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you, but Jefus Chrift and him Crucified; and my Speech and my Preaching was, not with enticing Words of Man's Wifdom, but in Demonftration of the Spirit and of Power, that your Faith fhould not fand in the Wisdom of Men, but in the Power of God. b Strains of Rhetorick, whereby the Paffions are raised to a great Height, are fome times neceffary to gain a prefent Point, and carry a Caufe by a violent and fudden Transport, be→ fore Reason can interpofe: But fince Religion was to be propounded upon reasonable Motives, there was no need for any Art of this kind, when the Evidence of the Miracles, by which it was established (here called the Demonftration of the Spirit and of Power) afforded fo many other more certain and convincing means of Perfuafion. It cannot be denied however (as a learned Critick has declared) but that St. Paul, in fome kind, and upon fome Subjects, is as eloquent as ever Man was, not inferior to Demofthenes, (in whofe Writings he fuppofes him to have been very converfant,) or Æfchines, or any other Ancient the most admired. Tho' therefore God, in Condefcenfion to the Infirmities of Men, has been pleafed to convey fome

Parts

6 Fenkin's Reafonableness, Vol. 2, Mer. Cafanb. of Enthu. c. 4.

Parts of the Holy Scriptures to us, in fuch a Stile and Method, as, for its own fake, is greatly to be esteemed and admired; yet it was highly requifite, that other Parts of it fhould have the bare Force and Evidence of Truth only to convince Mankind; that thereby it might appear, that the Propagation of our Religion was owing, not to any Arts of humane Eloquence, but to its own intrinfick Worth and Excellency.

But there is another way of accounting for the want of Elegance, as well as Uniformity, in the Stile and Method of the Evangelical Writers, and that is by fuppofing, that, tho' the Spirit of God took Care to direct and over-rule them all along, fo as to make it impoffible for them to record any thing, but what was confonant to Truth, and expreffive of his meaning; yet he might nevertheless leave them to their own Words and Manner of Expreffion, which, confidering the difference of their Parts and Education, muft neceffarily occafion a great variety of Stile, and fome times Solæcifms or Confufion of Method in their Compofitions: which Solacifms, if they were but expreffive of their meaning, were, in that refpect, as valuable, as the greatest Propriety of

Fenkin's Reasonableness, Vol. 2.

Lan

The Ex

Measure

of their

tion.

Language; and which Confufion the Holy Spirit might the rather allow of, because it might be of ufe to prevent the Scriptures being corrupted or falfified, as they might have been, if either their hiftorical Part had been digested into Diaries or Annals, or their preceptive Part reduced to feveral diftinct Heads, and placed according to the Rules of Art.

In fhort, the Extent and Measure of tent and the Infpiration of these holy Penmen feems to be ftated, according to the Infpira- Subject they were inditing, whether it was Matter of Fact, Matter of Reason, or Matter of Revelation. c If they were inditing Matters of Fact, their Memories were then affifted and confirmed, fo as to enable them to relate what was really done, though they might not perhaps all relate it in the fame Order of Time. If inditing Matters of Difcourfe, and reafoning either from their own natural Notions, or fome antecedent Revelation, their Understandings were enlightened, and their Judgments ftrengthened: In both thefe Cafes, they had always the ufe of their Faculties, and feem to be left to their own Words, though under the infallible Conduct and Direction of the Holy Ghoft. But if they

Whitby's general Preface.

they were inditing Things of an higher Nature, which were above their Facul ties, and of which they could have no Knowledge but by Revelation, it seems most reasonable to believe (as the best expedient to fecure the Church in all Ages from Errors) that not only the Things, but the Words likewife, wherein they were expreffed, were immediately fuggefted to their Minds; for fo St. Paul feems to declare, when he tells us, that they spake the Things which were given them of God, in the Words, which the Holy Ghoft taught them.

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and Li

But though the meafure of Infpirati- The Re on, communicated to the facred Pen- frictions men, extended thus far; yet ; yet it can be mitatino Prejudice to the Authority of their ons of it. Writings, to fuppose, that it was not habitual, and continually refiding in them; and therefore St. Paul might ve ry well tell us of fome Things, about which he had no command, wherein he g gave his Judgment and Advice only, and so distinguish between what he himfelf fpake, and what the Lord Spake : That it was not communicated all at once, but at fuch Times, in fuch Meafures, and upon fuch Occafions, as were most conducive to the Edification of the Church; and therefore St. Peter might, without

1 Cor. ii. 12, 13.2 Cor. vii, 25.

h

without blame, be ignorant of the Call of the Gentiles into the Covenant of Grace, A Myftery (as St. Paul speaks) which, in other Ages, was not made known unto the Sons of Men, that the Gentiles fhould be Fellow-Heirs, and of the fame Body, and Partakers of his Promife in Chrift by the Gospel: That it did not debar the Writers from making ufe of the common and received Forms of Speech; and therefore, when we find them expreffing themselves in indefinite Terms, 'tis not because they were doubtful or uncertain in the Particulars fo expreffed, but purely in Compliance to the general Custom of omitting Fracti ons, and inferting whole Numbers only, when an Author finds it not material to his purpose to infift upon every little Circumftance: That it did not reftrain them from any Inftances of Civility and Refpect, and therefore the Salutations of St. Paul to particular Perfons, at the End of his Epiftles, might not only be of this Nature; but as they included his Benediction likewise (which was the Exercife of his apoftolick Office in one great Branch of it) might be directed by God, in order to revive their Spirits, and encourage them to Perfeverance under the Trials and Afflictions, that

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"Eph. iii. 3, &c. Jenkin's Reason. Vol. 2.

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