these same books; when they were disputing with the utmost vehemence with one another, all sides left the disputes to be decided by these books. It shows, I think, incontrovertibly, the high esteem in which these books were, and that they could not be controverted, whatever else they might be. If one party attempted to forge a work in the name of an apostle, in order to support a favourite opinion, the opposite party, we may depend upon it, would search out the forgery and expose it; or if one party attempted to insert a text or passage, they would never prevail upon the adversary to allow it, so as to obtain uncontested credit. The vigilance of contending parties is the best security in the world against fraud and contradiction on either side.

Fourthly the primitive Christians did not receive the books of the New Testament in the lump, without distinction or inquiry; but appear to have exercised due caution and circumspection. The four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Epistles of Paul, one of Peter, and one of John, were received, so far as appears, universally and without dispute. The Epistle to the Hebrews, James, the second of Peter, the second and third of John, Jude, and the Revelations, were for a while dubious, though afterwards admitted as genuine.

Now, had none of them ever been doubted, it might have been said it was because no one of them was inquired into; but some of them being doubted, shows there was inquiry, there was caution; and this

is, in my judgement, the strongest imaginable confirmation of the rest. What were the reasons of the doubts, or how they were afterwards cleared up, is not now the question. It affords a fair presumption that there was no room to doubt on any of the rest; because when there was any such room, you find scruples, hesitations, and disagreements. An historian who wrote an account and history of the Christian religion between two and three hundred years after Christ's death, speaking of the books in use amongst Christians, divides them into three kinds :-those which were pretended to be written by the apostles or apostolic men, but rejected by the church; those which had been doubted, but afterwards received; and those, lastly, which had never, that he could learn, by any of the almost innumerable Christian churches or societies, been doubted or disputed at all—which distinction is exact and judicious, and settling the authority of the last set beyond controversy; because it is established upon the unconscious and unanimous consent of a vast number of Christian congregations, independent of one another, and who, as appears, were sufficiently disposed to doubt and disagree, where there was room for it.

I acknowledge that spurious pieces were published under the names of the apostles; but I contend that they never were received and acknowledged by the primitive Christians, in the way and with the consent that these Scriptures were. They may be once or

per

twice repeated by others; they were read and haps quoted; but those who read them and doubted of them, or were inclined to doubt them, always made a vast difference betwixt these and the books of which there was no doubt.

I will add two reflections, which belong particularly to Saint Paul's epistles. Saint Paul appears to have generally employed some one to write his epistles, either from his own mouth or another copy he gave him; but then to avoid the abuse of it, he always wrote a little-probably his benediction-in his own hand, expressly to prove it to be his own, and to guard the people he wrote to against any imposition. "The salutation of me, Paul, with my own hand, which is the token in every epistle; so I write." Generally the person by whom it was sent is mentioned in the ending of the epistle. No one, therefore, would present the epistle but that person; and he must be known as coming from Saint Paul. A great number of persons are saluted by name, who, as well as the whole church, would no doubt see the letter,—and particularly the first Epistle to the Thessalonians is directed to be read in all the churches. Now this very circumstance, in my judgement, made a forgery impossible: any such forgery during Paul's lifetime must have been discovered by his subsequent communication with the church; and if such epistle was not produced till after his death, then this plain objection must have overthrown its credit. "Here

it is directed in the very body of the letter that it be publicly read in the church, and the church has never heard or seen, or been told of it, till now."

My last reflection is this: in all Saint Paul's epistles, there is an earnestness and a vehemence; I might call it an enthusiasm, and a passionate style, which I will undertake to say none could counterfeit ; nor could such be found in any man's writings who was not thoroughly and entirely convinced of the truth of this religion. Let any one read Saint Paul's epistles with this view, and I am convinced he will confess that the author of these epistles, be he who he would, was really persuaded of the truth of what he wrote; not to mention the obscurity in many, or in most indeed, of his epistles, which a forger would have avoided.

Upon the whole, I trust that I have established this fundamental point to your satisfaction—that the books of Scripture were really written by the persons to whom they were ascribed. The remaining points we must reserve.

XXXV.

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

(PART II.)

JOHN XX. 31.

But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God, and that, believing, ye might have life through his name.

HAVING proved, and I trust satisfactorily, that the books of the New Testament were written by the persons to whom they are ascribed, my next proposition is, that these persons could not possibly be deceived in what they related; and this will necessarily introduce an inquiry how they stood connected as to opportunity of knowledge and information, with the matters they relate, and of what nature those matters were.

One of the four Gospels, which contain the history of our Saviour's life, the first, was written by Matthew. Who was that Matthew? The publican, whom Jesus Christ saw and called at the receipt of custom, and afterwards ordained to be one of the twelve Apostles, who were to be with him as companions in his journeying and ministry till his