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there is no other principle or means of its discovery, no other rule or measure of judging and determining any thing about or concerning it, but only the writing from whence it is taken: it being wholly of divine revelation, and that revelation being expressed only in that writing. Upon any corruption then supposed therein, there is no means of rectifying it. It were an easy thing to correct a mistake, or corruption, in the transcription of any problem, or demonstration of Euclid, or any other ancient mathematician, from the consideration of the things themselves about which they treat, being always the same, and in their own nature equally exposed to the knowledge and understanding of men, in all ages. In things of pure revelation, whose knowledge depends solely on their revelation, it is not so. Nor is it enough to satisfy us, that the doctrines mentioned are preserved entire; every tittle and twra in the word of God, must come under our care and consideration, as being as such from God; but of these things we shall treat afterward at large; return we now to the apostle.

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This προφητεία γραφος, this written prophecy, this λόγος προφετικός, saith he, ἴδιας ἐπιλύσεως ου γίνεται ; is not of any private interpretation.' Some think that iλúσews is put for ἐπηλύσεως οι ἐπηλυσίας, which, according to Hesychius, denotes afflation, inspiration, conception within; so Calvin. In this sense the importance of the words is the same with what I have already mentioned; namely, that the prophets had not their private conceptions, or self-fancied enthu siasms, of the things they spake. To this interpretation as sents Grotius. And ἐπηλύσεως, for ἐπιλύσεως, is reckoned amongst the various lections that are gathered out of him, in the appendix to the Biblia Polyglotta. Thus idías ¿midóaεws où viveraι, is the other side of that usual expression, ἐπῆλθεν ἐπ ̓ ἐμὲ ὁ λογὸς, οι τὸ πνεῦμα. Camero contends for the retaining of ¿πiλúσews; and justly. We begin a little too late to see, whither men's bold conjectures, in correcting the original text of the Scriptures, are like to proceed. Here is no colour for a various lection; one copy, it seems by Stephen, read diaλúσews; without ground, by an evident error; and such mistakes are not to be allowed the name or place of various readings. But yet, says Camero, èíλvots is such a' resolution' and interpretation as is made by revelation.

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He adds, that in that sense river is used by the LXX, in the business of Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream, Gen. xl. which was by revelation. But indeed the word is not used in that chapter. However, he falls in with this sense (as do Calvin and Grotius), that idlaç kiλúσews, is not to be referred to our interpretation of the prophets, but to the way and manner of their receiving the counsel and will of God.

And indeed, ἰδίας ἐπιλύσεως οὐ γίνεται, taking ἐπίλυσις for an interpretation of the word of prophecy given out by writing, as our translation bears it, is an expression that can scarcely have any tolerable sense affixed unto it; yiverai, or οὐ γίνεται, relates here to προφητεία γραφής; and denotes the first giving out of its word, not our after consideration of its sense and meaning. And without this sense, it stands in no coherence with, nor opposition to, the following sentence, which by its casual connexion to this, manifests that it renders a reason of what is herein affirmed, in the first place; and in the latter, turning with the adversative aλλà, an opposition unto it: οὐ γὰρ θελήματι ἀνθρώπου ἠνέχθη ποτὲ προφη τεία, ἀλλ ̓ ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι ἐλάλησαν ἃγιοί θεοῦ av≈ρwπоfor prophecy came not at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.' What reason is in the first part of this verse, why the Scripture is not of our private interpretation? or what opposition in the latter to that assertion? Nay on that 'supposal, there is no tolerable correspondency of discourse in the whole TEPLOX. But take the word to express the coming of the prophecy to the prophets themselves, and the sense is full and clear.

This then is the intention of the apostle; the prophecy which we have written, the Scripture, was not an issue of men's fancied enthusiasms; not a product of their own minds and conceptions, not an interpretation of the will of God, by the understanding of man, that is, of the prophets themselves; neither their rational apprehensions, inquiries, conceptions of fancy, or imaginations of their hearts, had any place in this business; no self-afflation, no rational meditation, managed at liberty by the understanding and wills of men, had place herein.

Of this, saith the apostle, τοῦτο πρῶτον, γινώσκοντες·

knowing, judging, and determining this in the first place. This is a principle to be owned and acknowledged by every one that will believe any thing else. Tivúoko is not only to know, to perceive, to understand; but also to judge, own, and acknowledge. This then, in our religion, is to be owned, acknowledged, submitted unto, as a principle, without farther dispute. To discover the grounds of this submission and acknowledgment, is the business of the ensuing dis

course.

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That this is so indeed, as before asserted, and to give a reason why this is to be received as a principle, he adds, ver. 21. οὐ γὰρ θελήματι ἀνθρώπου ἠνέχθη ποτὲ προφητεία. That word of prophecy which we have written, is not idías ¿πλúσεç, ́ of private conception,'' for it came not at any time by the will of man.' véxn, which is the passive conjugation of pépw from ivéyкw, denotes at least to be 'brought in ;' more than merely it 'came ;' it was brought into them by the will of God. The affirmative, as to the will of God, is included in the negative, as to the will of man. Or it came as the voice from heaven to our Saviour on the mount; ver. 18. where the same word is used. So Ezek. i. 3. 7 ' in ́essedo fuit verbum;' it was brought into him, as was shewed before. Thus God brought the word to them, and spake in them, in order of nature, before he spake by them. As ivéxen, it was brought to them, it was np the voice of the Lord,' Gen. iii. 8. or pn as the Jews call it; as spoken by them, or written, it was properly verbum Dei,' 'the word of God;' which by his immediate voice he signified to the prophets. Thus some of them in visions, first eat a written book, and then prophesied, as was instanced before. And this is the first spring of the Scripture; the beginning of its emanation from the counsel and will of God. By the power of the Holy Ghost, it was brought into the organs or instruments, that he was pleased to use, for the revelation, and declaration of it unto others.

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That which remains for the completing of this dispensation of the word of God unto us, is added by the apostle; ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι ἐλάλησαν ἅγιοι Θεοῦ ἂνθρωποι. When the word was thus brought to them, it was not left to their understandings, wisdoms, minds, memories, to order,

se, and give it out; but they were borne, acted, carried

out by the Holy Ghost, to speak, deliver, and write, all that, and nothing but that, to every tittle, that was so brought to them. They invented not words themselves, suited to the things they had learned; but only expressed the words, that they received. Though their mind and understanding were used in the choice of words, whence arises all the difference, that is, in the manner of expression (for they did use " 'on' words of will,' or choice), yet they were so guided, that their words were not their own, but immediately supplied unto them; and so they gave out the 'writing of uprightness,' and 'words of truth' itself. Eccles. xii. 10. Not only the doctrine they taught, was the word of truth, truth itself, John xvii. 17. but the words whereby they taught it, were words of truth from God himself. Thus allowing the contribution of passive instruments for the reception and representation of words, which answers the mind and tongue of the prophets, in the coming of the voice of God to them, every apex of the written word is equally divine, and as immediately from God, as the voice wherewith, or whereby, he spake to, or in, the prophets; and is therefore accompanied with the same authority, in itself and

unto us.

What hath been thus spoken of the Scripture of the Old Testament, must be also affirmed of the New; with this addition of advantage and pre-eminence, that apxmv daßev dadɛtodai dià Toũ Kuρíov, Heb. ii. 3. 'it received its beginning of being spoken by the Lord himself;' God spake in these last days, v T vie, 'in the Son;' Heb. i. 1.

Thus God, who himself began the writing of the word with his own finger, Exod. xxxi. 11. after he had spoken it, Exod. xx. appointing or approving the writing of the rest that followed; Deut. xxxi. 12. Josh. xxiii. 6. 1 Kings ii. 3. 2 Kings xiv. 6. xvii. 13. 1 Chron. xxi. 15. 2 Chron. xxv. 4. Ezek. ii. 9, 10. Hab. ii. 2. Luke xvi. 29. John v. 39. xx. 31. Acts xvii. 11. doth lastly command the close of the immediate revelation of his will, to be written in a book; Rev. i. 11. and so gives out the whole of his mind and counsel unto us in writing; as a merciful and stedfast relief, against all that confusion, darkness, and uncertainty, which the vanity, folly, and looseness, of the minds of men, drawn out and heightened by the unspeak

able alterations, that fall out amongst them, would otherwise have certainly run into.

Thus we have laid down the original of the Scriptures, from the Scripture itself; and this original is the basis and foundation of all its authority. Thus is it from God; entirely from him; as to the doctrine contained in it, and the words wherein that doctrine is delivered, it is wholly his; what that speaks, he speaks himself. He speaks in it, and by it; and so it is vested with all the moral authority of God over his creatures.

CHAP. II.

The main question proposed to consideration. How we may know assuredly the Scripture to be the word of God. The Scripture to be received by divine faith. The ground and foundation of that faith inquired after. The answer in the general thesis of this discourse. The authority of God that foundation. The way whereby that authority is evidenced or made known. What is meant by the authority of the Scriptures. Authority is in respect of others. First general evidence given to the thesis laid down. The various ways of God's revealing himself and his mind. 1. By his works; 2. By the light of nature; 3. By his word. Each of these evince themselves to be from him. His word especially.

HAVING laid in the foregoing chapter, the foundation that we are to build and proceed upon, I come now to lay down the inquiry, whose resolution must thence be educed. That then which we are seeking after is, how we, and the rest of men in the world, who through the merciful dispensation of God, have the book or books, wherein the Scripture given out from him, as above declared, is contained, or said to be contained, who live so many ages from the last person who received any part of it immediately from God, or who have not received it immediately ourselves, may come to be ascertained, as to all ends and purposes wherein we may be concerned therein, that the whole and entire written word in that book, or those books, hath the original, and consequently the authority, that it pleads and avows; namely, that

is ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, and not ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, from God, in the ay and manner laid down, and not the invention of men, tending σcooploμévois μúdois, 2 Pet. i. 16. or to 'cunningdevised fables.'

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