and ruin of antichrist; which are particularly spoken of in the book of the Revelation; great part of which prophetic book has been already fulfilled. -5. There are some things in the Scriptures, which, though not contrary to reason, yet are above the capacity of mert ever to have made a discovery of; as the Trinity of persons in the Godhead; whose distinct mode of subsisting is mysterious to us; the eternal generation of the Son of God, which is ineffable by us; his incarnation and birth of a virgin, under the power of the Holy Ghost, which is wonderful and amazing; the union of the human nature to his divine person; which is," without controversy, the great mystery of godliness:" the regeneration of men by the Spirit of God, and the manner of his operation on the souls of men; which, on hearing of, made a master of Israel say, "How can these things be?" and the resurrection of the same body at the last day, reckoned by the Gentiles incredible; and which things, though revealed, are not to be accounted for upon the principles of nature and reason. - 6. The things contained in the scriptures, whether doctrines or facts, are harmonious; the doctrines, though delivered at sundry times, and in divers manners, are all of a piece; no yea and nay, no discord and disagreement among them; the two Tes taments "are like two young roes that are twins" to which some think they are compared in Cant. iv. 5. and vii. 3. and to the Cherubim over the mercyseat, which were of one beaten piece, were exactly alike, and looked to one another, and both to the mercy-seat; a type of Christ, who is the foundation of the apostles and prophets, in which they unite, and both agree to lay; the apostle Paul said none other things than what Moses and the prophets did say should be. And as to historical facts, what seeming contradictions may be observed in any of them, are easily reconciled, with a little care, diligence, and study; and some of these arise from the carelessness of transcribers putting one word or letter for another; and even these instances are but few, and not very material; and which never affect any article of faith or practice: such care has divine providence taken of these peculiar and important writings, which with the harmony of them, shew them to be of God.

II. The stile and manner in which the Scriptures are written, is a further evidence of their divine original; the majesty in which they appear, the authoritative manner in which they are delivered; not asking, but demanding, attention and assent unto them; and which commands reverence and acceptance of them; the figures used to engage hereunto are inimitable by creatures; and such as would be daring and presumptuous for any but God to use, with whom is terrible Majesty; such as, Hear, O heavens and I will speak, Deut. xxxii. 1. Isa. i. 2. the sublimity of the stile is such as exceeds all other writings: Longinus, an heathen orator, who wrote upon the Sublime, admired some passages in the writings of Moses, particularly, Gen. i. 3. That early composition, the book of Job, abounds with such strong and lofty expressions as are not to be found in human writings, especially the speeches Jehovah himself delivered out of the whirlwind, chap. xxxviii, xxxix, xl, and xli. the book of Psalms is

full of bright figures and inimitable language, particularly see Psal. xviii. 7-15. and xxix. 3-10. and cxiii. 3-8. and cxxxix. 7--12. The prophecies of Isai3—10. ah are fraught with a rich treasure of divine elocution, which surpasses all that is to be met with in the writings of men, and it is remarkable that in some of the inspired writers, who have been bred up in a rustic manner, are found some of the most grand images, and lively picturesques, and highest flights of language, as in Amos the herdman, chap. iv. 13. and ix. 2, 6.

III. Another argument for the divine authority of the Scriptures may be taken from the penmen and writers of them.-1. Many of these were men of no education, in a low station of life, and were taken from the flock, or from the herd, or from their nets, or other mean employments; and what they wrote both as to matter and manner, were above and beyond their ordinary capacities, and therefore must be of God; what they wrote could not be of themselves; but they "spake and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."-2. They lived in different times and places, and were of different interests and capacities, and in different conditions and circumstances; and yet they were all of the same sentiment, they speak and write the same things, deliver out the same truths and doctrines, and enjoin the same moral duties of religion, and the same positive precepts, according the different dispensations under which they were; and this shews that they were dictated, and influenced in all, by the same Spirit of God.

3. They were holy and good men, partakers of the grace of God; and therefore could never give into an imposture, nor deliver out a known lie, nor obtrude a falshood upon the world.-4. They appear to be plain, honest, and faithful men; they conceal not their own failings and infirmities; so Moses published his own weaknesses and inadvertencies, and spared not the blemishes of his family, not of his more remote ancestor Levi, in the case of the Shechemites; nor of his immediate parents, their illegal marriage; nor of his favourite people the Israelites, their rebellion, and obstinacy, and idolatry: and the same may be observed of other inspired writers.-5. They were disinterested men; they sought not popular applause, nor worldly wealth, nor to aggrandize themselves and their families, Moses, when it was offered to him, by the Lord, to make of him a great nation, and cut off the people of Israel for their sins, refused it more than once; prefering the public good of that people to his own advantage; and though he was king in Jeshurun, he was not careful to have any of his posterity to succeed him in his office; and though the priesthood was conferred on Aaron his brother, and his sons, yet no other provision was made for his own family, than to attend the lower services of the tabernacle in common with the rest of his tribe: and of this disposition were the apostles of Christ, who left all, and followed him; and sought not the wealth of men, nor honour from them; but, on the contrary, exposed themselves to reproach, poverty, vexation, and trouble; yea, to persecution, and death itself; which they would never have done, had they not been fully satisfied of their mission of God, and of their message from him; and therefore could not be deterred from speaking

and writing in his name, by the terrors and menaces of men, and by all the afflictions, bonds, and persecution, and death in every shape, which awaited them. In short, the writers of the Scriptures seem to be men that neither could be imposed upon themselves, nor sought to impose on others; nor would it have been easy, had they been bad men, to have succeeded, had they attempted it.

IV. Another argument may be drawn from the many wonderful effects the sacred writings, attended with a divine power and influence, have had upon the hearts and lives of men. Many have been converted from error, superstition, and idolatry, and from a vicious course of life, to embrace and profess the truth, and to live a holy life and conversation, upon reading the scriptures,» or: hearing them explained; and even some of great natural parts and learning, who could not easily be prevailed upon to relinquish former tenets and practices, had they not had full and clear conviction of them. This "Word of God has been quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword;" it has pierced and penetrated into the recesses of the heart, and laid open the secrets of it; it has been the means of enlightening the mind, quickening the soul, regenerating and. sanctifying the heart, and of producing faith, and every other grace in it, and of strengthening, comforting, and reviving the spirits of the people of God when in distress, by afflictions, or Satan's temptations; so that every good man has a testimony within himself of its divine authority, see 1 John v. 9, 10.

v. The testimony bore to the Scriptures by miracles, abundantly confirm the genuineness of them, and that they are of God; such as were done by Moses, and the prophets of the Old Testament, and by the apostles of the New; even such as are above, and contrary to the laws of nature, and are beyond the power of a creature to perform, and which only omnipotence itself could work: now these God would never do to establish the character of impostors, or to confirm a lie; which yet he has done to witness the truth of divine revelation; see Mark xvi. 20. Heb. ii. 3, 4.

VI. The hatred and opposition of men, and the enmity of devils, to them, afford no inconsiderable argument in favour of the divinity of them; for were they of men, they would not have such a disgust at them, and disapprobation of them, and make such opposition to them: by these are to be known the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error; what is of the world, and merely human, is approved by the men of the world; but what is of God, is rejected, 1 John iv. 5, 6. and if these writings were of Satan, and the work of forgery, imposture, and deceit, that wicked spirit would never have shewn such despite unto them, nor have taken such pains to tempt men, and prevail upon them not to read them; and to persuade others to use their utmost efforts to corrupt or destroy them, and root them out of the world.

VII. The awful judgment of God on such who have despised them, and have endeavoured to destroy them, are no mean evidence that they are of God; who hereby has shewn his resentment of such conduct and behaviour; which might be illustrated by the instances of Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria,

who cut to pieces the copies of the book of the law wherever he found them, and burnt them, and put to death all with whom they were, 1 Maccab. i. 59, 60. this man died of a violent disorder in his bowels, his body was covered with worms, his flesh flaked off, and was attended with an intollerable stench, 2 Maccab. ix. 5-9. and of Dioclesian, the Roman emperor, who by an edict, ordered all the sacred books to be burnt, that, if possible, he might root christianity out of the world; and once fancied that he had done it; but when he found he had not accomplished his design, through madness and despair, in the height of his imperial glory, abdicated the empire, and retired to a private life, and at last poisoned himself: the one shewed a despite to the books of the old Testament, the other more especially to the books of the New Testament; and both were highly resented by the divine Being, who hereby shewed himself the au thor of both. Many more instances might be produed, but these may suffice.

VIII. The antiquity and continuance of these writings may be improved into an argument in favour of them: Tertullian says, "That which is most ancient is most true." Men from the beginning had knowledge of God, and of the way of salvation, and in what manner God was to be worshipped; which could not be without a revelation; though for some time it was not delivered in writing. The antediluvian patriarchs had it, and so the post-diluvian ones, to the times of Moses; whose writings are the first, and are more ancient than any profane writings, by many hundred of years; the most early of that sort extant, are the poems of Homer and Hesiod, who flourished about the times of Isaiah; and the divine writings have been preserved notwithstanding the malice of men and devils, some of thein some thousand of years, when other writings are lost and perished.

To which may be added, that the Scriptures receive no small evidence of the authority of them, from the testimonies of many heathen writers agreeing with them, with respect to the chronology, geography, and history of them; as concerning the creation of the world, Noah's flood, the tower of Babel, the confusion of languages, the peopling the earth by the sons of Noah, the burning of -Sodom and Gomorrah; with many other things respecting the people of Israel, their origin, laws, &c. I go on to consider,

II. The perfection of the Scriptures. When we assert the perfection of them we do not mean that they contain a perfect account of all that God has done from the beginning of time, in the dispensations of his providence in the world, and in the distributions of his grace to the sons of men; though they relate much of the state and condition of the Church of God in all ages, and as it will be to the end of time. Nor that they contain all the discourses, exhortations, admonitions, cautions, and counsels of the prophets, delivered to the people of Israel, in the several ages of time nor all the sermons of the apostles, which they preached to the Jews, and among the Gentiles: nor are all that were said

and done by our Lord Jesus Christ recorded in them: there were many signs done by him which are not written, which if they should be written, as the evangelist observes, even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written, John xx. 30. and xxi. 25. But then they relate all things necessary to salvation, every thing that ought to be believed and done; and ate a compleat, perfect standard of faith and practice: which may be proved,

1. From the author of them, who is God; they are the word of God, and are "given by inspiration of God;" as is asserted in them, and has been clearly shewn. Now since God is the author of them, who is a perfect Being, in whom is no darkness at all; not of ignorance, error, and imperfection; they coming from him, must be free from every thing of that kind; He is a rock, and his work is perfect; as his works of creation, providence, and redemption; so this work of the Scriptures.

II. From the name they go by, a Testament. We commonly divide the Scriptures into the Books of the Old Testament, and the Books of the New Testament; and that there was a first and a second Testament, an old and a new one, is plainly intimated, Heb. ix. 15. Now a man's testament, or will, contains the whole of his will and pleasure, concerning the disposition of his estate to whomsoever he pleases, or it is not properly his will and testament; a man's testament, if it be confirmed, as the apostle observes, no man disanulleth, or addeth thereto, Gal. iii. 15. Such the Scriptures are; they contain the whole will of God, about the disposition of the blessings of grace, and of the heavenly inheritance, to those who are appointed by him heirs; and being ratified and confirmed by the blood of Christ, are so sure and firm as not to be disanulled, and so perfect that nothing can be added thereunto.

11. From the epithet of perfect being expressly given unto them; The law of the Lord is perfect, Psal. xix. 7. which is to be understood, not of the Decalogue, or Ten Commands, but of the doctrine of the Lord, as the phrase signifies; even what was delivered in the sacred writings extant in the times of David; and if it was perfect then as to the substance of it, then much more must it appear so by the accession of the prophets, and the books of the New Testament since, in which there are plainer and clearer discoveries of the mind and will of God.

IV. From the essential parts of them, the Law and Gospel; to which two heads the substance of them may be reduced. The Law is a perfect rule of duty; it contains what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God, Rom. xii. 2. What he would have done, or not done; the whole duty of man, both towards God and man; all is comprehended in these two commands, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c. and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, Matt. xxii. 37-40. The Gospel is the perfect law, or doctrine of liberty, the apostle James speaks of, chap. i. 25. which proclaims the glorious liberty of the children of God by Christ; and it is perfect, it treats of perfect things; of perfect justification by Christ; of full pardon of sin through his blood, and com