VI. ART. quence that arifes out of this head, which excludes those books commonly called Apocryphal, that are here rejected, from being a part of the Canon: and this will be eafily made out. The chief reason that preffes us Chriftians to acknowledge the Old Teftament, is the teftimony that Chrift and his Apoftles gave to thofe books, as they were then received by the Jewish Church; to whom were committed the oracles of God. Now it is not fo much as pretended, that ever these books were received among the Jews, or were fo much as known to them. None of the writers of the New Teftament cite or mention them; neither Philo nor Jofephus speaks of them. Jofephus on the contrary fays, they had only twenty-two books that deferved belief, but that thofe which were written after the time of Artaxerxes were not of equal credit with the reft: and that in that period they had no prophets at all. The Chriftian Church was for fome ages an utter ftranger to thofe books. Melito, Bishop of Sardis, being defired by Onefimus to give him a perfect catalogue of the books of the Old Teftament, took a journey on purpose to the East, to examine this matter at its fource: and having, as he fays, made an exact enquiry, he fent him the names of them juft as we receive the Canon; of which Eufebius Eufeb. Hift. fays, that he has preferved it, because it contained all 1.iv. c. 26. thofe books which the Church owned. Origen gives us the fame catalogue according to the tradition of the Jews, who divided the Old Teftament into twenty-two books, according to the letters of their alphabet. Athanafius reckons them up in the fame manner to be twentytwo, and he more diftinctly fays, "that he delivered "thofe, as they had received them by tradition, and as "they were received by the whole Church of Chrift, be"caufe fome prefumed to mix apocryphal books with the "divine Scriptures: and therefore he was fet on it by "the orthodox brethren, in order to declare the canonical "books delivered as fuch by tradition, and believed to "be of divine infpiration. It is true," he adds, " that " befides thefe there were other books which were not put into the Canon, but yet were appointed by the "fathers to be read by those who first come to be in"ftructed in the way of piety: and then he reckons up "moft of the apocryphal books." Here is the first mention we find of them, as indeed it is very probable they were made at Alexandria, by fome of thofe Jews who lived there in great numbers. Both Hilary and Cyril of Jerufalem give us the fame catalogue of the books of the Old Testament, and affirm, that they delivered them thus according In Pfal. i. In Synop. In Ep. pafch. VI. Catech. 4. according to the tradition of the ancients. Cyril fays, that ART. all other books are to be put in a second order. Gregory Nazianzen reckons up the twenty-two books, and adds that none befides them are genuine. The words that are in the Article are repeated by St. Jerome in feveral of his prefaces. And that which fhould determine this whole matter is, that the council of Laodicea by an exprefs ca- Can. 95, non delivers the catalogue of the canonical books as we do, decreeing that thefe only fhould be read in the Church. Now the canons of this council were afterwards received into the code of the Canons of the univerfal Church; fo that here we have the concurring fenfe of the whole Church of God in this matter. It is true, the book of the Revelation not being reckoned in it, this may be urged to detract from its authority: but it was already proved, that that book was received much earlier into the Canon of the Scriptures, fo the defign of this Canon being to eftablifh the authority of those books that were to be read in the Church, the darknefs of the Apocalypfe making it appear reasonable not to read it publicly, that may be the reafon why it is not mentioned in it, as well as in fome later catalogues. and 60. Here we have four centuries clear for our Canon, in exclufion to all additions. It were eafy to carry this much further down, and to fhew that these books were never by any exprefs definition received into the Canon, till it was done at Trent: and that in all the ages of the Church, even after they came to be much efteemed, there were divers writers, and thofe generally the moft learned of their time, who denied them to be a part of the Canon. At firft many writings were read in the Churches, that were in high reputation both for the fake of the authors, and of the contents of them, though they were never looked on as a part of the Canon: fuch were Clemens's Can. 47. Epiftle, the books of Hermas, the Acts of the Martyrs, befides feveral other things which were read in particular Churches. And among these the apocryphal books came alfo to be read, as containing fome valuable books of inftruction, befides feveral fragments of the Jewish history, which were perhaps too eafily believed to be true. Thefe therefore being ufually read, they came to be reckoned among canonical Scriptures: for this is the reason affigned in the third council of Carthage, for calling them canonical, because they had received them from their Fathers as books that were to be read in Churches and the word Canonical was by fome in thofe ages. ufed in a large fense, in oppofition to fpurious; fo that it fignified no more 14 than VI. ART. than that they were genuine. So much depends upon this Article, that it feemed neceffary to dwell fully upon it, and to ftate it clearly. It remains only to obferve the diverfity between the Articles now established, and thofe fet forth by King Edward. In the latter there was not a catalogue given of the books of Scripture, nor was there any diftinétion ftated between the Canonical and the Apocryphal books. In those there is likewife a paragraph, or rather a parenthefis, added after the words proved thereby, in thefe words, Although fometimes it may be admitted by God's faithful people as pious, and conducing unto order and decency which are now left out, because the authority of the Church as to matters of order and decency, which was only intended to be afferted by this period, is more fully explained and stated in the 35th Article. ARTICLE ARTICLE VII. Of the Old Teftament. The Old Testament is not contrary to the New: For both in the Old and New Teftament Everlasting Life is offered to Hankind by Chrift, who is the only Mediator between God and Pan, being both God and Han. Wherefore they are not to be heard, which feign that the Dld Fathers did look only for Tzanaitorp Promiles. Although the Law given fzom God by Mofes, as touching Cezemonies and Rites, do nor bind Christian Yen, nor the Civil Precepts thereof ought of neceffitp to be received in anp Commonwealth, pet notwichßanding no Chzillian Yan whatsoever is free from the Obedience of the Commandments which are called Hozal. TH HIS Article is made up of the Sixth and the Nineteenth of King Edward's Articles laid together: only the Nineteenth of King Edward's has these words after Moral: Wherefore they are not to be beard, which teach that the Holy Scriptures were given to none but to the weak; and brag continually of the Spirit, by which they do pretend that all whatsoever they preach is fuggefled to them; though manifefly contrary to the Holy Scriptures. This whole Article relates to the Antinomians, as these last words were added by reafon of the extravagance of fome enthufiafts at that time; but that madness having ceafed in Queen Elizabeth's time, it feems it was thought that there was no more occasion for those words. There are four heads that do belong to this Article: Firft, that the Old Testament is not contrary to the New. Secondly, that Chrift was the Mediator in both difpenfations, fo that falvation was offered in both by him. Thirdly, that the ceremonial and the judiciary precepts in the Law of Mofes do not bind Christians. Fourthly, that the Moral Law does ftill bind all Chriftians. To the firft of thefe, The Manichees of old, who fancied that there was a bad as well as a good God, thought that these two great Principles were in a perpetual struggle; and they believed the Old Difpenfation was ART. VII. was under the bad one, which was taken away by the New, that is the work of the good God. But they who held fuch monftrous tenets, muft needs reject the whole New Teftament, or very much corrupt it: fince there is nothing plainer, than that the Prophets of the Old foretold the New, with approbation; and the writers of the New prove both their commiffion and their doctrine from paffages of the Old Testament. This therefore could not be affirmed without rejecting many of the books that we own, and corrupting the reft. So this deferves no more to be confidered. Upon this occafion it will be no improper digreffion, to confider what revelation thofe under the Mofaical Law, or that lived before it, had of the Meffias: this is an important matter: it is a great confirmation of the truth of the Chriftian Religion, as it will furnifh us with proper arguments against the Jews. It is certain they have long had, and still have, an expectation of a Meffias: now the characters and predictions concerning this perfon muft have been fulfilled long ago, or the prophecies will be found to be falfe; and if they do meet and were accomplifhed in our Saviour's perfon, and if no other person could ever pretend to this, then that which is undertaken to be proved will be fully performed. The firft promise to Adam after his fin, fpeaks of an enmity between the Gen. iii. 15. feed of the Serpent and the feed of the Woman: It shall bruife thy bead, and thou shalt bruife bis beel. The one might hurt the other in fome leffer inftances, but the other was to have an entire victory at laft; which is plainly fignified by the figures of bruifing the heel, and bruifing the head, which was to be performed by one who was to bear this character of being the woman's Gen. xii. 3. feed. The next promife was made to Abraham, In thee Gen. xxii. fhall all the families of the earth be bleffed: this was lodged in his feed or pofterity, upon his being ready to offer up his fon Ifaac: that promife was renewed to Isaac, and Gen. xxviii. after him to Jacob: when he was dying, it was lodged by him, in the tribe of Judah, when he prophefied, that Gen. xlix. the fceptre should not depart from Judab, nor the lawgiver from between bis feet, till Shiloh fhould come; and the gathering of the people, that is, of the Gentiles, was to be to bim. It is certain the Ten Tribes were loft in their captivity, whereas the tribe of Judah was brought back, and continued to be a political body under their own laws, till a breach was made upon that by the Romans first reducing them to the form of a province, and foon after that deftroying them utterly: fo that either that predio 18. Gen. xxvi. 24. 14. IO. |