I

( 2 ° )

pnd Nicephorus in the eighth, in his Stichometry,makes the Book of dubious Authority.

Upon this short View of ancient Tradition, forand against the Canonical Authority of the Reve-lations, there appears an obvious Advantage as toNumber of Testimonies on the Side of that Book.Besides which, the curious Reader will observetwo important Circumstances in the Evidence forit. Firs}, That the oldest and most valuableWitnesses speak, entirely in its Favour, whilst theMain of the adverse Testimonies lived at a grea-ter Distance of Time from the FaSl in Question,and are consequently of little Consideration.Secondly, That many of the most ancient andmost competent Evidences to the Revelations pro-nounce absolutely, that it was written by St. ffohnthe Apojlle, whilst of those against it, only twoare pretended to be positive of the contrary. Allthe rest appear only cautious, and doubtful, andiindctermin'd in the Point. So that the Tradition,which gives the Revelations to John the Evange-lijl, is on all Accounts much preferable to thatwhich has yet been produced against him.

I have only further to observe, that the Indexesto ancient Greek MSS. such as the Alexandrianand Clermont ones, contain the Revelations andascribe them to St. John. Now probably these areeach 1200 Years old, and therefore they are Evi-dences that the Greek Churches in the sixth Cen-tury were not wholly disaffected to this Book.

CHAP.