written on the occasion of Josiah’s death, in which, though he doth not mention the name of that good king, yet he laments the desolating judgments which were to follow soon after it. Moreover, the Papists pretend, that some part of the New Testament is lost; particularly the epistle from Laodicea, mentioned in Col. iv. 16. and one written to the Corinthians, _not to company with fornicators_, 1 Cor. v. 9. and another mentioned, 2 Cor. vii. 8. _by which he made them sorry_. _Answ._ 1. As to the epistle from Laodicea that was probably one of his inspired epistles, written by him when at Laodicea, and not directed, as is pretended, to the Laodiceans. 2. As to that epistle, which he is supposed to have written to the Corinthians, it is not expressly said that it was another epistle he had wrote to them; but it is plainly intimated, ver. 12. that he refers to the epistle, which he was then writing to them; a part of which related to that subject, as this chapter, in particular does, 3. As to the letter, which he wrote to them, _which made them sorry_, it is not necessary to suppose that it was written by divine inspiration; for as every thing he delivered by word of mouth, was not by the extraordinary _afflatus_ of the Holy Ghost, why may we not suppose that there were several epistles written by him to the churches, some to comfort, others to admonish, reprove, or make them sorry, besides those that he was inspired to write? Having considered the arguments brought to prove that some books of scripture are lost, we shall now prove, on the other hand, that we have the canon thereof compleat and entire. Some think this is sufficiently evident from what our Saviour says, _Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot, or tittle shall not pass from the law_, Mat. v. 18. and _it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than for one tittle of the law to fail_, Luke xvi. 17. If God will take care of every jot and tittle of scripture, will he not take care that no whole book, designed to be a part of the rule of faith, should be entirely lost? It is objected, indeed, to this, that our Saviour hereby intends principally the doctrines or precepts contained in the law; but if the subject matter thereof shall not be lost, surely the scripture that contains it shall be preserved entire. But this will more evidently appear, if we consider that the books of the Old Testament were compleat in our Saviour’s time; for it is said, _That beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself_, Luke xxiv. 27. and this may also be proved from what the apostle says, _Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning_, Rom. xv. 4. now it is impossible that they should be written for our learning if they are lost.