New Teftament, the Authentick Rules and Standards of our Faith and Practice, even tho' we were not able to difcover any more about them. We neither know the Authors, nor the times of the Writing feveral of the Books of the Old Teftament: Yet do we not think we have fufficient Reafon thence to reject them; because of the constant Atteftation of the Jewish Church; and because of, their exact Agreement with those other Sacred Books, whofe Authors and Occafions we are better acquainted with. The Application is eafy. Only I am bold to venture a ftep farther, and from the unquestionable Reception of the Laws of this Book in the earlieft times, and wideft diftances of the Chriftian Church, and that as Sacred and Inviolable, as Authentick and Apoftolical, to infer that therefore they must be really deriv'd from the Apostles, whofe Authority alone in those Days could make them be cfteem'd thus Sacred and Inviolable, thus Authentick and Apoftolical. If I am fully fatisfied that New Rules, Customs, and Laws obtain all over Great Britain, and obtain every where as fix'd by the Legislature, the Queen and Parliament, I fhall certainly conclude there were fuch New Laws made by the fame Legislature, the Queen and Parliament; and, tho' I was not by at the paffing of any fuch Laws, can eafily believe that a Book containing those very Rules, Cuftoms, and Laws, M 4

and

and that under the Name of Queen and Parliament, is really a genuine Book, or an A& of that very Parliament it pretends to be. Nor is the Application here more difficult than in the former Cafe, and highly deferves the Confideration of the Judicious. For

III, The Stile, Nature, and Language of the whole Work, as in the express Name of the Apoftles themselves; and that not of one or Two ingle Apoftles, but of the Body, or publick Affembly of the Apostles, especially the Solemn Addreffes by way of Preface and Conclufion; do as certainly imply it to be Authoritative, Legislative, and Apoftolical, as the like Stile of the Laws of Mofes, or of any Country do imply the Books which contain them to be Publick, and done by the Supreme Authority. And in the very fame manner that we eafily diftinguish an Act of Parliament, or the Authentick Articles, Canons, and Liturgies of any Church, by the intire Nature, Stile, and Language of the fame, from the particular Writings and Compofitions of private Men, may we readily diftinguish between thefe Publick and Authentick Conftitutions of our Lord, by his Holy Apostles, and the Epiftles of fingle Apoftles, and the Apologies and Writings of the Antient particular Fathers and Bishops of the Church. Not that 'tis abfolutely Impoffible to Counterfeit in this Cafe, no more than in the other. But that where the Con

tents

tents of these Conftitutions appear every way highly worthy of the Apoftles, as well as the Spirit and Genius of the feveral parts moft ferious, pious, and truly Apoftolical ; where we also find the whole written in the publick Name of the Apostles, and that as deriv'd from Chrift himself by them; and all in the very Stile and Language which they, or their known Companions use in their undoubted Writings, we have no juft reafon to believe it other than Apoftolical. Hear the first Address at the beginning already mention'd; Οἱ ἀπόςολοι καὶ οἱ πρεσβύ τεροι πᾶσι τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν πιςούσασιν εἰς ἃ κύριον L. 1. prαξι Ἰησῦν Χριςόν, χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρη ἀπὸ τὸ που-τ. 199. τοκράτορος Θεό, διὰ τὸ κυρίς ἡμῶν Ἰησε Χριςε πληθωωθείη, ἐν ἔπιγνώση αυτό. Hear alfo that folemn and important atteftation of the Body of the Apostles to the main facts belonging to our Saviour, which concludes the admirable Chapter concerning the Refurre- L.V. 6. 7. 8. ction: Ταῦτα δ' απομία ἡμεῖς πει αυτός μπριτυ - 309. ρέμμα τα δ' ἄλλα οἱ προφῆται ἡμεῖς οἱ συμφα γόντες αυτῷ, καὶ ξυμπιόντες, και θεατα γενόμιμοι των αυτό τερατίων, και ο ζωῆς, καὶ τὰ πολιτείας, και πως λόγων, και των παθημάτων, και το θανάτε, καὶ τ ἐκ νεκρῶν αὐτὸ ἀνατάσεως, καὶ συναναςραφέν τις αντω ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα με ὃ ἔγερσιν αὐτό, και λαβόντες ἐντολίω παρ' αυτό κηρύξαι το ευαγέ λιον εἰς ὅλον ἢ κόσμον, και μαθητεύσαι πάντα τα ἔθνη, καὶ βαπλίσαι εἰς 7 αυτό θάνατον, ὅτι αὐθεντίᾳ τὸ θεὸ τὴν ὅλων, ὃς ἔτιν αυτό πατὴρ, καὶ μαρτυρία

πνεύματα, ὃς ότι τάκλητο, διδάσκομαι υμίν ταῦτα πάντα ἃ διαταξάμμα ἡμῖν ἀνελήφθη έτσ αψὶ ἡμῶν εἰς τὰ ἐρανόν, πρὸς ἢ ἀποφείλαντα αυτόν. καὶ ἐὰν μὴ τις δύσατε, μακάριοι γενήσεαε εί 5 μή τις δύσητε, αθώοι ἡμεῖς ευρεθησόμθια και καθαροί ἡ ὑμετέρας δυσαισίας. Nor can fo ferious and authentick a Paffage fure but affect every confidering and well difpofed Reader. The admirable doxology with which the Sixth Book ends is too long to be here tranfcrib'd; 7 359, 360 but highly deferves the Reader's perufal on this occafion. However, Hear how the frft, or Jewish Liturgy concludes in the Seventh Evic 38. Book : Ταῦτα μελετάτε, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ ἐὰν ὁ κα μια μεθ' ὑμῶν, ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῇ πατρός αυτός τε και αυτόν αποςείλαι, και ἡμᾶς δι' αύτε ελευθερώσαντΘ. εκ δελείας

L.VI. c. 30.

9.378.

εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἢ δόξης, καὶ ζωίω ἐπαγγειλα μαρα τοῖς δὲ αυτό πισιν εἰς ὅλων θεόν. Hear alfo in what a folemn manner the Apoftles take their leave of their Bishops, to whom they intrufted thefe facred Conftitutions, or rather of all Chriftians committed C.46.335 to their care alfo, Καὶ ἂν ὁ κύρια μεθ' ὑμῶν, νω τε, καὶ εἰς τὰς ἀτελόυτήτες χρόνες ως αυτός εἴρηκεν ἡμῖν, μέλλων αναλαμβάνεως προς τον ἑαυτὸ θεὸν καὶ πατέρα· ἰδὲ γάρ, φησιν, ἐγώ μάλι ὑμῶν εἰμὶ πάσας τας ἡμέρας, ἕως η συντελείας το αιώνΘ. αμω. Nay, above all, hear how the Apostles conclude thofe Canons which end the whole Collection, and how feriously and prophetically they fpeak to those Bi

hops

fhops with whom they intrusted these Divine Oracles, and by them to all the fucceeding Bilhops of the Church ; and carefully note how exactly the Prediction has fince coine to pass, to the woful mifery of the Church in all its later Ages, Ταύτα Can. 85. πει καιμόνων κατετάχθω ὑμῖν παρ' ἡμῶν, ὦ Ἐπίτροποι· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐμμένοντες αὐτοῖς @σε εἰρήνω ἕξετε απειθέντες ἢ κολασθήσεσθε, καὶ πόλε μον μετ' αλλήλων αΐδιον ἕξετε δίκων ἢ ἀνηκοΐας την προσήκει τιννιώτες. Ὁ Θεὸς ἢ ὁ μάς αύ μῆς, καὶ τῶν ὅλων ποιητής, απόρας ὑμᾶς, καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης, ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, ἐνώς, καταρ τίσι εἰς πᾶν ἔργον αγαθόν, ἀκρέπες, αμέμπλες ἀνεγκλήτες καταξιώσι τε τῆς αἰωνίες ζωής, σαν ἡμῖν, δια της μεσιτείας τὸ ἠγαπημλύει παιδός αυτό Ἰησε Χρισε, το Θεῖ καὶ @τὴρθ, ἡμῶν * ἡ δόξα αυτῷ τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ, ἐν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι των τακλήτῳ, να τι, καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τὰς αἰῶνας της αιώνων. αμω. This Lan guage feems to me not only agreeable to priinitive fimplicity, zeal, and piety, but to be fo certainly publick, authoritative, and Apoftolical in an eminent manner, that there had need be very ftrong marks of Spuriousness and fuppofition ere Chriftians ought to be perfwaded, that all this is nothing but the voice of a Cheat and Impoftor. Nor indeed do I fee to what purpose a Cheat and Impoftor should ever counterfeit fuch a Book; much less, how the Laws and Rules of a Cheat and Impoftor fhould ever come to be

fo