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he reckons the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach, (which on this very account had its title of Ecclesiasticus,) Tobit, Judith, Maccabees, the Shepherd of Hermas, and the Judgment of Peter. Accordingly Jerome, speaking of the books of Tobit, Judith, &c. "The church "reads them," says he, "but does not receive them as ca"nonical scripture it reads them for the edification of the "common people, not as having any authority to determine "articles of faith." Just of the same value were these books among the ancients, as the apocrypha of the Old Testament in the church of England, and the Homilies appointed to be read in the churches are now; and therefore the bare reading them in the primitive assemblies, cannot be in itself a proof of their canonical authority, unless they were read as scripture.

From this observation we may, I think, give a very easy and natural account, how it came to pass, that any books were of dubious authority among the ancients; viz. being first read in the public assemblies at the same time as the sacred scriptures, but only as pious and useful books; those who in afterages were ignorant of this reason, began to question whether they were not of the same authority with the sacred books themselves; and so from hence arose that noted distinction in Eusebius P, of those which were,

1. Quoλoyoúμevoi, i. e. such as were universally received without any controversy.

2. 'Avriλsyóμevo, i. e. such whose authority was doubted of by some.

3. Nóło, i. e. such which were rejected by all but heretics. The same distinction we find in Cyril 9, into those which were,

1. Παρὰ πᾶσιν Ὁμολογούμενα, i. e. such as all owned. And, 2. Tà 'Aupißaλλóμeva, i. e. such as were doubted of.

r

In like manner St. Austin speaks of those, which were received by all catholic churches, and those which were rejected by some few churches; he must needs mean of heretics, because they are opposed to the catholics. I own, indeed, the instances Eusebius produces of his second sort, were not doubted

• Præfat. in Libr. Solom.

P Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 3. et 25.

q Catech. IV. §. 33.

r De Doct. Christ. 1. 2. c. 8.

of by the reason now assigned; but whatever doubtful books the others meant, may be well included in our account, seeing they speak not of any of the books of the present canon being doubted of, as he does.

Secondly, I observe, that though Eusebius and Ruffin mention some books as read in the churches, yet themselves do expressly exclude them from the canon; as Eusebius does the Shepherd of Hermas, placing it among the spurious books s; and Ruffin in so many words tells us, "it was not reputed "canonical t."

As to the Revelation being omitted in Cyril's catalogue, and in the eighty-fifth canon of the council of Laodicea, as not being read in the churches; I shall refer the reader to the reasons above assigned for its being left out of some catalogues, and to the particular inquiry into this book hereafter.

CHAP. XI.

Several propositions, whereby we may distinguish the spuriousness of many books.

PROP. VII.

That book is certainly apocryphal, in which are found any contradictions.

THE truth of this is evident: for as both sides of a contradictory proposition cannot be true, such book must necessarily contain somewhat that is false, and consequently cannot have God for its author, nor be to us a rule of doctrine and man

ners.

PROP. VIII.

That book is apocryphal, which either contains any histories, or proposes any doctrines, contrary to those which are certainly known to be true.

THIS is evident for the same reason as the former; to impute such a book to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, being, in other words, to make God the author of a lie, and to take him for our guide in matters of the last consequence, whom we know to be not only fallible, but actually deceived.

s Hist. Eccl. 1. 3. c. 3.

Exposit. in Symbol. Apostol. §. 36.

Coroll. That therefore is an apocryphal book, which contains any thing contrary to the known facts, or universally agreed doctrines of the Christian religion. I hope it will not be thought a defect in strict reasoning, that I take it for granted, that the substance of Christianity is true; for this cannot be denied by any who will believe any matter of fact, of which they have not themselves been eyewitnesses. But if any will dispute this, and say, I take for granted what I ought not, having not proved it; I refer them to what is said, Coroll. 2. Prop. II. where, I think, as much is proved, at least is fairly implied, as I here take for granted.

I purposely omit here all instances, reserving them for their proper places; only would observe, that Eusebius " makes use of the same proposition to disprove the canonical authority of many books, that went under the apostles' names. "The sen"timents," says he, "and doctrines, which are delivered in "those books, are so very different from, or contrary to, the "true and orthodox doctrine of the church, as evidently de"monstrate them to be the forgeries of heretics, and therefore "not only to be ranked among spurious pieces, but to be ut"terly rejected as absurd and impious." Thus also Serapio, Tertullian, Epiphanius, and many others, reject the particular apocryphal pieces they have occasion in their writings to mention; and thus, by the way, we may prove all, or most of those books, which are called the apocrypha of the Old Testament, to be really such.

PROP. IX.

That book is apocryphal, in which are contained things ludicrous or trifling; fabulous or silly relations.

THIS will admit no dispute among those, who believe God to be a Being of infinite wisdom and knowledge. For him to give us such books, would argue him guilty either of weakness and folly, or of imposing upon his creatures a necessity of believing things contrary to their most improved reason.

Besides that it cannot be supposed, that even men of honesty

« Η τε γνώμη καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς φερομένων προαίρεσις, πλεῖστον ὅσον τῆς ἀλη θοὺς ὀρθοδοξίας ἀπᾴδουσα, ὅτι δὴ αἱρετικῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀναπλάσματα τυγχάνει, σαφῶς

παρίστησιν· ὅθεν οὐδ ̓ ἐν νόθοις αὐτὰ κατατακτέον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄτοπα πάντη καὶ δυσσεβῆ παραιτητέον, Hist. Eccl. 1. 3. c. 25.

and wisdom would be the authors of such sort of books: for either themselves believed what they wrote, or they did not; if they did not, they are notorious impostors, and consequently not fit to be infallible guides in matters of such consequence as our everlasting states; if they did, they were evidently persons of such shallow capacities, and foolish credulity, as to deserve rather to be pitied, than made our directors in the most important concerns of this and the next life. Whichever way therefore we take it, their writings must be apocryphal. This observation is not only evidently true, but of the greatest necessity in the business we are now about; for it is certain, that a very great number of the apocryphal books of the New Testament are filled with the most idle and trifling stories, the most ridiculous and extravagant fooleries imaginable. The romantic accounts of the Virgin Mary's nativity, being bred by angels, and fed by them in her infancy, &c. the childish relations of our Saviour's infancy and education, his learning the alphabet, his stature, appearing sometimes as a child, sometimes as a man, sometimes so tall that his head would reach the clouds, the length of his hair, beard, &c. the Spirit's taking him up to Mount Thabor, by one of his hairs, &c. the silly miracles attributed to the apostles, with all the ridiculous circumstances that attended their several martyrdoms, &c. are each, with all other stories like them, unquestionable arguments to prove the books which contain them apocryphal; and to be no other, than either the works of the weakest of men, who were fondly credulous of every report, and had not discretion enough to distinguish between sense and nonsense, between that which was credible, and that which was not so; or else the artful contrivance of some, who were more zealous than honest, who thought by these strange stories to gain credit to their new religion.

PROP. X.

That book is apocryphal, in which there are any sort of things mentioned, which were later than the time in which the author, whose name it bears, lived.

I NEED spend no time in the proof of this proposition; it being impossible for any person to relate histories, or treat

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concerning customs, which were not till long after his time; unless we suppose them either endued with a very extraordinary spirit of prophecy, that they could foreknow all the things, persons, and customs, that would arise in the world after their death; or else, that they wrote their books from the other world, and conveyed them by angels to this world, which, I confess, some have supposed to be fact, as to the letters sent by Elijah, after he was dead, to Jehoram; mentioned 2 Chron. xxi. 12. And particularly the learned Jesuit Estius supposes not only the matter to be thus, but demonstrates from hence the care the saints have of our affairs, after they are removed from us to the other world. But I hope I need not guard against such absurdities; and therefore shall take no more pains to prove the proposition, but only elucidate it in a few instances; in which I shall not confine myself to the apocryphal pieces of the New Testament, but make use of any other that occur.

1. Some books mention facts, that happened a long while after the pretended author's death. Thus, for instance Y, y, the Constitutions of the Apostles do the controversy about the rebaptization of heretics, which arose not till the third century.

2. Some mention persons, that did not live till a long time after the pretended author's death. So the book under the name of Hegesippus, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, mentions Constantine and Constantinople; whereas this could not be before the fourth century, and Hegesippus lived in the second. And the Questions and Answers under Justin Martyr's name mention Irenæus and Origen, who both lived after his time.

3. Rites and ceremonies about baptism, penance, fasting, celibacy, exorcism, &c. are in the pretended Constitutions of the Apostles; which, it is certain, were not known in their time, nor till long afterwards.

4. Other books are full of words and phrases, not known till long after their supposed author's days. Thus the words clergy, laity, readers, subdeacons, &c. in the Canons of the Apostles, and other pieces called apostolical.

* Annot. in loc. difficil. Script. in 2 Chron. xxi. 12.

y Lib. 6. c. 15.

With the new

z Vid. Quæst. 82, 86. et 115.

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