Vol 01 - ST. POLYCARPS EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS.

ST. POLYCARP'S EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS
Polycarp, and the presbyters which are with him, to the church of GOD which sojourners at Philippi, mercy and peace from GOD Almighty and the Lord JESUS CHRIST, our Savior, be multiplied.
1. I REJOICED with you greatly in our Lord JESUS CHRIST, that ye received those who are the images of true charity, and, as it belloved you, accompanied those that were in bonds becoming saints, which are the crowns of those who are truly elected by GOD and our Lord: as also that the firm root of your faith remains unto this day, and brings forth fruit unto our Lord JESUS CHRIST, who suffered for our sins even unto death: whom GOD has raised up, loosing the bands of hell; " whom having not seen ye love; in whom believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory;" into which many desire to enter, knowing that " by grace ye are saved;" not by works, but by the will of GOD, through JESUS CHRIST.
2. Wherefore girding up your loins, serve the Lord in fear and truth. Leave vain conversation, and the error of the many; believing in him who 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 in earth are made subject; whom all that has breath shall worship, who come to judge the quick and the dead, whose blood GOD shall require of them that obey him not. And he who raised up CHRIST from the dead, will raise us up also, if we do his will, and walk in his commandments, and love the things which he loved; renouncing all unrighteousness, love of money, inordinate affection, lying and evil speaking: not rendering evil for evil, of railing for railing, but remembering the words of our Lord, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: be merciful, and ye shall obtain mercy.
3. These things, my brethren, I write not unto you of myself, concerning righteousness; but because ye exhorted me thereto. For neither can I, nor any other such as I am, come up to the wisdom of the blessed and glorious Paul, who being present with you, taught you the word of truth perfectly, and being absent, wrote letters unto you; by which ye may be edified in the faith that is given you, which is the mother of us all which is followed by hope and led by love both of GOD, and CHRIST, and our neighbor. For if a man be in these, he has fulfilled the law of righteousness: for he who has love is far from all sin.
4. But " love of money is the root of all evil." Knowing therefore that " we brought nothing into the world, neither can carry any thing out," let us arm ourselves with the armor of righteousness. Let us teach ourselves first, to walk in the law of the Lord, and then our wives to walk in the faith which is given them, in love and purity, (loving their husbands in all truth, and all others alike with all temperance, and to bring up their children in the discipline and fear of the Lord. The widows teach to be sober in the faith, continually interceding for all men; far from all slander, lying, evil speaking, covetousness, and from all evil: knowing that they are the altars of GOD, and that he sees all things, that nothing is hid from him; nothing of the reasonings, or of the thoughts, or of the secrets of their hearts.
5. Knowing therefore that GOD is not mocked, we ought to walk worthy of his commandment and his glory. Let the deacons be blameless in his sight, as the ministers of GOD in CHRIST, and not of men: not evil speakers, not double-tongued, not lovers of money; but compassionate, careful, diligent, temperate in all things; walking according to the truth of the Lord, who was the servant of all: whom if we please in this present world, we shall receive the good things which are to come; as he has promised to raise us' from the dead; and that if we believe and walk worthy of him, we shall reign with him. Let the young men be unblamable in all things: above all, taking care of their purity, and restraining themselves from all evil: for it is good to be cut off from the desires which are in the world, because all desire wars against the Spirit.
6. Let the priests be merciful and compassionate to all, bringing back such as are gone astray; visiting all that are weak; not neglecting the widows, the fatherless, and the poor: let them always be provident to do good, in the sight of GOD and men; abstaining from all anger, covetousness, respect of persons, unjust judgment: not soon believing any thing against any: not severe in judging; knowing that we are all debtors by sin. If therefore we pray our Lord to forgive us, we ought ourselves to forgive. We are all before the eyes of our Lord and God; and we must all stand before the judgment-seat of CHRIST. Let us therefore serve him in all fear and reverence; being zealous of what is good, abstaining from all ofFeuce, and avoiding false brethren, and those that bear the name of CHRIST in hypocrisy, who deceive vain men.
7. For every one who confesseth not that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh, is an anti CHRIST." And every one who confesseth not his death on the cross, is of the devil. And every one who perverteth the oracles of GOD to his own lusts, and says there is no resurrection, and no judgment, he is the first-born of SATAN. Wherefore, leaving the vanity of the many and their false doctrines, let us turn unto the words delivered to us from the beginning. Let us watch unto prayer. Let us persevere in fastings, and with supplication beseech the all-seeing GOD not to lead us into temptation; since, as our Lord has said, Though a the Spirit be willing, the flesh is weak."
8. Let us therefore without ceasing cleave steadfastly to him who is our hope, and the earnest of our righteousness, even JESUS CHRIST, "who himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree; who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth;" but suffered all things for us, that we might live through him. Let us therefore be followers of his patience; and if we suffer for his name, let us glorify him; for this example has he left us, and thus have we believed.
9. Wherefore I exhort you all, that ye obey the word of righteousness, and exercise all patience, which ye have seen before your eyes, not only in the blessed Ignatius, Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others among yourselves, and in Paul and the rest of the apostles being confident that all these have not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness; and that they are in the place which was due unto them, with the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For they loved n9t the present world, but him who died, and was raised again by GOD for us.
10. Stand fast in these things, following the steps of our Lord. Be ye firm and immovable in the faith, lovers of the brethren, lovers of one another, gentle to all, despising none. When it is in your power to do good, delay not. Be ye all subject one to another; " having your conversation unblamable among the gentiles," that our Lord be not blasphemed. But wo unto him through whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed. Therefore teach sobriety to all men.
11. I am greatly afflicted for Valens, once a presbyter among you, and for his wife: may the Lord give them true repentance; and be long-suffering toward them, not counting them as enemies, that ye may save your whole body. And the GOD and Father of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, and JESUS CHRIST himself, our everlasting high-priest, the Son of GOD, build you up in faith and truth, and in all meekness and gentleness, in patience and long-suffering, in forbearance and chastity, and give you a lot and portion among his saints; and unto us with you, and to all under the heavens who shall believe in our Lord JESUS CHRIST, and in his Father who raised him from the dead. Pray ye for all the saints; and also for all kings, princes, and rulers, and for those who hate you and persecute you, and for the enemies of the cross, that your fruit may be manifest in all, and that ye may be perfect in CHRIST.
12. The epistles of Ignatius, which ye required, we have sent unto you; they are subjoined to this epistle. Ye may be greatly profited thereby; for they treat of faith and patience, and of all things that pertain to edification in the Lord JESUS.-Be ye safe in the Lord JESUS CHRIST. His grace be with you all. Amen! OF ST. IGNATIUS'S EPISTLES. EUSEBIUS informs us, That as * Ignatius was on his way to Rome, in order to be cast to the wild beasts, he not only confirmed the churches through which he passed, but wrote to the chief of those that were near, in the following order
First, from Smyrna, where he tarried some time with his fellow-disciple, St. Polycarp, he wrote to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians and Romans; and being gone on to Troas, he thence wrote to the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna, and a particular letter to Polycarp. And with the descriptions which Polycarp and Eusebius have left us of the epistles of this holy man, the following fully agree; as they (likewise exactly with those numerous quotations (produced at large, and compared together by Bishop Pearson,) which the ancient fathers have made out of them.