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Acts, i. 8. The nation of Israel was his peculiar treasure,―an holy nation, Exodus, xix. 5, 6; till, by their final rejection of his Son, they forfeited that title, and he gave his vineyard to other husbandmen, Matth. xxi. 41. They possessed the peculiar name which he had conferred on them, till the prophecy concerning it was fulfilled, when it was left " for a curse," Isaiah, lxv. 15; and when a new name was bestowed on those who were henceforward to be acknowledged as the people of God, Acts, xi. 26; 1 Peter, iv. 16. Having becoine the depositaries of the whole volume of inspiration, let Christians regard it with the same unshaken fidelity, with which, before being completed, "the woRDS which the Lord of Hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former prophets," Zechariah, vii. 7, 12, were preserved by the Jews. Let them not weaken by vain reasonings, the impression produced upon their minds by the testimony of the Bible itself concerning its full inspiration in every part, nor substitute for it, a book which, in their imagination, is only partially inspired,-which contains sometimes the words of God, and sometimes the words of men, who spake not as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, but who were only preserved from error, or who wrote "as any other plain and faithful men might do." By such sentiments, the offspring of philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ, has the Bible been degraded, and its high title to the designation of "the oracles of God" made void. In opposition to these heretical opinions, be they ancient or modern, let every disciple of Him whose command it is to "search the Scriptures," regard it as a faithful saying, and not liable to doubtful interpretations, that "ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God,

and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

The testimony to the truth of the Scriptures, and consequently to the Messiah, which arises from their inspiration, is of the strongest kind. By presenting themselves as inspired, they bring the truth of their contents to the most decisive test. They occupy ground which nothing but truth and perfection could enable them to maintain. Could any thing absurd, or false, or erroneous, be found in them; could the smallest flaw in the character or doctrine of the Author of Salvation, any degree of weakness, or of want of wisdom, be detected, they must immediately be compelled to relinquish this ground. The claim of inspiration is an assertion of the infinite importance, and incomparable excellency of the matter which they contain, as what man, without them, never could have discovered; and also that it is delivered in a style suitable to the dignity of what they present. They contain many chains of prophecies, as well as multitudes of detached predictions, now fulfilling, or that have been fulfilled in different ages; and they defy the perspicacity of man to falsify a single one of them. They assert a number of facts respecting various particulars of the creation, age, and history of the world; of a general deluge; of the descent of all mankind from a single pair; of the primeval condition of man, as civilized, and not savage; of the origin of a variety of universal customs, otherwise unaccountable, as of sacrifices, and of the division of time by weeks. Yet, after all, the severest scrutinies of the most enlightened, as well as most inveterate opposers in ancient and modern times, not

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one fact which they assert has been disproved. the contrary, these facts are constantly acquiring fresh evidence, from various sources. The harmony, too, of the doctrine of the several writers of Scripture is particularly observable, and forms a striking contrast to the discordant opinions, inconsistencies, and self-contradictions of the Greek and Roman, as well as of modern writers, on almost every subject of which they treat.

Since, then, the Scriptures advance a claim that nothing but their truth could sustain, and which could be so easily disproved, if false; since they are the only book ever published that could bear such a test, there is the most demonstrative evidence that they are the Word of God. The industry and researches of philosophers have detected error in the noblest productions of ancient wisdom, but all the light of science, throughout all the ages of the world, has not been able to discover one single error in the Bible.

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CHAPTER VI.

THE HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

THE correspondence between the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New, written in ages so remote, and the ultimate accomplishment of the former in that system to which, from the beginning, it was subservient, afford a demonstrative proof of their truth. The grand design of both these sacred volumes, is to exhibit the plan and execution of the work of redemption by the Messiah. The first contains the account of what preceded his advent; the second, of his manifestation. From the creation of the world to the time of the appearance of Jesus Christ, comprehending a period of 4000 years, a great and connected scheme of preparation for that event was carried on, which is exhibited in the HISTORY, the MIRACLES, the TYPES, and the PROPHECIES, recorded in the Old Testament. From these four sources, a body of evidence may be deduced that is truly astonishing, even when they are considered separately; but when united, they present the most complete demonstration of the truth of revelation. Beginning with the History, we shall afterwards proceed to each of the others in its order.

A large proportion of the Scriptures of the Old Testament consists in historical narrations, that transmit to us the knowledge of many most important

events, the account of which is nowhere else to be found. This history is not, however, to be regarded merely as a record of curious ancient and interesting facts, valuable as authentic documents of important affairs. The design of it is not to gratify curiosity, but to instruct. It is a selection of facts, divinely recorded as profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. It contains examples to be followed or avoided, most extensively applicable, and many of them couching in figure spiritual truths for the confirmation of the faith of the remotest ages. Civil history, even as written by men, conveys much instruction as to the ways of Providence, and he reads it to little advantage who does not trace the hand of the Omnipotent Ruler of the world in all the affairs of men. But this is only a general lesson which the historian, instead of wishing to teach generally, endeavours to keep out of sight. Let the uninspired historian, however, be ever so well inclined, we depend on his own judgment for the selection of his facts, and his best efforts do not aim at that peculiar kind of moral and spiritual instruction conveyed by inspired history.

The historical parts of Scripture are all designed to teach spiritual lessons to the people of God. The Spirit of God has made a selection of the facts that are recorded. These facts are exhibited only in that light, in that extent, and with those observations, that Divine wisdom judged necessary. In this view the historical portions of the Word of God afford scope for never-ending meditation. While one or two readings will make us acquainted with all the instruction conveyed in the writings of uninspired authors, the facts recorded in the Scriptures, which human wisdom has

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