Apoc.11.15 ter. But I find no cause to believe that the Original Conftitutions themselves were ever tranfcrib'd, or fent to other Churches; but if any doubts arose, the Refolution was expected from fuch Bifhops as were the Keepers of the fame, or the Succeffors of the Apoftles original Bishops in those Nineteen Churches. Poffibly these most facred Conftitutions were defign'd to be thus fecretly preferv'd from unbaptiz'd Heathens, Jews, and Catechumens, till a proper time fhould come for their univerfal publication: I mean fuch a time, when the Kingdoms of this World were to become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift, and he was to reign for ever and ever: And when, by confequence, there would be fmall occafion for fuch concealment any longer. For my felf, I believe that happy time is now haftening, and I take it for one eminent fign of fuch its approach, that thefe divine and heavenly Conflitutions of our Blessed Lord, by which his Kingdom is certainly to be then adminiftred, are now by his good Providence beginning to be reviv'd among us. May this, O Lord, Thy Kingdom come ; and may this tky Will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven! XXIII. Thefe fecret Conftitutions were first published, or began in fome places to be tranfcrib'd and ordinarily known, about the middle of the Fourth Century; when the Antient Faith, Worship and Practice was was begun to be alter'd; and they seem firft to have been publifh'd in Syria, and the neighbouring Parts, from the Copy belonging to Antioch, one of the prime Apoftolical Churches; and that perhaps by Euzoius its Bishop, in Vindication of the Arians against Athanafius, and the other Corrupters of the Faith, who then call'd themselves the Orthodox. That about this very time, the Conftitutions began to be publick is plain, because before this time, they were kept most strictly secret; infomuch, that Eufebius, who mentions the Antientest Extract out of them, or the Sidan 2005ónior, and himself makes moft frequent Use of them, and Allufions to them, as we fhall fee anon; yet does he never give any direct and formal Account of them, as he does of the Books of the New Teftament,and of other known Writings. Yet after this time, we foon find this Book made publick ufe of by the Audians; its Publication hinted and difapprov'd by Bafil; the Cenfures pafs'd upon it, as on a known Book, mentioned by Epiphanius; and it self cited very frequently, and not feldom nam'd by the fame Epiphanius, as then well known in the Parts where he liv'd, So that about the middle of this Century, was certainly the first Publication of it there to the World. I lay the firft Publication there only; for in fome Parts, it was a great while e're it was publick, efpecially fuch as were fufficiently remote remote from Syria and Antioch; whence I take its original publick Appearance to have proceeded. For if we confider what contrary Doctrines the Athanafians had rais'd what unjuftifiable and unheard of Practices they had begun to build upon thofe Doctrines; and what hard Cenfures and Penalties they excited against the Body of the honest old Chriftians, under the Name of Arians; if we remeinber, how folemnly the great Arian Council of Jerufalem had appeal'd to it against the Athanafians, and for the Sufficiency and Truth of Arius's Creed, of which hereafter; if we confider, that the See of Antioch was fill'd with Euzoius, a famous Defender of the Antient or Arian See c. 4 Faith, and one who had join'd in the Com29. infra. pofure of that very Creed, for the Juftification of which, the Council of Ferufalem made that folemn Appeal before mentioned; if we obferve that the first publick Ufe of these Conftitutions was made by the Audians in Syria or Mefopotamia; the next by Bafil in Cappadocia, near adjoining: the next by Epiphanius in Cyprus, ftill nearer; and that the Council of Antioch it felf, made the moft publick References to the fame, or to the Canous extracted thence, by confirming,and almoft tranfcribing fo many of thofe Canons. And if we note how long it was in parts remote from Antioch, e're thefe Conftitutions became equally publick, or were cited in cent. 4. n°. the the fame open manner, that they are by the foremention'd Epiphanius in thofe Parts; if I fay we rightly confider all thefe Circum-: ftances we fhall be inclin'd to believe, that the place, as well as time,for their first Pub lication, is not amifs ftated in the prefent Propofition. Nay, one Circumstance will deferve highly to be obferv'd, as to the last of thofe Additional Canons, belonging to of the Conftitutions, with regard to this place of the Publication of the whole Colle&tion and 'tis this: That from hence ; that Claufe where the Clementines in general, or the Epiftles and Conftitutions of Clement appear among the reft of the Books. of Scripture seems to have prevail'd over the Church. For all the other Canons or Catalogues of the Sacred Books, omit them for many Ages, whether at Jerufalem, Cafarea, Alexandria, or elsewhere: While at Antioch we find ftill Footings of its Original Infertion ever fince that Canon was received there. Ignatius himself, who Ignat. Ad cites the Conftitutions fo often, does alfo Philadelph. cite even the Second Epiftle of Clement as a see c. 4. Sacred Book; which is the only very cent. 2. Antient Citation out of it, now extant. n°. 9.infrà. Accordingly, we find this Claufe not only in all the modern Copies of this Canon, but even in that of Joannes Scholafticus in the Fifth Century, which I efteem the most uncorrupt that is extant,' Now this Joannes Scho Scholafticus wasa Prefbyter of Antioch, when he made his Collection; and is thence commonly ftil'd Joannes Antiochenus. Nay he does not pretend, that this was the first Publication of thefe Canons, but fuppofes, that they had been publish'd long before; and that an older Collection of fuch Canons had been made. We may also hence conjecture, that as Antioch certainly had Clement's Epiftles and Constitutions in their fecret Copy of this Canon, which were not in the publick ones; fo did other Churches infert other facred Books, fo efteem'd by them, into their Copies alfo; and that thence fome Variety of Books does now appear in the feveral Manuscripts of the fame at this Day. Nor do the Doubts of many as to its facred Authority; mention'd by Epiphanius, and P. 140. pri- almost by him alone in all Antiquity, with the Diflike Bafil fhews at their becoming publick, agree to any thing fo well as their Publication by the Arians, in their own Vindication against the Athanafians; who, tho' they could not poffibly deny their facred Authority, yet were not overfond of them, but took care gradually to neglect and to drop them, after they were publish'd; as not favorable to their Caufe; and to introduce the Creeds and Doctrines of the Councibof Nice, and other the like corrupt Affemblies afterward, inftead of that really Apoftolical Creed, and thofe really Apoftolical Doctrines, See c. 4. cent 4. |