are the canonical books contained in four Pentateuchs, other two remaining behind. So that the canonical books are thus: five legislative books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; that is the Pentateuch, and the giving of the law. And five poetical books: the Book of Job, then the Psalter, the Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Then another Pentateuch, which is called the Writings, and by some the Holy Writings, or Hagiographa, which are thus: the Book of Joshua the Son of Nun, of Judges with Ruth, the first of Chronicles with the second, the first of the Kings with the second, and the third of the Kings with the fourth; that is the third Pentateuch. Another Pentateuch is, the twelve lesser Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel; and that is the prophetical Pentateuch. But there remain two more; one is Ezra, which is also reckoned, and another book called Esther: and so the two-and-twenty books are completed.' And this is the number that Amphilochius also gives us of them.

But these you will say were particular persons; but was there ever any council or synod before that of ours which ever determined the number of canonical books as ours did? Yes, the Laodicæan council itself, assembled in the

προφητων, Ησαϊας, Ιερεμίας, Εζεκιήλ, Δανιὴλ, καὶ ἅυτη ἡ προφητικὴ πεντάτευχος ἔμειναν δὲ ἄλλαι δύο• ἅιτινές ἐισι τοῦ Ἔσδρα μία καὶ ἅυτη λογιζομένη, καὶ ἄλλη βίβλος ἡ τῆς Ἐσθῆς καλεῖται ἐπληρώθησαν, οὖν ἀι ἔίκοσι δύο βίβλοι. Epiphan. de Ponderibus et Mensuris, p. 162. tom. ii. Ed. Colon. 1682.

Η Οσα δεῖ βιβλία ἀναγινώσκεσθαι τῆς παλαίας διαθήκης. ά. Γένεσις Κόσμου· β. Εξοδος ἐξ Αιγυπτου· γ. Λευϊτικον δ. Αριθμοι· ε· Δευτερονόμιον· έ.Ιησοῦς Ναυῆ· ζ. Κριταί, Ρούθ· η'. "Εσθήρ θ'. Βασιλειῶν, ά, β'· ί. Βασιλειῶν, γ', δ· ιά. Παραλει πόμενα, ά, β'· ιβ'. Εσδρας, ά, β'· ιγ. Βίβλος Ψαλμῶν, εν· ισ'. Παροιμίαι Σαλο μοῦντος· ιε'. "Εκκλησιαστὴς· ις'.Ασμα Ασμάτων· ιζ'. Ιώβ. ιη'. Δωδεκα Προφῆται ιθ'. Ἠσαΐας· κ'. Ιερεμίας καὶ Βαρουχ Θρῆνοι καὶ Επιστολαί κά. Ἰεζεκιήλ· κβ'. Δανιήλ. Τὰ δὲ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης ταῦτα· Εὐαγγέλια τέσσαρα, κατὰ Ματθαῖον, κατὰ Μάρκον, κατὰ Λουκᾶν, κατὰ Ἰωάννην Πράξεις Αποστόλων Επιστολαί καθολικαὶ ἕπτα, οὕτως Ιακώβου μία, Πέτρου δύο, Ἰωάννου τρεῖς, Ἰούδα μία· Ἐπιστολαὶ Παύλου δεκατέσσαρες, πρὸς ̔Ρωμαίους μία, πρὸς Κορινθίους δύο, πρὸς Γαλάτας μία, πρὸς Εφεσίους μία, πρὸς Φιλιππησίους μία, πρὸς Κολοσσιαεις μία, πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς δύο, πρὸς ̔Εβραίους μία, πρὸς Τιμόθεον δύο, πρὸς Τίτον μία, ποὺς Φιλήμονα μία. Concil. Laodic. Canon. 60. Pandect. Beveregii, tom. i. p. 481. Which Isidorus Mercator thus translates: Quæ autem opportet legi et in autoritatem recipi hæc sunt: Genesis Mundi, Exodus ex Ægypto, Leviticus, Numeri, Deuteronomion, Jesus Nave, Judices, Ruth, Regnorum libri quatuor, Paralipomena duo. Ezræ libri duo, liber Psalmorum 150. Proverbia Salomonis, Ecclesiastes,

third century after our Saviour's time, and afterwards. approved by the sixth Constantinopolitan synod, which was also confirmed by Pope Adrian, and so the Laodicean council confirmed by him too; I say, this Laodicæan council, gathered together from the several provinces of Asia, did then decree the number of canonical books in the third century, as our convocation, collected out of the two provinces of England, determined them in the fifteenth century after our Saviour; taking in never a book that is here left out, nor leaving out any book that is here taken in of the Old Testament, nor, indeed, of the New, but only the Revelations. For this is the whole catalogue of books they acknowledged to be canonical: saying, But the books that ought to be read of the Old Testament are, 1. Genesis. 2. Exodus. 3. Leviticus. 4. Numbers. 5. Deuteronomy. 6. Joshua. 7. Judges and Ruth. 8. Esther. 9. The first and second of the Kings (which we call the first and second of Samuel). 10. The third and fourth of Kings (which we call the first and second of Kings). 11. The first and second of Chronicles. 12. The first and second of Esdras. 13. The Book of 150 Psalms. 14. The Proverbs of Solomon. 15. Ecclesiastes. 16. The Song of Songs. 17. Job. 18. The Twelve Lesser Prophets. 19. Isaiah. 20. Jeremiah and the Lamentations. 21. Ezekiel. 22. Daniel. But the books of the New Testament are these four Gospels: according to St. Matthew, according to St. Canticum Canticorum, Job, Esther, Duodecim Prophetæ, Hoseah, Amos, &c. Item Esaias, Jeremias, Ezechiel, Daniel. Novi autem Testamenti Evangelia quatuor, secundùm Matthæum, secundùm Marcum, secundùm Lucam, et secundùm Johannem, Actus Apostolorum: Epistolæ Catholicæ ; Jacobi una, Petri duæ prima et secunda, Johannis tres, prima, secunda, et tertia, Judæ una: Epistolæ Pauli Apostoli quatuordecim; ad Romanos, ad Corinthios, 1, 2. ad Galatas, ad Ephesios, ad Philippenses, ad Colossenses, ad Thessalonienses prima et secunda, ad Timotheum prima et secunda, ad Titum, ad Philemonem, et ad Hebræos. Where among other

things we may see this ancient writer translating all those words, Iepeμías nai Bagoùx Ogñvoi nai įmicronal, but with one word, Jeremias, because that they all signify but one and the same thing, and, therefore, do all make up but one, viz. the twentieth book, received by this ancient synod into the canon of the Scriptures; and therefore it is that I have translated them also but by two words, Jeremiah and Lamentations, adding Lamentations distinctly, because so used by us, though frequently accounted but part of Jeremiah by the fathers.

Mark, according to St. Luke, according to St. John; the Acts of the Apostles; the General Epistle of St. James, one; of St. Peter, two; of St. John, three; of St. Jude, one. The Epistles of St. Paul the Apostle, fourteen: to the Romans, one; to the Corinthians, two; to the Galatians, one; to the Ephesians, one; to the Philippians, one; to the Thessalonians, two; to Timothy, two; to Titus, one; to Philemon, one; to the Hebrews, one.'

Thus we see how careful the fathers were to bring the canonical books into the Scriptures, and truly they are as careful to keep the apocryphal out. They acknowledged them indeed lawful to be read as we do, but not of the same authority with the former; so Athanasius: But besides these, there are other books of the Old Testament not received into the canon of the Scriptures, but only read to the catechumens, or such as are to be instructed in the Christian religion, as the Wisdom of Solomon ;' and the rest which he names in order. And Epiphanius saith, They are useful and profitable indeed, but yet are not brought into the number of canonical books.' And Jerome saith', As therefore the church reads indeed Judith and Tobit, and the Books of the Maccabees, but doth not receive them amongst canonical Scriptures; so these two books (viz. the Book of Wisdom, and Jesus the Son of Sirach,) the church may read for the edification and instruction of the people, but not to confirm the authority of ecclesiastical doctrines.' Which I suppose is the place intended in this article where Jerome is quoted. So Lyra": But what

· Εκτὸς δὲ τούτων ἐἰσὶ πάλιν ἕτερα βιβλία τῆς ἀυτῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης οὐ κανονι ζόμενα μὲν, ἀναγινωσκόμενα δὲ μόνον τοῖς κατηχουμένοις ταῦτα· Σοφία Σολομῶνος οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ πᾶσα σοφία παρὰ Κυρίου, &c. · Athanas. Synops. S. Scripturæ. init. tom. ii. p. 58. D. Ed. Par. 1627.

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* Καὶ ἅνται χρήσιμοι μὲν εἰσὶ καὶ ὠφέλιμοι, ἀλλ ̓ ἐις ἀριθμὸν ῥητῶν οὐκ ἀναφέρονται. -Epiph. de Ponder. et Mensuris, tom. ii. p. 162. Ed. Colon. 1682.

Sicut ergo Judith et Tobiæ et Maccabæorum libros legit quidem ecclesia, sed duos inter canonicas Scripturas non recipit; sic et hæc duo volumina legat ad ædificationem plebis, non ad autoritatem ecclesiasticorum dogmatum confirmandum. libros Hieron. Prolog. in Salomonis.

m

Quicquid autem extra hos est (de Veteri Testamento loquor), ut dicit Hieronymus, inter Apocrypha est ponendum. Isti sunt libri qui non

soever is without these, (I speak of the Old Testament,) as Jerome saith, is to be put amongst the Apocrypha; those are the books that are not in the canon, which, notwithstanding, the church admits as good and useful books, but not as canonical: amongst which are some of greater authority, others of less. For Tobias, Judith, and the Books of the Maccabees, the Book of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, are much approved of by all.' And presently: But Baruch, and the Third and Fourth Books of Esdras, are of less authority.' I shall conclude this with that excellent passage in Ruffinus, who, having numbered the canonical books both of the Old and New Testament every way as they are here determined, neither taking in one book that is here in this article left out, nor leaving out one book that is here taken in, he adds", These are they which the Fathers concluded within the canon, out of which they would have the assertions of our faith to consist. But we must know that there are other books which are not called canonical but ecclesiastical by the ancients, as the Wisdom of Solomon, and another Wisdom, which is called the Wisdom of Sirach; which books amongst the Latins are called by the general name Ecclesiasticus,' by which word, not the author of the books, but the quality of the writing, is surnamed. Of the same order is the Book of Tobit and Judith, and the Books of the Maccabees. And. in the New Testament, a little book called the Pastor, sunt in canone, quos tamen ecclesia ut bonos et utiles libros admittit, non ut canonicos: inter quos sunt aliqui majoris autoritatis, aliqui minoris. Nam Tobias, et Judith, et Maccabæorum libri, Sapientiæ quoque atque Ecclesiasticus valdè ab omnibus probantur.-Lyran. Prologo primo post autem canonicos, Minoris autem autoritatis sunt Baruch, et Tertius et Quartus Esdræ.-Ibid.

Hæc sunt quæ patres intra canonem concluserunt, ex quibus fidei nostræ assertiones constare voluerunt. Sciendum tamen est quòd et alii libri sunt qui non canonici sed ecclesiastici à majoribus appellantur. Ut est Sapientia Salomonis, et alia Sapientia quæ dicitur filii Syrach, qui liber apud Latinos, hoc ipso generali vocabulo non autor libelli sed Scripturæ qualitas cognominata est. Ejusdem ordinis est libellus Tobiæ, et Judith, et Machabæorum libri. In Novo verò Testamento libellus qui dicitur Pastoris sive Hermatis, qui appellatur Duæ Viæ vel Judicium secundùm Petrum, quæ omnia legi quidem in ecclesiis voluerunt, non tamen proferri ad autoritatem ex his fidei confirmandam.-Ruffin. in Expos. Symb. ad calcem Sti Cypriani. p. 26.Ed. Oxon. 1682.

or Hermas, which is named, the Two Ways, or the Judgment according to Peter;' all which they would have read, indeed, in the churches, but not produced to confirm the authority of our faith out of them.' And thus we see how clear and express the fathers are, not only in determining the same number of canonical books that is in this Article determined, but also, in passing their judgment upon the apocryphal books, as this Article doth. Even that though the church reads them for example of life, and instruction of manners, yet it doth not apply them to establish any doctrine.'

ARTICLE VII.

Of the Old Testament.

THE OLD TESTAMENT IS NOT CONTRARY TO THE NEW: FOR BOTH IN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT, EVERLASTING LIFE IS OFFERED TO MANKIND BY CHRIST, WHO IS THE ONLY MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN, BEING BOTH GOD AND MAN. WHEREFORE THEY ARE NOT TO BE HEARD, WHICH FEIGN THAT THE OLD FATHERS DID LOOK ONLY FOR TRANSITORY

PROMISES.

ALTHOUGH THE LAW GIVEN FROM GOD BY MOSES, AS TOUCHING CEREMONIES AND RIGHTS, DO NOT BIND CHRISTIAN MEN, NOR THE CIVIL PRECEPTS THEREOF OUGHT OF NECESSITY TO BE RECEIVED IN ANY COM

MONWEALTH; YET, NOTWITHSTANDING, NO CHRIS

TIAN MAN WHATSOEVER IS FREE FROM THE OBEDIENCE OF THE COMMANDMENTS WHICH ARE CALLED MORAL.

The Old Testament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Testament, everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man, being both God and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, which feign that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises.

THE several books of the holy Scripture spoken of in the foregoing Article, though written at several times, by several persons, in several places, and after several manners,