ferent portions of the Bible should be believed to be written by the persons to whom they are attributed, since these authors assert themselves to have been inspired by the Holy Ghost; but it is further necessary that they should be proved to be AUTHENTIC, that is to say, they must be shewn to contain none but TRUE representations of things and events.

An inspired book must of course be an authentic one; but we have not yet arrived at that point of our argument, and must therefore rest our proofs on different ground.

Now, the very circumstance of the Old Testament being the most ancient record in the world, is no weak argument that it must in the most remote times have been considered worthy of credit: because so much pains would never have been employed to preserve a record of actions and events unless there were every reason in the world to believe them to be correct. So far back as we can possibly trace, we find the greatest care taken to preserve the scriptures of the Old Testament pure and uncorrupted, and the most diligent researches of the learned have only tended to confirm this point.

But besides their being, in the belief of the people of the most ancient times, true, and deserving of credit; we have the positive fact of their agreement with other ancient

histories, which relate some of the same things, and whose authenticity has never been questioned; and in addition to this we adduce the very extraordinary circumstance of their never having been contradicted by any other ancient writers. I say the extraordinary circumstance, for certainly it would be surprising, if the events which the Scriptures relate were false, that they should be passed over unrefuted by authors who have written about the same time. Some of these writers mention both the events and the names of the principal persons concerned in their accomplishment; but none of them invalidate the truth of the testimony of the sacred penmen. In fact, scarce a day passes in this age of inquiry, which does not bring to light something that tends to confirm the authenticity of the Holy Scriptures. Travel into the countries of the East, and you will not fail to find numberless illustrations of the truth of the Bible.

Nor is it only on external testimony that we rest the proof of the authenticity of the sacred books: they contain within themselves strong evidence of this. Their simplicity and their majesty, their fair and open confession of faults in the moral characters of the writers themselves, and their great and praiseworthy modesty when the virtues of these writers are concerned, are also arguments in favour of their truth. In a word,

there are more arguments and stronger reasons for believing in the truth of the Scriptures, than can be adduced in favour of any other books whatsoever. But the argument which crowns the whole, and sets the question at rest, is the fact of their inspiration. If we can once show that the Bible was written under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the whole matter is decided.

Now that the Bible was so written, is proved thus: 1. The authors themselves assert that they have the authority of God: they rest their claim to attention on this foundation. But it may be asked, are we to believe what they say of themselves? We answer, certainly not without sufficient rea

What reasons then do they assign for inducing us to believe their assertions? They foretel future events, and the truth of their doctrine is established by the fulfilment of their predictions. It were easy to lay before you many prophecies which have been long fulfilled, and which have proved the inspiration of the writings which contain them; but this I should hope is unnecessary; neither would it be agreeable to my present plan to pursue the subject. We say that such is the fact, and defy any to disprove it.

Nor is it by prophecy only that they prove their title to inspiration. Moses proved his Divine authority by special miracles, and others also gave the same evidence of their having been written under the influence of

the Spirit of God. But the most decided proof of the inspiration of the Scriptures in general, is to be deduced from the references made to them by him who proved himself the Son of God by signs and wonders and mighty deeds, and by the direct testimony of his holy apostles. "Search the Scriptures,' says our Lord, "for they are they which testify of me." They could not testify of him long before he appeared upon earth, unless they had been written under the dictation of the Holy Spirit. In the last instruction which he gave to his apostles just before his ascension, the Lord said, "these are the words which I spake unto you while I was vet with you, that all things must be fulfilled in the Psalms concernite law of Moses, and ing that those books contained which must be fulfilled, he established their divine inspiration, since "God alone can enable men to foretel future events".

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"All scripture," says St. Paul, “is given by inspiration of God." And St. Luke, to the same effect, tells us, that "God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets :" and St. Peter says, that "prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men. spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost *. And

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sages, which refer to the ancient prophecies collectively, we may observe, that there is scarcely a book in the Old Testament, which is not repeatedly quoted in the New, as of divine authority."

But when we adduce the authority of the New Testament, in support of the authenticity and inspiration of the Old, it is incumbent on us to shew that the former is deserving of our entire confidence. What surety, then, have we of the truth of the New Testament? As to its authenticity, we have the consent of those who lived, some at the time, and others very near to the time, of the apostles themselves, who had every means of knowing the real state of the case; and this consent has been heard th every sup

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to its inspiration, Christ promised his apostles to send them power from on high to qualify them for their office of establishing his church, and promulgating his religion; and their claims to inspiration were attested by the most striking manifestations of divine power, God "confirming their word with signs following." We know also that in the earlier ages of the church of Christ, the acknowledged inspiration of any book was its title to admission into the sacred code.

When you have meditated on all that has been said in this discourse, on the subject of the Scriptures, I think you will see sufficient