evident, that they were truly written by Clement, in the days of the apoftles; who in all copies and verfions attefts them in the 85th canon. See Effay on the Old Testament, Appendix. Number II. page 116138. That their Contents are all along as fully attefted to, as are the Contents of the other books of the New Teftament, by Clement, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Irenæus Origen, &c. See the third Volume of Primitive Christianity Reviv'd; with St. Clement's, and St. Irenæus's Vindication of them. That Irenæus, in his noble fragment, lately recovered by Pfaffius, quotes them as a Book or written Record; tho' as not then commonly known, or read by chriftians. See the last mentioned paper, page 19-26. 26. That Origen alfo at laft faw them and ufed them as the most facred concealed record of christianity; and that the author of the Synopfis facræ Scripture, contemporary with Origen, as I fuppofe, knew of these Clementines, as apocryphal or concealed, but in part infpired books of the New Teftament. Of both which laft, fee the Collection of Authentick Records, page 695, and 703-707. That when the churches of Ethiopia were fettled in the days of Athanafius, they were then eight books, as they are now, and in the fame order as they are now. See Primitive Christianity Reviv'd, vol. III. page 520-564. That when Didymus, or whoever was the author of the counterfeit works of Dionyfius the Areopagite, wrote his books, they were then a book also, as they now are; but ftill a book concealed with the bishops, and only epitomiz'd for the use of the people. See the fame volume, page 564-580. That when the difpute happened between the church and the Audians, in the days of Epiphanius, they were a book, frequently acknowledged by both parties, to be really apoftolical, and in those parts feem to have been a publick book alfo. See

the

the fame volume, page 585-604. That yet it was 150 years or more after that time, before it became a publick book in other parts of the chri ftian world; or was freely cited as fuch by any writers now extant: all which appears by the evidence refer'd to. So that the main queftion with me is plainly this; not whether these conftitutions be really genuine, canonical, and apoftolical, which seems to me perfectly undeniable; but how it has come to pafs that fuch important records, for certain genuine, canonical, and apoftolical, fhould be transmitted down, not as a publick record, but rather as private or concealed books of the New Teftament. Of which true ftate of this matter, fee what I have faid in St. Clement's and St. Irenæus's Vindication of thefe Conftitutions, page 43-48. and chiefly in the Collection of Authentick Records, page 88—92.

N. B. It may not be improper to give an account here of a converfation I had with bifhop Burnet, foon after the publication of my four volumes, concerning the third of thofe volumes; wherein I afferted and proved thefe conftitutions to be really genuine and apoftolical; Mr. Benjamin Hoadley (now bishop) had informed me, that the bishop was furprized, that one of my fagacity fhould believe fo whereupon I waited on the bifhop, and defired to know his reasons against them: his lordship replied, that he had fome reafons against them, but did not now remember them. However, he foon recollected one of those reasons, viz. the drynefs and dulness of the prayers. To which I anfwered, that his lordship greatly furprized me by faying fo: fince I thought all that perused them allowed they were among the best prayers now in the world. The bishop faid farther, in excufe for his prefent unacquaintedness with fuch matters of antiquity, (which Mr. Hoadley had hinted to me already,)

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already,) that 'twas thirty years ago fince he read over the three firft centuries; which well agrees with his notes, which I have by me, on the first and fecond canons of the apoftles, printed A. D. 1673; and with his fon's account of his life; where he informs us, that for four years and a half at Glasgow, from 1669, to 1673, he, every other Thursday, "Explained fome portion of the "ritual and conftitution of the primitive church; "making the apoftolical canons his text, and reducing every article of practice under the "head of one of those canons."

..

N. B. As a Poftfcript to my Account of the Convocation's Proceedings, I made this year, 1711, A Reply to the Confiderations on my Hiftorical Preface, written by Dr. Knight, of St. Sepulchre's, a learned and pious man. And to the Premonition to the reader, thereto prefixed, written by the not less pious, but much more learned and judicious Dr. Lee, 8vo, price of the whole pamphlet 1 s.

The fame year, 1711, a little before the publication of my four volumes, I printed an half sheet, intitled, Animadverfions on the New Arian Reprov'd, which had been published by Dr. Smallbroke; it is to be found among my collection of small tracks, belonging to my five volumes.

Before this year, 1711, was out, I published my principal work, Primitive Chriftianity Reviv'd, in four volumes 8vo.

Vol. I. Containing The epiftles of Ignatius, both larger and fmaller, in Greek and English.

Vol. II. The apoftolical conftitutions, in Greek and English.

Vol. III. An effay on thofe apoftolical conftitutions, to prove them genuine.

Vol. IV. An account of the primitive faith, concerning the Trinity and Incarnation. Price 1 l. 8s.

Vol. I.

Vol. I. The Epiftles of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, both larger and smaller, in Greek and Englib: With the various Readings from all the MSS. [divided now into verses.]

To which is prefixed, An Historical Preface, including the accounts of the university, and convocation's proceedings with relation to the author. With a Supplement and Poftfcript. As also, A Preliminary Differtation, proving, that the larger copies of Ignatius's epiftles are alone genuine and the fmaller only heretical extracts from them, made in the fourth century. To which preface is prefixed the apologetick of Eunomius intire, in English.

N. B. The name of each epistle is to be added at the top of each page hereafter.

Vol. II. The Conftitutions of the Holy Apoftles, by Clement, in Greek and English: with the various readings from all the MSS. [divided now into verses.]

N. B. The number of the books is wanting at the top of each page, till the VIIth book: nor are the breadths of the Greek and English column's weli adjusted to one another. The Greek being ufually a little too narrow, and the English a little too wide; which may be prevented, with a little care, in fucceeding editions.

An

N. B. We have in Conftitutions V. 17. aftronomical determination of the place of the vernal equinox, when the fecond rule for finding Eafter was promulgated; viz. That it then fell on the 22d. of Dystrus, or March; which, within about 134 years, or rather the greater part of them only, determine it to have been about A. D. 135. Which was the first proper time when this rule could take place, upon the deftruction of the church

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of the Jews at Jerufalem, by Adrian ; when the equinox was leaving the 23d, and coming upon the 22d day of March, as the aftronomical obfervations, and tables agree. Now fince the firft rule belonging to the original copies of the Conftitutions, ftill preferv'd in Epiphanius, was πολὺ πρότερον,

much ancienter than this fecond rule; as we learn from Eufebius and Epiphanius; that first rule, and the Conftitutions to which it belonged, must have been much ancienter than A. D. 135, or before the fecond century began. But what ftrongly confirms this rule as really apoftolical, or rather as really deriv'd from our Lord himself, is the denomination which the learned Anatolius gave it, when, about A. D. 270, he ftiles its contents in the plainest words poffible, The Lord's own Demonstrations ; tho' none of the tranflators or criticks durft fo underftand them for had they fo done, they must have confeffed that the latest of these Constitutions was not only of apoftolical, but of Divine Authority, in the opinion of Anatolius.

III. An Efay on the Apoftolical Conftitutions, wherein is proved that they are the most facred of the canonical books of the New Teftament.

N. B. That in my firft edition of these four volumes, I introduced the fourth book of Efdras, as a fpurious book, written in a fictitious manner, and under the fictitious name of Ezra or Efdras, whereas the honourable Mr. Archibald Campbel, as he told me himself, first started an opinion, that it was a true genuine prophetick book of the Old Teftament; and Dr. Lee afterward examined it with the utmoft nicety: and though he could by no means answer feveral of the objections made against it, yet, upon the whole, he took it to be genuine, and frequently quoted or alluded to by Chrift

and