A New and Full Method of Settling the Canonical Authority of the New Testament

make any other inference; only would hence obferve, what abLurdities the greatest men run into, who do not allow themlelves a juft freedom of thought.

Upon the whole, then, the fubftance of what I contend for is; The facred books of the New Teftament at their firft writing, were published abroad in the world, and delivered to the firft Churches, in diftant countries, for their use: they who first received them, knew them to be the books of the perfons under whose names they were publifhed, and could and did tef tify to the fucceeding ages, what they thus knew of these facts. This teftimony of the primitive Churches is ftill faithfully preferved in the writings of the antient Chriftians, and is therefore not only a good and fufficient, but the principal means, by which we know the truth of the fact, viz. that the books were written by such and fuch men. Befide this, the books themselves contain in themselves evidences of their excellency above all others; which should be the means to ftrengthen and confirm our faith: and for our farther help, we are to hope for the influences of God's Holy Spirit, to clear our judgments, and free us from those prejudices, which we naturally have against divine things; to help us to see the former evidences in their due ftrength, and fo to impress the things revealed on our minds, as to produce a fuitable conduct and behaviour.

There is only one objection, as far as I can fee, left, which deferves any confideration; and that is, If it is by tradition, and fearching the records of the antients, that we are to have fatisfaction as to the truth of the Scriptures, then the greater part of Chriftians, who are not capable of doing this, must be without fatisfaction.

To which I anfwer, That though the bulk of Chriftians cannot themselves have recourfe to these original evidences; yet there are many, who have with a great deal of diligence and impartiality made it their business to do it, whofe teftimonies they have, and may fafely depend upon, as they neither can nor would deceive in a matter of fuch importance. Nor does it follow from hence, that their faith is ill grounded, because it relies on the teftimony of fallible men, and so is

but

but a human faith; for this is no more than what equally follows from their not knowing the original languages, and fo being in confequence obliged to depend upon the veracity and judgment of others, for the truth and goodness of it".

If any, after all, oppofe their own experience to what I above faid; I defire them to confider, 1. That this can be no argument to prove the Scriptures to another; and, 2. Whether the utmost he can infer from his experience with reason be not this, That he has felt the powerful influences of the Chriftian Religion, revealed in the New Teftament, upon his heart, without having ever been made to know, at any particular time, that fuch books and fuch paffages were of divine original, or to distinguish what is genuine in them, from what is spurious *?

CHAP. VIII.

A large Account of all the Places in the Chriftian Writers of the four firft Centuries, where Catalogues are to be found of the Books of the New Teftament.

PROP. IV.

Thofe Books, which are mentioned in the Catalogues made by the most antient Christian Writers, of the facred and inspired Books, are to be efteemed Canonical; and thofe which are not found in any of these Catalogues, must be efteemed Apocryphal.

THIS

HIS Propofition does neceffarily depend upon, and follow from the foregoing one; for if the tradition or teftimony of the moft early writers of Chriftianity be, as was there proved, the method, by which we are to determine concerning the authority of any book, their evidence

u Saint's Reft, Part 2. c. 4. §. 6.

They are Bishop Burnet's words on Art. 6. p. 79. He who would fee more of the neceffity and

nature of the tradition, that establishes the Canon of the New Teftament, may read Mr. Dodwell's Differt. in Iren. 1. §. 35, 36, 37.

can

can never be more clear or material, than when they purposely give us lifts or catalogues of those books, which are to be received as facred and Canonical. All these catalogues I have with much labour endeavoured to collect, and fhall prefently produce; premifing only, that the omiffion of a book in fome one or two particular catalogues, cannot with any reafon be urged against its Canonical authority, if it be found in all, or most of the others; and any good reasons can be affigned for the omiffion where it is. Thus, for instance, the Revelation is omitted, either because it was not perhaps known to the author, or its credit not fufficiently established in the country where he lived; or, which perhaps may be as probable as the other, because it being so full of mysteries, few or none were judged proper or able to read it to any purpose. This was certainly the case in England; this book being, for this reason, omitted in the public Calendar for reading the Scriptures, though it be received into the Canon. If therefore these, or any such good reasons can be affigned for the omiffion of a book in a particular catalogue (as, I hope, will appear in the particular examination of the books), it will be very unfair to infer, from my Propofition, that such book is Apocryphal, especially when it is to be found in many, or moft other catalogues. This premifed, I fhall now produce the catalogues themselves, not at length, which would be a needless transcribing the fame things many times over; but only citing the feveral places in the authors where they are, and noting the leaft difference from our present Canon, and withal adding the year of their writing.

A LIST of all thofe Places in the Chriftian Writers of the four first Centuries, in which are to be found Catalogues of the Books of the New Testament.

N. B. In most of these places the Reader may alfo see Catalogues of the Books of the Old Teftament; and, for the benefit of thofe, who may defire to know which thofe Places are, I have marked them thus *.

A. C.
210.

Omits the Epiftles
of James and Jude,
though he owns them
both in other parts
of his writings.

Comment. in
Matth. apud
Eufeb. Hift.
Eccl. l. 6. c. 25.
Expofit.in Joan.
1.5. apud Eufeb.

ibid.

315. His Catalogue is ex- Hift. Eccl. l. 3.
actly the fame with c.25.confer e-
the modern one; on- jufdem lib. c. 3.
ly he fays, the Epif-
tles of James, Jude,
the 2d of Peter, the
2d and 3d of John,
though they were ge-
nerally received, yet
had been by fome
doubted of. As to the
Revelation, though
he fays fome reject-
ed it, yet he fays o-
thers received it; and
himfelf places it a-
mong thofe, which
are to be received
without difpute.