most necessary parts of agriculture, medicine, navigation, and other fciences, are within the reach of every mind, who is willing to be inftructed. And yet, in our religion, as in the arts and fciences, there ftill is, and probably will continue to be room for inquiry, and need of illuftration: and he who humbly inquires, with a fincere defire to know the truth, and do good by explaining it, will ever have reason to rejoice in his labour, as contributing no less to his own happiness and virtue, than to that of mankind. To which let me add, with refpect to those who employ themfelves in illustrating theological truth, that, as long as men are liable to mistake, and of different capacities, the penetration of one may be useful in correcting the inaccuray of another. IV. SOME are at a lofs to reconcile the infpiration of the evangelifts with thofe particulars wherein their gofpels feem to differ from one another. They do not all record the fame things, nor do they all relate the fame events in the fame The differences are indeed minute; but they are preceptible. How could this be, if the hiftorians were infpired? The following ing answer to this query is fubmitted to the reader. manner. SOCRATES long ago obferved, that man had no need of fupernatural information concerning those things which his natural faculties are alone fufficient to discover. To enable the apoftles to comprehend all evangelical truth, fupernatural light was neceffary. Their Master accordingly promised it, and on the day of Pentecost, or foon after, they received it. I fay, or soon after, because, subsequent to the descent of the Holy Spirit on that day, a particular revelation, relating to the converfion of the Gentiles, was made to Peter, and the whole scheme of the gospel, as well as its miraculous gifts and graces, communicated to Paul by immediate inspiration. After this we find, that in their doctrine they lay claim to infallibility in pretty ftrong terms. On fome extraordinary emergencies too, in the courfe of their ministry, as in the cafe of their being arranged before kings and rulers, it was promised, that they should receive aid from heaven in making their defence. BUT inspiration was not neceflary to enable them to fee and hear; or to teach them how to conduct themselves in the common bufinefs of life. After their converfion, we have no reason to think, that John was a more expert fisherman, or Luke a more skilful physician, than before. As hiftorians, therefore, they need not, I prefume, be confidered in any other light, than that of honeft men, recording what they faw and heard, and had examined, and were competent judges of, and deeply interested in: for, on this fuppofition, their teftimony is fully fufficient to establish the truth of the gospel. And this may account for their not all recording the fame things, nor defcribing the fame events in exactly the fame way. Ir John, for example, faw his Mafter do, or heard him fay, what Mathew did not fee or hear, which might have happened in an hundred inftances, it was equally natural, for the former to record, and for the latter not to record it. -And if Matthew and Mark, supposed to have been fpectators of the crucifixion, were fo ftationed in the crowd, as to hear the one robber revile their dying Lord, and to fee the other move his lips, but without hearing what he faid, it was not unnatural for them to conclude, as the combination against him seemed now to be univerfal, that both the robbers reviled him; which yet luke or fome other perfon from whom Luke received his information, might by being more advantageously 'fituated, and hearing the words of the penitent robber, know to be true of only one of them. At any rate, we may with confidence affirm, that if the evangelifts had been to invent a fable, and obtrude it on the world for truth, they would have taken care that there fhould be no fuch difference in their teftimonies, as there confeffedly is in this inftance: which, however, is not fo important, as either to detract from the veracity of the hiftorians, or throw any blemish on the purity of the gospel. THE fame thing may be faid of our Lord's genealogy, as it is differently stated by Matthew and Luke. If either account had been false, both would not have exifted. Both therefore are true, and may be reconciled, by fuppofing the one to be the genealogy of his mother, and the other that of his reputed father. In the most material articles they agree; namely, that he was defcended from Abraham, and of the family of David. And it is impoffible to imagine any motive, that could induce either Luke or Matthew to mifreprefent the fubfequent articles; as among a people fo curious in genealogy as the Jews were, the error might be so easily found out. WHEN the matter inquired into is very complex, an exact coincidence in the teftimony of witnesses is not expected. Let them be ever fo attentive and candid, they could not have stood all in the fame place, nor confequently have 'taken notice of the very fame particulars without variation. Of fome forts of facts, too, the memory of fome men is more tenacious than that of others. One remembers beft what he faw, another what he heard: one attends to the connection of events with their effects and caufes; another rather confiders them feperately, and as each event is in itself. Hence, as formerly obferved, fome diverfities in what they declare, concerning circumftances of little moment, would convey a favorable opinion of the veracity of witnesses :whereas a perfect fameness of declaration might, in the cafe fuppofed, breed fufpicion of a preconcerted plan. BUT though, after the defcent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecoft, the apostles laid claim to infallibility of doctrine, they never gave out that their whole conduct was under the guidance of infpiration. They were indeed holy men; but ftill they were men ; and, as fuch, liable both to fins of infirmity, which they humbly acknowledge, and from which they affirm that no man is free, and alfo to error, not in doctrine indeed, but in those matters of lefs moment, in which they had nothing but their own reafon to direct them. If we fay we have no fin,' fays St. John, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' We are men of like paffions with you,' faid Paul and Barnabus, when the people of Lyftria were preparing to pay them divine honors. And here, let me afk in paffing, whether thefe two |