2. Divine Testimony. Prov. vi. 23. "The commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life." See also Deut. iv. 2; v. 32; xii. 32. Josh. i. 7. Ps. xix. 7, 8; cxix. 9, 105. Prov. vi. 23; xxx. 5, 6. Isa. viii. 20; xxix. 13, 14. Ezek. xiii. 8-12; xx. 18. B. New Testament. Mark vii. 7-13. Luke xvi. John xx. 31. "These are written, that ye might believe 3. Human Testimony. A. Fathers. Acts xvii. 4; xx. 27. Gal. Ignatius (A.D. 101), Epist. ad Philad. c. ix. "The Gospel is the perfection of uncorruptness." Tertullian (A.D. 198), De Præscript. Adv. Hær. c. viii. "We have no need of being curious since the coming of JESUS CHRIST, nor inquisitive since the publication of the Gospel. When we believe, we want nothing further to be believed. For this we first believe that we ought not to believe anything further." c. xxxvi. "Happy is the Church to whom the Apostles poured out the whole doctrine, together with their blood." August. ad Joan. Tract. XL. c. xi. "For seeing the LORD JESUS did many things, all are not written; as the same holy Evangelist Himself witnesseth, that the LORD CHRIST both said and did many things which are not written. But those things were selected to be written which seemed to suffice for the salvation of those that believe." See also Tertull.' De Præscript. Hæretic. cc. vi. xxv. Iren. adv. Hæret. lib. II. c. xlvii.; IV. c. lxix. Cyprian, Epist. xlvii. lxiii. Chrysost. ad Tit. Hom. I. Hieron. ad Tit. c. i. August. de Trinit. lib. iii. c. xi. § 22, col. 570, tom. VIII. ed. Antv. 1700. 3 See Bishop Kaye on Tertullian, pp. 250-289. Dr. Hampden's Lecture on Tradition. B. Confessions. 1 Helvetic, Art. i. iv. xxi. 2 Helvetic, c. ii. Scotland, Art. xix. Bohemia, c. i. Basil, Art. x. Belgic, Art. ii. vii. Wirtemburg, c. xxx. Gallican, Art. ii. iv. v. Saxon, Art. i. Sueveland, Art. i. § i. PROP. III. Whatsoever is not read in Holy Scripture, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. 1. Divine Testimony. A. Old Testament. Deut. iv. 2. "Ye shall not add unto the word which See also Deut. xii. 32. Ps. xviii.; xix. 7. Prov. vi. 23; B. New Testament. Rev. xxii. 18, 19. "I testify unto every man that 2. Human Testimony. August. Procem. in lib. iii. de Sancta Trinitate, § 2. heard, we are not to consider what any before us hath thought good to be done, but what CHRIST, who is before all, hath done: for we ought not to follow the wisdom of men, but the truth of GOD." See also Epist. xlvii. and lxxiv. p. 211, ed. Oxon. Tertull. adv. Hermog. c. xxii. August. cont. Donat. lib. II. pp. 32, 33, vol. vII. Epist. xciii. § 35. Opp. tom. II. 186. Basil, Opp. Græc. pp. 226-227, ed. Basil. 1551. B. Confessions. 2 Helvetic, c. i. Basil, Art. x. Gallican, Art. v. 1 Helvetic, Art. iv. Bohemia, c. i. Wirtemburg, c. xxx. Westminster, c. i. PROP. IV. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical' Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.' 1. The Testimony of Reason. A. External Evidences. The testimony of competent witnesses. Authoritative decisions of the Church. B. Internal Evidences. Harmony of their contents. Consistency of their contents with the character of GOD, and adaptation to the condition of man. Positive assertions of the writers themselves. Circumstantial proofs arising from style, allusions, &c. 2. Divine Testimony. A. To the Canon of the Old Testament. a. Internal. Deut. xxxi. 9, "And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel." See also Deut. xxxi. 24-27; xvii. 18. Josh. xxiv. 26. 1 Sam. x. 25. 2 Kings xxii. 8. 2 Chron. xvii. 9. Neh. viii. 1-8; ix. 1-3; Isa. xxxiv. 16. Dan. ix. 2. 4 Canonical, i.e. belonging to the Canon. Kavov signifies a straight rod : deriv. a rule of conduct. Gal. vi. 16. Phil. iii. 16. In ecclesiastical language it means that collection of inspired writings to which the Church appeals as the great and only standard of religious truth and duty. The words "in the Church" are to be understood of the Holy Catholic, or universal Church. b. External. a. Our SAVIOUR. Luke xxiv. 44, "And He (JESUS) iii. 14. 3. Human Testimony. 6 Rom. i. 2; iii. 2; ix. 4, 5. 2 Cor. 2 Tim. iii. 15. a. The constant tradition of the Jews, that Ezra and the Great Synagogue completed the Canon of the Old Testament, and that it has remained in an unaltered condition to the present time. It is preserved in the Pirke Aboth, one of the oldest books of the Talmud. Philo quotes most of the books, De Vit. Contemplat. tom. II. p. 275, ed. Mangey. Horneman Observat. ex Philon. Josephus, Against Appion, book 1. c. viii. "We have not thousands of books discordant and contradicting each other, but we have only twenty-two, which comprehend the history of all former ages, and are justly regarded as divine. Five of them proceed from Moses; they include as well the laws, as the account of the creation of man, extending to the time of his (Moses') death. This period comprehends nearly three thousand years. From the death of Moses to that of Artaxerxes, the prophets 6 See Buxtorf's Tiberias, lib. I. cc. x. xi. 7 Hence we learn that the Jews were accustomed to arrange the books of the Hebrew Canon in three classes: first, the Law, which contained the five books of Moses; secondly, the Prophets; and thirdly, the Hagiographa or Psalms: these two classes contained seventeen books. Further, if we compare Jerome's list (given in his Prolog. Galeat.) with this account supplied by Josephus, "we shall find, first, that they agree in having three classes; secondly, in making the whole number of books amount to twenty-two; thirdly, in describing the books of the first class as amounting to five; fourthly, in describing the books of the third and fourth classes as amounting to seventeen." They did not reckon the books contained in these classes alike. Josephus put four books only into the third class, and thirteen into the second; whereas Jerome put nine books into the second, and eight into the third. See also the Prologue to the Book of Ecclesiasticus. The same division appears in the New Testament (Luke xxiv. 44), in Philo, and in the Talmud. See Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. vI. c. xxv. who succeeded Moses, committed to writing, in thirteen books, what was done in their days. The remaining four books contain hymns to GOD, and instructions of life for man." The Apocrypha: see 1 Macc. iv. 46; ix. 27; xiv. 41. Athanasius, Opp. tom. II. pp. 126. Melito, bishop of c. Councils. At Laodicea, A. D. 365. Hippo, A.D. 393. 3 Carthage, A.D. 397, Can. 47. 4 Carthage, A.D. 419. d. Versions. Targums. Septuagint. Vetus Itala. B. To the Canon of the New Testament. a. Divine Testimony. Internal Evidence. To the Canon of the Gospels. 1 Tim. v. 18, "The labourer is worthy of his reward." Comp. Luke x. 7, James ii. 8, with Matt. xxii. 39. To that of the Pauline Epistles and the other Scriptures. 2 Pet. iii. 16. b. Human Testimony. a. Catalogues. Those which include the books which we receive and count for Canonical. Athanasius, A. D. 315. Epiphanius, A.D. 370. Rufinus, A. D. 390. Jerome, A.D. 392, tom. IV. part ii. col. 568, Augustine, A.D. 394. Council of Laodicea, A.D. 361, Can. 59. 3 Council of Carthage, A. D. 397, Can. 47. Those which do not include all the books which we receive and count for Canonical. Cyril of Jerusalem, A. D. 340 Council of Laodicea, Canon 60 Gregory Nazianzenus, a. D. 375 } omit the Revelation. Philaster, A.D. 380, omits the Epistle to the |