The Acts of Thecla and Paul. The Revelation of Thomas. The Revelation of Paul. The Revelation of Stephen. See the decree under Gelafius's name, de Libris Apocryph. apud Gratian. Distinct. 15. c. 3*. Whether, as fome imagine, it was wrote within my time, or no, I shall not here enquire; only obferve, that if it was not, it was so very near it, that I thought it necessary to infert it. These are all the Apocryphal books, not extant, which I have been able to find any mention of in the writers of the four first centuries after our Saviour. I propofed, indeed, to have annexed here the catalogue of the books ftill extant in like manner as the not extant; but this catalogue will be so neceffary in the third part of this work, that I fhall defer the producing it in full, or at large, till then; and in the mean time defire the reader to be content with the following general account. The Apocryphal Books extant are, such as Our Saviour's Letter to Abgarus. Our Saviour's Letter, which fell down from Heaven at Jerusalem, directed to a Priest named Leopas, in the City Eris. The Conftitutions of the Apostles. The Creed of the Apoftles. The Apoftolical Epiftles of Barnabas, Clemens, Ignatius, and Polycarp. The Shepherd of Hermas. The Gospel of the Infancy of our Saviour. The Prot-Evangelium of St. James. The Gofpel of Nicodemus. The Martyrdom of Thecla, or Acts of Paul. Abdias's Hiftory of the Twelve Apostles. St. Paul's Epiftle to the Laodiceans. St. Paul's Six Letters to Seneca, &c. Upon the whole, we may fee, how great the number of fpurious and Apocryphal pieces was in the ages next after our Saviour. * Et apud Concil. Sanct. Tom. 4. p. 1260. CHAP. CHAP. IV. Reafons affigned, why there were so many Apocryphal Pieces fo early in the Chriftian Church. ANY who are not acquainted with the first writers of MAN Christianity, will, no doubt, be surprized to see so large a catalogue of books, fo early written under such specious titles: before I proceed therefore, it may not be improper to obferve, how it came to pass that the number of them became fo large, or for what reasons they were wrote. And, 1. The very great number of herefies and divifions, that arose among the Chriftians foon after the publishing of the Gospel, I affign as the principal cause of this multitude of books. It is indeed ftrange, that a religion fo exactly calculated to promote unity, should have been so much abused, and its professors divided into fo many various parties, and different denominations, as we find they were immediately after our Lord's Afcenfion. Hegefippus indeed tells us, that till Trajan's time (near which himself lived) the Church continued as a pure and uncorrupted virgin: but this (as learned men have observed) must be candidly understood, not as though there were at this time no herefies arofe in the Church, but that they had not yet so much spread themselves, and disturbed the peace of the Church: for it is certain, that even in the Apostles' times many had perverted the great truths of Christianity; St. Paul often hints at fuch in his Epiftles '; Peter and Judet do the fame; and John expressly mentions the Nicolaitans and others". In their time lived Simon Magus, to whom so many herefies owed their original. It would be tedious to mention the herefies of the second century, the various forts of Gnofticks", the Valentinians, Menandrians, Nicolaitans, &c. the Nazarenes, Ebionites, Cerinthians, Carpocratians, Montanifts, the followers of Cerdon, Marcion, Tatian, &c. He who has a mind, may see large catalogues of these in Irenæus, Epiphanius, Austin, &c. What concerns me to observe is, that upon account of these differing parties, a great part of those books were compofed, which make up the foregoing catalogue; each party to recommend and propagate their principles and tenets under the great name of fome Apostle or Disciple of our Saviour. This will largely appear in the particular examination of the books; at present it will be fufficient, to fupport the obfervation from the express teftimonies of fome antient wri ters. Irenæus tells us, the Gnofticks had in his time forged an innumerable multitude of spurious and Apocryphal books, which they spread abroad in order to pervert ignorant and unwary perfons. Hegefippus who lived at the fame time, in a differtation concerning the Apocryphal books of the New Testament, affures us, they were many of them made by the heretics of that age. If any regard be to be given to the Conftitutions of the Apostles, not as a facred, but an antient book, we are there told, the ungodly wrote feveral books in their name; that Simon and Cleobius, and their followers, did compile poisonous books under the name of Chrift and his Difciples, and do carry them about in order to deceive, &c. 2. It is not improbable, that some of the forementioned books were compofed by honest and pious men, with defign to preserve fame miracles and difcourses of our Saviour, which they had received by an undoubted tradition, and did not meet with in any of the authentic Gofpels. It can hardly be thought, but Papias, and fuch others, who, like him, were o induftrious in procuring all accounts they could of our Lord's fayings and ac × Adverf. Hæref. 1. 1. c. 17. ν Ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ χρόνων πρὸς ̓Αμύθητον πλῆθος ἀποκρύφων και τινῶν αἱρετικῶν ἀναπεπλάσθαι τινὰ νόθων γραφῶν, ὡς αὐτοὶ ἔπλασαν, τούτων (fc. ἀποκρύφων) ισορεῖ. παρεισφέρεσιν εἰς κατάπληξιν τῶν Apud Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. 1. 4. ἀνήτων, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας μὴ ἐπιταμένων γράμματα. C. 22. D4 Conft. Apoft. 1. 6. §. 16. tions, tions, would, out of the fame principle, transmit them to others; which accounts, falling afterwards into the hands of fome zealous and well-meaning perfons, were, either through miftake, or perhaps a more pious than honeft defign, published under the name of fome one of our Lord's Apoftles or followers, and that sometimes with many additions and interpolations. The learned Cafaubon (than whom no one was either more acquainted with, or more judicious in Christian antiquities) has obferved this, in his differtations against Baronius; I cannot, fays he, but much refent the practice of many in the earliest ages of the Church, who reckoned it an action very meritorious to make additions of their own to the truths of the Gospel, with this view, that Christianity might meet with a better reception among the Gentiles. They called these, officious lies, contrived for a pious end. This produced innumerable books in thofe ages, wrote by men who were not bad, under the name of our Saviour, his Apostles, and followers. Among these books, that excellent critic places the Sibylline Oracles, and several of the preceding catalogue. But, of all thefe, none feems to me more likely to have proceeded from this caufe, than that famous book in antiquity, entitled, The Preaching of Peter and Paul. I would only add, that Tertullian and Jerone have furnished us with an undoubted and remarkable inftance of this, in the book called, The Acts of Paul and Thecla: this fpurious piece (fay those authors) was wrote by a certain Prefbyter in Afia, under the name of Paul, who being convicted of the forgery, confeffed it, and said, he did it out of love to Paul, &c. a Exercit. 1. cont. Baron. An nal. N. 10. p. 54. • Lib. de Baptism. c. 17. • Vid. Hieron. de Script. Eccl. in Luc. CHAP. CHAP. V. A general Proof, that the primitive Chriftians were well agreed about the Books of the Canon. PROP. II. The greatest Part of Chriftians were very early agreed, what Books were Canonical, and to be looked upon as the Rule of Faith and Practice. IT would certainly evidence a very great ignorance in Ec ter. clefiaftical history in any person, to pretend to affign the particular time, when the prefent collection, or Canon of the books of the New Teftament, was made: for though we have all imaginable reason to conclude this certainly done long before the Council of Laodicea, yet the hiftories of those times are fo defective, that we have no positive account of that matThe Canon was indeed gradually enlarged, as the books were wrote at different times, and in places at a very great diftance from each other; and fo a confiderable time was neceffarily requifite, both for the spreading the books, and certifying their genuineness and authority. It is impoffible in the nature of things, but fome Churches muft receive the books long after others, as they lay at a greater diftance from the places where they were written, or had lefs convenience of communication with them. Befides, Christianity for a long time laboured under the difadvantages of continual perfecution; no general Councils could be convened, and so no public notification of univerfal agreement in this matter. But notwithstanding all these things, it is yet difcoverable, that, as foon as can be fuppofed after the writing of the books, the Christians in all countries remarkably agreed in receiving them as Canonical: for the proof of which I observe, 1. That in the few genuine writings of the first ages now extant, the fame books are cited as Scripture. it is indeed, without just reason, commonly prefumed, that the firft writers |