and thereby a motion is effected in the brain of the person we speak to, whereby we convey our thoughts to him. By this we can easily apprehend, how God can make such impressions on men's brains, as may convey to them such things as he intends to make known to them. The manner and degree of the impression may make it at least as certain that the motion comes from God, as a man may be certain that such a thing was told to him by such a person, and not by any other. From all which it appears, that although the several writers of the Scriptures may be allowed often to use their own words and style, yet this was done under the infallible guidance and influence of the Spirit. As when a man is left to use his own hand, or manner of writing, but is directed in the sense by one who dictates to him, or assists him. And, as miracles were effected by the immediate hand of God, though wrought by the hands of men, so the revelations were of God, though spoken or written by the Prophets and Apostles. To pretend that a book cannot be of divine authority and inspiration, in which there are many marks of human industry, and of the use of men's natural talents in the composure, is no better than to assert, that because we see things brought to pass by the help of natural agents, therefore God doth not exercise his providence in the government of the ordinary course of this world.

Thus much being said concerning the extraordinary inspiration vouchsafed to the Prophets and Apostles, we may here add a word concerning the ordinary inspiration of the Holy Spirit into the hearts of Christians, or the gifts and graces of God's Spirit; whereby he is said to work in us, both to will ana to do; and that we are led by the Spirit; and that he dwelleth in us, for the enlightening our under

s 2 Pet. i. 21. 2 Tim. iii. 16. 1 Kings viii. 53

standing, creating a secret pleasure in the performance of holy duties, raising an inward fervour in prayer, &c. Seeing God gave us the power of knowledge and understanding, it is not absurd to hope or pray that he would increase or enlighten it more. He endued us with the passions of love, joy, fear, &c. and he can exalt or raise them higher in us, and that in spiritual matters or exercises as well as temporal; and lastly, as easily make impressions on men's minds for these purposes, as in the extraordinary inspiration above mentioned.

SECTION V.

Upon what grounds we do believe the Holy Scripture to be the Word of God.

HERE we are to enquire, first, how we came to

believe the truth of matters of fact recorded in the Bible. Secondly, supposing the truth of the history, how it appears that the matters recorded are of divine revelation, and that the doctrine came from God. This seems to be the most rational and proper method of coming to a true judgment in this matter.

First then, we have as great reason to believe the truth of what is contained in the history of the Bible, as we have to believe the truth of any history of actions done before our time: so, for example, though we did not live in the reign of Augustus, or Tiberius, the Roman emperors, about the time of Christ's birth and crucifixion, or in the reign of the former kings of England, as William the Conqueror, Henry VIII. or Edward VI.; yet, since it is the common tradition of the best reputed historians, that there were such emperors of Rome, and such kings of England, and that such and such things happened, and such laws were enacted, and usages ob

served in their reigns, we find ourselves as well sa tisfied in the truth of their history, as if we had lived in their days; so the universal tradition of so many ages and persons, and in such different countries, from the time the things are said to be transacted, together with the institutions and customs all along observed in those several ages, is as clear an evidence of the truth of the matters contained in the holy Scriptures, as things of this nature are capable of1; and there is no more reason to doubt it, than there is to question the authority of any of the most undoubted ancient historians, or the truth of any matter of fact, of which we have the clearest evidences from history, and the universal consent of mankind. And, as it hath been well observed, historical certainty is as certain in its kind, as physical or mathematical are in their kinds; that is, we have as great assurance (and rest as well satisfied therein) that there have been such Roman emperors, and such kings in England, and that such histories were written of them by the persons whose names they bear, as we have of the truth of any of the most plain and clear propositions: so the evidence for the history of the Bible is as certain and full as the

a There are four ways whereby the mind of man can be rightly informed and convinced, concerning any ancient matter of fact. First, The capacity and ability of his informers. Secondly, Their credit with such persons of their times as were under no prejudices. Thirdly, The improbability that such persons could be imposed upon. Fourthly, The folly and danger of endeavouring so to impose upon them, if the matters were not strictly true. And since by these means we find ourselves to rest satisfied, and be convinced in regard to other histories, it seems an important question for any one to ask himself, How comes it to pass, that I am not convinced upon the same or greater motives (as we shall see afterwards) in regard to the history of the Bible?

b So that such as assent not to the authority of the holy Scriptures upon the evidence produced for it, run themselves into greater absurdities than any they pretend to avoid, by rejecting doctrines they do not comprehend.

subject-matter will bear, and such as in other matters of like nature makes us to rest well satisfied, without any kind of hesitation or doubt of the contrary; and consequently ought to be esteemed morally certain or unquestionable, because those books cannot be rejected but upon such principles, whereby we might as well condemn all other authors that have no living evidence to vouch for them. (Note here; the books of the Old and New Testament, except the Apocrypha, are called canonical, from a Greek word, signifying a rule or limit measured out, as being a catalogue or list of such books as contain the rule or measure of faith.)

Secondly, As in general we have sufficient grounds of being fully assured of the matters of fact contained in the Holy Bible; so particularly, as to the Old Testament, it was owned and received in all ages by the ancient church of the Jews, who are the best evidence in this case; and we have no reason to doubt the truth of it. Their commonwealth was settled upon the laws of Moses; and it is not credible they should submit to those burdensome laws and institutions, (such as circumcision; travelling once a year to a great distance to eat the Passover at Jerusalem; parting with the tenth part of their income,) and continue the exercise of them from time to time, without evident proof of their authority; or that they should suffer the fundamental laws of their nation to be changed after a long settlement; as it would be impossible for any one to forge a new Statute Book for England, which had not been seen or heard of before, and persuade the people to believe it to be their ancient laws. Besides, the public solemn festivals, as the Passover and Pentecost, &c. which were constantly kept up, and yearly celebrated, as enjoined in their books, render it as absurd to suppose that those books were not always genuine, as it would be to fancy, that notwithstanding

our constant yearly observation of the feast of Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide, according to the appointment and direction of our Common Prayer Book, ever since the Reformation; yet that there were no such ordinances enjoined, nor any such book authorized, at the beginning of the Reformation.

Once more; the people were commanded from time to time to study themselves, and teach their children, the Law; so that there could not be less than many thousand copies thereof; and every king, for the time being, was to write him a copy of the Law in a book". And, lastly, at the end of every seven years, in the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel was to appear before the Lord in the place he should choose, the Law was to be read before all Israel". All which plainly tended to the preservation of the Jewish religion and laws, free from all falsifying of the same, not to mention that the continued succession of prophets rendered any alteration thereof less practicable.

The other books, which were universally allowed to have been written by sundry persons, extraordinarily inspired at divers times, were gathered together by Ezra, and others of the Sanhedrim, or Great Council, (among whom were the latter prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi,) being all assisted by a divine prophetic spirit, into one book, after the return from the Babylonian captivity, as it is generally agreed by the ancient Jews, from the constant undoubted tradition of their forefathers; to which Nehemiah added f his book.

There seems indeed to have been a great neglect of the sacred books in the beginning of Josiah's reign, and some time before, in the idolatrous reigns of his father and grandfather, Ammon and Manasseh

f

c Deut. xi. 18, 19, 20. d Deut. xvii. 18, &c. e Deut. xxxi. 10, &c. Polyglot. Prolegom. Num. iv. Sect. 2, 3. Du Pin on the Canon of Script. book i. ch. i. sect. 2.