en us an account of these things, must have been ignorant of the time taken up in the work of creation, and of the order and manner of God's proceedings in it, until it was immediately revealed. God faw it beft that mankind fhould be informed of the beginning of the world, and that they fhould have a fhort compendious history of its firft ages, which could not have been given but by revelation. Many parts of the fcriptures are prophecies of things which were to take place in times then future. This is true both of the old and new-teftaments. Thus the bondage of the people of Ifrael, and their deliverance out of Egypt, their conqueft of Canaan, their Babylonian captivity, and their prefent difperfion were foretold. Almost every thing which refpected the birth, life, death and refurrection of Chrift, was recorded before there could have been any probability, in the view of any man, that fuch a character would make his appearance, at that or any other time, in our world. There are alfo numerous predictions refpecting the concerns of individuals and nations, and efpecially of the church. Thefe make up a large portion of the holy fcrip tures. part, a prophecy of Christ, and of the gofpel falvation, and all the meffages of the prophets, claim to be matter of immediate revelation. Thefe commands, institutions, and directions, make up another large portion of the fcriptures. Further; all that is faid in the fcriptures concerning the exercife of divine mercy to this finful world, the redemption by which the way of mercy was opened, the methods by which men may become partakers of it, all the directions concerning it,-its doctrines and all Christian institutions and inftruc tions, and the declarations made refpecting a future world, and the interefts and circumstances of it, and of the day of general judgment which precedes the retributions of eternity, all are fuch, that if they are true, they are matters immediately revealed to the pen men of the fcriptures; for they could not have obtained the knowl edge of them in any other way. This alfo forms another great part of the fcriptures. Some other parts of the bible are hiftories of events, which were more or lefs known to the writers. Such were the miracles wrought by Mofes in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderAnd as these could not nefs, the deftruction of the have been foreseen by the penetra- Egyptians, and the deliverance and tion of the writers, they must have journeyings of the Ifraelites. The had their knowledge of them by general hiftories of the people of exprefs revelation. Befides; Ifrael in after generations might the numerous commands of God have been known, in fome meaf are given to us as matters of reve- ure, by the writers, by informa lation. The writers profefs to tion and records, or they might have received them in this way in many inftances have been eye, from God. The laws and direc-witneffes of the facts which they tions given to Mofes refpecting his recorded. This alfo was the conducting the children of Ifrael cafe with the evangelifts, and the from Egypt to the borders of the writer of the acts of the apostles.' land of promife, the ten command- The infpiration of this portion of ments, the whole of the levitical the fcriptures has been doubted by inftitutions, which were, in a great fome who profefs to believe the writers of the new-testament were under the guidance of the Holy Ghoft. Chrift promised his difciples the Holy Ghost, who should reveal to them all neceffary truth, and bring all things to their remembrance, whatsoever he had said unto them. It will be demanded, what evi. dence we have that the fcriptures are given by fuch infpiration? There are numerous evidences; fome of which will now be mentioned. The fcriptures exhibit a God whofe character is incompara truth of the fcriptures in general, on the ground that in this cafe infpiration was not needed. But though an immediate revelation of things well known was unneceffary, yet it was necessary that there fhould have been a divine, infallible fuperintendence, as much over this, as over any part of that book. It was neceffary, because the hiftorians would otherwife be liable to mistakes, thro' mifinformation and erroneous apprehenfions, to which all imperfect beings may be fubject. It was alfo neceffary, that thofe and only those things fhould be re-bly more excellent than any incorded, which might render the fcriptures perfect, and entirely fitted for the uses for which they are intended. A very fmall part of the hiftory of perfons and things is related. Every thing unneceffary is fuppreffed. There is nothing redundant-nothing wanting. Some things which were written, the writers could not have tho't important, as the hiftory of Ruth. But God faw it was neceffary, to give the lineage of Chrift, and efpecially as in this inftance it was of Gentile extraction. It was therefore neceffary that God fhould make the selection. The fuperintendence of God, in these things, consists in his revealing to the writers what things they fhould record, and taking care that no errors, falfe colorings, or other imperfections fhould enter into their hiftories. And this is fitly called the infpiration of God, tho' in fome cafes not an immediate revelation of facts. By the infpiration of God is therefore meant, either the immediate revelation of his Spirit, or his infpiring men to felect and relate fach facts, with infallible rectitude, as he faw were for the benefit of his people. In this way the old-testament was indited. And in the fame way the habitant of this world could have invented; for it is now, tho' revealed, beyond our comprehenfion. It is a confiftent character, and every where fupported, by all the writers, and perfectly compares with the events of providence. It differs widely from the character which all the heathen philosophers gave of him whom they called the father of gods and men. It is in every refpect infinitely fuperior to theirs. They could not conceive of a being without a beginning, and their gods, all have a genealogy up from fon to father. The fcripture God is without beginning of days, felf-exiftent and independent. Their God was only a great man. They reprefent him with all the evil paffions of a man, capricious, deceitful, falfe, lafcivious and malignant, fubject to every vice which belongs to the most infamous characters among men, and yet poffeffing alfo the excellencies of men. They had no idea of a perfect character, and depraved beings could not originate fuch an idea. But the bible draws a character new to the world, and altogether perfect in unbounded excellency. The character given of Jesus Chrift is another evidence of the in fpiration of the bible. It is fingular. | our eyes. The state of the Jews, It exhibits a perfect moral charac-of the fucceffive monarchies of the ter, entirely fupported, under all the eastern world, of the Grecian various and most trying circum- churches, of Antichrift, and to ftances incident to human life. A thefe much more might be added; thousand human writers have ex- all demonftrate that the fcriptures erted all their talents and inven- were infpired of God. tions to exhibit a perfect human character; but all have failed for want of a model. They appear exceedingly low, erroneous and deficient when read and compared with the bible history of Christ. It was written by four different men, of no erudition, each of whom has infinitely exceeded all the other writers of our world. They were certainly infpired. The miracles which are recorded as having taken place in confirmation of revelations from God, ftill continue to give evidence of it. If they were wrought at the time, they certainly were evidence. The nature of the miracles related was fuch as could not admit of deception. Let us fingle out the mira cles of Mofes in Egypt, at the Red Sea and in the wildernefs as a fample of the rest. These are fome of the most ancient miracles. The people of Ifrael could not have been deceived in respect to thefe by the low tricks of legerde. main. Had they not been true, the people of Ifrael could never have been made univerfally to be The laws, precepts and morals of the fcriptures are uniformly fupported in perfect harmony, by all the different writers, they are faultlefs and compleat-worthy of being given by such a being as God, expreffive of his infinite intelligence, purity, goodnefs, righteoufnefs and univerfal perfection.lieve them. And it was impoffi They infinitely tranfcend every thing of the kind ever published in our world for their extent and excellence. The gofpel in all its parts, the view the bible gives of a future world, the motives it prefents to imprefs duty, its developement of the human heart in all circumstances,-all are truly wonderful, and wholly unequalled by any thing that ever was feen or imagined by mankind. They bring an infinite weight of evidence that it is derived from the infpiration of God. It has been already noticed that a large portion of the fcriptures confifts of prophecies.. God only could know what he defigned to bring to pafs. Hundreds, if not thousands of thefe prophecies have been already fulfilled, and all in their due order, and they are now in a train of accomplishment before ble in a few generations after they had arrived at Canaan to have invented them, and made the whole nation believe that they were true, and that they had always under. ftood the fame things from their fathers, and from the records of their nation. It would be now impofiible to palm fuch things upon Americans, refpecting the coming of our fore-fathers from Europe. They must have been true :-And befides, the occafions on which thefe, and all the other miracles related in the fcriptures, are faid to have been wrought, are worthy of them. They were to atteft a revelation from God, of infinite concern to our world. It is reafonable to fuppofe that in fuch a concern, the Moft High would give the moft ftriking and inconteftible evidence that it was a revelation from him. This of it 4 felf goes far towards rendering all thofe miracles credible. Other evidences of the divine infpiration of the holy fcriptures might be given. Among them are the reprefentations of the relations fubfifting among intelligent beings, and the duties which refult from them. The reasonablenefs and importance of all the doctrines and duties ftated, and the peculiar evidence of true believers from the communications of the Holy Spirit: but thofe which have been briefly noticed are conclufive, and I cannot but be confident that my friend will efteem them fo.. But before I clofe this letter, which has already imperceptibly become very long, you will permit me to make feveral other obfervations with reference to yourfelf, and to the account which you give me of feveral of your neighbours. It feems that fome of them are unwilling to fubmit implicitly to the teftimony of the fcriptures refpecting things which they cannot comprehend. Others deny the prefent obligation of the old teftament, and fome the fpirituality of the new.. And a few openly queftion the authenticity of the whole; while others fpiritualife it into nonfenfe and myftery, as unintelligible as the jargon of magicians and forcerers, and give it any meaning, or no meaning, as their fancy, impiety, enthufiafm or blafphemy directs. Thefe are all much alike fo far as it refpects their opinions on the divine origin of the facred fcriptures. All tend to one point-to the rejection of the whole. Since all Scripture is given by infpiration of God, you fee that all parts of it come to us authenticated by the fame authority. One thing is to be relied upon with the fame confidence as another. That which will fhake the grounds' of belief in any one instance, will in every one. If we queftion one idea, one piece of hiftory, one command, promife, threatening, or any one reprefentation, we may as well queftion another, and another and the whole. If we would be confiftent, we must believe either that the whole of it is true, or that no part of it is the word of God. When men fay, we do not know but that it may be all true; but this part is probable, and that improbable, this is true, but of that we do not know what to believe, we do not believe nor difbclieve it, they have then taken the ground which entirely fubverts the whole. Every thing which diffatisfies their reafonings, or difpleafes their paffions or inclinations, will be paffed over as improbable. Unless we place implicit confidence in the fcriptures, whether the thing written might feem probable or improbable to us,-unlefs we believe it upon the bare teftimony of the bible, all confidence is gone in the only direction to the way of falvation, which is afforded for our world. The teftimony of God is then fubjected to the decifions of our own purblind, partial reafonings, which are always fwayed by our prejudices and inclinations, and are too narrow to comprehend the interefts of the univerfe. When thefe fcriptures are thus fubjected to our caprice, we have in fact become infidels, and the bible will be believed or difbelieved as we pleafe, and conftrued or mifconftrued to favor our lufts, and fupport our favorite opinions. Every degree of deviation from the belief of the plain meaning of the bible as it ftands, according to the natural import of every part of it, comparing it together as its own interpreter, is a step towards infidelity. When men profeís not to know what to believe about certain things in the bible, as for inftance the flaughter of the Philistines by Samplon, because it would feem improbable, their foundation is gone, the teftimony of God weighs very light with them, and they have unworthy ideas of the fcriptures. What they believe, they believe because it is probable, and not because it is the word of God. -You have perhaps heard fome excufe their unbelief in particular things, by saying that they do not doubt but that the penmen of the fcriptures were honeft men, and wrote according to their information and belief of things, and that they may be depended on in the main, tho' in fome lefs things they might mistake. Such deny that all fcripture is given by infpiration of God. They rely on human integrity, not on divine veracity. You have read fome authors, who have taken this ground to convince infidels. They have in this met them half way, and done mifchief to the cause. Since all fcripture is given by infpiration of God, we are under infinite obligation to give equal and entire credit to every individual thing it contains. If it be an affront to a man, your equal, to accufe him of falfe reprefentations, what must it be to queftion the moft High. Since all feripture is given by infpiration of God it follows, that all the directions given in it are of indifpenfible obligation upon us. Every thing omitted, or done contrary to the inftructions of the fcriptures is a direct refufal to fubmit to the authority of God. doubt. It is important that we believe them, and take heed to ourfelves accordingly. It will also follow, that all the doctrines contained in the fcrip. tures are true, whether we can, or cannot fee the reasonableness and confiftency of them. They are written: That is fufficient, they must be received. Finally, fince all fcripture is giv en by infpiration of God, you cannot but unite with me in ac knowledging that we have abund ant reafon to blefs God, that he has given us an infallible standard of truth and duty. We are not neceffitated to examine every new theory of religion that is obtruded upon the world-are not left to the mercy of the winds and waves, to be carried about with every wind of doctrine. We have a fure word of teftimony, unto which we do well to give heed, as to a light that shineth in a dark place. It is idle, it is impious to leave this, and be forever examining all the wild theories which teem from the heated imaginations, distracted heads and corrupted hearts of infidels and fanatics.-Let us honeftly ftudy, believe, meditate on, and obey thofe fcriptures which are given by infpiration of God, or we fhall be ever learning, and never come to the knowledge of the truth. That by a stedfast adherence to this infallible guide you may rejoice in God, and inherit the promises, is the ardent with of yours, &c. MESS'RS EDITORS, MIKROS. IF you judge the following tends to public edification, please to give it a place in the Maga The evidence we have of the divine authenticity of the fcriptures, renders it certain that all the precious promifes, and awful threat-zine. enings of the bible will be accom HOUGH the word juftifi is no room Toit the wind juvert |