SERMON III. Preached at the Lady MOYER'S LECTURE. On the Genuineness and Infpiration of the Sacred Writers. 1 THESS. II. 13. When W HEN St. Paul preached the SERM.III. Gospel of Christ to the Theffalonians, they embraced it gladly, and believed it to be, what it really is, of divine Authority and Infpiration. That we may do fo too, it will be neceffary to prove, U 2 It, The SERM. III. If, The Genuineness of those Books, which contain the Gospel of Jefus Christ. And, IIdly, Their divine Inspiration. Ist, I am to prove the Genuineness of those Books, which contain the Gospel of Jefus Chrift. Those Authors are confeffedly genuine, who have received the Sanction of their Contemporaries, or immediate Succeffors, followed by an uninterrupted Series of Vouchers. Thus St. Paul quotes the Gospel of St. Luke, whofe Praife is in the Gospel throughout all the Churches, as of equal Authority with the Writings of Mofes. For the Scripture faith, thou shalt not muzzle the Ox that treadeth out the Corn, and, the Labourer is worthy of his Reward, 1 Tim. v. 18. which laft Paffage occurs no where but in St. Luke x. ver. 7. as the former is to be met with Deut. xxv. ver. 4. Thus St. John, as Eufebius * informs us, stamped his Authority, at the Inftance Eufebii Hift. Eccl. Lib. 3. cap. 24. of of his Friends, upon the Gofpels of Mat- SERM.III. thew, Mark, and Luke, and then added his own as a Supplement to them. * Much the fame Account we have from the ancient Author of the Martyrdom of Timothy, with this additional Circumftance, that before St. John reviewed them, they had already been tranflated into feveral Languages Nor is it at all unlikely, that the fame Zeal, which prompted St. John to expose one Fraud, as we fhall prove by and by; would likewife determine him to au thorize the genuine Records of Chriftianity. This is what the World might expect from a Person so venerable, for his Wisdom and Authority, as well as for his great Age: And this is, what common Sense would fuggest to one; who lived after Forgeries abroad. had begun to creep Though Clemens Romanus, Barnabas, Hermas, Ignatius, Polycarp, Writers who had been converfant with the Apostles, feldom afcribe any of the Books of the New Teftament to their refpective Authors; yet they virtually own them all to be genuine, by fhewing the most distinguished Regard SERM.III. to them, by often quoting them, and oftner alluding to them: An Honour they do no other Writings, except thofe of the Old Teftament. They tranfcribe numerous Precepts from the Scriptures, of which their own Lives were indeed the most beautiful Tranfcript. That they have not exprefly named the Authors, from whom they bor row, is eafily accounted for: They wrote chiefly, if not entirely, for the Benefit of their Contemporaries, and it was needless to point out to thofe, who lived fo near the Fountain Head, from what Source they drew that living Water, which they had fo thoroughly imbibed, and fo plentifully transfufed into their own Compofitions, What a religious Veneration these early Writers paid to the Scriptures, the following Paffage of Ignatius * will clearly fhew, "Your Prayer to God, fays he, fhall make me perfect, that I may attain to that "Portion, which his Mercy has affigned me; having Recourfe to the Gospel, as to the Flesh of Jefus Chrift; and to the "Apostles, as to the Prefbytery of the * Ignatii Epift. ad Philadelph. Sect. 5. Cotelerii Patres Clerici in locum. 64 Church, "Church. Let us alfo love the Pro- SRM.III. "phets, because even they preached the Gospel, believed in Chrift, and hoped "for him *." The Meaning of these remarkable Words is plainly this. That he as firmly believed the Gospel, as if he had heard Jefus Chrift himself alive, and in the Flesh, delivering 7 * Quod a Nemine, quod quidem fciam, huc ufque, obfervatum fuit, monuit nos olim clariffimus Grabius, Ignatium utriufque hujus Canonis mentionem feciffe, in Epiftola ad Philadelphicos. Προσφυγών τῷ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΩ ὡς (αρκὶ Ἰησῦ, καὶ τοῖς ̓ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΙΣ ὡς πρεσβυτερίω Ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὰς ΠΡΟΦΗΤΑΣ δὲ ἀγαπῶμεν, &c. Nempe per Εὐαγγέλιον, Codicem Evangelicum, per 'Amoróλes, Codicem Epiftolicum, per Προφήτας, Canonem Vet. Teftamenti (υνεκδοχικώς intelligendum existimat. Id quod nobis poftea perfuafiffimum erat, etiam ex aliis Ignatii Locis. Nonnunquam enim Evangelii vocem ftrictius fumere videtur pro Codice Evangelico ; (ut cum Evangelicum ἐξαιρέτως efe ait, ἐν ᾧ τὸ πάθο ἡμῖν δεδήλωται, καὶ ἡ ἀνάτασις τελελείωται. Εpift. ad Smyrn. §. 7. & in Ep. ad Philadelph. Εξαίρεῖον ἔχει τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, Tüv ávásαow, &c. §. 8.) tum vero alias laxiori fignificatų Evangelium apud Eum pro Canone integro N. T. acceptum videmus ; ubi fimul memorat Legem Mofis, Prophetias, & Evangelium; (xar ai @gopnikcias, & à vớ με Μωσέως, ἀλλ ̓ ἐδὲ μέχει νῦν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Εp. ad Smyrn $5) Quod fi vero res ita fe habebat, Canon Epiftolicus mediocri Temporis intervallo præcefferit neceffe eft Epiftolas Ignatianas; ideoque & prodierit fub annum forte æræ Vulgaris CX. five etiam aliquanto ante. Millii Prolegom. pag. 24. |