamenta sunt ista, non vincula: nec Christianorum pedes ad infamiam copulant, sed clarificant ad coronam. O pedes feliciter vincti, qui non à fabro sed DOMINO resolvuntur! O pedes feliciter vincti, qui itinere salutari ad paradisum diriguntur! O pedes in seculo ad præsens ligati, ut sint semper apud DOMINUM liberi Compare EUSEBIUS, Eccles. Hist. i. 5. Acts ii. 24. • 1 Pet. i. 8. a Eph. ii. 8, 9. • 1 Pet. i. 13. that raised up our Lord JESUS CHRIST from the dead, and gave him glory," and a throne at his right hand : to whom all things in heaven and earth are subject; whom every living creature worships; who comes to be the judge of the quick and dead; whose blood God shall require of them that believe not in him. But He that raised up CHRIST from the dead, shall raise up us also, if we do his will, and walk in his commandments, and love the things which he loved; abstaining from all unrighteousness, inordinate affection, love of money, evil-speaking, false-witness: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, or blow for blow, or curse for curse: but remembering what the LORD taught us, saying, "Judge not, that ye be not judged: forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you:" be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; "for with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again ;" and that "Blessed are the poor, and they that are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of God." i 3. I have not assumed to myself, brethren, the liberty of writing to you these things concerning righteousness; but you yourselves before encouraged nie. For neither can I, nor any other such as I am, come up to the wisdom of the blessed and renowned Paul, who, being among you, in the presence of those who then lived, taught with exactness and soundness the word of truth; who in his absence also wrote an Epistle' to you, into which if you diligently look, you may be able to be edified in the faith delivered unto you, which is the mother of us all, being followed with hope, and led on by love both toward GoD and CHRIST, and toward our neighbor. For if any one hath these things, he hath fulfilled the law of righteousness: for he that hath charity is far from all sin. f 1 Pet. i. 21. Eph. iv. 19. i Matt. vii. 1. Phil. ii. 10. * Matt. v. 3-10. Luke vi. 20. · ἔγραψεν ἐπιστολάς. The word ἐπιστολάϊ, in the plural, is sometimes used for a single epistle, as COTELERIUS shows. POLYCARP might possibly, however, allude to the Epistles of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, or to the Corinthians, the contents of which would be communicated to the Philippians. m 4. But "the love of money is the beginning of all evils." Knowing, therefore, that "we brought nothing into the world, neither are we able to carry any thing out," let us arm ourselves with the armor of righteousness, and teach first ourselves to walk in the commandment of the LORD, and then your wives to walk likewise in the faith and love and purity which is given unto them, loving their own husbands in all truth, and kindly affectionate to all others equally in all temperance, and to bring up their children in the instruction and fear of GOD: that the widows be sober as to what concerns the faith of the LORD, praying without ceasing for all men, being far from all detraction, evil-speaking, false-witness, love of money, and all evil: knowing that they are the altars of God; and that he sees all blemishes, P and nothing is hid from him, either of words or thoughts, nor any of the secret things of the heart. 5. Knowing, therefore, that God is not mocked, we ought to walk worthy both of his command and of his glory. In like manner the deacons must be blameless in the sight of his righteousness, as the ministers of God in CHRIST, and not of men: not false accusers, not double-tongued, not lovers of money, temperate in all things, compassionate, careful in walking according to the truth of the LORD, who became the servant of all; whom if we please in this present world, we shall be made partakers also of that which is to come, according as he hath promised to us that he will raise us from the dead; and that if we shall walk worthy of him, we shall also reign together with him, if we believe. In like manner the young men must be blameless in all things, above all taking care of their purity, and restraining themselves from all evil. For it is good to emerge out of the lusts which are in the world: for every lust warreth against the Spirit: and "neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of GoD," neither they which 8 * 1 Tim. vi. 7. 1 Thes. v. 17. to 1 Tim. vi. 10. ▸яÁνта μWμоČкOTEÏTAL. See CLEM. ROM. Sect. 41. a Gal. vi. 7. · ἀνακύπτεσθαι. This reading appears preferable to ἀνακόπτεσθαι, be cut off." Thus CHRYSOSTOM, de Sacerd. Lib. 1. 1. 7s dè purpòv καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνέκυψα τοῦ βιωτικοῦ κλύδωνος. '1 Pet. ii. 11. VOL. IV.-5 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. u act foolishly. Wherefore it is necessary that ye abstain from all these things, being subject to the presbyters and deacons, as unto God and CHRIST: the virgins also should walk in a spotless and pure conscience. 6. Let the elders also be compassionate, merciful to all, bringing back such as are in error, seeking out all those that are weak, not neglecting the widow or the fatherless, or the poor: but providing always what is good in the sight of God and men ; abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unrighteous judgment; being far from all covetousness: not ready to believe any thing against any ; not severe in judgment, knowing that we are all debtors in point of sin. If therefore we pray to the LORD that he would forgive us, we ought also to forgive. For we are before the eyes of our LORD and GOD, and "must all stand before the judgment seat of CHRIST," and shall every one give an account for himself. Let us therefore so serve him, with fear and all reverence, as he himself hath commanded, and as the apostles who have preached the Gospel unto us, and the prophets who have foretold the coming of our LORD, (have taught us): being zealous of what is good, abstaining from all offence, and from false brethren, and from those who bear the name of CHRIST in hypocrisy, who deceive vain men. 7. "For whosoever confesses not that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh, is antichrist:" and whosoever confesses not his suffering upon the cross, is of the devil, And whosoever perverts the oracles of the LORD to his own lusts, and says there is neither resurrection nor judgment, he is the first-born of Satan. Wherefore leaving the vanity of many, and false doctrines, let us return to the word which was delivered to us from the beginning, "watching unto prayer," and persevering in fasting; with supplication beseeching the all-seeing • Marcion is said to have once met Polycarp, and to have addressed him with the words, 'Dost thou acknowledge me? The reply attributed to Polycarp is, I acknowledge thee for the first-born of Satan.' EUSEB. Hist. iv. 14. IREN. Adv. Hær. iii. 3. In the interpolated Epistle of IGNATIUS to the Trallians, Sec. 11. Simon Magus is called “the first-born of Satan,” τὸν πρωτότοκον αὐτοῦ υἱόν. d 1 Pet, iv. 7. e GOD, not to lead us into temptation, as the LORD hath said, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."f 8. Let us therefore without ceasing hold steadfastly to him who is our hope, and the earnest of our righteousness, even JESUS CHRIST, who "bare our sins in his own body on the tree;" who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth :" but endured all for our sakes, that we might live through him. Let us therefore imitate his patience; and if we suffer for his name, let us glorify him. For this example he hath given us by himself, and so we have believed. 9. I exhort you all therefore to 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 Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others among yourselves, and in Paul himself, and the other apostles; being confident of this, that all these have not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness: and that they are gone to the place which was due to them, in the presence of the LORD, with whom also they suffered. For they loved not this present,world, but him that died for us, and was raised again by GoD for our sake. When 10. Stand therefore in these things, and follow the example of the LORD, being firm and immutable in the faith, lovers of the brotherhood, lovers of one another, companions together in the truth, being kind and gentle toward each other, despising none. it is in your power to do good, defer it not, for "charity delivereth from death."k "Be all of you subject one to another, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles," that by your good works both ye yourselves may receive praise, and the LORD may not be blasphemed through you." But wo to him by whom the name of the LORD is blasphemed. Wherefore f Matt. xxvi. 41. Matt. vi. 13.. 1 Pet. ii. 22-24. μv-DODWELL, in his Dissertationes Cyprianicæ, Diss. xi. 27. supposes to be the correct reading and imagines that Polycarp is speaking of a persecution which took place in his own time, either in the Church of Smyrna or in that of Philippi. i Sections 10, 11, 12 are lost in the Greek. The loss is supplied by -the old Latin version. Tobit xii. 9. 11 Pet. ii. 12. Rom. ii. 24. Tit. ii. 5. |