Exercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews

who affirms Judas to have written Letters to Aristobulus in the one hundred eighty eighth year of the Seleucian Empire, who was slain in the one hundred fifty second year of it. Lib. 1. Chap. 1.3. that is thirty six years after his death, with many other such mistakes and falsehoods, had no great need to inform us, that he had no special Divine Assistance in his Writing, but leaned unto his own Understanding; But yet this he doth, as we showed, and that openly; For the Holy Ghost will not be an Epitomator of a Profane Writing as he professeth himself to have been; nor make excuses for his weakness, nor declare his pains and Sweat in his Work, as he doth. And yet to that pass are things brought in the World by Custom, Prejudice, love of Reputation, scorn to be esteemed mistaken in any thing, that many earnestly contend for this Book to be written by Divine Inspiration, when the Author of it himself openly professeth it to have been of another Extract. For although this Book, be not only rejected out of the Canon, by the Council of Laodicea, Hierom and others of the Ancients,¹ but by Gregory the Great Bishop of Rome himself; yet the Church of Rome would now by force thrust it thereinto. But were the Author himself alive again,² I am so well persuaded of his Ingenuity and Honesty, from the Conclusion of his Story, that they would never be able to make him say, that he wrote by Divine Inspiration;³ and little reason then have we to believe it. Now this Epistle is free from this Exception. The Penman of it doth no where intimate, directly or indirectly, that he wrote in his own strength, or by his own ability; which yet if he had done, in an Argument of that nature which he insisted on, had been incumbent on him to have declared, that he might not lead the Church into a pernicious error, in embracing that as given by Inspiration from God, which was but a fruit of his Diligence and fallible Endeavours. But on the contrary, he speaks as in the name of God, referring unto him, all that he delivers; nor can in any Minute Instance, be convicted to have wanted his Assistance.

who affirms Judas to have written Letters to Aristobulus in the one hundred eighty eighth year of the Seleucian Empire, who was slain in the one hundred fifty second year of it. Lib. 1. Chap. 1.3. that is thirty six years after his death, with many other such mistakes and falshoods, had no great need to inform us, that he had no special Divine Assistance in his Writing, but leaned unto his own Understanding; But yet this he doth, as we shewed, and that openly; For the Holy Ghost will not be an Epitomator of a Profane Writing as he professeth himself to have been; nor make excuses for his weakness, nor declare his pains and Sweat in his Work, as he doth. And yet to that pass are things brought in the World by Custome, Prejudice, love of Reputation, scorn to be esteemed mistaken in any thing, that many earnestly contend for this Book to be written by Divine Inspiration, when the Author of it himself openly professeth it to have been of another Extract. For although this Book, be not only rejected out of the Canon, by the Council of Laodicea, Hierom and others of the Antients,