which Christ and his Apostles appeale and confirme their do∣ctrine
by it, that is Canonicall and of equall authority with
the new Testament. But the holy Scripture of the old Testa∣ment
is divinely inspired, 2 Tim. 3. 16. where he speakes even
of the Bookes of the old Testament, as is gathered both from
the universall all writing, viz. holy, in the 15 verse; and from
the circumstance of time, because in the time of Timothies in∣fancy
little or nothing of the new Testament was published.
2. Christ speakes not to the Scribes and Pharisees, but to the
people in generall, to search it John 5. 39. this famous elo∣gium
being added, that it gives testimony of him, and that we
may finde eternall life in it. 3. Christ and his Apostles ap∣peale
to it, and confirme their doctrine by it, Luke 24. 27. Rom.
3. 21. Acts 10. 43. & 17. 11. & 20 43▪ & 26. 20. the new Te∣stament
gives testimony of the old, and Peter, 2 Pet. 1. 19. of
Pauls Epistles.
The Ecclesiasticall Canon (which is also called the second
Canon) followeth, to which these Bookes belong, Tobit, Ju∣dith,
first and second of the Machabees, Wisdome, Ecclesiasticus,
Baruch, Additions to Daniel and Hester; for these neither
containe truth perfectly in themselves; nor are sanctified by
God in the Church, that they may be a Canon of faith; and
although abusively from custome they were called Canoni∣call,
yet properly in the Church they are distinguished from
the Canonicall by the name of Apocryphall.
The false Canon is that which after the authority of the
Apocrypha increased, was constituted by humane opinion; for
the Papists as well as we reject for Apocryphall the third and
fourth Booke of Esdras, the prayer of Manasses, the third and
fourth of Machabees, as Thomas Aquinas, Sixtus Senensis, Bel∣larmine,
and so the Councell of Trent confesse, when they omit
these and reckon up the whole Canon.
The state therefore of the controversie betwixt us and the
Papists is, whether those seven whole bookes with the Appen∣dices,
be Sacred, Divine, Canonicall. We doe not deny but