The Jews, in our Saviour's time, are faid " to have had Mofes "and the prophets." May not we as juftly be faid "to have the

evangelifts and apoftles," in having their writings fo common among us? Chriftians in former ages had thefe facred writings in the highest veneration; read them privately in their families and clofets; and publicly in their churches; fpread them far and wide through the earth; and handed them down to us as a public treafure, defigned for the benefit of Chriftians in all ages and nations.

In the effay on infpiration annexed to 1 Timothy, I have obferved that the apoftles had the whole scheme of the Christian doctrine by divine illumination; and conftantly retained it during the remaining part of their lives. What, therefore, they preached or wrote concerning the Chriftian doctrine may be depended upon; whatever was the occafion of their fo preaching or writing. If Jefus Chrift and his apoftles had not firft preached and worked miracles, met with fuch oppofition or fuccefs, acted or fuffered, as they did, the facred hiftorians could not have had the facts which they have recorded in their writings; nor the Chriftian religion have been attended with that illuftrious evidence, which now appears in the books of the New Teftament. Befides, there are not wanting fome hints of their epiftles being defigned for general ufe. For inftance: the first epiftle to the Corinthians is directed, not only to the Chriftians in Corinth, but "unto all, who, in every place, invoke "the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, both their Lord and ours.' And there is no queftion, but that every one of their epiftles were intended to be of as extenfive benefit as they were capable of.

The four gofpels and the A&ts of the apoftles feem to contain all the effential parts of the Chriftian religion. But the epiftles contain things useful, and of very great moment. The excellent laws, which Solon gave the Athenians, contained the substance of all their laws: but yet the Athenians found it proper to add many particular laws, as elucidations of Solon's general rules.-The laws of the twelve tables at Rome contained, in a narrow compafs, the fubftance of the Roman law but they found it requifite to add many particular laws to illustrate and explain thofe of the twelve tables. The ten commandments contained the fum and fubftance of the Mofaic law: but yet God faw fit to add many particular precepts, to explain and inforce the observation of the ten commandments.-And, finally, "the law of Mofes" contained the rules of the Jewish religion and government; but yet God faw fit, by the prophets, from time to time, to give that nation many particular precepts for inforcing, explaining, and illuftrating the law of Mofes.In like manner; the four Gofpels and the Acts of the apoftles contain a fummary of the Chriftian doctrine and precepts. They direct us to believe in God; and in Jefus Chrift, as the Meffiah and Saviour of the world. They inculcate the neceffity of repentance, where men have done amits; and of prevailing holiness in all. But they do not always apply thefe general directions to particular cafes fo minutely and circumftantially as do the apostles in their epiftles.

The four Gofpels give an account of the miniftry of John Baptift, and of our Lord, of the twelve apostles and of the seventy difciples; with what they faid and did as preparatory to the fetting. up the kingdom of the Meffiah in the world. The Acts of the apoftles contain the hiftory of erecting the gofpel-kingdom. In the Epiftles, feveral things are cleared up, which are but briefly hinted in the Gofpels and Acts of the apoftles. They were written by different perfons at various times and upon different occafions; and yet they all agree in the doctrines and precepts; and confirm the main facts, viz. that Jefus died and rofe again, afcended into heaven, and poured out the fpirit; and thereby imparted the knowledge of the gospel unto mankind; and many miraculous powers in atteftation to the Chriftian doctrine.

It might be expected that the religions, which had been long in poffeffion, would obftruct the progrefs of the gofpel; and that the votaries of each would have their peculiar objections. Accordingly, we find in the epiftles that the Jews and Heathens did actually make fuch objections; and we fee alfo in what manner the apostles have anfwered them; and that the nature of the gofpel and its evidences were fuch, and fo glorious, that it fpeedily made its way against various and powerful oppofition. The first profeffors, and more efpecially the firft preachers, of the gofpel, might expect perfecution from feveral quarters. The Acts of the apoftles, and their Epiftles, inform us that they were actually perfecuted; and let us know how they behaved, and what fupported them under fuch hardships and indignities.

By having Chriftianity fet in fuch different lights; and the objections of those who firft oppofed it fo clearly and fully answered; we are enabled much better to understand Christianity in its great extent and glorious evidence; to clear up fuch difficulties, as would otherwife have been infuperable, and to defend it against all its adverfaries.

By fhewing what pure Chriftianity was at the beginning, we are able much more clearly to point out what it ought now to be, and what are the corruptions of it in later ages; and we have thereby the proper means, in our hands, of fhewing which way a reformation might be effected. And, when and where Christianity is profeffed in its purity, by having the authentic and original records of it in its primitive glory and perfection, we can the better maintain the purity of it, and prevent future corruptions.

What

Some, indeed, have applied paffages in the epiftles to Chriftians of all ages, which were defigned only for fome Chriftians, and in fome particular cafes: but that is one of the abufes of Holy Scripture, againft which we are here guarding mankind. might be a proper rule, to perfons indued with miraculous powers, can be no rule to us who have no fuch powers. And yet even fuch paffages are of fervice now-a-days; as they are a clear proof that, in the primitive church, there were fuch powers; and confequently the moft glorious evidence attended Chriftianity, when it firft made its

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appearance

appearance in the world. Epiftles, written to churches, where the apoftles had many and bitter enemies; and which contain appeals to fuch churches, that fuch 'fpiritual gifts and miraculous powers had been communicated by them, and did then fubfift and abound; contain arguments of a peculiar kind in favour of the truth of the Chriftian religion. For, if there had been, among their converts, no fuch spiritual gifts and miraculous powers, their enemies would not have failed to have infulted them, and triumphed over them. And Chriftianity muft, in a short time, have funk, as a most notorious impofture. [See my Reasonablenefs of the Christian religion, &c. p. 128, &c.].

It has been already obferved that the apoftolic epiftles were not cir cular letters, nor catholic epiftles, originally written to all Chriftians; and equally fuited to the cafes and circumftances of all Chriftian churches, at all times and in all places. The general doctrines and precepts do, indeed, equally concern all Chriftians. And the apoftolic epiftles, which were written to particular churches, or perfons, and exactly adapted to their cafe, are fairly applicable to the cafes of all churches and of all Chriftians, as far as their cafes are like those of the perfons, or churches, to which they were originally addreffed. -This is not confining their meaning; nor extending it, as I apprehend, beyond what the apoftles defigned; or beyond the intention of that facred fpirit, by which they were guided and directed, in all that they spoke or wrote, relating to the doctrine of the glorious gospel of our Lord Jefus Christ.

The CONCLUSION.

To conclude: It appears to me that a critical interpreter of holy Scripture fhould fet out with this, as a first principle; viz. " that no text of Scripture has more than one meaning." That one

true fenfe he should endeavour to find out, as he would find out the fenfe of Homer, or any other ancient writer. When he has found out that fenfe, he ought to acquiefce in it. And fo ought his readers too; unless, by the juft rules of interpretation, they can fhew that he has mistaken the paffage; and that another is the one, juft, true, and critical sense of the place.

END OF VOL. IV.