A Letter on the divine infpiration of the holy feriptures. SIR, LL fcripture is given by "Ain infpiration of God." This is a cardinal truth-the main pillar on which the knowledge of every thing important to man is built. To queftion this is an attempt to fet the world afloat with out pilot or compafs. By fcripture is meant the holy bible in all its parts, without the exception of a fingle paragraph or word. The fentence," All feripture is given by infpiration of God," is a quotation from the writings of the apoftle Paul. He had particular refpect to the fcriptures of the old refpect to the scriptures of the old This is not to be underfood, that every speaker in the holy fcriptures, fpake as moved by the Holy Ghoft; or that every word or fpeech narrated in them, is truc. The ferpent faid to Eve, "Ye shall not furely die:" and Job's friends did not always fpeak the thing which was right concerning God. The erroneous opinions of even good men, as well as their faults in practice, are often related in fcripture. All we understand to be intended is, that the penmen of the bible, in every word of it, were guided by unerring infpiration. VOL. II. No. 6. EDITORS. teftament; for the new-teftament was but in part written. It how ever applies as well to the one tef the apoftle wrote this by the fpirit tament as to the other. Perhaps clude them both. Both are writ of prophecy, and intended to inten by the fame infpiration, and equally bear the ftamp of divine authenticity. This will appear as we proceed. The infpiration of God here intended, is a divine, infallible superintendence of every portion that is of the whole. There is however written, fo that God is the author fome difference with refpect to the agency of the Holy Spirit in the infpiration of the various parts of which it is compofed. Some part of it was written by an immediate revelation of the things contained to the infpired writers, of which they had been entirely ignorant before. Of other parts the writers had more or lefs acquaintance. of the things recorded, either by ordinary information, or their own perfonal knowledge. The history of the creation of the world, and most of the events before the floed claim to have been matter of pure revelation. Mofes, who has giv. Bb be matter of immediate revelation. Thefe commands, inftitutions, and directions, make up another large portion of the fcriptores. Further; all that is faid in the fcriptures concerning the exercife of divine mercy to this finful world, the redemption by which the way of mercy was opened, the methods by which men may become partakers of it, all the directions concerning it,-its doctrines and all Chriftian inftitutions and inftruc tions, and the declarations made interefts and circumstances of it, and of the day of general judg ment which precedes the retributions of eternity, all are fuch, that if they are true, they are matters immediately revealed to the penmen of the fcriptures; for they could not have obtained the knowl edge of them in any other way. This also forms another great part of the fcriptures. en us an account of thefe things, part, a prophecy of Chrift, and must have been ignorant of the of the gofpel falvation, and all the time taken up in the work of cremeffages of the prophets, claim to ation, and of the order and manner of God's proceedings in it, until it was immediately revealed. God faw it beft that mankind fhould be informed of the beginning of the world, and that they fhould have a fhort compendious hiftory of its firft ages, which could not have been given but by revelation. Many parts of the fcriptures are prophecies of things which were to take place in times then fature. This is true both of the old and new-teftaments. Thus the bondage of the people of If-refpecting a future world, and the rael, and their deliverance out of Egypt, their conqueft of Canaan, their Babylonian captivity, and their prefent difperfion were foretold Almoft every thing which refpected the birth, life, death and fefurrection of Chrift, was recor ded before there could have been any probability, in the view of any man, that fuch a character would make his appearance, at that or any other time, in our world. There are alfo numerous predictions refpecting the concerns of individuals and nations, and efpecially of the church. Thefe make up a large portion of the holy fcriptures. And as thefe could not have been forefeen by the penetration of the writers, they must have had their knowledge of them by exprefs revelation. Befides; the numerous commands of God are given to us as matters of revelation. The writers profefs to have received them in this way from God. The laws and direc-witneffes of the facts which they tions given to Mofes refpecting his recorded. This alfo was the conducting the children of Ifrael cafe with the evangelifts, and the from Egypt to the borders of the writer of the acts of the apoftles. land of promife, the ten command- The infpiration of this portion of ments, the whole of the levitical the fcriptures has been doubted by. inftitutions, which were, in a great fome who profefs to believe the Some other parts of the bible are hiftories of events, which were more or lefs known to the writers. Such were the miracles wrought by Mofes in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilder nefs,-the deftruction of the Egyptians, and the deliverance and journeyings of the Ifraelites. The general hiftories of the people of Ifrael in after generations might have been known, in fome meafare, by the writers, by informa tion and records, or they might in many inftances have been eye writers of the new-teffament were under the guidance of the Holy Ghoft. Chrift promifed his difciples the Holy Ghoft, who fhould reveal to them all neceffary truth, and bring all things to their remem brance, whatsoever he had faid unto them. It will be demanded; what evidence we have that the fcriptures are given by fuch infpitation? There are numerous evidences; some of which will now be mentioned. The fcriptures exhibit a God whose character is incompara truth of the fcriptures in general, on the ground that in this cafe infpiration was not needed. But though an immediaté revelation of things well known was unneceffa ry, yet it was neceffary that there fhould have been a divine, infallible fuperintendence, as much over this, as over any part of that book. It was neceffary, because the hiftori ans would otherwife be liable to miftakes, thro' mifinformation and erroneous apprehenfions, to which all imperfect beings may be fubject. It was alfo neceffary, that thofe and only those things fhould be re-bly more excellent than any in corded, which might render the fcriptures perfect, and entirely fit ted for the ufes for which they are intended. A very small part of the history of perfons and things is related. Every thing unneceffary is fuppreffed. There is nothing res dundant-nothing wanting. Some things which were written, the writers could not have tho's impor. tant, as the history of Ruth. But God faw it was neceflary, to give the lincage of Chrift, and efpecially as in this inftance it was of Gentile extraction. It was therefore neceffary that God fhould make the selection. The fuperin tendence of God, in these things, confifts in his revealing to the writers what things they thould record, and taking care that no errors, falfe colorings, or other imperfections fhould enter into their hiflgnant, fubject to every vice tories. And this is fitly called the which belongs to the most infa infpiration of God, tho' in fome mous characters among men, and cafes not an immediate revelation yet poffeffing alfo the excellencies of facts. By the infpiration of of men. They had no idea of a God is therefore meant, either perfect character, and depraved the immediate revelation of his beings could not originate fuch Spirit, or his infpiring men to fe- an idea. But the bible draws a lect and relate fuch facts, with in- character new to the world, and fallible rectitude, as he faw were altogether perfect in unbounded for the benefit of his people. In excellency. this way the old-teftament was indited. And in the fame way the habitant of this world could have invented; for it is now, tho' re vealed, beyond our comprehenfion. It is a confiftent character, and every where fupported, by at the writers, and perfectly compares with the events of providence. It differs widely from the character which all the heathen philofophers gave of him whom they called the father of gods and men. It is in every refpect infinitely fuperior to theirs. They could not conceive of a being without a beginning and their gods, all have a genealogy up from fon to father. The fcrip tare God is without beginning of days, self-existent and independent. Their God was only a great man. They reprefent him with all the evil paffions of a man, capricious, deceitful, falfe, lafcivious and ma The character given of Jefus Chrift is another evidence of the in our eyes. The state of the Jews, of the fucceffive monarchies of the eaftern world, of the Grecian fpiration of the bible. It is fingular. It exhibits a perfect moral character, entirely fupported, under all the various and moft trying circum-churches, of Antichrift, and to stances incident to human life. A these much more might be added; thousand human writers have ex- all demonftrate that the scriptures erted all their talents and inven- were infpired of God. tions to exhibit a perfect human character; but all have failed for want of a model. They appear exceedingly low, erroneous and deficient when read and compared with the bible hiftory of Chrift. It was written by four different men, of no erudition, each of whom has infinitely exceeded all the other writers of our world. They were certainly infpired. The laws, precepts and morals of the fcriptures are uniformly fupported in perfect harmony, by all the different writers, they are faultlefs and compleat-worthy of being given by fuch a being as God, expreffive of his infinite intelligence, purity, goodness, righteouf nefs and univerfal perfection. They infinitely tranfcend every thing of the kind ever published in our world for their extent and excellence. The gofpel in all its parts, the view the bible gives of a future world,-the motives it prefents to imprefs duty,-its de velopement of the human heart in all circumstances, all are truly wonderful, and wholly unequalled by any thing that ever was feen or imagined by mankind. They bring an infinite weight of evidence that it is derived from the infpiration of God. It has been already noticed that a large portion of the fcriptures confifts of prophecies. God only could know what he defigned to bring to pafs. Hundreds, if not thousands of thefe prophecies have been already fulfilled, and all in their due order, and they are now in a train of accomplishment before The miracles which are recorded as having taken place in confirmation of revelations from God, ftill continue to give evidence of it. If they were wrought at the time, they certainly were evidence. The nature of the miracles related was fuch as could not admit of deception. Let us fingle out the miracles of Mofes in Egypt, at the Red Sea and in the wilderness as a fample of the reft. Thefe are fome of the most ancient miracles. The people of Ifrael could not have been deceived in refpect to thefe by the low tricks of legerdemain. Had they not been true, the people of Ifrael could never have been made univerfally to believe them. And it was impoffi ble in a few generations after they had arrived at Canaan to have invented them, and made the whole nation believe that they were true, and that they had always underftood the fame things from their fathers, and from the records of their nation. It would be now impoffible to palm fuch things upon Americans, refpecting the coming. of our fore-fathers from Europe. They must have been true :-And befides, the occafions on which thefe, and all the other miracles related in the fcriptures, are faid to have been wrought, are worthy of them. They were to attest a revelation from God, of infinite concern to our world. It is reafonable to fuppofe that in fuch a concern, the Moft High would give the most ftriking and inconteftible evidence that it was a revelation from him. This of it felf goes far towards rendering all of belief in any one inftance, will thofe miracles credible. Other in every one. If we question one evidences of the divine infpiration idea, one piece of history, one of the holy scriptures might be giv-command, promife, threatening, en. Among them are the repre- or any one reprefentation, we may fentations of the relations fubfifting as well queftion another, and aamong intelligent beings, and the nother and the whole. If we duties which refult from them.- would be confiftent, we must be The reasonableness and importance lieve either that the whole of it is of all the doctrines and duties fta- true, or that no part of it is the ted, and the peculiar evidence of word of God. When men say, true believers from the communica- we do not know but that it may be tions of the Holy Spirit: but thofe all true; but this part is probable, which have been briefly noticed and that improbable,this is true, are conclufive, and I cannot but be but of that we do not know what to confident that my friend will ef- believe, we do not believe nor teem them fo.. But before I clofe difbelieve it, they have then taken this letter, which has already im- the ground which entirely fubverts perceptibly become very long, you the whole. Every thing which will permit me to make feveral diffatisfies their reafonings, or difother obfervations with reference pleases their paffions or inclinations, to yourfelf, and to the account will be paffed over as improbable: which you give me of feveral of Unless we place implicit confiyour neighbours. It feems that dence in the fcriptures, whether fome of them are unwilling to fub- the thing written might feem probmit implicitly to the teftimony of able or improbable to us,-unless the fcriptures refpecting things we believe it upon the bare tefti which they cannot comprehend. mony of the bible, all confidence is Others deny the prefent obligation gone in the only direction to the of the old teftament, and fome the way of falvation, which is affordfpirituality of the new. And a ed for our world. The testimony few openly question the authentici- of God is then fubjected to the dety of the whole; while others fpi- cifions of our own purblind, partial ritualise it into nonfenfe and myfte- reafonings, which are always fwayry, as unintelligible as the jargon ed by our prejudices and inclinaof magicians and forcerers, and tions, and are too narrow to com give it any meaning, or no meaning, prehend the interefts of the unias their fancy, impiety, enthufiafm verfe. When these scriptures are or blafphemy directs. Thefe thus fubjected to our caprice, we are all much alike fo far as it have in fact become infidels, and refpects their opinions on the di- the bible will be believed or difbevine origin of the facred fcriptures. lieved as we pleafe, and conftrued All tend to one point-to the re- or mifconftrued to favor our lufts, jection of the whole.. and fupport our favorite opinions. Since all Scripture is given by Every degree of deviation from infpiration of God, you fee that the belief of the plain meaning of all parts of it come to us authen- the bible as it ftands, according to ticated by the fame authority.the natural import of every part of One thing is to be relied upon with it, comparing it together as its own the fame confidence as another. interpreter, is a step towards infiThat which will shake the grounds delity. When men profefs not to |