"But the Epistles of Paul, what they are, from what place they were sent, or from what cause, he himself declares to those who are willing to inquire; first of all forbidding heresy and schism to the Corinthians, and circumcision to the Galatians. He wrote, however, more at length to the Romans, according to the order of the scriptures, teaching that Christ was the chief end of them. Each of which things we must of necessity discuss, since the blessed apostle Paul himself, following the order of his senior John, writes only to seven churches by name, in such order as this: first to the Corinthians; secondly to the Ephesians; thirdly to the Philippians; fourthly to the Colossians; fifthly to the Galatians; sixthly to the Thessalonians; seventhly to the Romans. But although he wrote a second time to the Corinthians and Thessalonians for reproof, yet but one church is acknowledged, scattered over the whole world. And John also, in the Apocalypse, although he writes to seven churches, yet speaks to all.* Further, one Epistle to Philemon, and one to Titus, and two to Timothy, from affection and love; yet are they sanctified and counted sacred, in the honor of the Catholic church, and in the direction of ecclesiastical discipline. There is circulated also another to the Laodiceans, and another to the Alexandrians forgedț in the name of Paul, to support the heresy of Marcion; and many more which cannot be received into the Catholic church. For it is not fit that gall should be mixed with honey. But an Epistle of Jude and two of the above-written John, are accounted genuine in the Catholic church. And the Book of Wisdom written by the friends of Solomon in honor of him. The apocalypses of John and Peter are the only ones we receive, which last some Christians do not allow to be read in the church. Further, the Shepherd was written by Hermas, very lately, in our time, in the city of Rome, bishop Pius, his brother, filling the see of the city of Rome. And therefore it ought in

histories of Peter and Paul, afterwards referred to, are not canonical, but are merely "other accounts.'

* See Note |.

""

+ Thirteen Epistles of St. Paul. This agrees with Eusebius's account. The Epistle to the Hebrews is not noticed.

The condemnation of the apocryphal books is very important: he calls them forgeries.

§ Three of the Catholic Epistles are canonical.

This sentence is obscure. It has nothing to do with the canon of the New Testament. Could it have slipped in from any other part of the MSS.? What has the Book of Wisdom to do with the New Testament?

¶ A doubt only is here cast upon the Apocalypse of St. Peter. But the strong terms in which the Apocalypse of St. John is mentioned in the preceding passage, as well as here, clearly mark the canonical authority of that book. It is possible that the Apocalypse of Peter may refer to that part of his second Epistle, where" the new heavens and new earth" are spoken of.

deed to be read; but it cannot be published in the church to the people to the end of time, either amongst the prophets, whose number is complete, or amongst the apostles.*

"But we receive nothing whatever of Arsinoes, or Valentinus, or Mitiades, who also have written a new Book of Psalms for Marcion; the supporters, together with Basilides, of the Asiatic Cataphryges."

When we consider that this statement was made in a public and celebrated disputation at Rome-in the face of heretics— for the very purpose of distinguishing authentic from pretended books of scripture,—and this scarcely a century after the death of St. John-that moreover it is referred to by Eusebius in the beginning of the fourth, and again by Jerome in the beginning of the fifth century, as of acknowledged authority; and that it was discovered only in 1740, it must be allowed to afford an irresistible confirmation of our argument. A manuscript fragment of the second century, unexpectedly discovered in the eighteenth, is a proof as extraordinary as it is conclusive. It establishes the whole account of the authenticity.

Thus, for eighteen hundred years, the evidences of authenticity have been increasing, by the discovery of external testimonies; whilst the more the internal style and structure of the sacred books have been studied during the same length of time, the stronger has been the conviction of their genuineness on every candid mind.

I add as a last confirmation of all the above proofs

IX. That our sacred volume is UNIQUE AND UNPARALLELED in the history of the world.

There has never been any work like it, or pretending to be like it. No books were ever written, or professed to be written, by the founders of a religion, and exposed from the first to the view of mankind, but the records (I include the Old Testament) of the Christian faith.

Heathenism had no sacred books, no exposition of truth, no authentic writings submitted by its founders to the view of mankind. Heathenism crept into the world from the remains of the original revelation to our first parents, aided by the light of natural conscience, the policy of human governments, and

* Observe here the due respect given to the ecclesiastical books, and yet the difference put between them and the canonical on the one hand, and the apocryphal on the other.

t I refer the learned reader to the dissertation of Dr. Routh for an explanation of these obscure expressions.

the scattered rays of the light of Judaism. But there was no promulgation, there were no sacred books, there were no expositions of doctrine and duty, published by the founders and authors of the system. The Koran of Mahomet is only a corruption of our Christian books, and taken from them. The Shasters of the Hindoos were never pretended to be the writings of the first founders of the religion, were never promulgated, never submitted to the popular eye, and make no profession of teaching the body of mankind the knowledge of their duties.

The sacred volume remains ALONE, WITHOUut a rival, the genuine production of the first founders of Christianity, offered to the examination of all, and standing, like the works of the Almighty in the wonders of creation, the monument of its own divine original-a book, occupied in the popular instruction of mankind, and level to the capacity, and adapted to the necessities of all-a book which, needing less of external evidence than any other ancient work, is surrounded by every species of it in unequalled accumulation and force.

Such, then, is the summary of the arguments for the authenticity of the New Testament. Such are the proofs which sustain the observations of the last Lecture.

It was then shown, generally, that the genuineness of our books is supported by the same kind of arguments as men constantly employ on all similar occasions-that not one mark of spuriousness appears in our divine books-that it was morally impossible, from the circumstances of the case, that they could be forged-that men are continually admitting ancient books on the slightest external evidence—and that every external and internal proof unites to satisfy a reasonable and candid inquirer of the truth of the New Testament.*

These general observations have been now established by actually tracing out the transmission of our books-by noticing the progress of the settlement of the canon-by observing in all the specimens of the testimonies of Christian writers, the utmost sincerity-by weighing the admission of heathen adversaries and heretics-by running up our numerous ancient manuscripts now extant, to the manuscripts of Jerome and to the autographs, or immediate copies of autographs, in the hands of Tertullian-by considering that the apocryphal

* Lecture iv.

books want every one of these marks of authenticity, and are branded with every criterion of spuriousness—by adverting to the style and manner of the sacred penmen; and to the unexpected confirmations which are continually arising from the most extraordinary quarters—and by observing, finally, that our sacred volume stands unparalleled in the history of the world. Let me for one instant observe, in conclusion, that it is THE LOVE OF CHRISTIANS TO THE BIBLE, which has furnished us with the accumulated testimony which we have been reviewing. Can we fail, then, to admire that care of Divine Providence, which made the spontaneous dictate of gratitude for redemption the means of pouring down upon us the stream of proofs of the record by which it was conveyed? Had the cold and theoretical Christianity which now prevails, been all that the first converts knew, our religion would have expired at its birth. It was the holy ardor of their love-it was the emotion of their gratitude for the discoveries made in the authentic scriptures-it was the astonishment excited by the mysteries of redemption, the agony of the cross, the glory of the resurrection, the consolation of the divine Comforter-it was the light and grace shed upon the miseries of mankind by the Sun of righteousness, which made the Bible what it was to the first Christians. This fixed it in their hearts, entwined it around their first principles of action, and connected it with their habitual language and doctrine. And it is to this we owe, under God, the copious testimonies on which our faith now rests.

Let the detail of these testimonies, then, bring us back to that SIMPLICITY OF LOVE TO CHRIST from which they flowed. Let us delight in our Bibles. Let the discovery of our lost estate, and the proffers of exuberant grace in the sacrifice of Christ, which are there made to us, move and bear away our hearts. If, indeed, professed Christians had any just measure of this devout temper, they would not need such courses of Lectures as I am now attempting. The obvious arguments for the authenticity of the sacred scriptures would so fall in with their conviction of the excellency of the gospel, as at once to kindle admiration, obedience, joy. The scoffs of unbelief would no more affect them now, than the scorn of Celsus or Porphyry did the Christians of earlier days. They would only see, in the bitterness of adversaries, whether ancient or modern, and in the admissions they are compelled to make, further reasons for adoring that mysterious

Providence, which, after employing the love of friends, overrules also the wrath of enemies to the establishment of his own word. They would ascribe to its true cause—an indifference to holiness and truth-that perverse ingenuity which can overlook the most luminous evidence, to follow some cloudy sophism, and which can adhere, amidst the blaze of evangelical light, to the darkness and uncertainty of human imaginations.

And it is only by imbibing this holy love to Christ, that the evidences now can have their full and proper effect upon the heart. It is then the Christian will stand most firm. Unmoved by the fearful examples of disobedience against conscience which abound, he will be only anxious to love his Bible more, to transcribe it into his heart and life with greater fidelity, and to rise, by the means of these proofs of authenticity, to that spiritual elevation of faith and joy in God, and of holy obedience to his will, which it is the end of all external evidences to produce.