s 1. The Epistle to the Hebrews had no Name prefix'd, (either because the Jews were prejudiced against St. Paul, or because the Gentiles were his more peculiar care, or for fome other reafon unknown) and in this it differs from the rest of St. Paul's Epiftles, and the Style is different, which occafioned the first doubts about it (as it happen'd likewife to St. Peter's. fecond Epistle, upon the account of its Style) and then the Novatians alledging fome Texts in the Epiftle to the Hebrews in favour of their Opinion, this made the Orthodox the lefs inclined to receive a Book, which before had been difputed; and therefore, tho' it was received in the Eaft, it was queftioned at Rome, where Novatian began his Schifm; whereas it had been received at first by the Church of Rome: for Clemens Romanus, in his First Epistle written in the Name of that Church to the Church of Corinth, makes great ufe of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and fometimes cites its very words; from whence Eufebius concludes, that St. Paul was the Author of it. The Second Epistle of St. Peter might be fcrupled on the fame account, and both that and the Revelation of St. John being alledged for the Millennium, by fuch as understood it in a grofs Sense; this caufed the Authority of those Books to be called in question, which is faid "exprefly of the Revelation. t 2. Some Epiftles were written to particular Perfons, or directed to fuch as lived at a great distance; and by reafon of Perfecutions arifing, the Authentick Epiftles might not readily be produced. The Epiftle of St. Paul to Philemon, and the Second and Third Epiftles of St. John, being short, and written upon particular Occafions, contain little, which was needful to be cited in the Controverfies of the First Ages,and they were therefore the feldomer cited. Besides,thefe Two Epistles Hieron. Catal. Petr. & Paul. "Eufeb. Hift. lib. 6. c. 25. t Eufeb. Hift. lib. 3. c. 23. of X of St. John and his Revelation, with the Epistle of St. Jude, and the Second Epiftle of St. Peter, were omitted in the ancient Syriack Verfion, which probably was made before these Books of Scripture were publish'd. And the Authority of that Version might occafion the Caution afterwards us'd in the reception of them. S.John's Gospel was indeed last written: but this was to fupply what had been omitted by the other Evangelifts, and contain'd what he had preach'd for many years, not only at Ephefus, but in the neighbouring Provinces of Afia, which upon occafion, he was wont to vifit; and therefore his Gospel was immediately dif pers'd and known all over the World, and by the Churches of Syria, as well as by others, who before had been acquainted with the Subftance of it: But there were not the fame Reasons for fo fpeedy a Publication of his Revelation, or of his Second and Third Epiftles, and those of St. Peter and St. Jude. 3. Some Books were not ufually read in the Churches, as the reft were. All the Books of Scripture, except the Revelation of St. John, are inferted in the Catalogue of the Council of Laodicea, and this was omitted, because by reafon of the abftrufe Mysteries contain❜d in it, it was not publickly read in Churches: for that Catalogue was defign'd to fhew what Books ought to be read in the publick Affemblies. 4. The Hereticks would use all their Endeavours and Subtilty to hinder the Reception of those Books, by which their Herefies were difprov'd, and they might fo far have effect, as to make fome to doubt for a while of their Authority. For inftance, Diotrephes, an ambitious afpiring Man, who prated against S. John with malicious words, and had fo much power, as to caft the Brethren out of the Church, would forbid the receiving of St. John's Epiftles, as well as the receiving the Brethren of that Apoftles Communion; and that * Eufeb. Hift. 1. iii. c. 23, 24. he did this, St. John himself intimates, when he says, I wrote unto the Church, but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not, Joh. Epift. iii. 9. that is, he receiv'd not St. John's Epiftle, for that would have been to receive him as an Apoftle, or to acknowledge his Authority. Cerinthus feign'd a Book of Revelations in imitation of St. John, or rather in oppofition to him, thereby to hinder, as far as he was able, the Benefit, which the Church was to receive from St. John's Revelation, who folemnly declar'd Cerinthus to be the Enemy of Truth, and Caius the Roman Presbyter, upon the account of his Book of Revelations, ftyled him the Enemy of the Scriptures. XI. Nevertheless, there is no Book of the New Teftament, which by thefe, or any other means, hath been call'd in queftion, but it has fufficient Teftimony from Antiquity. The Epiftles of St. Paul to Philemon and to the Hebrews, and that of St. James, were in the Ancient Syriack Verfion; which proves that thofe Churches ever receiv'd them. The Epiftle to the Hebrews, as I have already obferv'd, is cited by Clemens Romanus in his first Epistle, which was it felf of fuch Authority, that it was wont to be read in Churches from whence Eufebius had great reafon to affcribe it to St. Paul. And this Epistle of Clemens was written by him, to the Church of Corinth, in the Name of the Church of Rome; which fhews that both the Church of Rome, and the Church of Corinth, at that time receiv'd the Epistle to the Hebrews as Canonical; tho' afterwards fome, fays Eufebius, rejected this Epistle, alledging that it was by the Roman Church deny'd to be St. Paul's. But it is afcrib'd to St. Paul by the Orthodox Bishops of the firft Council of Antioch, ▾ Eufeb. Hift. 1. iii. c. 28. Hift. 1. iii. c. 38. Concil. Labb. Tom. 1. b Theodoret. Hæret. Fab. 1. ii. c. 3. col. 844. h e с in their Epistle to Paulus Samofatenus; by Clemens Alexandrinus, by Origen, who fays, that the Ancients, before him, did not, without good Grounds, acknowledge it to be that Apoftles; by the whole Church of Alexandria; for Alexander, Bishop of that See, in his two Epiftles against Arius, alledges the Authority of St. Paul in this to the Hebrews; and the latter of his Epiftles was fubfcrib'd by his Clergy. And the Words of the Epiftle to the Hebrews were, by the Fathers of the Council, produc'd against the Arian Herefy, according to the Hiftory of it by Gelafius Cyzicenus. St. Jerom declares, that he receiv'd the Epistle to the Hebrews, upon the Authority of the Primitive Writers, who cited it as Canonical. Theodoret fays, that the Church ever receiv'd it, and that Eufebius, with all the Ancients, from the beginning acknowledg'd it to be St. Paul's. The Epistle of St. James is cited by Clemens Romanus in both his Epiftles, as is also the Second Epiftle of St. Peter; not verbatim indeed, but in fuch a manner, as the Old Teftament is cited in the New, and according to the Custom of Ancient Writers. In his fecond Epiftle they are cited under the Title of a Prophecy, because both these Apoftles foretel what would befal those, who did not live as he there exhorts to do. The Epiftle of St. Jude is afcribed to him by Clemens Alexandrinus, who likewife fays, that he had prophetically spoke of the Herefies that fprung up. 1 Tertullian was fo far from rejecting St. Jude's Epiftle, that upon. the Authority of it he argued, that the Prophecy of Enoch must be genuine. The fecond Epiftle of St. John is afcribed to him by Irenaus and Tertullian. Neither his fecond nor third Epiftles were deny'd to • Strom. 2, 4, 6. f d m e k In Joan. Tom. 2. Apud Eufeb. 1. vi. Socrat. 1. i. c. 6. Theodoret. 1. i. c. 5. Ad Dardan. zic. Hift. Conc, Nicen. l. ii. c. 3. & 23. r f be his, nor had any Objection made to them by " Dionyfius of Alexandria. And the fecond was afcrib'd to him in the Council of Carthage, under St. Cyprian. The Revelation of St. John was own'd to be genuine by Juftin Martyr, by Irenaus, and by Tertullian, and it is frequently cited by St. Cyprian. Both Both Juftin Martyr and Irenaus wrote a Commentary upon the Revelation of St. John. Dionyfius, Bishop of Alexandria, did not deny the Divine Authority of it, though from the Unlikeness of Style, and other Differences, which he obferv'd between the Revelation and his Gofpel and Epiftles, he believ'd another of that Name, and not St. John the Evangelift, to be the Author of it. t "St. Jerom declares of the Revelation of St. John, as he does of the Epistle to the Hebrews, that he receiv'd it upon the Authority of the Ancients. The * Council of Laodicea, A. D. CCCLXIV. omits no Book of the New Testament, but the Revelation, which is not inferted in the Catalogue of that Council, for the reafon abovemention'd. The Council of Carthage, held A. D. ccccxIx. fets down the complete Canon of Scripture, afcribing (as the Council of Laodicea had done) fourteen Epiftles to St. Paul, and afcribing, befides, the Revelation to St. John the Apostle. And both thefe Councils were receiv'd into the Code of the Eastern Church. The Second of St. Peter, and the Epiftle of St. James are cited by Irenæus. XII. Though the Authority of fome Books hath been question'd by private Men, yet thofe Books were never rejected by any Council of the Church, though frequent Councils were call'd in the firft Ages of Christianity, and had this very thing under Con |