claim to a divine original; and the claim is just, as will be seen. The Prophets frequently introduce their prophecies and discourses, by saying, The word of the Lord came to them; and with a, Thus saith the Lord, Isa、 i. 10. Jer. ii. 1, 2. And our Lord expressly calls the scripture the word of God, John x. 35. Before I proceed any further, in the proof of the divinity of the sacred Scriptures, I shall premise the following things:

1. That when we say that the Scriptures are the word of God, or that this word is of God; we do not mean that it was all spoken with an articulate voice by him; or written imme diately by the finger of God. The penmen wrote as they were directed, dictated, and inspired by him, and "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

In

II. Not all that is contained in the scriptures is of God. Some are the words of others; yea, some are the speeches of Satan. There are also speeches of bad men, as of Cain, Pharoah, and others, ordered to be written, to discover the more the corruption of human nature: and even of good men, as of Moses, David, Jonah, and particularly the friends of Job. the writings and discourses of the apostle Paul, are several quotations out of heathen authors; one out of Aratus, when he was discoursing before the wise men at Athens; as certain, says he, of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring, Acts xvii. 28. Another out of Menander; Evil communications corrupt good manners, 1 Cor. xv. 33. And another out of Epimenides, a poet of Crete, a testimony of his against the Cretians, who said they were, always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

III. Let it be observed, that not the matter of the scriptures only, but the very words in which they are written, are of God. This may be confirmed from the testimonies of the writers. themselves: says David, one of the writers of the Old Testament, The spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue, 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. And the apostle Paul speaks of himself, and other inspired apostles of the New Testament, Which things, says he, we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, 1 Cor. ii.

13. and it is the writing, or the word of God as written, that is by inspiration af God, 2 Tim. iii. 16. But then,

IV. This is to be understood of the scriptures, as in the original languages in which they were written, and not of translations. Let not any be uneasy in their minds about translations on this account, because they are not upon an equality with the original text, and especially about our own; when ever a set of men have been engaged in this work, as were in our nation, men well skilled in the languages, and partakers of the grace of God; of sound principles, and of integrity and faithfulness, having the fear of God before their eyes; they have never failed of producing a translation worthy of acceptation; and in which, though they have mistook some words and phrases, and erred in some lesser and lighter matters; yet not so as to affect any momentous article of faith or practice; and therefore such translations as ours may be regarded as the rule of faith.

Here I cannot but observe the amazing ignorance and stu. pidity of some persons, who take it into their heads to decry learning and learned men; for what would they have done for a Bible, had it not been for them as instruments? Bless God, and be thankful that God has, in his providence, raised up such men to translate the Bible into the mother tongue of every nation, and particularly into ours.

1. From the subject-matter of them-1. In general there is nothing in them unworthy of God; nothing contrary to any of the perfections of his nature; no falshood nor contradiction in them; nothing impious or impure, absurd or ridiculous in them; as in the Al-koran of Mahomet; or as in the Pagan treatises of their gods. 2. The things contained in the Scriptures are pure and holy: the holy Spirit dictated them, holy men spoke and wrote them, and they are justly called holy Scriptures, Rom. i. 2. and plainly shew they came from the holy God. Hence it is that there is in natural men, whose carnal minds are enmity to God, such a backwardness, yea, an aversion to reading the Scriptures. 3. There are some things recorded in the Scriptures, which could never have

been known but by revelation from God himself; as particularly with respect to the creation of the world, and the original of mankind; the choice of men in Christ to everlasting salvation, the council held between the divine persons, concerning the salvation of man; all which could never have been known unless God himself had revealed them. 4. There are some things recorded in the Scriptures as future, which God only could foreknow would be, and foretel with certainty that they should be; and which have accordingly come to pass, and proves the revalation to be of God. Some of them relate to particular persons, and contingent events; as Josiah, David, and Cyrus. Others relate to kingdoms and states, and what should befal them; as the Egyptians, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Assyrians, Babylonians, and others, especially the prophecies concerning Christ, are peculiarly worthy of notice. 5. There are some things in the Scriptures, which, though not contrary to reason, yet are above the capacity of men ever to have made a discovery of: as the Trinity of persons in the Godhead; &c. 6. The things contained in the scriptures, whether doctrines or facts, are harmonious; though delivered at sundry times, and in divers manners, as to historical facts, what seeming contradictions may be observed in any of them are easily reconciled, with a little care, diligence, and study, and even these instances are but few, and not very material; and which never affect any article of faith or practice: such care has divine providence taken of these peculiar and im portant writings.

II. The stile and manner in which the Scriptures are writ. ten, is a further evidence of their divine original; the majesty in which they appear, the authoritative manner in which they are delivered; not asking, but demanding, attention and assent unto them; the sublimity of the stile is such as exceeds all other writings: the book of job, and the prophecies of Isaiah are fraught with a rich treasure of divine elocution: it is remarkable that in some of the inspired writers, who have been bred up in a rustic manner, are found some of the most grand images, and lively picturesques, and highest flights of language, as in Amos the herdman, chap. iv. 13. and ix. 2. 6.

111. Another argument for the divine authority of the Scriptures, may be taken from the penmen and writers of them.1. Many of these were men of no education, in a low station of life; what they wrote, both as to matter and manner, were above and beyond their ordinary capacities, and could not be of themselves. 2. They lived in different times and places, and were of different interests and capacities, and in different conditions and circumstances; yet they all speak and write the same things. 3. They were holy and good men. 4. They appear to be plain honest, and faithful men. 5. They were disinterested men. Moses, when it was offered to him, by the Lord, to make of him a great nation, and cut off the people of Israel for their sins, refused it more than once; prefering the public good of that people, to his own advantage. The apostles of Christ, sought not the wealth of men, nor honour from them; but on the contrary, exposed themselves to reproach, poverty, vexation, and trouble; yea, to persecution, and death itself. In short, the writers of the Scriptures seem to be men that neither could be imposed upon themselves, nor sought to impose on others.

IV. Another argument may be drawn from the many wonderful effects the sacred writings, attended with a divine power and influence, have had upon the hearts and lives of men. Every good man has a testimony within himself of its divine. authority, see 1 John v. 9, 10.

v. The testimony bore to the Scriptures by miracles, abundandy confirm the genuineness of them, and that they are of God; such as were done by Moses and the prophets of the Old Testament, and by the apostles of the New; these God would never do to establish the character of impostors, or to confirm a lie.

VI. The hatred and opposition of men and the enmity of devils, to them, afford no inconsiderable argument in favour of the divinity of them: by these are to be known the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error; what is of the world, and merely human, is approved by the men of the world, but what is of God, is rejected, 1 John iv. 5, 6.

VII. The awful judgment of God on such as have despised them, and have endeavoured to destroy them, are no mean evidence that they are of God; the instance of Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria, and of Dioclesian, the Roman emperor : the one shewed a despite to the books of the old Testament, the other more especially to the books of the New Testament; and both were highly resented by the divine Being, who here'by shewed himself the author of both.

VIII. The antiquity and continuance of these writings may be improved into an argument in favour of them: Tertullian says, "That which is most ancient, is most rue." The most early of heathen writings extant, are the poems of Homer and Hesiod, who flourished about the times of Isaiah; the divine writings have been preserved notwithstanding the malice of men and devils, some of them some thousand of other writings are lost and perished.

years, when

To which may be added, that the Scriptures receive no small evidence of the authority of them, from the testimonies of many heathen writers agreeing with them, with respect to the chronology, geography, and history of them. I go on to consider.

II. The perfection of the Scriptures. They relate all things necessary to salvation, every thing that ought to be believed and done; and are a complete, perfect standard of faith and practice which may be proved.

1. From the author of them who is God? God is a perfect Being in whom is no darkness of ignorance, error, and imperfection; they coming from him, must be free from every thing of that kind.

II. From the name they go by, a Testament. A man's testament, or will, contains the whole of his will and pleasure, concerning the disposition of his estate.

111. From the epithet of perfect, being expressly given unto them; The law of the Lord is perfect, Psal. xix. 7.

IV. From the essential parts of them, the Law and Gospel; to which two heads the substance of them may be reduced. the Law is a perfect rule of duty; it contains what is the good,