or more. till several years after: probably some of the Gospels were not published within twenty or thirty years Yet a small failure in representing the doctrine of their Master, his vindications of himself, his predictions of future events, nay, any thing of moment, that he did or that befel him, (especially considering how many things were foretold concerning him) might have been extremely detrimental to Christianity. And therefore assuredly they would never have dared to specify such a variety of particulars, both said and done; or if they had, could never have agreed so well in them, without supernatural assistance. But they well knew they should have it. Our Saviour, before his death, promised them, that the Holy Ghost should teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance, whatsoever he had said to them*, and guide them into all truth †. He assured them, it was expedient for them, that he should go away, because, till then, he conld not, consistently with the purposes of infinite wisdom, send the Spirit to them : whence it must follow, that by the aid of the Spirit, they were as secure from error, as if they had (what after they were dispersed to preach the Gospel was impossible) Christ bodily present with them, to ask concerning the things which they had heard or seen. He told them farther, that when they should be brought before governors and kings to bear testimony for him, it should be given them, in that same hour, what they should speak: for saith he, it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father, which speaketh in you §. To pretend that this promise means only courage and presence of mind, is contrary to all reason, and all John xiv. 26. § Matth. x. 18, 19, 20. + John xvi. 13. John xvi. 7. use of Scripture language. And if it means, as it evidently doth, divine superintendence; they certainly wanted, and therefore would have, at least as much of it, when they wrote books, which God foresaw (whether they did or no) must be the only standing rule of Christian faith for ever, as when they spoke occasionally before this or that heathen magistrate. The assurances, which he vouchsafed to them, we read, were fully made good. After his resurrection he said to them, As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you: then he breathed on them, and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost *. After his ascension, they were filled with his gifts yet more abundantly, spake with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance † ; discerned the secrets of men's hearts, foretold things to come, performed the very greatest of miracles, had frequent revelations from above, seem to have done nothing of moment without an especial guidance. Surely then, they, who were thus under God's direction, did not write the New Testament without it; they who confirmed in this manner what they taught, were not capable of leaving unmentioned any fundamental truth, and yet less of teaching any error. Now two of these, Matthew and John, Apostles and companions of our Lord, are also Evangelists. The latter was peculiarly beloved of our Saviour while on earth, and afterwards saw in vision and heard from his mouth, and that of an angel, all that is contained in the book of Revelation: whence we not only infer its infallible authority, but are strongly confirmed in our belief, that the spirit of Jesus was present with him in writing his Gospel and Epistles also. The two other Evangelists indeed, Mark and Luke, were * John xx. 21, 22. † Acts ii. 4. not Apostles: but their works were approved by St. Peter and St Paul, who were: and all the four Gospels have ever been held in equal esteem. The book of Acts is a sequel of the third, which the writer would not fail to lay before the same Apostle, who had inspected his Gospel: especially as it principally relates to him, and ends at the same time when they were together at Rome, and at full leisure to revise it jointly. It is true, St. Paul himself was not one of the twelve. But he was not a whit behind the very chiefest of them*; being miraculously called to see that just one, to hear the voice of his mouth †, and to receive his Gospel, not of man, but by the immediate revelation of Jesus Christ t. Certainly then he was not suffered either to misrepresent or suppress any part of it, whether speaking or writing, or to deliver any thing as comprehended in it, which was not. But let us hear what he saith of his own preaching. We speak the things given unto us of God, not in the words, which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth §. When ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God. Let us hear what he saith of his own Epistles. If any man think himself a prophet or spiritual, that is, indued with supernatural gifts, let him acknowledge, that the things, which I write unto you, are the commandments of the Lord. He therefore, that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit **. Yet we may be confident, that he did not boast of himself beyond his measure ††, or dare to * 2 Cor. xi. 5. § 1 Cor. ii. 12, 13. ** 1 Thess. iv. 8. Acts xxii. 14. 1 Thess. ii. 13. tt 2 Cor. x. 13. ↑ Gal. i. 12. ¶ 1 Cor. xiv. 37. speak of any thing, which Christ had not wrought by him, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, by mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. And observe, he doth not, after all this, any where exalt himself above the other Apostles: but he places all the Apostles above the Prophets which likewise in effect St. Peter doth, when having first exhorted Christians to be mindful of the words, which were spoken before by the holy Prophets, he adds, in yet stronger terms, and of the commandment of us, the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour. St. John also, in his first Epistle, uses language, in general, of the same high import. He that knoweth God, heareth us: he that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of errors. Could such eminent saints, could any religious and humble, or commonly honest, men, provoke God, and attempt to deceive their fellow-creatures, by making such claims as these, without foundation? Would not he instantly have withdrawn his gifts from them? Would not their enviers and rivals, for such there were, have exposed them? Would not all Christians by common consent have rejected them? Certainly they would: yet certainly they did just the contrary. The only two writers of the New Testament, whom I have not yet named particularly, are St. James and St. Jude of whom it may be very sufficient to observe, that they were both Apostles, and near kinsmen of our Lord, and therefore might well expect the same regard with the rest; which, by the whole tenor of their Epistles, they appear to do, though *Rom. xv. 18, 19. + 1 Cor. xii. 28. § 1 John iv. 6. without demanding it so expressly, for which they had probably no occasion. Still we acknowledge that some Christians at Antioch disputed one part of what Paul and Barnabas taught there: and afterwards, when the Apostles held a council at Jerusalem upon it, certain Pharisees, who were believers, debated the same point*. But no wonder, if new converts, full of old prejudices, were backward to part with them, where the honour of the law seemed to be impaired by it, considering how obstinately refractory their forefathers had been to known Prophets, and to Moses himself. However, being with great condescension heard, then instructed by St. James and St. Peter, they submitted. Yet, we own farther, in the decree made on this occasion, where the Apostles say, It hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, they join the elders and brethren with them. But so doth St. Paul join one or other with him in no less than eight of his Epistles and in both cases the meaning, plainly is, not to allow them equal authority, but merely to express their concurrence. Indeed the Apostles themselves were not led into all truth at once: but this is very consistent with being secured from any error. They were also liable to act imprudently: as St. Peter did, when he separated himself from the Gentiles at Antioch, fearing to offend the believing Jews, for which St. Paul blamed him; and as perhaps even Paul too did, when not knowing the High Priest, he reproved him so severely, though deservedly §. But there was not Acts xv. 1, &c. + 1 Cor. i. 1. 2 Cor. i. 1. Gal. i. 1, 2. Phil. i. 1. Col. i. 1. 1 Thess. i. 1. 2 Thess. i. 1. Philem. ver. 1. Acts xxiii. 2, &c. Gal. ii. 11, &c. |