tantum: solum autem Verbum Divinum præcipuam et principalem illam normam esse, &c.-Et passim.]

AD COROLLARIUM POST NUM. ULT.

Vinc. Lirinen.-Commonitor. cap. ii. et antepenult. [ap. Galland. Biblioth. tom. x. pp. 103, 115.]

(Qui) in Fide sanus atque integer permanere vult, duplici modo munire fidem suam, Domino adjuvante, debet: [primum, scilicet,] Divinæ Legis auctoritate, tum deinde Eccl. Catholicæ traditione: [Cap. ii. p. 103.] non, quia canon (Scripturæ) solus non sibi ad universa sufficiat, sed quia, verba Divina pro suo plerique arbitratu interpretantes, varias opiniones erroresque concipiant. [Cap. xxix. p. 115.]

Ph. Melancthon, Resp. ad Clerum Colon.

Regulam doctrinæ sequimur certam: Scripta Prophetarum et Apostolorum: Symbola, Apostolicum, Nicænum, et S. Athanasii: Sententias Synodorum veterum quæ probantur, Nicænæ, Byzantinæ, Ephesinæ, Chalcedonensis; et similia purioris Ecclesiæ vetusta testimonia. Nec dubitamus hoc genus doctrinæ, quod profitentur Ecclesiæ nostræ, vere esse consensum Ecclesiæ Catholicæ. [Melancth. Op. (ed. Witebergæ, 1601.) tom. ii. p. 96.-Vid. etiam, p. 113.-Hanc esse communem doctrinam Ecclesiarum nostrarum scio; nec dubito hoc totum doctrinæ genus, quod sonat in Ecclesiis nostris, vere esse consensum Ecclesiæ Catholicæ Dei, inde usque ab initio.]

Ecclesiæ nostræ habent evidens et firmum testimonium primæ Ecclesiæ, quod non dubito omnium posteriorum judiciis opponere, qui veterem doctrinam, veteresque ritus, multis erroribus contaminarunt. [These words have not been found; but see p. 101, where the following words occur: Respondemus, nos fideliter (ut supra dictum est) tueri consensum Catholicæ Ecclesiæ Christi; et adfirmamus nos de Symbolis non dissentire a probatis scriptoribus veteribus; congruere etiam ætatem illam nobiscum existimamus

.....

in cæteris nostris sententiis, si dextre de ea judicetur. Etsi enim ipsi scriptores sæpe negligentius loquuntur, et quædam privata exempla reperiri possunt, quæ nostris ritibus adversantur, tamen mos Ecclesiæ publicus fere convenit nobiscum. Paulatim etiam hæ superstitiones irrepserunt.-See, also, Apolog. Protest. tom. ii. p. 782.-Sentimus etiam hanc ipsam doctrinam, quæ in Ecclesiis nostris proponitur, vere esse sententiam scriptorum Propheticorum et Apostolicorum, de qua Symbolorum et probatorum scriptorum testimonia extant.]

Mart. Chemnit., i. parte Exam. Conc. Trid., de Traditionib., [pp. 64, 67,71; ed. Francof. 1596.]

[§ Tertium genus.] Simplex veritas, firmiter fundata, et sibi bene conscia, nec reformidat nec subterfugit vera antiquitatis testimonia.

[§ Quartum genus.] Nullum est dubium, primitivam Ecclesiam accepisse ab Apostolis, et viris Apostolicis, non tantum Textum, [sic] ut loquimur, Scripturæ, verum etiam legitimam et nativam ejus interpretationem.

[§ Sextum genus.] Fatemur nos ab illis dissentire, qui fingunt opiniones, quæ nulla habent testimonia ullius temporis in Ecclesia. . . . . Sentimus etiam nullum dogma in Ecclesia novum, et cum tota antiquitate pugnans, recipiendum.

A TABLE, AND A SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTERS.

CHAPTER I.

THE PREFACE.

Page 3.

II. Five proper

I. THE books of Scripture, why called canonical. characters belonging to them. III. Their division into the Old and New Testament. IV. No Prophet after Malachi in the one. V. No writer after S. John in the other. VI. These two Testaments delivered to the Church. VII. By whose public voice in all ages the number and the names of all particular books contained in them are to be known. VIII. But their essential or intrinsical authority they have from God alone. IX. All Churches at accord for the books of the New Testament. X. Not so, since the late canon made by a few men at the Council of Trent, for those of the Old Testament, whereunto they have added six entire books, besides some other pieces. XI., XII., XIII. Which additions the Catholic Church never acknowledged to be truly canonical. XIV. The state of the question, what it is, and what it is not. XV., XVI. The order to be observed, in the chapters following, for the justifying of that ancient Canon of Scripture, which by the Church of England, and by all other Reformed and Christian Churches abroad (except the Roman only) is now received.

CHAPTER II.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE ANCIENT JUDAICAL CHURCH.

Page 12.

XVII. The Oracles of God delivered in the time of the Old Testament only to the Jews. XVIII., XIX., XX., XXI. Which, being revised by Ezra after the Captivity of Babylon, they divided into three several classes, and two and twenty books, in number equal to the letters of their alphabet. XXII. The same books, without addition or imminution, were preserved unto the time of our Saviour, and by Him delivered over to the Christians. XXIII. Genebrard's dreaming Videtur about a second

and a third canon of Scripture. XXIV. The testimony of Josephus and Philo. XXV., XXVI., XXVII. The objections of Cardinal Perron refuted. XXVIII. The Jesuit Gretser's vertigo. XXIX. An answer to Genebrard, and others.

CHAPTER III.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN AND APOSTOLICAL

CHURCH.

Page 22.

XXX. The characters of the books belonging to the Old Testament, given us in the New. XXXI. The testimony of CHRIST Himself. XXXII. And of His Apostles. XXXIII., XXXIV. No apocryphal book alleged or confirmed by them. XXXV. The objections examined and answered. XXXVI. Of the book of Wisdom. XXXVII. Of Ecclesiasticus. XXXVIII. Of Judith. XXXIX. Of Tobit, and Baruch, the Prayer of Manasses, and the books of Esdras. XL. Of the Maccabees. XLI. Of other apocryphal books.

CHAPTER IV.

THE TESTIMONIES OF THE FATHERS, OR ECCLESIASTICAL WRITERS, NEXT AFTER THE APOSTLES, IN THE SECOND CENTURY.

Page 31.

XLII. The Canon of Scripture determined.

XLIII. Never altered,

but by a few men in the late Council at Trent. XLIV. The testimony of Clemens Romanus, and the Apostolical Constitutions. XLV. The Apostles' Canons. XLVI. Dionysius the Areopagite. XLVII. Melito. XLVIII. and Justin Martyr,

CHAPTER V.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE ANCIENT ECCLESIASTICAL WRITERS IN THE THIRD CENTURY.

Page 37.

XLIX. Origen. L. Julius Africanus. LI. Tertullian. LII. Clemens

of Alexandria, and S. Cyprian.

CHAPTER VI.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE ANCIENT FATHERS IN THE

FOURTH CENTURY.

Page 46.

LIII. Eusebius. LIV. The First Council of Nice. LV., LVI. S. Athanasius. LVII. S. Hilary. LVIII. S. Cyril of Jerusalem. LIX. The Council of Laodicea. LX. Whereof the last canon is explained.

LXI. And the objections against it answered. Of Baruch, and the Epistle of Jeremy. LXII. Of the Apocalypse. LXIII. The Roman Code defective. The Code of the Universal Church anciently in use. LXIV. The testimonies of Epiphanius. Objections answered. All books, that be otherwhiles termed divine writings, are not canonical Scripture. LXV. The Testimony of S. Basil. The objections, either not. brought out of his true writings, or nothing to the purpose. LXVI. The testimony of S. Greg. Nazianzen. Cardinal Perron noted. LXVII. The testimony of S. Amphilochius. The most true and certain canon of Divine Scripture. Gretser the Jesuit, the Roman Expurgatory Index, and Gentian Hervet, noted. LXVIII. The testimony of Philastrius. LXIX. Of S. Chrysostom. LXX. S. Hierome's high estimation in the Church. His Prologues prefixed, and placed in the front of all the vulgar Latin Bibles. LXXI. Thirteen several and clear testimonies produced out of him. LXXII. Six exceptions against him. LXXIII. All invalid. LXXIV. The commendation of Ruffinus, and his testimony agreeing with all the Fathers of the Church before him. LXXV. Five exceptions against him. LXXVI. Answered and cleared. LXXVII. The citing of the controverted books by the Fathers, under the name of divine and prophetical writings, no good argument to prove them canonical and infallible Scripture. Some sentences of S. Augustine, and the Pope's decretals, called divine and holy scriptures. Why the apocryphal books are bound up with our Bibles, and read in our Churches. LXXVIII. No one Father during the first four centuries to be brought against us. The state of the question, concerning the testimonies of the Fathers.

CHAPTER VII.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE FATHERS IN THE FIFTH CENTURY.

Page 124.

LXXIX. The common Latin Bible, which the Church of Africa used in S. Augustine's time. LXXX. Eight testimonies produced out of his works, for our true Canon of Scripture. The first edition of the Septuagint translation had none of the controverted books in it. The Hellenist Jews at Babylon and Alexandria. The Roman Septuagint set forth by