than a mortal, performing, by the affistance of her infant Son, a variety of miracles, fuch as might entitle her, in the minds of the blind and bigotted, to divine honours. To fhew the extent to which these forgeries have been carried, and at the fame time to exhibit a remarkable contrast between the doctrine and the ftyle of the genuine Epiftles, and fuch as are furreptitious, it will be worth while to quote two letters, pretended to be written by the Virgin Mary to the inhabitants of Meffana and Florence, with a view to fupport her honour, and flatter their vanity.

MARIA Virgo, Joachimi filia, humillima Dei ancilla, Chrifti Jefu crucifixi mater, ex tribu Juda, ftirpe David, Meffanenfibus omnibus falutem, et Dei Patris omnipotentis benedictionem.

Vos omnes fide magnâ legatos ac nuncios per publicum documentum ad nos mififfe conftat. Filium noftrum Dei genitum, Deum et hominem effe fatemini, et in cœlum post fuam refurrectionem afcendiffe, Pauli Apoftoli prædicatione mediante, viam veritatis agnofcentes. Ob quod vos et civitatem veftram benedicimus, cujus perpetuam pro

F

tectricem

tectricem nos effe volumus-Anno filii nof

tri XLII. 3. Nonis Julii, lunc quintâ, ex Hierofolymis.

17, feriâ

MARIA VIRGO*.

Epiftola S. MARIE Virginis ad Florentinos.

FLORENTIA, Deo et Domino Jefu Christo Filio meo et mihi dilecta. Tene fidem, infta Orationibus, roborare patientiâ. His enim fempiternam confequeris falutem apud Deum †.

ANOTHER doctrine, which these spurious writings were intended to establish, was the fanctity of relics. As a ftriking proof of this, we are told, in the Evangelium Infantia that, when the Magi had offered their gifts to the new-born Infant, Domina Maria fumfit unam ex illis tæniis (quibus involutus erat infans) eamque loco benedictionis illis tradidit, quam ipfi tanquam munus præclariffimum ab eâ acceperunt.

As bandages, of a fimilar nature and efficacy, were preserved in fome churches with the

849.

Fabric. Codex Apocryph. Nov. Teftamenti, Tom. II. p. + Cap. vii.

+Ibid. p. 852.

the most fuperftitious reverence*, the purpofe, for which the above paffage, was written, is obvious.

THE Various miracles, which we are told in these legends, that our Saviour wrought in his infancy, were doubtlefs intended to counteract the abfurd notion of thofe heretics, who pretended that Jefus was a mere man till the period of his baptism, when the Æon, or fpirit, Chrift, entered into him, and enabled him to perform his miracles. Epiphanius, whofe judgment did not always keep pace with his zeal, has unfortunately given countenance to these fictions for this very reafon†. Καὶ ἔδει τῷ μὲν ὄντι καὶ παιδαρικὰ αὐτὸν ἔχειν, ἵνα μὴ πρόφασις γένηται ταῖς ἄλλαις αἱρέσεσι ταῖς λεγέσαις, ὅτι ἀπὸ τὰ Ἰορδάνε ἦλθε Χρισὸς εἰς αὐτὸν, ὅπερ ἐςὶν ἡ περιςερά.

II. As to the fecond head, the contraft is equally ftriking between the true, and the counterfeit, Gofpels. The goodness of God has indeed fupplied us with abundant materials for faith, and incitements to virtue, in

the

*Fafcias Chrifti aiunt Romæ oftendi ad S. Pauli, et infignem ex illis particulam in Hifpania ad S. Salvatoris, ubi et Chrifti cunæ et indufium monftrari feruntur. Fabric. ad loc. Vid. etiam cap. v. et ibi annotat.

+ Hæres. LI. Alog. num. 20. Fabric. p. 130.

the example, and in the leffons, of our bleffed Lord, recorded by his followers. We cannot therefore have any juft reafons for regret, that the accounts are not more numerous and more circumftantial.-We may however both obferve and admire the conciseness, with which fome deeply interefting transactions are related; and we may feel a pious fatiffaction in the affurance, that the actions and difcourfes of Jefus, were of fuch a nature, as to occafion a redundance of matter for the labours of the facred penmen, and not only to authorize, but even to require, the omiffion of a variety of important facts*

But

"And there are alfo many other things which Jefus did, the which, if they fhould be written every one, I fuppofe that even the world itfelf could not contain the books that should be written." John xxi. 25.-The hyperbole, here employed by the Evangelift, has been objected to as exceeding all proper bounds. If however it be confidered, as it furely ought to be, with reference to the fubject of this comprehenfive encomium, and to the high-flown expreffions in ufe amongst the writer's countrymen, the objection will fall to the ground. I beg leave to contraft fome inftances of a fimilar turn of thought, in the chaste and polifhed compofitions of Greece and Rome, with the extravagant ideas of fome Jewish Rabbies, and I think that the paffage in queftion will appear to preferve a juft and natural medium between them. Ifocrates, after enumerating the virtues of Hipponicus, fays, ἐπιλίποι δ ̓ ἂν ἡμᾶς ὁ πᾶς χρόνος, ἐν πάσας τας ἐκείνα πράξεις narapidμncaíμsta. Ad Demonicum in init. Cicero, arguκαταριθμησαίμεθα. ing in praife of Pompey, exclaims, "Hujus autem orationis difficilius eft exitum, quàm principium, invenire. Itaque non mihi tàm copia, quàm modus in dicendo quærendus eft." Pro Leg. Manil.

"He

But the materials of the Pfeud-Evangelifts were too scanty to render the task of selection neceffary; and the refult of their labours is very little adapted to produce fimilar fatiffaction, or to excite fimilar reflections in the minds of their readers. The unimportant and frivolous details, with which their pages are filled, are a plain proof, that they were not poffeffed of any real and original information upon the fubject, which they undertake to elucidate; and clearly invalidate their pretenfions, as eye-witneffes of the tranfactions, which attended the introduction of the new religion. Thus, in the Gospel afcribed to St. James, we are prefented with a dull and filly dialogue between the mother of Mary and her waiting-maid*, and with another dialogue †, equally impertinent, between the parents of Mary. We have alfo, in the fame performance‡, a grave consultation of priests about the making a veil for the temple; and, not to enlarge upon a

matter

"He was fucceeded by Jochanan, not in right of defcent, but of his extraordinary merit, which the Rabbies, according to custom, have raised to fo furprizing a height, that, according to them, if the whole heavens were paper, all the trees in the world pens, and all the men writers, they would not fuffice to pen down all his leffons." Mod. Univ. Hift. Vol. X. P. 430. note.

Protevang. Jacobi c. 2. + Ibid. c. 7. c. 10: