the least falshood asserted by either: and the behaviour of both turned to the advantage of Christianity. Some have objected to the inspiration of the latter, that in one place he only saith, He thinks he hath the spirit of God*. But this ironical seeming doubt was designed to imply the strongest affirmation, and to put his adversaries to shame. They object also, that in the same chapter he distinguishes the directions, which Christ had given in person, from his ownt. And he doth so: but what is this more, than a most amiable expression of humility, and respect to his dear Lord? A few persons have likewise apprehended that when he saith to the Corinthians, We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed‡, and again to the Thessalonians, For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent, go to Heaven before, those which are asleep§; he meant, that the general resurrection was to be in his days, and therefore erred. But plainly he did not: for in his second Epistle to the latter, written the same year, he cautions them against misunderstanding, (as it seems they some of them had done,) what he said on that head in his first: and mentions things, which were to intervene between his own days and the resurrection, and must take up time. In other Epistles too, he speaks of his own dying, first as likely ¶, then as certain to happen soon**. **. And therefore by we, in the places objected, he meant only in general, we, or such of us, Christians: not designing to intimate, that he himself should be one of the number. In this sense he frequently uses 1 Cor. vii. 40. + 1 Cor. vii. 12. 2 Thess. ii. 1, &c. 1 Cor. xv. 51. ¶ Phil. i. 20. both, We, and even, I, elsewhere, as many approved authors have done in different nations and ages. Objections have been raised against various passages of holy writ, besides the above-mentioned. Some have been thought hard to reconcile with the moral attributes of God: some with each other. To examine them here particularly would be much too long. General observations, capable, I hope, of removing or obviating the principal difficulties, especially of the former sort, shall, God willing, be made in the sequel of these discourses. But without doing that, it might be sufficient to say, that reasonable answers have been already given to them: that many of them, which once appeared to be of the greatest importance, have been fully shewn to be of none: from whence alone we may justly presume, that whatever is wanting to clear up the rest will be supplied in time by the blessing of God on the continued labours of pious and learned men: and that in the : mean while, instead of thinking ill of the Scriptures, we ought to think humbly of ourselves, and be persuaded, that in these points we do not understand them*. Such, as were most eminent for piety and knowledge, and have enjoyed the greatest advantages for judging of Scripture, have always esteemed it of divine original. The Christians of the first and second : centuries, who must have known personally, whether the books of the New Testament were authentic, who had been companions of the Apostles and their immediate successors, who must have been taught by them, what honour both Testaments deserved, and would have been restrained by them from paying them too much, paid them the very highest. All, This last is Justin Martyr's Rule, Dial. with Trypho, §. 65. who came after, exalted them above the most valuable compositions of the most early fathers, by the strongest expressions of peculiar regard: and this regard was universal. None but the absurdest and vilest of heretics refused, and that on the poorest pretences, to be tried by their authority. All others, whatever else they differed in, agreed in acknowledging the infallibility of the Bible, to which they were forced to attempt reconciling their tenets, as well as they could. In later days, we confess, Papists have spoken slightly of it, and libertines much worse: both however for bad reasons; because it condemns the religious notions and practices of the former, and the irreligious ones of the latter. But all unprejudiced and serious men, in proportion to their natural abilities, acquired knowledge, and attention to study it, have held it to this day in reverence: and in proportion as that reverence hath influenced their hearts and lives, have been examples and blessings to all around them. Let us therefore walk in their steps, and be heartily thankful; first, that God hath not left us (undeserving wretches as we are) to our own conjectures and imaginations concerning what we are to believe and to do, to hope and to fear, but made gracious discoveries of himself, his will and purposes, to mankind; then, that he hath not left these discoveries to come down to us, and our posterity, through the uncertain conveyance of oral tradition, which quickly fails, or of casual writers, who might err in some points necessary, and pass by others unmentioned, but hath excited fit persons to record his truths; exalted their faculties, and strengthened their memories, where it was needful; suggested to them many things, watched over them in all. Let us receive their communica-· .bc a 304 tions with the utmost respect, and read them with the utmost care, as the means of our salvation; and if amidst a great deal, that is highly useful and incomparably excellent, we meet sometimes with things, for which we are unable to account; let us indeed seek for solutions diligently, and be willing to admit fair, any possible one, rather than a mistake in the sacred writings: but though we should meet with no solution, let us consider that humble faith becomes suspense, than rash positiveness: for that God knows us much better, than haughty contradiction; modest every thing, and we know little; that others perhaps now, and we ourselves after farther inquiry, may see distinctly what at present we see not at all; and, (which alone may suffice to our satisfaction) that whatever else may be dark or doubtful, or seem exceptionable, there is abundantly enough, clearly and indisputably written, to answer the end of all; that we may believe, that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing we may have life through his name. John xx. 31. SERMON XX. 2 TIM. III. 16, 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God: and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. I. In my preceding discourse I proved to you the divine authority of Scripture; and now go on, as was proposed, to shew II. Its complete usefulness. This the Apostle hath expressed by saying, it is profitable for doctrine, or teaching religious truths; for reproof, or confutation of the opposite notions and practices; for correction, that is, amendment of those, whom it reproves; for instruction in righteousness, that is, leading good persons on to still higher degrees of perfection. Had the writers of it been left to themselves, yet being worthy men, and well informed of what they wrote, it would have been extremely useful. But as they were superintended by the spirit of God, it must be unspeakably more so: in particular, because we may with absolute security rely on it in all points. Whatever it teaches, we may safely learn; and it teaches the whole of Christianity; the historical facts, the articles of faith, the rules of life, the promises, the threatenings, the exhortations, the examples. From Scripture chiefly, and almost solely, we come to know, that God is infinitely perfect, and made the |