christians, than they against whom we are accused of treasonable practices? But, beside this, it is expressly and plainly said: "Pray for kings, and for princes, and powers, that ye may live a quiet life," 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2. Here are in a short compass references to gospels and epistles. He lays them all before the Roman magistrates, and speaks of both parts of the New Testament with equal respect, as the words of God, their scriptures,' by which they were obliged to regulate their behaviour.

XXI. There is little or no suspicion of Tertullian's quoting any christian apocryphal book with the same respect as he has quoted those now commonly received as canonical, unless it be that of Hermas. That he rejected when a montanist, as is evident from a passage already quoted out of a treatise written by him, after he had been for some time in those notions, where he speaks of this book with the utmost contempt, and even abhorrence; as he does likewise in another place of the same treatise : But I would yield the point to you,' says he, if the scripture [or book] of the Shepherd, which alone is favourable to adulterers, deserved to be placed in the divine testament; if it were not reckoned apocryphal and spurious by every assembly even of your own churches.'

h

We must however observe how he quoted it when a catholic. It is in this manner: That it is a custom with some to sit down when prayer is over, I do not perceive the reason unless, if that Hermas, whose scripture is usually called the Shepherd, had not sat down upon a bed after he had prayed, but had done somewhat else, we should have made a precedent of that too: certainly not. And now it is but just mentioned," when I had prayed and sat down," in the course of the narration, not deli

Sed cederem tibi, si scriptura Pastoris, quæ sola machos amat, divino instrumento meruisset incidi, si non ob omni concilio ecclesiarum vestrarum inter apocrypha et falsa judicaretur. De Pudicitiâ, c. 10. p. 727. A.

Some have understood the word 'concilium' here in our ordinary sense of council' or 'synod.' But any church-assembly for divine worship was sometimes called a 'council' or synod by ancient writers, as has been shown by Mr. Joseph Bingham. Antiquities of the Christian Church, book viii. chap. 1. sect. 7. i Item quod adsignatâ oratione assidendi mos est quibusdam, non perspicio rationem, nisi si Hermas ille, cujus scriptura fere Pastor inscribitur, transactâ oratione non super lectum assedisset, verum aliud quid fecisset, id quoque ad observationem vindicaremus. Utique non. Simpliciter enim et nunc positum est, Cum adorâssem et assedissem super lectum,' ad ordinem narrationis, non ad instar disciplinæ. Alioquin nusquam erit adorandum, nisi ubi fuerit lectus. Immo contra scrip. turam fecerit, si quis in cathedrâ aut subsellio sederit. De Oratione, cap. 12. p. 154. A.

vered as a rule; otherwise we may never worship but where there is a bed. Nay, he would act contrary to the scripture [or this scripture'] who would sit upon a chair or a form."

If there is any thing in this passage of a doubtful meaning, it must be interpreted by the foregoing. It cannot be supposed, that Tertullian ever esteemed any book a part of sacred scripture, which was reckoned apocryphal by all the catholic churches he was acquainted with. But I see nothing in the passage itself to incline us to think that he now esteemed this a sacred book, and of authority. It is true, there is in it what he refers to, of sitting upon a bed after prayer but if Tertullian had been well acquainted with the book, or had thought it worth the while, he might have argued from divers places, where Hermas speaks of his prayers, and makes no mention of sitting after them, that he gave no authority to that custom. He speaks likewise contemptuously of the author, as an obscure person : 'That Hermas.' Then he hardly knows the title of the book, or ridicules it: fere Pastor inscribitur.' As for his calling it scripture,' it is of no moment: the word is continually used by ecclesiastical writers, as equivalent to writing, book, epistle, or treatise; by Tertullian particularly, who uses the same word of this book, when he plainly and openly shows his contempt of it. He uses likewise the same term speaking of heathen authors.

XXII. The only thing that remains to be taken notice of in this writer, is an early forgery of a book in the name of St. Paul. Tertullian is arguing against some who permitted women to baptize, and gives the history of this book, as what he was well informed of. But if they think fit to make use of writings falsely ascribed to Paul, to support the right of women to teach and baptize; let them know that the presbyter who composed that writing, as if he had been able to increase Paul's fame, being convicted of it, and having confessed that he did it out of love to Paul, was deposed.'

I shall immediately put down what Jerom says of this affair, in his chapter concerning St. Luke, in the book of Illustrious Men: where, having spoken of St. Luke's gospel k Lib. ii. in Proœm. 1 Vid. 1. i. Vis. i. sect. 1. Vis, ii. m Cum de secularibus quoque scripturis

sect. 1. et alibi.

n

xemplum præsto sit. De Præscr. cap. 39. p. 246. D. Quod si quæ Paulo perperam adscripta sunt, ad licentiam mulierum docendi tinguendique defendunt, sciant in Asià presbyterum, qui eam scripturam construxit, quasi titulo Pauli de suo cumulans, convictum, atque confessum id se amore Pauli fecisse, loco decessisse. De Baptismo, cap. 17. p. 263. C.

and the Acts, he says: Therefore the Travels of Paul and Thecla, and the whole fable of the baptized lion, we ' reckon among the apocryphal scriptures. For how should the constant companion of the apostle, who knew his ' other affairs so well, be ignorant of this alone? Moreover Tertullian, who lived near those times, relates that a cer'tain presbyter in Asia, an admirer of the apostle Paul, was convicted before John to be the author of it; and that 'he confessed he had done it out of love to Paul, and that ⚫ for that reason he was deposed.'

Jerom here ascribes to Tertullian more than we have in his treatise of Baptism, where this relation is; for Tertullian there makes no mention of the person before whom this presbyter was convicted. Ernestus Soloman Cyprianus, in his notes P upon the fore-cited place of Jerom has an ingenious conjecture, that Jerom took his account of this matter from the Greek edition of Tertullian's treatise of Baptism. He thinks this supposition the more probable, because Jerom gives us a Greek title of that book forged by the presbyter, and uses a Greek word likewise when he calls him an admirer of Paul; neither of which Greek words. is in our Latin text. And we know from 9 Tertullian himself, that before he wrote the Latin treatise of Baptism which we have, he had treated the same argument in the Greek tongue.

However this be, it is plain the forgery was detected, and the author degraded; and the whole affair was notified to the churches, that they might be upon their guard: Tertullian, in Africa, was not ignorant of it. It is an argument of the vigilance and scrupulosity of the christians about the writings which they received in the name of apostles.

XXIII. We have now seen a very valuable testimony to the scriptures of the New Testament in the remaining works of Tertullian, written in the latter part of the second, and the beginning of the third century. It is considerable for the number of the books cited by him, almost all those which are now received by christians as canonical, without so much as a suspicion of placing any other in the same

Igitur Пeptodes Pauli et Theclaæ, et totam baptizati leonis fabulam, inter apocryphas scripturas computamus. Quale enim est, ut individuus comes apostoli, inter cæteras ejus res, hoc solum ignoraverit? Sed et Tertullianus, vicinus eorum temporum, refert presbyterum quendam in Asiâ, onudasŋv apostoli Pauli, convictum apud Joannem, quod auctor esset libri, et confessum se hoc Pauli amore fecisse, et ob id de loco excidisse. De Vir. i. c. 7. P Apud Fabricii Bibliothecam Ecclesiasticam, p. 50.

4 De Baptismo, cap. 13.

rank with them, and for the large and numerous quotations of them. There are perhaps more and larger quotations of the small volume of the New Testament in this one christian author, than of all the works of Cicero, though of so uncommon excellence for thought and style, in the writers of all characters for several ages. And there is a like number of quotations of the New Testament in St. Irenæus, and St. Clement of Alexandria, both writers of the second century. Tertullian's testimony is considerable too for the evident tokens of that high respect which was paid to these scriptures. Indeed they would not have been so much quoted, if they had not been greatly esteemed. Nor have the differing sentiments of those called heretics done us any lasting prejudice. The contest which they occasioned has increased our proofs of the genuineness, authority, and integrity of the evangelical and apostolical scriptures. It is easy for every one to observe the value of this testimony upon some other accounts, which I therefore need not mention. The whole which we have transcribed from Tertu!lian may afford satisfaction to a serious christian, as confirming his faith in the holy scriptures; and enabling him, if there be occasion, to convince, or at least to confute and silence, adversaries with abundance of evidence.

CHAP. XXVIII.

SEVERAL WRITERS OF THE SECOND CENTURY.

I. Quadratus. II. Aristides. III. Agrippa Castor. IV. Aristo of Pella. V. Soter. VI. Pinytus. VII. Philip. VIII. Palmas. IX. Modestus. X. Musanus. XI. Claudius Apollinaris. XII. Bardesanes. XIII. Apollonius. XIV. Rhodon. XV. Victor. XVI. Bacchylus. XVII. Theophilus and Narcissus. XVIII. Symmachus.

BESIDE those writers which I have quoted, there were many others in the second century, whose works are now lost. I choose to give here a short history of the chief of them, that my readers may have the clearer idea of the learning and labours of the christians of that time; and may the better judge what disadvantage we lie under for

want of their writings. It is a necessary part of our design, and will not take up a great deal of room.

6

e

C

I. Quadratus is first mentioned by Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History, in the reign of Trajan. He ascribes to him the gift of prophecy, and reckons him among the evangelists of that time, in a passage which we have already transcribed. In his Chronicle he gives Quadratus the title of a disciple of apostles.' Quadratus is also reckoned among the prophets of the New Testament, in a fragment of an anonymous author preserved in Eusebius. We are farther informed, by the same ecclesiastical historian, that Quadratus presented an Apology for the christian religion to the emperor Adrian, which was then extant, 'containing evident marks of his ability, and of the true apostolical doctrine.' There is nothing now remaining of Quadratus, beside a short but very valuable fragment of his Apology, concerning the miracles of our Saviour; which we shall not fail to produce upon a proper occasion.

This writer is placed by Cave at the year 123, about which time undoubtedly he flourished. We here choose to follow the Chronicle of Eusebius, according to which his Apology was presented in the year 126. He seems to be the first christian who presented a written Apology to any of the Roman emperors; in whose dominions the christian religion had its rise, and in which it long struggled under difficulties, but continually prevailed, till it became the religion of the empire. According to Jerom, this Apology had a good effect upon the emperor; which is also intimated by Eusebius in his Chronicle.

h

Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, who flourished about the year 170, in his letter to the Athenians, makes mention of one Quadratus, who was bishop of that church after the martyrdom of Publius; and informs us, that by his care 'the christians' of that city, which had been scattered by b Ch. viii. p. 115.

e

H. E. 1. iii. c. 37. in.

• Κοδράτος ὁ ἱερος των αποτόλων ακέσης. p. 81. Vid. et p. 211. H. E. 1. v. cap. 17. p. 183. C. D.

Τουτῳ [Αδριανῳ] Κοδράτος λογον προσφωνησας αναδιδωσιν, απολογίαν συνταξας ύπερ της καθ' ἡμας Θεοσεβειας—εξ οὗ [συγγράμματος] κατιδειν επι λαμπρα τεκμήρια, της τε το ανδρος διάνοιας, και της αποτολικής ορθοτομιας. L. iv. cap. 3.

Hist. Lit.

Tillemont, Mem. Ec. T. ii. La Persecution d'Adrien, note 6. Basnage, Ann. P. E. 126. sect. 3. h Quadratus apostolorum discipulus, et Atheniensis pontifex ecclesiæ, nonne Adriano principi, Eleusina sacra invisenti, librum pro nostrâ religione tradidit? et tantæ admirationi omnibus fuit, ut persecutionem gravissimam illius sedaret ingenium. Ad Magnum, ep. 83. al. 84. Eus. H. E. 1. iv. c. 23. p. 143. D.