this would have defeated and fubverted the defign of the Inftitution of the Apostles, and of the Miffion of the Holy Ghost, and therefore this God would not fuffer, tho they might be fuffered to incur fuch failings as were no prejudice to the Gospel of Christ.

7. There being nothing afferted in the Canon of Scripture but what has fome relation to the edification of the Church, tho fome parts of it have a lefs direct and apparent tendency to this end than others ; if any one paffage or circumftance should have been erroneous, this would diminish the Authority of the Scriptures, and make them in fome degree lefs capable to promote the end for which they were written. And there being fo many particular Gifts, the Gift of Wisdom and of Knowledge; of Tongues, and of Interpretation of Tongues, and of difcerning of Spirits: and fo many diftinct Offices, as Apoftles, and Prophets, and Evangelifts, and Paftors, and Teachers, we cannot conceive how thofe Gifts and thefe Offices could be better employed than in preserving that Book from error, which was to be the standard of Truth for all Ages; or how, if that Book had not been fecured from error by them, these Gifts and Offices had answered the end of their appointment.

Thus much may fuffice to prove the Scri ptures to be infallible in all the parts and cir cumstances of them. But it may be observed, E 2

that

that if the Infallibility of the Sacred Writers had not extended to the words and circumftances, but only to the substantial and fundamental points of Religion, this of itself were enough to vindicate the Divine Authority of the Chriftian Religion. Nay further, if the Scriptures were written only with the fame certainty and integrity that is in Thucydides, or in any other credible Hiftorian (which the moft obftinate and inveterate Adversary can never deny yet even then no man without much unreasonablenefs cou'd reject it.

CHAP. III.

Of the Style of the Holy Scriptures.

WR

Hen God reveals himself to men, he must be fuppofed to do it in fuch a manner,as is fuitable to the neceflities and occafions of those to whom the Revelation is made, and in fuch Language and Forms of Speech, as that he may be understood by those to whom he reveals himself; he may be fuppos'd to fpeak in the Idiom, and in the Metaphors and Phrases in use amongst them, and to allude to their customs and manner of life, to have regard to the condition and state of their affairs, and to condefcend in fome measure to their weaknesses, to speak to their capacities, fo as to be understood in his Laws, and to encourage and excite men to obey them. For

tho

tho the particular reason and design of every Law be not always neceffary to be known, yet it is neceflary that those to whom they are given, fhould know what the Laws are, and that they should have their Duty prefcribed in fuch a way, as may be effectual to recommend the Practice of it to them.

The style of the Holy Scriptures is a fubject which has been largely difcourfed of by Mr Boyle and others. What I intend to say upon it I fhall reduce to these Heads. I. The Grammatical conftruction. II. The Metaphors, and Figures, and Rhetorical Schemes of Speech. III. The Decorum, or fuitableness of the Matter, or the Things themselves. IV. The Method.

I. The Grammatical conftruction and propriety of Speaking. It has been by many obferved, that there is a great refemblance between the style of the Old Teftament, and that of Homer, the most ancient Book we have befides; and it is likewife obfervable, that those things which are by fome looked upon as defects in the Scripture ftyle, as the ufing one Gender, or one Number, or Cafe or Tenfe for another, the putting Participles for Verbs, the Comparative or Superlative for the Pofitive,Actives for Paffives,or Paffives forActives, are particularly taken notice of by Plutarch as In Vit. excellencies in Homer; and he says, they were ufual in Profe as well as in Verse amongst the Antients. Whatsoever Solacisms or ImproE 3 prieties

*

Homer.

+ Vid. Dan.

prieties of Speech are to be found in any part of the Scriptures, the like have been observed Heinf. in Homer, fchylus, Sophocles, Pindar and Proleg. ad Apollonius Rhodius, by their several Scholiafts, Sacr. and in Thucydides by Dionyfius Halicarnaffens, *Dialog. and in Tully by Erafmus and others. Xeno† Apud phon is obferved by + Helladius, not to be alPhot. cod. ways exact in point of Grammar; which cclxxix. he afcribes to his Military Life, and his con

exercit.

Ciceron.

*

versation with strangers. Many Solæcifins are found in the ancient Infcriptions, and in Hyginus, an Author, as it is generally fuppofed of Auguftus's age, which are to be imputed rather to the custom of fpeech amongst the Vulgar, than to the mistake of these Authors. For in Languages fo difficult as the Greek and Latin are, it was impoffible but that the common people must often make great mistakes, which by degrees became cuftomary, and *Vid. were the character of the * Low and Plebeian Præfat. & Style and in the Greek tongue they afcribed Munkeri their Soloecifms to the particular Dialect of in Hygi- the people, among whom they were most in

Schefferi

Differtat.

num.

use.

The Stoicks, who were the most numerous and flourishing Sect of Philofophers in the Primitive times of Chriftianity, had little regard to the Rules of Grammar: for they were cautioned by their Master Chryfippus not to be careful about fuch niceties: and they are Cafaub. in highly commended by a † great Critick for M. Anto expreffing their thoughts, tho commonly with

+ Mer.

nin. lib.

1. n. 14.

words

words very proper and fignificant, yet in a ftyle fo free from all Affectation or Curiofity, as cometh next to the Simplicity of the Holy Scriptures.

*

* Facile eft enim verbum

aliquod ardens (ut ita dicam) notare, idq;, reftinctis jam animorum incendiis,irridere.

The defign of Revelation is not to teach Words but Things, and to express them in fuch words as may ferve for that purpose; and if an improper word or a folccifm may be more ferviceable to that end, it is beyond all exactness and propriety of Language. The truth is, it is a fign of a little Genius to be over-curious about words, as Demofthenes intimated in his Reply to Æfchines, telling him that the Fortunes of Greece did not depend upon a Criticism; which Tully mentioning, fays, it is an easie matter to pitch upon a word spoken in the heat of discourse, and in cool blood to make sport with it. But this is at large treated of by Longinus; and Seneca fpeaks excellently to this purpose; †If you obferve, fays he, that a mans Speech is too nice and critical, be fure that he has a mind taken up with little things. A man of a great mind speaks with the lefs caution and exactness, whatsoever he says, he is better affured of the matter of his difcourfe, than to trouble himself much about words. This is the reason that so many great Authors have afforded fo much work for the Criticks,

Cic. Orator.

t. Cujuicunq; orationem

videris follicitam & politam, fcito animum quoq; non minus effe pufillis occupatum. Magnus ille remiflius loqui

tur & fecurius; quæcunq;

dicit, plus habent fiducia, quam curæ. Senec. Egift.

CXV.