Jenks' Portland gazette. Maine advertiser. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1802-1803, 1803-02-21

~''Nig t..e ClECuMAAn-es u .5ey
TSay wsre, and leave i with every
candid Perfon to detcrmine Tor himlelf
Long delore the Ni-ra- C9z1ci, even
IRON me latter part Of the f.g century
and aiterward, the fur gsi5-h were VA.
VfJaiJ received in The ebrifiaa ebureb.l
d authentic and genuine-as written
0y iniPired and apololic men, whole
names they bear 80 ALTO were the 9th
er books competing the New Teaament,
excepting the apocalypse Of St. John, the
EPihle 70 tie Hebrews, thofr Of lanes
anc Jude, the iecon1 Of Peter aad the
iecond and third Of John. Rerpeaing
The 8enuineneis Of theGe, It's true, there
were doubts entertained By fome, MI
fbsi-, however, were received by chrir
uans ~ general and very je4y indeed
dou5ted ofthat Of James, and that 10
the Hebrews. The queaion refpeaing
tins latter was with regard to its author,
not whether II were written by an apoC.
tolc man, And this circumaance
proves that the primitive chriii4ns were
very cautious how they received any
books a infpired
But of the genuinenels Of the four
golPels, the Ads of the ApoRles, and
OF the Epiales (thofe enumerated above
excePted) there never were any doubts.
Theie, | repeat, were unjverl4iy receiv-
ed and acknowledged as inlpired, by the
ehriltian churches even 10 the latter part
OF the Jfye esatury-And they were 70
received upon dire9 and tull proof of
their being written by the ApoaIes aud
Evangelilts, whole names they bear.
The Ja9, the undenia5le faa then is,
that the facred books Excepting the few
before particularized, and indeed thefe
were generally acknowledged were re-
ceived and quoted as authority in reli
Glou, matters even by The immediate
luccedors of the apo0les and their con.
temPoraries They were not therefore
determined by a Vofs of any council on
earth. They were not received merely
On account Of any human authority
whatever but were known and ack
nowledged by he chritian church Iorg
before any council attempted TO fdndion
them. What then is he foundation Of
Mr.. Pane's ahertion 1t is this. and
this oGly-That the Nicene Council,
which was held in the f57rtb century, IN.
dertook 10 give their fan6ion 70 thCfe
books which were already received as
iacred.* that the fame entirelr might Be
admitted by all pcrlons in the chriaian
church. But there never was a qYsfiog.
there never was a (gl6icioa OF he auth:n.
ticiJy and genuineueis of the tour gof
Psls, the hiGory OF the Ads Of the A.
poales, and tie greater number Of tie
EPiltIes- And even fupPoGng thofe
te7v doubted of formerly, and ID favor
OF which thee was vote in the Nicene
Council, were now rejeSed, would not
cur faith, would not the doctrines OF
chriaianity remain unthaken and unin.
jured BY fJch rejection?
have thus given very conciftly a
true latement ot facts reiPeaing this
iuDett. And l aiAl IS II not ungcn-
srous and bafe-i, i not grsii prvsr-
E.a, if not dirsS taJbssA TO alert, as
Mr. Pane doe, that what we Cbri6
tia7r call the word Of God, depends
upon the votes and decifons IT the
C9ua1il gf Nice, Or If any other afembly
or convention at men
But what Is The neceli-y Of All this
dipu With Al-. Paine il may Be afkcj.
iin,e be proied-s : o believe IN a God.
and in the do6.ine Of immortality
| anlwer-fo far IS well. Natural
religion j. certainly better than 70 reh
Egi9g. 1ksif1 is preferable 70 afbJli7.
But ID not facts aud hi(ory teaity that
AND how often have ecrlcliafiical coun-