as are of God and of Jesus Christ," says he, "they are with the
bishop." "It is good to recognise God and the bishop!" "Give ye
heed to the bishop, that God may also give heed to you." [59:1]

The internal evidence furnished by the Ignatian Epistles seals
their condemnation. I do not intend, however, at present to pursue
this subject. In a work published by me six and twenty years
ago, [59:2] I have called attention to various circumstances which
betray the imposture; and neither Dr. Lightfoot, Zahn, nor any one
else, so far as I am aware, has ever yet ventured to deal with my
arguments. I might now add new evidences of their fabrication, but
I deem this unnecessary. I cannot, however, pass from this
department of the question in debate, without protesting against
the view presented by the Bishop of Durham of the origin of
Prelacy. "It is shown," says he, referring to his _Essay on the
Christian Ministry_, [59:3] "that though the New Testament itself
contains as yet no direct and indisputable notices of a localized
episcopate in the Gentile Churches, as distinguished from the
moveable episcopate exercised by Timothy in Ephesus and by Titus
in Crete, yet there is satisfactory evidence of its development in
the later years of the apostolic age, ... and that, in the early
years of the second century, the episcopate was widely spread and
had taken firm root, more especially in Asia Minor and in Syria.
If the evidence on which its extension in the regions east of the
Aegaean at this epoch be resisted, _I am at a loss to understand
what single fact relating to the history of the Christian Church
during the first half of the second century can be regarded as
established_." [60:1]

In this statement, as well as in not a few others already