as; which is of so various and doul tiul a natare that it is productive of vice as well as virtue, and capable of leading us into error, as well as discovering truth. This may be well exemplified by the ignorance, inconsistency, vicious customs and debauched practices of the heathen philosophers. A ristotle and his school heid all things to be eternal; whereas the Epicureans imputed them to chance: and none of them could dive into the true origin of evil; nor prescribe in what manner, and with what kind of external service God might be acceptably worshipped: but they sometimes equalled themselves to the gods, whom they worshipped. Socrates owned that he was sensible of his own ignorance, and knew nothing. They disagreed so much about the supreme happiness of man, that Tully says, it is impossible to reckon up their different sentiments. Their notions concerning the immortality of the soul, and a future state, were equally as weak and uncertain; neither had they any notion of the resurrection of the body. This ignorance gave a loose to all manner of immorality and viciousness. Revenge, self-murder, fornication, and several other notorious vices were not thought forbidden : an account whereof may be seen in Diogenes Laertius, and other writ ers; yet none will pretend to say, that Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Tully, Seneca, Epictetus, and Antonius, wanted the light of reason. The wisest of those were not ashamed to confess their ignorance and blind ness. Therefore to begin and discover our duty in all points, with all its true motives, merely by the help of natural reason, is not to be expected, and consequently the light of reason cannot be our perfect and unerring guide. Are you satisfied as to this point? S. I am convinced that human reason in its present depraved state is capable of bad as well as good impressions, according to the exainples we scc, or the means of our education; is the sole agent of all the evil, as well as of all the good we do; and in its perfection unable to settle any certain rule of morality and duty. And I should be glad to be as thoroughly convinced of the fallacy and falshood of their arguments against the authority and divinity of the scriptures. T. What are their arguments ? S. They say that it is impossible, considering the mighty pretensions to divine revelation by different sects, to arrive at the knowledge of a true revelation; and consequently that the Bible is false. T. The marks and tokens whereby to judge at all times of the truth of a revelation are the credibility of the person who brings it; the ex cellency of the doctrine contained therein, and the divine proof he gives thereof. Do you believe this? S. Yes. 7. Well then; what think you of Moses, that man of God, whose declining all popularity and self-interest shewed himself so wise and just, that we may well think him as unlikely to be imposed upon himself, as unwilling to impose upon others; who, as an historian, related facts, necessary for men to know, and becoming the nature and majesty of God to reveal; as a legislator, gare laws and ordinances, which had a manifest stamp of divine authority; as a prophet, foretold such things, as none but God could foresee; and who, as a worker of miracles, eid such things as had all imaginable evidence of an Almighty Power assisting him. Will not this convince you that what he did, was by the order and appointment of God; that what he delivered, was expressly the will, and what he wrote was infallibly the word of God, who cannot be an abettor of falsehood? And, Astothe prophets, it can be proved that they were men of sobriety, good education, and void of all craft and dissimulation; no difficulties nor dangers deterred them from the duty of their office; they taught nothing but what was agreeable to the divine attributes, and the reasons and relations of things; discovered things of the greatest importance; foretold events, which none but God could know; performed works, which none but God could do; gave all imaginable evidence of the truth of their commis. sion, and some of them scaled it with their blood. What then can you desire more to convince you that the books written by Moses and the prophets are of divine authority, and revealed by God. Of Jesus Christ, and the authors of the New Testament, I may have occasion to say more hereafter. S. So far I am agreed with you. But my next difficulty is, How can it at this distance of time be proved, that the books which now go under the name of Moses and the prophets, are genuine, and wrote by those, to whom they are ascribed? T. Since it was the established custom in the Jewish church to read the law and the prophets every sabbath day in the synagogue, and these books were translated into Greek by the heathens, almost 200 years before Christ; and both the Old and New Testaments have been usually read at least one day in every week in christian assemblies, and most frequently twice on every day. And since it is evident that the frequent offices of religion, and public solemn festivals, enjoined thereby, having been constantly and publicly celebrated, and the laws contained therein, have been currently and generally applied and exercised from time to time; it must be ridiculous and absurd to suppose that these writings were not always, and are not still genuine and uncor rupted, and the work of those authors to whom they are ascribed. I might appeal to men of common sense, that if succeeding genere, tions of the Jews had not lain under the strongest convictions, that the authority of these writings was as sacred as the authors of them had pretended it to be; they would cer tainly, for the credit of their own nation, have either suppressed them, or at least not vindicated their au thority with so much zeal for they were the composition of those inspired persons, whom their fore-fathers had most impiously affronted, persecuted, tortured, and murdered, because they had been the messengers of the plain unwelcome truths contained therein. It is not inconsistent with the honor and attributes of God, to suffer an imposture, that is so easy to be discovered as the Alcoran, or the like, to keep its footing in the world: But that God should suffer a book, that pretends to such marks of truth and authority, to make its way in his name for so many ages, through all the usual shocks and attacks of age and time, through all those casualties and changes, to which even monuments of brass and marble submit much sooner, and in spite of all the malice of such inveterate, powerful, and numerous enemies all along; is not only highly improbable, but in the nature of the thing plainly impossible for God can neither deceive nor be deceived. S. This seems to be conclusive for the genuineness of the books: but, How shall I be able to judge of the true sense of them in the midst of the various readings? T. This objection, if at all conclusive against the sacred writings, is much more so against all ancient Looks, that have passed through the hands of several amanuenses, and many editions in print; therefore as it must prove too much, it in reason proves nothing. However, when all those various readings are compared, and considered attentively, they will appear to be inconsiderable, and no way affect our faith or our morals, and consist chiefly in words that are entirely synonymous, or merely expletives, or are such manifest errors, as a critical analogy and grammar will serve to correct. The most important diversity relates to chronology; but the account of time, especially in the first ages, is of no consequence to our believing right, or to our living well. And God has been pleased to act in so liberal a manner towards us, that the necessary parts of our duty, and the fundamentals of our salvation, are frequently repeated in the scriptures; and if in one place they should be more obscurely or less aptly expressed, the defect is supplied in another, and in no one place is the text so mangled as to destroy any article of faith. S. But what sticks with me most of all their objections, is the inaccuracy of the style, and the little from reading the scriptures. use and knowledge to be acquired T. As to the style, you are much deceived. Read the Bible without prejudice, and you will soon be cenvinced that it pleases by its exactful; and it contains nothing that is ness; its instructions are delightpoor, mean, or superfluous. Its comparisons and descriptions, aecording to the manner of the eastern nations, are bold, but exact and noble, the style being every where adorned with necessary, easy, and natural metaphors. These divine compositions raise admiration by the sublime manner wherein they speak of divine things; strike terror by the vehemency and force of expression; excite to a love of virtue and hatred of vice, by the lively description they give of both; astonish by the severity of the threatenings in them; animate and encourage by the sweetness of their promises; inspire with zeal through a divine fire of which they are full so that there is no book more proper to work upon the mind, and affect the heart, than the holy scriptures. Nay the heathen Longinus bears testimony, that the style of Moses is exceeding sublime and lofty. S. What does this relate to the useful and entertaining knowledge, T. That is the very design of putting these sacred books into your hands, to instruct you in all kinds of polite literature. The Bible is the fountain of all necessary knowledge, and is very far from being barren, with regard to such points as are most entertaining. which I expect now to reap from age, the learned gain wisdom and every book I read ? eloquence, the orthodox are confirmed in the faith and confute error. From hence we learn humility and modesty, magnanimity and patience, honest zeal and true pitty, and every thing that is useful in the conduct of human life, as well as the means of obtaining a happy future state. Here only you will be able to find a true account of the rise and fall, of the virtues and vi ces, of the most early kingdoms and states of the world; and by their example learn to be wise and happy. Whose courage can vie with David's in his encounter with Goliah? whose chastity is to be compared to the continence of Joseph? whose obedience to the voice of God can equal Abraham's intended victim of his own son Isaac? Nor can any history produce, for fortitude and success, such warlike heroes as Moses, Joshua, Sampson, Gideon, David and Saul, who with a hand. ful of men, inspired with more than human courage, vanquished an incredible number of their enemies, while the very elements conspired and fought on their side. And I can assure you, that whilst you make the holy scriptures your study, they will arm you against all terrors and temptations, that hinder you in the prosecution of a virtuous life; and with such consolation, Would you know whence natural philosophy, with astronomy and other appendages on it, are said to derive their original; I would recommend the reading of Genesis and Job. For chics, or moral precepts, search the sacred and sententious Proverbs, Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, &c. furnish you with the most ancient, certain, regular and pleasant history, diversified with great variety of narration; and though not designed for an universal history, or to exhibit a complete system of chronology, it may be affirmed no one book in the world gives so great helps this way here you need not fear the ensnaring sophistry of the crafty, for all is solid and true. Geometry plainly appears in the building of the tabernacle; and the working in metals and wood was known long before the building of Solomon's temple. So I could proceed and shew that gardening, husbandry, music, physic, anatomy, and all manner of learning, arts and sciences, are comprehended within those sacred pages, which may be properly said to be filled with useful wisdom, accommodated to all places, times, and persons in the greatest emergencies. From hence the martyrs draw constancy and cour furnish you hope, and courage, that being firmly persuaded you live according to the will, and under the protection of the Almighty, you will be able to undergo torments and death itself in the most dreadful circumstances they can be supposed to be attended with. Consequently, he who desires to appear in the capacity of a scholar, a critic, a chronologer, an historian, an orator, a disputant, a lawyer, a statesman, a pleader, or a preacher, must not be unacquainted with this inexhaustible fund. Therefore what ever the scoffers of this age, or the lovers of sin and singularity may think; I could shew you, that in former days, men of all orders and degrees, of the highest station in life as well as capacity in knowledge, of polite parts as well as solid judgments, and who most excelled in all branches of literature, have always held the scriptures in singular veneration; have employed their wit and eloquence in their praise, and thought their pens ennobled by the dignity of these subjects. you S. I should be glad to hear mention some of these persons of the highest rank, that have shewn such great respect to the Bible. T. I will: David was a powerful prince, a mighty warrior and conqueror; yet he says, that the law of the Lord is more precious than gold, and sweeter than honey; that he was instructed thereby, and -xpected a great reward for his obedience thereto. Ptolemy Philadelphus, though a heathen, was one of the most learned men and the greatest monarch of his age, he ordered the Bible to be translated into his own tongue, and placed in the magnificent library he built. Longinus must be acknowledged a noble judge of all kind of eloquence, and yet he seems to praise and admire the eloquence of Moses above any other author. I wave the testimony of St. Paul, and the cloquent orators of the ancient church, who adore the plenitude of the scriptures and recommend their doctrine, because these may be thought partial in their judgments; and only desire you to treasure up the saying of Robert, the king of Sicily, That those holy letters were dearer to him than his kingdom; and follow the example of those excellent and illustrious persons Mr. Nelson, Sir Matthew Hale, Mr. Addison, Sir George Lyttleton, Mr. West, our profound logician Mr. Locke, the great philosophers Lord Bacon, Mr. Boyle, and the incomparable Sir Isaac Newton. Did not Milton take his plan, and most of the diction of his lofty pocms from the Bible? and Cowley, Buchanan, and Prior, thought not their learning nor ingenuity misemployed in embellishing, translating and paraphrasing on some parts thereof; not to mention the many great and learn ed men that have been concerned in the various translations of holy writ. S. I must ask you one question more. When were the scriptures divided into chapters and verses? T. The whole Pentateuch before the Babylonish captivity was divided into 52 larger sections, according to the number of sabbaths in one year, one section being read constantly every sabbath-day. After their return from that captivity which lasted 60 years, the common people born in Babylon, having in a great measure forgot their mother tongue, in which the law was written, for they sung not the Lord's song in a strange land, there was a necessity to appoint an interpreter or translator of the law when it was read in the synagogue; so that the reader being obliged to stop at pro |