upon as deceivers, and expofed to the difgrace that belongs to falfhood.

Obfeurity is indeed fo favourable to falfhood, that we often find the first attempt to propagate falfe doctrines undertaken with caution. They are for a time rather dropt in hints, than afferted in form; and represented as harmless opinions, than insisted on as neceffary truths. But when they have escaped contradiction by being thus disguised; the mask is thrown off by degrees, and at laft they are affumed as maxims too evident to need any pofitive proof, and which cannot be denied without the lofs of our claim to judgment, candour, learning, and common fense. The The proper tefts of truth are thus overlooked and despised, and the decifion of the most important questions made to depend upon the arts of fophiftry, the pretenfions of confidence, and the prevalence of the paffions of the weak and ignorant.

Since then truth is the guide to happinefs, both here and hereafter, and all falfhood

hood is inconfiftent with the purity of God, let us withdraw our confidence from every teacher, and guard against his arts, who wilfully endeavours to mifrepresent or conceal the truth; and let us not only refolve to avoid the use of all fraud and deceit, but fo cultivate our reafon, and improve our judgment, that we may likewise escape all mistakes and delufions.

c 3

THE TRUTH OF THE SCRIPTURES.

JOHN vi. 68.

Then Simon Peter anfwered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou haft the words of eternal life.

W

HEN we confider the shortness of human life, we must naturally be anxious to know what state will fucceed, and by what means we may fecure eternal happinefs. Philofophy could difcover the probability, that death would not terminate man's exiftence; it could fhew the excellence of virtue, and likewise the propriety of a future distinction between the righteous and the wicked. But unaffifted reafon must have many doubts and difficulties concerning heavenly doctrines. Revelation alone could declare with certainty the true nature of God, the extent of our

duty, and the means of being justified and admitted to a state of purity and bliss. The Holy Scriptures, which were finished by the doctrines of our Lord and his Apostles, profess to contain this revelation. And when we confider their fuperiority over the claims of pretenders to inspiration, the ancient fyftems of human wisdom, or the boafted light of modern philofophy, we may well fay in the words of my text, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou haft the words of eternal life. I fhall therefore in my following discourse endeavour to establish the truth of the Holy Scriptures,

First, by fhewing the external evidence, that they contain the revealed will of God. And,

Secondly, by confidering the internal marks of their truth and authenticity, which may be discovered in their compofition. And

First, I am to fhew the external evidence, that the Scriptures contain the revealed will of God.

As