n to the above testimonies might be adduced some fragments of
early Christian writers which have been preserved to us by those of a
later day; but for brevity's sake they are omitted.

10. Following up the stream of testimony, we come now to that of the
so-called _apostolic fathers_; that is, of men who were disciples of
apostles, and wrote in the age next following them. Holding, as they do,
such a near relation to the apostles, and familiar with the oral
traditions of the apostolic age, we cannot expect to find in them such
frequent and formal references to the books of the New Testament as
characterize the works of later writers. They quote, for the most part,
anonymously, interweaving with their own words those of the sacred
writers.

One of the earliest among the apostolic fathers is _Clement of
Rome_, who died about A.D. 100. Of the numerous writings
anciently ascribed to him, his First Epistle to the Corinthians
is admitted, upon good evidence, to be genuine. In this we find
words which imply a knowledge of the first three gospels. Citing
evidently from memory, in a loose way, he says: "For thus
he"--the Lord Jesus--"spake, 'Be merciful, that ye may obtain
mercy; forgive, that ye may be forgiven; as ye do, so shall it
be done to you; as ye give, so shall it be given to you; as ye
judge, so shall ye receive judgment; as ye are kind, so shall ye
receive kindness; with what measure ye measure, with that it
shall be measured to you.'" And again: "For he said, 'Woe unto
that man; it were better for him that he had not been born, than
that he should offend one of my elect.'"

_Ignatius_ was bishop of the church at Antioch, and suffered
martyrdom A.D. 107, or according to some accounts, 116. In his
epistles, which are received as genuine, are manifest quotations
from the gospel of Matthew, and some apparent though not
entirely certain allusions to the gospel of John.

_Polycarp_, bishop of Smyrna, was a disciple of the apostle
John. He suffered martyrdom about the year 166. Of his writings,
only one short epistle, addressed to the Philippians, remains to
us; but this abounds in references to the books of the New
Testament, especially the epistles of Paul. Of quotations from
the gospel of Matthew, the following are examples: "Judge not,
that ye be not judged; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; be
merciful, tha