h, fear, peace, patience, long-suffering,
self-control, purity, and temperance, to the good pleasure of his name,
through our high-priest and protector Jesus Christ; through whom to him
be glory and majesty, dominion and honour, now and for ever and ever,
world without end. Amen."

* * * * *

SAINT IGNATIUS.

This martyr to the truth as it is in Jesus sealed that truth with his
blood about seventy years after the death of our Lord. From Antioch in
Syria, of which place he was bishop, he was sent to the imperial city,
Rome; and there he ended his mortal career by a death which he had long
expected, and which he was prepared to meet not only with resignation to
the Divine will, but even with joy and gladness. His Epistles are
written with much of the florid colouring of Asiatic eloquence; but they
have all the raciness of originality, and they glow with that Christian
fervour and charity which compels us to love him as a father and a
friend, a father and friend in Christ. The remains of this apostolic
father I have carefully studied, with the single view of ascertaining
whether any vestige, however faint, might be traced in him of the
invocation of saints and angels; but I can find none. Neither here, nor
in the case of any of the apostolical fathers, whose remains we are
examining, have I contented myself with merely ascertaining that they
bear no direct and palpable evidence; I have always endeavoured to find,
and then thoroughly to sift, any expressions which might with {86} the
slightest plea of justification be urged in testimony of primitive
belief and practice sanctioning the invocation of saints. I find none.
Brethren of the Church of Rome, search diligently for yourselves; "I
speak as to wise men: Judge ye what I say."

The remains of Ignatius offer to us many a passage on which a Christian
pastor would delight to dwell: but my province here is not to recommend
his works to the notice of Christians; I am only to report the result of
my inquiries touching the matter in question; and as bearing on that
question, the following extracts will not be deemed burdensome in this
place:--

In his Epistle to the Ephesians, exhorting Christians to united prayer,
he says, "For if the prayer of one or two possesses such strength, how
much more shall the prayer both of the bishop and of the whole Church?"
[Page 13. Sec. 5-7.] "For there is one physician of a corporeal and a
spiritual nature,