CHAP.

XIII.

The CONCLUSION.

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THUS have I endeavoured to give fome account of the nature of the Old Testament prophe

cies, and the reafons of their citation in the New. But before I quite difmifs our author, 'tis neceffary I should add, that fuppofing the difficulties which attend the quotations out of the Old Teftament, by the apoftles, were much greater than they really are, yet even this would not affect the credit, or the truth of Chriftianity. Had this been the only fort of proof that the first preachers of the gospel infifted on, he would have written much more to the purpose than I apprehend he now hath done; and then

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the proper way of converting men to the faith of the gofpel would have been, firft to have convinced them of the truth and authority of the Jewish revelation. But this is a fuppofition contrary to the certain practice of the apoftles, as far as we have any account of them in the Acts; they never pretending to argue with Gentiles from Jewish prophecies, but plain facts; no nor with the Jews themselves from prophecies alone, but from prophecies and facts together; becaufe 'twas neceffary, with respect to them, that Jefus Chrift fhould be proved both a real prophet, and that particular pro phet, or Meffiah, whom they expected. As indeed, after the converfion of the Gentiles to the faith of Christ, the chur ches were a mixed fociety of Jews and Gentiles, it is no wonder that in epiftles written for the general benefit, there fhould be a mixture of each kind of argument; especially fince one main fubject of almost all the epiftles, that are now extant, was a Jewish queftion, viz. how long, and over whom the Jewish ceremonial law was to be

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in force. The application of Jewish fcripture, on fuch an occafion, to Jews was exceeding proper, and was fure to have its influence and weight. But that on other occafions, when the apostles were preaching the gospel to Gentiles only, they mentioned the Jewish fcriptures. or religion, there is not one paffage in the whole New Testament to render it probable.

Suppose then that there are some pafages cited by the New Teftament writers, that we cannot well account for, or others that we certainly know are applied to occafions they did not originally refer to, what will follow? The fubverfion of Christianity, and the impofture of Chrift and his apofties? This our author hath been endeavouring to prove, in his way; but, thanks be to God, without effect. The confequence will be this, that as to fuch, which we cannot demonstrate to be applied contrary to their original intentiand which we know not well how to account for, they must remain in their prefent uncertainty; and as no argument can be drawn from them,

on,

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to fupport the religion of the gospel, fo neither will they furnish any reasonable objection against it. And as to those paffages which do evidently appear to be applied to different occafions than what they originally refer to, if any fuch there be, it will be fufficient to lay of them, that the apostles, who did thus apply them, had fufficient reafon to do it; that there were particular circumftances that made fuch quotations neceffary, and that thofe, for whofe ufe they were made, understood the juftness and propriety of them or that we understand not the pre. cife meaning of the forms of the citations, nor the purposes for which scripture was then usually cited, nor the interpretation that was ufually put upon the paffages that are most liable to exception. Now I apprehend that, before our author and his friends will be able to do Chriftianity any great differvice, they must make it out, that there could be no circumftances relating to perfons, times, or places, that could make fuch an application of fcripture proper; and they muft fix the exact meaning of those expreffions,

preflions, This was done that it might be fulfilled, Then was the fcripture fulfilled, &c. as they were then in use amongst the Jews; and when it can be proved that the apoftles used these forms of quotation in a different fenfe from what others did, or put another interpretation on the Old Testament prophecies than the true, or generally received one; I know not but we may then have fome reason to be in pain for them, tho' even this will not undermine the truth of Chriftianity. For the truth and certainty of this depends, not folely upon the suppofition of their being inspired, much less under the influence of a continual: inspiration; but upon the truth of the gospel history, viz. the life and death, and re. furrection of our bleffed Lord. If there bany folid proof of this, Christianity will maintain its ground, and stand firm against all the attacks of infidelity; even tho' it could be proved, that the writings of the apoftles, which are now extant, were not all penned under divine infpiration. If it can be proved that there was fuch a perfon as Jefus

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