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it is tranflated, properly fignifies (m) covenant. St. Paul, 2 Cor. iii. 16. .. 18. fhewing the fuperior excellence of the gofpel-covenant, or the difpenfation by Chrift, above the legal covenant, or the difpenfation by Mofes, ufeth the word teftament, not only for the covenant itself, but likewise for the books, in which it is contained. At least he does fo, in fpeaking of the legal covenant. For, representing the cafe of the unbelieving part of the Jewish People, he fays v. 14. Until this day remaineth the fame vail untaken away in reading the Old Teftament.

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It is no wonder therefore, that this way of speaking has much prevailed among Chriftians. Melito, Bishop of Sardis, about the year 177. went into the East, to get an exact account of the books of the Law and the Prophets. In his letter to his friend Onefimus, giving an account of his journey, and reckoning up the books in their order, he calls them (2) the ancient books, and (0) the books of the Old Teftament. Eufebe calls it (p)"a catalogue of the acknowledged fcriptures of the Old Testament.' Our Ecclefiaftical Hiftorian elsewhere (q) fpeaks of the fcriptures of the New Teftament. I fhall remind my readers of but one inftance more. Cyril of Jerufalem, introducing his catalogue of fcriptures received by the Chriftian Church, fays: "Thefe (r) things we are taught by the di"vinely inspired fcriptures of the Old and New Teftament." Many other like examples occur in the preceding volumes of this work.

V. Instead of teftament Latin writers fometimes ufe the

Inftrument. word inftrument, denoting writing, charter, record. We

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find it feveral times in Tertullian, reckoned the most ancient Latin writer of the Church now remaining. In a paffage already (s) cited he calls the Gospels, or the New Teftament in general, the Evangelic Inftrument. And fays: "How (t) large chafms Marcion has made in the epiftle to the Romans, by leaving out what he pleases, may appear from our entire Inftrument:" or our unaltered copies of the New Teftament, particularly of that epiftle. Speaking of the Shepherd of Hermas, he fays, it (u) was not reckoned a part of the Divine Inftrument: thereby meaning, as it seems, the New Testament. Which passage was quoted (*)

by

(m) Notandum, quod Brith, verbum Hebraicum, Aquila. ovnen, id eft, pactum, interpretatur: Lxx femper dianany, id eft, teftamentum: et in plerif que fcripturarum locis teftamentum non voluntatem defunctorum fonare, fed pactum viventium. Hieron, in Malach. cap. ii. T. 3. p. 1816.

Ap.

. (») Ετι δὲ καὶ μαθεῖν τὴν τῶν παλαιῶν βιβλίων ἐβυλήθης ακριβειαν. κ. λ. Αρ. Eufeb. 1. 4. c. 27. p. 148. D.

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(t) Quantas autem foveas in ifta vel maxime epiftola [ad Romanos] Marcion fecerit, auferendo quæ voluit,. de noftri Inftrumenti integritate patebit. Adv. Marcion. 1. 5. cap. 13. p. 601.

(u) Sed cederem tibi, fi fcriptura Paftoris divino inftrumento meruiffet incidi... De Pudicit. cap. 10. p. 737. A

(x) See Vol, ii. p. 638.

by us formerly. He calls (y) the Law and the Prophets the Jewish Inftruments: that is, writings, or fcriptures. He fpeaks of the antiquity (z) of the Jewish Inftruments, or Scriptures. He (a) feems in one place to use the word inftrument, as equivalent to fcriptures, containing the doctrine of revelation, or the revealed will of God.

VI. Digeft is another word used by Tertullian in speaking of the scriptures." Luke's (b) Digeft, he fays, is often afcribed Digest. to Paul." He calls (c) the Gofpels, or the whole New Teftament, our Digeft, in allufion, as it seems, to fome collection of the Roman Laws digefted into order. Those two paffages were cited in the chapter of Tertullian. I now transcribe the later below (d) more at large, it having also the word inftrument, as equivalent to the New Teftament. He likewife calls the Jewish Scriptures (e) Sacred Digefts. He feems to use the word digeft (f) elsewhere, as equivalent to writing, or work, in general.

I fhall not take notice of any other general denominations of the facred fcriptures.

VII. My chief concern is with the New Teftament, which, as is well known, confifts of Gofpels, the Acts, and Epiftles.. The only word, that needs explanation is the firft.

Gospel.

Gospel is a tranflation of the Greek word sayyar, the Latin word, evangelium, which fignifies any good meffage or tidings. In the New Teftament the word denotes the doctrine of falvation, taught by Jefus Chrift, and his Apostles. Which indeed is gospel by way of eminence, as it is the best tidings that ever were published in this world. Says Theodoret upon Rom. i. I. "He (g) calls it gospel, as it contains af"furance

() Aut nunquid non jufti Judæi, & quibus pœnitentia non opus effet, habentes gubernacula difciplinæ, & timoris inftrumenta, Legem & Prophetas. De Pudicitia. cap. 7. p. 722. B.

(z) Primam inftrumentis iftis auctoritatem fumma antiquitas vindicat. Apol. cap. 19. p. 19. B.

Sed quoniam edidimus, antiquiffimis Judaeorum inftrumentis fectam iftam effe fuffultam. Apol. cap. 21. in. p. 20.

(a) Sed quo plenius et impreffius tam ipfum, quam difpofitiones ejus et voluntates adiremus, inftrumentum adjecit literaturæ, fi quis velit de Deo inquirere. Apol. cap. 18. p. 18. C.

(b) See Vol. ii. p. 581. or 579.

(c) The fame p. 629. or 630.

(d) Si vero Apoftoli quidam integrum evangelium contulerunt, de fola convictus inæqualitate reprehenfi, Pfeudapoftoli autem veritatem eorum interpolarunt, et inde funt noftra digefta: quod erit germanum illud Apoftolorum inftrumentum, quod adulteros paffum eft? Adver. Marc. I. 4. cap. 3. p. 504. B.

(e) Sed homines gloriæ, ut diximus, et eloquentiæ folius libidinofi, fi quid in fanctis offenderunt digeftis, exinde regeftum pro inftituto curiofitatis ad propria verterunt. Apol. cap. 47. p. 41. B.

(f) Elegi ad compendium Varronis opera, qui rerum divinarum ex omnibus retro digeftis commentatus, idoneum fe nobis fcopum expofuit. Ad Nation. 1. 2. cap. i. p. 64. C.

(8) Ευαγγέλιον δὲ τὸ κήρυγμα προσηγόρευσεν, ὡς πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑπισχνύμενον χορηγίαν. Ευαγγελίζεται γὰρ τὰς τὸ θεὸ καταλλαγὰς, τὴν τὸ διαβόλα καλάλυ σιν, τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὴν ἄφεσιν, τὸ θανάτε τὴν παῦλαν, τῶν νεκρῶν τὴν ἀνάςας σιν, τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αιωνιον, τὴν βασιλέιαν τῶν ἐξανῶν. In ep. ad Rom. T.3. 2.10.β.

"furance of many good things. For it proclaims peace with God, the "overthrow of Satan, the remiffion of fins, the abolifhing of death, the "refurrection of the dead, eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven."

Says St. Matthew iv. 23. And Jefus went about all Galilee, teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Kai ungvoo wv TO Εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας Mark xiii. 1o. And the gopel [τὸ εὐαγγέλιον] must first be preached to all nations. Ch. xvi. 15. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gopel to every creature. Κηρύξατε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. It is called the word of truth, the gospel of our falvation. Epi. i. 13. And in like manner, in other places.

But by gospel, when used by us concerning the writings of the Evangelifts, we mean the hiftorie of Chrift's preaching, and miracles. The word feems alfo to be fo ufed by St. Mark i. 1. The beginning of the gofpel of Jefus Chrift. Which may be understood, and paraphrafed thus: "Here (A) begins the Hiftorie of the life and doctrine of Jesus Christ, "the Son of God, and Saviour of mankind."

The

St. Luke, referring to the book of his Gospel, fays: Acts i. 1. 2. former treatife have I made, o Theophilus, of all that Jefus began to do and teach, until the day in the which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghoft had given commandments unto the Apostles, whom he had chofen. But St. Luke, as it seems, there puts the principal part for the whole. For he has therein writ alfo the hiftorie of our Lord's miraculous birth, and divers extraordinarie events attending it: and likewife the hiftorie of the birth of John the Baptift, and divers circumstances of it, and his preaching and death.

In this fenfe the word Gofpel is frequently understood by us. A Gofpel is the hiftorie of Jesus Christ, his doctrine, miracles, refurrection, and afcenfion: not excluding the hiftorie of his fore-runner, who (B) alfo is faid to have breached the gospel, that is, the doctrine of the gospel, or the kingdom of God.

he Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, is the hiftorie of Jefus Chrift, as writ by those several Evangelifts.

(A) That is Dr. Clarke's Paraphrafe. But I am fenfible, it will not be allowed by all. Oecumenius fays, that by gospel Mark does not intend his own writing, but Chrift's preaching. Magx, dex, Onoi, te ivayyékių inov χρισᾶ ἀλλὰ ἐ τὴν ἑαυτῷ συγγραφὴν καλεῖ ἐυαγγέλιον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τὰ χριςθ κήρυγ pa. Oecum. in Act. Ap. He proceeds to fay, that the faithful afterwards called the writings of the Evangelists Gospels, as truly containing the gospel, that is, the doctrine of Christ. See Vol. xi. p. 413.

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(B) Matt. iii. 1. 2. In thofe days came John the Baptift, preaching in the wilderneffe of Judea, and Jaying: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Compare Mark i. 4. Luke iii. 1. 2. And fays St. Luke iii. 18. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. Πολλὰ μὲν ἦν καὶ ἕτερα παρακαλῶν, ἐνηγγελίζετο τὸν λαόν. Which may be literally rendered thus: And exhorting many other like things, he evangelized [or preached the gospel to] the people,

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(9).

CHA P. II.

General Obfervations upon the Canon of the New Testament.

I. ****HE canonical books of the New Teftament, received by TChriftians in this part of the world, are the Four Gospels, the ***** Acts of the Apoftles, Fourteen Epiftles of St. Paul, Seven Catholic Epiftles, and the Revelation

II. There may be different canons of the New Testament among Chriftians.

Indeed, there have been in former times, and still are, different sentiments among Chriftians, concerning the number of books to be received as canonical. The (a) canon of the Syrian churches is not the same as ours. Jerome tells us, that (b) in his time fome of the Latins reject ed the epiftle to the Hebrews, and fome of the Greeks the book of the Revelation. From Chryfoftom's works we perceive, that (c) he did not receive the second epiftle of St. Peter, nor the second and third of St. John, nor the epiftle of St. Jude, nor the Revelation. And there is reason to think, that (d) Theodoret's canon likewife was much the fame with Chryfoftom's, and that of the churches in Syria. Nevertheless, wẹ have obferved in the course of this work, that about the fame time the Egyptians, and the Chriftians in divers other parts of the world, had the fame number of canonical books, that we have.

But to come nearer our own time. Calvin (e) Grotius (f) Le Clerc (g) Philip Limborch (h) and some other learned moderns, have not admitted the epiftle to the Hebrews to have been writ by St. Paul: though (i) they were willing to allow it to be the work of an apoftolical man, and a valuable part of facred fcripture, But I cannot say, that they were in the right in fo doing. For it appears to me to have been a maxim of the ancient Chriftians, not to receive any doctrinal or preceptive writing, as of authority, unless it were known to be the work of

(a) See Vol. ix. p. 221. Vol. xi. p. 270. (b) Vol. x. p. 122. 123.

(d) Vol. xi. p. 88. 89. 91.

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(c) The fume, p. 341.

an

(e) Ego ut Paulum agnofcam auctorem, adduci nequeo. Calvin. argum. in ep. ad Hebr.

(f) Facillima refutatu eft poftrema hæc opinio, ideo quod Paulina epiftolæ inter fe fint germanæ, pari charactere ac dicendi modo: hæc vero manifefte ab iis difcrepet, felectiores habens voces Græcas, leniufque fluens, non autem fracta brevibus incifis, ac falebrofa. .... Grot. Prooem. in ep. ad Hebr.

(g) Hift. Ec. Ann. 69. p. 455... 461,

(b) Prolegom. in ep. ad Hebr.

(i) Hifce argumentis utrinque attente expenfis dicendum videtur, Paulum epiftolæ hujus fcriptorem non videri... Quis vero illius fcriptor fit, incertum eft. Alii eam Lucæ, alii Barnabæ, alii Clementi adfcribunt. Interim divinam hujus epiftolæ autoritatem agnofcimus, multifque aliis, quas ab Apoftolis effe fcriptas, conftat, ob argumenti quod tractat præftantiam præferendam júdicamus. Limb. ibid. Vid. at Calvin, ubi fupra.

an Apoftle. Confequently, the epiftle to the Hebrews, if writ by an apoftolical man only, fhould not be esteemed canonical.

Grotius (k) likewife fuppofed the fecond epiftle afcribed to Peter, not to have been writ by the Apostle Simon Peter, but by Simeon, chofen Bishop of Jerufalem after the death of James the Juft, whofe epistle we have. Which Simeon lived to the time of Trajan, when he was crucified for the name of Chrift. Upon which I only obferve at present, that if this Simeon be the writer of this epiftle, it should not be a part of canonical scripture.

The fame learned man fuppofeth (1) the fecond and third epiftles, called St. John's, not to have been writ by John the Apoftle, but by another John, an Elder or Presbyter who lived about the fame time, and after him, at Ephefus.

And the epiftle called St. Jude's, he thought (m) to have been written by one of that name, who was Bishop of Jerufalem in the time of the Emperour Adrian, and not till after there had been several other Bishops of that church, fince the death of the forementioned Simeon. If fo, I believe, all men may be of opinion, that this epiftle ought not to be placed in the canon of the New Teftament.

It may not be thought right, if I fhould here entirely omit Mr. Whifton, whofe canon confifted of the (n) Apoftolical Conftitutions, and divers other books, as facred, beside those generally received: and (0) the Conftitutions,

(k) Jam olim veterum multi credidêre, non effe apoftoli Petri, argumento tum dictionis ab epiftola priore multum diverfæ, quod agnofcunt Eufebius & Hieronymus, tum quod multæ olim ecclefiæ hanc non receperint. . Scriptorem autem hujus epiftolæ arbitror effe Simeonem five Simonem, epifcopum poft Jacobi mortem Hierofolymis, ejufdemque Jacobi, cujus epiftolam habemus, fuccefforem & imitatorem.. Unde etiam conftat, vixiffe hunc poft excidium Hierofolymitanum ad Trajani tempora, & tunc pro nomine Chrifti crucifixum. Annot, in Ep. Petri fecund.

() Hanc epiftolam, & eam quæ fequitur, non effe Johannis Apoftoli, veterum multi jam olim crediderunt, a quibus non diffentiunt Eufebius & Hieronymus. Et magna funt in id argumenta. Nam duos fuiffe Johannes Ephefi, Apoftolum, ac Prefbyterum, ejus difcipulum, femper conftitit ex fepulchris, alio hujus, alio illius: que fepulchra vidit Hieronymus. Grot. Annot. in ep. Joan. fecund.

(m) Quare omnino adducor, ut credam effe hanc epiftolam Judæ Epifcopi Hierofolymitani, qui fuit Adriani temporibus, paullo ante Barchochebam. Id. in Annot. ad ep. Juda.

(n)

:

"The facred books of the New Teftament ftill extant, both those in the 85. canon, and those written afterwards, are the fame, which we now receive together with the eight books of Apoftolical Conftitutions, and their epitome, the Doctrine of the Apoftles: the two epiftles of Clement, the epiftle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas; and perhaps the fecond book of apocryphal Efdras, with the epiftles of Ignatius and Polycarp." Effay on the ApoHolical Conftitutions. ch. i. p. 70. 71.

(0) If any one has a mind to fort the feveral books of the New Testament, he may in the firft place fet the Apoftolical Conftitutions, with it's extract, or Doctrine of the Apostles, as derived from the body, or College of the Apofiles, met in Councils. In the next place he may put the four Gofpels, with their appendix, the Acts of the Apoftles, The Apocalypfe of

John

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