and blindly in every age have those laboured in fulfilling the divine will who have most presumptuously opposed it. Like the Assyrian, who was the rod of God's anger, they mean it not, neither do their hearts think so; like the Jews taking counsel against the Lord and his Anointed, they are fulfilling God's will, and contributing to his glory, although through ignorance they do it.

§. 4. Internal proofs of Scriptural Inspiration.

As miracle is the only proof of Inspiration, the internal evidence, requisite to establish this in the case of any Scripture, must consist, either in some miracle being implied in the authorship, or else in some indication that the author performed testimonial miracles.

By miraculous authorship is meant something, either in the subject-matter, or in the manner of writing, which surpasses the powers of man generally, or of the particular author-some departure, in short, from the usual course of man's moral and intellectual agency, which can only be referred to divine wisdom; even as in a

miracle commonly so called, there is a departure from the established course of the material world, such as can only be attributed to divine power.

The Bible has several points of authorship which are strictly of this character. Not that every one of the revelations it contains, or professes to contain, can be appealed to for evidence. For, although none but God could have communicated any such knowledge, yet, in the case of all, except fulfilled prophecy, we cannot pronounce that they are really revelations, until we know that the author's assertion of this fact was

supported by testimonial miracles. Prophecy fulfilled indeed may be so employed; because its fulfilment is voucher for its divine origin.

Most of the internal proofs of Inspiration fall under the description which I have given of miraculous authorship. But there are also strong indications, furnished by the Scriptures themselves, that the authors performed miracles in the attestation of their inspiration; and these I will first notice.

§. 5. Internal proofs that the authors of Scripture performed testimonial miracles.

In the early part of St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians, we meet with these words; "I was with you in weakness and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power"." Further on in the same Epistle occurs the following passage, together with much more to the same general purpose: "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets." What!

came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord"."

It is evident that the author of this Epistle addressed it, not to one or two individuals, but to a body of men, and that he is appealing to them, directly or indirectly, for the reality of three facts, about which no body of men could possibly have been mistaken. The first of these is, that when Paul converted them, it was not owing to the impression which his eloquence or his wisdom made, but to the miraculous proofs of inspiration which he displayed-" the demonstration of the Spirit and of power." The next point is, that part of this demonstration consisted in the communication of miraculous power, which they were then exercising so generally, as to require that they should be corrected in the abuse and irregular employment of it. The third point is, that among these miraculous gifts was one which enabled the "prophet or spiritual" person to decide whether Paul had written $ Chap. xiv. 27-32. and 36, 37.

the uncontrolled suggestions of his own mind; or the commands of the Lord-in other words, whether the Epistle was or was not Scripture.

Now it is morally impossible that an author should have written in this way, unless the facts so implied were all notoriously true. There is no direct assertion of these facts-no attempt to prove them, or to suggest circumstances which would call them to mind, as if they were likely to be unknown or forgotten. It is taken for granted, that all was as notorious as the sun at noon-day; and so certain as to preclude all possibility of denial. The proof therefore derived from this and similar implied assertions, is of a different kind from that which belongs to the direct assertion of a credible author, that miracles were wrought by him; and that his words were inspired. It is an appeal to eye-witnessesand it is more-it is an appeal to persons conscious of performing the very like miracles—it is a claim to Scriptural authority for the author's writings, of which some of those addressed, as well as he, possessed a miraculous test. All this, if it had been stated by the author to a third party, would have been mere assertion, and