BOOK III.

THE UNCORRUPTED PRESERVATION

OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

CHAP. I.

The Books extant at prefent in the New Teftament, are the fame Writings which were originally compofed by the Authors whofe Names they bear. BUT, it may perhaps be faid, have not those books been long ago destroyed? Are not these which we have at present in the New Testament fome of the writings which, in the early ages of Christianity, were falfely afcribed to the immediate difciples of Jefus? Or, how can we be affured, whether they are not fo changed by latter interpolations and erafures, as to have become entirely different

R 2.

different from the originals? It is therefore neceffary to fhew, that these writings have defcended to us unaltered, or, in other words, the uncorrupted prefervation of our prefent New Teftament.-And this I fhall prove

I. From their Contents.

AS early as the two first centuries of the Chriftian era, we find the very fame facts and the very fame doctrines univerfally received by the Christians, which we, of the prefent day, believe on the credit of the New Teftament.That Jefus was born under the Roman emperour Auguftus, and taught in the Jewish territory; that he publicly per formed many and great miracles; was perfecuted by his enemies the Jews, though innocent, even to death on the crofs; and arofe alive from the grave on the third day after his death; that a belief in this Jefus and his doctrine

is the only way to falvation for all those to whom they have been promulgated; that this fame Jefus has publifhed and ordained for his disciples the wifest and most falutary precepts in refpect of our conduct towards God, towards ourselves, and towards our neighbour; that hereafter he will defcend gloriously from heaven, into which he vifibly afcended, in order to awaken the dead, and to judge the whole race of mankind:-all this is afferted in all the earlieft writings of Christian antiquity' to have been the univerfal belief of Chriftians".-And

See above, Part I. Book II. Ch. i-iii.

m It is only neceffary to read, for inftance, the 19th and 20th ch. of Irenæus's fifth book Adverfus hærefes, where he gives a short sketch of the Christian doctrine as it then exifted.The principal writings on this fubject are, Dionyfii Petravii Dogmata Theologica; Jacob Bafnage Hiftoire de l'Elife; Lardner L. cit.; and Dr. Semler's Collections from the writings of the old teachers, which he has prefixed to Baumgarten's Dogmatic and Polemic.

all this likewife is contained in thofe books which we now poffefs under the names of the Evangelifts and Apostles.

II.-Because an univerfal corruption of thefe writings was impoffible; nor can the least veftige of fuch a corruption be found in history.

THAT thefe books fhould be univerfally corrupted was totally impoffible from the very state of Christianity. -The Chriftian religion, even in the firft century, was fpread through every part of the known world. From the perfecutions which then took place, the diftinct communities exifting at Jerufalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, and in many other confiderable cities, had little or no external connection with each other. As early as the first century arofe Heretics, whofe tenets were refuted by the Orthodox in their writings. Chriftians, even of no rank or confequence, were in poffeffion of

many

many copies of these books, which were reverenced and read with the greatest attention". During the two first centuries no fecret was made of any one relation or doctrine of the holy fcriptures. On the contrary, Juftin Martyr, Tertullian, Irenæus, appeal to the facility which every one enjoyed of reading their fcriptures; and what has been termed the Difciplina arcani, which attempted an occafional fuppreffion of different hiftories or doctrines, is a cuftom of latter times, and crept into Chriftianity with PfeudoPlatonifm. And at a very early period many tranflations of them were made into the Syriac and Latin languages. Now it must have been almost a miracle, if notwithstanding the great variety of copies, and tranflations, of the originals, fpread abroad among

See Walch On the ufe of the Holy Scripture among the ancient Chriftians. Leipzig, 1779, in 8vo, See above, p. 94.