III. Eufebius records of Origen, and cites for his authority the letters of Bishops contemporary with Origen, that, when he went into Paleftine about the year 216, which was only 16 years after the date of Tertullian's teftimony, he was defired by the Bishops of that country to discourse and expound the scriptures publicly in the church, though he was not yet ordained a prefbyter*. This anecdote recognizes the usage, not only of reading, but of expounding, the fcriptures ; and both as fubfifting in full force. Origen also himself bears witness to the fame practice: "This (fays he) we do, when the fcriptures are read in the church, and when the discourse for explication is delivered to the peoplet." And, what is a ftill more ample teftimony, many homilies of his upon the fcriptures of the New Teftament, delivered by him in the affemblies of the church, are ftill extant.

IV. Cyprian, whose age was not twenty

* Ib. vol. iii. p. 68.

+ Ib. p. 302.

years

years lower than that of Origen, gives his people an account of having ordained two perfons, who were before confeffors, to be readers; and what they were to read, ap pears by the reafon which he gives for his choice "Nothing (fays Cyprian) can be more fit, than that he, who has made a glorious confeffion of the Lord, should read publicly in the church; that he who has fhewn himfelf willing to die a martyr, fhould read the gospel of Chrift, by which martyrs are made*"

V. Intimations of the fame cuftom may be traced in a great number of writers in the beginning and throughout the whole of the fourth century. Of thefe teftimonies I will only ufe one, as being, of itself, exprefs and full. Auguftine, who appeared near the conclufion of the century, displays the benefit of the Christian religion on this very account, the public reading of the fcriptures in the churches, "where (fays he) is a con

Ib. vol. iv. p. 842.

fluence

fluence of all forts of people of both fexes, and where they hear how they ought to live well in this world, that they may deferve to live happily and eternally in another." And this custom he declares to be universal : «The canonical books of fcripture being read every where, 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 epiftle of Clement was read in the church of Corinth, to which it had been addreffed, and in fome others; and that the Shepherd of Hermas was read in many churches. Nor does it fubtract 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 apoftolical men. There is not the leaft evidence, that any other gofpel, than the four which we receive, was ever admitted to this diftinction.

* Ib. vol. x. p. 276 et feq.

SECT.

SECT. VI.

Commentaries were anciently written upon the fcriptures; harmonies formed out of them; different copies carefully collated; and verfions made of them into different languages.

No

greater proof can be given of the efteem in which thefe books were holden by the ancient Chriftians, or of the fenfe then entertained of their value and importance, than the industry bestowed upon them. And it ought to be obferved, that the value and importance of thefe books confifted entirely in their genuinenefs and truth. There was nothing in them as works of tafte, or as compofitions, which could have induced any one to have written a note upon them. Moreover it fhows that they were even then confidered as ancient books. Men do not write comments upon publications of their * VOL. I.

S

own

own times

therefore the teftimonies cited

under this head afford an evidence which carries up the evangelic writings much beyond the age of the teftimonies themselves, and to that of their reputed authors.

I. Tatian, a follower of Juftin Martyr, and who flourished about the year 170, compofed 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 fhews that then, as now, there were four, and only four gofpels, in general ufe with Chriftians. And this was little more than a hundred years after the publi cation of fome 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 fcriptures, which, as Jerome teftifies, were extant in his time t.

Lard. vol. i. p. 307. + Ib. vol. i. p. 455.

III. Clement

3