But this boldness is not only unwarrantable, but to be abhorred What place of Scripture, what ecclesiastical tradition, what single precedent of any one sober Christian writer, what theological reason, will countenance a man in making the comparison mentioned, and so determining thereon? Such juvenile boldness, such want of a *due apprehension and understanding of the nature of divine inspira- tion, with the order and design of the writings of the New Testa- ment, which are the springs of this precipitate censure, ought to be reflected on. At present, to remove this pretence out of our way, it may be observed, —
(1.) That what the Lord Christ taught his disciples, in his per- sonal ministi'y on the earth, was suited unto that economy of the church which was antecedent unto his death and resurrection. No- thing did he withhold from them that was needful to theh faith, obe- dience, and consolation in that state. Many things he instructed them in out of tlie Scripture, many new revelations he made unto them,
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and many times did he occasionally instruct and rectify their judg- ments ; howbeit he made no clear, distinct revelation of those sacred mysteries unto them which are peculia?' unto the faith of the Nero Testament, nor were to be distinctly apprehended before his death and resurrection.
(2.) What the Lord Christ revealed afterward by liis Spirit unto the apostles, was no less immediately from himself than was the truth which he spoke unto them with his own mouth in the days of his flesh. An apprehension to the contrary is destructive of Chris- tian religion. The epistles of the apostles are no less Christ's ser- mons than that which he delivered on the mount. Wherefore, —
(3.) Neither in the things themselves, nor in the way of their de- livery or revelation, is there any advantage of the one sort of writ- ings above the other. The things written in the epistles proceed from the same wisdom, the same grace, the same love, with the things which he spoke with his own mouth in the days of his flesh, and are of the same divine veracity, authority, and efficacy. The revelation which he made by his Spirit is no less divine and imme- diate from himself, than what he spoke unto his disciples on the earth. To distingiiish between these things, on any of these accounts, is in- tolerable folly.
(•1.) The writings of the evangelists do not contain the whole of all the instructions which the Lord Clu'ist gave unto his disciples jjersonally on the earth. For he was seen of them after his resur- rection forty days, and spoke with them of " the things pertaining to the kingdom of God," Acts i. 3 ; and yet nothing hereof is recorded in their writings, but only some few occasional speeches. Nor had he given before unto them a clear and distinct understanding of those things which were delivered concerning his death and resurrection in the Old Testament; as is plainly declared, Luke xxiv. 25-27. For it was not necessary for them, in that state wherein they were. Wherefore, —
(5.) As to the extent of divine revelations objectively, those which he gi'anted, by his Spirit, unto his apostles after his ascension, were beyond those which he personally taught them, so far as they are recorded in the ^vritings of the evangelists. For he told them plainly, not long before his death, that he had many things to say unto them which " then they could not bear," John xvi. 12. And for the knowledge of those things, he refers them to the coming of the Spirit to make revelation of them from himself, in the next words, " Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me : for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it
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unto you," verses IS, 14. And on tliis account he had told them be- fore, that it was expedient for them that he should go away, that the Holy Spirit might come unto them, whom he would send from the Father, verse 7. Hereunto he referred the full and clear manifesta- tion of the mysteries of the gospel. So false, as well as dangerous and scandalous, are those insinuations of Socinus and his followers.
(6.) The writings of the evangelists are full unto their proper ends and purposes. These were, to record the genealogy, conception, birth, acts, miracles, and teachings of our Saviour, so far as to evince him to be the true, only-promised Messiah. So he testifieth who wrote the last of them : " Many other signs truly did Jesus, which are not written in this book : but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," John xx. 30, 31. Unto this end every thing is recorded by them that is needful unto the ingenerating and establishing of faith. Upon this confirmation, all things declared in the Old Testament concerning him — all that was taught in types and sacrifices — became the object of faith, in that sense wherein they were interpreted in the accomplishment; and that in them this doctrine was before revealed, shall be proved afterward. It is, therefore, no wonder if some things, and those of the highest importance, should be declared more fully in other -writings of the New Testament than they are in those of the evangelists.