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blish a Canon) as it was in the Beginning of Christianity. For the Books of the New Teftament are all occafional Books, as Mr. WHISTON (t) has clearly fhown, and not a Digeft or Syftem of Laws for the (u) governing the Church; and I add, were not join'd together in one Body or Collection, nor declared by any human Authority to be all Canonical, till the feventh Century, when the Controversy about the last Book of Canonical Scriptures, fo call'd, ་ (w) feems to have been brought to an End, as fays the Reverend Mr. JOHN RICHARDSON, our most learned Defender of the Canon of the New Teftament. They are Chriftian Books, and contain Proofs of Christianity from the Old Testament; but contain Christianity itself no otherwife, than as explaining, illuftrating, and confirming the Chriftianity taught in the Old Teftament. They all feem, what (x) GROTIUS exprefly fays of the Books of LUKE, piously and faithfully written, and upon Subjects of great Concern to Salvation, and therefore made CANONICAL by the Church. Which was plainly an accidental Event, and did befal thofe Books (y) gradually, and after long Disputes about their Authority, and might have befel other pious Books, which tho' deem'd

(t) Whifton's Effay on the Apoftol. Conftitutions, p. 159-164. (u) See Hare's Sermon of Church Authority, p. 44.

(w) Richardfon's Canon of the New Teftament vindicated against Toland, p. 17.

(x) Grotti Votum pro Pace, &c. Oper. Theologic. Tom. 3. P. 672, 673.

(y) Nye's Defence of the Canon of the New Teftam. p. 122. Floyer's Pref. to the Prophecies of Efdras, p. 3.

Scripture,

Scripture, and declared (z) Canonical by the Ancients, have been fince rejected, as fpurious and Apocryphal.

It is alfo to be obferved, that our Saviour, who affures us that he came to (a) fulfil the Law and the Prophets, and not to destroy the Religion of the Jews, (many of whom were, long before the Coming of CHRIST, deem'd (b) real Chriftians, and equally to believe the Gospel or Chriftianity, with thofe, who were converted by the Apoftles) left nothing in Writing to establish his new Law, if it may be fo call'd, which was not properly a new Law, but Judaism (c) explain'd, and fet in a due Light. In a Word, Jews and Christians had one and the fame Canon of Scripture; nor would there have been any Difference between them, or any Separation of the latter from the former, with whom they continued many Years in Communion after the Death of JESUS, if the Jews had understood the spiritual Sense of their own Books, as declared and explain'd to them by the Apoftles, who (d) faid none other Things to any, than thofe which the Prophets and Moses did fay.

In fine, JESUS and his Apoftles do frequently and emphatically ftyle the Books of the Old Teftament the Scriptures, and refer Men to them as their Rule and Canon. And St. PAUL

(x) Laft Apoftolick Canon.

(a) Matt. 5, 17. Simon, Supplement aux Ceremonies des Juifs, p. 28, 29.

(b) Gal. 3. 8. Heb. 11. See Barlow's Remains, p. 577–593. (c) See Selden de Synedriis, 1. 1. c. 8. p. 225. (d) Acts 26. 22.

lays,

fays, (e) After the [Chriftian] Way, which ye call Herefy, fo worship I the God of my Fathers, believing all Things that are written in the Law and the Prophets. But no new Books are declared by them to have that Character; nor was there (f) any new Canon of Scripture, or any Collection of Books of Scripture made, whether of Gofpels or Epiftles, during the Lives of the Apostles; as is confefs'd by the Knowing in Antiquity, and particularly by our learned GRABE and MILL, who, lateft of all Authors, have fearch'd, and That with great diligence, into these Matters. And if Jesus and his Apoftles have declared no Books to be Canonical, I would ask, who did, or could afterwards declare, or make any Books Canonical? If it had been deem'd proper, and fuited to the State of Christianity, to have given or declared a new Canon or Digest of Laws, it should feem most proper to have been done by JESUS, or his Apoftles, and not left to any after them to do but especially not left to be fettled long after their Times by weak, fallible, factious, and interested Men, who were difputing with one another about the Genuinnefs of all Books bearing the Names of the Apoftles, and contending with one another about the Authority of very different Books.

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Í have given these fhort Hints concerning the true Canon of Scripture of Chriftians, not only as they relate to my Argument, but as Confide

(e) Acts 24. 14.

(f) Grabe Spicil. Sec. 1.

P. 320. Milii Proleg. ad Nov. Teftam. p. 23.

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rations, which put an End to all the Controverfies of Chriftians about the Canon of Scripture, and which may also serve to fet Mr.WHISTON right; who (g) adds, to the present Books of the New Teftament, the two Epiftles of CLEMENT to the Corinthians; (both which, after having been wholly lost for several hundred Years, were but lately recover'd, and That but imperfectly, especially the fecond); the Doctrine of the Apoftles, (a Book loft, which Mr. W. (b) imagined he had found); the Epiftle of BARNABAS; the Paftor of HERMAS; the (i) Jecond Book of Apocryphal EsDRAS; the Epistle of POLICARP; and the larger Epiftles of IGNATIUS; and who seeing plainly, that the Books of the New Testament are no Syftem of Laws for the governing the Church, nor defign'd for that Purpose; and being perfuaded that Chriftians ought to have fuch a System, fets up that manifeftly forged modern Book of the Apoftolick Conftitutions, as containing that Syftem, tho' (k) doubtful as to the Antiquity of fome of its Parts, interpolated in others, and first publish'd in the Middle of the fourth Century. Which Book -has, indeed, the Form of a Law, and pretends titself to be the Work of all the Apostles affembled together at Jerufalem; tho' (1) inconfiftent

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(g) Whiston's Elay on the Apoftol. Conftit. p. 33, 34, 67,

68, 71.

(b) Ib. Advertisement before Primitive Chriftianity. See Floyer's Preface to Prophecies of Efdras, p. 3. (*) Whifton's Elay on Apoft. Conft. p. 233–236. 122, 673, &c. 150. (1) Smalbroke's pretended

Authority of the Apoftol. Conftitut. confuted.

in

in many Instances with the Books of the New Testament, and That by the Confeffion of Mr. WHISTON (m) himself, who says that fuch Inconfiftency is a plain Character, pecu liar to the original and genuine Records of Christianity, and at least equally true of the four Gospels, and the rest of our prefent canonical Books, compared with one another; and that the Constitutions are the most authentick and exact of the two, and that the prefent Copies of the Gospels are rather to be corrected by them than the contrary.

I will finish this Article with obferving, that tho' Mr. WHISTON calls the Books of the New Testament Scriptures and Canonical Scriptures, according to the common Language of Chriftians; yet it is apparent, that he cannot think them divinely inspired Books, or of that Authority, which other Chriftians do. For he not only thinks them to have been (n alter'd and changed, and to be contradictory to one another; but that the Authors themfelves may be (o) mistaken; and he corrects a Disorder of LUKE's making; wherein he acts like the famous JURIEU, who (p) puts in Order, as he says, thofe Things, which the Holy

(m) Whifton's St. Clement, and St. Irenæus's Vind. of the Apoft. Conft. p. 5. See also Proceedings in Convoc. p. 103.

100

(2) Whitton's Proceedings in Conv. p. 87, 99. Id. Pref. to Letter to Earl of Nott. p. 35, 36. Id. Chron. and Harmony, p. Id. St. Clement and St. Irenæus's Vind. &c. p. 5. Id. Proceed. in Conv. p. 103. Id. Essay towards reftor. &c. p. 119. and Effay on Revelations, p. 129, 135.

(0) Id. Chron. and Harm. p. 100.

(P) Jurieu Accompl. des Prophet. Vol. 2. p. 211. C

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