ment and promise of God, entitles them to the kingdom of glory. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. There every heart will be sensible, and every tongue will confess, that this great salvation, so much beyond what they looked for, is principally and originally owing, not to any works or merits of their own, but to the benevolence and mercy of God the Father, to the merits and mediation of God the Son, to the guidance and assistance of God the Holy Ghost.

SERMON VII.

2 TIM. iii. 16, 17.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. THE importance of the argument to which these words direct us, is evident from the necessity of divine inspiration, to give a proper weight and authority to the records of our holy religion. For supposing it to be proved that there really is a revelation given by God to mankind, there is still a question to be satisfied, viz. where is this revelation to be found? And if in answer to this, men be referred (as they must be referred) to the scriptures; it may still further be demanded, what security have we, that these scriptures themselves are free from error? If we say with the apostle, that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, one would think that when this point was once clear, nothing further would be expected. He is equally exempt from the possibility of deceiving, and of being deceived; and his word, like himself, is light and truth, and in it is no falsehood or error at all.

But we seem not to receive the same complete satisfaction, as to this point, if we are only told, that some part indeed of the scripture (as prophecies and certain doctrines) must be inspired; but as for other parts, consisting of history or morals, there is no

need and no evidence of inspiration: in one case, men wrote with great faithfulness, in the other, with a pious intention.

This account of the inspiration of the holy scripture seems in great measure to destroy what before had been built up; the inquirer is left to fluctuate in uncertainty; the sacred volumes will lose much of their veneration; the church of God, which is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone a, will be sorely shaken; and every profane hand will be encouraged to take away, piece after piece, till (to speak in allusion to the fate of the material temple) there will not be left one stone upon another b

The revival of these notions makes this subject as seasonable as it is important; and though nothing new upon it will be expected by this learned audience, yet I trust their candour will indulge me, while I remind them of the old approved arguments, at a time when others are not ashamed to revive the old exploded objections. I propose therefore,

First, To inquire into the meaning of these words of the apostle; and then to assert and prove the doctrine delivered in them.

No one, I believe, that reads St. Paul's words without a comment, will easily mistake their meaning; or make any doubt but that he here asserts the complete inspiration of the Old Testament at least, as it was that part of scripture which Timothy had known from a child. The holy scriptures, or the scripture,

a

* Ephes. ii. 20.

b Matt. xxiv. 2. Preached at the visitation of Richard lord bishop of Litchfield and Coventry.

in the mouth of a Jew, or (what is much the same) of one educated in the Jews' religion, and who had no difference with them upon this article, would certainly be understood to signify that collection of sacred writings which was then received, and constituted the canon of the Jewish church. That was the same then which it is at this day; and therefore whatever difficulties critics may raise about the time when this collection was made, or the persons concerned in making it; if St. Paul declares that the whole collection was given by inspiration, this point, as far as his authority prevails, seems to be sufficiently secured. And the reason of the case, at least, extends to the New Testament, a considerable part of which was likewise written before this Epistle to Timothy; so that in this view we are assured that all the scriptures, consisting of the Old and New Testament, were given by inspiration of God.

But though this seems to be the plain and natural meaning of the words, as they lie in our English Bibles, yet if we consult some writers for the meaning of them, they will tell us, that it is only this &; that all scripture, which is divinely inspired, is also profitable for the purposes hereafter mentioned. This interpretation, however, does some violence both to the words and to the sense. Πᾶσα γραφή, in all probability, signifies, collectively, the whole body of sacred scripture; and numerous instances might be produced out of the New Testament, where ¤ã‚ has this signification, and is of the same import with λos. However, if it should here be understood distributively, it is still asserted that every scripture, See Five Letters concerning the Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, p. 189, &c.

that is, every part of scripture, is divinely inspired: though it is not so easy to comprehend how every part of scripture, singly and by itself, is also profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. This is a character which the whole system of the sacred writings deserve; and by all of them together these ends are sufficiently answered: but that every part alone is of such universal use, is singly able to perfect the man of God, and throughly to furnish him unto all good works, is a point neither clear in itself, nor easy to be proved.

If to avoid this difficulty it be said, that the meaning is, that all scripture, which is divinely inspired, be it more or less, is, taken all together, profitable for these purposes; it is to be further observed, (and it is the main observation of all,) that the text will not admit of this rendering. For the words are not πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος, ὠφέλιμος, &c. as if θεόπνευστος was part of the subject; but πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος kai wpériμos, &c. where the conjunctive particle is an effectual barrier against this sense, and plainly shews that θεόπνευστος and ὠφέλιμος are equally predicated of the scripture. But this meaning will be more readily admitted when the proof is made out; and therefore I may proceed,

Secondly, To assert and prove this doctrine of the complete inspiration of the holy scriptures.

Only it may be remembered first, that the controversy here is not with infidels, who deny all inspiration whatsoever, but with those who deny or doubt of the inspiration of some parts only of scripture : the debate is not about the being or reality of inspiration, but the extent of it. Secondly, the point as