people, among whom the translations occurred which are the subjects of difficulty; and such apparent inconsistencies are still more likely to be met with in books, which, like the Gospels, are nothing more than concise and compendious summaries of numerous and important events. In addition, however, to these probable causes of the obscurity which hangs about some parts of the sacred history, there is another, of which the authors of that history are perfectly innocent, and which, it may be apprehended, has gone a great way in multiplying these seeming inconsistencies in the Gospel narrative,—and that is the hastiness and injudiciousness of commentators. It is a very easy method of getting rid of a difficulty to say that the author was himself mistaken; this at least saves the credit of the commentator, though at the expense of the author whom he undertakes to illustrate; and this is the way in which some commentators have ventured to treat the New Testament. Others have arrived at the same point at last, (though they have gone to work in a different manner,) by setting out on the erroneous principle, that a general resemblance between two facts recorded by different evangelists, is sufficient to establish the identity of those facts. Indeed, whether compilers of harmonies expressly recognize this principle, or not, as the ground of their arrangements, they are nevertheless under

a strong temptation, of which they may not themselves be always aware, of acting under the practical influence of it, for, the greater number of parallels that can be made out, the more full and complete will be the harmony. Hence a writer of this description is deeply interested in finding or making as many as he can; and, when an incident occurs in one of the collected passages, which is not easily reconcileable with the majority of circumstances given in the other, it is much more agreeable to the feelings of an author to determine, that that particular, and perhaps minute incident, which stands in his way, has been erroneously stated, than to acknowledge that a favourite parallel, which he has laboured much in constructing and demonstrating, is after all, nothing more than the offspring of his own imagination.

But, to come to the other part of the alternative. Contradictions in matters of doctrine only take place between two writers, when one of them asserts a doctrinal proposition to be true, and the other asserts it to be untrue: nor have we any hesitation in affirming that the Scriptures are perfectly free, when treated with justice, from any imputations of this kind. It is true we do hear, in these times especially, the most contratradictory doctrines deduced from the pure, and simple, and perfect rule of our faith, and no

wonder, when we consider by what sort of process these conclusions are obtained; for, when an author is pillaged piece-meal, and expressions, which occur in long connected arguments, directed to some particular points, which are all kept out of sight, and frequently, perhaps, utterly disregarded by those critics, who are more attentive to sound than sense, are cited in a detached form, as insulated and absolute assertions, not only may any one author be made to contradict any other, but also himself, and that in every page, and with the greatest facility. The truth, however, is that the sacred writers, in showing us the things that belong unto our peace, when due attention is paid to their particular scope and design, appear in beautiful accord all speaking the same thing, all breathing the same spirit; and when their doctrines are made to stand in unnatural array against each other, it may be safely said such a mischievous perversion of truth is, in most instances, to be ascribed to nothing else, than the bold and presumptuous inadvertence of ignorance.

To conclude:-we have now endeavoured to give a connected view of some of the leading arguments, which may be advanced in favour of one particular theory of the inspiration of Scripture, and we have attempted to obviate some of the chief objections which have been urged against it. It is not to be expected in these latter days, when

the subject of Scriptural inspiration has already been so often and so ably canvassed, that many fresh sources of argument should be discovered; but it is surely right, in a matter which so deeply concerns us, that we should diligently seek for and use all that light on this question, be it more or less, which has already come into the world, in order that we may form for ourselves as clear an opinion as possible on the subject, which may act as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, to secure us from being tossed about with every wind of doctrine, and making shipwreck of our faith on the first obstacle we may encounter. Neither is it to be expected, to judge from the past, that perfect unanimity on this point will ever be attained; but we have good ground to trust that He, who knoweth whereof we are made, will pardon our involuntary errors of opinion, if we have sought the truth in the sincere and diligent use of the faculties which He has given us; and, as we all hold that the Holy Scriptures were mercifully written for our learning, we have still more reason to pray, that we may all at length be convinced, by our own happy experience, that they are able to make us wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

SERMON IX.

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME.

GEN. i. 14.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.

So august and glorious is the fabric of the universe, that when it first arose out of nothing in all its majesty, at the word of its omnipotent Creator, all the sons of God shouted for joy at witnessing the wondrous display, which it afforded, of His unfathomable power. Nor is the system of things, in which we are placed, to be less admired for the utility than the beauty of its plan; that instance of which, referred to in the text, is particularly obvious, namely, the beneficial consequences we experience from the arrangement and relation of the great luminaries of heaven to the planet which we ourselves inhabit; for no one is