and year after year, things which they did not, any more than we can be mistaken in every thing that we fee and hear continually. Befides, they affirm, that they were enabled to do the fame wonders themselves, and enabled others to do them. All this could not be mistake too.

And as they could not be deceived in these points, so neither could they intend to deceive mankind. There is all the appearance in the world of their being fair and honeft perfons, that would not deceive for interest. But befides, what they affirmed was abfolutely against their intereft. It expofed them, as they could not but imagine it would, to reproach, imprisonment, ftripes, death itself. Yet all these things they underwent patiently, one after another, through a course of many years, for the fake of what they taught; none of them all confefling, or being convicted of any falfehood: which yet they must have been, had they been guilty of any for the things which they affirmed, were many, indeed most of them, done publicly and all the power, and all the learning, of the world were employed against them, from the first, to detect them, if poffible. Yet no body pretends, or ever did pretend, that they were detected. Befides, if any fuch discovery hadbeen made, their whole scheme muft have been ruined immediately whereas, instead of that, they spread their religion (though it was contrary to the established fuperftitions, the deep-rooted prejudices, and favourite vices, of all mankind) through the whole earth, within a few years, by mere force of miracles and arguments, and innocence, against all oppofition. These things furely are proofs fufficient of our Saviour's coming from God, without faying any thing of the prophecies of the Old Testament, so many of which were fo clearly fulfilled in him.

But then, as all the facts hitherto mentioned are ancient ones; it may be asked farther, How can we now be fure of the truth of what is faid to have been done fo many ages ago? I anfwer, By all the fame means, which can affure us of any other ancient fact. And there are multitudes of much ancienter, which no body hath the leaft doubt of; and it would be reckoned madness, if they had. The miracles of Chrift and his apoftles are recorded in the New Testament: a book very fully proved, and indeed acknowledged, to be, the great

eft part of it, written by the apostles themselves; and the reft, in their days, by their direction: and no one material fact of it is, or ever was, so far as we can learn, opposed by any contrary evidence whatsoever. Then, that vast numbers of perfons were converted to this religion, as they declared, by see¬ ing these miracles, and vaft numbers more, by the accounts, which they received of them; and persevered in their faith, against all worldly difcouragements, till at length it became the prevailing one; appears partly from the New Teftament alfo, partly from other books of acknowledged authority, written in that age and the following ones, by Heathens and Jews, as well as Chriftians; and indeed is in the main univerfally owned and notorious.

But fuppofing the facts, on which our religion is built, to be truly related, yet it may be afked further, How fhall we be fure, that its doctrines were fo too, in which it is much eafier to mistake? I anfwer again, the doctrines of the Old Teftament are attested and confirmed by the New. And for thofe of the New Teftament; we have our Saviour's own difcourses, recorded by two of his apofiles, Matthew and John, who heard him conftantly; and by two other perfons, Mark and Luke, who at least received them from his conftant hearers. We have also the discourses of his firft difciples after his refurrection, recorded in the Acts: we have befides, many letters written by them, the epistles, fent on several occafions, for the inftruction of feveral new planted churches. Now all these agree in the fame doctrine. But further, which adds inestimable value to what they have faid and written, our Lord himself promised them, that the Spirit of God should “teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance, whatever he had faid unto them * ;"" should come and abide with them for ever, and guide them into all truth." And accordingly this Spirit did come, and manifeft his continual prefence with them by his miraculous gifts. We have therefore the fulleft evidence, that both what they have delivered, as from our Saviour, and what they have faid in their own names, is a true reprefentation of his religion.

But another queftion is, fuppofing the fcripture a true revelation, fo far as it goes; how fhall we know, if it be a full

and

Jahn xiv. 26.

John xiv. 16. xvi. 13.

and complete one too, in all things neceffary? I answer, Since our Saviour had the Spirit without measure, and the writers of fcripture had as large a measure of it, as their commiffion to instruct the world required, it is impoffible, that in fo many difcourfes concerning the terms of falvation, as the New Teftament contains, they should all have omitted any one thing neceffary to the great end which they had in view. And what was not neceffary when the fcripture was completed, cannot have become fo fince. For the faith was once for all delivered in it to the faints *: and other foundation can no man lay†, than what was laid then. The facred penmen themfelves could teach no other gofpel than Chrift appointed them: and he hath appointed no one fince to make additions to it.

In the books of fcripture then the doctrines of our religion are truly and fully conveyed to us and we cannot be fure of any other conveyance. It is a confirmation of our faith indeed, that the earliest Christian writers, after those of scripture, in all material points agree with it. But if they do not, no writers can have equal authority with inspired ones. And no unwritten tradition can long be of any authority at all. For things, delivered by word of mouth, always vary, more or lefs, in going through but a few hands. And the world hath experienced, that articles of belief, for want of having recourfe to the written rule of them, have greatly changed in. many churches of Chriftians: but in few or none more, than that of Rome, which abfurdly pretends to be unchangeable and infallible. It is the fcripture alone then, that we, who live in these later ages, can be fure of finding the Christian faith preserved, complete and undefiled: and there, we may be fure of it.

For as to any pretence or fear of these books being corrupt ed and altered, either by design or mistake: had the Old Teftament been depraved in any thing effential, our Saviour and his Apoftles would have given us notice of it. And for the New, the feveral parts of it were fo immediately spread thro the world, and fo conftantly read, in public and in private, by all Chriftians; and fo perpetually quoted in all their difcourfes, and all the difputes of one fect with another, that they could

could not poffibly be changed, by any of them, in any thing confiderable. For the reft would immediately have discoveredit, and charged them with it, which must put an end to the danger. And indeed it is an agreed point, amongst all who understand these matters, that nothing of this kind either hath happened or can happen, fo as to affect any one article of faith.

But perhaps it will be alledged, that the Bible was, written originally in languages, which have long been out of common use, and with which but a small part of Chriftians now are acquainted and how fhall the reft be fure, that we have them rightly translated into our own? The plain answer is, that all translations, made by all parties, agree in most places, and thofe of the most importance: and where they difagree, moderate confideration and inquiry will enable any perfons, who live in a country of knowledge and freedom, which, God be thanked, is our cafe, to judge on fome good grounds, as far as they need judge, which is right, and which is wrong; which is clear, and which is doubtful. Nor doth any fect of Chriftians pretend to accufe our common tranflation of concealing any neceffary truth, or afferting any deftructive error.

:

But fuppofing all this, yet it may be urged, that many parts of fcripture in our tranflation, and in the original too, are dark and obfcure: and how can it then be the guide and rule of our faith? I anfwer, Thefe are few in proportion to fuch as are clear and were they more, the Spirit of God, we may be fure, would make all neceffary points, in one part or another, fufficiently clear. These therefore the most ignorant may learn from fcripture at leaft by the help of fuch explanations, as they are willing to afk and trust in all other cafes, and much admirable inftruction befides: which if they do but refpect and obferve as they ought; they may be content to leave for the ufe of others, what a little modefty will show

them is above their own reach.

But that every perfon may be enabled the better to distinguish between the neceffary doctrines and the reft: thofe, which either Chrift or his apoftles expressly taught to be of the former fort, or the nature of the thing plainly shows to be fuch, have from the earliest times been collected together; and the profeffion of them hath been particularly required of all perfons baptized. Thefe collections or fummaries are in

fcripture

fcripture called, The form of found qvords*, The words of faith t The principles of the doctrine of Chrift: but in the present language of Chriftians, The Creed, that is, the belief.

The ancient Church had many fuch Creeds: fome longer, fome shorter; differing in expreffion, but agreeing in method and sense of which that called the Apostles Creed was one. And it deserves that name, not fo much from any certainty that the apostles drew it up, as because it contains the apoftolical doctrines; and was used by a church, which, before it corrupted itself, was juftly confidered as one of the chief apo ftolical foundations, I mean the Roman.

But neither this nor any other creed, hath authority of its own, equal to fcripture; but derives its principal authority from being founded on fcripture. Nor is it in the power of any man, or number of men, either to leffen or increase the fundamental articles of the Chriftian Faith: which yet the church of Rome, not content with this its primitive creed, hath profanely attempted: adding twelve articles more, founded on its own, that is, on no authority, to the ancient twelve, which stand on the authority of God's word. But our church hath wifely refused to go á step beyond the original form; fince all neceffary truths are briefly comprehended in it, as will appear when the several parts of it come to be expounded, which it is the duty of every one of us firmly to believe, and openly to profefs. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confeffion is made unto favation §.