T

"may be falfely written or wrong tranflated, " and though a whole book or two may be hard "to be proved authentic.

"The learned well know what need there is of "turning over the hiftories of ancient times, of "the traditions and writings of the fathers, and "all authors pious and profane; what need of "critical skill in the holy languages and in ancient "manuscripts; what a wide furvey of various "circumftances of fact, time, place, ftyle, dic"tion, is neceffary to confirm one or another book "or verfe of the New Teftament, and to answer "the doubts of the fcrupulous, and the bold ob"jections of the infidel. Now how few of the 65 common rank of Chriftians, whofe hearts are "inlaid with true faith in the Son of God, and "with real holiness, have leifure, books, inftruction, "advantages, and judgment fufficient to make a "thorough fearch into thefe matters, and to de"termine, upon a juft view of argument, that "these books were written by the facred authors "whose names they bear, and that these authors "were under an immediate inspiration in writing "them. What a glorious advantage is it then "to have fuch an INFALLIBLE TESTIMONY to the "truth of the gospel wrought and written in the "heart by renewing grace, as does not depend on "this laborious, learned, and ARGUMENTATIVE EVIDENCE of the divine authority of the Bible, "or of any particular book or verfe in it! "Secondly, if we confider what bold affaults fometimes made the faith of the unupon "learned Chriftian by the deifts and unbelievers "of our age, by difputing against the authority of "the fcripture, by ridiculing the strange narra"tives and fublime doctrines of the Bible, by "fetting the feeming contradictions in a blaf

are

"phemous

"phemous light, and then demanding, "How "can you prize or how can you believe that this "book is the word of God, or that the religion it "teaches is divine ?" In fuch an hour of conteft, "how happy is the Chriftian that can fay, "Though I am not able to folve all the difficulties " in the Bible, nor maintain the facred authority "of it against the cavils of wit and learning, yet "I am well affured that the doctrines of this book "are facred, and the authority of them divine; "for when I heard and received them, they "changed my nature, they fubdued my finful appe"tites, they made a NEW CREAture of me, and "raised me from death to life; they made me "LOVE GOD above all things, and gave me the "lively and well-grounded hope of his love. "Therefore I cannot doubt but that the CHIEF

"PRINCIPLES of this book are divine, though I "cannot fo well prove that the very words and "fyllables of it are fo, too; for it is the fenfe of "fcripture, and not the mere letters of it, on "which I build my hope. What if the fcripture "fhould not be divine? What if this gofpel and "the other epiftles fhould not be written by in"fpiration? What if these should be merely the "words of men, and not the very word of God?

Though I cannot recollect all the arguments "that prove Matthew, Mark, and Luke to be "divine hiftorians, or Peter and Paul to be in"fpired writers; yet the fubftance and chief fenfe "of these gospels and their epiftles must needs be "divine; FOR IT HAS BEGUN THE SPIRITUAL AND "ETERNAL LIFE IN MY SOUL; and THIS IS MY "WITNESS, or rather the witnefs of the SPIRIT OF GOD within us, that CHRIST IS THE SON OF "GOD, the SAVIOUR OF SINNERS, and the religion "that I profefs and practise is safe and divine."

E 5

"And

"And though there are many and fufficient "arguments drawn from criticifm, hiftory, and "human learning to prove the facred authority of "the Bible, and fuch as may give abundant fatif"faction to an honeft inquirer, and full fatisfac❝tion that it is the word of God; yet THIS IS "THE CHIEF EVIDENCE that the greatest part of "Chriftians can ever attain of the divine original "of the holy fcripture itself, as well as the truth "of the doctrines contained in it, namely, That "they have found a holy and heavenly CHANGE paffed "upon them, by reading and hearing the propo"fitions, the hiftories, the precepts, the promises, " and the threatenings of this book; and thence "they are wont to infer, that the God of truth "would not attend a book, which was not agree"able to his mind, with fuch glorious inftances "" of his own POWER and GRACE.

"I have dwelt the longer on fhewing that the " inward witness is fuch a witness to the truth of "the Christian religion as does not depend on the "exact truth of letters and fyllables, nor on the cri"tical knowledge of the copies of the Bible, nor "on this old manuscript or the other new transla❝tion, because every manuscript and every tranf"lation has enough of the gospel to fave fouls by "it, and make a man a Chriftian; and because I "think this point of great importance in our age, "which has taken fo many fteps to heathenifm "and infidelity; for this argument or EVIDENCE "will defend a Chriftian in the profeffion of the "true religion, though he may not have skill "enough to defend his Bible.

"Why do you believe in Jefus ?" asks the un"believer. If you have this anfwer ready at "hand, "I HAVE FOUND THE EFFICACY AND " POWER

2

"POWER OF THE GOSPEL IN MY HEART;" this "will be fufficient to answer every cavil.

"The words of St. Paul to the Corinthians have a reference to our present subject. Ye are ma"nifeftly declared to be the epiftle of Chrift miniftered by us; written, not with INK, but with the SPI"RIT OF THE LIVING GOD; not in tables of ftone, "but in flefbly tables of the heart *"

Thus far Dr. Watts, in his fermons on the inward Witness to Chriftianity, where the reader will find a great deal of truly evangelical inftruction. For my own part, I cannot but think this good man approached as nearly to Chriftian perfection as any mortal ever did in this fublunary ftate; and therefore I confider him as a better interpreter of the Christian doctrines than the most learned critics, who, proud of their reason and their learning, defpifed or neglected the very life and foul of Christianity, the living everlafting gospel, the fupernatural operation of DIVINE GRACE. And be it ever remembered, that Dr. WATTS was a man who cultivated his reason with particular care, who studied the abftrufeft fciences, and was as well qualified to become a verbal critic, or a logical difputant on the fcriptures, as the most learned among the doctors of the Sorbonne, or the greatest proficients in polemical divinity. I mention this circumftance for the confideration of those who infinuate that the doctrine of grace cannot be entertained but by ignorant, as well as fanatical perfons; by perfons uninitiated in the mysteries of PHILOSOPHY.

* 2 Cor. iii. 2, 3.

SECTION XIV.

The Opinion of Dr. Lucas, the celebrated Author of an Enquiry after HAPPINESS, on the Evidence of Christianity arifing from divine Communication.

THE

HE writings of Dr. Lucas appear to me distinguished by the true fpirit of Christianity. They were extremely popular at their first publication, and are ftill held in high efteem. The teftimony of so good a man, fo able and engaging a writer, must tend to perfuade all who poffefs candour and Christian humility, that the doctrine of divine influence is the leading and most important tenet of Christianity.

"There is," fays Dr. Lucas, " no great need "of acquired learning in order to true illumina"tion. Our Saviour did not exact of his difci"ples, as a neceffary preparation for his doctrine, "the knowledge of tongues, the hiftory of times "or of nature; logic, metaphyfics, or the like. "These indeed may be serviceable to many excel"lent ends they may be great accomplishments. "of the mind, great ornaments, and very en"gaging entertainments of life. They may be, "finally, very excellent and neceffary inftruments

of, or introductions to feveral profeffions and "employments: but as to religious perfection and "happiness, to these they can never be indifpen"fably neceffary.

"A man may be excellently, habitually GOOD, " without more languages than one; he may be "fully perfuaded of those great truths, that will "render him mafter of his paffions and independ

ant of the world; that will render him eafy and

" useful