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 said, have not those books been long ago deftroyed? Are not these which we have at prefent in the New Teftament fome of the writings which, in the early ages of Chriftianity, 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

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

I. From their Contents.

AS early as the two firft 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 Testament.That Jefus was born under the Roman emperour Auguftus, and taught in the Jewish territory; that he publicly performed 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

is the only way to falvation for all thofe to whom they have been promulgated; that this fame Jefus has publifhed and ordained for his difciples the wifeft and moft falutary precepts in respect 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 instance, 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 those books which we now poffefs under the names of the Evangelifts and Apoftles.

II.-Because an univerfal corruption

of thefe writings was impoffible; nor can the least veftige of fuch a corruption be found in hiftory.

THAT these books fhould be univerfally corrupted was totally impoffible from the very state of Christianity. -The Chriftian religion, even in the first 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 custom 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 translations, of the originals, fpread abroad among

■ See Walch On the use of the Holy Scripture among the ancient Chriftians. Leipzig, 1779, in 8vo.

See above, p. 94.