the scriptures themselves. Hence, therefore, the question of what is scripture? precedes the question, what is the church?

We come, therefore, now to state very briefly what is the true and only rational method of ascertaining the inspiration of any books purporting to be divine. There must be, in the first instance, sufficient evidence, of a miraculous kind, of the intervention of the Deity; for, without miracle or prophecy, or some supernatural proof, attesting a divine commission, the professed messenger cannot be received. But supposing those who were his contemporaries fully satisfied upon this point, and the grounds of their satisfaction to be open to our examination, while the contents of the supposed communication accredit themselves as coming from God, then the authenticity of the entire report of the alleged divine message, must be open to every man's examination. His reason has a right to demand satisfaction, and his faith never can be genuine while it rests upon the mere dicta of fallible men, or, as it is stated by the Romanist, on the authority or decision of the church. If he believes in the inspiration of the record, because a body of men called the church tell him it is inspired, then his faith stands not in the power of God, but in 'the wisdom of men,' and it is repudiated by the apostle Paul as false in its foundation.

The proper method of determining the integrity of any and of every part of revelation, must be the same as that which is employed for determining the genuineness and authenticity of any merely human composition. We shall not here enlarge upon the nature and circumstances of the required testimony, as it would lead us into a disquisition too large for our pages at present.

From what has been stated, it may be apparent that the whole question respecting the canon of the New Testament, is obviously one concerning matters of fact, which took place eighteen centuries ago, and can be determined only by competent witnesses and other collateral evidence. If, then, the question be one of simple fact, its decision has nothing to do with church authority, or any other authority, but exclusively with testimony, its sufficiency and credibility. Thus, and thus only, we know that there ever was such a person as Julius Cæsar, who did such things and wrote such works as are ascribed to him by his contemporaries, without question or doubt. Thus we believe that Virgil, Livy, and Cicero, wrote the works now passing under their names; and thus we believe that the disciples of Jesus Christ wrote the several books attributed to them, and universally admitted, at the time, to be both authentic accounts and genuine productions of the individuals whose names they severally bear. Since the witnesses to be produced in this latter case are in all respects good and veritable, and, on account of many circumstances, more trustworthy than the witnesses for the genuineness and authenticity of the

ancient Greek and Latin writers, it is evident, that the principal method of determining the canonical books, must be by examining the most ancient records of the Christian church. Thence we learn what was the opinion of those who lived at and near the time when the alleged books were written, as well as the reasons upon which those persons founded their opinion. We must both know that they had a distinct opinion, and that this universally prevailed, or without any material deduction; and we must likewise be convinced that their judgment was reasonable and solid. The first foundation of the judgment which attributed inspiration to these works being well established, the chain which depends upon it will be secure, and the opinion of succeeding ages will rest, like a firm and well-cemented superstructure, upon a basis which cannot be shaken.

Now the sacred books, being at first written and made public separately, were committed to the inspection and care of the Christian churches while the authors were yet alive. Some were of a more general character, intended for all, and some were addressed as epistles to individuals or societies of individuals; but containing matter of general concernment, and adapted for general edification, they were gradually multiplied and communicated to all who from their unity with the Christian body, felt an interest in them. The numbers of these individuals and bodies were also at that time continually and rapidly increasing. Each separate church, therefore, formed a distinct court of inquiry or jury of examination, whose interest it was to admit nothing into their code of sacred instructions without the satisfactory seal of inspired authority. This process of investigation was perfectly simple and easy while the writers remained, or witnesses could be found capable of attesting the genuineness, both of the handwriting and of the doctrine conveyed by it. Each church, therefore, though dwelling in countries distant from each other, and raised up under the labors of different apostolic teachers, had either themselves received the original writing from its author, or they had received a copy from the church which held the original, and possessed the valid evidence of its genuineness. Such was the universal confidence in the writings which were then accumulated, that, by common consent, and without concert, they made them matters of supreme respect, of common appeal, and of final authority. These first churches not only perfectly agreed in their admission of the sacred books, but they transmitted their own testimony to the succeeding age, along with the sacred originals, of which, before their extinction or mutilation, myriads of copies had been taken; all of which, though taken at intervals, and some at first, others at second, and others at third hand, and though widely spread over divers nations, were found marvellously to harmonize.

As

In the ages that succeeded the apostolic, the most scrupulous care was exercised in the preservation of the books that had come from the pens of evangelists and apostles. Learned men of almost every age since, have made diligent search after all the books of those times, and though they have collected a large catalogue of names, yet comparatively few of these have been preserved in any form, or even by way of extract or reference. to those that have been suffered to perish, it is obvious that they were deemed, by those who had the best means of judging of their value, unworthy of being placed in the same collections with the writings of apostolic men. Neither is there any reason to think that any uninspired book was ever imposed upon the early Christians, or admitted among the genuine remains of apostles and evangelists, or that any genuine writings of inspired men were ever rejected or lost. The catholicity of spirit which characterized those first Christians, led to the speedy communication of all their spiritual treasures to each other, while their jealousy for the honor of their religion induced them instantly to reject whatever had not the well-known token in every epistle,' or brought not with it ample testimony of its inspired authority.

Concerning the apocryphal books, of which mention has been made, but which are not now extant, there can be no reason for troubling ourselves; but some of our readers may be curious to know what may remain, and why they are refused a place in the These are the following:

canon.

1. Our Saviour's letter to Abgarus.

2. Our Saviour's letter, which fell down from heaven, at Jerusalem, directed to a priest named Leopas, in the city Eris. 3. The Constitutions of the Apostles.

4. The Apostlical Epistles of Barnabas, Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp.

5. The Shepherd of Hermas.

6. The Gospel of the Infancy of our Saviour.

7. The Proto-gospel of St. James.

8. The Gospel of Nicodemus.

9. The Martyrdom of Thecla, or acts of St. Paul.

10. Abdias's History of the Twelve Apostles.

11. St. Paul's Epistle to the Laodiceans.

12. St. Paul's Six Letters to Seneca.

There can be no doubt that many of these, with some smaller pieces, were written in very early times, some of them by wellmeaning men, who added the name of an apostle only to give currency to their works, without any intention of imposing a false narrative upon the Christians. Some, however, are marked by folly, inconsistency, and fraud; and, without entering further into their merits it may suffice to observe, that none of them are quoted or appealed to as authority, by any Christian or heathen

writer of the first century. Since the apostles chose no successors, and none could assume their office with a true authority, the inquiry into the inspiration of the sacred books is restricted, for the most part, to the limits of that single age. All the writings that appeared afterwards were at best doubtful, if not obviously false; and accordingly we find that the first Christians never admitted any of the writings now denominated apocryphal into the Canon of the New Testament. After the departure of the apostles, the churches would more than ever reverence their writings, and be of course increasingly jealous of any rival claimants. Whatever their successors may have thought, or however prone some among them were to venerate other writings, or receive another gospel, yet it is abundantly manifest, that those who stood nearest the fountain-head of light, and were the contemporaries of the apostles, resolutely rejected all spurious scriptures, and kept with sacred care those which contained the charter of their hopes, and the rule of their private and social conduct. It is undeniably evident from several collateral sources, that the generality of the Christians, though widely spread, were very early in possession of most of the books now comprising the New Testament, and it is equally certain that they received these and no others. The controversies maintained with their enemies, contain numerous appeals to these books, and quotations from them as of final authority--while their opponents frequently allude to, or cite from, the same authorities. Hence we possess invaluable means of ascertaining both the books that were universally appealed to in controversy, and the kind of authority attached to them. These were the works they preserved with the utmost care, and transmitted to their successors as containing the life of Christ and the doctrine of his apostles. These continued to be quoted, transmitted, multiplied, and spread abroad constantly through the whole of the three first centuries, and no others. So that the New Testament canon was virtually settled, by the unanimity of their opinions, before there was any general council of pastors to give its sanction to the entire collection. This is proved by the fact that in the genuine writings, not inspired, of those first ages, the same books are cited and appealed to as of divine authority. And, considering the diversity and remoteness of the parties forming the Christian churches throughout the world, this is a fact of the utmost importance. It is evident that Justin Martyr at Neapolis, Theophilus at Antioch, Irenæus in France, Clemens at Alexandria, Tertullian at Carthage, who all lived within or about 130 years after the ascension of Christ, and some of them considerably earlier, and but a short time after the sacred books were written, have quoted most, if not all, the inspired books of the New Testament. The same

may be affirmed of Origen, Cyprian, and other writers of the next century.

It is further to be observed as a matter of the utmost interest and importance, that several of those authors who come close upon the first and second centuries, have preserved catalogues of the books then generally received and read in all the Christian churches. We shall here exhibit, for the satisfaction of inquirers, a list of those who have preserved catalogues of the sacred books.

1. Origen, 210.

This author gives a complete catalogue of all our present books with the exception only of the Epistles of James and Jude, though he owns them also in other parts of his works.

2. Eusebius, about 315.

He manifested great care about the sacred writings, and much anxiety to distinguish the genuine from the apocryphal. His catalogue is the same as ours, excepting only that he mentions some persons had doubted the authority of James and Jude, second of Peter, second and third of John, and the Book of the Revelation, though he gives it as his opinion that such doubts were without foundation, and that all these are inspired.

3. Athanasius, 315.

He gives a list which perfectly agrees with ours.

4. Cyril, 340.

Perfectly the same as ours with the exception of the Revela

tion.

5. Council of Laodicea, 364.

This council agreed in the catalogue as we possess it with the exception of the Revelation.

6. Epiphanius, 370.

He perfectly agrees with our canon.

7. Gregory Nazianzen, 375.

He recites all the books except the Revelation.

8. Philastrius, 380.

This Bishop of Brixia gives a catalogue the same as ours, excepting that he mentions only thirteen of Paul's epistles, most probably omitting the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Book of the Revelation.