ven? Ask yourself then, in the second place, whether you are leading fuch a life as corref ponds with an avowed fenfe of thofe obligations fuch a life as correfponds with a conviction of the extraordinary bleffings conferred on you by the Almighty of his own free grace? While you are wondering that the Jews, enlightened by immediate communications from above, could relapse with fuch frequency into the darkness of idolatry; ask yourself whether, in the full enjoyment of greater light, you are not deviating into the paths of darkness. "The covetous man, faith the Scripture, " is an idolater (z);" and "hath no inheritance in the kingdom of "Chrift and of God." The glutton is branded in the facred volume with the fame ftigma (a) and his end is declared to be "de"ftruction." Whenever you permit any inclination, any paffion, to predominate in your heart over the fear and the love of God; you incur the guilt of idolatry. And unless through the Divine grace you fincerely repent, and turn from fin unto habitual holiness; you fhall have "no inheritance in "the kingdom of Chrift and of God:" your "end shall be destruction."

(z) Ephef. v. 5.

(a) Philipp. iii. 19.

K 2

CHAP. IV.

ON THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTA

MENT.

IN

In the preceding Chapters the Scriptures of

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the Old Teftament have been regarded as facred records of unquestionable authority. As the faith of Chriftians ought in every particular point to be established on rational evidence and fober conviction; it will be proper in the prefent chapter to lay before the reader a brief statement of the grounds, on which the claim of the Jewish Scriptures to his belief and reverence is established.

The Old Testament, taking those words in the wideft acceptation, refolves itself into two leading divisions; the canonical books, and the apocryphal books (a). The canonical books are those which were written by the

aid

(a) Thefe general terms, together with many of the modera names, as Genefis, Exodus, &c. by which the books of the Old Teftament are diftinguished, have been borrowed from the denominations used by the Greek tranflators and commentators. The words "canon," and "canonical," are derived from Kava, a rule and imply that the authenticity and inspiration of the books of Scripture to which they are applied have not

been

aid and under the guidance of Divine inspiration. The apocryphal books were composed by uninspired men; and are therefore liable to error: but, on account of the religious inftruction and the hiftorical facts which they contain, were fubjoined by the Jews, yet separately and as a detached appendix, to the facred volume; and have been for the fame reasons continued in that place and character by the Chriftian church.

The canonical books were again subdivided by the Jews, for the fake of convenient reference and quotation, into three claffes; not fo distinguished through any difference in the authority affigned to them, (for in that refpect they were all held perfectly equal,) but through a degree of difference in the subjects of which they refpectively treat. These claffes were denominated " the Law," "the

Prophets," and "the Pfalms." "The Law" contained the five books of Mofes; Genefis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deutero

been haftily taken for granted; but have been examined and afcertained by the proper rule or criterion. Or, as some affirm, the Scriptures are characterised by these terms, as being eminently the great rule or ftandard to Christians in every thing pertaining to faith and practice. Apocrypha and apocryphal, words derived from arogu, to hide, denote that the writings to which they are affixed are not of manifest and indifputable authority,

nomy (b) and received its name from the fubject most prominent in those books. In "the Prophets" were comprehended not only the books of Isaiah, and of all the other prophets to Malachi inclufively, together with the book of Job; but likewife the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Efther these books alfo having been written or revised by prophets. "The Pfalms (c)," included Proverbs, Ecclefiaftes, and the Song of Solomon, together with the book of Pfalms; from which book, as being placed first, and of primary importance, this concluding fubdivision received its appellation (d).

:

What proof then of the infpiration and authenticity

(b) The five books of Mofes are frequently termed the Pentateuch; a word of Greek etymology, implying a collection of five volumes.

(c) This clafs was alfo termed emphatically by the Jews "writings" chetubim); and by the Greeks hagiographa, facred writings. In later times we have become accustomed to apply the terms Scriptures," that is to fay," the writings," by way of eminence, and the Bible," (" the Book," from the Greek word 8.ßos,) to the Old and New Teftaments taken taken collectively.

(d) The number of canonical books in our Bible is thirtynine: whereas Jofephus and other Jewish writers enumerate only twenty-two. The caufe of the feeming difference is this: the Jews unite Judges and Ruth into one volume, or book ; the two books of Samuel they count as one book, and alfo those of Kings, and of Chronicles, refpectively; Ezra and Nehemiah

form

authenticity of the canonical Scriptures of the Old Teftament, in the very form in which we have them at this hour, is the utmoft which even an objector could reasonably demand? He might require this and this only: fatisfactory evidence that thofe Scriptures were written under the fuperintendence of inspiration and that they have been tranfmitted in their primeval integrity to the prefent day. That proof, I apprehend, may be demonftratively furnished.

It will, however, be proper antecedently to ftate with precision what we mean, when we affirm that the books in queftion were written under the fuperintendence of inspiration. Although numberlefs paffages in the Scriptures are unqueftionably expreffed in terms immediately and precifely fuggefted by the Holy Ghoft; we do not mean that the Spirit God dictated to the infpired writer every word, or every fentence, of his compofition. The Divine interference to fuch an extent was not requifite, as far as we may prefume to judge, for the attainment of the objects which infpiration was defigned to accom

form one book; the Prophecies and Lamentations of Jeremiah one; and the twelve minor prophets, fo called merely on account of the comparative brevity of their compofitions, one.