enquiring mind to suppose, that fome miraculous acts had really been performed in the time of Jefus and his Apoftles, in imitation of which thofe later wonders were afferted to have taken place; fo the existence of a variety of fpurious compofitions, profeffing to give an account of the life and actions of Jefus, or to give directions to Chriftian Churches, under the name and authority of the Evangelifts and Apoftles, affords, of itfelf, a ftrong ground of belief, that there were in truth books of undoubted credit, realizing the character, to which the fictions of later ages afpired.

PERHAPS this pofition is univerfally true, and may be confidered as applicable to the impofitions of the Heathen oracles, and to the affumptions of Heathen Legiflators, as well as of other pretenders to divine revelations.If traditions, refting ultimately upon a bafis of truth, had not exifted concerning fome intercourse of man with Heaven; if the Deity had not really vouch fafed to communicate to fome of his highly-favoured creatures an infight into futurity, and had not made a formal promulgation of his will by revelation, the oracles of Dodona and Delphi, the converse of Numa with Egeria and the

Mufes,

Mufes, or the more bold, and more fucceffful pretenfions of Mahomet, might not have been heard of. However this may be, yet, in the cafe of the true and Apocryphal Gofpels, it can fcarcely admit of a doubt, but that the appearance of the counterfeit volumes implies the previous existence of fuch as were in reality, what these pretended to be.

If we infpect, even fuperficially, the contents of thefe Apocryphal* writings, the proof

Fabricius has made a collection of the Apocryphal writings relating to the Old Teftament, under the title of Codex Pfeudepigraphus Veteris Teftan enti, 12mo. pp. 1174. Hamburg. & Lips. 1713. He has alto, with equal diligence and learning, collected and illuftrated those, which relate to the New Teftament. The edition, from which my extracts are made, confifts of three parts in 12mo. comprehending about 2000 pp. and was published at Hamburgh 1719. If any Sopater or Leo (fee the preface of Fabricius) thould reprehend me for employing my time upon fuch books, I trust they will not object to an apology in the words of St. Ambrofe,- Legimus aliqua, ne legantur, legimus ne ignoremus, legimus non ut teneamus, fed ut repudiemus, et ut fciamus, qualia fint, in quibus magnifici ifti (fc. Hæretici) cor exaltant fuum. Commentar. in S. Luc proæm.

I had not an opportunity, till very lately, of becoming acquainted with Mr. Jones's work, entitled, "A new and full method of fettling the canonical authority of the New Testament." It was first published in 1726-7. For the re-publication of this, and of other fcarce and valuable books in Theology, we are indebted to the liberality and zeal of the conductors of the Clarendon Prefs. This writer has brought together, with uncommon diligence and judgement, the external evidence for the authenticity and genuineness of

the

proof becomes more decifive in favour of thofe, which we eftcem canonical. The style and the manner of the former betray fo plainly the marks of imitation and the intentions of imposture, that they set off more confpicuously the truth and originality of the latter.

BESIDES the want of external authority, in which the Apocryphal writings are palpably deficient, the reverfe of every pofition, which has been applied to the books of the New Testament, might be fhewn to be true of these. To give a variety to the subject, and to place the proof of their want of genuineness in a clearer light, another arrangement of particulars has been adopted: in conformity with which we may remark,

that

the Canonical books, (so far as he was enabled to execute his plan) and he has, with equal ability and fairness, flated his reafons for deciding against the authority of the Apocryphal.— In the profecution of this important defign, he has not only quoted, but tranflated, the greater part of the contents of Fabricius's two firft volumes: fo that the English reader may confult, through the medium of his tranflation, the paffages I have taken occafion to quote from that collection.

Mr. Jones was chiefly led to confider the external evidence; yet he has occafionally ftated fome defects of authenticity, which are visible in the structure and materials of the Apocryphal books themfelves. I might therefore have enlarged this chapter with many obfervations from him; but it remains, as it was originally written. I would however earnestly advise those of my readers, who may not yet be masters of the fubject, to study very carefully this valuable work.

that the following, amongst other qualities, ftrikingly characteristic of fraud and error, are obfervable in the fpurious Gospels and Epiftles.

I. The appearance of a defign to fupport fome doctrine or practice, or to obviate fome heresy, which had their origin fubfequent to the Apoftolic age.

II. A detail of impertinent and trifling circumstances.

III. The introduction of useless and improbable miracles.

IV. A ftudied imitation of various pafsages in the genuine scriptures, both to conceal the fraud, and to allure readers.

V. A poverty of ftyle, and barrenness of invention, gloffing over the want of incident by fophiftical declamation.

VI. Contradictions to known historical facts.

VII. An officious intrufion of the pretended authors' names.

VIII. Actions, utterly unworthy the character of a perfonage, divinely commiffioned to inftruct and reform mankind, are ascribed to Jesus.

I. THE

I. THE corrupt doctrines, relative to the Virgin Mary, form an effential part in the scheme of fome of thefe defigners. Those who believed, or affected to believe, that the Virgin was exalted into Heaven, who adopted the notion of her immaculate conception, and her power of working miracles, found but little countenance for their abfurdities in the genuine Gofpels. It was a talk too hard for them to defend fuch tenets against their adverfaries, while the canonical books were the only authority they could appeal to. Hence a Gofpel was written de Nativitate Maria, in which her birth is foretold by Angels, and herself represented as always under the peculiar protection of Heaven. Hence in the Gospel, attributed to James, which affumed the name of Protevangelium, as claiming the fuperiority over every other, whether canonical or apocryphal, the fact of the immaculate conception is fupported by fuch a miracle, as to leave no doubt upon the most incredulous mind. Hence too in the Evangelium Infantia, the Virgin, who is fimply faid by St. Matthew to have gone into Egypt, is represented as making her progrefs more like a divinity,

than