The same is the opinion of the Jews respe cting the other books, which we call Apocryphal, as is manifest from all the copies of the Hebrew Bible, extant; for, undoubtedly, if they believed that any of these books were Canonical, they would. give them a place in their sacred volume. But will any ask, what is the opinion of the Jews to us? I answer, much, on this point. The oracles of God were commited to them; and they preserved them with a religious care, until the advent of Messiah. Christ never censures them for adding to the Sacred Scriptures, nor detracting from them. Since their nation has been in dispersion, copies of the Old Testament, in Hebrew, have been scattered all over the world, so that it was impossible to produce a universal alteration in the Canon. -But it is needless to argue this point, for it is agreed by all, that these books never were received by the Jewish nation.

3. The third argument against the Canonical authority of these books, is derived from the total silence respecting them, in the New Testament. They are never quoted by Christ and his apostles.. This fact, however, is disputed by the Romanists, and they even attempt to establish their right to a place in the Canon, from the citations, which they pretend have been made from these books by the apostles. They refer to Rom. xi. and Heb. xi where they allege, that Paul has cited passages from the Book of Wisdom. For who hath known the mind of

the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor ? —For before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. But both these passages are taken directly from the Canonical books of the Old Testament. The first is nearly in the words of Isaiah; and the last from the book of Genesis; their other examples are as wide of the mark as these, and need not be set down.

It has already been shown that these books were included in the volume quoted, and referred to, by Christ and his apostles, under the title of, THE SCRIPTURES, and are entirely omitted by Josephus in his account of the Sacred books. It would seem therefore, that in the time of Christ, and for some time afterwards, they were utterly unknown, or wholly disregarded.

SECTION IV.

TESTIMONIES OF THE CHRISTIAN FATHERS, AND OF OTHER LEARNED MEN DOWN TO THE TIME OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT, RESPECTING THE APOCRYPHA.

The fourth argument, is, that these books were not received as Canonical, by the Christian Fathers, but were expressly declared to be Apocryphal.

JUSTIN MARTYR does not cite a single passage, in all his writings, from any Apocryphal book.

The first catalogue of the books of the Old Testament which we have, after the times of the apostles, from any Christian writer, is that of MELITO bishop of Sardis, before the end of the second century, which is preserved by Eusebius. The fragment is as follows, "MELITO to his brother ONESIMUS, greeting. Since you have often earnestly requested of me, in consequence of your love of learning, a collection of the Sacred Scriptures of the Law, and the Prophets, and what relates to the SAVIOUR, and concerning our whole faith; and since, moreover, you wish to obtain an accurate knowledge of our ancient books, as it respects their number, and order, I have used diligence to accomplish this, knowing your sincere affection towards the faith, and your earnest desire to become acquainted with the word and that striving after

eternal life, your love to God induces you to prefer these to all other things. Wherefore, going into the East, and to the very place where these things were published and transacted; and having made diligent search after the books of the Old Testament, I now subjoin, and send you, the following catalogue. Five books of Moses, viz. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Four books of Kings, Two of Chronicles, The Psalms of David, The Proverbs of Solomon, (or) Wisdom,* Ecclesiastes, The Song of Songs, Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Twelve in one book, Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra."t

ORIGEN also says, "We should not be ignorant, that the Canonical books are the same which the Hebrews delivered unto us, and are twenty two in number, according to the number of letters of the Hebrew alphabet." Then he sets down, in order, the names of the books, in Greek and Hebrew.

* Whether Melito, in this catalogue, by the word WisDOM, meant to designate a distinct book; or whether It was used as an other name for PROVERBS, seems doubtful. The latter has generally been understood to be the sense; and this accords with the understanding of the ancients; for Rutin, in his translation of this passage of Eusebius, renders Tagomar & dopía Salomonis Proverbia, que est sapientia ; that is, The Proverbs of Solomon,which is Wisdom. PINEDA, a learned Romanist, says, " The word Wisdom should here be taken as explicative of the former, and should be understood to mean, The Proverbs."

Euseb. Hist. Ecc. Lib. v. c. 24.

ATHANASIUS, in his Synopsis, says, "All the Scriptures of us Christians are divinely inspired; neither are they indefinite in their number, but determined, and reduced into a Canon. Those of the Old Testament are, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Four books of Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticles, Job. The twelve prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel."

HILARY, who was contemporary with Athanasius, and resided in France, has numbered the Canonical books of the Old Testament, in the following manner, "The five of Moses, the sixth of Joshua, the seventh of Judges including Ruth, the eighth of first and second Kings; the ninth of third. and fourth Kings; the tenth of the Chronicles, two books; the eleventh, Ezra (which included Nehemiah;) the twelfth, the Psalms. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth; the Twelve Prophets, the sixteenth; then, Isaiah and Jeremiah including Lamentations and his Epistle, Daniel, Ezekiel, Job, and Esther, making up the full number of twenty two." And in his Preface, he adds, "That these books were thus numbered by our ancestors, and handed down by tradition from them."*

GREGORY NAZIANZEN exhorts his readers to study the sacred books with attention, but to avoid

* Proleg. in Psalmos.