SERM. III. fion from him, to ftamp a Credit upon Falfhood, by Virtue of that Miffion.

Having thus far cleared the Way, I thall proceed to prove the Matter of Fact, that the Apostles were actually inspired.

Now it is certain, that the Apoftles were inspired, in propagating and preaching the Gofpel: Men of their Education could never acquire fuch a prodigious Variety of Languages, as enabled them to speak to the feveral Nations, where they travelled, in their own native Tongues, and to spread the Gospel from East to West, to the uttermoft Parts of the known World. This Command of feveral Tongues, by which they were empowered to make Converts in the remotest Countries, cannot be accounted for in a natural Way; it must be the Ef fect of Inspiration.

Now if God infpired them in the Affair of Preaching; it would follow much more ftrongly, that he infpired them in committing, what they preached, to Writing : Since their Preaching was confined within ́a narrower Circle, and operated but upon Few in Comparison. But their Writings took in a wider Sphere, were of a more diffufive Influence, and were intended to

reach

reach to all Ages, as well as extend to all SERM.III, Nations.

I have already proved, in a former Difcourse, that the Miracles recorded in Scripture were wrought by God; and that we have fufficient Evidence, that fuch Miracles were actually wrought. If then fuch Miracles were performed; fuch an uninterrupted Profufion of unrivalled wondrous Works was given by him, who doth nothing in vain, for fome important End.No other important End can be affigned, but the rescuing Mankind from Error, and discovering to them neceffary Truth. Where God defigns the End, he must defign the Means requifite to that End. The Means requifite to that End are to preserve his Inftruments, in revealing his Will, from every materal Miftake.

Confequently, we may implicitly acquiefce in the Belief of the Scriptures. For, if there are no material Mistakes, it can do us no Harm to believe, what will no Way affect us.But if there are material Errors, which may affect our Happiness; then God's Defign, in which he embarked, proved abortive; and that mighty Apparatus, that Waste of Miracles, anfwered no

rational

SERM.III. rational End at all, if it did not compass this End, viz. to guide Mankind to beneficial Truth, and to refcue them from Falfhood.

Divine Credentials (fuch are Miracles) 'prove a divine Miffion.- He who has a divine Miffion, thus attefted, speaks with Authority from God.- He who fpeaks with Authority from God, muft speak feveral important Truths, and can speak Nothing, but the Truth. It is certain, that the Apostles pretended to divine Inspiration; and it is as certain, that, if they had been uninfpired, that Being, who cannot lie, would never have declared himself in Favour of Perfons guilty of a folemn and deliberate Lie, and born them Witness with Signs and Wonders. When therefore we are asked, whether the Apoftles, who were but Men, could be infallible? we answer, that in the common Scenes, and ordinary. Occurrences of Life, they were fallible, like other Men; but when they acted in their extraordinary Capacity, as Ambassadors of God, as Prophets and Apostles;. there they muft be confidered as infallible.. Had they grofsly mistaken, or wilfully mifrepresented the divine Will; God would

have revoked the Commiffion, which they SERM. III. had abused, for the fame Reason that he authorized them at firft; and would have invefted fome other Perfons with fuperior Powers to confront them, and to difabufe the World from any Error, that might be impofed upon it in his facred Name. How weak, when confidered in this Light, is the Objection against Inspiration, from the Difagreement of St. Peter and St. Paul, when the latter at Antioch withftood the former to the Face? For, fuppofing that St. Peter had differed from St. Paul, in a Point of Doctrine and Principle, and not, as he only did, in a Point of Behaviour ; yet what would be the mighty formidable Confequence, that could be drawn from thence? Nothing would follow but this, viz. that, when any Perfon fent by God fhould attempt to deceive others; the Deity would raise up fome other Man, who fhould be effectually enabled to withstand him, to undeceive Mankind, and to prevent that Mischief, which his Falling-off from the Truth might otherwife occafion.

That at a Time, when the Word of God was made of none Effect by the Traditions of

the

SERM.III the Pharifees, when the Jews were devoted to external Obfervances to the Neglect of inward Piety, when they were prepoffeffed with an Opinion, that they were to continue God's peculiar People without the Admiffion of the Gentiles; fome of the loweft Rank and Education fhould enlarge their Minds from national Prejudices, and inveterate Errors, and should publish the only Religion, which is fit to be the Religion of all Mankind, free from the Superftitions of the Pagan World, and the numerous Ceremonies of the Jewish; is a Matter of Fact, which wants to be accounted for, and cannot be accounted for, but by Inspiration. Where fhall we find among the Philofophers such a compleat Body of moral and religious Duties founded upon fuch Promises and Threatnings, as the Gospel contains?

"That if you put Virtue into one Scale " and the whole World into the other, the "former will infinitely outweigh the lat

ter;" is a very exalted Notion, and would have been a just one, if the Author had taken into the Account a future State, which only can give fuch a Weight to Vir

* Audebo virtutis amplitudinem quafi in altera libræ lance ponere. Terram, mihi crede, ea lanx et maria deprimet. Cicero de Finibus. Pag. 435. Ed. Davis.