Owen - BS2775 O8 1668

. Canonical Authority of.the thubim, or Hagiographa,which are with them of leafs efleem. But we have"artlore fire rule,both overthrowing that feigned diffinaion, andpettedly equalizing all parts ofdivine Scriptureas to theirjringand original,S.Petercalls the whole efóyee ,euemil aav, 2 Pet..i.19. the word ofProphefie; and rueyenra+ar, v.20. Prophefie, and therefore it be longs not unto any peculiar part of it, to be given out' by Prophefie; which is an affiiiion ofthe whole. And 5`. Paul alfo, terms the whole Scripture yparir apoonia' Rom. 16. 26. prophetical Scriptures, or writings of the Prophets. And when he demanded ofAgrippa whether he believed the Scriptures , he Both it in the fame manner , OnçA+'. ç Toit trearinue Aels 28, 23. believeff thou theprophets? that is, the Seri-, ptures, written by the fpirit of Prophefie, or by the infpiration zx à°gois avdparyp Xeisn I Pet. I. I2. of the Jpirit of Chrift that was in them. God '. of old fpake, ev z3tr aeyynaraas Heb.. I. r. in his Revelation oflimfelf unto them and in them; and equally fake die slua1Ñ} âyf áytdv a%l eke drwrf} xf,exoT1 Lure I.70. unto them, by the mouth of his holy Prophets from the beginning. And thus, not this; or that.part, but xaoa new) 9e6xeds& z um. 3. 16. all Scripture was given by infpiration. And herein all the parts, or books of it are abfolutely squall. And in the givingout of the whole, tizro and p a113} iy(x i áAgaar ór Vol 9eá -Veraraot 2 Pet. J. 21. holy men of Godfpake as they were moved by the holy Gholt. So that whatever durent means God. at any time might make ufe of in the communication of his mind and will unto any of the Prophets or penmen of the Scripture , it was this.9aefedsia, and being ailed, by the holy Ghoff, both, as to Things and Words, that rendred them infalli, bleRevealersof him unto the Church. And thus the foundation of the Canonical authorityof thebooks of the Scripture, is abfolutely the fame in and unto them all, without the leali variety, either from any differencein kindof degree. ,, 9. The fame is their condition as to their being Canonical s..they are all fo equaL.y. Some ofthe Ancients nfed that term ambiguonfy, and therefore fometimes callbooks Canonical that abfolutely are not fo, as not being written bydivine infpiration, nor given by the 'Holy Gholl to be any part ofthe Ruleof the Churches faithand obedi, tonsil, Col- once. Thus.theConffantinopolitan Council in Trula confirms the Canons both of the. ,fa. iarrol. ,Synod of Laodicea, and the third of Carthage , which agree not in the Catalogues GM. Z. they give us of books Canonical, which without afuppofitionof theambiguityofthe word, could not be done, unlefs they would give an affent 'unto a plain and open tonsil, ca;tha. contradiction. And theCouncil ofCarthage makes evident its fenfe in their Appendix. 3 rap.47 Cad. annexed to the one and fortieth Canon, wherein they reckonup the books of the (xs. 50. holy Scripture. Hoc etiam ( fay they) fratri err. confacerdoti noffra Bonifacio, vet aliú. eárumpartium Epifcopie, pro confirmando iffo Canone, immtefat, gnia a,patribus iJta accepi- mss legenda ; liceat etiam legipaffiones Martyrum Glum Aniverfarii diet celebramur. They fpeak dúbioully concerning their own determination,, and intimate that they called" thebooks they. enumerated Canonical, only as they.might be read in the Church.;. which priviledge they grant an: to the f'ories of the fufferings of theMartyr(which. Epiphan.I7ar. yet"none thought to be properly canonical. The fame, Epiphanies teitifies: of the, 3 °cat?s Epifiles of Clemens. But as the books which that Synodadded to the Canon of Laodicea,. Enfe6.itó. 4 are tee ` j" feed by Helïto, Origen, Athanafrus, . Hilarius, Gregorian. Nazianen, Cyridur tíb.6, cap,aq. Hierofölimitanus, Epipbanias, Rulinur,.Hlerome, ,Gregorius magnus, and others ; fo. their Athanol. in reading and Citation is generally declared by them to. have been only for direction: fYnerf of manners, and not for the confirmationof the faith; even as S'. Paul cited an Iambick Ital'fra raat' out of Menander, or rather Euripides a Cor. I an hems ichium out of }Paws,: ix Pfal. P 5.33 f NoKian, in 411J 17.28. and a wholeHexameter out ofEpimenides, Tit. 1. 12. ninfuns canonici fed cumin, leguntur Catechumens (faith Atbanafus) Yhey are not Canonical, but are only read to Byrd. Gareth. the Catechumen : And Hierome, the Church reads them ad udificationem pkbis; non ad 4p' iphan.Ho.8. Authoritatem Ecclefiajlicarum dogmatum confnxnandam ; for the edification of the peo-. Ralf. Expojk, plc, but not for theconfirmation of any points of faith. But although fome books. . fym6. truly Canonical were of old amongft fome iv d,uytasx71 .as Epiphanius fpeaks, doubted Ricrac prat. of; and fome were commonly read, that are . certainly hnrlapvpa and rejifiitimes, yet' Gateau. ad neither -the mifiake of the harmer, nor later ractice can. give any countenance Paulin.' pre( to. an Apprehenlion of a fécond, or various fort of books properly canonical. For the . inti6, wont. interell of any book or writing in the. canon of the Scripture accrewingunto it, as hath Afipba4.11a.8, been (hewed, meetly from its ;divine infpiration, and giving by the Holy .Ghofl for a Eule. measure, andftandard of faith and obedience .unto the Church, whatever advan- tage or, worth to commend it anywriting may have; Yet if it have not the pro- perties mentioned of Divine infpirationandConfirmation, ir'differs in thewhole kind and

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