mperor burnt all their libels,
and exhorted them to peace and unity." (See Mosheim's Eccle. Hist.) These
were the kind of spiritual shepherds of whom Sabinus, the Bishop
Heraclea affirms, that excepting Constantine himself, and Eusebius
Pamphilus, they "were a set of illiterate creatures, that understood
nothing." And now intelligent Catholics, especially Protestants who are
content to read only the books of the Testament authorized by the Council
of Nice, and agreed to ever since by your own bishops, although they and
you profess to dissent from the Papacy, hear what Pappus in his Synodican
to that Council says of their crafty contrivance when they separated the
books of the original New Testament:--He tells us, that having
"promiscuously put all the books that were referred to the Council for
deliberation under the communion-table in a church, they besought the
Lord that the inspired writings might get on the table, while the
spurious ones remained underneath; and that it happened accordingly!"
(See Com. Mace's N. T. p. 875.) Therefore, good reader, every Christian
sect from the fourth century to the present period, have been blessed
with the books that climbed upon the communion-table, and in consequence
were deemed inspired and canonical; at the same time have been forbidden
to read the Gospels and Epistles herein published, because they could
not perform the same feat, but remained under the table, and were
condemned accordingly, as uninspired and apocryphal writings. If you
believe this popish legend, you will not read the good books I lay before
you, but still continue to possess only HALF THE TESTAMENT, instead of
the PERFECT ONE, which will enable you to burst the trammels of
priestcraft, and by the light of God's whole truth become free. In
conclusion, I implore you to examine for yourselves, and observe the
testimony of Archbishop Wake and other learned divines and historians
appended thereto; and subscribe myself,

Your well-wisher,
EDWARD HANCOCK.

FORBIDDEN BOOKS
OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT.

THE GOSPEL OF THE BIRTH OF MARY.

CHAPTER I.

1 The Parentage of Mary.
7 Joachim her father, and Anna her mother,
go to Jerusalem to the feast of the dedication.
9 Issachar, the high priest, reproache