, earnestly exhorts Christian teachers,
in all doubtful cases, "to go back to the fountain; and, if the truth
has in any case been shaken, to recur to the Gospels and apostolic
writings."--"The precepts of the Gospel," says he in another place, "are
nothing less than authoritative divine lessons, the foundations of our
hope, the supports of our faith, the guides of our way, the safeguards
of our course to heaven."

VI. Novatus, (Lardner, Cred. vol. v. p. 102.) a Roman contemporary with
Cyprian, appeals to the Scriptures, as the authority by which all
errors were to be repelled, and disputes decided. "That Christ is not
only man, but God also, is proved by the sacred authority of the Divine
Writings."--"The Divine Scripture easily detects and confutes the frauds
of heretics."--"It is not by the fault of the heavenly Scriptures, which
never deceive." Stronger assertions than these could not be used.

VII. At the distance of twenty years from the writer last cited,
Anatolius (Lardner, Cred. vol. v. p. 146.), a learned Alexandrian, and
bishop of Laedicea, speaking of the rule for keeping Easter, a question
at that day agitated with much earnestness, says of those whom he
opposed, "They can by no means prove their point by the authority of the
Divine Scripture."

VIII. The Arians, who sprung up about fifty years after this, argued
strenuously against the use of the words consubstantial, and essence,
and like phrases; "because they were not in Scripture." (Lardner, Cred.
vol. vii. pp. 283-284.) And in the same strain one of their advocates
opens a conference with Augustine, after the following manner: "If you
say what is reasonable, I must submit. If you allege anything from the
Divine Scriptures which are common to both, I must hear. But
unscriptural expressions (quae extra Scripturam sunt) deserve no
regard."

Athanasius, the great antagonist of Arianism, after having enumerated
the books of the Old and New Testament, adds, "These are the fountain
of salvation, that he who thirsts may be satisfied with the oracles
contained in them. In these alone the doctrine of salvation is
proclaimed. Let no man add to them, or take anything from them."
(Lardner, Cred. vol. xii. p. 182.)

IX. Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem (Lardner, Cred. vol. viii. p. 276.), who
wrote about twenty years after the appearance of Arianism, uses these
remarkable words: "Concerning the divine and holy mysteries of faith,
not the least article ought to be d