A collection of theological tracts. [Ed.] by R. Watson

The Jews, in our Saviour's time, are faid "to have had Mofes "and the prophets." May not we as juftly be faid "to have the "evangelifts and apostles," in having their writings fo common among us? Chriftians in former ages had thefe facred writings in the highest veneration; read them privately in their families and ather clofets; and publicly in their churches; fpread them far and wide through the earth; and handed them down to us as a public trea fure, defigned for the benefit of Chriftians in all ages and nations.

In the effay on infpiration annexed to 1 Timothy, I have ob +475 ferved that the apoftles had the whole fcheme of the Chriftian doc trine by divine illumination; and conftantly retained it during the remaining part of their lives. What, therefore, they preached or wrote concerning the Chriftian doctrine may be depended upon; hatever was the occafion of their so preaching or writing. If Jefus Chrift and his apostles had not first preached and worked miracles, met with fuch oppofition or fuccefs, acted or fuffered, as they did, the facred hiftorians could not have had the facts which they have recorded in their writings; nor the Chriftian religion have been attended with that illuftrious evidence, which now appears in the books of the New Teftament. Befides, there are not wanting fome hints of their epiftles being defigned for general use. For instance: the first epiftle to the Corinthians is directed, not only to the Chriftians in Corinth, but "unto all, who, in every place, invoke "the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, both their Lord and ours." And there is no queftion, but that every one of their epiftles were intended to be of as extenfive benefit as they were capable of.

The four golpels and the Acts of the apoftles feem to contain all the eflential parts of the Chriftian religion. But the epiftles contain things uteful, and of very great moment. The excellent laws, which Solon gave the Athenians, contained the fubftance of all their laws but yet the Athenians found it proper to add many particular laws as clucidations of Solon's general rules.-The laws of the twelve tables at Rome contained, in a narrow compafs, the fubitance of the Roman law but they found it requifite to add many particular laws to illuftrate and explain thofe of the twelve tables.-The ten come mandinents contained the fum and fubftance of the Mofaic law: but yet God faw fit to add many particular precepts, to explain and inforce the observation of the ten commandments.--And, finally,

the law of Mofes" contained the rules of the Jewith religion and government; but yet God faw fit, by the prophets, from time to time, to give that nation many particular precepts for inforcing, explaining, and illuftrating the law of Mofes.In like manner; the four Gofpels and the Acts of the apoftles contain a fummary of the Chriftian doctrine and precepts. They direct us to believe in God; and in Jefus Chrift, as the Meffiah and Saviour of the world. They inculcate the neceffity of repentance, where men have done amils; and of prevailing holiness in all. But they do not always apply thefe general directions to particular cafes fo minutely and circumstantially as do the apostles in their epifties.

The

The four Gofpels give an account of the ministry of John Baptift, and of our Lord, of the twelve apostles and of the feventy difciples; with what they faid and did as preparatory to the fetting up the kingdom of the Meffiah in the world. The Acts of the apoftles contain the history of erecting the gofpel-kingdom. In the Epiftles, feveral things are cleared up, which are but briefly hinted in the Gofpels and Acts of the apostles. They were written by different perfons at various times and upon different occafions; and yet they all agree in the doctrines and precepts; and confirm the main facts, viz. that Jefus died and rofe again, afcended into heaven, and poured out the fpirit; and thereby imparted the knowledge of the gospel unto mankind; and many miraculous powers in atteftation to the Christian doctrine.

It might be expected that the religions, which had been long in poffeffion, would obftruct the progrefs of the gofpel; and that the votaries of each would have their peculiar objections. Accordingly, we find in the epiftles that the Jews and Heathens did actually make fuch objections; and we fee alfo in what manner the apostles have anfwered them; and that the nature of the gospel and its evidences were fuch, and fo glorious, that it speedily made its way against various and powerful oppofition. The first profeffors, and more efpecially the firft preachers, of the gofpel, might expect perfecution from feveral quarters. The A&ts of the apostles, and their Epiftles, inform us that they were actually perfecuted; and let us know how they behaved, and what fupported them under such hardships and indignities.

By having Chriftianity fet in fuch different lights; and the ob jections of those who first opposed it fo clearly and fully answered ; we are enabled much better to understand Christianity in its great extent and glorious evidence; to clear up fuch difficulties, as would otherwife have been infuperable, and to defend it againft all its adverfaries.

By fhewing what pure Christianity was at the beginning, we are able much more clearly to point out what it ought now to be, and what are the corruptions of it in later ages; and we have thereby the proper means, in our hands, of fhewing which way a reformation might be effected. And, when and where Chriftianity is profeffed in its purity, by having the authentic and original records of it in its primitive glory and perfection, we can the better maintain the purity of it, and prevent future corruptions.

Some, indeed, have applied paffages in the epiftles to Chriftians of all ages, which were defigned only for fome Chriftians, and in fome particular cafes: but that is one of the abufes of Holy Scripture, against which we are here guarding mankind. What might be a proper rule, to perfons indued with miraculous powers, can be no rule to us who have no fuch powers. And yet even fuch paffages are of fervice now-a-days; as they are a clear proof that, in the primitive church, there were fuch powers; and confequently the moft glorious evidence attended Chriflianity, when it first made its

appearance

appearance in the world. Epiftles, written to churches, where the apoftles had many and bitter enemies; and which contain appeals to fuch churches, that fuch fpiritual gifts and miraculous powers had been communicated by them, and did then subsist and abound; contain arguments of a peculiar kind in favour of the truth of the Christian religion. For, if there had been, among their converts, no fuch fpiritual gifts and miraculous powers, their enemies would not have failed to have infulted them, and triumphed over them. And Christianity muft, in a fhort time, have funk, as a most notorious impofture. [See my Reasonableness of the Chriftian religion, &c. P. 128, &c.].

It has been already obferved that the apoftolic epiftles were not circular letters, nor catholic epiftles, originally written to all Chriftians; and equally fuited to the cafes and circumftances of all Chriftian churches, at all times and in all places. The general doctrines and precepts do, indeed, equally concern all Chriftians. And the apoftolic epiftles, which were written to particular churches, or perfons, and exactly adapted to their cafe, are fairly applicable to the cafes of all churches and of all Chriftians, as far as their cafes are like those of the perfons, or churches, to which they were originally addreffed. -This is not confining their meaning; nor extending it, as I apprehend, beyond what the apoftles defigned; or beyond the intention of that facred fpirit, by which they were guided and directed, in all that they spoke or wrote, relating to the doctrine of the glorious gofpel of our Lord Jefus Christ.

The CONCLUSION.

To conclude: It appears to me that a critical interpreter of holy Scripture fhould fet out with this, as a firft principle; viz. "that "no text of Scripture has more than one meaning." That one true fenfe he should endeavour to find out, as he would find out the fenfe of Homer, or any other ancient writer. When he has found out that fenfe, he ought to acquiefce in it. And fo ought his readers too; unless, by the juft rules of interpretation, they can fhew that he has mistaken the paffage; and that another is the one, juft, true, and critical fenfe of the place.

END OF VOL. IV.

We R 5 of Contents

Observ : on Prophecy ve R 4 What need of a Saviour ? 91 design of the Epistler 104