SECT. III. The doubt of those books that were formerly doubtful, taken away.

THERE are, indeed, in the volume we now use, some books which were not equally received from the beginning; as the second of Peter,³⁸⁵³⁸⁵   However, Grotius himself doubted of this; the reason, of Which doubt he himself gives us, in the beginning of his annotations upon this epistle. But, though one or two epistles could be called in question, this would not render the rest doubtful; nor would any part of the Christian faith be defective, because it is abundantly delivered in other places. Le Clerc. that of James and Jude, two under the name of John the presbyter, the Revelations, and the epistle to the Hebrews: however, they were acknowledged by ninny churches, as is evident from the ancient Christians, who use their testimony as sacred; which makes it credible, that those churches, which had not those books from the beginning, did not know of them at that time; or else were doubtful concerning them; but, having afterwards learned the truth of the thing, they began to use those books, after the example of the rest; as we now see done in almost all places: nor can there be a sufficient reason imagined why any one should counterfeit those books, when nothing can be gathered from them but what is abundantly contained in the other books that are undoubted.