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L E T T E R Iíí.

by whoni; and such, in short, as never appearedon the face of any other book, on w h o se author-ity men hâve agreed to rely.

This being so, my lord , what hypothefìs íliallwe follow? Shall we adhéré to foire such diilinc-tion as I hâve mentioned ? shall we say, for in-stance , that the scriptures were written origtnalìyby the authors to wíiom they are vulgarly afcribed,but that these authors writ nothing by inspiration,except the légal, the doctrinal, and the propheticalparts, and that in every other respect their author-ity is purely human, and therefore fallible? Oríliall we say that these histories are nothing morethan compilations or old traditions, and abrège-ments of old records, made in later times, as theyappear to every one who fceads them withoutpre-poísession, and with attention? Shall we add, thatwhichever of these probabilités be t rue, we maybelieve, consistently with either, notwithstandingthe décision of any divines, who know no morethan you or í , or any other man, of the order ofprovidence, that ail those parts and passages ofthe Old testament , which contai n prophéties, ormatters of law or doctrine, and which were frontthe first of such importance in the designs of pro-vidence to ail future générations, and even to thewhole race of manltind, hâve been from the fiiltthe peculiar tare of providence ? Shall we iimitthat such particular parts and passages, which areplainly marktd ont and í'ufhcientiy cousit nted bythe syífem of the Christian revelatiuu, and by theçompifction os the prophéties, hâve been préservé