tation was fufficient, but fuch as render'd the Senfe with infallible truth and exactnefs; and if this exactnefs of words was requifite in their Affemblies, it must be much rather necessary in the Writings of the Apostles and Evangelifts. Among other Gifts of the Holy Ghost, are reckon'd the Word of Wifdom, and the Word of Knowledge, 1 Cor. xii. 8. the former Grotius understands of fpeaking Wife Sayings, and the latter of Knowledge in Hiftory; and to the reft was added the Gift of difcerning of Spirits, ver. 10. And as there were several Gifts, fo there were feveral Offices in the Church, Ephef. iv. 11, 12. Now the feveral Gifts of the Holy Ghoft were not all bestowed ordinarily upon the fame Perfon, but fuch as were necessary for that Office and Employment which he was to execute. But as the Apoftolical Power comprehended in it the Powers of every other Office, fo it was requifite that they should poffefs the Gifts proper for the perfor-" mance of whatever was to be done by them. And when God, by his providence and difpofal of things, gave the Apostles and Evangelifts occafions of writing upon fuch and fuch Subjects, and to fuch and fuch Perfons, or Churches, he by his Spirit inwardly excited and affifted them in it, bestowing upon them the Gifts of Wisdom and Knowledge, and of writing and speaking either in their own or any other Language, in which they were required to write or fpeak: For we are not to fuppofe that any Gifts were bestowed upon others, and yet denied to them, to whom they were most useful and neceffary, in order to the delivering of that Faith and Doctrine, which was to be the standing Rule for the attainment of Salvation to all Chriftians unto the end of the World. When others had the Gift of fpeaking and interpreting ftrange Languages, it cannot be conceived that the writers of the Holy Scriptures should be refused that neceffary Affistance in the Languages in which they wrote, that might preferve them from Error; and if

any,

any, without the Gifts proper for it, had undertaken any Office or Ministration, the Gift of difcerning of Spirits was a Security to the Church from any hurt that might enfue by the pretences of fuch Undertakers.

We may be certain, that all the Gifts, which were bestowed for the Edification of the Church, were (as far as they were needful) vouchfafed more especially to all fuch, as were to leave behind them, for the benefit of the Church in all Ages, an account of the Gofpel of Christ, and the terms of the Salvation to be obtained thereby; and that no fuch Guidance and Direction of the Holy Ghost was wanting, as might preferve them from Error in any particular: for there is no particular, but it will fall under fome one of those Gifts, which were bestowed upon the first Disciples. They were not neceffarily to write in an exact and elegant Stile, but in fuch as was fecured from Error in whatever they delivered. To what purpose elfe had been so many several Gifts? To keep them from grofs Errors, and fundamental Mistakes, there could have been no need of fuch a variety of Gifts: but when every fort of Error, which Men are prone to, had a Remedy provided to prevent it, we may be affured that no Error was fuffered in thofe Writings, which were the most important Work of the Apoftolical Function, and designed for the edifying of the Body of Christ, not in one Age and Nation only, but throughout all Ages, and in all Parts of the World.

II. I fhall now proceed to make fuch Inferences, as may afford a fufficient Answer to the Objections al ledged upon this Subject.

1. The Infpiration of the Writers of the Scriptures, did not exclude humane Means, fuch as Information in Matters of Fact, either by their own Senfes, or by the Testimony of others; or Reasoning from their own Notions and Obfervations: but the Holy Ghoft guided them infallibly in the ufe of all fuch Means. 2. The

2. The Inspiration of the Prophets and Apostles, or Evangelifts, did not exclude the ufe of their own Words and Style. All Laws become obligatory, not from any Elegancy of Style, or Fairness of the Character, in which they are written or printed, but from the Authority of the Lawgivers, by whom they are enacted. And it is as unreasonable for any now to cavil at the Style and Language of the Divine Writers, as it would have been in thofe, who faw the Sacred Books in their Hand-writing, to have objected, that they did not write the most exact and beautiful Hands. For they might as well ufe their own way. of Expreffion, as their own manner of Writing. And as they might be permitted the use of thefe, fo they might be permitted, or in fome cafes directed to ufe the Words of others. Many things delivered in one Book of the Scriptures, are likewife delivered in another; and fome things are repeated in the fame words, that God revealing the fame things, and in the fame exprefs words, at different times, and by different perfons, might make the Revelation of them the more evident and remarkable. For that, in which feveral inspired Perfons concur, is the more taken notice of, and becomes the more obferved, as a thing of great weight and moment. The reason why the Dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, was because the thing was established by God, and God would shortly bring it to pass, Gen. xli. 32. It is in this as it is in all other things, it is expedient, that in Matters of great Concernment, there fhould be the more Solemnity, and that they should be the oftner repeated, and the more infifted upon; and if they be exprefs'd in the fame words, this implies, that those words carry more than ordinary weight in them: And therefore not only all the Divine Writers agree in the fame purpofe and defign, and teftifie the fame things, as to the chief Points of Religion; but fome Prophets have foretold the fame things, even in the fame words with

others,

others, as Ifaiah ii. 2, 3, 4. Mic. iv. 1, 2, 3. and feveral Laws and Matters of Fact, are repeated in words which are very near the fame.

3. Tho' fome things are fet down in the Scriptures indefinitely, and without any positive affertion or determination, this is no proof against their being written by Divine Inspiration. For this doth not prove, that the Pen-men of thofe Paffages were uncertain and doubtful in the Particulars fo exprefs'd, because the things were of that nature, that it was needless to fpeak precisely of them: As when St. John fays, John xxi. 8. They were not far from Land, but as it were two hundred Cubits; it cannot from hence be concluded that the Evangelift was ignorant how far they were from Land: For it was not material to his defign to be more particular in a circumstance of that nature; but it was fufficient to say, that they were about two hundred Cubits off at Sea; and it is usual with all Writers to omit Fractions, and infert only whole Numbers, when it is not material to their purpose to infift upon every minute Circumftance. It is ordinary with the best Writers to express things uncertainly, which they were notwithstanding throughly acquainted withal; and to feem ignorant of things which they perfectly understood, but pafs'd over as not worth the taking notice of, or not confiderable enough for them to own the knowledge of them. is a known Elegancy to fay, nefcio quid, or nefcio quem, when the Author, fo fpeaking, was not ignorant of the Thing or Perfon there meant, but either fignified his contempt of the Perfon, or Thing, or intimated that it was not worth his while to trouble himself, or his Hearers, or Readers, with a more particular Relation. The Romans, out of that Awe and Reve

b

D

It

rence

b Credo hæc eadem Indutiomarum in teftimonio timuiffe aut cogitaffe: qui primum illud verbum confideratiffimum noftræ confuetudinis

rence which they had for Oaths, never spoke pofitively in giving evidence of things which they were certain of, and had feen themselves. And uncertain Forms of Speech are obferved, by Ulpian, to have have been ufual with the Ancient Greek Authors in their speaking of things, whereof they were very well affured. It could be of no ufe or moment in relation to the miraculous draught of Fishes, to know whether the Ship were two hundred Cubits, or half a Cubit, or a quarter of a Cubit over or under from the Land; and it is ufual with St. John to express himself in this manner, John ii. 6. vi. 10. xix. 14.

Either then (to keep to the fame inftance) St. John might know the precife diftance, and for the Reasons mentioned, not declare it; or, it not being of any ufe or confequence for us to be more particularly informed in a matter of that nature, the Holy Ghoft might fuffer him to be ignorant of it, if he had no other means of knowing it but by Inspiration: For the Holy Ghost affifted the Apostles and Evangelifts to write infallible Truth, but not always to write every little circumstance concerning the things which they relate. Many Miracles are wholly omitted, and many Circumftances not confiderable or material to be mentioned, are omitted, of thofe Miracles which are recorded. But if nothing be related which may lead us into Erfor, and nothing omitted which is necessary to be known; this is fufficient, and is all that can be expected in a Book, which is to be a Rule of Faith and Manners to us. It is neceffary that nothing but Truth should be contained in it, but not that every Truth

tudinis Arbitror, quo nos etiam tunc utimur, cum ea dicimus jurati, quæ comperta habemus, quæ ipfi vidimus, ex toto teftimonio fuo fuftulit, atque omnia fe fcire dixit. Cic. pro M. Fonteio. Vid. Acad. Qu. 1. 2. fub fin.

• Τὸ ἢ Νομίζω, ως ἤδη ἐν τοῖς Σωκρατικοῖς, καὶ τὸ Δοκεῖν, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ο πάντως ἐπὶ ἀμφιβόλα τάτεσιν οἱ παλαιοί, anna wornáxis x mandew. Ulp. in Demoft. Olynth. 1.

fhould