48 / 514
c
40
IN-WARD
WITNESS
TO
CHRISTIANITY.
[SEAM.
In.
although it
has
so
much human weakness
in
our
eyes,
I
have
felt
a
divine' power
attending
it,
it
hath been
to me
the
power
of God
unto salvation.
Let it
want there-
fore
what human ornaments
it
will,
if
it
has
a
divine
efficacy in
its
I
am
sure it
is
from
above."
Thus
whatsoever temptations are proposed to
baffle
his faith,
and
to
stagger
his
belief
of
the
doctrine
of
Christ,
this one
instance
of
its divinity,
keeps the
be
-.
liever steady:
" I
have
found
it of
efficacy
to begin
eternal
life in
me,
therefore
I
know
it
is
from
God."
But
as
to this
sort
of
objections, against the
truth and
divinity
of
our
religion, arising
from
the
doubtful or
difficult evidence
of
the books
of scripture,
we
may
fetch
a
noble answer from
the
experimental testimony
of
which
I
am now
speaking
:
And
this shall be
the
sixth
property
of
this
inward
witness.
VI.
It
is
such a witness to the
truth
of
the christian
religion,
as does
not depend
on the
exact truth
of letters
and
syllables,
nor
on the
critical
knowledge
of
the co-
pies
of
the
bible,
nor
on this
old
manuscript, or
on
the
other
new
translation
:
For
how
great
soever
the
differ-
ence may be between the
various
ancient
copies
of
the
books
of
scripture, or
the
elder or later translation
of
it,
either
in
protestant
or
popish
countries;
.
yet
the
sub-
stance
of
christianity
is
so
scattered through
all the
New
Testament, and
especially among the epistles,
that
every
manuscript
and every
translation
has
enough
of
the gos-
pel
to
save souls
by it,
and make
a man a
christian in-
deed. How
full
of
noise
and controversy
has
the
Chris-
tian
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 many
doubtful
words have
crept
into
some
of
the written co-
pies
by
the mistakes
of
transcribers?
And
how
exceed-
ing hard,
if
not
impossible,
is
it
in
many
cases
to
judge
which
was
the
true
and authentic
word
or sentence?
But
the humble and sincere
christian
has
learned
so
much
of
the same gospel,
in
which all copies agree,
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 inward witness
be
duly
considered
a
little further
in the
nature and
atte.ndantl