after his conversion, gave directions for multiplying copies of the divine oracles, and for magnificently adorning them, at the expense of the imperial treasury.* What the Christians of that age so richly embellished in their prosperity, and which is more, so tenaciously preserved under persecution, was the very volume of the New Testament which we now read. SECT. IV. Our present sacred writings were soon distinguished by appropriate names and titles of respect. is POLYCARP. I trust that ye are well exercised in the Holy Scriptures;-as in these Scriptures it is said, Be ye angry and sin not, and let not the sun go down upon your wrath. This extremely important: because it proves that, in the time of Polypassage carp, who had lived with the apostles, there were Christian writings distinguished by the name of 'Holy Scriptures,' or Sacred Writings. Moreover, the text quoted by Polycarp is a text found in the collec tion at this day. What also the same Polycarp hath elsewhere quoted in the same manner, may be considered as proved to belong to the collection; and this comprehends Saint Matthew's, and probably Saint Luke's Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles, ten epistles of Paul, the First Epistle of Peter, and the First of John. In another place, Polycarp has these words: Whoever perverts the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts, and says there is neither resurrection nor judgment, he is the first-born of Satan.'-It does not appear what else Polycarp could mean by the 'oracles of the Lord,' but those same Holy Scriptures,' or Sacred Writings, of which he had spoken before. II. Justin Martyr, whose apology was written about thirty years after Polycarp's epistle, expressly cites some of our present histories under the title of GOSPEL, and that not as a name by him first ascribed to them, but as the name by which they were generally known in his time. His words are these:- For the apostles in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered it, that Jesus commanded them to take bread, and give thanks.' There exists no doubt, but that, by the memoirs above mentioned, Justin meant our present historical Scriptures; for throughout his works he quotes these, and no others. III. Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, who came thirty years after Justin, in a passage preserved in Eusebius (for his works are lost), speaks of the Scriptures of the Lord.'T IV. And at the same time, or very nearly so, by Irenæus bishop * Lardner, Cred. vol. vii. p. 432. Ib. vol. i. p. 223. Ib. vol. 1. p. 203. § Ib. p. 222. Ib. p. 271. ¶ Ib. p. 298. of Lyons in France,* they are called 'Divine Scriptures,'-' Divine Oracles,'-Scriptures of the Lord,'-'Evangelic and Apostolic Writings.' The quotations of Irenæus prove decidedly, that our present Gospels, and these alone, together with the Acts of the Apostles, were the historical books comprehended by him under these appellations. V. Saint Matthew's Gospel is quoted by Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, contemporary with Irenæus, under the title of the Evangelic Voice;' and the copious works of Clement of Alexandria, published within fifteen years of the same time, ascribe to the books of the New Testament the various titles of Sacred Books,'— 'Divine Scriptures,'-' Divinely inspired Scriptures,'' Scriptures of the Lord,'the true Evangelical Canon.' VI. Tertullian, who joins on with Clement, beside adopting most of the names and epithets above noticed, calls the Gospels 'our Digesta,' in allusion, as it should seem, to some collection of Roman laws then extant.]] VII. By Origen, who came thirty years after Tertullian, the same, and other no less strong titles, are applied to the Christian Scriptures: and, in addition thereunto, this writer frequently speaks of the Old and New Testament,'-The Ancient and New Scriptures,' -the Ancient and New Oracles.'¶ VIII. In Cyprian, who was not twenty years later, they are 'Books of the Spirit, Divine Fountains,'-'Fountain of the Divine Full ness. The expressions we have thus quoted, are evidences of high and peculiar respect. They all occur within two centuries from the publication of the books. Some of them commence with the companions of the apostles, and they increase in number and variety, through a series of writers touching one upon another, and deduced from the first age of the religion. SECT. V. Our Scriptures were publicly read and expounded in the religious assemblies of the early Christians. JUSTIN MARTYR, who wrote in the year 140, which was seventy or eighty years after some, and less, probably, after others of the Gospels were published, giving, in his first apology, an account to the emperor of the Christian worship, has this remarkable passage: "The Memoirs of the Apostles, or the Writings of the Prophets, are read according as the time allows: and, when the reader has ended, * The reader will observe the remoteness of these two writers in country and situation. † Lardner, Cred. vol. i. p. 343, &c. Ib. vol. ii. p. 515. Ib. vol. iii. p. 230. the president makes a discourse, exhorting to the imitation of so ex cellent things.'* A few short observations will show the value of this testimony. 1. The Memoirs of the Apostles,' Justin in another place expressly tells us, are what are called 'Gospels:' and that they were the Gospels which we now use, is made certain by Justin's numerous quotations of them, and his silence about any others. 2. Justin describes the general usage of the Christian church. 3. Justin does not speak of it as recent or newly instituted, but in the terms in which men speak of established customs. II. Tertullian, who followed Justin at the distance of about fifty years, in his account of the religious assemblies of Christians as they were conducted in his time, says, 'We come together to recollect the Divine Scriptures; we nourish our faith, raise our hope, confirm our trust, by the sacred word.'t III. Eusebius records of Origen, and cites for his authority the letters of bishops contemporary with Origen, that, when he went into Palestine about the year 216, which was only sixteen years after the date of Tertullian's testimony, he was desired by the bishops of that country to discourse and expound the Scriptures publicly in the church, though he was not yet ordained a presbyter. This anecdote recognizes the usage not only of reading, but of expounding, the Scriptures; and both as subsisting in full force. Origen also himself bears witness to the same practice: This (says he) we do, when the Scriptures are read in the church, and when the discourse for explication is delivered to the people.' And what is a still more ample testimony, many homilies of his upon the Scriptures of the New Testament, delivered by him in the assemblies of the church, are still extant. IV. Cyprian, whose age was not twenty years lower than that of Origen, gives his people an account of having ordained two persons, who were before confessors to be readers; and what they were to read, appears by the reason which he gives for his choice. 'Nothing (says Cyprian) can be more fit, than that he, who has made a glorious confession of the Lord, should read publicly in the church; that he who has shown himself willing to die a martyr, should read the Gospel of Christ by which martyrs are made.'|| V. Intimations of the same custom may be traced in a great number of writers in the beginning and throughout the whole of the fourth century. Of these testimonies I will only use one, as being of itself, express and full. Augustine, who appeared near the conclusion of the century, displays the benefit of the Christian religion on this very account, the public reading of the Scriptures in the churches, where (says he) is a confluence of all sorts of people of both sexes; and where they hear how they ought to live well in this world, that they may deserve to live happily and eternally in *Lardner, Cred. vol. i. p. 273. Ib. vol. iii. p. 68. Ib. vol. iv. p. 842. Ib. vol. ii. p. 628. Ib. vol. iii. p. 302. another.' And this custom he declares to be universal: 'The canonical books of Scripture being read everywhere, the miracles therein recorded are well known to all people." It does not appear that any books, other than our present Scriptures, were thus publicly read, except that the epistle of Clement was read in the church of Corinth to which it had been addressed, and some in others: and that the Shepherd of Hermas was read in many churches. Nor does it subtract much from the value of the argument, that these two writings partly come within it, because we allow them to be the genuine writings of apostolical men. There is not the least evidence, that any other Gospel, than the four which we receive, was ever admitted to this distinction. SECT. VI. Commentaries were anciently written upon the Scriptures; harmonies formed out of them; different copies carefully collected; and versions made of them into different languages. No greater proof can be given of the esteem in which these books were holden by the ancient Christians, or of the sense they entertained of their value and importance, than the industry bestowed upon them. And it ought to be observed, that the value and importance of these books consisted entirely in their genuineness and truth. There was nothing in them, as works of taste, or as compositions, which could have induced any one to have written a note upon them. Moreover it shows that they were even then considered as ancient books. Men do not write comments upon publications of their own times: therefore the testimonies cited under this head afford an evidence which carries up the evangelic writings much beyond the age of the testimonies themselves, and to that of their reputed authors. I. Tatian, a follower of Justin Martyr, and who flourished about the year 170, composed a harmony, or collation of the Gospels, which he called Diatessaron, Of the four. The title, as well as the work, is remarkable; because it shows that then, as now, there were four, and only four, Gospels in general use with Christians. And this was little more than a hundred years after the publication of some of them. II. Pantænus, of the Alexandrian school, a man of great reputation and learning, who came twenty years after Tatian, wrote many commentaries upon the Holy Scriptures, which, as Jerome testifies, were extant in his time.‡ III. Clement of Alexandria wrote short explications of many books of the Old and New Testament.§ *Lardner, Cred. vol. x. p. 276, &c. t Ib. p. 455. † Ib. vol. i. p. 307. IV. Tertullian appeals from the authority of a later version, then in use, to the authentic Greek.* V. An anonymous author, quoted by Eusebius, and who appears to have written about the year 212, appeals to the ancient copies of the Scriptures in refutation of some corrupt readings alleged by the followers of Artemon.† VI. The same Eusebius, mentioning by name several writers of the church who lived at this time, and concerning whom he says, "There still remain divers monuments of the laudable industry of those ancient and ecclesiastical men' (i. e. of Christian writers who were considered as ancient in the year 300), adds, 'There are, besides, treatises of many others, whose names we have not been able to learn, orthodox and ecclesiastical men, as the interpretations of the Divine Scriptures given by each of them show.‡ VII. The last five testimonies may be referred to the year 200; immediately after which, a period of thirty years gives us Julius Africanus, who wrote an epistle, upon the apparent difference in the genealogies in Matthew and Luke, which he endeavors to reconcile by the distinction of natural and legal descent, and conducts his hypothesis with great industry through the whole series of generations. Ammonius, a learned Alexandrian, who composed, as Tatian had done, a harmony of the four Gospels; which proves, as Tatian's work did, that there were four Gospels, and no more, at this time, in use in the church. It affords also an instance of the zeal of Christians for those writings, and of their solicitude about them.|| And, above both these, Origen, who wrote commentaries, or homilies, upon most of the books included in the New Testament, and upon no other books but these. In particular, he wrote upon Saint John's Gospel, very largely upon Saint Mathew's, and commentaries, or homilies, upon the Acts of the Apostles.T VIII. In addition to these the third century likewise contains Dionysius of Alexandria, a very learned man, who compared with great accuracy, the accounts in the four Gospels of the time of Christ's resurrection, adding a reflection which showed his opinion of their authority: Let us not think that the evangelists disagree, or contradict each other, although there be some small difference; but let us honestly and faithfully endeavor to reconcile what we read.'** Victorin, bishop of Pettaw, in Germany, who wrote comments upon Saint Matthew's Gospel.tt Lucian, a presbyter of Antioch; and Hesychius, an Egyptian bishop, who put forth editions of the New Testament. * Lardner, Cred. vol. ii. p. 638. Ib. vol. ii. p. 551. Ib. p. 122. ** Ib. vol. iv. p. 166. † Ib. vol. iii. p. 46. § Ib. vol. iii. p. 170. T Ib. p. 352. 192. 202. 245. |