SERMON VII. 2 PETER i. 16. We have not followed cunningly devifed fables, when we made known unto you the power and ecming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. T HESE words were fpoken by St. Peter in relation to what is commonly called Chrift's transfiguration, at which he, together with two other apoftles, James and John, was prefent. St Matthew tells us, that they all three faw his face fhine as the fun, and his raiment white as the light; they all three faw a bright cloud, called, by St. Peter, the excellent glory, overshadowing him; and that a voice was heard to come out of the cloud, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed. Concerning this amazing scene, a Matt. xvii. 1. ◄ 2 Peter i. 17. and Matt. xvii. 5. b Matt. xvii. 2, 5....... which fhewed the majesty of Christ, and tơ which St. Peter had been one of the eyewitnesses, he had formerly spoken to his converts; and he here again affures them, that in what he then faid, he had not followed cunningly devifed fables. But though this primarily relates only to that fingle circumftance of our bleffed Lord's history, yet the reason of the thing makes it equally applicable to all that the apoftles of Chrift preached, and to what fome of them wrote, concerning the miracles of his birth and his life, of his refurrection and afcenfion. They were not cunningly devifed fables, but contained a plain and clear, an honeft and a faithful account, as I fhall endeavour to fhew you. I have lately fet before you fome part of that internal evidence, which the gospel of Chrift appears to have; and particularly I attempted to fhew you, that the early propagation of Cristianity fo very widely in the world cannot be accounted for in any reasonable manner by the man who rejects revelation; but that, on the contrary, it can be very fairly accounted for by a Chriftian who reads in the New Testament, that not only Christ wrought miracles, very many and great ones, for proof of his coming from God, but that his apoftles did the fame for several years after his death, and probably as long as they continued in the world. Such a conftant fight of miracles, 'fo long vouchfafed by Heaven, may well be fupposed to have brought over to the Christian faith, the vaft multitudes which are fpoken of in history, facred and profane.* But to give this argument a still greater degree of moral certainty, it is proper, indeed it is neceffary, fince it is called for by unbelievers, to fupport the truth of the gospel by outward evidence, and to fhew you, that the account which we have of Jefus Chrift and his followers, is fuch as may be depended upon for a faithful one; and this will be a direct confequence of the three following propofitions, if urged with all the ftrength that naturally belongs to them, First, That the books of the New Teftament were written by thofe perfons whose names they bear, Secondly, That their account was a faith a Tacitus Ann, xv. 44, ful one, both because they were well-informed of the truth of what they wrote, and because they had no motive for their giving a falfe account. Thirdly, That their writings are come down to us not only uncorrupted, but fo far unaltered, as to be the very fame in the main with what came out of the hands of the facred penmen. As to the first, their being written by thofe perfons whofe names they bear; I mean the four gofpels, for of thefe only I would now be understood to speak. I mention this propofition rather for method's fake, than for the fake of proving it; because the matter of fact is not difputed, I think, by any. If it were, better authorities might be produced for fupporting this truth, than can be produced for any other ancient book; that is to fhew, it was written by him to whom it is commonly ascribed. I pafs on, therefore, to the Second propofition, that the account given a See Richardfon's Canon of the New Teftament vindicated, p. 11, &c. p. 107, &c. and p. 115, 116. and Nye's Defence of the Canon of the New Tetament, p. 47, &c. by |