heaven increased. In those histories, the thoughts and secret motives of men are often unfolded and referred to. Was any one but the Searcher of Hearts competent to this? Could angels have revealed them, unless distinctly made known to them? If it be replied, that in such places the sacred writers enjoyed the inspiration of suggestion, that is, of verbal dictation, we ask, where is the distinction to be found? It is a distinction unknown to the Scriptures. And so far from a plenary inspiration not being necessary in its historical parts, there is not any portion of the sacred volume in which it is more indispensable. But even admitting that verbal inspiration was not in our view essential in tho e parts of the book of God, is this a reason why we should not receive the testimony of the sacred writers, who nowhere give the most distant hint that they are written under a different kind or degree of inspiration from the rest of it; but who, in the most unqualified manner, assert that full inspiration belongs to the whole of the Scriptures ?

The words that are used in the prophetical parts of Scripture, must necessarily have been communicated to the prophets. They did not always comprehend the meaning of their own predictions, into which they" searched diligently." And in this case, it was impossible that, unless the words had been dictated to them, they could have written intelligibly. Although they had written the Scriptures, it was necessary to show them" that which is noted in the Scripture of truth," Dan. x. 21. The writings of the prophets constitute a great portion of the Old Testament Scriptures, and God claims it as his sole prerogative, to know the things that are to come. We are therefore certain that they enjoyed verbal inspiration;

and, as we have not anywhere a hint of different kinds of inspiration by which the Scriptures are written, does it not discover the most presumptuous arrogance to assert that there are different kinds?

The nature of the mission of the prophets required the full inspiration which they affirm that they possessed. God never intrusted such a work as they had to perform to any man, nor any part of such a work. It was God himself, "who, at sundry times, and in diverse manners, spake in time past unto the fathers, by the prophets." That work, through which was to be made known" to principalities and powers in heavenly places, the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus," was not a work to be intrusted to any creature. The prophet Micah, iii. 8, says, " But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin." It was not the prophets then who spoke, but the Spirit of God who spoke by them.

Of the complete direction necessary for such a service as was committed to him, both of lawgiver and prophet, Moses was aware, when the Lord commanded him to go to Pharaoh, and to lead forth the children of Israel from Egypt. In that work he intreated that he might not be employed. This proved the proper sense he entertained of his own unfitness for it. But it was highly sinful, and evinced great weakness of faith, thus to hesitate, after the Lord had informed him that he would be "with him." Moses was accordingly reproved for this, but the ground of his plea was admitted; and full inspiration, not only as to the subject of his mission, but as to the very words he was to employ, was promised. In answer to his objection,

the Lord said unto him, Exod. iv. 11, 12, "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and, teach thee what thou shalt say." Moses still urged his objection, and the same reply was in substance repeated, both in regard to himself and to Aaron. The full in-. spiration, then, which was at first promised to Moses in general terms, was, for his encouragement, made known in this particular manner, and the promise was distinctly fulfilled. Accordingly, when, as the lawgiver of Israel, he afterwards addressed the people, he was warranted to preface what he enjoined upon them with," Thus saith the Lord," or, "These are the words which the Lord hath commanded, that ye should do them." In observing all the commandments that Moses commanded them, and in remembering the way by which the Lord had led them, Israel was to learn, that “man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord." Signs were shown to Moses, and God came unto him in a thick cloud, in order, as he said, "that the people may hear thee when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever." Exod. xix. 9.

If the words of Moses had not been the words of God, had he not been conscious of the full verbal inspiration by which he wrote, would the following language have been suitable to him, or would he have ventured to use it? Deuteronomy, iv. 2: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep these commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Deut. vi. 6: " And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and

thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children," &c. Deut. xi. 18: "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your head, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thine house, and upon thy gates." From these passages, we learn that Moses was conscious that all the words which he spoke to the people were the words of God. He knew that it was with him as with Balaam, to whom the Lord said, Numbers, xxii. 35, 38, " Only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak;" and in the language of Balaam, Moses could answer, "The word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak."

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As" the word of the Lord," was communicated to Moses, so it also came to Gad, to Nathan, and to the other prophets, who were men of God, and in whose mouths was the word of God. "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth," 1 Kings, xvii. 24. The manner in which the prophets delivered their messages, proves that they considered the words which they wrote, not as their own words, but dictated to them by God himself. Elija said to Ahab, "Behold I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity." On this, Mr Scott, in his Commentary, observes, "Elija was the voice, the Lord was the speaker, whose words these were." This is a just account of all the messages of the prophets. They introduce them with, "Thus saith the Lord," and declare them to be "the

word of the Lord;" and is it possible that the prophets could have more explicitly affirmed, that the words which they uttered were communicated to them, and that they were only the instruments of this communication to those whom they addressed? In the place where we read, "Now these be the last words of David, the sweet psalmist of Israel," David says, " The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue," 2 Samuel, xxiii. 2. In like manner it is said, "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord," 2 Chron. xxxvi. 1, 2. " Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in the prophets," Nehemiah, ix. 30. Isaiah commences his prophecies by summoning the heavens and the earth to hear, " for the Lord hath spoken," Isa. i. 2. In the same manner, Jeremiah writes, "The words of Jeremiah, to whom the word of the Lord came."" Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth." "I will make my words in thy mouth fire,” Jeremiah, i. 1, 2; 9; v. 14. " Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book,” Jeremiah, xxx. 2. Again, in the prophecies of Ezekiel, "Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak my words unto them." "Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee, receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears, and go get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God." Ezekiel, iii. 4, 10. Hosea says, "The word of the Lord that came unto