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Hebrews was rejected by the Latine; Church because the Authour was un∣known, and because of some passages especially seeming to favour the Nova∣tian herefie. I answer.
1. It is not the name of an authour which gives credit to his Writings, but that character of his person which is drawn from his abilities and integrity.
Now these were never doubted of in that Authour.
2. Those passages are very well to be understood otherwise, then in favour of the Novatians.
3. It was ever received in the Greek Church, and recited amongst the Cano∣nicall Books by the Councels of Nice, Laodicea, and Carthage.
4. If we are to beleeve, the Western Church had grounds to doubt of the credit of it, at such time as it did not admit it, we may as well beleeve, that that Church had reasons which satisfi∣ed them of the authority of it, at such time as they did receive it.
The Epistles of Saint James, 2d of St Peter, the second and third of St John, Jude, Revelations, have all of them been doubted of, for some time; by some par∣ties whether or no they were indeed written by those authours, under whose names they are now received: but though they were some time doubted by some, they were alwaies received by o∣thers; and those Churches which did refuse them, so long as they were unsa∣tisfied, are to be supposed to have been
satisfied when they did receive them; and so we ought to give as great, if not grea∣ter cedit to them, then to such others as had not been questioned; inasmuch as that which hath been deliberated, and debated, and then decided, is to be cre∣dited, as well as that which silently hath passed on unquestioned.
And now I have with brevity (as I suppose) congruous to such an Essay as I intended, made evident the last as∣sertion which I undertook, That to dis∣beleeve, either the whole body of Scri∣pture, or any part of it, there is no rea∣son; or not any sufficient reason.