"faith; that all Christians prove their doctrines out of "the Old and New Testament; and that the majesty "of God dictated what Paul wrote."

7. EUSEBIUS quotes with approbation a writer more ancient than himself, who says, "they who corrupt the "sacred Scriptures abolish the standard of the ancient "faith, neglecting the words of the divine writings, "out of regard to their own reasonings ;" and afterwards, "that they either do not believe that the "Holy Spirit uttered the Divine Scriptures, and then "they are infidels; or think themselves wiser than the "Spirit, and in that case seem to be possessed."

8. THEOPHILUS ANTIOCHENUS says, that "the "evangelists and apostles wrote by the same Spirit "that inspired the prophets."

9. Nearly all the other Christian writers in the first three centuries, whose performances have wholly or partly reached us, speak of the Scriptures as divine, call them the Holy Scriptures, the sacred fountain, the divine fountains of salvation, &c. evidently implying their inspiration. And in those early ages the whole church agreed in sentiment, that no books should be received into the Canon of Scripture of whose inspiration there was any doubt (k).

Thus, then, we see, that in the primitive ages the universal opinion was in favour of the inspiration of the Scriptures. Let us next inquire how far this opinion

(k) The curious reader may consult farther the testimonies collected by Dr. Whitby, vol. i. Pref., by Dr. Lardner in the Second Part of his Credibility, Dr. Doddridge in his Lectures on Divinity, and in his Family Expositor, vol. iii.

grows naturally out of an examination of the Scriptures themselves. Considered in relation to the present subject, the books of Scripture fall under three classes :the prophetical books; the historical books of the Old Testament; and the New Testament, being in part historical, in part doctrinal.

Now, as to the prophetical books, their divine authority and their inspiration follow at once from the completion of several of the predictions they contain: the entire fulfilment of the whole is not essential to the argument.

The inspiration of the New Testament may be inferred from the language of our Lord, and that of the apostles. Thus, Jesus Christ promised extraordinary assistance to his apostles. He promised them "the "Comforter," "the Holy Spirit," "the Spirit of "Truth," who should "testify of him," should "teach "them all things, bring all things to their remem"brance whatsoever Christ had said unto them, should "guide them into all truth, should abide with them "for ever, and show them things to come." (1) Again, he says, "When the Comforter is come, whom I will "send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of "Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall "testify of me; and ye also [being so assisted] shall "bear witness." (m) From these passages it is but "fair and reasonable to conclude, that the aid of this "Heavenly Guide was to be vouchsafed them on all "suitable occasions; and surely no occasions could render it more expedient than when they were engaged (1) John, xiv. 16—26, xvi. 13. (m) John, xv. 26, 27.

in delivering written instructions, whether in the form of Gospels or of Epistles, which were intended for the edification of the Christian church till "time should "be no longer." In fact, the Spirit could not abide with them for ever, in relation to the church, in any other way than by preserving the word they delivered from such human or diabolical depreciation and corruption as might render it injurious instead of being salutary.

It will also be worth our while to notice the remarkable language in which Jesus Christ promises his apostles the extraordinary assistance of the Spirit while they are defending his cause before magistrates. "Settle "it therefore in your hearts not to meditate before "what ye shall answer; for I will give you a mouth “and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be "able to gainsay or resist. Take no thought how or "what ye shall speak; for it shall be given to you in "that same hour what ye shall speak: for it is not you "that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that "speaketh in you." (n) If this were to be the case "when they pleaded before magistrates, how much more "reason is there to conclude, that when they were "writing for the use of all future generations, it was "not so much they who wrote, as the Spirit of the "Father who dictated to them, and thus wrote by "them." For the occasion is evidently much more important in the latter instance than in the former: an error in their writings would have a much more extensive, permanent, and injurious influence than any error

(n) Luke, xxi. 14, 15. Matt. x. 19, 20. Mark, xiii, 11.

that could occur in a pleading or argument, necessarily of transient impression, before a magistrate. In truth, it is quite incredible that they who were assisted by the Holy Spirit, in their pleadings and when they preached, should be deserted by that Spirit when they committed what they had preached to writing. It is equally incredible that they who possessed the gift of discerning spirits should be endowed with no gift of discerning the truth of facts. We have an instance on record in which St. Peter detected a falsehood by the light of inspiration: and surely it was not of less importance to the church, that the apostles and evangelists should be enabled to detect falsehoods in the history of our Saviour's life, than that St. Peter should be enabled to detect Ananias's lie about the sale of an estate. The apostles were led by the Spirit into "all truth;" would they be permitted to lead the whole church for ages into error? Would they be permitted to leave behind them as authentic memoirs of their master's life and discourses, and of the doctrines which he appointed them to teach, narratives compiled without judgment or selection, and without the guidance of the Spirit he promised to confer upon them?

Let it be considered in this connexion, that even the apostles who had enjoyed the benefit of the society, the example, the instruction of their Divine Master, were not competent to become even oral teachers in his kingdom, until the effusion of the Spirit at the day of Pentecost; and that, à fortiori, new converts, whether Jews or Gentiles, would, without extraordinary aid, have been less competent than they. The "hundred

"and twenty," also received the Spirit; for it is said, "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began "to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them "utterance." That is, they were inspired to speak with truth; and hence, as the apostles were endowed with the highest illumination, theirs was an inspiration suited to the exigencies of what were meant to be permanent records for the instruction of the church.

We who not only are favoured with the complete canon of Scriptures; but, by means of the art of printing, can multiply copies to every imaginable extent with the utmost facility, are seldom led to ask how correct religious instruction could be given, or how could the ordinary services of religious assemblies be conducted, before the sacred penmen had delivered in writing the new covenant revelation. Yet that was neither a short nor an unimportant interval in the annals of the church.

Matthew's Gospel was written some say eight, others fifteen years, after our Lord's ascension. The Gospels by Mark and Luke, some years later. The book of the Acts still later. John's Gospel, probably not until after his return from his banishment in Patmos. The earliest of the Epistles is not supposed to have been written sooner than seventeen or eighteen years after the ascension. And it took nearly forty years more to publish the remainder of them. A much longer period would be required to circulate the whole of these books, or nearly the whole, historical and doctrinal, even partially among the churches, that is, so that each church should possess one complete series of the books which