of the Roman obedience (in all, fifty-three persons, who were almost wholly Italians) arrogating to themselves the appellation of the cecumenical synod of Trent, at their fourth session, presumed to place the uninspired apocryphal books in the same rank with the inspired writings, and denounced an anathema against every one who should not receive them and every part of them as sacred and canonical. This canonising of the apocryphal books is, in no inconsiderable degree, to be ascribed to the incompetency of the members of the synod or council of Trent: concerning which it has been most truly said, that "as they had neither council, nor father, nor schoolman, nor other writer that ever spake like them in former ages, so at this very time they had none but their own small and inconsiderable number to give a suffrage to this their synodical, or (as they most untruly and vainly called it) their ecumenical decree. For, of the Greek Church they had not one; . . . . . of the Helvetian, German and northern churches, none; of the French, scarce two; of the Spanish, not many" [Sleidan says, five]; "all the rest we find to be Italians (and no such great number of them neither); among whom divers were the pope's pensioners, and sent thither to out-balance other men's voices; some of them titular; and some of them unlearned. And was it ever heard of in the world before, that forty bishops of Italy, assisted perhaps with half a score others, should make up a general council for all Christendom? Wherein, as there was not any one greatly remarkable for learning that voted this canonical authority to those books, which, by the consent of the oriental and occidental churches were ever held to be uncertain and apocryphal; so some of them were lawyers, perhaps learned in that profession, but of little understanding in religion. And though other some were divines, yet many of them were of less than ordinary sufficience; but the greater number were courtiers, and bishops of such small places (or dignities only titular), that, supposing every one to represent the clergy and people from whom he came, it could not be said, that one of a thousand in Christendom was represented in this pretended council."

The following are the most material parts of the decree of the council of Trent for the canonising of the uninspired apocryphal books.

"The sacred, holy, œcumenical, and general synod of Trent, lawfully assembled in the Holy Spirit, ..... following the example of the orthodox fathers, doth receive and reverence with equal piety and veneration all the books, as well of the Old as of the New Testament, the same God being the author of both; and also the aforesaid traditions" [meaning those, whether written or unwritten, which had been mentioned in a preceding sentence], pertaining both to faith and manners, whether received from Christ himself, or dictated by the Holy Spirit, and preserved in the catholic church by continual succession. Moreover, lest any doubt should arise respecting the sacred books which are received by the council, it has been judged proper to insert a list of them in the present decree. They are these: "Of the Old Testament-the five books of Moses, that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; Joshua; Judges; Ruth; four books of Kings; two of Paralipomena [Chronicles]; the first book of Esdras, and the second which is called Nehemiah; Tobit; Judith; Esther; Job; the Psalms of David, one hundred and fifty; the Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; the Song of Songs; Wisdom; Ecclesiasticus; Isaiah; Jeremiah with Baruch; Ezekiel; Daniel [including the Song of the Three Children]; the Twelve Minor Prophets, that is, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; and two books of Maccabees, the first and second." [Of the books of the New Testament it is not necessary to give the list, as it coincides with our canon.]

"Whoever shall not receive, as sacred and canonical, all these books, and every part

1 66 "Here," it has been well remarked, "are two notorious falsehoods. 1. That the 'orthodox fathers' received with equal piety and veneration' all the books as enumerated in the decree; it being well known that, during the first four centuries, the apocryphal books were entirely rejected, and that subsequently they were only read for instruction, not regarded as divine. 2. That the Romish traditions have been preserved by continual succession;' whereas the invention of the rites and opinions therein alluded to, and their gradual introduction into the church, are historical facts." Cramp's Text-Book of Popery, p. 45. Second edition.

of them, as they are commonly read in the catholic church, and are contained in the Old Latin Vulgate edition, or shall knowingly and deliberately despise the aforesaid traditions, let him be accursed." 1

From the facts and testimonies collected in the preceding pages, it has (we trust) been irrecusably shown that the Romish Church, in receiving the apocryphal books as part of the divinely inspired Scriptures, has not only set at nought all historical truth and evidence, but has acted in direct violation of one of her own fundamental principles. The unanimous consent of the fathers is what she requires for the interpretation of Scripture.2 But on this subject, instead of a unanimous CONsent for the first four centuries, she is met with a unanimous DISsent. Her maxim is, to receive (according to the rule of one of her own saints, Vincent of Lerins, who is commemorated on the 24th of May,) quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est3; "what has been believed every where, at all times, and by all;" but here she receives what has never been believed any where, or by any one of the fathers; and she anathematises all Protestants, and her advocates spurn and denounce their editions of the Bible as mutilated, because they exclude from the canon of inspired books those writings which were excluded by Jesus Christ and his divinely inspired apostles, and which were also excluded with most remarkable unanimity by the fathers of the first four centuries, many of whom are enrolled by the Romish Church in her calendar of reputed saints. "The decree of the council" or synod of Trent, on the apocryphal books, "was a most wretched blunder, arising partly from ignorance and partly from partisan heat and blindness. A church which claims infallibility can never correct her own blunders, but must hold on upon them till they eat the very heart out of her; as a man may be destroyed, mind and body, by the morbid growth of an ineradicable wen.'

1 "Sacrosancta, œcumenica, et generalis Tridentina Synodus, in Spiritu Sancto legitimè congregata orthodoxorum patrum exempla secuta, omnes libros tam veteris quam novi Testamenti, cum utriusque unus Deus sit auctor, necnon traditiones ipsas, tum ad fidem, tum ad mores pertinentes, tamquam vel ore tenus a Christo, vel a Spiritu Sancto dictatas, et continua successione in ecclesia catholica conservatas, pari pietatis affectu ac reverentia suscipit, et veneratur. Sacrorum vero librorum indicem huic decreto adscribendum censuit; ne cui dubitatio suboriri possit, quinam sint, qui ab ipsa synodo suscipiuntur. Sunt vero infra scripti: Testamenti Veteris, quinque Moysi, id est, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numeri, Deuteronomium: Josue, Judicum, Ruth, quatuor Regum, duo Paralipomenon, Esdræ primus, et secundus qui dicitur Nehemias; Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, Psalte. rium Davidicum centum quinquagenta psalmorum, Parabola, Ecclesiastes, Canticum canticorum, Sapientia, Ecclesiasticus, Isaias, Jeremias cum Baruch, Ezechiel, Daniel; duodecim Prophetæ Minores, id est, Osea, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, Michæus, Nahum, Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggæus, Zacharias, Malachias; duo Machabæorum, primus et secundus. Si quis autem libros ipsos integros cum omnibus suis partibus, prout in ecclesia catholica legi consueverunt, et in veteri vulgata latina editione habentur, pro sacris et canonicis non susceperit, et traditiones prædictas sciens et prudens contempserit; ANATHEMA SIT." Concilii Tridentini Canones et Decreta. Sess. iv. Decretum de canonicis Scripturis, Pp. 24, 25. Parisiis, 1824; or, Labbé et Cossart. Concil. tom. xiv. col. 746.

2 Nor will I ever take and interpret them [the Sacred Scriptures] "otherwise than according to the unanimous consent of the fathers." Creed of Pius IV. art. 2.

3 Vincentii Lirinensis Commonitorium, cap. 2. in Gallandii Bibliotheca Patrum, tom. x. p. 103.

Bibliotheca Sacra for April, 1854, p. 305. The fatal influence of the Tridentine Decree, respecting the apocryphal books, upon the Church of Rome's pretended claim to

III. Respecting the actual VALUE OF THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS, various opinions have existed at different times, especially since the Reformation in the sixteenth century. As ancient writings, some of them are valuable for the historical information they contain, and also because they serve to elucidate the phraseology of the Scriptures.

The reverent regard for these books, cherished by the early fathers of the Christian church, may be satisfactorily accounted for. "When the apocryphal books were written, if in Greek the originals, if in Chaldee" [or Syriac, both which languages in the New Testament and in other writings are frequently called Hebrew,]"the Greek translations, were in all probability inserted into the Septuagint, along with the still more sacred books of Scripture, by Alexandrian Jews; who, in their state of dispersion, were naturally zealous about all that concerned their religion and the history of their race.'. .... No doubt the Alexandrian Jews ascribed great importance to the books which they thus inserted into the Septuagint canon.' "With the exception of Origen, the fathers of the Christian church for the first three centuries - were profoundly ignorant of Hebrew. It was natural, therefore, that they should have adopted the Greek version as their Old Testament; and accordingly it formed the original of their Latin version. Hence the books of the Old Testament current in the church were, in Greek the Septuagint, in Latin a translation from the Greek Septuagint, both therefore containing the apocryphal books. It was not till the time of Jerome" [in the latter part of the fourth century]" that a translation was made from the Hebrew: and hence, in the eyes of many, the whole collection of books contained in the Septuagint, and in the old Latin translation, was naturally viewed with the respect due to Scripture. Many indeed of the fathers knew the difference between the books of the Hebrew canon and those of the Apocrypha; and knew that the former were divine, the latter of inferior authority. But still many quoted almost indiscriminately from both."2

At the Reformation, Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, and others of the earliest reformers, followed the practice of the ancient Greek Church. The Church of England also adheres to the practice of the ancient church, and regards the canonical books of Scripture as the only divinely inspired rule of faith and practice. She has therefore most properly relegated the apocryphal books to an appropriate place between "those canonical books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the church.”

infallibility, is eloquently stated by Dr. Wordsworth, in his Lectures on the Inspiration of Scripture, pp. 60, 61.

Thus the Song of the Three Children, the story of Susanna, and the history of Bel and the Dragon, seemed connected with, and were therefore added to, the book of Daniel. The Greek Esdras secmed naturally to be connected with the Greek translation of the book of Ezra; the book of Wisdom, being called the Wisdom of Solomon, was added to the Song of Solomon; and the book of Ecclesiasticus, called the Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach, was placed after the Wisdom of Solomon." Browne's Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles, vol. i. pp. 207, 208.

2 Ibid.

Article VI. of the Confession of Faith of the Church of England.

Accordingly, in the large folio and quarto editions of the authorised English version of the Bible, these are specially distinguished by having the heading of "APOCRYPHA" in large capital letters prefixed to them. Moreover, as several of these books contain many noble sentiments and useful moral precepts, the Church of England, following the example of the ancient church of Christ, "doth read them for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth not apply them to establish any doctrine."1 On this account the reader will find prefaces to the several apocryphal books in the Second Volume of this work.

3

"The practice of the Church of England is, to read" [only] "certain chapters from some of these books on some festivals and week-days;" but it reads no part either of the books of Esdras, or of Maccabees, or of the additions to the book of Esther; nor does it read the Prayer of Manasses. None of the proper lessons for the Lord's Day or Sunday are taken from the apocryphal books. "Hence, when a festival, for which an apocryphal lesson is provided, falls on a Sunday, the canonical lesson of the Sunday ought to be read in the church. And while the Church of Rome blends " the apocryphal books" in her Bible indiscriminately with the other books of Scripture," requiring the whole to be received as sacred and canonical under the penalty of an anathema, "the Church of England in her Bible places them in a separate compartment by themselves..... While she has removed the abuse, she has wisely retained the good things which were abused, and has restored them to their ancient use; and by keeping her eye steadfastly fixed upon the past, she is enabled to walk more surely in the present, and to look forward more hopefully to the future." 5 Thus she is not popish in the ecclesiastical use of these books, as some have mistakenly asserted, but simply follows the practice of the ancient Christian church.

"THERE REMAINS NOTHING NOW BUT THAT, HAVING LAID OUR FOUNDATION SURE UPON THE CANONICAL AND UNDOUBTED SCRIPTURES, WHEREIN THE WILL OF GOD AND THE MYSTERIES OF OUR HOLY RELIGION ARE REVEALED TO US, WE PROCEED FROM THE TRUTH AND PRINCIPLES OF OUR BELIEF TO A RIGHTEOUS, SOBER, AND HOLY REGULATION OF OUR LIVES IN THE STRICT AND UNIFORM PRACTICE OF ALL RELIGIOUS DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS, THAT THESE DIVINE SCRIPTURES HAVE LAID

UPON US."5 THEREFORE

"SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES..... WHICH ARE ABLE TO MAKE THEE WISE UNTO SALVATION THROUGH FAITH WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS. ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION

Article VI. of the Confession of Faith of the Church of England.

2 Wordsworth's Lectures on the Inspiration of Scripture, p 65.

a Tomline's Elements of Christ. Theol. vol. ii. p. 199.

4 Wordsworth's Lectures, pp. 65. 103.

Cosin's Scholastical History of the Canon, p. 213.

OF

GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE PERFECT, THROUGHLY FURNISHED [or, PERFECTED] UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS." - JOHN v. 39. 2 TIM. iii. 15-17.

SECT. II.

ON THE WRITINGS USUALLY CALLED THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

[Referred to in p. 92. of this Volume.]

I. It is not wonderful that, besides those which are admitted to be canonical books of the New Testament, there were many others which also pretended to be authentic. "Men of the best intentions might think it incumbent on them to preserve, by writing, the memory of persons, facts, and doctrines, so precious in their estimation, who might at the same time be deficient in the talents and information requisite to discriminate, and duly to record, the truth. The sacred writers intimate that such men had already begun, even in their time, to appear; and gave warning that others would arise, less pure in their motives. Luke says that many had taken in hand to write gospels (Luke i. 1.); Paul cautions the Galatians against other gospels than that which they had received from him (Gal. i. 6-9.); and warns the Thessalonians not to be troubled by any letter as from him, declaring that the day of Christ is at hand." (2 Thess. ii. 2.) In the ages following the apostles, the apocryphal writings, which were published under the names of Jesus Christ and his apostles, their companions, &c. (and which are mentioned by the writers of the first four centuries under the names of gospels, epistles, acts, revelations, &c.) greatly increased. But though they had the names of the apostles and other disciples of Christ prefixed to them, they were never able to compete with the canonical Scriptures, and very soon fell into universal disrepute. Most of them indeed have long since perished', though some are still extant, which have been collected (together with notices of the lost pieces) and published by John Albert Fabricius, in his Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti, the best edition of which appeared at Hamburgh, in 1719-1743, in three parts forming two volumes, 8vo. Of that work the Rev. and learned Mr. Jones made great use, and, in fact, translated the greater part of it in his "New and Full Method of settling the Canonical Authority of the New Testament." The apocryphal books extant are, an Epistle from

1 See an alphabetical catalogue of them, with references to the fathers by whom they were mentioned, in Jones on the Canon, vol. i. pp. 119–123.

2 Another apocryphal book, purporting to be the acts of the apostle Thomas, has been discovered at Paris. It was published at Leipsic in 1823, by Dr. J. C. Thilo. But the most complete collection of the apocryphal books of the New Testament will be found in Prof. Tischendorf's "Evangelia Apocrypha," Lipsia, 1853; and "Acta Apostolorum Apocrypha," Lipsiæ, 1851; with the various readings of numerous manuscripts and copious prologomena.