living oracles of God, or the record which God has given of his Son, the true prophet who came from God. And the fame may be faid of all the other writings which compofe the New Teftament. Chriftianity had her enemies from the beginning, as might be expected. They were oppofed to the doctrines and fentiments contained in the epiftles of Paul, Peter, James and John; but in their difputes with the chriftian fathers they allowed them to have an equal claim to truth, and authenticity with the writings of the four evangelifts... And Eufebius, a very early and impartial writer, fays exprefsly, that the Four Evangelifts, the Acts of the Apoftles, and all the epiftles which now compofe the New Teftament, were univerfally received by the chriftian church as infpired writings, and regarded as fuch. But, as there are no

writings in the world of equally interefting importance, if true, as thofe of the New Teftament, fo there is no history or system of religion which has met with fuch violent oppofition, nor the authors with fuch cruel perfecution, for avowing and fupporting them; and yet there are no histories or writings which carry fuch evidence of truth, and marks of their genuinenefs and authenticity; for, befides the having all the evidence which is thought, fufficient to prove the truth and genuineness of any history, these have the addition of the united teftimony of all the enemies of christianity in their favour, though they did not mean fo, nor their hearts think fo; which teftimony reflects a light in favour of this facred writing, ftrong and clear in proportion to the numbers and violence by which their authors and writings were perfecuted and opposed.

Having proved, beyond all reafonable difpute, that there were books written by the four evangelifts and the apostles, the friends and inmediate followers of Jefus Christ, containing the memoirs of his life, doctrines and death, and that thefe writings complete the fyftem of his religion, called Christianity; we pafs directly to prove,

that

that these very writings which compofe the New Testament have been preserved and handed down to us uncor rupted, aud are the very fame, without any material on essential alteration, which were originally written by the faid four evangelifts and apoftles.

And we will venture to fay, that it is abfolutely certain that the writings of the New Teftament, as we now have them, are the fame with thofe ancient records which paffed under the fame name, and that they have been. tranfmitted down to us without any material or effential alteration for it is abfolutely impoffible, in the natureand reafon of things, that any corruption or material alteration fhould take place in them, without being very foon difcovered; for we all know that these books were written by different hands, and for the benefit of mankind, and contain matters, if true, of the laft importance to the whole human race. They were therefore foon spread abroad into distant parts, and tranflated into different languages, for the inftruction of thofe who did not understand the language in which they were originally written; and they were put into the hands of chriftians of different fentiments about the non-effential matters in religion; fo that it is certain, if any one perfon, or party, or nation, had or fhould corrupt or alter any effential doctrine or article, fuch corurption or alteration would very foon be discovered by another perfon, party or nation; and this discovery would fürnifh the enemies of chriftianity with a good reason to object against the whole; and they would not have failed to make use of fuch an argument to object against the genuineness of the facred writings which objection has never been made, because they have never had any thing on which they could ground it.

But will any one fay, that it may be all were agreed what, and when, and where, to alter? This is impoflible; for to fuppofe that all the many millions who have re

ceived these books as the word of God, and ftandard of divine truth, living in far diftant countries, fpeaking different languages, and maintaining different fentiments about many things contained in thefe writings, fhould all agree to make the alteration, at the fame time, in the fame place and manner, is the greateft abfurdity that can be conceived, and, all things confidered, a moral impoffibility. But, on the other hand, that these books fhould fuffer fome fmall alterations, in many immaterial points, is almoft abfolutely certain; for, as they have undergone fo many translations into different languages, languages too which would not bear a literal translation verbatim, fome of which were fo barbarous as not to have words by which the distinguishing doctrines of christianity could be expressed, which defect the tranflator was obliged to fupply with words of the original language, or, by making ufe of metaphors taken from well-known cuftoms in ufe among the nation for whom the tranflation was defigned, to convey the idea where words were wanting to exprefs it; confidering alfo that these writings were to país through fo many different preffes, and to be prepared by chriftians of different denominations and fentiments; confidering all these things, it is almost impoffible but that they fhould fuffer fome alteration in the lefs or non-effential articles, which they have undoubtedly done, as might be shewn in a variety of inftances. These small defects, and different readings, the enemies of christianity have observed, and made the most they could of them; but this attempt, as others of the like nature, has rather added to the weight of evidence in favour of the genuinenefs and authenticity of these inspired writings, and more abundantly proved them living oracles of the unchangeable God.

And, as there has not been any corruption or material alteration made in any of the original copies, or in any of their translations, transcription: or impreffions, so we

have the pleasure to add, that the tranflation into the English language, as we now have it in our hands, is a good tranflation, and agreeable with the original in all material and effential points, as moft who are regularly introduced into the gofpel miniftry can teftify. And here I cannot but obferve, that it would not be fafe in ordinary cafes to commit the gofpel miniftry to perfons who are not able to read the Bible in the original, efpecially the New Teftament, or who are not able from their own perfonal knowledge to fay whether our tranflation is agreeable to the original, or not. But, if we who are in the ministry were not able to do this, and the tranflators were difpofed to impofe upon the ignorant and unlearned by a wrong tranflation, yet it would be very difficult, if poffible, for us or them to do it without being immediately detected, and expofed, to popular refentment: for, fo long as there are learned men in the world, and a diverfity of opinions among them, if any 'man or fet' of men were perfidious enough to make any material alteration in our tranflation, those who were of a different way of thinking would immediately dif cover the fraud, and expofe fuch interpreters to fhame, and draw upon them public odium. There always have been diffenfions in the church about lefs effential matters, and fome about the weightier things of the law and the gofpél too, and each fect or party have always been very fond of having the Scriptures on their fide, to fupport their opinions in which they differed from their brethren; fo, that if any one party or fect fhould have gone about to corrupt or materially to alter our tanflation from the original, to make it fpeak more in favour of their own particular opinions, fuch miftranflation or corruption would have been immediately difcovered by those whom they opposed, by appealing to the original; who, if from no other principle than that of party-zeal, would not have let flip fo fair an opportunity to expofe the fraudulent deed

to

to general difgrace, and the opinions, in favour of whick fuch measures had been taken, to the odium of every honeft inquirer: fo that it is plain, if any man should attempt to give us a corrupt or wrong translation of the Scriptures, he would not be able to do it without being immediately discovered, fo long as there is or fhall be a learned ministry or learned men in the world, or any di verfity of fentiments among profeffors. It appears, to demonftration-That there was a fet of men near eighteen hundred years ago, who were called chriftians that there was before that time a perfon who was born at Bethle hem, in the land of Judea, that he was brought up at Nazareth, who was called Jefus Chrift, who preached publicly certain doctrines, and wrought very furprising miracles in confirmation of them-that four men, who were his friends and followers, wrote the memoirs of his life, doctrines and death, who gave a very particular hiftorical account of his miracles, and the manner and prodigies which attended his death. These writers were called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Befides thefe there were others who were his constant followers, called his difciples or apoftles. These have given us a complete fyftem of his religion, in feveral epiftles addressed to particular christian churches, to persons of eminence and influence; and others of a more catholic or general style. -Thefe writings of the four evangelifts and the apoftles compofe our New Teftament, and, as we have proved, have been preserved pure, and handed down to us without any corruption or material alteration. And we have these uncorrupted writings tranflated into our own language in so faithful a manner that we can affert with truth that the New Teftament, as we now have it, is the authentic and genuine writing of the evangelists and the apoftles of Jefus Chrift; and all who received them as fuch, and made them the foundation of their faith, and the rule of their conduct, were, after him their

Lord