2. There is all the evidence that can be defired that many of these predictions were given long before the events took place, and while there was not the leaft ground from any thing that then appeared, to expect they would ever come to pafs. Thus, all the prophecies in the Old Testament, which have been fulfilled in the days of Chrift's appearance on earth, and of the Apoftles, and fince, 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 fupport her, which have come to pafs, and are now taking place in the world, were publifhed, 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 inftances, all appearances, to human view, were against it.

3. Those prophecies are fuch, and the times and manner in which they are given, fuch as become an almighty, omniscient, infinitely wife and good Being. They are given in an orderly manner, with an apparent good defign, and fuited to answer important ends.-To cftablish 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 fpoke, and fo to be a clear standing evidence that it is a divine revelation, most evidently distinguished from all poffible deception and imposture-To confirm the faith of the friends of God, and direct, fupport and comfort them, under all dark pearances and afflictions, &c. &c.

ap

Surely they who would honeftly attend to these things, and carefully confider and examine the prophecies contained in the Bible, with the exact fulfilment of fo many of them, must be fenfible that they afford clear and abund ant evidence that the writings in this book are from God,

as

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 Ghoft.

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 fo many of the types and exprefs predictions in the Old Teftament, 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 fame time, they prove the divine original of christianity; and therefore that the writings in the New Teftament are from God. And the perfect confiflence and harmony between the writings of the Old Teftament, and those of the New, does alfo afford a ftriking argument of the divine original of each of them. Moreover, Chrift and his Apostles conftantly appeal to the writings of Moses and the Prophets, the fcriptures, as of divine authority, and the oracles of God. This establishes the credit of all thofe writings as given by inspiration of God, so far as the authority and teftimony of Chrift and the Apoftles is of any weight, and worthy of regard; fo that if the writings in the New Teftament be from God, the Old Teftament is from him alfo, and is handed down to us uncorrupted, unless it has been corrupted fince that time, which is many ways impoffible, as might be easily fhewn, were there need of it. At the fame time, the prophecies contained in the Old Teftament, of those very events which are recorded in the New, prove the latter to be from God, as has been fhewn. In a word, the writings in the Old Testament are all established as the oracles of God, by thofe in the New: And that the writings in the New Teftament are by di

vine inspiration, there is much and clear evidence from the writings of the Old. So that there could not be fo much, fo 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 fcriptures were fulfilled in Jefus Chrift, and continue as a body to reject the gospel, as not from God. But this is fo far from being any evidence against the divinity of the writings of the New Teftament, 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 Chrift and the gospel, and for this be caft off by God, and the church be called by another name : So that their unbelief and oppofition to the gospel, is a clear and standing evidence of the truth of it.

IV. THE great care taken by Jews and Chriftians to receive no writings as divinely infpired, but thofe of which they had proper evidence that they were fuch; and to preserve those which they did receive as fuch from being corrupted or altered, is a further evidence that these writings are from God. If God has given a ftanding 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 preferved uncorrupt; and that it shall be handed down to pofterity in fuch manner and circumstances, as that all future generations fhall 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 in the Bible to be received and handed down to us in this manner, it carries an evidence that it is from God, which otherwife we could not have. That the writings of the Old and New Teftaments, have been thus received, and carefully preferved uncorrupt, has been abundantly

abundantly proved by those who have written on the fubject. It would fwell this chapter beyond its defigned brevity to produce this evidence at large. It may fuffice only to observe here, that Jews and Chriftians have been a guard with respect to each other, fo as to render it impoffible 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 chriftians, the different fects and oppofite parties, which early fpring up in the church, made it impoffible that they Could 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.

of

V. THE confiftence and harmony found in the scriptures, is another argument of their divine original. The agreement between the writings of the Old Teftament and thofe of the New, has been already mentioned; but the agreement of every particular part with the whole, and every fentiment and fentence with each other, is the fact now intended. A divine revelation must be perfectly confiftent and harmonious throughout, though it confifts 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 contradi&tions or inconfiftencies can be found in this book, it will be a fufficient reason for rejecting it, as not from God. There may be feeming contradictions, at firft view, and to a fuperficial reader, and to one who does not attend to it with honefty and candor; but with prejudice and difaffection. This we know to be the cafe with respect to human writings, in many inftances, when the fault lies wholly in the ignorance or prejudice of the objector, and the upright and judicious know them to be perfectly confiftent. How much more may we expect it will be

fo

fo with respect to those writings which come from God, and treat of the fublime things refpecting his being, character, kingdom, defigns, laws, works, &c. and which must be really contrary to every wrong propenfity and luft 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 fearched to find them, and have used all their art and plaufible 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 fcriptures, and been the occafion of making their confiftence and harmony more evident and certain, than if no fuch accufation had been brought against them. For the objections of this kind have been critically examined, and found to be entirely groundlefs. And fince 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 moft plaufibly urged, or have had the greatest appearance of inconfiftencies, at first view, appear, upon careful and thorough examination, to be perfectly confiftent, this has caft new light on the fubject, and made it more abundantly evident and certain that there is indeed no inconfiftency 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 impoffible that so many men, who lived in different ages, of different natural tempers, and in fuch different and various circumstances and connections, writing on fuch a variety of fubjects, with fuch difference of manner, ftile and expression, fhould fo perfectly agree; and that even in those passages which at firft view, and to a curfory, inattentive obferver, may feem to contradict each other. There

can