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born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless, what fays the fcripture? (0) Caft out the bond-woman and her fon, for the fon of the bond-woman fhall not be heir with the fon of the free-woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free. Stand faft, therefore, in the liberty, wherewith CHRIST bath made. us free, and be not intangled again with the yoke of bondage.

In fine, St. PAUL, throughout his Epifles, reafons in the fame divine manner from the Old Teftament, which, according to him, (p) was able to make men wife unto falvation; afferting himself, and others, to be (q) minifters of the New Teftament, as being minifters not of the letter, but of the Spirit, of the law, that is, of the Old Teftament fpiritually understood; and endeavouring to prove, especially in his (r) Epiftle to the Hebrews, that chriftianity was contain❜d in the Old Testament, and was imply'd in the Jewish history and law, both which he makes types and fhadows of chriftianity.

The grand and fundamental article of christianity was, that Jesus of Nazareth was the MESSIAS of the Jews, predicted in the Old Teftament. And how could that appear,

(0) Gen. 21. 10, 12. (q) 2 Cor. 3.6, 14. also Col. 2. 16, 17.

(p) 2 Tim. 3.15.

(r) Heb. S. 5. & 10. 1. See

appear, and be prov'd, but from the Old Teftament?

In a word, the books. of the Old Teftament were the fole canonical Jcriptures, and the fole Scriptures during the life of JESUS, and for near thirty years after his death, (tho' christianity had by that time. made a (s) mighty progrefs:) and from them did the most primitive fathers, BARNABAS, POLICARP, CLEMENS ROMANUS, IGNATIUS, and JUSTIN MARTYR, as well as the apoftles and authors of the books of the New Teftament, declare and endeavour to prove chriftianity to the world: with all whom the church of England concurs in fentiment, when she says, that (ss) in the Old Teftament everlasting life is offer'd to mankind by CHRIST.

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That the Old Testament is the Canon of Chriftians.

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Ndeed, to fpeak properly, the Old Testament is yet the fole true canon of Scripture (meaning thereby a canon establish'd by those who had a divine autority to establish a canon, and in virtue thereof did establish

(s) Maffueti Annot. in Iræncum, p. 43, &c. (s) Article the 7th.

blifh 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 fyftem of laws for the (u) governing the church, and I add, were not join'd together in one body or collection, nor declar'd by any human autority to be all canonical, till the feventh century, when the controverfy about the laft book of canonical fcriptures, 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 christian books, and contain proofs of christianity from the Old Teftament ; but contain chriftianity itself, no otherwise, than as explaining, illustrating, and confirming the christianity 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 falvation, and therefore made CANONICAL by the church. Which was plainly an accidental event, and did

-(t) Whifton's Effay on the Apoftol. Conftitutions, p. 159. -164.

(u) See Hare's Sermon of Church Autority, P. 44.

(2) Richardfon's Canon of the New Testament vinditated against Toland, p. 17.

(x) Grotii-Votum pro Pace, &c. Oper. Theologic Tom. 3. p. 672, 673.

did befal those books (y) gradually, and after long difputes about their autority, and might have befel other pious books, which tho' deem'd fcripture, and declar'd (z) canonical by the ancients, have been fince rejected, as fpurious and apocryphal.

It is alfo to be obferv'd, 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 Judaifm (c) explain'd, and fet in a due light. In a word, Jews and Chriftians had one and the fame canon of fcripture; nor would there have been any difference between them, or any feparation of the latter from the former, with whom

(3) Nye's Defence of the Canon of the New Teftam. P. 122.

Floyer's Pref. to the Prophecies of Efdras, p. 3.

(z) Laft Apoftolick Canon.

(4) Matt. 5. 17. Simon, Supplement aux Ceremo

nies des Juifs, p. 28, 29.

(b) Gal. 3. 8. Heb. 11.

P. 577---593.

See Barlow's Remains,

(c) See Selden de Synedriis, 1. 1. c. 8. p. 225.

whom they continu'd many years in communion after the death of Jesus, if the Jew's had understood the fpiritual fenfe of their own books, as declar'd 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 style the books of the Old Teftament the Scriptures, and refer 'men to them as their rule and canon: And St PAUL fays, (c) After the [Chriftian] way, which ye call herefy, Jo worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things that are written in the law and the prophets. But no new books are declar'd by them to have that character: Nor was there

(f) any nere canon of fcripture, or any col•lection of books of fcripture 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, latest of all authors, have fearch'd, and that with great diligence, into these matters. And if Jesus and his apostles have declar'd no books to be canonical, I would ask, who did, or could

(d) Acts 26. 22. Spicil. Sec. 1. p. 320.

P. 23.

(e) lb. 24. 14. (f) Grabe Milli Proleg. ad Nov. Teftam.

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