Serm. LXXIII. Rich Man, and Lazarus. 549 r. It is a more certain way of conveyance of things, and more fecure and free from Impofture. Suppofe a Revelation made to a particular Perfon, which is of general Concernment ; that thismay have a general and fallingEffe6t, he muff impart it to others, as many as he can, and give them the beft Affurance he can of it and thefe muff relate it toothers ; and fo it mull pats from hand to hand, to be delivered from Parents to their Children. Now this way of convey- ing a Revelation byOral Report mutt needsbe liable to many Uncertainties, both by involuntary Miflakes, through Weaknefs of Memory or Underftanding ; and wilful Falfifications andImpofures, out of Malice and Defign. So that the effect of an unrecorded Revelation can neither be large nor lattíng, it cart but reach a few Perlons, and continue a little while in its full Credibility ; and the further it gees, the weaker, like Circles made in Water, which the more they enlarge themfelves, and the longer they continue,the lefs difcernible, they are till at length they quite difappear. Whereas being once recorded by Perlons fecured from Er- ror, by Supernatural and Divine Affittance, they are not liable to thofe eafy Fal- fifications or Miflakes, which traditional Reports and Relations are neceffarily, through Human Malice or Weaknefs, liable to. z. It is a more general and univerfal way of Conveyance ; Which is evident from the common Experienceof the World, who have pitched upon this way of ' writing things in, Books, as that which doth molt eafily convey the knowledge and notice of things to the generality of Men. 3. It is a more uniform way of Conveyance ; that is, things that are once written and propagated that way, lye equally open to all, and come in man- ner with equal Credit to all ; it being not morally poffible that a common Book, that paffeth through all hands, and which is of vaft Importance and Concernment, lhould be liable to any material Corruption, without a gene- ral Confpiracy and Agreement, which cannot be, but that it mutt be gene- rally known. So that confidering the commonnefs, and univerfal Concern- ment of this Book of the Scriptures, all Men are in a manner equally, that is, every Man is fufftciently and competently affur'd of the credit of it ; that is, that we are not in any material thing impofed upon by falfe Copies. But in tra- ditional Revelation it is quite otherwife ; Tradition being a very unequal and ununiform way of Conveyance. For feeing it may be of general Concernment, and all cannot have it at the firft hand, that is, immediately from him to whom it was made ; but force at the fecond, Others at the third, fourth, or fifth hand, or much further off; the Credit of it will be necefiarily weakned by every Re- move. A Report that comes thr'óugh many Hands, being like the Argument we call Indutlion ; and as the Strength and Goodnefs of that depends upon the Truth of every one of thofe Initances that make it up, fo that if any of them fail, the whole Argument is naught ; fo the credit of a Report that paffeth through twentyhands, depends upon the Integrity and Sufficiency of all the Re- lators ; and whatever there is either of 'Falthood and Malice, or of Incapacity of Underftanding, or Frailty of Memory in any of the Relators, fo much Weaknefs is derived into the Report or Teftimony ; and confequently the affurance which we can have of a private Revelation, which is deliver'd traditionally through a great many Perlons mull needs be very unequal. 4. It is a more fatting way of Conveyance. Which likewife appears by Ex- perience, we having now nothing at all of the Hiftory of ancient times, but what is conveyed down to us in Writing. g. It is a more human way of Conveyance, which requires lefs of Miracle and Supernatural Interpofition for the Prefervation of it. This Book of the Scriptures may with ordinary Human Care be tranfmitted entire, and free from any material Error, to all fucceeding Ages. But Revelations unwritten, if they haveany fall- ing and confiderable Effecl-, they mutt at leaft in every Age be renewed and re- peated ; otherwife in a very Ihort Ipace, either through the unfaithfulnefs, orcare- lefTnefs and frailty of Men, they will either be quite loft, or fo corrupted and depraved, that they will fignify nothing. From all which it appears, that we have fo little mute to murmtu anfl repine at
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