and the Condition of the Writers, who were "all the Friends and Followers of Jefus, gives

the whole a very fufpicious Afpect." To which it is answered, that the Evangelifts (who without being Friends and Followers of Jefus, could not have been fo well qualified to write his Life and Tranfactions) were honeft and undefigning Men, recording things plainly, and without any artful Infinuation; and fo free and impartial in their Accounts, as neither to conceal their Master's mean Condition, nor their own Faults and Failings; that they had fufficient means of Information in what they were to record, and no vifible Intereft in the leaft to sway them against their Knowledge: That they ventured to publish their Gospels in a fhort time after their Lord's Afcenfion; tho' they knew that Shame, and Perfecution, and Death it felf, (which they underwent with the utmoft Bravery) would be the result of fo doing. That their Gofpels, when made publick, appeared to be far above their Skill and Capacity, fingly confidered, to invent, and when compared together, fufficiently uniform and confiftent; and (what is no mean Confideration) that their greatest Enemies, in their own Writings, have either afferted or acknowledged the most material parts of their Narrations: and therefore it must needs follow, that, according to the genuine Marks of a true Hiftorian, we have greater Security, than any buman Hiftory can pretend to, of the Faithfulness of the Evangelifts, and of the Certainty of every thing contained in their Writings: and, that the Contents of their Writings, in their defcent to us, have not fuffered any confiderable Alteration, but from the Days of the Apostles to

the

the prefent Age, have always been the fame: The long Continuance of the Autographa int he Church; the many Copies and Tranfcripts taken from them; and their early Tranflations into various Languages; have, under the Providence of God, been our Security.

THE 24 Section treats of the Divine Infpiration of Evangelical Writers: and to this the Objection is "That the very Writers them

felves, by the Errors and Offences of their "perfonal Conduct, their Inconsistencies, if not "Contradictions in feveral Inftances; their Mif"quotations of fome paffages in Scripture, " and their doubtful manner of expreffing "others; by their giving Directions in Matters "of a trivial nature; their exhorting their "Followers to the means of acquiring Know

ledge; their confulting with one another in "difficult Queftions; and their frequent De"clarations, that themfelves both fpake and "wrote according to their own Sentiments (all "inconsistent with a Divine Infpiration) give . us abundant reason to think, that, in their "Compofitions, they were actuated no other"wife, than common Authors are, who are left "to the exercise of their own Faculties. Nay,

the Negligence of their Stile, and Confufion ❝of their Method, would tempt one to be"lieve they were far from having the known "Parts and Abilities of many a common Wri "ter." To which it is anfwered, that the Recorders of the New Teftament, according to their own Declarations; the Nature and End of their Writings; the Teftimony of their imme diate Succeffors; and the Confent of Chriftians in all Ages; were actually affifted by the Spirit of God: That this Affiftance, however varied according

according to the Subject Matter they were upon; if it were a Matter of Fact, their Memories were only strengthened and confirmed; if it were a Matter of Reasoning, their Understandings were enlightened, and their Judgement directed, (the Words ftill remaining their own;) but if a Matter of pure Revelation, then both the Words and Things seem to have been dictated by the Holy Ghoft: That this different Degree of Infpiration, which was not always permanent and habitual, did not, in most things, debar them from their own Stile and Method of Writing; did not exempt them from perfonal Faults and Failings, did not fuperfede the ufual Forms of Speech, or the common Affairs of Life, did not exclude them from the ordinary Means of acquiring Knowledge, or vacate the Neceffity of their meeting together for the Decifion of Controverfies; tho' it certainly fecured them, not only from all grofs Errors in Points of Doctrine, but -from real Contradictions in Matters of an inferior nature. And therefore our Author reconciles St. Matthew and St. Luke in the Bufinefs of our Saviour's Genealogy; explains the Paffage of Matt. [chap. i. ver. 23.] wherein he is called a Nazarene, clears up that other in chap. xxvii. ver. 9, which feems to be mifquoted under the Name of Zechary, and accounts for fome other Omiffions, Tranfpofitions, and various Readings; which, in the very Nature of Tranfcrip tions, are unavoidably incident to other Books, as well as the Holy Scriptures; and, when rightly - confidered, can be of no efficacy to invalidate the Authority of either.

THE 3d Section treats of the Canon of the New Teftament; and the Objection to this is

That fince the Tranfmutations in the Writings

"thereof

"thereof, have been fo many, and their Ge"nuineness so often difputed; fince fome Pieces, "which were at first received, were afterwards

rejected as fpurious; and others, which were "at firft rejected, were afterwards received as "canonical: nay, fince there was no fingle "Book of the New Teftament, which was not "refused by fome of the Ancients, as unjustly "fathered upon the Apostles; how fhall we "know, with any tolerable Certainty, whether "one authentick Copy of all they wrote, has "ever defcended to us?" To which it is replied, That, if the primitive Chriftians had fufficient Means and Opportunities of knowing what Books were genuine, or of Apoftolick Writing; if, in the latter end of the firft Century, the Canon of the New Teftament was fettled by St. John, a Perfon every way qualified for that Purpose; and, not long after that, recommended to the Churches every where, and recognized by Synods and Councils; if these Apoftolick Books were mentioned and recited in the Works of the most ancient Fathers, and acknowledged to be fuch in the Writings of those, who were utter Enemies to the Chriftian Caufe; if fome few of those, whofe Pretenfions were at firft difputed, were afterwards allowed to be genuine by the best Judges, were received into the Canon much fooner than is pretended, and fuffered no difcredit, but had rather their Authority confirmed by their late Admiffion; and if, after fuch Admiffion, they were all along appealed to, as decifive in Controverfies, by Parties of every Denomination, who kept too jealous a watch upon each other, ever to fuffer any notorious Corruption or Interpolation to affect them (all which our Author has proved at large)

then

then have we the beft Security, that the nature of the Thing will bear, that the Canon of the Scripture has been transmitted to us entire, notwithstanding the Variety of its Lections, which have been occafioned purely by the number of its Copies and Editions.

THE 4th Section compares the Evidence of Miracles and Prophecies together; and to this it is objected, "That Miracles alone are far from "being a valid Proof of the Truth of any Re"ligion, because they may be done by Cheats "and Impoftors, by a diabolical, as well as a "divine Power. But, fuppofing they be true,

yet, both according to our Saviour's account "[Luke xvi. 31.] and that of his Apoftle [2 Pet. "i. 18, 19.] they are a proof of an inferior na"ture to that of Prophecy, (which is therefore "conftantly appealed to) and yet Prophecy it "felf is but a weak one: For, to look into the "Writings of the Prophets, and obferve in "what manner they are applied by the Apostles "and Evangelifts, one muft needs conclude, "that they are no otherwise to be understood, "than in a Typical, Mystical, and Allegorical "Senfe, which, according to Scholaftick Rules, " is no proof at all; and confequently the Argument from Prophecy for the Truth of "Christianity (tho' certainly the best that Be

lievers have to produce) is inconclufive, if "not ridiculous; and the Religion, built there"on, precarious, if not delufive." To which it is replied, That real and true Miracles can be performed only by God, or by Perfons delegated and commiffioned by him; that our bleffed Saviour, who was fent to inftitute a new Religion, was, in the Nature of Things, obliged to fhew his Credentials by working of Miracles: That Miracles,