PROEMIAL ANNOTATIONS
In both Testaments, are foure sorts of Books.And as the same is the summe and subiect of both Testaments so both are diuided (for the more principal parts thereof) into foure sorts of Books: Legal, Historical, Sapiential, & Prophetical. Legal.The Legal books of the old Testament are the fiue Books of Moyses, Genesis, Exodus, Leuiticus, Numeri, and Deuteronomie; whereto answer in the new Testament the four Ghospels of Saint Matthew, S. Marke, S. Luke, and S. Iohn. Historical.Historical books of the old Testament are the Books of Iosue, Iudges, Ruth, foure books of Kings, two of Paralipomenon, Esdras, with Nehemias, Tobias, Iudith, Hester, Iob, and two of the Machabees; vnto which in the new Testament answer the Acts of the Apostles. Sapiential.Sapiential of the old Testament are the Prouerbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticles, Book of wisdome, and Ecclesiasticus; and of like sort are in the new Testament the Epistles of S. Paul and of other Apostles. Prophetical.Prophetical books are Dauids Psalter (which is also Sapiential, yea likewise Legal and Historical) the Books of Isaias, Ieremias, with Baruch, Ezechiel, Daniel, the twelue lesse Prophets, Osea, Ioel, Amos, Abdias, Ionas; Michæas, Nahum, Abacuc, Sophonias, Aggæus, Zacharias, Malachias. And in the new Testament, the Apocalyps of S. Iohn the Apostle.
Al these books recited are Canonical, and of infallible truth.Conc. Carth. An D. 419. Conc. Laodic cap. 59. Florent Instru. Armen. decres. 7. Trident Sess. 4. S. Atha. in Sin. S. Aug. li. 2. doct Christi. c. 8. Isidor. li. 6. Etymol. c. 1. & alibi. Nicep. l. 4. cap. 15. Euseb. li. 5. c. 8. Mat 28. Ioan 14. 16. Act. 2. 20. 1 Tim. 3.Al these Books are vndoubtedly Canonical, as the Authours cited in the inner margent testifie. And consequently al, and al the parts thereof, are of infallible truth. For otherwise, as S. Augustin teacheth, if any part were false or doubtful, al were vncertaine. Once admitting falsehood (saith he Epist. 8. ad. Hieron.) in such souereigne authority, no parcel of these books should remaine, which any way should seem hard to manners, or incredible to belieue, but it might by this most pernicious rule be turned to an officious fiction of the authour. That is: If any errour could be committed by the authours of Scriptures, either through ignorance, obliuion, or any other humane frailty, whatsoeuer were produced, exception might be taken, and question made, whether the authour had erred or no. True it is, that some of these books (as we shal particularly discusse in their places) were sometimes avouched of by some Catholiks, and called Apocryphal, in that sense as the word properly signifieth hidden, or not apparent. Apocryphal of two sorts. 1. Not declared canonical. 2. Reiected as erronious.So S. Hierom (in his prologue before the Latin Bible) calleth diuers books Apocryphal, being not so euident, whether they were Diuine Scripture, because they were not in the Iewes Canon, nor at first in the Churches Canon, but were neuer reiected as false or erronious. In which sense the Prayers of Manasses, the third book of Esdras, and third of Machabees are yet called Apocryphal. As for the fourth of Esdras, and fourth of Machabees there is more doubt. But diuers others, as the book ascribed to Enoch, the Ghospels of S. Andrew, S. Thomas, S. Bartholmew, and the like recited by S. Gelasius (Decreto de libris Ecclesiasticis dist. 15. Can. Sancta Romana) S. Innocentius the first (Epist. 3.) S. Hierom, Ep. ad Lætam, S. Augustin. l. 15. cap. 23. de ciuit. Dei, Origen homi. 2. in Cantica, The Holy Ghost declareth by the Church which Books are Diuine Scriptures.are in a worse sense called Apocryphal, and are reiected as conteining manifest errours, or fained by Heretiks. Neither can a Christian Catholike be otherwise assured, which Books are Diuine and Canonical Scriptures, but by declaration of the Catholik Church, which without interuption succeedeth the Apostles, to whom our Sauiour pro-
mised,
