nium; which, as it then hung but by a very flender Thread, was falling to the Ground. There is no room to doubt but that the vexation to fee his Party leffen, which indeed loft ground every Day, extorted thofe words from him. The Fathers have a manner of speaking that is wholly peculiar to them; for whenever they applaud, they are fure to make an Angel of a Man; but if they cenfure, they paint him like a Devil. St. Ignatius calls thofe Men Murtherers of Chrift Jefus, who us'd to faft on Sundays and Saturdays; but thefe words ought to be interpreted in the fofteft Senfe. S. Fulgentius declares all thofe to be Enemies of the Chriftian Faith, who fhall not damn all fuch Children as die unbaptiz'd; not but there were many in thofe Days, who had fo much Charity as to fave them. St. Jerom gives the name of impurity and debauchery to Marriage; notwithstanding which, I believe People us'd to marry. Pope Stephen calls St. Cyprian Antichrift, false Apostle, and fraudulent Workman; who neverthelefs had half the Church on his fide. And St. Cyprian himself calls all those incredulous, who doubted the Divinity of his Dreams and Visions. Can we after this wonder that Severus fhould cenfure thofe as foolish and impious, who doubted of the Revelations? But whether they were foolish and impious, 'tis certain they were more numerous than their Antagonists, from Severus's own Confeffion, fince he says, that the greater part rejected the Revelations, which is both foolish and impious.

However, the Revelations had foon a very ftrong Party in the Weft, particularly after that the third Council of Carthage held An. 397,

See Canon 47.

*had

inferted

inferted them in the Catalogue of the Books of Scripture. And when Severus informs us that the greater part rejected them, he hints particularly at the Greeks and thofe of the Eaft, who adher❜d to the Council of Laodicea held about 110 Years before. We already find Councils clashing with one another, with respect to the Revelations; the Council of Laodicea which had rejected them, and that of Carthage which now receives it: But as the Council of Laodicea, the first that debated upon it, had confin'd the Canon of the Scriptures within too narrow Bounds, the Council of Carthage, on the contrary, extended them still farther; and not only excluded the Revelations from among them, but alfo Ecclefiafticus, the Books of Wisdom, Tobit, Judith, and the two Books of the Macchabees.

The Fathers who compos'd this Council, have not thought proper to let us into the Reafons of their proceeding in this manner. What at once prompted thofe of Laodicea not to make any mention of the Revelations, was their not finding the leaft footsteps of that Book, either by Tradition, or in the Archives either of Ephefus, or of thofe Churches, among which was that of Laodicea; in like manner as the Motive for their rejecting Ecclefiafticus, the Book of Wisdom, Tobit, Judith, and the Macchabees, was, because they did not find it inferted in the Catalogue of the Jews. Where we have no certainty of a Book's being genuine, we may justly fufpend our belief that it is fo; but before we can receive any Piece as dictated by the Spirit of God, we ought to have the ftrongest Reafon to induce us to receive it as fuch; and if the Council of Carthage does not condefcend to give any, it must be confider'd, that thofe Affemblies are

like Sovereigns, who don't think themfelves bound to give the Reasons of their Conduct.

But as St. Auftin, who was then had in the highest Veneration, was the Soul, as it were, of the African Councils, into which he infinuated his Notions; it will be no difficult matter to fee thro' the Reasons, why the Council of Carthage confulted this Father, who himself was prefent in it. He did not understand the Hebrew Tongue, which was the very Reason why he had the Canon of the Jews in fuch Contempt. According to him the Authority of the Books of Scripture depended not only on the Number, but alfo on the Grandeur and Majefty of fuch Christan Churches as had receiv'd them; * and by these Characteristicks, which vary according to the point of fight in which they are confider'd, this Father us'd to pronounce a Book Canonical or Spurious. He fays indeed, that a Man muft examine whether the Apoftolical Churches which receiv'd fuch Books from the Hands of the Apoftles, thought them fo; but to speak the Truth, as he understood Greek as little as he did Hebrew, he hardly ever regarded whether any Piece had been handed down to Pofterity by the Jews or the Greeks; and whenever the leaft difpute arofe upon this Head, he generally declar'd in favour of the Latin Churches, which, in return, paid him all the Honour that was due to his Merit. 'Tis thus that he looks upon Tobit, Judith, the Book of Wisdom, Ecclefiafticus, the Macchabees, and the Revelations as Canonical, all which Books had before been receiv'd by the Latins, tho' he was very fenfible they had been rejected by the Greeks. The Father in queftion, with

*

Auguft. de Doftri. Chrift. Lib. II. C. viii.

out

out taking any notice of Antiquity, receives the Book of Wisdom; and for this Reafon, as he tells us, viz. that it had been read by Christians, and heard in the Churches, during feveral Years, with all the regard and veneration due to a Canonical Book. He lays no ftrefs on the Jews having rejected the Books of the Macchabees, but thinks 'tis fufficient for his purpose, that they were receiv'd by the Western Church, becaufe of the glorious Sufferings of its Martyrs. Several Martyrs have fuffer'd for the Truth; whence it follows that their Hiftories must be receiv'd as Canonical. 'Twas thus St. Aufin argued, or made the Church argue. His Principles were fupported by Practice; he us❜d to read the Acts of the Martyrs in the Pulpit; 'twas his Cuftom to draw up a kind of inventory of the Miracles which were wrought by their Relicks, and read them in publick even on Sundays. Imprimis, a Prieft cur'd of the Gravel, and afterwards rais'd from the dead by one of his Shirts which were carried to the Martyr's Shrine: Item, two Perfons afflicted with the Gout, one of whom was compleatly cur'd, and the other very much eas'd whenever his Pain return'd: Item, a moft incredulous Wretch converted by Flowers being laid under his Bolfter, which had been taken from off the Altar. Sometimes the Martyr had appear'd to a Woman purely for the fake of adminiftring confolation to her; and at other times he had refus'd to grant the request which was made to him, and fo on. I am delighted to fee thofe great Genii, who foar fo far above the Sphere of our Understanding, defcend to grovel with the vulgar, and fometimes ar gue as poorly as they do. By what Method did the Chriftians know better than the Jews which

were the true Books of the Old Teftament? And fince we are here only upon the New Testament, whence came it to pass that the Latins were better Judges than the Greeks, with regard to the Books whereof the Churches of the Eaft were the Depofitaries, and which it was impoffible for the Latins themfelves to receive by any other Canal than the Greeks?

This method of referring to our nearest Neighbours, is a proof that they liv'd in very good harmony with St. Auftin: However, if this Method fuited him beft, we cannot say it was the fafeft, fince he ran the hazard of making his Court at the expence of Truth. Did he fearch out the Number, the Grandeur, and Majesty of the Churches, in order to fix and determine himfelf? All this was found no lefs in the Greek Churches than in those of the Latins. "Tis true indeed, that the Latins had him in great Veneration, and were very fond of his Opinion with regard to operating Grace; but as for the Greeks, they had no notion of it, and our Friends generally make the most confiderable Body. However, St. Auftin was incapable of falling into this Snare which felf-love laid for him; and tho' he was not for fufficient Grace, which the Greeks were very fond of, he was fufficiently buoy'd up with his own Merit, fo that he ftood in no need of the applaufe of the Latins. Had he then examined whether the Churches, which have receiv'd fuch and fuch Books from the hand of the Apoftles, look'd upon them as Canonical: This was allowing the Greeks to be in the right. If the Revelations were certainly written by St. John, they must certainly have had their birth among them; they were the proper Judges in this Affair, and St. Auftin was oblig'd to rely upon their

decifion,