be the forgeries of hereticks, and therefore not only to be ranked among fpurious pieces, but to be utterly rejected as abfurd and impious. Thus alfo Serapio, Tertullian, Epiphanius, and many others, reject the particular Apocryphal pieces they have occafion in their writings to mention; and thus, by the way, we' may prove all, or most of those books, which are called the Apocrypha of the Old Teftament, to be really fuch.

PROP. IX.

That Book is Apocryphal, in which are contained Things ludicrous or trifling; fabulous or filly Relations.

THIS will admit no dispute among those, who believe God to be a Being of infinite wisdom and knowledge. For him to give us fuch books, would argue him guilty either of weaknefs and folly, or of impofing upon his creatures a neceffity of believing things contrary to their most improved reason.

Befides that it can not be fuppofed, that even men of honefty and wisdom would be the authors of fuch fort of books: for either themselves believed what they wrote, or they did not; if they did not, they are notorious impoftors, and confequently not fit to be infallible guides in matters of fuch consequence as our everlasting ftates; if they did, they were evidently perfons of fuch fhallow capacities, and foolish credulity, as to deserve rather to be pitied, than made our directors in the most important concerns of this and the next life. Whichever way, therefore, we take it, their writings must be Apocryphal. This obfervation is not only evidently true, but of the greatest neceffity in the business we are now about; for it is certain, that a very great number of the Apocryphal books of the New Teftament are filled with the most idle and trifling ftories, the most ridiculous and extravagant fooleries imaginable. The romantick accounts of the Virgin Mary's Nativity, being bred by Angels, and fed by them in her infancy, &c. the childish relations of our Saviour's infancy and education, his learning the alphabet, his ftature, appearing fometimes as a child, fometimes as a man, fometimes fo tall that his head would reach the clouds,

the

the length of his hair, beard, &c. the spirit's taking him up to Mount Thabor, by one of his hairs, &c. the filly miracles attributed to the Apostles, with all the ridiculous circumstances that attended their several martyrdoms, &c. are each, with all other ftories like them, unquestionable arguments to prove the books which contain them Apocryphal; and to be no other, than either the works of the weakest of men, who were fondly credulous of every report, and had not difcretion enough to diftinguish between fenfe and nonfenfe, between that which was credible, and that which was not fo; or else the artful contrivance of fome, who were more zealous than honeft, who thought by these strange stories to gain credit to their new religion.

PROP. X.

That Book is Apocryphal, in which there are any Sort of Things mentioned, which were later than the Time in which the Author, whofe Name it bears, lived.

I NEED spend no time in the proof of this Propofition; it being impoffible for any perfon to relate hiftories, or treat concerning cuftoms, which were not till long after his time; unless we fuppofe them either endued with a very extraordinary spirit of prophecy, that they could foreknow all the things, perfons, and cuftoms, that would arife in the world after their death; or elfe, that they wrote their books from the other world, and conveyed them by Angels to this. world, which, I confefs, fome have supposed to be fact, as to the Letters fent by Elijah, after he was dead, to Jehoram; mentioned 2 Chron. xxi. 12. And particularly the learned Jefuit Eftius fuppofes not only the matter to be thus, but demonftrates from hence the care the Saints have of our affairs, after they are removed from us to the other world". But, I hope, I need not guard against fuch abfurdities; and therefore shall take no more pains to prove the Propofition, but only elucidate it in a few inftances; in which I fhall not con

Annct. in loc. difficil. Script. in 2 Chron. xxi. 12.

fine

fine myself to the Apocryphal pieces of the New Teftament, but make use of any other that occur.

1. Some books mention facts, that happened a long while after the pretended author's death. Thus, for inftance, the Conftitutions of the Apostles do the controversy about the Rebaptization of Hereticks, which arose not till the third century.

2. Some mention perfons, that did not live till a long time after the pretended author's death. So the book under the name of Hegefippus, concerning the Destruction of Jerufalem, mentions Conftantine and Conftantinople; whereas this could not be before the fourth century, and Hegefippus lived in the fecond. And the Questions and Answers under Juftin Martyr's name mention Irenæus and Origen, who both lived after his time.

3. Rites and ceremonies about Baptifm, Penance, Fafting, Celibacy, Exorcifm, &c. are in the pretended Conftitutions of the Apostles; which, it is certain, were not known in their time, nor till long afterwards.

4. Other books are full of words and phrafes, not known till long after their supposed author's days. Thus the words Clergy, Laity, Readers, Subdeacons, &c. in the Canons of the Apostles, and other pieces called Apoftolical. With the new opinions and controverfies of later ages, it was impoffible but many new words fhould be coined, which becoming very common, often betray the spuriousness or forgery of a book.

e Lib. 6. c. 15.

Vid. Quæft. 82, 86. & 115.

CHAP.

CHAP. XII.

The Style of a Book a proper Method to judge of it: A Ca talogue of the various Sorts of Styles.

PROP. XI.

That Book is Spurious and Apocryphal, the Style of which is different from, or contrary to, the Style of the Author whofe name it bears, in those which are his known and undoubted Writings.

BY this Propofition the criticks have made very confider

names.

able discoveries in later ages, not only among Ecclefiaftical, but prophane authors; not only detecting the interpolations of the monks, but in fixing true and genuine titles to those pieces, which before went under false and feigned Thus Erafmus, Bellarmine", Sixtus Senenfis, our learned countryman Cook*, Rivet', Dr. Cave", and others, have happily contributed their parts in delivering us from reading books under borrowed titles; yea, and long before their time, the antient writers of Christianity were fuccessful in discovering forgeries by the fame method. Eufebius's works will supply us with many instances to this purpose.

He who has an intent to deceive, and publish a piece of his own for another's, may eafily counterfeit his name, age, country, opinions; but will find it almoft impoffible with any exactness to imitate another's ftyle. For as every man has his peculiar air in moving, fpeaking, &c. as every man has a peculiar turn of eye, caft of countenance and complexion, and many other things by which he is distinguishable from all others; fo has every man a peculiar way of thinking and expreffing his thoughts, as different from all others as in any of the other inftances. And though it may be faid, a man

writes in a very different style at different times, according to the different fubjects he has to manage, his different age, his larger attainments by ftudy, the different tempers in which the mind is at the times of writing, &c. yet ftill there will be more or less of the old natural peculiarity visibly remaining, by which he will appear to be the fame, and not another who writes. Juft as a man, though he change his country, become advanced in years, fometimes fmiles, fometimes frowns, ftill has the fame countenance, the fame fimile or frown, which will distinguish him from all the rest of mankind. Jerome, fays Sixtus", writes one way in his Epiftles, another way in his Controverfies with Ruffin, another way in his Commentaries; one way when he was young, and his mind warm with the exercifes of rhetorick; another way when he was old, writing on more serious subjects: yet he always writes fo, that you may know him to be the fame Jerome ftill, as a man knows his friend under all the various cafts and turns of his countenance. So likewife in every writer there will always be a peculiar way of fetting his thoughts together, contexture of the discourse, method of handling his fubject, and fomething diftinguishing, which I can no more describe, than that in a man's face, which makes him different from all the world. The mildness or hastiness of his temper, the seriousness or levity, the dulness or brifkness, the length or fhortnefs, or fome marks or other will still appear. This St. Austin elegantly expresses of one of Cyprian's Epiftles, which he proved genuine by it's ftyle thus, His style has a certain peculiar face, by which it may be known".

After all, I confefs, a perfon may be easily deceived in this matter; and therefore there is need of the greatest care, and long and intimate acquaintance with the authors, of whom we thus judge: it being certain, that the style will still be more eafily difcerned by us, in proportion as we have read the book. I have therefore, for the reader's affiftance (if it will be any to him) collected, according to the best of my capacity, the