34 INWARD WITNESS TO CHRISTIANITY. in late ages have attended the . several manuscript copies, and different readings and translations of the bible. Now this is of admirable use and importance in thechristian life, upon several accounts : As, ' 1. If we consider how few poor unlearned christians there are, who are capable of taking in the .rguments which are ne- cessary toprove the divine authority of the sacred writings; and few, even among the learned, can well adjust and determine many, ofthe different readings, or differenttranslations of parti- cular scriptures. Now a wise christian does not build his faith and hope merely upon any one òr two single texts, but upon the general scope, sum, and substance of the gospel, the great doc- trinesof the satisfaction for sin, by the blood of Christ, and the renewal of our corrupt natures Isy the Holy Spirit, the necessity offaith in Christ, repentance ofsin, and sincere holiness, in order to salvation and heavehlyglory; and by these he feels a spiritual life of peace and piety begun in him : And here lies his evidence that christianity is divine, and'that these doctrines are from hea- wen, though a text or two may be written false, or wrong trans- lated, or though a wholebook or two may behard to be proved authentic. The learned well know what need there is of turning over the histories ofancient times, of the traditions and writings of the fathers, and authors, pious and profane ; what need ofcritical skill in the holy languages, and in ancient manuscripts ; what a wide survey of various circumstancesof fact, time, place, style, language, &c. is necessary to confirm one or another book or .verse of the New Testament, and to answer the doubts of the scrupulous, and the bold objections ofthe infidel ;' what laborious reasonings are requisite to foundour faith on this bottom. Now how fewof the commonrank ofchristians, whose hearts are inlaid with trae faith .in. the Son of God, and realholiness, have leisure, books, instructions, advantages, and judgmentto makeathorough search into these matters, and to determine, upon a just view of argument, that these books were written by the sacred authors whose names they bear, andthat these authors wereunder an mediate inspiration in writing them ? What a glorious advan- tage is it then tohave such an infallible testimony to the truthof the gospel wrought and written in the heart by renewing grace, as does not depend on this laborious, learned, and argumentative evidence of the divine authority of thebible, or of any particular book or verse of it ? 2. If' we consider what bold assaults are sometimes made upon the faith of the unlearned christian, by the deists and unbelievers of our age, by disputing against the authority of the scripture, by ridiculing the strange narratives and Sublime floc-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=