The Protestant's companion, or, An impartial survey and comparison of the Protestant religion as by law established, with the main doctrines of popery wherein is shewn that popery is contrary to scripture, primitive fathers and councils ... / by a true son of the Protestant Church of England as established by law.

SECT. II.

WE receive no other Books of Scripture for13 1.1 Canonical (in the Church of England) than14 1.2 such as of whose authority there was never any doubt in the Church.

The Church of Rome doth make the Books commonly call'd Apocrypha of equal authority with those of the Old and New Testament; which neither the15 1.3 Iews, (to16 1.4 whom were com∣mitted the Oracles of God) nor the Primitive Church, nor17 1.5 any General Council, nor any Doctor in the Ages succeeding, till about 120 years ago, in the Council of Trent, nor the18 1.6 Greek Church to this day, did ever receive as Ca∣nonical.

Apocrypha receiv'd as Canonical by the Papists, is Contrary to the Fathers,

Melito apud Euseb. Histor. Eccles. l. 4. c. 25. & Graec. 26. Origen in Psal. 1. Athanasius Epist. 39. in 2 Tom. Oper. & Synops. Sacr. Scriptur. Hilarius in Prol. Explanat. in Psalmos. Cyril Hierosol. in Catech. 4. de Sacrâ Scripturâ. Concil. Laodic. Ca∣non. 59. Epiphanius Haeres. 8. contr. Epicur. & Haeres. 76. contra Anomaeos & lib. de mens. & pond.

Basil. in Philocal. c. 3. Gregor. Nazianzen de veris & genuinis libris S. Scripturae divinitus inspiratae in li∣bro Carminum 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Amphilochius in Epist. ad Se∣leucum inter Canonicas Epistolas à Balsamone not at. p. 1082. Gr. Lat. Hieronymus in Prol. Galeato, sive Praefat. in lib. Regum. Ruffinus in Symbol. Apostol. Sect. 35, 36. Iunilius Africanus de part. divinae le∣gis l. 1. c. 3. Tom. 6. Bibl. patr. part. 2. Colon. 1618. Gregorius Magnus Moral. l. 19. c. 17. & Occam. (who liv'd above 700 after Gregory, viz. about Anno Dom. 1320) explains Gregory's Judgment, that Iudith, Tobias, the Maccabees, Ecclesiasticus, and the Book of Wisdom are not to be receiv'd for the confirmation of Faith, Dial. part. 3. Tract. 1. l. 3. c. 16.

Confessed By Cardinal Cajetan, who liv'd but Eleven years before the Council of Trent, That the Apocryphal Books are not Canonical, in libro Esther sub finem—Et in hoc loco terminamus, &c. And afterwards, Nam ad Hieronymi limam (scil. in Prol. Galeato, where he owns no Books for Canonical, but such as ws receive in that sense) reducenda sunt tam verba Conciliorum quàm Doctorum.

Confessed by 19 1.7 Catharine (who was in the Council of Trent) and by 20 1.8 Stapleton, who liv'd after Catharine, That the Apostles never re∣ceived nor confirmed the Apocrypha. And this will quite ruine their Cause, when we have produced 21 1.9 Bellarmin confessing, That the Church hath

no power to make a Book Canonical, which was not so before.

Consult the Learned Bishop Cosin's Scholasti∣cal History of the Scripture-Canon, upon this Subject.

Notes

• 13 1.1

  Artic. 6.
• 14 1.2

  Concil. Trident. S••ss 4.
• 15 1.3

  Witness the two Lear∣ned Iews, Philo Iudaeus (apud Euseb. de Praeparat. Evangel. l. 8.) and Iosephus; (apud Euseb. Histor. Eccles. l. 3. c. 9. alias 10.) and this is fully confessed by Bellarmine de Verbo Dei, l. 1. c. 10.
• 16 1.4

  Rom. 3. 2.
• 17 1.5

  As for the third pretended Council of Carthage; alledged by some Papists. S. Au∣stin, who was one of the chief therein, votes in this point for the Doctrine of our Church, de Civitate Dei, l. 17. c. ult. & alibi. And though they pretend that the Book of Baruch (held by us as Apocryphal) was declared Canonical in the Council of Flo∣rence; yet did Driedo afterwards deny it to be so, De Dogm. Eccles. l. 1. c. 4. which nei∣ther would have done if the Church Catholick had declared the Apocrypha Canonical.
• 18 1.6

  Rycaut's Present State of the Greek Church, pag. 372.
• 19 1.7

  Catharin. Op••sc. de Script. Canonicis. Quod autem Apostoli, &c.
• 20 1.8

  Stapleton de autoritat. S. Script. l. 2. c. 4. § 14.—Sa∣pientiam Eccle∣siasticum, &c.
• 21 1.9

  Bellarmin de Verbo Dei, c. 10. Itaque fatemur Ecclesiam nullo modo posse 〈…〉〈…〉 non Canonico, nec contra.