Of this, saith the Apostle, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." This is a principle to be acknowledged by every one that will believe any thing else. "Knowing," is not only to know, to perceive, to understand; but also to judge, own, and acknowledge. This, then, in our religion, is to be owned, acknowledged, submitted to, as a principle, without farther dispute. To discover the grounds of this submission and acknowledgment, is the business of the ensuing discourse.

That this is so indeed, and to give a reason why this is to be received as a principle, he adds, ver. 21. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man." That word of prophecy which we have written, is not of private conception; for, "it came not, at any time, by the will of man." The verb, en, translated "it came," denotes to be "brought in," more than merely "it came;" it was brought into them by the will of God. The affirmative, as to the will of God, is included in the negative, as to the will of man. Or it came, as the voice from heaven to our Saviour on the mount, ver. 18. where the same word is used. So Ezek. i. 3. it was brought into him. Thus God brought the word to them, and spake in them, before he spake by them. As it was brought to them, it was "the voice of the Lord," Gen. iii. 8. or, as spoken by them, or written, it was properly" the word of God," which, by his immediate voice, he signified to the prophets. Thus, some of them in visions, first ate a written book, and then prophesied. And this is the first spring of the Scripture; the beginning of its emanation from the

counsel and will of God. By the power of the Holy Ghost, it was brought into the organs or instruments, that he was pleased to use, for the revelation of it to others.

That which remains for the completing of this dispensation of the word of God. to us, is added by the Apostle: "But holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." When the word was thus brought to them, it was not left to their understandings, wisdoms, minds, memories, to order, dispose, and give out; but they were borne, acted, carried out by the Holy Ghost, to speak and write,, all that, and nothing but that, to every tittle, that was so brought to them. They invented not words themselves, suited to the things they had learned, but only expressed the words they received. Though their mind and understanding were used in the choice of words, whence arises the difference in their manner of expression, (for they did use words of will or choice) yet they were so guided, that their words were not their own, but immediately supplied to them; and so they gave out the "writing of uprightness," and "words of truth" itself, Eccles. xii. 10. Not only the doctrine they taught was the word of truth, truth itself, John xvii. 17. but the words whereby they taught it, were words of truth. from God himself. Thus, allowing the contribution of passive instruments in the reception and representation of words, (which corresponds to the mind and tongue of the prophets,) in the coming of the voice of God to them, every portion of the written word is equally divine, and as immediately from God, as the voice whereby he spake to the

prophets; and is therefore accompanied with the same authority in itself to us.

What hath been thus spoken of the Scripture of the Old Testament, must be also affirmed of the New; with this additional advantage and preeminence, that “it received its beginning of being spoken by the Lord himself," Heb. ii. 3. God spake in these last days, "in the Son," Heb. i. 2.

Thus God, who himself began the writing of the word with his own finger, after he had spoken it, Exod. xx. appointing or approving the writing of the rest that followed; Deut. xxxi. 12. Josh. xxiii. 6. 1 Kings ii. 3. 2 Kings xiv. 6. xvii. 13. Ezek. ii. 9, 10. Hab. ii. 2. Luke xvi. 29. John v. 39. xx. 31. Acts xvii. 11. doth lastly command the close of the immediate revelation of his will, to be written in a book, Rev. i. 11. and so gives out the whole of his mind and counsel to us in writing; as a merciful and steadfast relief, against all that confusion, darkness, and uncertainty, which the vanity, folly, and looseness of the minds of men, heightened by the unspeakable alterations that fall out amongst them, would otherwise have certainly run into.

Thus we have laid down the original of the Scriptures, from the Scripture itself; and this original is the basis and foundation of all its authority. Thus is it from God; entirely from him; as to the doctrine contained in it, and the words wherein that doctrine is delivered; what that speaks, he speaks himself. He speaks in it, and by it; and so it is vested with all the moral authority of God over his creatures.

CHAPTER II.

How we may know assuredly the Scripture to be the word of God.

HAVING laid the foundation that we are to build upon, I come now to the inquiry, whose resolution must thence be educed; that is, how we, and the rest of men in the world, who, through the merciful dispensation of God, have the book wherein the Scripture given out from him is contained, or said to be contained, who live so many ages from the last person who received any part of it immediately from God, may come to be ascertained, as to all the ends and purposes wherein we may be concerned, that the whole, and entire written word in that book, hath the original, and consequently, the authority, that it pleads and avows; namely, that it is from God, in the way and manner laid down, and not the invention of men, or "cunningly-devised fables."

Now, seeing it is required of us by God himself, and that on the penalty of his eternal displeasure, if we fail in our duty (2 Thess. i. 8-10.), that we receive the Scripture not as we do other books, in relation to their author, with a firm opinion, built on prevailing probable arguments, but with divine and supernatural faith; it is especially inquired, What is the foundation and formal reason of our doing so? Whatever that be, it gives an answer to this important question," Why, or on what account, do you believe the Scriptures, or books of the Old and New

Testament, to be the word of God?" Now the formal reason of things being but one, whatever other inducements, or arguments, may tend to beget in us a persuasion that the Scripture is the word of God, yet they have no influence in that divine faith wherewith we are bound to believe them. They may indeed be of some use to repel the objections, that may be raised against the truth we believe; and so indirectly cherish and farther faith itself, but as concurring to the foundation, or formal reason of our believing, it is not capable of it.

Having, then, laid down the divine original of the Scriptures, and opened the manner of the word's coming forth from God, an answer shall now, on that sole foundation, be returned to this inquiry. And this I shall do in the following position :

The authority of God, the supreme Lord of all, the first and only absolute truth, whose word is truth, speaking by the penmen of the Scriptures, evinced singly by the Scripture itself, is the sole foundation, or formal reason, of our assenting to those Scriptures as his word, and of our submitting our hearts and consciences to them, with that faith and obedience which is due to him alone.

God, speaking in the penmen of the Scripture, Heb. i. 1. his voice to them was accompanied with its own evidence, which gave assurance to them; and God, speaking by them, or their writings, to us, his word is accompanied with its own evidence and assurance to us. His authority and veracity do so sufficiently manifest themselves, that men may quietly repose their souls upon them, in believing and obedience. Thus are we built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles," in our believing.