I. That the hiftorical books of the New Teftament, meaning thereby the four gofpels and the acts of the apostles, are quoted, or alluded to, by a feries of Chriftian writers, beginning with those who were contemporary with the apostles, or who immediately followed them, and proceeding in close and regular fucceffion from their time to the present.

II. That when they are quoted, or alluded to, they are qouted, or alluded to with peculiar refpect, as books fui generis, as poffeffing an authority which belonged to no other books, and as conclufive in all queftions and controverfies amongst Christians. III. That they were, in very early times, collected into a diftinct volume.

IV. That they were distinguished by appropriate names and titles of refpect.

V. that they were publickly read and expounded in the religious affemblies of the early Christians.

VI. That commentaries were written upon them, harmonies formed out of them, different copies carefully collated, and verfions of them made into different languages.

VII. That they were received by Chriftians of different fects, by many heretics as well as Catholics, and ufually appealed to by both fides in the controverfies which arose in those days.

VIII. That the four gofpels, the acts of the apostles, thirteen epiftles of St. Paul, the first epistle of John, and the first of Peter, were received, without doubt, by those who doubted concerning the other books which are included in our prefent

canon.

IX. That the gofpels were attacked by the early adverfaries of Chriftianity, as books containing the accounts upon which the religion was founded.

X. That formal catalogues of authentic fcriptures were published; in all which our present facred histories were included. XI. That these propofitions cannot be affirmed of any other books, claiming to be books of fcripture; by which I mean thofe books, which are commonly called apochryphal books of the New Teftament.

SECT. I.

The hiftorical books of the New Teftament, meaning thereby the four Gofpels and the Acts of the Ap files, are quoted or alluded. to, by a ferics of Chriftian writers, beginning with those who were contemporary with the Apostles, or who immediately followed them, and proceeding in close and regular fucceffion from their time to the prefent.

THE medium of proof stated in this propofition, is of all oth

ers, the most unquestionable the leaft liable to any practices of fraud, and is not diminished by the lapfe of ages. Bifhop Burnet, in the history of his own times, inferts various extracts from Lord Clarendon's hiftory. One fuch insertion is a proof, that Lord Clarendon's history was extant at the time when Bishop Burnet wrote, that it had been read by Bishop Burnet, that it was received by Bishop Burnet as a work of Lord Clarendon's, and alfo regarded by him as an authentic account of the tranf actions which it relates and it will be a proof of thiefe points a thousand years hence, or as long as the books exift. Juvenal having quoted, as Cicero's, that memorable line,

"O fortunatam natam me confule Romam,"

the quotation would be ftrong evidence, were there any doubt, that the oration in which that line is found, actually came from Cicero's pen. Thefe inftances, however fimple, may serve to point out to a reader, who is little accustomed to fuch research-es, the nature and value of the argument.

The teftimonies which we have to bring forward under this propofition are the following.

I. There is extant an epistle afcribed to Barnabas, the com panion of Paul. It is quoted as the epiftle of Barnabas by Clement of Alexandria, A. D. 194; by Origen, A. D..230.. It is mentioned by Eufebius, A. D. 315, and by Jerome, A. D. 392, as an ancient work in their time, bearing the name of Barnabas, and as well known and read amongft Chriftians, though not accounted a part of fcripture. It purports to have been written foon after the destruction of Jerufalem, during the

a Lardner's Cred. ed. 1755, vol. I. p. 23, et feq. The reader will obferve from the references that the materials of thefe fections are almost entirely extracted from Dr. Lardner's work-my office confifted in arrangement and selection.

calamities which followed that difafter; and it bears the character of the age to which it profeffes to belong.

In this epiftle appears the following remarkable paffage : "Let us therefore, beware left it come upon us, as it is written, there are many called, few chofen." From the expreffion, "as it is written," we infer with certainty, that, at the time when the author of this epiftle lived there was a book extant, well known to Chriftians, and of authority amongst them containing these words—“ many are called, few chofen." Such a book is our present gospel of St. Matthew, in which this text is twice found, and is found in no other book now known. There is a farther obfervation to be made upon the terms of the quotation. The writer of the epiftle was a Jew. The phrafe "it is written," was the very form in which the Jews quoted their fcriptures. It is not probable, therefore, that he would have used this phrafe, and without qualification, of any books but what had acquired a kind of fcriptural authority. If the paffage remarked in this ancient writing had been found in one of St. Paul's epiftles, it would have been efteemed by every one a high teftimony to St. Matthew's gofpel. It ought therefore to be remembered, that the writing in which it is found was probably by very few years pofterior to thofe of St. Paul.

Befide this paffage, there are alfo in the epiftle before us feveral others, in which the fentiment is the fame with what we meet with in St. Matthew's gofpel, and two or three in which we recognize the fame words. In particular, the author of the epistle repeats the precept, give to every one that asketh thee," and faith that Chrift chose as his apoftles, who were to preach the gospel, men who were great finners, that he might fhow that he came, "not to call the righteous, but finners, to repentance."

a

II. We are in poffeffion of an epiftle written by Clement, Bishop of Rome, whom ancient writers, without any doubt or fcruple, affert to have been the Clement whom St. Paul mentions, Phil. iv. 3, "with Clement alfo, and other my fellow-labourers, whofe names are in the book of life." This epiftle is spoken of by the ancients as an epiftle acknowledged by all; and, as Irenæus well reprefents its value, "written by Clement, who had seen the bleffed apostles and converfed with them, who had the preaching of the apoftles ftill founding in his ears, and their traditions before his eyes." It is addreffed to the

a Ib. vol. I. p. 62, et feq.

church of Corinth; and what alone may feem almost decifive of its authenticity, Dyonifius, Bishop of Corinth, about the year 170, i. e. about eighty or ninety years after the epiftle was written, bears witnefs, "that it had been wont to be read in that church from ancient times."

This epiftle affords, among others, the following valuable paffages:" Efpecially remembering the words of the Lord Jefus which he fpake, teaching gentlenefs and long fuffering; for thus he faida Be ye merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; forgive, that it may be forgiven unto you; as you do, so shall it be done unto you; as you give, fo fhall it be given unto. you; as ye judge, fo fhall ye be judged; as ye thow kindness, fo fhall kindness be fhown unto you; with what measure ye mete, with the fame it shall be measured to you. By this com mand, and by thefe rules, let us eftablish ourselves, that we may always walk obediently to his holy words."

Again, "Remember the words of the Lord Jefus, for he faid, Woe to that man by whom offences come; it were bet ter for him that he had not been born, than that he fhould offend one of my elect; it were better for him that a mill-stone fhould be tied about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the fea, than that he should offend one of my little ones.' "b

In both thefe paffages we perceive the high refpe&t paid tothe words of Chrift as recorded by the evangelifts: "Remember the words of the Lord Jefus-by this command and by thefe rules let us eftablish ourselves, that we may always walk obediently to his holy words." We perceive alfo in Clement: a total unconsciousness of doubt, whether thefe were the reals words of Chrift, which are read as fuch in the gofpels. This obfervation indeed belongs to the whole feries of testimony,, and especially to the most ancient part of it. Whenever any

a "Bleffed are the merciful, for they fhall obtain mercy." Matt v. 7.-" Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven ;, give, and it fhall be given unto you." Luke vi. 37, 38" Judge not, that ye be not judged;: for with what judgment ye judge, ye thall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Matt. vii. 2.

b. Matt. xviii. 6. "But whofo fhall offend one of thefe little ones. which believe in me, it were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were caft into the fea." The latter part of the paffage in Clement agrees more exactly with Luke xvii. 2. "It were better for him that a mill-ftone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of Mefe little ones."

thing now read in the gofpels is met with in an early Christian writing, it is always obferved to ftand there as acknowledged truth, i. e. to be introduced without hesitation, doubt, or apology. It is to be observed also, that as this epiftle was written. in the name of the church of Rome, and addreffed to the church of Corinth, it ought to be taken as exhibiting the judg ment not only of Clement, who drew up the letter, but of thefe churches themselves, at least as to the authority of the books referred to.

It may be faid, that, as Clement hath not ufed words of quotation, it is not certain that he refers to any book whatever. The words of Chrift, which he has put down, he might himself have heard from the apoftles, or might have received through the ordinary medium of oral tradition. This hath been faid; but that no fuch inference can be drawn from the abfence of words of quotation is proved by the three following confiderations: First, that Clement, in the very fame manner, namely, without any mark of reference, uses a paffage now found in the epistle to the Romans ; which paffage, from the peculiarity of the words which compofe it, and from their order, it is manifeft that he must have taken from the book. The fame remark may be repeated of fome very fingular fentiments in the epiftle to the Hebrews. Secondly, that there are many fentences of St. Paul's first epiftle to the Corinthians, ftanding in Clement's epiftles without any fign of quotation, which yet certainly are quotations; becaufe it appears that Clement had St. Paul's epiftle before him inafmuch as in one place he mentions it in terms too exprefs to leave us in any doubt-" Take into your hands the epiftle of the bleffed apoftle Paul." Thirdly, that this method of adopting words of fcripture, without reference or acknowledgment, was, as will appear in the fequel, a method in general ufe amongst the most ancient Chriftian writers; these analogies not only repel the obejction, but caft the prefumption on the other fide; and afford a confiderable degree of positive proof that the words in queftion have been borrowed from the places of fcripture in which we now find them.

But take it if you will the other way, that Clement had heard these words from the apostles or firft teachers of Christianity; with respect to the precife point of our argument, viz. that the fcriptures contain what the apoftles taught, this fuppofition may ferve almost as well.

a Rom. i. 29.