and hurry of thieves, and therefore refutes the story of the body being stolen *.

Ambrofe, bishop of Milan, remarked various readings in the Latin copies of the New Testament, and appeals to the original Greek;

And Jerome, towards the conclufion of this century, put forth an edition of the New Testament in Latin, corrected, at leaft as to the gofpels, by Greek copies," and those (he fays) ancient,"

Laftly, Chryfoftom, it is well known, delivered and published a great many homilies, or fermons, upon the Gofpels and the Acts of the Apostles.

It is needlefs to bring down this article lower; but it is of importance to add, that there is no example of Chriftian writers of the three first centuries compofing comments

* Ib. vol. ix. p. 163.

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upon any other books than those which are found in the New Teftament, except the fingle one of Clement of Alexandria, comménting upon a book called the Revelation of Peter.

Of the ancient verfions of the New Testament, one of the most valuable is the Syriac. Syriac was the language of Palestine when Christianity was there first established. And although the books of fcripture were writ-, ten in Greek, for the purpofe of a more extended circulation than within the precincts of Judea, yet it is probable that they would foon be tranflated into the vulgar language of the country where the religion first prevailed. Accordingly a Syriac tranflation is now extant, all along, fo far as it appears, ufed by the inhabitants of Syria, bearing many internal marks of high antiquity, fupported in its pretenfions by the uniform tradition of the Eaft, and confirmed by the discovery of many very ancient manuscripts in the libraries of Europe. It is about 200 years fince a Bishop of Antioch fent a copy

of

of this tranflation into Europe, to be printed; and this feems to be the first time that the tranflation became generally known to thefe parts of the world. The Bishop of Antioch's Teftament was found to contain all our books, except the fecond epistle of Peter, the second and third of John, and the Revelation; which books, however, have fince been discovered in that language in fome ancient manufcripts of Europe. But in this collection, no other book, befide what is in ours, appears ever to have had a place. And, which is very worthy of observation, the text, though preserved in a remote country, and without communication with ours, differs from ours very little, and in nothing that is important*.

Our Scriptures were received by ancient Chrif tians of different fects and perfuafions, by many heretics as well as catholics, and were usually appealed to by both fides in the controverfies which arofe in thofe days.

THE three moft ancient topics of controverfy amongst Christians, were, the authority of the Jewish institution, the origin of evil, and the nature of Chrift. Upon the first of thefe, we find, in very early times, one class of heretics rejecting the Old Teftament entirely; another contending for the obligation of its law, in all its parts, throughout its whole extent, and over every one who fought acceptance with God. Upon the two latter fubjects a natural, perhaps, and venial; but a fruitless, eager and impatient curiosity, prompted by the philosophy

and by the fcholaftic habits of the age, which carried men much into bold hypotheses and conjectural folutions, raised, amongst some who profeffed Christianity, very wild and unfounded opinions. I think there is no reafon to believe that the number of these bore any confiderable proportion to the body of the Christian Church; and amidst the difputes which fuch opinions neceffarily occafioned, it is a great fatisfaction to perceive, what in a vaft plurality of inftances we do perceive, all fides recurring to the fame fcrip

tures.

I*. Bafilides lived near the age of the apostles, about the year 120, or, perhaps, foonert. He rejected the Jewish inftitution, not as fpurious, but as proceeding from a being inferior to the true God; and

* The materials of the former part of this fection are taken from Dr. Lardner's hiftory of the heretics of the two first centuries, publifhed fince his death, with additions, by the Rev. Mr. Hogg of Exeter, and inferted into the ninth volume of his works, of the edition of 1788.

+ Vol. ix. p. 271.

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