since, were certainly written and published, and in the hands of the Jewish church, long before the events took place. And prophecies of those things relating to the Pope and the church of Rome, and the kings of the earth who commit fornication with her, and join to support her, which have come to pass, and are now taking place in the world, were published, long before any of these things took place, or there was any appearance or probability that they ever would come to pass. And in many instances, all appearances, to human view, were against it.

3. Those prophecies are such, and the times and manner in which they are given such, as become an almighty, omniscient, infinitely wise and good Being. They are given in an orderly manner, with an apparent good design, and suited to answer important ends.-To establish the character of those who spake and wrote in his name, as men inspired by God, and prove that he was the omniscient God who spoke, and so to be a clear standing evidence that it is a divine revelation, most evidently distinguished from all possible deception and imposture-To confirm the faith of the friends of God, and direct, support and comfort them, under all dark appearances and afflictions, &c. &c.

Surely they who would honestly attend to these things and carefully consider and examine the prophecies contained in the Bible, with the exact fulfilment of so many of them, must be sensible that they afford clear and abun dant evidence that the writings in this book are from God, as the prophecies found in it could not come by the will and contrivance of man; but these holy men of God evidently spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

III. The writings in the Old Testament, and those in the New, reflect light and evidence on each other, that they are from God.

This appears from what has been observed on the preceding argument from prophecy: For the exact fulfilment of so many of the types and express predictions in the Old Testament, by the events and things of which we have a history in the New, does abundantly establish the credit of those writings as given by divine

inspiration. And, at the same time, they prove the divine original of christianity; and therefore that the writings in the New Testament are from God. And the perfect consistence and harmony between the writings of the Old Testament, and those of the New, does also afford a striking argument of the divine original of each of them. Moreover, Christ and his apostles constantly appeal to the writings of Moses and the prophets, the scriptures, as of divine authority, and the oracles of God. This establishes the credit of all those writings as given by inspiration of God, so far as the authority and testimony of Christ and the apostles is of any weight, and worthy of regard; so that if the writings in the New Testament be from God, the Old Testament is from him also, and is handed down to us uncorrupted, unless it has been corrupted since that time, which is many ways impossible, as might be easily shewn, were there need of it. At the same time, the prophecies contained in the Old Testament, of those very events which are recorded in the New, prove the latter to be from God, as has been shewn. In a word, the writings in the Old Testament are all established as the oracles of God, by those in the New: And that the writings in the New Testament are by divine inspiration, there is much and clear evidence from the writings of the Old. So that there could not be so much, so great evidence of the divine authority of either of them, if we had only one, without the other.

The Jews did not indeed acknowledge that their scriptures were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and continue as a body to reject the gospel, as not from God. But this is so far from being any evidence against the divinity of the writings of the New Testament, that it is a great confirmation of it. For it was foretold by the prophets, whose writings they acknowledge to be from God, that they should thus reject Christ and the gospel, and for this be cast off by God, and the church be called by another name: So that their unbelief and opposition to the gospel, is a clear and standing evidence of the truth of it.

IV. The great care taken by Jews and christians to receive no writings as divinely inspired, but those of which they had proper evidence that they were such; and to pre

serve those which they did receive as such from being corrupted or altered, is a further evidence that these writings are from God. If God has given a standing revelation to men, which is committed to writing, he will doubtless take care in his providence that it shall be received on good evidence and preserved uncorrupt; and that it shall be handed down to posterity in such manner and circumstances, as that all future generations shall have good evidence, that it was with proper care and caution received at first, and not without good evidence, that it was of divine authority; and that it has been handed down to them uncorrupt. And when we find the writings of the Bible be received and handed down to us in this manner, it carries an evidence that it is from God, which otherwise we could not have. That the writings of the Old and New Testaments have been thus received, and carefully preserved uncorrupt, has been abundantly proved by those who have written on the subject. It would swell this chapter beyond its designed brevity to produce this evidence at large. It may suffice only to observe here, that Jews and christians have been a guard with respect to each other, so as to render it impossible there should be any alteration made in the writings of the Old Testament, in favour of, or against either, without being detected by the other. And among christians, the different sects and opposite parties, which early sprung up in the church, made it impossible that they should agree to alter and corrupt those writings, which were received as divine oracles by them all; and if one sect or party had attempted it, they must have been detected by others.

V. The consistence and harmony found in the scriptures, is another argument of their divine original. The agreement between the writings of the Old Testament and those of the New has been already mentioned; but the agreement of every particular part with the whole, and of every sentiment and sentence with each other, is the fact now intended. A divine revelation must be perfectly consistent and harmonious throughout, though it consists of many parts, and be made by many different men, and at different times and ages distant from each other. Therefore if any real, material contradictions or inconsistencies can be found in this book, it

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will be a sufficient reason for rejecting it, as not from God. There may be seeming contradictions, at first view, and to a superficial reader, and to one who does not attend to it with honesty and candour; but with prejudice and disaffection. This we know to be the case with respect to human writings, in many instances, when the fault lies wholly in the ignorance or prejudice of the objector, and the upright and judicious know them to be perfectly consistent. How much more may

we expect it will be so with respect to those writings which come from God, and treat of the sublime things respecting his being, character, kingdom, designs, laws, works, &c. and which must be really contrary to every wrong propensity and lust of man.

This indeed we find to be verified: Many have thought they have found numerous contradictions in the Bible; and its enemies have eagerly searched to find them, and have used all their art and plausible colouring to make them appear to be real contradictions; and urged them with all their powers against revelation. But this has turned to the advantage of the holy scriptures, and been the occasion of making their consistence and harmony more evident and certain, than if no such accusation had been brought against them. For the objections of this kind have been critically examined, and found to be entirely groundless. And since all the wit and art of men of the best abilities, and under the greatest advantages to try, cannot find any real contradictions in them; and those which have been most plausibly urged, or have had the greatest appearance of inconsistencies, at first view, appear, upon careful and thorough examination, to be perfectly consistent, this has cast new light on the subject, and made it more abundantly evident and certain that there is indeed no inconsistency to be found in them.

This is a very powerful argument that they are given by divine inspiration. For if those writings were only the contrivance of men, it appears impossible that so many men, who lived in different ages, of different natural tempers, and in such different and various circumstances and connections, writing on such a variety of subjects, with such difference of manner, style and ex,

pression, should so perfectly agree; and that even in those passages which at first view, and to a cursory, inattentive observer, may seem to contradict each other. There can be no parallel instance produced under heaven, of any number of writers thus agreeing, though they lived in the same age: and it is difficult to find any one author, not inspired, consistent with himself throughout. Therefore this consistence and harmony running through the writings of such a number of men, who lived in different ages, and which took up the space of fifteen hundred years to complete them, after they were begun, proves they must have been inspired by the all seeing, unchangeable God.

VI. The contents of the Bible, or the truths therein revealed and the duties enjoined, are the greatest and crowning evidence that these writings are given by divine inspiration, and serve to strengthen and confirm all the other arguments which have been mentioned.

This argument will of course be particularly illustrated in the proposed following work, in which the scriptures are to be examined, in order to find what are the truths and duties therein revealed and inculcated; what system of religion is there taught. It may be proper, however, to observe here in general, that we find in the Bible an orderly, intelligible, concise and well connected history of all those events which are most important and necessary to be known by the church, from the beginning of the world, down to the time in which this book was completed. The being, character, designs and works of God, are represented to be such as reason must approve, and pronounce harmonious, and becoming the true God. The state and character of man, and God's designs and works respecting him, are set in a clear light. What God requires of man, as his duty, and the way in which he may find acceptance with God, and be happy, are particularly stated with great plainness. A judgment to come, and a future state of rewards and punishments, are revealed. Promises to those who believe and obey the truth, and threatenings to the disobedient and impenitent, run through all those writings; and the best and strongest conceivable motives are set