was vifible enough, if it were a judgment for the men of Sodom not to fee it; and the Scriptures then are plain and intelligible enough, if it be fo great a judgment not to underftand them.

2. In a powerful and authoritative manner; as the things contained in Scripture do not fo much beg acceptance as command it; in that the expreflions wherein our duty is concerned, are such as awe men's confciences and pierce to their hearts and to their fecret thoughts; all things are open and naked before this Word of God; every fecret of the mind and thought of the heart lies open to its froke and force; it is quick and powerful,harper than a two-edged fword, piercing to the dividing afunder of foul and fpirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a difcerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The word is a telefcope to dicover the great luminaries of the world, the truths of highest concernment to the fouls of men, and it is fuch a microfcope * difcovers to us the fmalleft atom of our thoughts, and difcerns the moit fecret intents of the heart. And as far as this light reacheth, it comes with power and authority, as it comes armed with the majesty of that God who reveals it, whofe authority extends over the foul and confcience of an in its most fecret and hidden receffes.

3. In a pure and unmixed manner; in all other writings, how good foever, we have a great mixture of drofs and gold gether: here is nothing but pure gold, diamonds without flaws, funs without fpots. The most current coins of the world have their alloys of bafer metals, there is no fuch mixture in divine truths; as they all come from the fame author, fo they all have the fame purity. There is a Úsim and Thummim upon the whole Scripture, light and perfection in every part of it. In the Philofophers we may meet, it may be, with fome fcattered fragments of purer metal, amidit abundance of drofs and impure ore; here we have whole wedges of gold, the fame vein of purity and holinefs running through the whole book of Scriptures. Hence it is called "the form of found words;" here have been no huckfters to corrupt and mix their own inventions with divine truths.

4 In an uniform and agreeable manner. This I grant is not fufficient of itfelf to prove the Scriptures to be divine, because all men do not contradict themelves in their writings, but yet here are

fome peculiar circumftances to be confidered in the agreeableness of the parts of Scripture to each other, which are not to be found in mere human writings. 1. That this doctrine was delivered by perfons who lived in different ages and times from each other. Usually one age corrects another's faults, and we are apt to pity the ignorance of our predeceffors, when it may be our pofterity may think us as ignorant, as we do them. But in the Sacred Scripture we read not one age condemning another; we find light ftill increafing in the feries of times in Scripture, but no reflections in any time upon the ignorance, or weaknefs of the precedent; the dimmeft light was fufficient for its age, and was a ftep to further difcovery. Quintilian gives it as the reafon of the great uncertainty of Grammar rules, quia non analogia dimiffa cœlo formam loquendi dedit; that which he wanted as to Grammar, we have as to divine truths; they are delivered from heaven, and therefore are always uniform and agreeable to each other.

2. By perfons of different interests in the world. God made choice of men of all ranks to be inditers of his oracles, to make it appear it was no matter of ftate policy, or particular intereft, which was contained in his word, which perfons of fuch different intereft, could not have agreed in as they do. We have Mofes, David, Solomon, perfons of royal rank and quality; and can it be any mean thing, which thefe think it their glory to be penners of? We have Ifaiah, Daniel, and other perfons of the highest education and accomplishments, and can it be any trivial thing which thefe employ themselves in ? We have Amos, and other prophets in the Old Testament, and the apostles in the New, of the meaner fort of men in the world, yet all thefe join in concert together; when God tunes their fpirits, all agree in the fame strain of divine truths, and give light and harmony to each other.

3. By perfons in different places and conditions; fome in profperity in their own country, fome under banifhment and adverfity, yet all agreeing in the fame fubftance of doctrine; of which no alteration we fee was made, either for the flattery of thofe in power, or for avoiding miferies and calamities. And under all the dif ferent difpenfations before, under, and after the law, though the management of things was different, yet the doctrine and defign was for fubftance the fame in all.

All the different difpenfations agree in the fame common principles of religion; the fame ground of acceptance with God, and obligation to duty was common to all, though the peculiar inftances wherein God was ferved might be different according to the ages of growth in the church of God. So that this great uniformity confidered in thefe circumftances, is an argument that these things came originally from the fame Spirit, though conveyed through different inftruments to the knowledge of the world.

5. In a perfuafive and convincing manner: and that thefe ways, 1. Bringing divine truths down to our capacity, clothing fpiritual matter in familiar expreffions and fimilitudes, that fo they might have the eafier admiffion into our minds. 2. Propounding things as our intereft, which are our duty: thence God fo frequently in Scripture, recommends our duties to us under all thefe motives which are wont to have the greatest force on the minds of men; and annexeth gracious promifes to our performance of them; and thofe of the most weighty and concerning things. Of grace, favor, protection, deliverance, audience of prayers, and eternal happiness, and if thefe will not prevail with men, what motives will? 3. Courting us to obedience, when he might not only command us to obey but punith prefently for difobedience. Hence are all thofe moft pathetical and affectionate ftrains we read in Scripture: "O that there were fuch a heart within them, that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always, that it might go well with them, and with their children after them!--Woe unto thee, O Jerufalem, wilt thou not be made clean? when thall it once be?-Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael? How fhall I give thee up, Ephraim? how fhall I deliver thee Ifrael? how fhall I make thee as Admah? how fhall I fet thee as Zeboim Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.-O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not?" What majesty and yet what fweetnefs and condefcenfion is there in thefe expreffions! What obftinacy and rebellion is it in men for them to itand out agairt God, when he thus comes down from his throne of majesty and woos rebellious finners to return unto him that they may be pardoned! Such a

matchlefs and unparalleled ftrain of thes toric is there in the Scripture, far above art and insinuations of the most admired orators. Thus we fee the peculiar excellency of the manner wherein the matters contained in Scripture are revealed to us: thus we have confidered the excellency of the Scripture, as it is a discovery of God's mind to the world.

The Scriptures may be confidered as a rule of life, or as a law of God, which is given for the government of the lives of men, and therein the excellency of it lies in the nature of the duties, and the encouragements to the practice of them.

1. In the nature of the duties required, which are moft becoming God to require, n:oft reasonable for us to perform.

1. Moft becoming God to require, as they are moft fuitable and agreeable to the divine nature, the imitation of which in our actions is the fubftance of our religion. Imitation of him in his goodness and holi nefs, by our conftant endeavours of mortifying fin and growing in grace and piety. In his grace and mercy, by our kindnes to all men, forgiving the injuries men do unto us, doing good unto our greatest enemies. In his juttice and equity, by doing as we would be done by, and keeping a confcience void of offence towards God and towards men. The firft takes in the duties of the firft, the other the duties of the fecond table. All acts of piety toward God, are a part of justice; for as Tully faith, Quid aliud eft pietas nifi juftitia adverfus deos? And fo our loving God with our whole hearts, our entire and fincere obedience to his will, is a part of natural juftice; for thereby we do but render unto Cod that which is his due from us as we ale his creatures. We fee then the whole duty of man, the fearing God and keeping his commandments, is as neceffary a part of juftice, as the rendering to every man his own is.

2. They are most reafonable for us to perform, in that 1. Religion is not only a fervice of the reasonable faculties which are employed the most in it, the commands of the Scripture reaching the heart molt, and the fervice required being a spiritual fervice, not lying in meats and drinks, or any outward obfervations, but in a fanctified temper of heart and mind, which discovers itself in the courfe of a Chriftian's life: but 2. The fervice itself of religion is reafonable; the commands of the gospel are fuch, as no man's reafon which confiders

them,

Then, can doubt of the excellency of them. All natural worship is founded from the dictates of nature, all inftituted worthip on God's revealed will; and it is one of the prime dictates of nature, that God muft be univerfally obeyed. Befides, God requires nothing but what is apparently man's intereft to do; God prohibits nothing but what will deftroy him if he doth it; fo that the commands of the Scriptures are very jaft and reasonable.

2. The encouragements are more than proportionable to the difficulty of obedience. God's commands are in themfelves eafy, and moft fuitable to our natures. What more rational for a creature than to obey his Maker? All the difficulty of religion arifeth from the corruption of nature. Now God, to encourage men to conquer the difficulties arifing thence, hath propounded the frongeit motives, and moft prevailing arguments to obedience. Such are the confiderations of God's love and goodness manifefted to the world by fendrg his Son into it to die for finners, and give them an example which they are to , and by his readinefs through him to pardon the fins, and accept the perfons lach who fo received him as to walk in ; and by his promifes of grace to affift em in the wrestling with the enemies of eir falvation. And to all thefe add that Murious and unconceivable reward which God hath promifed to all thofe who finrely obey him, and by thefe things we e how much the encouragements overweigh the difficulties, and that none can Dake the least pretence that there is no tive fufficient to down-weigh the trouC'eswhich attend the exercife of obedience to the will of God. So that we fee what a peculiar excellency there is in the scriptures as a rule of life, above all the Precepts of mere moralis, the foundation 4t obedience being laid deeper in man's cbligation to ferve his Maker, the pracrc of obedience being carried higlier in the most holy precepts which are in Scripture, the reward of obedience being comparably greater than what men are le to conceive, much less to promife or butor.

The excellency of the Scriptures appears as they contain in them a covenant of grace, or the tranfactions between God and man in order to his eternal happiness. The more memorable any tranfactions are, the more valuable are any authentic records of them. The Scriptures contain

in them the Magna Charta of heaven, an act of pardon with the royal affent of heaven, a proclamation of good-will from God towards men; and can we then fet too great a value on that which contains all the remarkable paffages between God and the fouls of men, in order to their felicity, from the beginning of the world? Can we think, fince there is a God in the world of infinite goodness, that he should fuffer all mankind to perish inevitably without his propounding any means for efcaping of eternal mifery? Is God fo good to men as to this prefent life; and can we think, if man's foul be immortal, that he should wholly neglect any offer of good to men as to their eternal welfare? Or is it poffible to imagine that man fhould be happy in another world without God's promifing it, and preferibing conditions in order to it? If fo, then this happiness is no free gift of God, unless he hath the bellowing and promifing of it; and man is no rational agent, unless a reward fuppofe conditions to be performed in order to the obtaining it; or man may be bound to conditions which were never required of him; or if they must be required, then there must be a revelation of God's will, whereby he doth require them; and if fo, then there are fome records extant of the transactions between God and man, in order to his eternal happiness: for what reafon can we have to imagine that fuch records, if once extant, fhould not continue fill, efpecially fince the fame goodnefs of God is engaged to preferve fuch records, which at first did caufe them to be indited? Suppofing then fuch records extant fomewhere in the world, of thefe grand tranfactions between God and men's fouls, our befineis is brought to a period; for what other records are there in the world that can in the leaft vie with the Scriptures, as to the giving fo just an account of all the tranfactions between God and men from the foundation of the world? which gives us all the steps, methods, and ways whereby God hath made known his mind and will to the world, in order to man's eternal falvation? It remains only then that we adore and magnify the goodness of God in making known his will to us, and that we fet a value and esteem on the Scriptures, as the only authentic inftruments of that Grand Charter of peace, which God hath revealed in order to man's eternal happiness.. Stilling fleet.

§ 177. The prevalence of Christianity, an

argument of its divinity.

The establishment of the Chriftian religion among men is the greatest of all miracles. In fpite of all the power of Rome; in fpite of all the paffions, interefts, and prejudices of fo many nations; fo many philofophers; fo many different religions; twelve poor fishermen, without art, without eloquence, without power, publifh and spread their doctrine throughout the world. In fpite of a perfecution for three centuries, which feemed every moment ready to extinguish it; in fpite of continued and innumerable martyrdoms of perfons of all conditions, fexes, and countries; the truth in the end triumphs over error, pursuant to the predictions both of the old and new law. Let any one fhew fome other religion, which has the fame marks of a divine protection.

A powerful conqueror may establish, by his arms, the belief of a religion, which flatters the fenfuality of men; a wife legiflator may gain himfelf attention and refpect by the usefulness of his laws; a fect in credit, and fupported by the civil power, may abufe the credulity of the people: all this is poffible: but what could victorious, learned, and fuperftitious nations fee, to induce them fo readily to Jefus Chrift, who promifed them nothing in this world but perfecutions and fufferings; who propofed to them the practice of a morality, to which all darling paffions muft be facrificed. Is not the converfion of the world to fuch a religion, without miracles, a greater and more credible one, than even the greateft of thofe which fome than even the greatest of those which fome

refufe to believe?

Fenclon.

He that well confiders the force of thofe arguments which are brought to establish the truth of the Chriftian religion; that fees how they all (though drawn from different topics) confpire in the moft perfect manner to convince the world of the divine original of this faith; would fcarce think it poffible, that the reafon and understanding of mankind should ever oppofe it; will therefore conclude there is fomething more than pure infidelity at the bottom, aud that they are not mere feru. ples of the mind which create so long and violent contention.

If he thinks on the excellency of the

precepts of the Chriftian religion, he finds them of the fitteft nature poffible to perfuade him to receive it as the contrivance

of heaven.

God, fo beneficial and improving to human nature, and fo conducive to the welfare and happiness of fociety,

They are all fo worthy of

fpeedy propagation of this faith through the world, with its triumph over the wit and policy, the force and malice of its formidable enemies; and all this accom plished by fuch methods, as the reafon of foolish and abfurd: he fees here the overmankind would have pronounced the moft ruling hand of God, which alone could give it fuch aftonishing fucceffes, by thofe very ways and means from which its utter confufion was to be expected.

When he confiders the ftrange and

and unquestionable prophecies, concerning The exact accomplishment of exprel

the most remarkable events of the world,

is a folemn appeal to all reasonable nature, which contains fuch plain and wonderful whether that revelation be not truly divine. predictions.

Chrift and his apoftles, in confirmation o Laftly, The miracles wrought by Je this faith and doctrine, are fuch proofs e the near concern which heaven had there in; that he who confiders them, and at the fame time calls Christianity an impofture muft either take pains to avoid knowing the finger of God, when he fees it, or the do infinitely worfe, by afcribing the m nifeft effects thereof to mean artifice, or diabolical power.

From thefe topics the truth of Chriftia nity has been fo fubftantially argued, an fo clearly proved; that, by all the rules of right reafon in ufe amongst mankind, it is rendered plainly abfurd and irrationa to reject it. One need not wish to fee an adverfary reduced to worfe extremitie than one of thofe arguments well manage and preffed home would reduce him to provided he were kept from excurfie and obliged to return no answers but whe were directly to the purpose.

Humphrey Detten.

That there was fuch a perfon as Jefe of Nazareth, in Galilee, in the time Tiberius Cæfar, the Roman emperor; the he had a company of poor men for his difer ples; that he and his difciples went abo the country of Judea, teaching and presc

ing; that he was put to death upon the crofs, after the Roman manner, under Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea; that after his death, his difciples went about into all, or molt parts of the then known world, teaching and preaching, that this Jefus was the Chrift, the Son of God, and Saviour of the world, and that he was rifen from the dead, and gone into heaven; that in a few years they conve ted a very great tumber of people, in all places, to this belief; that the profeffors of this belief were called Chriftians; that they were most truelly perfecuted, and many thousands of trem put to death, and that with the molt exquifite torments, for no other reason, but because they were Chriftians; that thefe perfecations were feveral times renewed gainst them, for the space of about three hundred years; and yet, for all this, that the number of Chriftians daily encreased, and that not only idiots and unlearned ren, but great fcholars and philofophers were converted to Chriflianity, even in the times of perfecution; all this, being merely matter of fact, was never yet denied by the great enemies of the Chriftian religion. And, indeed, thefe things are fo abuncantly teflified by the hiftories, and other wings of thofe times; and have been fo generally received for truth, as well by he oppofers as believers of Chriftianity, tva contant, univerfal, and uninterrupted tradition, from those days, even unto this Le; that a man may as well deny the truth of any, or of all, the hiflories of the world, as of this. Archbishop Synge.

130. Superiority of the Gospel to all other writings, an argument of its truth.

To what was it owing, that the Jewish, writers fhould have fuch lovely and great deas of God, and fuch juft notions of the worship due to him, far above any thing which we meet with in the writings of the greatest lights of the Heathen world; every ne of which either patronized idolatry, or fell into errors of worfe confequence? Can it be accounted for by the force of natural or human affittances? No, the eminent lofophers of Athens and Rome equalled tem, it is certain, in natural abilities, and exceeded them confeffedly in the fupeructures of acquired knowledge, and all the advantages of a refined education. It mat be therefore owing to fome fupernatural or divine helps; and none, but he, whom are contained all the treafures of

wifdom, could have enriched their minds to fuch a degree, and furnithed fuch a vaft expence of thought. If Judea was ennobled by thefe exalted notions, of which other nations, who were funk into the dregs of polytheism and idolatry, were deftitute; if the kindly dew of heaven defcended on this ficece only, while all the earth around betrayed a want of refreshing moisture; this was the Lord's doing, and ought to be marvellous in our eyes.

Had God revealed himself to the Greeks, or fome other nation famed for their curious researches into every branch of litera. ture, and for the depths of wisdom and policy; thofe truths, which were so many emanations from the great fountain of light, would have been looked upon as the refult of their penetration, and their own difcoveries: but by communicating his will to a people of no inventive and enterprizing genius, of no enlarged reach and compafs of thought; fuch fufpicions are avoided, and the proofs of a revelation more confpicuous and illuftrious. And this may be one reafon among others, why, at a time when the rest of the world were bigoted to fuperftition, idolatry, and a falfe religion, God fingled out this nation, in that point not fo corrupt as others, to be the guardian and depofitary of the true.

If nothing recommended the Scripture but this fingle confideration, that all thofe collected beams of spiritual light center in it alone, which were widely diffufed amidst a variety of treatifes, and loft amidst a crowd of palpable abfurdities; even this would be no improbable argument of its divinity: but this is not all: let us, in order to compile an adequate, unerring standard of religious truths, take in all the affitances we can get from all the philofophers in Greece, from Tully at Rome, nay even from Confucius as far as China; and yet, after all, the fcheme will be defective in what the Scriptures have recommended, a pure, rational worship of God only, in fpirit and in truth, a fulness of pardon for every fin upon repentance, and the nobleness of the rewards hereafter. The love of God will not be required in fo high a degree, as it is in the Scriptures; nor enforced by fo ftrong a motive as our Saviour's dying for mankind has done; nor our charity and love to the diftrefied recommended by fo powerful an incentive, as that our Redeemer has made them his reprefentatives, and will place to his own R 3

account