fuffer Writings to be loft, through the Fault and Negligence of Men, which were dictated by his Spirit. Several things might by the Prophets be deliver'd by Revelation to the Perfons whom they concern'd which were never committed to writing; and others, which were written, but which were not necessary to the ends of Revelation in general, but rather concern'd particular times and places, and the Subftance whereof, as far as the World in general is concern'd, is to be found in the other Scriptures, might by the Carelefnefs of Men never come to the Sight and Knowledge of Pofterity.

And here I shall observe, that the Books of Prophecy have always the Names of the Authors exprefs'd, and commonly they are often repeated in the Books themselves, but in the Historical Books there was not the fame reason for it; because in matters of Fact, which are past, an Author may easily be difprov'd, if he relates what is falfe of his own times, or of times whereof there are Memorials ftill extant. But the Credit of Prophecies concerning things to come, a long time after, to pafs, muft depend upon the Miffion and Authority of the Prophet only, and therefore it was neceffary that the Names of the Prophets should be annex'd, that their Predictions might be depended upon, when they were known to be deliver'd by Men, who by other Predictions already fulfill'd, had prov'd themselves to be true Prophets.

IV. The very Prefervation of Books of fo great Antiquity, through fo many Changes and Revolutions, against all the Injuries of Time and Ignorance against the Violence of War, and the Malice of Adverfaries, and fo many other Accidents, which have destroy'd most other Books of any confiderable Antiquity, is a certain Indication of a wonderful Providence concern'd for them, and of that Evidence whereby they were at firft attefted. The Laws of the wifest Law-givers of the most flourishing and powerful Nations

Nations have been fo little regarded by the People to whom they were given, that they foon forfook the Practice of them, and readily deliver'd up themselves to be govern'd by other Laws, upon any Revolution; and all the Pretences to Revelation, which most of the Ancient Law-givers affum'd to themselves, could make them no longer adher'd to, nor fo much valu'd, as to outlive the Fate of the particular Kingdoms and States for which they were contriv'd: but most of them were changed or laid aside before, and the rest given up and abandon'd, as out of date, and of little ufe or esteem afterwards, and all of them were fo little able to withstand the Destruction of time, that we know not much more of them, than that the best and most ancient were in great measure taken out of the Laws of Mofes. But the Books of Mofes and the Prophets have continued entire and unchang'd under all Accidents and Revolutions of Affairs, bearing this Character, as well as others, of him who is immutable. They have been still afferted against all the Malice and Oppofition of Enemies by a captiv'd and difpers'd People, who by the fignal Providence of God, though they reject their Meffias, yet ftill acknowledge thofe Prophecies, which foretold his Coming; and after their Difperfion for fo many hundred years, are fo far from renouncing them, that they affert and maintain them, and are zealous even to Superftition, for thofe Books, which command that Worship, and appoint thofe Solemnities, which they have fo long been out of all poffibility to obferve; as if thofe Laws, which were once fo uneafy to their Fore-fathers, were now become natural to their Pofterity, or rather because they were reveal'd by him, whose Word shall never pass away till all be fulfill'd.

V. The New Teftament gives Evidence and Confirmation to the Books of the Old, which are so often cited in it.

VI. The Christians were religiously cautious and circumfpect in admitting Books into the Canon of the New Testament. The Epistle to the Hebrews, and the Second Epistle of St. Peter, were at first scrupled only, or chiefly, upon the account of the Style; the Style of the former being thought different from that of St. Paul, and the Style of the latter from that of St. Peter. The Epistle of St. Jude was likewise doubted of for this reafon, because the Apocryphal Book of Enoch is cited in it. Writings, which went under the Names of feveral of the Apostles, were rejected and by general Confent laid aside. The genuine Epiftle of St. Barnabas, who is styled an Apostle, Acts xiii. 2. xiv. 14. was never receiv'd but as Apocryphal; and the First Epistle of St. Clement, of whom St. Paul gives as high a Character, Phil. iv. 3. as he doth of St. Luke, or as St. Peter ever gave of St. Mark, was never admitted among the Canonical Books, tho' it was wont to be read in Churches. But the Gospel according to St. Mark, and the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles written by St. Luke, have ever been receiv'd for Canonical. For which no Reafon can be given, but that St. Mark and St. Luke were known to have written by Infpiration, fince upon all perfonal and humane accounts, an Epistle of St. Barnabas or St. Clement, must have carry'd as much Authority with it, as any thing under the Name of St. Mark, or St. Luke. If either in the Epistle of St. Barnabas, of St. Clement, it be fuppofed that the Reasoning is not always juft, but is fometimes too allegorical, and fometimes founded upon Mistakes in Natural Philofophy; yet it is certainly agreeable to the ways of Reafoning, and the Philofophy of that Age, fo that nothing of this kind could then be any Hindrance or Prejudice to the Reception of these Epiftles. St. Jerom

Hieron. Catal. Eccl. Script. "Unam ad ædificationem Ecclefiæ pertinentem Epiftolam compofuit, quæ inter Apocryphas fcrip turas legitur. Id. ib.

fays,

fays, that St. Barnabas was the Author of one Epistle written for the edification of the Church, which is read among the Apocryphal Books; fo that Books were ftyled Apochryphal, not because it was uncertain who were the Authors of them, but because it was doubtful whether they were written by inspiration or no. So careful was the Primitive Church to receive none into the Canon, but Books certainly inspired.

It is well obferved by F. Simon, to this purpose, That if we compare the Gofpels and the other Books of the New Teftament with the Liturgies, that we have under the Names of feveral Apoftles, to whom the most part of the Eastern Chriftians do attribute them, we shall be convinced that the Gospels are truly the Apostles. For all the Churches have preferved them in their Ancient Purity; whereas every particular Nation hath added to their Liturgies, and hath taken the liberty often to revise them. The refpect that hath been always had to the Writings of the New Teftament, without inferting any confiderable additions therein, is an evident proof that all people have looked upon them as Divine Books, which it is not lawful for any to alter. On the contrary, they have been perfuaded, that the Liturgies, tho' they bear the Names of the Apostles, or of fome Difciples of Jefus Chrift, were not originally written by them, to whom they were attributed. And therefore it hath been left free to the Churches to add to them, or to diminish from them, according as occafion requires.

VII. As the Primitive Christians were very jealous and cautious in admitting Books into the Canon, fo they had fufficient means and opportunities to examine and distinguish the genuine and infpired Writings from the Apocryphal or fpurious. The way of Writing, and the Hands of the Apoftles, were well known to those to whom they wrote, as St. Paul intimates of his own hand and manner of Salutation:

Crit. Hift. of the N. Teft. Part. I. c. I.

for

for when he used an Amanuenfis, yet he wrote the Salutation with his own Hand, as his token in every Epiftle, 2 Theff. iii. 17. They generally wrote to whole Churches, but particular Men are frequently named in their Epiftles, which was a great means to afcertain the Authority of them. Tertullian appeals to Authentick Books, or the very Hand-writings of the Apostles themselves. For tho' it be acknowledged that the word? Authenticus doth not always denote the Original Writing under the Author's own Hand, but fometimes only the Original Language; yet the words of Tertullian are exprefs, that the Original Epistles were in his time ftill extant: for which Reason, he refers the Hereticks to the Apoftolical Churches where they were read, viz. to the Church of Corinth, of Phillippi, Theffalonica, Ephefus, and Rome; but the Epiftles of the Apostles were read in Greek, without doubt, in other Churches befides thefe; and the reafon why he refers them to the Apoftolical Churches rather than to any other, muft be, because the Originals under St. Paul's own Hand were there still to be feen; and he mentions, that the Thrones or Seats of the Apostles were then alfo preferved, as Eufebius fays, that of St. James was preserved to his time. When Alypius, in the Council of Carthage, A. D. CCCCXIX, moved, that the Authentick Canons of the Council of Nice, which were faid to be kept at Con

r

PAge jam, qui voles curiofitatem meliùs exercere in negotio falutis tuæ, percurre Ecclefias Apoftolicas, apud quas ipfæ adhuc Cathedræ Apoftolorum fuis locis præfidentur, apud quas ipfæ Authenticæ Literæ eorum recitantur. Tertull. de Præfcript. c. 36.

9 Authentick is oppofed to copy, τα τέτων ἴσα, ἤτοι ῥέξις, καὶ αὐθεντικά εἰς μέσον ἀγαγέτω Γεως επ, &c. C. T. vi. Col. 963. A&t. 14

Eufeb. Hift. lib. vii. c. 19.

* Cod. Canon. Eccl. Affric. p.331. Juftell. Edit. Fol. Euseb. Hist. 5. C. IO.

* Τὰ αὐθεντικά, τι]έςι τὰ πρω]ότυπα ἢ ἐν Νικαία Συνόδο Mar. Ephef. in Conc. Flor. Seff. 20. Col. 285.

ftantinople,