tendent inspiration, which excludes any mixture of error whatever from the performance so superintended: inspiration of elevation, where the faculties act in a regular, and, as it should seem, in a common manner, yet are raised to an extraordinary degree, so that the composition shall, upon the whole, have more of the true sublime, or pathetic, than natural genius could have given and inspiration of suggestion, in which the use of the faculties is superseded, and God does, as it were, speak directly to the mind, making such discoveries to it as it could not otherwise have obtained, and dictating the very words in which such discoveries are to be communicated, if they are designed as a message to others.

It is not my purpose to attempt to ascertain how far different portions of Scripture were composed under one or other of these kinds of inspiration. I have enumerated them merely to show you that those, who contend that Scripture is inspired, have not arrived at their decision by a gross and careless process, but by sedulous, critical, and discriminating investigation. I mean, however, to affirm, and I trust the references I have thrown at the foot of the page, together with a few particular arguments which I shall advance, will prove to you the reasonableness of admitting, that, while the authors employed in the composition of the Bible exercised generally their own reason and judgment, the Spirit of God effectually stirred them up to write3; appointed to each his proper portion and topic, corresponding with his natural talents, and the necessities of the church in his time1; enlightened their minds and gave them a distinct view of the truths they were to deliver; strengthened and refreshed their memories to recollect whatever they had seen or heard, the

2 Ps. xlv. 1. Mark, xii. 36. Luke, i. 3. 3 2 Pet. i. 21. 4 2 Pet. i 21. 5 Jer. i. 11-16; xiii. 9-14. 19; ix. 22-27; x. 1. 8.

Acts, i. 1. 1 Pet. i. 11. Matt. xxv. 15.

Dan. viii. 15—

Zech. i. 19

Ezek. iv.

Amos, vii. 7, 8;

4-8.
viii. 2.
Eph. iii. 3, 4.

1 Pet. i.

insertion of which in their writings would be beneficial; directed them to select from a multitude of facts what was proper for the edification of the church, and neither more nor less'; excited afresh in their minds such images and ideas as had been laid up in their memories, and directed them to other ends and purposes than themselves would ever have done of their own accord; suggested and imprinted upon their minds such matters as could not have been discovered or known by reason, observation, or information, but were subjects of pure revelation; superintended every particular writer, so as to render him infallible in his matter, words, and order, especially whenever they related to facts, discourses, or doctrines, the communication of which is the great object of Scripture; thus rendering the whole canon at any given period an infallible guide to true holiness and everlasting happiness 10.

Now, that the Scriptures were actually dictated by an inspiration of this kind may, I think, be inferred both from the reasonableness and from the necessity of the thing. It is reasonable that the sentiments and doctrines, developed in the Scriptures, should be suggested to the minds of the writers by the Supreme Being himself. They relate principally to matters concerning which the communicating information to men is worthy of God: and the more important the information communicated, the more it is calculated to impress mankind, to preserve from moral obliquity, to stimulate to holiness, to guide to happiness, the more reasonable is it to expect that God should make the communication in a manner free from every admixture of risk or error. Indeed, the notion of inspiration enters essentially into 6 Luke, i. 3. John, xiv. 26. Jer. xxxi. 3. 7 John, xx. 30, 31; xxi. 25. 6-11.

Rom. iv. 23, 24; xv. 4. 1 Cor. x.

8 Amos, i. and ix. Acts, xvii. 28. 1 Cor. xv. 33. Tit. i. 12.

9 Gen. i. ii. iii. Lev. xxvi. Is. xli. 22, 23; xlv. 21; xlvi. 9, 10. 1 Tim. iii. 16.

10 Deut. viii. 1-4. Ps. xix. 7-11; cxix. Matt. xxii. 29. Luke, xiv. 25-31. John, v. 39. Rom. xv. 4. 2 Tim. iii. 15-17. 2

Pet. i. 19.

our ideas of a Revelation from God; so that to deny inspiration is tantamount to affirming there is no Revelation. And why should it be denied? Is man out of the reach of him who created him? Has he, who gave man his intellect, no means of enlarging or illuminating that intellect? And is it beyond his power to illuminate and inform in an especial manner the intellects of some chosen individuals—or contrary to his wisdom, to preserve them from error when they communicate to others, either orally or by writing, the knowledge he imparted to them, not merely for their own benefit, but for that of the world at large, in all generations?

But farther, Inspiration is necessary. The necessity of Revelation has been evinced in a former letter; and the same reasoning, in connexion with what I have just remarked, establishes the necessity of inspiration. Besides this, the subjects of Scripture render inspiration necessary. Some past facts recorded in the Bible could not possibly have been known had not God revealed them. Many things are recorded there as future, that is, are predicted, which God alone could foreknow and foretell, which notwithstanding came to pass, and which, therefore, were foretold under divine inspiration. Others, again, are far above human capacity, and never could have been discovered by men: these, therefore, must have been delivered by divine inspiration. The authoritative language of Scripture, too, argues the necessity of inspiration, admitting the veracity of the writers. They propose things, not as matters for consideration, but for adoption; they do not leave us the alternative of receiving or rejecting; do not present us with their own thoughts; but exclaim, Thus saith the Lord," and on that ground demand our assent. They must, of necessity, therefore, speak and write as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost," or be impostors; and the last supposition is precluded by reasonings which I have repeatedly brought forward in these letters.

Very striking proofs of the inspiration of the Scriptures might be deduced from a consideration of their

matchless sublimity, their union of perspicuity with profundity, their piety, their pure and holy tendency, their efficacy, their harmony, and their miraculous preservation. But I shall leave you to reflect upon these at your leisure, and proceed to lay before you, as an argument of no small weight the testimony of those who lived nearest the apostolic times, on this point. They may naturally be expected, so far I mean as is independent of the written word, to know more of the sentiments of those who, in regard to religious topics, had "the mind of Christ," than any Christians in subsequent ages. Consider in this view the weight of the following quotations:

1. CLEMENS ROMANUS says, that "the apostles preached the Gospel, being filled with the Holy Spirit: that the Scriptures are the true word of the Spirit; that Paul wrote to the Corinthians things that were true, by the aid of the Spirit ;" and that the Pentateuch, as well as all that the Jews received as Holy Scripture, "were indeed the oracles of God."

2. JUSTIN MARTYR says, "that the Gospels were written by men full of the Holy Ghost, and that the sacred writers were moved by inspiration:" and in his argumentations he generally, if not always, assumes as incontrovertible the inspiration of the Old Testament.

3. IRENEUS says, that "all the apostles as well as Paul received the Gospel by divine Revelation; and that by the will of God they delivered it to us as the foundation and pillar of our faith; that the Scriptures were dictated by the Spirit of God, and therefore it is wickedness to contradict them, and sacrilege to make any the least alteration in them."

4. CLEMENS ALEXANDRINUS says, "We that have the Scriptures are taught of God; that the Scriptures are established by the authority of God; that the whole Scripture is the law of God; and that they are all divine."

5. ORIGEN says, that "the Scriptures proceeded from the Holy Spirit; that there is not one tittle in them but what expresses a divine wisdom; that there is nothing in

the Law, or the Prophets, or the Gospels, or the Epistles, which did not proceed from the fulness of the Spirit; that we ought with all the faithful to say that the Scriptures are divinely inspired; that the Gospels were admitted as divine in all the churches of God; that the Scriptures are no other than the oracles of God; that, if a man would not confess himself to be an infidel, he must admit the inspiration of the Scriptures."

6. TERTULLIAN lays down as a fundamental principle in disputing with heretics, "that the truth of doctrines is to be determined by Scripture;" and affirms most positively, "that Scripture is the basis of faith; that all Christians prove their doctrines out of the Old and New Testament; and that the majesty of God dictated what Paul wrote."

7. EUSEBIUS quotes with approbation a writer more ancient than himself, who says, "they who corrupt the sacred Scriptures abolish the standard of the ancient faith, neglecting the words of the divine writings, out of regard to their own reasonings;" and afterwards, "that they either do not believe that the Holy Spirit uttered the Divine Scriptures, and then they are infidels; or think themselves wiser than the Spirit, and in that case seem to be possessed."

8. THEOPHILUS ANTIOCHENUS says, that "the evangelists and apostles wrote by the same Spirit that inspired the prophets."

9. Nearly all the other Christian writers in the first three centuries, whose performances have wholly or partly reached us, speak of the Scriptures as divine, call them the Holy Scriptures, the sacred fountain, the divine fountains of salvation, &c. evidently implying their inspiration. And in those early ages the whole church agreed in sentiment, that no books should be received into the Canon of Scripture of whose inspiration there was any doubt".

11 The curious reader may consult farther the testimonies collected by Dr. Whitby, vol. i. Pref., by Dr. Lardner in the Second Part of his Credibility, Dr. Doddridge in his Lectures on Divinity, and in his Family Expositor, vol. iii.