pear in the following part of this difcourfe. His words are ; Si vero quis velit nobis proferre ex illo libello qui Petri Doctrina appellatur, ubi Salvator videtur ad difcipulos dicere, Non fit dæmonium incorporeum; primo refpondendum eft ei, quod ille liber inter libros Ecclefiafticos non habetur, et oftendendum, quod neque Petri eft ea fcriptura, neque alterius cujufquam qui Spiritu Dei fuerit infpiratus. But if any one urge againft us teftimonies out of that little book which is called, The Doctrine of Peter, wherein our Saviour seems to say to his disciples, That he was not an incorporeal Spirit, I would answer to him first, That that book is not to be reckoned among the Ecclefiaftical books, and make it appear, that it is neither the writing of Peter, nor of any other person who was infpired by the Spirit of God. 7. By the anonymous author of a book, concerning Rebaptifation in Cyprian's time 2. But the principal foundation of this falfe and pernicious baptifm is a book forged by thefe fame hereticks, to support this error, which is called the Preaching of Paul (or Peter.) In which book, contrary to all the Scriptures, you will find Christ (who alone was clear of all fin) both confeffing his own fin, and being almoft unwilling to receive the bap Eft autem adulterini hujus, imo internecini baptifmatis, fi quis alius auctor, tum etiam quidam ab iifdem ipfis hæreticis propter hunc eundem errorem confictus liber, qui infcribitur Pauli (Petri) prædicatio. In quo libro contra onnes Scripturas, et de peccato proprio confitentem invenies Chriftum, qui folus omnino nihil deliquit, et ad accipiendum Johannis baptifm of John, was compelled to tifma pene invitum, a matre fua Maria effe compulfum: Item cum baptifaretur, ignem fire was feen upon the river it by his mother Mary. Also, that when he was baptifed, a Edit. a Rigalt. ad fin. Opp. Cypr. fuper aquam effe visum: (quod in Evangelio nullo eft fcriptum) et poft tanta tempora Petrum et Paulum, poft conlationem Evangelii in Hierufalem, et mutuam altercationem et rerum agendarum difpofitionem, poftremo in urbe, quafi tunc primum invicem fibi effe cognitos. Et quædam alia hujufcemodi, abfurde ac turpiter conficta. Quæ omnia in librum illum invenies congefta. (which is not written in any one of the Gospels); and after fome confiderable time, that Peter and Paul (though they had before had a conference concerning the doctrine of the Gospel at Jerufalem, and fome difpute) did afterwards meet in the city, utterly unknown to each other before. And fome other things of this fort foolishly and bafely forged. All which you will find heaped together in that book. 8. By Lactantius, lib. 4. c. 21. Magifter aperuit illis omnia, quæ Petrus et Paulus Romæ prædicaverunt; et ea prædicatio in memoriam fcripta permanfit: in qua cum multa alia mira, tum etiam hoc futurum effe dixerunt; ut poft breve tempus immitteret Deus regem, qui expugnaret Judæos, et civitates eorum folo adæquaret, ipfos autem fame fitique confectos obfideret. Tum fore, ut corporibus fuorum vefcerentur, et confumerent fe invicem ; poftremo ut capti venirent in manus hoftium, et in confpectu fuo vex The Master (Chrift) explained all things to them, which Peter and Paul did preach at Rome; and that preaching being committed ta writing, that it might not be forgot, continues (until now). In which, with many other ftrange things, they alfo have predicted the following things, viz. That after a fhort time God would fend a king, who fhould wage war against the Jews, and destroy their city to the ground, and befiege them, till they were worn out with hunger and thirst; then it fhould come to pass, that they fhould feed upon their own bodies, and deftroy one another, and at laft become captives in the hands of their enemies; and that they should fee the great diftrefs of their wives, their VOL. I. A a young ari acerbiffime conjuges fuas cernerent, violari ac proftitui virgines, diripi pueros, allidi parvulos, omnia denique igne ferroque vaftari, captivos in perpetuum terris fuis exterminari, eo quod exultaverint fuper amantiffimum et probatiffimum Dei Filium., ४० 9. By Eufebius, Hift. Τό τε λεγόμενον αὐτῷ κήρυγμα ἐδ ̓ ὅλως ἐν καθολικοῖς ἴσμεν παραδεδομένον, ὅτι μήτε ἀρχαίων, μήτε τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς τις εκκλησιαςικός συγγραφεὺς ταῖς ἐξ αὐτὸ συνε χρήσατο μαρτυρίαις. 10. By Jerome, Catal. Libri autem ejus, e quibus unus Actorum ejus infcribitur, alius Evangelii, tertius Prædicationis inter Apocryphas Scripturas reputantur. young women prostituted and debauched, their children torn in pieces, and their little ones dashed in pieces; in a word, all things deftroyed by fire and fword, and themselves for ever banished from their own country, because they despised the most loving and excellent Son of God. Eccl. lib. 3. c. 3. But that which is called the Preaching of Peter is not by any means to be efteemed Canonical, inasmuch as none of the antients, nor any of our ecclefiaftical writers have ta ken teftimonies out of it. Vir. illuftr. in Petro. CHA P. XXXIV. The Sentiments of later Writers concerning the Preaching of Peter. It has been generally very highly efteemed, but upon very weak Reasons. The Doctrine of Peter the fame as the Preaching of Peter. It was Apocryphal, being never cited with any Authority. An Account of Heracleon and Theodotus, two antient Hereticks, and their Principles. It contained feveral Things false; as that Chrift was a Sinner, and that the Law of Mofes was of everlasting Obligation, &c. A Conjecture concerning the Epiftle of Peter to James. The Preaching of Peter Apocryphal, because it makes Peter and Paul appeal to the Sibylline Oracles for the Confirmation of Chriftianity. An Account of the Sibyll's Prophecies. They were in a great Measure the Forgeries of Chriftians. Paul and Peter did not cite them. NOTHI THING is more commonly the occafion of the miftakes, into which learned men have fallen, than a fecret refolution to make all things, if poffible, agreeable to their former preconceived opinions. This appears very evidently the case, in respect of the false notions many have entertained concerning this Apocryphal Preaching of Peter and Paul. It had been a fettled opinion that Clemens Alexandrinus cited and highly valued it. On this account a favourable opinion was entertained by many of the book; and by this means later writers ftifling, or at least not regarding the obvious evidence that is to be brought against it, have extolled it in a very unjust and unreasonable manner, as I hope plainly to fhew; and in order thereto fhall firft produce their feveral opinions. 1. Sixtus Senenfis a difcourfing concerning the Sibylls, tells us, that the Apostle Paul exhorts his Difciples to the reading of the Sibylline Oracles, referring to the place above-cited of Clemens, in the last Chapter, Numb. IV. whereby though he calls a Biblioth. Sanct. lib. 2. p. 113. ad voc. Sibyl. A a 2 it it recondita Scriptura, it is plain he meant the book now under confideration, and believed it to be the very writing of St. Paul; and a little after adds, " And so I, according to the ad"vice of Paul, shall write fome things concerning the Sibylls." In another place, It was of authority among the antients, becaufe Clemens Alexandrinus and 'Origen have cited it. b 2. Cardinal Baronius endeavours to fupport the credit of this book attributed to Paul, wherein he is made to refer to the Sibylls (fee Chap. preced. Numb. III.) becaufe St. Paul has in fome other parts of his writings, now received, taken citations out of the Greek poets. 3. Dr. Cave, though he looked upon it as fpurious, yet supposes both it and the other Apocryphal pieces under the name of Peter to have been written either in the Apoftolick age, or that which was next to it. ; 4. Dr. Grabe faith, All the fragments of it are perfectly orthodox, and the authors of it Catholick Chriftians, because Clemens Alexandrinus, and after him other orthodox Fathers, have frequently cited it that it was written foon after the death of Peter by some of that Apostle's Difciples, who wrote down what they had heard him preach, to communicate it to pofterity-And in another place, by the fame weak argument as Baronius, fays, He knows not any reason why fome Difciple of the Apostles, who heard the Preaching of Peter and Paul, might not afcribe thofe citations out of the Sibylline Oracles to St. Paul, feeing he cites Aratus, Acts xvii. 28.—Why then might not the author of this Preaching rightly fay, that St. Paul made ufe of the Sibylls, and other fuch fort of prophecies? 5. Mr. Toland f. The Seven Books, viz. the Epistle to the Hebrews, that of James, the fecond of Peter, the second and third of John, the Epiftle of Jude, and the Revelation, |
