by reasonings and objections, that men invented the Bible, than they can be persuaded that men created the sun, while they behold its light and are cheered by its beams.

And now, if an objector could fully invalidate one half, or two thirds, of these arguments, (to which many more might easily be added,) the remainder would be abundantly sufficient. Nay, perhaps any one of them so far decides the question, that were there no other proof of the Bible being the word of God, a man could not reject it, without acting in opposition to those dictates of common sense, which direct his conduct in his secular affairs. But in reality, I have a confidence that not one of these proofs can be fairly answered; at least it has never yet been done and the combined force of the whole is so great, that the objections, by which men cavil against the truth, only resemble the foaming waves dashing against the deep-rooted rock, which has for ages defied their unavailing fury. Yet though these can effect nothing more, they may beat off the poor shipwrecked mariner, who was about to ascend it, in hopes of deliverance from impending destruction.

The consequences of our present conduct are, according to the Bible, so momentous, that if there were only a bare possibility of the truth of the Scriptures, it would be madness to run the risk of rejecting them, for the sake of gaining the whole world: what then is it, when we have such unanswerabledemonstrations that they are the word of God and cannot reasonably doubt it for a moment, to disobey the commands and neglect the salvation revealed in t, for the veriest trifle that can be proposed? Es

pecially as it may be shown, that (besides the eternal consequences,) the firm belief of the Scriptures, "and that conscientious obedience which true faith always produces, will render a man happier in this present life, even amidst trials and self-denying services, than he could be made by all the pomp, pleasure, wealth, power, and honour, which the world can bestow.

ESSAY II.

On the importance of revealed truth; the duty of reading the Scriptures; and the manner in which they should be read.

As the Bible may be unanswerably proved to be the word of God, we should reason from it as from self-evident principles or demonstrated truths: for "His testimony is sure, making wise the simple."

Many parts of Scripture accord so well with the conclusions of our rational powers, when duly exercised, that either they might have been known without revelation, or else men have mistaken the capacity of perceiving truth for that of discovering it. Hence various controversies have arisen about natu

ral religion, which many suppose to be rather taken for granted, than made known by revelation. But the term is ambiguous: for the word natural includes the propensities of our hearts, as well as the powers of our understandings; and the same truths which accord to the latter, are often totally opposite to the former. The Gentiles might have known many things concerning God and his will, if they had "liked to retain him in their knowledge;" but their alienation of heart from him prevailed to keep them in ignorance, or entangle them in error. So that the religion of reason would express the idea much more intelligibly.

This, however, is obvious, that many truths and precepts which are found in the Bible, have been maintained by persons who were ignorant of divine revelation, or rejected it, or did not choose to own their obligations to it: and many others, who profess to receive the Scriptures as the word of God, assent to some truths contained in them, not so much because they are revealed, as because they think that they may be proved by other arguments; whereas, they discard, neglect, or explain away, those doctrines which are not thus evident to their reason, or level with their capacities. So that at last it comes to this, that they reject all that is thought peculiar to revelation; and refuse to believe the testimony of God, if their own reason will not vouch for the truth of what he says.

It may indeed be questioned, whether those opinions, which men so confidently magnify as the oracles of reason, were not originally, without exception,

borrowed from revelation, as far as there is any truth in them; and it is evident, that they cannot possess sufficient certainty, clearness, and authority, to render them efficacious principles of action, except as enforced by revelation and its awful sanctions. The wildest enthusiast never dreamed of a grosser absurdity than they maintain, who suppose that the only wise God hath given a revelation to man, confirmed by miracles and prophecies, and established in the world by the labours and sufferings of his servants, and the crucifixion of his well-beloved Son, and that this revelation at last is found to contain nothing, but what we might have known as well without it! nay, that it is expressed in such language, as has given occasion to those, who have most implicitly believed and reverentially obeyed it, to maintain sentiments, and adopt practices, erroneous and evil in themselves, and of fatal consequence to mankind!

We might, therefore, previously have expected that a revelation from God should illustrate, confirm, and enforce such things, as seem more level to our natural powers: and that it should make known to us many important matters, which we could not have otherwise discovered; and which would be found exceedingly different from all our notions and imaginations; seeing that our contracted views and limited capacities fall infinitely short of the omniscience of God. So that it is most reasonable to conclude, that the doctrinal truths, which more immediately relate to the divine nature, perfections, providence, and government; the invisible and eternal world; and the mysteries of redemption, constitute by far the most important part of revelation; as discovering to us

those things "which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have they entered into the heart of man ;" and which are, at the same time, essentially connected with our present hope, worship, and duty, and with our future happiness or misery.

He therefore cannot, according to the common use of language, be called a believer, who only holds those doctrines which he regards as the dictates of reason as well as of revelation; whilst he rejects the testimony of God whenever he deems it unreasonable. And we may hence learn what judgment to form of those who affirm, without hesitation, that the moral precepts and sanctions, with the more evident truths of the Bible, are the only important part of it; that it is of little consequence what men believe, especially concerning those things which are in any degree mysterious; and that none but narrow bigots, and weak and ignorant people, lay any stress upon speculative opinions. "He that believeth not maketh God a liar; especially he that believeth not the testimony which God hath given of his Son, and of eternal life bestowed on sinners through him ;"* this is the uniform doctrine of Scripture, and to contradict it is equivalent to a total rejection of divine revelation. Can it be supposed that the prophets and apostles were commissioned, and that the Son of God was manifested in the flesh, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, merely to inform mankind, that the Lord approved honesty, temperance, truth, and kindness, and disapproved the contrary vices? Or that the unnumbered testimonies, which the Scrip

* John iii. 12-21, 31-36. John v. 9-12.