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176 Credibility of the Gospel History.
writing- his gospel : it was written after he had been confined
in Patnios, and to confute and overthrow heresies then
sprung up. ' By* the reed like unto a rod, which was given
to him, (see Rev. xi. 1,) that he might measure the temple
of God and the altar, and them that worship therein, is sig-
iiiried the power, which when set at liberty he exhibited to
the churches; for he afterwards wrote his gospel. Valentinus,
and Cerinthus, and Ebion, and others of the school of
Satan, \^'ere spread abroad over the world, all men [or all the
churches] from the neighbouring- provinces came to him,
and earnestly entreated him to put down his testimony in
writing.'
4. ' And' we read in the Acts of the Apostles, how, when
he was discoursing Avith his disciples, he was taken up into
heaven.' See Acts i. 9— 11. Words of the Acts are" elsewhere
quoted without naming the book.
5. In the Fragment published by Cave, in his observa-
tions upon the seventh day, Avhen God rested from all his
labours, among other remarkable instances of that remarkable
number, he mentions this: ' And^ seven churches in
* Paul.' Cave says, ' Perhaps it should be in the Apo-
* calypse :' but the author means the seven churches which
have epistles sent to them in the collection of St. Paul's
epistles. This will be apparent to all from a passage in the
Commentary upon the Revelation ; where speaking- of the
seven churches mentioned in that book, to which likewise
John sent epistles, he says '
: Thaf in the whole world are
seven churches; and that those churches called seven are
one catholic church, Paul has taught : and that he might
keep to it, he did not exceed the number of seven churches;
* Novissimam arundinem similevn virgae, ut metiretnr Dei templum, et aram,
et adorantes in ea, potestatem dicit, quam dimisstis postea exhibuit ecclesiis.
Nam et evangelium postea scripsit. Cum essent Valentinus, et Cerinthus, et
Ebion, et caeteri scholae Satanee diifusi per orbem, convenerunt ad ilium de
finitimis provmciis omnes, et eompulerunt, ut ipse testimonium conscriberet.
In Apoc. ib. p. 418. C. ' Et nos legimus in Actis Apostolorum,
quemadmodum loquenseum discipulis suis, raptus est in cceIos. ib. p. 419. A.
" Sicut Petru-s ad Judaeos exclamavit : Dextera Dei exaltatus acceptum a
Patre Spiritum etTudit, hunc qiiem videtis. (Act. ii. 33.) ib. p. 415. D.
" Septem candelabra aurea,—septem mulieres apud Isaiam, septem ecclesiae
apud Paulum. de Fabr. Mund. ap. Cav. H. L. p. 149. a.
" In toto orbe septem ccclesias omnes esse, et septem nominatas unam esse
catholicam, Paulus docuit primo: Quod ut servaret ipse, et ipsum septem
ecclesiaioim non excessit numerum. Sed scripsit ad Romanos, ad Corinthios,
ad Galatas, ad Ephesios, ad Philippenses, ad Colossenses, ad Thessalonicenses.
Postea singularibus personis scripsit, ne excederet modum septem ecclesiarum.
Et in brevi contrahens prasdicationem suam, ad Timotheum ait : Ut scias,
qualiter dcbeas conversari in ecclesia Dei vivi. In Apoc. p. 415. D. E.