άπδρ καὶ τῷ πέ ἀποςολικῷ δηλαδή καμόνι διεί ληπται.

οι

Balfam. Ευρίσκονται τινες ψαλμοί του τις ν' ψαλμὸς τῇ δαυίδ, λεγόμενοι το σολομωντος εῇ, καὶ ἄλλων τινων. τέτες ἐν ὀνομασίες οἱ πα τερες ιδιωτικές, διετάξαντο μήτε τέτες, μήτε ἄλλο τι ἐπ ̓ ἐκκλησίας αναγινώσκεις, μὴ ὂν από πρ ἀπθριθμηθέντων ἐν τῷ πέ Σποςολικῷ κιμόνι.

85

Zonar. Εκτός τω ρε ψαλμω το Δαυίδ ευρισκον, και τινες έτεροι λεγόμενοι το ολο μήτις εἴ, καὶ ἄλλων τινων, ὃς καὶ ἰδιωτικές ενός μας οι πατέρες, και μή λέγεται ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ διετάξαντο μήτε μίω βιβλία ἀναγινώσκεται ανα νόνισα μόνα ἢ κανονικά. κανονικά δ ̓ ἐκάλεσε τα τω πε να μίνι σ ἁγίων αποςόλων αποθριθμέμνα ώστε ακομόνισα ὧν ὁ κενών σοκ εμνήθη. This is a plain and clear account of this matter. But that no Sacred or Infpir'd Books were written after the making of this Canon, which I think was about A. D. 86. we have no reason to fuppofe. Thus Hermas's ShepIren. Loly. herd is plainly a Sacred and Infpir'd Book 331. clem. of the New Teftament, 'tis quoted as Scripture by Irenaus; by Clement of Alexan356. 1. p. dria ; by Origen, and by Tertullian, before 360. 379 he fell into the Montanift Herefy. It was .p.503 highly efteem'd by many in the very Days VI. p. 679 of Eufebius, and then read in feveral ChurOrat.6.12 ches. It has in it Divine Vifions exactly P. of a piece with thofe in the Apocalypfe: Hift. Eccl. Nay is, I think, frequently referr'd to by L. m. c. 3. John in that Book, as Sacred and Infpir'd.

6.37.2.330,

Alex-Strom

1. p. 311.

384, 385.

Tertull. de

Eufeb.

8.72.

Take

Take one inftance: When John in the Apocalypfe fpeaks of fome that were come in * θλίψεως ο μεγάλης, out of the great tris Apoc.1.14. bulation of which great tribulation he had faid nothing before; what can he be fuppos'd to allude to but to Hermas's fecond and fourth Vilions, where the Title of the latter is exprefly De Tentatione & Tribula- v.11. $3. tione bominibus fuperventura; and which p. 77. IV. Tribulation is thrice called magna Tribula- 82, 83. tio, a great, or the great Tribulation: ef pecially when it appears to belong to the very fame event, the fame Perfecution of the Antichriftian State, which John means by the expreffion before us. Nor can the allufion be made the other way by Hermas to John fince the Shepherd of Hermas was written in the Days of Clement, as we lately observ'd, or before A. D. 88. whilst the Apocalypfe of John was not feen till Eight Years later, A. D. 96. To fay nothing here. of the atteftation of the Author of the fecond Book of Apocryphal Efdras, who about A. D. 99, or 100, appears feveral times to refer to it, and that as to a Book alike facred with the Apocalypfe it felf. Thus alfo the Epiftle of Barnabas, one feparated by a Divine Command for the Preaching of the Gofpel; one call'd an Apoftle; and faid to 11.4. be a good Man, full of the Holy Ghost, and & 13.2.& of Faith and one that had the power of 144 14 working Miracles alfo, can certainly be no

F 2

other

615.125

other than a Sacred Book. Thus perhaps the fecond Book of Apocryphal Efdras it self, had we an uncorrupt Copy, might prove a Sacred and Inspired Book, as it appears Irenæus, Clemens of Alexandria and Tertullian efteem'd it to be; tho' I suppose it written not by the old Jewish Efrah of the Old Teftament, but by an unknown Perfon at the end of the firft Century of Chriftianity. Thus the Epiftles of Ignatius feem to be quoted as facred by the Antients; and by Eufebius himself are esteem'd little L. III.36, or nothing inferior to thofe of Clement, which 37, 38. P are in the Canon. Thus the Epiftles of Hieron. in Polycarp, at least that to the Philippians, ftill

Hift. Eccl.

106. &c.

Catal.

extant, is known to have been read in the Churches in the earliest Ages; and was therefore then look'd on as a Sacred Book of our Religion. And to fay nothing of the Apocalypfe of Peter, and the Acts of Paul, as not now extant nor of the Aidagi s

sów, or principal Extract out of the Apoftolical Conftitutions, as rather on that account a Canonical Book, the Apocalypfe it felf, tho' not in the 85th Canon, and fo not properly Canonical, is yet one of the moft certainly and in the highest manner au Infpired Book of the New Testament and as fuch was ever efteem'd by the firft Chriftians. And the reason why none of thefe Sacred Books were put into that Canon is very evident, viz. because they all

appear

appear to have been written later than that laft Affembly or Council of the Apoftles, when the Canon was made; and by confequence could not be inferted thereinto. But then, any one that perufes Dr. Mills's care- Prolegom ful account of this matter, will find that?... the feveral Sacred Books were always own'd for fuch immediately in those Countries and Churches whereto they belong'd, and where they were known; that feveral Churches for a confiderable time had a fomewhat dif ferent Catalogue; that the doubtful Epiftles were not efteemed fuch originally in the Eaft whereto they belong'd, and that their Authority gradually prevail'd from the East to the Weft; I may add, probably by the very means of this 85th Apoftolical Čanon which recommended them; and which by degrees fpread over the Chriftian World; And on account of its Apoftolical Authority occafion'd the Books contain'd in it to be of the higheft efteem; and made a Canonical Book to be at laft of the fame import as a Sacred or Infpir'd one alfo. Hear Auftin's account of the different Catalogues. of Canonical Books, as he improperly calls De Doctr. them, in different Churches; and his pru-11. 6. 18. Chrift. L. dential advice about their admiflion. In Canonicis Scripturis, Ecclefiarum Canonicarum quamplurium au&toritatem fequatur; inter quas fane illa funt qua Apoftolicas fedes babere, & Epiftolas accipere meruerunt, Te

F 3

nebit

nebit itaque bunc modum in Scripturis Canonicis, ut eas que ab omnibus accipiuntur Ecclefiis Catholicis, præponat eis quas quædam non accipiunt. In eis verò qua non accipiuntur ab omnibus, proponat eas quas plures graviorefque accipiunt eis quas pauciores minorífque auctoritatis Ecclefia tenent. Si autem alias invenerit à pluribus, aliàs à grandioribus haberi, quanquam hoc facile invenire non poffit, aqualis tamen auctoritatis eas babendas puto.

Corollary. The intire Catalogue of Canonical and Sacred Books of the Old and New Teftament, receiv'd by the first Christians, feems to have been this. The fame that we now receive of the Old Teftament; with the addition of Baruch, as an Appendix to Jeremiah; and perhaps of the Wisdom of Solomon, as a part of, or Appendix to, the Book of Wisdom or Proverbs; and of the Books of the Maccabees; and in fome fenfe of Ecclefiafticus alfo. Nay, the Book of Tobit, the Book of Judith, I mean that beLVII... longing to Darius, as the Conftitutions quote 2. 390. that Hiftory, not the prefent belonging to Nebuchadnezzar; and the rest of Daniel, feem alfo to have been of more than bare human Authority both among Jews and Chriftians, The Sacred Books of the New Teftament still extant, both those in the 85th Canon, and thofe written afterwards, are the fame we now receive; together with

the