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hold; and Vincentius endeavours to bring their intrenchments into suspicion. If he can once draw them from thence, he hopes to have them for his converts and captives.

2. We may also reckon it to be probable, that there were about this time some christians, whose great regard for the determination of some councils, and for the writings of learned men much esteemed by them, had diminished their respect for the sacred scriptures.

3. Nevertheless, in the method here proposed, of joining the traditions of the church with scripture, or interpreting the divine canon by the determinations of bishops, and other eminent men, Vincentius is far from having universality, antiquity, consent; many excellent christians, of his own time, had a greater regard for scripture. The early christian writers declare the inspired scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the rule of faith; and in that doctrine they concur, and consent. 9 And I would hope that the large collections which have been made by us, containing so numerous testimonies to the scriptures, may be of use to fortify serious men against all confident assertions to the contrary: for whenever they are advanced, they must be accompanied with confidence, as the only way of making head against reason, scripture, and the general sense of the most early christians.

Vincentius does little less than say, that arguments from scripture are heretical and satanical: which, I presume, every reader of this work is able to say, upon good grounds, is a novel way of speaking, unknown in the early ages of christianity, next succeeding those of the apostles; in which the scriptures were not slighted and disparaged, but highly respected, and earnestly recommended to the attention of all. Moreover, Vincentius seems to have forgotten, that our Saviour himself repelled all the temptations of Satan with texts of scripture, and with reasons from thence, saying: "It is written." And, again.' " It is written : for it is written." See Matthew iv. and Luke iv. 8-12.

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Rufinus, who was well acquainted with the ancient christian writers, both Greeks and Latins, having put down a catalogue of the books of the Old and New Testament, the same which are now received by us, adds: These are the volumes which the fathers have included in the canon, and out of which they would have us prove the doctrines of our faith.' See Vol. iv. ch. cxv.

CHAP. CXXXVII.

EUCHERIUS, BISHOP OF LYONS.

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1. EUCHERIUS, bishop of Lyons in Gaul, flourished about the year 434. Some things have been ascribed to him, which are not allowed to be his. The generally received are these: Forms and Phrases of Scripture, or a book of Spiritual Forms; Difficult Questions out of the Old and New Testament, with an interpretation of Hebrew names; an epistle concerning the Contempt of the World and Secular Philosophy; another epistle, in Praise of Solitude, or of the Desert. I shall quote no other beside

these.

2. As Eucherius is in Gennadius, I place a part of his chapter below.

3. The difficult questions of the New Testament, are taken out of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; the epistle to the Romans; the first and second to the Corinthians; the epistle to the Ephesians; to the Colossians; the first and second to Timothy; the epistle to the Hebrews; the Acts of the Apostles; the epistle of James; the first epistle of John; and the Revelation: out of each book, in the order here named.

4. Though no questions are there taken out of other books of the New Testament, no doubt can be made but Eucherius received all the fourteen epistles of St. Paul, and St. Peter's two epistles, and the two latter epistles of St John, and the epistle of St Jude: the second epistle of Peter is quoted by him more than once.

Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. p. 423, 424. Fabric. ad Gennad. cap. 63. Du Pin. T. iii. P. ii. p. 173. Tillem. T. xv. b Formulæ seu Phrases Scripturæ, seu Formularum Spiritualium Liber. Instructiones ad Salonium de Questionibus Veteris et Novi Testamenti. Epistola parænetica ad Valerianum cognatum de Contemtu Mundi et Secularis Philosophiæ. De Laude Eremi, seu de Vitâ Solitariâ. Ap. Bib. PP. Lugd. T. vi. p. 822-866.

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Eucherius, Lugdunensis ecclesiæ presbyter, scripsit ad Valerianum propinquum suum de Contemtu Mundi et Secularis Philosophiæ epistolam unam,' scholastico sermone et rationabili. Disseruit etiam ad personam filiorum Salonii et Veranii, postea episcoporum, Obscura quæque Sanctarum • Capitula Scripturarum.'-Aliaque tam ecclesiasticis quam monasticis studiis necessaria. Moritur sub Valentiniano et Martiano Principibus. Gennad. De V. I. cap. 63. Ap. Bib. PP. T. vi. p. 847-853.

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e Sic Petrus in epistolâ: Unam vero hoc non lateat vos, carissimi, quia unus dies apud Deum sicut mille anni.' [Pet. iii. 8.] Form. Spiritual. cap. 11. p. 839. D. Vit. et cap. 5. p. 832. H.

5. Mill says, without hesitation, that Eucherius had, in his copies of St. John's first epistle, the heavenly witnesses. But, in my opinion, that is far from being certain : indeed the text is found in the book of Spiritual Forms, or Scripture Phrases. But let us observe the questions taken out of St. John's epistle, one of which is: Again, John, in his epistle, says: "There are three that bear witness; water, blood, and spirit." What does that mean? Answer. Here seems a reference to what the same John writes in his gospel; "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out water and blood. And he that saw it, bare record." [ch. xix. 34, 35.] And he had before said; "He bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." [ver. 30.]. Some therefore argue, that "the water," denotes baptism; "the blood," martyrdom; and "the spirit," the soul; which at death goes to God: but the most, by a mystical interpretation, understand the Trinity itself. The water," they say, denotes the Father; the "blood," Jesus Christ, who died; and the "spirit," the Holy Ghost.

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Eucherius, who wrote this, had not the heavenly witnesses in his copy of St. John's epistle. The text, therefore, as cited in the forementioned place and book, did not come from him; but has been made out, by some late transcriber, from modern copies of the New Testament. Eucherius had

f Jam enim, sub annum Christi 434, ab Eucherio Lugdunensi citatam eam reperimus, lib. Formularum Spiritualis Intelligentiæ. Cap. xi. 3, 4. Et sane mirum, haud exstitisse ipsam jam in aliis scriptis Patrum Occidentalium, &c. Prolegom. n. 938. Ad Trinitatem in Johannis epistolà : Tres sunt qui testimonium dant in cœlo, Pater, Verbum, et Spiritus Sanctus. Et tres sunt qui testimonium dant in terrâ, Spiritus, Aqua, et Sanguis.' Form. Spirit. cap. 11. n. 3. p. 838. E.

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h Interr. Item in epistolâ suâ Johannes ponit: Tria sunt, quæ testimonium perhibent, aqua, sanguis, et spiritus.' Quid in hoc indicatur? Resp. Simile huic loco etiam illud mihi videtur, quod ipse in evangelio suo de passione Christi loquitur, dicens: Unus militum lanceâ latus ejus aperuit, et continuo ́exivit sanguis et aqua. Et qui vidit, testimoniuin perhibet.' In eodem ipse de Jesu supra dixerat: Inclinato capite reddidit spiritum.' Quidam ergo ex hoc ita disputant. Aqua baptismum: Sanguis videtur indicare martyrium : Spiritus vero est, qui per martyrium transit ad Dominum. Plures tamen hic ipsam interpretatione mysticâ intelligunt Trinitatem, eo quod Perfecta ipsa perhibeat testimonium Christo. Aqua Patrem indicans, quia ipse de se dicit: Me dereliquerunt, fontem aquæ vivæ.' [Jerem. ii. 13.] Sanguine Christum demonstrans, utique per passionis cruorem: Spiritu vero Sanctum Spiritum manifestans. Hæc autem tria de Christo testimonium ita perhibent, ipso in evangelio loquente: Ego sum qui testimonium perhibeo de meipso.' [Joh. viii. 18.] Et item: Cum autem.' [xv. 26.] Perhibet ergo testimonium Pater, cum dicit: Hic est Filius meus dilectus.' [Matt. iii. 17.] Filius cum dicit : Ego et Pater unum sumus.' [Joh. x. 30.] Spiritus Sanctus, cum de eo dicitur: Et vidit Spiritum Dei descendentem, sicut columbam venientem super se.' [Matt. iii. 16.] De Qu. N. T. ib. p. 853. B. C. D.

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written: And' in John's epistle: "There are three that bear witness; the "water, the blood, and the spirit:""but some transcriber filled up the quotation out of his late copies. The reading, without the heavenly witnesses, does as well suit the design of the author, or better, than with them for he is there explaining, or showing the mystery of numbers. Number I.' he says, refers to the unity of "God: Number II. refers to the two testaments of the divine law: Number III. to the Trinity. So, in John's epistle: "There are three that bear witness: the water, the blood, and the spirit." So I think, Eucherius wrote: and in this manner the two places, in those two works, perfectly agree and harmonize.

I hope the account which I have here given of this matter, may be satisfactory to the reader.

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Nevertheless, since writing what is above, I have observed, that J. A. Bengelius, referring to the book of Spi' ritual Forms,' says, that the disputed text in St. John is plainly quoted by Eucherius.' And before that, referring to the books of the Questions out of the Old and New Testament, he says: Eucherius,' but different from him to be afterwards mentioned, does not quote it:' what reasons Mr. Bengelius has for thinking those two works to have been composed by two different authors, I cannot tell. Eucherius, bishop of Lyons, had two sons, Veranius, and Salonius, or Saloninus; to the former, he inscribed his book of Spiritual Forms;' to the other, the work of Difficult 'Questions.' About this there is no dispute among learned men, that I know of; however, I shall now refer to some other, beside those referred to at the beginning of this chapter.

The preceding argument, therefore, remains in full force, so far as I can perceive.

This whole chapter, as it now is, was finished by me be

I. Hic numerus ad unitatem Deitatis refertur.-II. Ad duo testamenta divinæ legis referuntur.-III. Ad Trinitatem, in Johannis epistolâ.— Tres 'sunt qui testimonium dant, Aqua, Sanguis, et Spiritus.' Formul. Spiritual. cap. 11. p. 838. * Sect. xv. Et apertissime Eucherius Lugdunensis. Versum 7, et 8, distincte citat in libro Formularum Spiritualis Intelligentiæ : de numeris agens, Bengel. N. T. Gr. p. 753.

Non citat Eucherius, sed diversus ab illo, de quo, sect, xv. in Quest. N. T. Id. ibid. p. 750. m De uxore duos filios suscepit, Veranium et Saloninum, quibus et libros nuncupavit; Veranio librum Formularum Spiritualis Intelligentiæ; Salonino vero duos, priorem de Quæstionibus difficilioribus Veteris et N. T. posteriorem de Hebr. nominum interpretatione. S. Basn. ann. 441. n. v. Vid. et Hod. de Text. Orig. p. 397. et Pagi an. 441. n.

fore the publication of the second volume of Mr. Wetstein's New Testament: what he says of Eucherius Lugdunensis may be seen at p. 725 of the said volume.

CHAP. CXXXVIII.

CECILIUS SEDULIUS.

1. FOR a particular account of CÆLIUS, or CÆCILIUS SEDULIUS, and the works ascribed to him, I refer toa several: he is in Trithemius; and I would have transcribed his article, but that it is full of faults, and therefore not to be relied upon in any thing. Fabricius says, that Trithemius seems to have confounded three of that name : Sedulius the poet, who lived in the fifth century; and two others, of later ages. Therein he follows Labbé, whom he quotes; whose account of Sedulius is also particularly commended by Bayle. It is commonly said, that Sedulius was a Scot; that is, a native of Ireland: but there is no proof of it in ancient authors.

2. Tillemont, after having weighed what has been said by others, concludes, that Sedulius wrote between 425 and 450; I shall therefore place him, with Cave, at 434.

3. It is probable, that Sedulius was a presbyter, as he is called by Isidore of Seville; and not a bishop, as some have supposed.

a Vid. Ph. Labb. Diss. de Scr. Ec. T. ii. p. 328, 329, 330, &c. Cav. H. L. T. i. Du Pin, Bib. Ec. T. ii. P. ii. p. 75. Tillem. Mem. T. xii. Fabric. Bib. Lat. l. iv. c. 2. p. 306, 307. et Bib. Ec. ad Isid. Hisp. c. 7. et ad Trithem. See likewise Sedulius, in Bayle's Dictionary. cap. 142. b De Ser. Ec. cap. 142. c Videtur Trithemius in unum confundere tres Sedulios, poëtam seculo quinto clarum, et episcopum, qui A. C. 721, et auctorem Hibernum Collectaneorum in epistolas Pauli, qui centum post annis vixit. Fabr. ad Trith. cap. 142. Ap. Bib. Ec.

d An Sedulius poëta fuit Scotus? Nullus id veterum dixit. Recentiores ὁμωνύμια delusi tres in unum Sedulios confuderunt, ac poëtam seculo quinto florentem cum episcopo, qui anno 721, et cum sacræ scripturæ interprete, seu Collectaneorum Auctore, qui centum post annis vivebat, Scotis temere accensuerunt. Nec ad rem faciunt quæ Usserius partim ex Trithemio, Labb. de Scr. Ec. T. ii. p. 330.

e See before, Labbé, in noted; and Sedulius, in Bayle's Dictionary, note c. See Sedulius, in his Mem. Ec. T. xii. p. 612. and note '.

8 De Scr. Ec. cap. 7.

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