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ception to this obfervation appearing to be a loofea quotation of a paffage in St. Matthew's gofpel.

XII. In the age in which they lived,b Tertullian joins on with Clement. The number of the gofpels then received, the names of the evangelifts, and their proper descriptions, are exhibited by this writer in one fhort fentence:" Among the apoftles, John and Matthew teach us the faith; among apoftolical men, Luke and Mark refresh it." The next paffage to be taken from Tertullian, affords as complete an attestation to the authenticity of our books, as can be well imagined. After enumerating the churches which had been founded by Paul, at Corinth, in Galatia, at Philippi, Theffalonica, and Ephefus; the church of Rome eftablished by Peter and Paul; and other churches derived from John; he proceeds thus :-"I fay then, that with them, but not with them only which are apoftolical, but with all who have fellowship with them in the same faith, is that gofpel of Luke received from its first publication, which we so zealously maintain :" and presently afterwards adds "The fame authority of the apoftolical churches will fupport the other gofpels, which we have from them, and according to them, I mean John's and Matthew's, although that likewife, which Mark published, may be faid to be Peter's, whofe interpreter Mark was." In another place Tertullian affirms, that the three other gofpels were in the hands of the churches from the beginning, as well as Luke's. This noble teftimony fixes the univerfality with which the gofpels were received, and their antiquity; that they were in the hands of all, and had been so from the first. And this evidence appears not more than one hundred and fifty years after the publication of the books. The reader muft be given to understand that when Tertullian speaks of maintaining or defending (tuendi) the gospel of St. Luke, he only means maintaining or defending the integrity of the copies of

a "Afk great things, and the small shall be added unto you." Clement rather chofe to expound the words of Matthew (vi. 33) than literally to cite them; and this is most undeniably proved by another place in the fame Clement, where he both produces the text and these words as an expofition ::-" Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and its righteoufaefs, for these are the great things; but the fmall things, and things relating to this life, fhall be added unto you." Jones's New and Full Method, vol. I. p. 553.

a Ib. vol. II. p. 561.

Luke received by Chriftian churches, in oppofition to certain curtailed copies used by Marcion, against whom he writes.

This author frequently cites the Acts of the apostles under that title, once calls it Luke's commentary, and obferves how St. Paul's epiftles confirm it.

After this general evidence, it is unneceffary to add particular quotations. These, however, are so numerous and ample, as to have led Dr. Lardner to obferve," that there are more, and larger quotations of the fmall volume of the New Teftament in this one Chriftian author, than there are of all the works of Cicero in writers of all characters for feveral ages." Tertullian quotes no Chriftian writing as of equal authority with the fcriptures, and no fpurious book at all; a broad line of distinction, we may once more observe, between our facred books and all others.

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We may again likewife remark the wide extent through which the reputation of the gofpels, and of the Acts of the apostles, had spread, and the perfect confent in this point of dif tant and independent focieties. It is now only about one hundred and fifty years fince Chrift was crucified; and within this period, to fay nothing of the apoftolical fathers who have been noticed already, we have Juftin Martyr at Neapolis, Theophilus at Antioch, Irenæus in France, Clement at Alexandria, Tertullian at Carthage, quoting the fame books of historical fcriptures, and, I may fay, quoting these alone.

XIII. An interval of only thirty years, and that occupied by no fmall number of Christian writers, whose works only remain in fragments and quotations, and in every one of which is fome reference or other to the gospels (and in one of them (Hippolitus, as preferved in Theodoret) is an abstract of the whole gospel hiftory) brings us to a name of great celebrity in Christian antiquiry, Origen of Alexandria, who, in the quantity of his writings, exceeded the most laborious of the Greek and Latin authors. Nothing can be more peremptory upon the fubject now under confideration, and, from writer of his learning and information, more fatisfactory, than the declaration of Origen, preferved, in an extract from his works, by

a Ib. p. 647.

b Minucius Felix, Appollonius, Caius, Afterius, Urbanus, Alexander bishop of Jerufalem, Hippolitus, Ammonius, Julius Africanus.

c Ib. vol. III. p. 234.

Eufebius: "That the four gofpels alone, are received without dispute, by the whole church of God under heaven;" to which declaration is immediately fubjoined a brief history of the refpective authors, to whom they were then, as they are now, afcribed. The language holden concerning the gofpels throughout the works of Örigen which remain, entirely correfpond with the teftimony here cited. His atteftation to the Acts of the apoftles is no lefs pofitive: "And Luke alfo once more founds the trumpet relating the Acts of the apoftles." The univerfality with which the fcriptures were then read, is well fignified by this writer, in a paffage in which he has occafion to obferve against Celfus, "that it is not in any private books, or fuch as are read by a few only, and thofe ftudious perfons, but in books read by every body, that it is written, the invifible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly feen, being understood by things that are made.” It is to no purpose to fingle out quotations of fcripture from fuch a writer as this. We might as well make a felection of the quotations of fcripture in Dr. Clark's fermons. They are so thickly fown in the works of Origen, that Dr. Mill fays, "If we had all his works remaining, we fhould have before us almost the whole text of the bible."

Origen notices, in order to cenfure, certain apocryphal gofpels. He also ufes four writings of this fort; that is, throughout his large works he once or twice, at the moft, quotes each of the four; but always with fome mark, either of direct reprobation, or of caution to his readers, manifeftly esteeming them of little or of no authority.

XIV. Gregory, bishop of Neocæfarea, and Dionyfius of Alexandria, were scholars of Origen. Their teftimony therefore, though full and particular, may be reckoned a repetition only of his. The feries, however, of evidence, is continued by Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who flourished within twenty years after Origen. "The church (fays this father) is watered, like paradife, by four rivers, that is, by four gofpels." The Acts of the apostles is alfo frequently quoted by Cyprian, under that name, and under the name of the "divine fcriptures.” In his various writings are fuch conftant and copious citations of fcripture, as to place this part of the testimony beyond controverfy. Nor is there, in the works of this eminent African bishop, one quotation of a fpurious or apocryphal Christian writing.

a Mill, proleg. cap. vi. p. 66.

XV. Paffing over a crowd of writers following Cyprian, at different distances, but all within forty years of his time, and who all, in the imperfect remains of their works, either cite the historical scriptures of the New Teftament, or fpeak of them in terms of profound refpect; I fingle out Victorin, bishop of Pettaw in Germany, merely on account of the remoteness of his fituation from that of Origen and Cyprian, who were Africans; by which circumftance, his teftimony, taken in conjunction with theirs, proves that the scripture histories, and the fame histories, were known and received from one side of the Chriftian world to the other. This bishop lived about the year 290; and in a commentary upon this text of the Revelations, "The firft was like a lion, the fecond was like a calf, the third like a man, and the fourth like a flying eagle," he makes out that by the four creatures are intended the four gofpels, and to show the propriety of the symbols, he recites the fubject with which each evangelift opens his hiftory. The explication is fanciful, but the teftimony pofitive. He also exprefsly cites the Acts of the apostles.

C

b

XVI. Arnobius and Lactantius, about the year 300, compofed formal arguments upon the credibility of the Chriftian religion. As thefe arguments were addreffed to Gentiles, the authors abftain from quoting Chriftian books by name, one of them giving this very reafon for his referve; but when they come to ftate, for the information of their readers, the outlines of Christ's hiftory, it is apparent that they draw their ac counts from our gofpels, and from no other fources; for thefe statements exhibit a fummary of almost every thing which is related of Chrift's actions and miracles by the four evangelifts. Arnobius vindicates, without mentioning their names, the credit of these historians, obferving that they were eye-witneffes of the facts which they relate, and that their ignorance of the arts of compofition was rather a confirmation of their testimony, than an objection to it. Lactantius alfo argues in defence of the religion, from the confiftency, fimplicity, difinterestedness, and fufferings of the Christian historians, meaning by that term our evangelists.

a Novatus, Rome, A. D. 251. Dionyfius, Rome, A. D. 259. Commo dian, A. D. 270. Anatolius, Laodicea, A. D. 270. Theognoftus, A. D. 282. Methodius, Lycia, A. D. 290. Phileas, Egypt, 296.

b Ib, vol. V. p. 214.

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c Ib. vol. VII. p. 43, 201

XVII. We close the series of teftimonies with that of Eufebius, bishop of Cæfarea, who flourished in the year 315, contemporary with, or posterior only by fifteen years, to the two authors laft cited. This voluminous writer, and most diligent collector of the writings of others, befide a variety of large works, compofed a history of the affairs of Christianity from its origin to his own time. His teftimony to the fcriptures is the teftimony of a man much converfant in the works of Chriftian authors, written during the three first centuries of its era; and who had read many which are now loft. In a paffage of his evangelical demonftration, Eufebius remarks, with great nicety, the delicacy of two of the evangelifts, in their manner of noticing any circumstance which regarded themselves, and of Mark, as writing under Peter's direction, in the circumftances which regarded him. The illustration of this remark leads him to bring together long quotations from each of the evangelifts; and the whole paffage is a proof, that Eufebius, and the Chriftians of those days, not only read the gofpels, but ftudied them with attention and exactnefs. In a paffage of his ecclefiaftical history, he treats, in form, and at large, of the occafions of writing the four gospels, and of the order in which they were written. The title of the chapter is "Of the Order of the Gofpels ;" and it begins thus; "Let us obferve the writings of this apoftle John, which are not contradicted by any; and, first of all, must be mentioned, as acknowledged by all, the gofpel according to him, well known to all the churches under heaven; and that it has been juftly placed by the ancients the fourth in order, and after the other three, may be made evident in this manner." Eufebius then proceeds to fhow that John wrote the laft of the four, and that his gofpel was intended to fupply the omiffions of the others, especially in the part of our Lord's ministry, which took place before the imprisonment of John the Baptift. He obferves, "that the apoftles of Chrift were not studious of the ornaments of compofition, nor indeed forward to write at all, being wholly occu pied with their ministry."

This learned author makes no use at all of Christian writings, forged with the names of Chrift's apostles, or their companions. We close this branch of our evidence here; because, after Eufebius, there is no room for any queftion upon the fubject, the works of Chriftian writers being as full of texts of fcripture, a Ib. vol. VIIL p. 33.

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