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or what they should speak, for it shall be given unto you, fays he, in the fame Hour, what ye ought to fay, for it is not ye that fpeak, but the Holy Ghoft, or the Spirit of my Father, which speaketh in you. Now if Mofes was infpired upon that particular Occafion, and the Apoftles, in Cafes that were but perfonal, when brought before Magiftrates upon Account of their Religion, had Assistances extraordinary imparted to them (as whoever looks into their Defences muft certainly acknowledge that they had) there is much more Reasons for the fame Gifts and Communications in Matters that were to be of general Use to the Church in all Ages. To the end therefore that we might have no doubt concerning the Doctrines, which the Apoftles were to teach, we find our Saviour making them this farther Promise; The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will fend in my Name, he ball teach you all Things, and bring all Things to your Remembrance, whatfoever I have faid unto you, i. e. whatever Doctrines I have commanded you to teach, these he will remind you of continually; and whatever I have omitted teaching you, because you are not yet capable of receiving them, these he will inftruct

Joh. xiv. 26.

And from

ture and End of their Wri

inftruct you in: For that this is the true Import of the Promife, we may learn from the enfuing Words; P I have yet many Things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now; but when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he fall guide you into all Truth, and he shall fhew you Things to come. And from hence we may be affured, 9 that all the Sermons and Discourses of our Lord to his Difciples, recorded in the Evangelifts, are faithfully delivered by his Apostles, as to the genuine Senfe and Import of them, otherwise the Holy Ghoft did not bring to their Remembrance all Things, which he had faid unto them; and that, whatever they taught in any of their Epiftles addreffed to the Chriftian Churches, they taught by the Guidance and Direction of the fame Spirit, otherwise he did not teach them all Things, nor guide them into all Truth.

And indeed confidering that the end the Na- of thefe Writings, was to be perpetual Monuments of the Doctrines of Jefus Christ, and a standing Rule of Faith to Chriftians in all Ages of the World, there was a certain Neceffity (for fear that the Churches fhould fall into Error at

tings.

Joh. xvi. 12, 13. Vid. Whitby's general Preface before St. Matthew. Vid. Du Pin's Hift. of the Canon.

at any time) that their Authors should be directed and affifted, in the Compofition of them, by fome infallible Guide. And, accordingly we may obferve, that (whatever Conceptions we may have of their Modefty) they are no where afhamed of making open Declarations of their being divinely Infpired. For I am a Minifter of Chrift, fays St. Paul, according to the Difpenfation of God which is given to me to fulfil, (i. e. fully to Preach,) the Word of God; and, for this Caufe thank we God without ceafing, because, when ye received the Word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it, not as the Word of Men, but, as it is in Truth, the Word of God; and therefore,

if any Man be a Prophet or Spiritual, let him acknowledge that the Things I write unto you are the Commandment of the Lord.

And that this was the acknowledgement of Chriftians in all Ages from the Beginning, viz. that the Apoftles, and other Penmen of the Books of the New Teftament, were affifted in their Writing, as well as in their Preaching, by the Spirit of God, is evident from innumerable Paffages in the earlieft Fathers, and the conftant Practice of the Church, in

с

'Col. i. 25. 1 Theff. ii. 13.1 Cor. xiv. 35. * Vid. Whitby's general Preface,

in reading these Writings on the Lord's Day, for the Inftruction of the People; in proving all their Doctrines, and confuting Hereticks from their Authority; and in esteeming fuch Perfons, as denied their Infpiration, no better than Infidels for what Wickedness is this, y says an antient Author, either they believe not the Holy Scriptures to be divinely InSpired, and then they are Infidels; or they pretend to be wiser than the Holy Ghoft, and then they are mad and poffeffed?

Now if Perfons fo near the Times of the Apostles, that fome of them either converfed with them, or were acquainted with their immediate Succeffors; if the Churches, which received thefe Writings from the very Hands of the Apoftles, and kept ftill the Original or Authentick Copies of them, did fo unqueftionably receive them as infpired Writings, and look upon them as the Rule and Pillar of their Faith; if they read them, together with thofe Writings of the Prophets, which on all Hands were acknowledged to be the Word of God, proved from them all the Doctrines of the Chriftian Faith, received them as the perfect Rule of Chriftian Duty, confuted all Herefies and erroneous Doctrines from them, and reprefented thofe as

Infidels,

Y Vid. Whitby's general Preface. pag. 14..

Infidels, who queftioned or denied their Inspiration from the Holy Ghoft; they doubtlefs were well affured that, as fuch, they were delivered to them by the Apoftles and other facred Penmen: and if this was Matter of Fact, what Reafon have we, in these latter Ages, to call in Question what was univerfally acknowledged by thofe, who liv'd in the very Age, wherein the Books were written, and fent to the Churches of Chrift?

Method

We readily own indeed, that, in the E- Their vangelical Writings, there is not that Ele- Stile and gance of Stile, or Accuracy of Method, vindicawhich may be observed in fome humane ted. Compofitions; but then it ought to be confidered, that, as 2 too great a Niceness about these Matters is an Argu ment of a little Genius, and an Employ unbecoming the Dignity of the Spirit of God; fo the Apostle has given us a very good Reafon, why leaft of all it fhould have found a Place in fuch Scriptures, as were defigned for the Rule of our Faith: a And I, Brethren, when I came to you, came not with Excellency of Speech, or of Wisdom, declaring unto you the Teftimony of God; for I determined not to know any Thing among

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Fenkin's Reasonableness, Vol. 2.

you,

1 Cor. ii.

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