ftood upon the fame foot, and were alike liable to err with other men: fo Chrift as the Meffiah was not concerned to fecure them from, nor was he answerable for any error, which they might fall into with respect to it. And confequently neither Chrift's divine character, nor the argument drawn from prophely to fupport it, are in the leaft affected by fuch error. And therefore, what has been of late urged from the difagreement betwixt the prophefies contained in the Old Testament *, and the facts applied to them in the New, in prejudice of the argument drawn from literal prophesy to prove the Meffiahship and divine miffion of our Lord Jefus Chrift, is weak and trivial, and ought to be fet afide, with refpect to that argument.

Thus, Sir, I have laid before you the grounds and reafons, upon which the abovementioned opinion is founded, with respect to the hiftorical parts of the New Testament. I have likewise applied it to the point, which has been of late controverted amongst us, viz. the argument drawn from literal prophesy to prove the Meffiabfhip or divine miffion of our Lord Jefus Chrift., I fhall take the like freedom in laying before you,

Secondly, The reafons of my opinion, with respect to the epifiles contained in the New

* Note, Whether the remarks on the prophefies contained in the Old Teftament, and the facts applied to them, in the New, are just or not, is not the prefent question, that being a point, which I am not here concerned to examine.

Tefta

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Teftament alfo, viz. that thofe epiftles were not written by divine infpiration, in the fenfe before mentioned, but only were the produce of the judgment of each writer, in which the doctrines they taught, and the duties they preffed upon thofe they wrote to, were such as they themselves had verbally received from the mouth of Chrift; or from those who had thus received them from him; or by a special revelation from God, by vifion, or otherwife, or by inferences drawn from the writings of the Old Teftament; or from the reafon of things; and the like; God not fuffering them always to continue in error in any material point, which concerned the happiness and falvation of mankind. And,

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First, Thofe epiftles were written in the names of the feveral perfons refpectively, who either wrote them themselves, or caufed them to be written by others. Thus in Rom. i. 1, 7. Paul a fervant of Jefus Chrift,to all that be in Rome, grace to you, and peace from God our Father, &c. 1 Cor. i. 1, 2, 3. Paul called to be an apofile of Jefus Chrift, to the church of God which is at Corinth, grace be unto be unto you, and peace from God our Father, &c. 1 Tim. i. 1, 2. Paul an apostle of Jefus Chrift, -unto Timothy, my own fon in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, &c. Ver 18. This charge I commit to thee, fon Timothy, &c. 1 Pet. i. 1, 2. Peter an apoftle of Jefus Chrift, to the ftrangers Scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappa

docia, Afia, and Bithynia; grace unto you, and peace be multiplied, &c. Here we fee, that those letters were fent to the feveral perfons and churches, to whom they were directed, in the names of the feveral perfons, who either wrote them themselves, or caufed them to be written by others, which is a manifeft proof that they were not written by divine infpiration, in the sense abovementioned. For, if they had been thus indited by God, then thefe epiftles would have been, properly speaking, God's epiftles to those perfons and churches, to whom they were fent, and not the epiftles of thofe men, whose names they bear. Because those men, in such a cafe, would have been no more than barely God's fecretaries to write, or deliver his mind to others, and confequently they would not have prefumed to prefix their own names to God's work. Yea, if this had been the cafe, then the epistle to the Romans would have been as properly and truly the epiftle of Tertius, as of Paul; because Tertius was the perfon, which wrote this epiftle, as we find in Rom. xvi. 22. I Tertius, who wrote this epiftle, falute you in the Lord. For tho' in this cafe Paul received his information from God, and Tertius from Paul, yet they were both no more than inftruments employed to make known God's mind to the Romans, and therefore that epiftle was as much the epiftle of Tertius, as of Paul, or rather it was not the epiftle of either of them. Moreo

Moreover, when Chrift by a vifion made known his mind to St. John, with respect to the feven churches, which were in Afia, in order for him to fend it to them, tho' John addreffes himself in chap. i. 4. to those churches in his own name, fo far as it was his own act, viz. in acquainting them of the vifions, which he had feen, and the circumftances which attended them; yet he dares not deliver the meffage itself in his own name, but in the name of Christ, his Lord and Master. Thus in chap. ii. 1. Unto the angel of the church of Ephefus write these things, faith he that holdeth the feven Stars in his right hand, &c. Ver. 8. And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna, write thefe things, faith the first and the laft, which was dead and is alive, &c. Ver. 18. And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira, write these things, faith the Son of God, &c. Chap. iii. 14. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, write these things, faith the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, &c. Ver. 21, 22. To him that overcometh, will I grant to fit down with me in my throne, even as 1 alfo have overcome, and am fat down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the fpirit faith unto the churches. Here we fee, that as the fubject matter contained in these epiftles, was given to St. John by a vifion; fo he wrote and fent them to the churches, not in his own name, but in the name of Chrift his

Mafter,

Mafter, to whom they properly belonged. In like manner, if the reft of the epiftles of the New Teftament, had been alike revealed to St. Paul, and the other penmen by God, they would never have prefumed to fend them in their own names, but in the name of that God, from whom they received them.

Secondly, The motives, or that which induced the holy penmen to write, and fend these epiftles, was the affection to, and concern they had for the welfare of thofe, to whom they wrote and likewife from a consciousness of their duty, that their care of them in the fight of God might appear. Thus in 1 Cor. iv. 14. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved fons I warn you. 2 Cor. ii. 3, 4, 9. And I wrote this fame unto you, left when I come I should have forrow from them, of whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears, &c. For to this end alfo did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. Chap. vii. 12. Wherefore, tho' I wrote unto you, I did it not for his caufe only, that had done the wrong, nor for his caufe only that kad fuffered wrong, but that our care for you in the fight of God might appear unto you. Chap. xi. 1, 2, 3. Would to God ye could bear a little with me in my folly, and indeed bear with me, for I am jealous over you with a godly jealoufy, for I have efpoufed you to one

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