Shun ye therefore those vile offshoots that gender a deadly fruit, whereof if a man taste, forthwith he dieth. For these men are not the Father's planting: for if they had been, they would have been seen to be branches of the Cross, and their fruit imperishable -- the Cross whereby He through His passion inviteth us, being His members. Now it cannot be that a head should be found without members, seeing that God promiseth union, and this union is Himself.
Apocrypha · Chapter 11 of 13
Ignatius to the Trallians 11
Apostolic Father
About Ignatius to the Trallians
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. English text: The Apostolic Fathers (London: Macmillan, 1891), Ignatius to the Trallians, J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, 1891 (public domain). Portuguese and Spanish: Lux Veritas translations from this edition.
Source: The Apostolic Fathers (London: Macmillan, 1891), Ignatius to the Trallians, J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer (1891) · public domain