In ordinary histories we must rest satisfied with such information as we can find: and generally speaking, the facts are accurately reported, whilst the whole train of reasoning on their causes and consequences (which constitutes the beauty and utility of history) is often entirely fallacious: and the most interesting and best written histories are often the least authentic; because the writers, in order to conceal their ignorance of the primary and final causes of events, substitute in the place of knowledge ingenious conjectures, or the romantic dreams of their own imaginations. In cases of this kind, however, error is, comparatively speaking, of little importance. The reasons and motives of ac tions, assigned by ordinary writers may, or may not be true, without materially affecting the com fort of society; and even a fictitious narrative, if drawn from the general storehouse of human nature, may be both amusing and instructive. But we can not endure the idea of fiction or uncertainty, where our eternal interests are concerned; and as the reasonings and inferences deduced from the facts recorded in Scripture form the very essence of our religion, being the virtual enunciations of the doc trines on which we build our faith and our hopes, we never can be satisfied till we are assured that these reasonings and inferences rest on the basis of infallible truth. More than human wisdom, then, is necessary to give the right interpretation of Scripture facts, and to deduce from them their legi timate consequences; for we never could build our hopes with confidence, on doctrines which derive their authority merely from the opinions and inter pretations of fallible men. It is as necessary to know that the record containing a divine revelation is uncorrupted and infallible in its formation, as it is to know that a revelation came originally from God; and we might as well be without a revelation altogether, as have one embodied in a record, on whose accuracy we cannot depend. In short, none but those who were inspired to announce divine truths were qualified to record them; and if we are satisfied that the prophets, evangelists and hagio graphers, had communications from heaven, we may be certain that their writings, whose genuine ness and authenticity are most fully established, convey an accurate representation of their heaven inspired impressions to mankind.
These writings contain strong internal evidence that they proceed from no ordinary source. \Ve see what distortion is given to Scripture facts, and what havoc is made of Scripture doctrines by those, in modern times, who interpret the Word of God according to their own fancy. And why does not the same variety of opinion prevail among the wri ters in the sacred volume ? They were men of like passions with us; in matters of inferior importance, they did not always agree in opinion; nay, they sometimes represent the facts of Scripture in very different aspects; yet, with all this, there is not the slightest variation as to Scripture doctrine. Now this is exactly the reverse of what occurs in the case of ordinary writers, when several of them are recording the same event. They in general agree
as to the statement of facts, whilst there is scarcely any such thing as agreement, with respect to their causes, or the inferences which are to be deduced from them.
We are not to suppose that the sacred writers did not exercise their own judgment in commenting on the events which they record, though there is such a striking agreement in their sentiments. But we have reason to conclude, that their understand ings were enlightened, their imaginations chastened, and their minds purified by a superintending influ ence, when we see them always led to the same in terpretation and the same conclusion, though the facts were presented to their senses, and are record ed in their writings in very different points of view. These facts, indeed, sometimes appear so inconsis tent with each other, that, to save the credit of Scripture, in general, some have chosen to abandon the idea of its complete inspiration. This would be both a dangerous and unnecessary concession. For, first of all, this apparent discrepancy in the state ment of facts, is the clearest proof that there was no collusion among the writers. Had they formed a design to impose on the world, nothing could have been more easy than to have preserved a per fect consistency as to the detail of facts. They were not cross-examined in a court of justice, and betrayed into contradictory statements: they wrote down deliberate accounts of what they had heard and seen, which they could easily have made to agree with each other, but which were evidently sent into the world without any commnniratinn, and without any concern, whether they confirm ed or contradicted preceding statements. And, in the next place, the inconsistency is not real, but apparent; and in every case, where it has been supposed to exist, it will be found to origi nate only in our own ignorance. Particulars dif ferent, but not inconsistent; varied, but not con tradictory, are presented to our view; and we are thus furnished with an addition of knowledge, not with an opposition of facts.
If we descend from general reasoning, and con sider the particular parts of Scripture, we shall find the most decided evidence of their inspiration. Take, for instance, the books of Moses, and consi der the nature of their contents. He established laws and ordinances of a most singular nature, to tally different, in many respects, from any thing that had ever been seen in the world. That the whole nation should rest from labour every seventh day: that the whole land should lie uncultivated every seventh year, were regulations so contrary to common practice, and to general interest, that no man in his senses would have thought of enjoin ing them, without the certainty of being supported by divine authority. He does not recommend them by powerful eloquence, nor attempt to defend them as measures of policy: the only argument that he condescends to use, is, thus saith the Lord; and he appeals not to the reason, but to the senses of the Israelites, for the confirmation of his statements; directing them to the miraculous displays of power, by which God seconded all the institutions enjoin ed by his servant.