joice as receiving life. By the Jews they are warred against as aliens, and by the Greeks they are persecuted; and those who hate them can give no reason of their hatred.

"VI. But to speak plainly: that which the soul is in the body, the same are Christians in the world. For the soul is diffused through all the members of the body, and Christians through all the states of the world. The soul dwells indeed in the body, but is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world, but are not of the world. The invisible soul is kept in a visible body; and Christians are known to be in the world, but their religion remains invisible. The flesh hates the spirit, and without cause wars against it, because it is kept from enjoying pleasures; and the world, without having been injured, hates Christians, because they oppose its pleasures. The soul loves the flesh, which hates it and the members; and Christians love those who hate them. The soul is locked up in the body, but holds the body together; and Christians are kept in the world as it were in custody, yet hold the world together. The immortal soul dwells in a mortal tabernacle; and Christians sojourn amidst corruptible things, awaiting incorruption in the heavens. The soul when ill-treated as to meats and drinks, is made better; and Christians when punished, increase day by day. God has assigned them to such an ordering as it is not lawful for them to abandon. "VII. For, as I said, it is not an earthly discovery which has been delivered to them, nor is it a speculation of mortals which they deign so diligently to observe, neither are they entrusted with the dispensation of human mysteries. But He himself who is truly the Sovereign of all and Maker of all, the invisible God, himself [I say] from heaven hath implanted and fixed in the hearts of men the truth, and the holy and incomprehensible word; not, as one might surmise, sending to men some servant, or angel, or prince, or any of those who govern earthly things, or any of those entrusted with the heavenly provinces, but the Framer and Creator of the universe himself, by whom he created the heavens, by whom he shut the sea within its own bounds, whose mysteries all the elements faithfully observe, from whom the sun hath taken the measure of his career of days to be run through, whom the moon obeys, commanding her to shine by night, whom the stars obey, following the course of the moon; by whom all things are disposed, and circumscribed, and subjected, the heavens and things in the heavens, the earth and things in the earth, the sea and things in the sea, fire, air, the abyss, things on high,

things below, things in the midst. Was this, as some among men might conjecture, for purposes of tyranny, and striking terror? By no means; but in clemency and gentleness. As a king sending his son, he sent the king, sent him as God, as unto men, as Saviour, as one persuading, not constraining; for violence is not with God. He sent him as calling, not pursuing; sent him as loving, not as judging. As judging he shall [indeed] one day send him; and who shall abide his presence? [Seest thou not] those thrown to the wild beasts, to make them deny the Lord, yet not overcome? and that the more there are punished, the more are others multiplied? These things appear not to be wrought by men; these things are the power of God; these things are proofs of his coming. "VIII. For who among men could at all know what God is, before he came? Approvest thou the vain and doteing words of those esteemed credible philosophers, of whom some say, God is fire (they shall go to it, as they call it God), and some water, and some other elements created by God? But, indeed, if any one of these sayings were worthy of acceptation, any one of the other creatures might announce itself as God. But these are prodigies, and deceits of impostors. None of mankind hath seen him, or made him known; but he hath revealed himself. He hath revealed himself through faith, whereby alone it is vouchsafed to see God. For God, the Lord and Creator of all things, he that made all and disposed them in order, was not only loving towards man, but also long-suffering. But this [God] was, and is, and ever shall be, benignant and good, and devoid of wrath, and true, and the only good; and when he hath conceived a great and ineffable idea, he communicates it to his Son alone. For so long a time, therefore, as he retained in mystery and reserved his wise counsel, he seemed to us to neglect us, and to be indifferent; but after he revealed by his beloved Son, and manifested the things prepared from the beginning, he at one and the same time bestowed on us all things, as well to take part in his benefits as to behold [God] and to do [his will]. Who of us could ever have expected [this]? Therefore he knew all things by himself, with the Son, according to the [divine] economy.

"IX. During the former time, therefore, he suffered us to be borne along by irregular motions according to our own counsel, misled by pleasures and lusts; not as if by any means he took pleasure in our faults, but bearing with them, and not approving the former period of unrighteousness, but bringing into existence the present [period] of

righteousness; that when we had been convinced in the former time that we were by our own works unworthy of life, we might now be deemed worthy of it by the kindness of God, and that when we had made it manifest that by any thing in ourselves it was impossible to enter into the kingdom of God, we might be made able by the power of God. But since our unrighteousness was made complete, and it was fully manifested that its recompense, punishment, and death must be expected, and the time had come which God had foreordained to manifest his own goodness and power, since from its immeasurable philanthropy the love of God is unparalleled, he did not hate us nor reject us, nor bear remembrance of the evil, but was long-suffering, himself gave his own Son a ransom in our stead, the holy for the lawless, him that knew not wickedness for the wicked, the just for the unjust, the incorruptible for the corruptible, the immortal for the mortal. For what else was able to cover our sins but his righteousness? In whom was it possible for us, the lawless and impious, to be justified other than in the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O design past finding out! O bounties never to have been expected! That the iniquity of many should be hidden in one righteous; that the righteousness of one should justify many unrighteous! Having then, in the foregoing period, convinced us how impossible it was for our nature to attain to life, and having now shown us a Saviour able to save that which was impossible, by both these he intended that we should trust in his goodness, and esteem him our nourisher, father, teacher, counsellor, physician, mind, light, honour, glory, might, life, and not to be solicitous about raiment and food.

"X. If, also, thou shalt have desired this faith, thou mightest also receive first the knowledge of the Father. For God loved men, for whom he made the world, to whom he subjected all things in the earth, to whom he gave reason, to whom understanding, whom alone he permitted to look upward to himself, whom he formed in his own image, to whom he sent his only-begotten Son, to whom he has promised the kingdom in heaven, and will give it to those who have loved him. And when you shall have known him, with what joy thinkest thou wilt thou be filled? Or how wilt thou love again him who hath first so loved thee? And when thou hast loved, thou wilt become an imitator of his goodness. Nor shouldest thou wonder that man can become an imitator of God. With God's consent he For to be happy is not to lord it over neighbours, or to wish to have more than weaker persons, or to be

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rich and use violence to the needy; nor can any one in such things be an imitator of God, for these things are all incompatible with his majesty. But he who takes his neighbour's burden on himself; he who, in the thing wherein he is superior, wishes to benefit another who is inferior; he who supplies to others in need those things which he has received of God, becomes as a god to those who receive. This man is the imitator of God. Then thou shalt see on earth that God reigns in heaven; then thou shalt begin to speak the mysteries of God; then thou shalt love and admire those who are punished because they will not deny God; then thou shalt condemn the deceit and imposture of the world, when thou hast learnt to live really in heaven, when thou hast come to despise what is here considered death, when thou hast come to dread what is truly death, reserved for those who shall be condemned to eternal fire, to be the punishment of those delivered to it even unto the end; then shalt thou admire those who for righteousness' sake endure the temporary fire, and shalt pronounce them blessed, when thou hast known that [other] fire.

(Here ends that part of the Epistle which is held to be genuine.)

"[XI. I am not speaking strange things, nor instituting unreasonable inquiries, but, being a disciple of the apostles, am become a teacher of the Gentiles; those things which are delivered to me I minister to such as become disciples of the truth. For who that is rightly instructed and begotten by the beloved Word does not seek to know accurately those things which were manifestly shown to disciples, to whom the Word having appeared manifested them, speaking with freedom of utterance, not comprehended by the unbelieving, but discoursing to disciples, who, accounted faithful by him, have known the mysteries of the Father? For which cause he sent the Word, that he might appear unto the world; who being dishonoured by the people, preached by the apostles, was believed on by the Gentiles. The same who was from the beginning appeared now, and was found to be ancient, and ever new is begotten in the hearts of the saints. The same who was from eternity, to-day is reckoned Son; by whom the church is enriched, and grace spread abroad is multiplied in the saints, affording intelligence, disclosing mysteries, announcing times, rejoicing over the faithful, bestowed on those who seek, by whom the boundaries of faith are not broken, nor the boundaries of the fathers transcended. After this the fear of law is hymned, and the grace of pro

phets is known, and the belief of gospels is established, and the tradition of apostles is guarded, and the grace of the church leaps for joy. If thou grievest not this grace, thou shalt know what things the Word speaks, by whom he chooses, and when he pleases. For whatsoever things we are moved, by the will of him that commandeth, to utter with labour, we are partakers [of the same] with you out of love for what has been revealed to us. "XII. Which having obtained and heard with attention, you shall know what things God affords to those who love aright; being made a paradise of delight, having reared within you the all-fruitful, well-germinating tree; being adorned with manifold fruits. For in this very place were planted the tree of knowledge and the tree of life; but it is not the [tree] of knowledge that slays, but the disobedience slays. Nor are those things obscure which are written, how God from the beginning planted the tree of life in the midst of Paradise, indicating life through knowledge; which when those who were from the beginning did not use purely, they were made naked by the deceit of the serpent. For neither is there life without knowledge, nor is knowledge safe without true life. Therefore each was planted in proximity, which power the apostle perceiving, and blaming that knowledge which is exercised [in order] to life, without the truth of the commandment, says, 'Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.' For whoso supposes that he knows any thing, without true knowledge, witnessed by the life, knows not, is deceived by the serpent, not having loved the life; but whoso with fear thoroughly knows, and seeks life, the same plants in hope, expecting fruit. Let the heart be to the knowledge, and the life the true Word, [as] accepted. Of which, [thou] bearing the tree and plucking the fruit, shalt gather always those things which are desired of God, which the serpent touches not, nor meddles with by imposture; nor is Eve corrupted, but is deemed a virgin; and salvation is shown forth, and apostles are instructed, and the Lord's passover advances, and tapers are brought together and fitted with decorum, and the Word who teaches the saints is made joyful, by whom the Father is glorified; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.]"

In regard to that large portion of this Epistle which is of undoubted genuineness, some observations may well be allowed. And, first, it breathes the spirit of a very early age. It much more resembles the apostolical fathers, and indeed the canonical epistles, than any later productions of Greek Christians.

VOL. II.-NO. I.

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