32 INWARD WITNESS TO CHRISTIANITY. it is from above." Thus whatsoever temptations are reposed to baffle his faith, and to stagger his belief of the doctrine of Christ, this one instance of its divinity,keeps the believersteady : " I have found it ofefficacy to begin eternal life in me, therefore Iknow it is fromGod." But as to this sort of objections, against the truth and divi- nity of our religion, arising from the doubtful or difficult evidence of the books of scripture, we may fetch a noble answer fromthe experimental testimony ofwhich I am now speaking : And this shall be the sixth propertyof this inward witness. VI. It is such a witness to the truth of thechristian religion, as does not depend on the exact truthof letters and syllables, nor on the criticalknowledge ofthe copies ofthe bible, nor on this old manuscript, or on the other new translation : For how great soever the difference may be between the various ancient copies of the books of scripture, or the elder or later translations of it, either in protestant or popish countries ; yet the substance of christianity is so scattered through all the New Testament, and especially among the epistles, that every manuscript and every translationhas enough of the gospel to savesouls by it, and make a man a christian indeed. How full ofnoise and controversy has the christian world been, especially in the learned ages of it, in order to adjust and settle the true books of scripture, the true verses, and the true reading ? How manydoubtful words have crept into some of the written copies by the mistakes of transcri- bers ? And how exceedinghard, if not impossible, is it in many cases tojudge which was the true and authentic word or sentence? But the humble and sincere christian has learned so much ofthe same gospel, in which all copiesagree, as has renewed his sinful nature, and wrought a divine life in him, and therefore he is sure the substance of this gospel must be from God. Nay, if this property of the inwardwitness beduly considered a little further in the nature and attendants of it, we shall find that every true christian has a sufficient argument and evidence to support Isis faith, without being able to prove the authority of any of the canonical writings. He may hold fast his religion, and be assured that it is divine, though he cannot bring any learned proof that the book that contains it is divine too ; nay, though the book itself should ever happen to be lost or destroyed : And this will appear with open asid easy conviction, byaskinga few such ques- tions as these : Was not this same gospel preached with glorious success before the new testament was written ? Were not these same doctrines of salvation byJesus Christ published to the world by the ministry of the apostles, and made effectual to convert thou- sands, before they set themselves to commit these doctrines to
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