have been done so many ages ago? I answer, by all the same means, which can assure us of any other ancient fact. And there are multitudes of much ancienter, which nobody hath the least doubt of; and it would be reckoned madness if they had. The miracles of Christ and his Apostles are recorded in the New Testament; a book very fully proved, and, indeed, acknowledged to be, the greatest part of it, written by the Aposties themselves; and the rest, 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 persons were converted to this religion, as they declared, by seeing the miracles, and vast numbers more, by the accounts which they received of them-and persevered in their faith, against all worldly discouragements, till at length it became the prevailing one-appears partly from the New Testament also, partly from other books of acknowledged authority, written in that age, and the following ones, by Heathens and Jews, as well as Christians; and, indeed, is, in the main, universally owned and notorious.

But, supposing the facts on which our religion is built to be truly related, yet it may be asked further, how shall we be sure, that its doctrines were so too, in which it is much easier to mistake? I answer again, the doctrines of the Old Testament are attested and confirmed by the New. And for those of the New Testament we have our Saviour's own discourses, recorded by two of his Apostles, Matthew and John, who heard him constantly; and by two other persons, Mark and Luke, who at least received them from his constant hearers. We have also the discourses of his first disciples after his resurrection, recorded in the Acts; we have, besides, many letters written by them; the Epistles, sent on several occasions, for the instruc

tion of several new-planted churches. Now, all these agree in the same doctrine. But further, which adds inestimable value to what they have said and written, our Lord himself promised them that the Spirit of God should "teach them all things, and bring all things to their remem"brance, whatever he had said unto them;" "should come and abide with them for ever, and guide them into all truth." And accordingly this Spirit did come, and manifest his continued presence with them by his miraculous gifts. We have, therefore, the fullest evidence that both what they have delivered, as from our Saviour, and what they have said in their own names, is a true representation of his religion.

But another question is, supposing the Scripturę a true revelation, so far as it goes, how shall we know, if it be a full and great one too, in all things necessary? I answer-Since our Saviour had the Spirit without measure, and the writers of Scripture had as large a measure of it as their commission to instruct the world required, it is impossible that in so many discourses concerning the terms of salvation, as the New Testament contains, they should all have omitted any one thing necessary to the great end which they had in view. And what was not necessary when the Scripture was completed, cannot have become so since. "For the Faith was once for all delivered "in it to the Saints;"8" and other foundation can no man lay,' "9 than what was laid then. The sacred penmen themselves could teach no other gospel than Christ appointed them: and he hath appointed no one since to make additions to it.

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In the Books of Scripture, then, the doctrines of

(6) John xiv. 26.

(8) Jude 3,

(7) John xiv. 16-xvi. 13. (9) 1 Cor. iii. 11.

our religion are truly and fully conveyed to us: and we cannot be so sure 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 less, in going through but a few hands. And the world hath experienced, that Articles of Belief, for want of having recourse to the written rule of them, have greatly changed in many churches of Christians: but in few, or none, more than that of Rome, which absurdly pretends to be unchangeable and infallible. It is in the Scripture alone, then, that we, who live in these latter ages, can be sure of finding the Christian faith preserved complete and undefiled; and there we may be sure of it.

For as to any pretence or fear of these Books being corrupted and altered, either by design or mistake: had the Old Testament been depraved in any thing essential, our Saviour and his Apos tles would have given us notice of it. And for the New, the several parts of it were so immediately spread through the world, and so constantly read, in public and in private, by all Christians; and so perpetually quoted in all their discourses, and all their disputes of one sect with another, that they could not possibly be changed by any of them, in any thing considerable: for the rest would immediately have discovered it, and charged them with it, which must have 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, so as to affect any one article of faith.

But perhaps it will be alleged, that the Bible

was written originally in languages which have long been out of common use, and with which but a small part of Christians now are acquainted: and how shall the rest be sure 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 those of the most importance: and where they disagree, moderate consideration and inquiry will enable any persons, who live in a country of knowledge and freedom, which, God be thanked, is our case, to judge on some 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 sect of Christians pretend to accuse our common translation of concealing any necessary truth, or asserting any destruc

tive error.

But supposing all this, yet it may be urged, that many parts of Scripture in our own transla tion, and in the original too, are dark and obscure: and how then can it be the guide and rule of our faith? I answer: These are few in proportion to such as are clear; and were they more, the Spirit of God, we may be sure, would make all necessary points, in one part or another, sufficiently clear. These, therefore, the most ignorant may learn from Scripture at least by the help of such explanations as they are willing to ask and trust in all other cases, and much admirable instruction besides; which, if they do but respect and observe as they ought, they may be content to leave for the use of others, what a little modesty will show them is above their own reach.

But that every person may be enabled the better to distinguish between the necessary doctrines and the rest, those, which either Christ or his Apostles expressly taught to be of the former sort, or the nature of the thing plainly shows to be such, have, from the earliest times, been collected

together; and the profession of them hath been particularly required of all persons baptized. These collections or summaries are, in Scripture, called "The form of sound words," "the words "of faith," "the principles of the doctrine of "Christ;" but in the present language of Christians, "the Creed," that is, the Belief.

The ancient Church had many such creeds; some longer, some shorter; differing in expression, but agreeing in method and sense, of which that called the Apostles' Creed, was one. And it deserves that name, not so much from any certainty that the Apostles drew it up, as because it contains the apostolical doctrines, and was used by a Church, which, before it corrupted itself, was justly considered as one of the chief apostolical foundations; I mean the Roman.

But neither this, nor any other creed, hath authority of its own, equal to Scripture; but derives its principal authority from being founded on Scripture. Nor is it in the power of any man, or number of men either, to lessen or increase the fundamental articles of the Christian 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 wisely refused to go a step beyond the original form; since all necessary 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 profess. "For with the "heart man believeth unto righteousness, and "with the mouth confession is made unto salva"tion."4

(1) 2 Tim. i. 13. (2) 1 Tim. iv. 6. (3) Heb. vi. 1. (4) Rom, x. 10.