of arguments and to the veracity [foris testificantium] of external testimonies. (1 Cor. xiii, 9, 12; Gen. xv, 6, 8, with Rom. iv, 19-21; Judges vi, 36-39; Heb. xi, 32, 33; John iii, 2, 10; James ii, 19; John v, 32-36; Matt. xiii, 2.-Heb. vi, 11; x, 22; Ephes. iii, 12; Matt. xii, 38, 39; xvi, 1; Luke xvi, 30, 31; Matt. xxvii, 42; John xii, 37; Luke xxiv, 27, 44, 45; 2 Cor. i, 22; Ephes. i, 13, 14; John iv, 42.)

IX. (8.) A distinction must be drawn between (i.) those who heard God or Christ speaking to them Himself, or addressing them through angels, prophets, or apostles, and who first reeived the sacred books; and (ii.) those who, as their successors, have the Scriptures through their traditione] delivery. (Judges ii, 7, 10; Heb. ii, 3; John xx, 29.) For the former of these classes, miracles and the actual fulfilment of predictions, which occurred under their own observation, were capable of imparting credibility to the words and writing: But to the latter class, the narration, both of the doctrine, and of the arguments employed for its confirmation, is proposed in the Scriptures, and must be strengthened by its own arguments. (Isai. xliv, 7, 8; 1 Cor. xiv, 22.) (9.) A distinction may indeed be made between the truth of Scripture and its Divinity, that progress may be gradually made through a belief of the former to a belief in the latter. But these two can never be disparted; because, if the Scriptu es be true, they are of necessity Divine. (John iv, 39–42; 1 Pet. i, 21.) (10.) Lastly, We must here reflect, that the secret things of God, and the doctrine of Christ in reference to its being from God, are revealed to little children, to the humble, to those who fear God, and to those who are desirous to do the will of the Father; (Matt. xi, 25; James iv. 6; Psalm xxv, 14; John vii, 17; 1 Cor. ii, 20, 27;) and that, on the contrary, to the wise men of the world, to the proud, to those who reject the counsel of God against themselves and judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life, to foolish and perverse men, and to those who resist the Holy Ghost, the mystery of God and the Gospel of Christ are hidden and continue unrevealed; nay, to such persons they are a stumbling-block and foolishness, while they are in themselves the power and the wisdom of God. (Luke vii, 30; Acts xiii, 46; vii, 51; 2 Cor. iv, 3, 4; 1 Cor. i, 23, 24.)

X. These remarks being premised, let us see how we are or can be persuaded into a belief that the Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament are Divine, at least with regard to their essentials, that is, the sum or substance of the Law and Gospel, without faith in which salvation can have no existence. Three

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things principally serve to produce this persuasion (i.) The external testimony of men. (i.) The Arguments contained in the Scriptures themselves. (iii.) And the internal witness of God. The first of these, by procuring, after the manner of men, esteem and reverence to the Scriptures, prepares [or makes a way for] faith which is resolved into the two latter that are truly Divine, and, through them, is fully completed.

XI. 1. In adverting to human testimony, we shall omit all enemies, also the Mahometans who have embraced the dregs of a religion which is compounded of a corruption of Judaism, Christianity and Paganism. But the testimony of those who acknowledge the Scriptures is twofold: That of the Jews, who testify concerning the doctrine and the books of the Old Testament; and that of Christians who bear witness to those of the whole body of Scripture. (1.) Two circumstances add strength to the testimony of the Jews, (i.) The constancy of their profession in the very depths of misery, when, by the mere denial of it, they might be made partakers of liberty and of worldly possessions. (ii.) Their hatred of the Christian religion, which transcribes its own origin, increase, and establishment from a good part of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and with so much confidence as to be prepared to stand and fall by their evidence and judgment alone. (Acts xxvi, 22; 2 Pet. i, 19, 20; Acts xvii, 11.)-(2.) The testimony of CHRISTIANS, distinguished by the same mark of constancy, (Rev. vi, 9; xii, 11,) we will consider in three particulars: (i.) That of the Church Universal, which, from her own foundation to the present age, having professed the Christian as a Divine religion, testifies that her religion is contained in these books, and that they have proceeded from God. (ii.) That of each of the primitive Churches, which, being founded by the apostles, first received not only the whole of the Old Testament, but likewise the Epistles which were addressed either to them, to their pastors, or at least to men who were well known, and who delivered them by the same title to their successors and to other Churches. (Col. iv, 16.) (iii.) That of the Representative Church, as it is called, consisting of pastors and teachers, who, possessing skill in languages and in Divine things, pronounce their judgment after having instituted an examination, and confirm it [by arguments] to the flocks that are severally committed to their care. (Ephes. v, 27.) On reviewing these divines, we place the Roman Pontiff below the lowest parochial priest in the Romish Church who may be more learned than his Holiness.

XII. 2. The arguments contained in the Scripture are four, and those of the utmost importance: The [genus] Quality of its Doctrine, the Majesty of its Style, the Agreement of its Parts, and the Efficacy of its Doctrine. Each of these, separately considered, possesses much influence; but, when viewed conjointly, they are capable of inducing every one to give credit to them, if he is not blinded by a spirit of obstinacy, and by an opinion preconceived through inveterate habits. THE QUALITY

THE DOCTRINE is proved to be Divine,-(1.) By the Precepts delivered in these books, which exhibit three marks of Divinity: (i.) The high excellence of the actions prescribed, in self-denial, and in the regulation of the whole life according to godliness. (Matt. xvi, 24, 25; Rom. viii, 12, 13.) (ii.) The wonderful uncommonness of some actions, which amount to folly in the estimation of [animalis] the natural man; and yet they are prescribed with a fearless confidence: Such as, "Unless thou believest on Jesus, who is crucified and dead, thou shalt be condemned; if thou wilt believe on him, thou shalt be saved." (1.Cor. i, 18, 24; ii, 2, 14; John viii, 24; Rom. x, 9.) (iii.) The manner in which they are required to be performed,—that they be done from conscience and charity; if otherwise, they will be adjudged as hypocritical. (Deut. vi, 5; 1 Cor. xiii, 1; James iv, 12; Rom. xiii, 5; 1 Pet. ii, 19.) In the first of these three is perceived a Sanctity, in the second an Omnipotence, and in the third an Omniscience, each of which is purely Divine.(2.) By the promises and threatenings, which afford two tokens of Divine [valoris] worth or validity: (i.) The manifest evidence, that they could have been delivered by no one except by God. (ii.) Their excellent accommodation, which is such that these promises and threatenings cannot possibly prove influential upon the conscience of any man, except upon his who considers the precepts, to which they are subjoined, to be Divine.-(3.) The admirable attempering of the Justice of God by which He loves righteousness and hates iniquity, and of his Equity by which he administers all things, with his Mercy in Christ our Propitiation. In this, the glory of God shines forth with transcendent lustre. (Rom. v, 15.) Three particulars in it are worthy of notice: (i.) That, except through the intervention of a Reconciler and Mediator, God would not receive into favour the sinner, through love for whom as his own creature he is touched with mercy. (ii.) That his own dearly beloved Son, begotten by Himself and discharging an office of perfect righteousness, God would not admit as a Deprecator and Intercessor, except when sprinkled

with his own blood. (2 Cor. v, 19; Ephes. ii, 12, 16; Heb. viii, 5, 6; ix, 7, 11, 12.) (iii.) That he constituted Christ as a Saviour only to those who repent and believe, having excluded the impenitent from all hope of pardon and salvation. (Heb. iii, 8, 19; v, 8, 9; Luke xxiv, 26; Rom. viii, 29.) (4.) A most signal and decisive proof, which serves to demonstrate the necessity and sufficiency of this doctrine, exists in this fact,that Jesus himself did not enter into his glory except through obedience and sufferings, that this was done for believers alone' who were to be conformed to him, (Heb. x, 21, 22; iv, 14-16; John xvii, 2, 8,) and that, on being received into heaven, He was constituted Governor over the house of God, the King of his people, and the Dispenser of life eternal.

XIII. THE MAJESTY OF THEIR STYLE is proved (1.) By the attributes which the Author of the Scriptures claims for himself; the transcendent elevation of his nature, in his Omniscience and Omnipotence; (Isai. xliv, 7, 8; xli, 12, 25, 26; Psalm 1, 1.) the excellence of his operations, which they claim for Him as the Creator and Governor of all things; the preeminence of power, which they claim for Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords. (2) By the absence of all "respect of persons," which is not under the influence of favour and hatred, of hope and fear, and by which God declares himself to be the same towards all men, whatever station they may occupy, uttering his commands and prohibitions, his promises and threatenings, to monarchs (Deut. xviii, 15, 16; 1 Sam. xii, 25,) as well as to the meanest among the people, to whole nations and to single individuals, and even to the rulers of darkness, the princes of this world, Satan and his angels, and thus to the whole universe of his creatures. (3.) By the method which he employs in making a law and in giving it his sanction: It has no other introduction than, "I Jehovah am thy God;" no other conclusion than, “I Jehovah have spoken." "Be strong, for I am with thee; fear not, for I will deliver thee." Either He who speaks, truly claims these attributes for himself, and so his discourse is Divine, (Exod. xx, 2; Josh. i, 9; Isai. xliii, 5; Jer. i, 8; Deut. iv, 5,) or (let no blasphemy adhere to the expression!) it is of all foolish speeches the most foolish: Between these two extremes no medium exists. But in the whole of the Scriptures not a single tittle occurs, which will not remove from them by an invincible argument the charge of folly.

XIV. THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN EACH AND EVERY PART OF THE SCRIPTURES proves, with sufficient evidence, their

Divinity; because such an agreement of its several parts can be ascribed to nothing less than the Divine Spirit. It will be useful for the coufirmation of this matter to consider (1.) The immense space of time which was occupied in the inditing of it, from the age of Moses, down to that of St. John, to whom was vouchsafed the last authentic revelation. (Mal. iv, 4; Jer. xxviii, 8; John v, 46.) (2.) The multitude of writers or amanuenses, and of books. (3.) The great distance of the places in which the books were severally written, that rendered it impossible for the authors to confer together. (4.) Lastly and principally, the institution of a comparison between the doctrine of Moses and that of the latter Prophets, as well as between that of the Old and that of the New Testament, The predictions of Moses alone concerning the Messiah, the calling of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews, when compared with the interpretations and with the addition of particular circumstances which are found in the Prophets and the Psalms, will prove that the perfect agreement which exists between the various writers is Divine. (Gen. xlix, 10; Deut. xxxii, 21; Dan. ix, 25, 26; Mal. i, 10, 11; Psalm ii, xxii, cx, cxxxii; Matt. i, ii, xxiv, xxvii; Luke i, 55, 70; xxiv, 27, 44.) To the Divinity of the agreement between the writings of the Old Testament and those of the New, abundant testimony will be afforded even solely by that sudden, unexpected and miraculously consentaneous accommodation and befitting aptitude of all the predictions respecting the Messiah, the gathering of the Gentiles to Him, the unbelief and rejection of the Jews, and lastly concerning the abrogation which was to be made of the ceremonial law, first by its being fulfilled, and afterwards by its forcible removal:-Whether these predictions were foretold in words, or foreshown by types of things, persons, facts and events; their accommodation to the person, the advent, the state, the offices, and the times of Jesus of Nazareth, was consentaneous even to a miracle. (Psalm cxviii, 22, 23; Matt. xxi, 42; Isai. lxv, 1; Acts xi, 18; Psalm xl, 7, 8; Dan. ix, 25, 26.) If the Old Testament alone, or only the New, were now extant, some doubts might be indulged concerning the Divinity of each: But their agreement together excludes all doubt respecting their Divinity, when both of them are thus completely in accordance, -since it is impossible for such a perfect agreement to have been the fabrication of an angelic or of a human mind,

XV. Lastly, The Divinity of Scripture is powerfully demonstrated by THE EFFICACY OF ITS DOCTRINE, which we place