Gospels shews that they were writ for the General Vse of the Church to Record the Doctrine and Miracles of our Saviour the Author and Finisher of our Faith whom all are to hear and obey And tho it were some particular Emergency that might induce the Evangelists to set about this Work which yet is to be look'd upon as a Providential Motion yet the Gospels themselves not only answer that particular End which was the first Occasion of their being writ but are of General Use and fitted to all Ages and times We have already mention'd the Occasion of St. Matthew and St. Mark 's writing their Gospels St. Luke gives an l Luk. 1.1 Account of his Undertaking himself the substance of which is That since many had written an History of our Savior's Life and Actions who wanted some Advantages of knowing the Particulars which he had he himself being exactly inform'd by those who were Eye-witnesses and Parties concern'd set about a more accurate account of these Matters to the end that every Christian who will be at the pains to read it might know the Certainty of those things wherein he has been instructed It seems from hence that committing things to Writing was in St. Lukes judgment the most certain means of Conveying the Knowledge of them to others As for St. John 't is plain by comparing his Gospel with the other Three that he had seen the Rest and approved them a V. Eus H. E. l. 3. c. 24 and therefore supplied what he thought fit which the former Evangelists had omitted that so all of them together might be a Complete Account of all that Jesus did and taught And he 〈◊〉 himself tells us that his Design in writing his Gospel was b Joh. 20.31 That men might believe that Jesus is Christ and that believing they might have life thro' his Name To proceed to the Epistles of the Apostles it must be confess'd that many of St. Paul's were written upon the particular Exigencies of the Churches to which they are directed and were occasion'd by some Disputes that were proper to those times which may be thought an Argument that they were not design'd for the General Use of the Church But yet if we consider that the Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity are admirably illustrated by them and many of the more Mysterious parts of the Gospel-Dispensation more fully treated of in them than by Christ himself because there were many things which the Apostles were not able to bear c Joh. 16.12 while he was with them and therefore they were referred to the Teaching of the Holy Ghost for fuller Instruction in such matters I say if we lay these things together we must acknowledge it necessary to add the Apostolical Epistles to the Gospels in order to the making up a Complete Rule of Christian Faith or else we shall be much to seek for an Authentick Explication of several Important Points of Christianity But of this I shall discourse more largely in the next Chapter To return to S. Paul's Epistles I cannot but observe how the Wisdom of God has made St. Paul's Style and way of Writing to be admirably serviceable to the Edification of the Church which yet if we examine it by the Rules of Criticism is far from being Regular and Exact But his free use of Digressions and those long ones too sometimes opens him a way into a larger Subject and of more General Use and does not suffer him to confine himself to that one particular Point which 't was his main Design to treat of And when we find him take occasion from every hint to explain the Mysteries of the Gospel to set forth the Excellency of it and to perswade men to live up to the Height of its Precepts this is not only a sign that his holy Soul was full of this noble Subject but is likewise an argument that the Holy Spirit Influenc'd his Pen and made him enlarge himself upon those Points which were of Universal Concern and would be for the Perpetual Benefit of the Church in all succeeding Ages A signal Instance of this you may see in that large Digression in the second Epistle to the Corinthians which reaches from the 13. verse of the Second Chapter to the 5. verse of the Seventh Where he discourses of some of the Fundamentals of Christianity with such a true Spirit of Piety and with such a powerful Force of Natural Eloquence that if we may prefer one part of that Inspir'd Teacher's Writings before another we might call this one of the most Elevated Discourses in all St. Paul's Epistles And as both the Matter of his Epistles and the Manner how they are writ discover to us that they were design'd for the Perpetual Use of Christians so we shall find St. Peter to have been of the same mind whose words justify all that I have said For he places St. Paul's Epistles in an equal Rank with those holy Writings which were on all hands agreed upon to be the Word of God Thus much his words import II. Pet. 3.15 16. where speaking of St. Paul's Epistles that there were some things in them hard to be understood which ignorant and unstable men wrested and applied to ill purposes to establish corrupt Doctrines he adds As they do also the OTHER SCRIPTURES to their own destruction which Expression of other Scriptures plainly implies that St. Peter look'd upon St. Paul's Epistles as part of the Canon of Scripture and rank'd them among those Divine Writings which were design'd for our Edification and Instruction in Righteousness and which 't was dangerous to pervert to a contrary Purpose And if St. Paul's Epistles which were writ upon the Exigencies and with Regard to the State of Particular Churches were yet still design'd to be of general Use the same may be said with much greater reason concerning the Epistles of the rest of the Apostles with aim only at this General Design to confirm those in the Faith to whom they were directed to exhort and testifie that this is the true Grace of God wherein they stood d 1 Pet 5.12 and to keep up the Remembrance of the Apostles Doctrine after their decease e 2 Pet. 1.15 as St. Peter speaks concerning the Intent of his two Epistles And we find St. John addresses himself to all Christians without Restriction and even to all Ranks and Degrees of them whom he divides into Children Young men and Fathers f 1 Joh. 2.12 13. Thus much I think sufficient to prove that the Apostles themselves design'd their Writings for the Perpetual Use of the Church and look'd upon them as of Equal Authority with the Inspir'd Books of the Old Testament I proceed to the VI. and last Proposition viz. The Age immediately following that of the Apostles look'd upon their Writings as the Standing Rule of Faith to the Christian Church Certainly next to the Apostles themselves the Age immediately following was best able to know what the
their Authority was immediately Establisht And so much for the proving the Sixth Proposition And I think supposing these Six Propositions proved this Conclusion will plainly follow from what has been said that the Books of the New-Testament were Written by God's Direction and design'd by Him for the Perpetual use and Instruction of the Church and are the only Fixt Rule which he has appointed for this purpose I shall draw some Conclusions from these Premises which will tend to illustrate and explain the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Writings 1. It follows from hence that the Holy Ghost assisted the Apostles as fully when they Writ as when they Preached How far this assistance extended and wherein it consisted I shall examine particularly in the next Chapter at present I intend only to shew that we may presume there is as great a degree of Inspiration to be found in their Writings as was in their Preaching For since the reason why this Assistance accompanied them in their Preaching was the benefit of the Church that they might Guide it into all Truth without any danger of mixing error with it the same reason holds much stronger for their Writings which do not serve for the Instruction of One Age only as their Preaching did but of Many And therefore tho we should suppose that they use Arguments ad Hominem sometimes and proceed upon such Principles as were generally admitted in the Age they lived without nicely examining whether they were true or not yet this only shews that they thought fit to explain Divine Truths in such a manner as was most suitable to the Capacity of the persons they were immediately to Instruct And as we must grant that tho the New Testament was design'd for the use of future Ages yet the Phrase and Style and Argumentation used in it is wholly accommodated to the Sentiments and Usage of that Age in which 't was writ so S. Paul himself does plainly imply that he does not always use the Best Arguments but sometimes such as are best fitted to the Capacities and Notions of those he Writes to For thus we find him express himself by way of excuse for the Argument he makes use of d Rom. 6.19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh which is as much as if he had said I could bring a better argument to prove what I say but this which I make use of is more suitable to your Capacities and may perhaps more effectually convince you than a better 2. It follows secondly that since the Books of the New Testament and the same reason holds as to any other Writings of the same rank and use were design'd to be a standing rule of Faith to Christians the Holy Ghost tho he did not generally Dictate the words which the holy Writers used yet directed them to express their minds in such a manner that those who have a regard to the Dialect and way of speaking in which they write might rightly understand them or at least the Holy Spirit prevented their giving just occasion for Men's errors and mistakes in matters of Consequence by their Phrases and Expressions And such a degree of assistance is absolutely necessary to make these Books a standing Rule of Faith For tho we suppose the Holy Writers used a Popular style and consequently made use of such Hyperboles and Metaphors and other Improprieties of Speech which common practise allows of in all Languages especially where they occasionally speak of Philosophical matters and things not immediately relating to Religion yet unless we suppose them to speak properly in those Terms of Art which are of fundamental use in the explaining the Doctrines of Christianity and upon the sense of which whole Controversies turn and as they are differently taken they alter the very face of the Christian Religion I say except we suppose the Apostles to speak properly i. e. agreeably to their own Simplicity and Plainness of Speech and in such a manner as was most likely to be understood by those they writ to when they treat of matters of great Importance and such as are justly to be reckon'd Fundamental Doctrines the New Testament will not answer the ends of a Rule of Faith For a Book is of no use to explain or decide any Controversy if we can have no sixt rule whereby to judge of its style so as to be in some measure certain what is its true sense And 't is very strange if a Book writ by persons who had an extraordinary assistance from God and which was design'd for Universal use should not be worded with that care which Humane Industry uses in matters of Importance And therefore we have reason to rely upon the assistance of the Holy Spirit even with relation to the Phrase and Letter of the Scripture and to believe that he has so far directed the holy Pen-men that their Phrases and Expressions should not lead Men into error in matters of Consequence but may be rightly understood by those that acquaint themselves with the Dialect in which they writ and consult the Ages nearest the Apostles who must needs be next to their own style the best Judges of their sense If indeed the Socinian Doctrines concerning the Nature and Satisfaction of Christ were true it must be confessed there would be little reason to believe that the Holy Ghost had a hand in wording the Scriptures nay then the Scriptures will appear to be written in such a style as if the Writers design'd to lead Men into error And the Socinians themselves when they make Reason the sole Judge of Sripture and tell us they will not believe any thing contrary to Reason tho it were never so plainly asserted in Scripture do in effect confess that the expressions of Scripture taken in their natural and most obvious sense do not at all favour their Opinions e Socin de Christ Servat l. 3. c. 6. And therefore 't is no wonder to find these Gentlemen warn their Readers so often not to make Inferences from the Phrases of Scripture as if they were used strictly and properly that they so often tell us of the Improprieties and Metaphors which the Eastern Writers and those who imitate them abound with that the Apostles play with Words as Socinus with Reverence speaks f Amavit Paulus in Execrationis verbo esse argutus Socm de Chr Serâ— l. 2. c. 1 and take them sometimes in one sense and sometimes in another Our Author follows them in this as well as in some other things g v Fr. p 234. Eng p. 146. and often cautions h Eng. p 107 111. Fr. p. 280 281. En. p. 11â— Fr. p. 285. Eng. p. 145 146. Fr. p. 233 234. us not to subtilize about the expressions nor stick too close to the Letter of the Scripture since the style of Scripture is so far from being exact that 't is very careless and tells us i Eng. p. 107 116.
Fr. p. 280 285. that laying too great stress upon Words has bin the occasion of most of the Disputes among Christians I readily grant it has but then the fault has bin that Men have either Interpreted Scripture-Expressions by notions of Philosophy which the Holy Writers never heard of or else they have not inquir'd into the Sentiments of those times in which these Books were writ but have judged of their sense by the Schemes and applied them to the Disputes of Modern Ages as if they were writ only with a regard to the Controversies that should arise in After-Times without any respect to the Sentiments and Exigencies of the Age wherein they were written But if we have a regard only to the Genius of the Language which the Holy Writers used and judge of their Sentiments by the State of the Church in their time and by such Ancient Authors as were most likely to be acquainted with the Notions which were then generally received I don't think laying stress upon the Phrases of the Scriptures can lead us into such gross errors as Mr. N. imagines k Eng. p. 146. Fr p. 234. And without supposing this we can scarce deduce any Inferences from Scripture Texts and yet this is practis'd by the Apostles themselves who sometimes argue from Words and those too taken in their nicest signification A remarkable example of which is that Inference of S. Paul's l Gal. 3.16 To Abraham and to his seed were the Promises made he saith not And to seeds as of many but as of one And to thy seed which is Christ 3. Since God in his Providence took care that these Books should be Writ for the use of his Church and therefore gave Providential occasions for their being Written it follows that they are Compos'd in such a manner as not to exclude the use of the Natural Reason and Meditation of the Writers who Compos'd them Works of Providence are not suppos'd to exclude Humane means and we believe many things to be brought to pass by the determinate Counsel and Power of God tho they are not purely Miraculous and and meerly God's own Act and Deed but are brought to pass by second Causes as his Instruments And why then can't he give Men a Rule of Faith and Manners except the Writing be with the immediate Finger of God as the Two Tables were 'T is certain that the ordinary Operations of the Spirit do only excite and assist our natural Faculties not supersede or render them useless And even the extraordinary ones do very often influence Men's minds after the same manner as appears by S. Paul's advice to Timothy m 1 Tim. 4.14 Give attendance to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrine neglect not the gift which is in thee which was given thee by prophecy And to the same purpose he speaks in the second Epistle n 2 Tim. 1.6 And therefore tho we suppose the Authors of the Scriptures to have been Inspir'd and to have had the extraordinary Assistances of God's Spirit yet this will not exclude the use of their Natural Talents but that the Writers made use of them as far as they could be serviceable to their purpose and God supplied their defects From hence appears the weakness of that Argument which is urged by our Author and by some others against the Inspiration of the Poetical Books o Fr. p. 230. En. p. 27. of the Old Testament because they seem to be the effects of Study and Meditation and against that of the Historical Books of the Scripture p Grot. votum pro pace p. 672. Refutat Apologet. p. 722. because the things contain'd in them are either of the Writers own Knowledge or else taken from Ancient Memoirs or the Relation of others To the same purpose 't is urged against the Divine Authority of S. Paul's Epistles by Spinoza q Theol. Polit. c. 11 that they are full of Argumentation which he thinks must be the effect of S. Paul's own reason As if a Man that had a perfect Systeme of the Christian Religion infused into his mind by Revelation as we suppose S. Paul to have had did not apprehend it after a Rational manner and see the whole Series and Chain of its Principles by the help of which he could infer one thing from another But is it not a pleasant Argument against the Inspiration of a Book that it is writ in a Rational and Argumentative way which must either suppose that 't is below God Almighty to give a reason for his Institutions or else that 't was not proper for the Apostles to shew their Disciples that the Doctrines they taught them were such as might be Rationally deduc'd from certain Principles and to confute their Adversaries the same way who would not submit to their bare Authority nor believe a thing to be true meerly because they said so 4. It follows from what has bin said that 't is no Argument against a Book 's being design'd by God for the perpetual use of the Church that 't was at first writ upon some particular Exigency and with relation to the peculiar Circumstances of the persons to whom 't is directed For some of those Books of the Old Testament which were certainly design'd for the publick benefit of the Church as 't is granted by all that acknowledge any such thing as Inspiration and I don 't at present concern my self with any others I say some of the Undoubtedly Inspir'd Writings were occasion'd by the particular Exigences of those times in which their Authors lived I mean the Books of the Prophets who were all sent by God to testify against the sins which were committed in their own times And if God so order'd it that these Prophecies should be of perpetual use to the Church why may not the other Occasional Writings of the Scripture if I may so term them have been compos'd with the same Design I have already shewed r P. 19. that the manner of St. Paul's Writing does excellently answer this Intent From hence it appears that the Argument used by some Popish Writers why the New Testament cannot be a perfect Rule of the Christian Faith because several parts of it were writ only with Relation to particular Exigencies of some one Church holds as well against the Old Testament being a Rule to the Jews because a great part of of it viz. the Prophecies were occasion'd by the particular Circumstances of those Times in which the Prophets lived CHAP. II. A more particular Inquiry into the nature of the Apostolical Gifts and Inspiration HAving said thus much in general concerning the Divine Authority and Inspiration of the Apostolical Writings I proceed to examine more distinly the Assertions which the Author of the Letters hath laid down concerning the Inspiration of the Apostles and of their Writings and in order to that shall consider particularly both as to their Nature and Extent some of the most remarkable Gifts with which the
Prophets often speak after a slighting manner of the Levitical Rites and Ceremonies p Is 1.11 c. 66.3 Jer. 7.22 23. Hos 6.6 Amos 5 21-24 Micah 6.6 7 8. and press men to the Practice of the Weightier matters of the Law Judgment Mercy and the Love of God and require inward Purity of heart q Ezek. 18.31 instead of outward Ceremonial Worship Which is such a pitch of Perfection in obedience as Moses's Law seldom recommends for indeed that was chiefly design'd to be a Political Law instituted for the Government of the Jewish Common-wealth and therefore as all Political Laws are 't is more careful to restrain Men from the Overt-Acts of Sin than to make them sincerly and Inwardly Good In which respect St. Paul says r 1 Tim. 1.9 that the Law was not made for a Rule to the Righteous but for a Restraint to the Lawless and Disobedient And therefore the Prophets by refining upon the Law and exhorting Men to fulfil the Righteousness of the Law by walking not after the Flesh but after the Spirit did contribute very much toward the preparing Men's minds for the times of the Messias Å¿ Prophetae omnes Egregii ad Evangelium Duces Grot. in Jer. 7.9 as they wean'd them from the overfondness they had to the Levitical Rites by shewing them a more excellent way to please God and as they gave them to understand that God did not design the Mosaical Covenant to be Perpetual but that that it should at last give way to a Better And these discourses which the Prophets made to the Jews together with the several Afflictions God brought upon them both in the Captivity and afterward on purpose to take off their minds from the Temporal Promises and make them look up to Spiritual and Heavenly Ones had so great an effect upon the generality of that People that in the latter times we find their Writers discourse of the Nature of Religion in a style much more agreeable to the Spirit of the Gospel than they used formerly as appears by the Book of Ecclesiasticus and speak of a Future State with much greater Clearness and Assurance as may be seen in the Dying Speeches of the Maccabees t 2 Macc. 7. and in several other parts of the Apocryphal Writings u Wisd 3. c. 5. Tob. 3.6 And all this contributed very much to raise in the minds of the Jews that Expectation of the Messias which we find the generality of them had at the time of our Saviour's Coming w John 1.20 21 -7.40 41. Luke 2 38.-3.15 I proceed to consider 2. The manner how the Prophets deliver'd this Prophecy and that was Twofold 1. There were some Prophecies which in the Proper Literal and Primary meaning related to Christ and can't in any Tolerable Sense be applied to any other 2. Others tho in their Literal and Direct sense they foretold some other Event which was nearer at hand yet had a further and Mystical sense contain'd in them which related to Christ and his Kingdom 1. Concerning the First sort I need not say much for they are but few in Comparison with those of the Second but are withal so plain that all the Art of the Adversaries of Christianity has not been able to avoid the force of them or wrest them to any other sense but what the Christians give of them Origen is very copious upon this Subject x v. Cels l. 1. p. 39 c. and proves at large that several Texts of Scripture never were fulfill'd in any person but our Saviour The Instances he gives are Gen. 49.10 Mich. 5.2 Isaiah c. 52. and 53. Psalm 45. To which we may add Dan. 9.24 c. Psalm 110. Psalm 22.16 18. 69.21 The greatest difficulties concern the Second sort of Prophecies which have a double sense Literal and Mystical for the explaining of which I shall lay down these following Observations 1. That most of the Prophecies concerning Christ have a double sense Literal and Mystical 2. That those Prophecies concerning Christ which do Directly point at something which happen'd before the time of our Saviour yet have some evident Marks in them which shew that they have some Further meaning than that which was first intended 3. That there are several very good Reasons upon which this Opinion of a Double sense in the Prophets Literal and Mystical is grounded 1. The First Observation I lay down is That most of the Prophecies concerning Christ have a Double sense Literal and Mystical Now to avoid all Cavilling about words I shall first premise that by the Literal sense I mean that which the Prophet more immediately intended and which pointed at some Event that was nearer the Prophets own time than the Mystical Completion was and by the Mystical sense I understand that which had a respect to the times of the Gospel tho sometimes this Latter sense is more properly express'd by the words and more agreeable to their Natural Import than the former as we shall see presently Having premised this I proceed to shew that there is a Literal as well a Mystical sense in most of the Prophecies relating to Christ Without allowing this we shall make great Confusion and Disorder in the Prophetical Writings if we suppose them to break off Abruptly from the matter in hand and without any visible Transition go to a quite different Subject And this is to speak more particularly very unreasonable to suppose in the Prophet Isaiah who as he is most eminent for the clearness of his Prophecies concerning the Messias so he is as remarkable for the Regular Order and Contexture of his Prophecies and their Coherence one with another And the Historical Relations which he intersperses in his Writings y Chap. 7. c. 36-37 -39 serve as a Key to open the Primary and Literal Intention of his whole Prophecy But the Beauty of it taken all together will be quite spoil'd except we suppose him in most Cases to have some regard to the Subject he is upon and rather to take Hints from thence to discourse concerning the state of the Gospel than to fly out into a Forreign Subject without any Respect to Order or Coherence The wonderful Restauration of the Jewish Nation and Deliverance out of their Captivity gave a very fit occasion to the Prophet to foretell at the same time that Great Salvation which Christ the Redeemer of Israel should Accomplish and was a proper Representation of our Saviour's giving Light to the Gentiles who sat in darkness and z Isaiah 61.1 proclaiming liberty to the Captives of Sin and Satan And accordingly the Prophet pursues this with a pompous Eloquence from the 40th Chapter almost to the end of his Prophecy But yet there 's no reason to think that he was so intent upon this Latter Subject as quite to forget the Former for he was not only an Evangelical Prophet but likewise knew how to speak a word in season to him
whether those words of this Paraphrase As is a great part of the Old Testament be not added meerly to serve the present Turn without the least Intimation of such a Restriction from the Text it self and whether the Coherence of these two Verses be not plainly this Continue in the Study of the Old Testament because all the Books which that consists of are Divinely Inspir'd But I supposes he grounds this Interpretation of his upon that Reading of the Text for which Grotius f In locum contr Rivetum vouches the Syriack and Vulgar Translations Omms Scriptura Divinitùs Inspirata utilis est But if we should admit of this Reading still the Sense will come all to one and the Words as they lie then tho they do not in Express terms assert that all the Old Testament Writings are Divinely Inspir'd yet they Imply it and take it for granted For if we read the Greek thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will be an Explicative Epithet to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 just as if we add the Epithet Rationalis to Homo in such a Proposition as this Homo Rationalis creatus est ad colendum Deum In which Proposition tho it be not expresly asserted that Homo is Rationalis yet so much is Implied and if it were not true 't would make the whole Proposition false as Monsieur Nicol has observed in his Ars Cogitandi g Pars 2. c. 5. And just so in the Proposition we speak of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the Scriptures of the Old Testament in which sense the word is always taken in the New Testament and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is added for a fuller Explication of that term I know Grotius h Votum pro Pace prout citatur Fr. p. 270. Fn. p. 193. will needs have the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taken here in its General Sense and signify simply a Book or Writing But I can't forbear saying that this gloss is Unworthy of Grotius and 't is a sign of a Bad Cause when so Great a Man is fain to betake himself to such Pitiful Sophistry as is to be seen in the fore-cited Place For he can't produce one Instance in all the New Testament where the word is used in that Sense and if he could yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 added to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficiently Restrains the General sense of it and makes one Complex Term which must signify the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Verse before both which Expressions signify the Old Testament because 't is a Collection of Inspir'd Writings and consequently the Phrase it self asserts so much by way of Implication or else it would be an Improper Expression I think it appears from what has been said what was the Judgement of Christ and his Apostles concerning the Canon of the Old Testament and since 't is certain that they approved the Canon of the Old Testament as it was received by the Jewish Church of their own time I can't guess what evidence of Reason can be sufficient to perswade a Christian to Oppose such an Authority And therefore I can't be of our Author's mind when he tell us i Eng. p. 188. Fr. p. 267. He knows not why we may not doubt of the Books of the Old Testament as well as of some of the New the Authority of several of the Latter having been question'd But there is a visible Difference between the Authorities that confirm the Old Testament Canon and those which give Testimony to the New To the Former Christ and his Apostles bear Witness whereas the Credit of the Latter depends upon the Consent and Testimony of much the Greater part of the Church in the Ages succeeding that of the Apostles which tho it be sufficient for any Wise and Unprejudic'd Man to ground his assent upon yet it hath not that Sacredness and Infallibility in it which the other hath For those Ages made use only of Humane Means for settling the New Testament Canon which was sufficient for that purpose considering the Nearness of those times to the Writing of the Books to which they give Testimony Nor does the name of Chetubim which the Jews give to those Writings of the Old Testament which Mr. N. calls in question at all justify his Opinion He fancies k Fr. p. 276. En. p. 102. they were call'd Chetubim i. e. Simply Writings as he Interprets it to signify that they were like other Humane Writings and had nothing at all of Inspiration in them But the Jewish Writers say not one Syllable to confirm this Opinion that I can find On the contrary by their placing Daniel among the Chetubim it appears that they look upon the Writers of that Class to have been Inspir'd for the Jews all agree that Daniel had really the Gift of Prophecy tho they fancy it to be in a lower Degree Further Maimonides saith expresly l More Nevoch p. 2. c. 45. that they are called Chetubim quia scripta sunt per Spiritum Sanctum And tho he reckons that Impulse which he calls Spiritus Sanctus inferiour to the Degree of Inspiration which Isaiah and the other Prophets properly so call'd had yet 't is plain that he looks upon it as a proper kind of Inspiration for the instances he gives of it are by his own Confession real Inspirations m See Mr. Smiths Discourse of Prophecy c. 7. So that I do not see how Maimonides take his Explication altogether gives any Advantage to this Opinion tho Grotius n Votum pro pace prout citatur Fr. p. 231. Eng. p. 141. quote him for it The Jews do indeed acknowledge a Difference between the Inspiration of the Hagiographa and the Prophetical Writings but this doth not prove them to be no part of the Scripture for I think there is no body that considers the manner of the Spirit 's Operation upon the Minds of Inspir'd Persons but will readily acknowledge that there 's no need of the same Degree of Inspiration to write a History or a Book of Morality as is requisite to make a Prophet But concerning the different Degrees of Inspiration I have discours'd already in several places of this Treatise and shall have Occasion to speak of it hereafter But if the Jewish Division of the Old Testament favour'd Mr. N's Opinion never so much I do not see any Force at all in the Argument taken from thence for that Division is not of so early a Date as to be able to vye with the much Ancienter Opinion concerning the Inspiration of the whole Jewish Canon St. Jerom is the first that I find takes notice of this Division o Prolog Galeat Praef. in Daniel the placing the Prophet Daniel among the Chetubim in this Division besides that there is no shadow of Reason for it except it be that the Jews bear him a Spight for Prophecying so plainly of our Saviour discovers that