THE PERFECTION AXD SANCTITY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.
Rev. xxii. 18, 19. / testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this look, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are ■written in this look : and, if any man shall take away from the iL'ords of the hook of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the look of life, arid out of the holy cityy and from the things which are ivritten in this look.
THE voice of Inspiration carrying with it the authority of Jehovah, it might be expected, that per- sons, eager to establish particular sentiments of their own, or to draw disciples after them, would profess to have received revelations from heaven, that so they might obtain a more entire and extended influ- ence over their adherents. To prevent such imposi- tions under the Mosaic dispensation, God said to the whole of Israel, *' Ye sliall not add unto the word w^hich I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from if*." In like manner, at the close of the Christian dispensation, our Lord directed his servant John to record this solemn declaration : " I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the pro- phecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book : and, if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy; God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
In its primary sense, this declaration seems to refer to the particular book which contains the Revela- tion of St, John: but, as this book completes and closes the Sacred Canon, I consider the warning as extending to the whole of the New-Testament Scrip- tures ; and as making known to us,
I. The perfection of the Scriptures —
That may be considered as perfect, to which no- thing
• DluI. iv. 2.