nothing at all. For inftance, the confequences of Adam's tranfgreffion upon his pofterity; the covenant made with Abraham; the nature and miffion of the Son of God; the grant of bleffings, and of eternal life by him. Concerning thofe things, we could have known nothing at all, had not God revealed them to us. And in fuch matters of pure Revelatien, the first thing we have to do, is to inquire, not what human Reafon tan difcover, but what God has difcovered, and declared in Scripture. But at the fame time it is true, that God hath difcovered nothing in Scripture inconfiftent with what he has difcovered in the nature of things expofed to the view of all mankind. And therefore, if we underftand any thing in revealed religion, in a fenfe contradictory to natural religion, or to the known perfections of God, and the common notions of good and evil, which he hath written upon all our hearts, we may be fure we are in an error, and miftake the fenfe of Revelation.

I. He who would effectually ftudy the word of God, ought, above all things, to be deeply fenfible of the infinite value of true knowledge and wifdom; and how abfolutely neceffary it is to his eternal happiness, to cultivate and improve his intellectual powers, in the ufe of all those means which God hath put into his hands. The Scriptures are given us, not for amufement, or mere fpeculation, in perufing the curious remains of antiquity, the language, manners, and Theology of fome celebrated ancients; but they are all, from beginning to end, pointed directly at our hearts and lives, to make us wife unto falvation. There we find every rule of the moft confummate wisdom, and every principle of truth and comfort; and the whole is defigned to refine our nature into its proper excellence, to guide us into the paths of purity, peace, and righteoufnefs; to make us happy in ourselves, and a bleffing to all about us; and finally to qualify us for the full enjoyment of God for

ever.

But if we are cold and indifferent to any attainments in true wisdom; if we choose to dream, or jeft and trifle away the important feason of life, defpifing the glorious advantages we enjoy, while we eagerly purfue the low and tranfitory things of this world, in neglect of ourselves, of God, and immortality, of all that is truly great and good and excellent, we fhall receive little or no advantage from any explications of the Holy Scriptures. We fhall not value or relish them, we can have no ground to expect the divine bleffing to affift our studies, but have reafon to fear we fhall be left to ourselves, to wander from God, from truth, and life, in deplorable ignorance and folly. Attend, therefore, to the voice of Divine Wifdom, Prov. ii. 1, &c. My fon, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments within thee, [lay them up as a treafure on in thy heart] fo that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart unto understanding; yea, if thou crieft after knowledge, and lifteft up thy voice for understanding [as we do for thofe things, which we moft of all defire, and moft of all ftand in need of]: If thou feekeft her as filver, and searchest for her as for bid treasures [as covetous men feek money, and ranfack the whole world for the treasures, in which they delight: If thus you value, and ftudy to advance the improvement of your minds in knowledge and wisdom]: Then shalt thou understand the

fear

fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God [which of all underftanding is infinitely the moft excellent].

II. But this fenfe of the value of Divine Knowledge, and this defire to obtain it, must be understood in a connexion with a fincere endeavour to live agreeably to it. For fhould a perfon, under the greatest advan tages of learning, and with the utmoft affiduity ftudy the Scriptures, he will be, after all, but a poor proficient in Divine Knowledge, if he do not bring it home to his heart, and reduce it to practice. It is not speculation, but practice and experience, which renders a man truly skilful in any bufinefs. So in Religion, no man can be truly wife and knowing, but he who liveth wifely and virtuously. If ye continue in my word, (faith our Lord, Joh. viii. 31.) then shall ye know the truth, and the truth fball make you free [from the darkness of ignorance and error, and the fervitude of abfurd lufts and paffions]. Job. vii. 27. If any man will do bis, God's, will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. [He shall fee it in its true light, and be convinced that it is perfectly divine.] For (Pfal. xxv. 14.) the fecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will fhew them his covenant. But (Dan. xii. 10.) the wicked fhall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall underftand; but the wife [the pious and virtuous] fhall underfland.

This is to make you fenfible, that a fincere defire of true knowledge is a neceffary difpofition in entering upon the ftudy of the Scriptures; and the obedience to God's commands, in the courfe of a pious life, is necessary to enlarge and establish the judgment in the knowledge of divine truths.

III. To the effectual study of Scripture, it is neceffary, that our minds and hearts be unbiaffed, unprejudiced, open to the truth, and always quite free to difcern and receive it. If our fpirits are under the power of prepoffeffion and prejudice, we cannot be well difpofed for fearching the Scriptures. For instance, if a perfon, in matters of religion and confcience, is ambitious to gain reputation in the world, or folicitous only to please and recommend himfelf to a party, how should he study the word of God with the fincere and fingle view of difcovering and embracing the truth, when he is pre-engaged, and all his care is to find what will please his fellow-creatures, and fuit his own mean and selfish purposes? Joh. v. 44. How can ye believe, who receive honour one of ano ther, whofe ruling principle is the defire of temporal honour, and the favour of men, and feek not the honour which comes from God only, the honour of a good confcience, and of upright conduct? Or, if we refign our understandings and confciences to the authority of human decifions and decrees; or imbibe the bigotry of a party, which determines a perfon to retain pertinaciously a fet of religious notions, without confidering, or examining, how far they are agreeable to the word of God, our understandings and judgments are locked up, and no longer at liberty to difcover the truth.

It is owing to this malignant caufe, that great numbers of learned men, who call themfelves Chriftians, will not allow them felves to make inquiry, whether the worship of faints, images, relicks, bread, and innumerable other abfurd doctrines, and fuperftitious practices, are agreeable to the truth and purity of the Chriftian Religion. The error and iniquity

A 4

iniquity of this conduct in Papifts we fee and deteft. But the fame mo ral caufe will in all cafes produce the fame effects. If we act upon the fame vicious principles; if we indulge the like prejudices, and in the fame manner wilfully fhut our eyes, we fhall be more faulty than Papifts, because it is contrary to our profeffion, as Proteftants; and fhall be equally incapable of feeing the truth and glory of our holy Religion. In studying the Scriptures we fhould always keep our minds open to evidence, and further difcoveries of truth; which is the only way to be more and more folidly established in our religious principles; for in no other way can we grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrifl. Moreover, this is the only poffible mean of reducing the Chriftian world to unity both of hearts and fentiments.

IV. Prayer to God, the Father of Lights, the Fountain of all Illumination, is neceffary to the fuccessful ftudy of the Scriptures. Prov. ii. 6. The Lord alone gives wifdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and underflanding. Nor hath he appointed any means, how excellent foever in themfelves, which exempt us from a dependence upon his bleffing. All our springs are in him; and his gracious influences render our endeavours, of any kind, fuccefsful. And therefore, when we addrefs ourselves to the study of the holy Scriptures, we should make our fupplication to God, that he would open our eyes, that we may behold wonderous things out of his law. Or, in the Apoftle's words, (Ephef. i. 17, 18.) that the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of Glory, would give unto us the spirit of wisdom, and revelation, in the knowledge of him; that the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, we may have juft apprehenfions of the riches of his wifdom and grace, and that our hearts may be duly impreffed with a deep and lafting fenfe of them.

CHA P. II.

Of the Divine Difpenfations, in Scripture called the WAYS and WORKS of GOD.

HE Ways of God frequently fignify the Rules of

TLife, which he hath given us to obferve, Pfal. cxix. 3. They

alfo do no iniquity; they walk in his ways, i. e. in the law of the Lord, ver. I. And the Works wyn of God may fignify the mere operation and productions of his power. But both these words have a more restricted and emphatical fignification. 777 a Way, fignifieth alfo a course of action, a custom, conftitution or inftitution, which any perfon, or number of perfons form to themfelves. Prov. viii. 22. The Lord poffeffed me, Wifdom, in the beginning of his Way, before bis Works of ald. Prov. xii. 26. The way of the wicked, their courfe of action, feduceth them. Hof. x. 13. Because thou didst truft in thy way, the schemes and methods,

methods, political or religious, of thy own devifing, and in the multitude of thy mighty men. Amos viii. 14. The manner, the way, i. e. the religious conftitution, of Beersheba liveth, fubfifts, flourisheth, notwithstanding the oppofition made to it. ny fignifies to conftitute, ordain, appoint, difpofe. Num. xxviii. 6. 2 Chron. ii. 11. Pjal. civ. 19. Eccl. iii. 11.

Hence Ways and Works fignify the appointments, conftitutions, or Difpenfations of God. By which are meant, "The fchemes or me"thods devised or contrived by the wisdom and goodness of God, to "difcover, or fhew himself, his nature and will, his beneficence, holi"nefs and juftice, to the minds of his rational creatures, for their in"ftruction, difcipline and reformation, in order to promote their hap"pinefs." Thefe are the great ends of the Divine Difpenfations; and thefe the principal points to be attended to, in the explications of

them.

The great God, for ever to be adored, hath actually given existence to a world of moral agents, fuch as we are. He therefore is our Father, and we are his offspring, whom he hath created in love, that in a right and virtuous ufe of our rational powers, we may be qualified for honour and enjoyment in the heavenly world. This feems to be the highest defign the Divine Goodness can form, and the highest excellency to which our nature can attain. And this may be confidered as the bafis of all the Divine Difpenfations from the beginning of the world. For without pious and virtuous difpofitions we cannot be qualified for honour and enjoyment. But pious and virtuous difpofitions cannot be forced upon us, by any external power whatever; they muft, in fome degree, be the effect of our own attention and choice. It is, therefore, becoming the Father of our Spirits, and fuitable to beings of our capacities and circumftances, that proper means be provided for our intruction and difcipline. For inftance, as God is not the object of any of our fenfes, and can be feen only by our understandings, it is proper that he should set before us, in the frame and furniture of the world, fuch visible and various difplays of his Being, Power, Wisdom, Juftice, and kind Regards, as may engage our attention, difcover his eternal Godhead, and lead us to the acknowledgment, adoration, love, and dutiful obedience of our Creator, Father, and Benefactor. Thefe are the works, the difpenfations, or conftitutions of Nature; whereby our Father, as in a glafs held before our eyes and thoughts, has fhewn himfelf to us for our inftruction in piety and virtue.

But befides the conftitution of univerfal Nature, there are a variety of difpenfations, which are more immediately relative to mankind. As the being born of parents, to fupply the feveral generations of the world, whence refult fundry relations and duties; the being fuftained by food, covered and sheltered by clothes and habitations, healed by phyficians, taught by the learned and fkilful; the infirmities, appetites, and paffions of our conftitution; the forming focieties for mutual help and commerce; the inftitution of government, or the fubordination of fome to the authority of others, for preferving good order, for the protection of virtue, and the restraint and punishment of vice. Add to thefe, wars, pefti

lence,

lence, famine, earthquakes, and fuch like events; all these may be reckoned among the Divine Appointments, or Difpenfations; fome for the exercife of our rational powers in right action; fome for difcipline, correction, and reformation; but none merely for deftruction, except where reformation cannot be effected.

But thofe Ways, or Difpenfations, which in Scripture are confidered as the great hinges of Divine Providence, on which his dealings with mankind have turned; or, as the principal events, by which the great purposes and councils of God's will have been executed, are chiefly to be attended unto. Because right conceptions of thefe, under their feveral views, circumftances, and connexions, will greatly contribute to the explaining of Scripture-Theology, and alfo mark out the proper order and method, in which it may be studied. Let us therefore here, at firft fetting out, take a general furvey of them.

I. The Creation of the World, as above.

II. The Formation of Man after the Image of God.

III. Man, being created capable of enjoying the honours and felicity of heaven, was to be difciplined and proved, in order to his being confirmed in the habits of virtue and holiness; without which, neither man, nor any other rational being, can be fit to fee, or enjoy, the Lord. Accordingly, the first most remarkable of God's works, in the newlycreated world, was to put the Man, whom he had formed, upon a trial fuitable to his circumftances.

IV. Under which trial, man, yielding to temptation, finned, and fo became fubjected to the threatening of eternal death.

V. Which heavy doom, God, not willing to deftroy his creature, was pleafed in mercy, not only to mitigate, but alfo, man having altered his moral ftate, thought fit to introduce a new difpenfation of grace, in the hands of a Mediator; at the fame time, fubjecting the human race to a laborious life, to difeafes, and to death temporal; and this, in much goodness, to fubdue the fleshly Principle, to give a taste of the bitter fruits of fin, to prevent the opportunities and occafions of it; and, by increafing the vanity of the creature, to turn his regards more fteadily to the all-fufficient Creator.

VI. But men multiplying in the earth, abused the grace of God, and in about 1656 years time became fo wicked, that all flesh had corrupted bis way, and the earth was filled with violence. Then, to purge the world from iniquity, and to recover it to a ftate of righteoufnefs, God created a new thing in the earth, and, by a deluge of water, deftroyed that wicked generation, preferving the only Family that remained uncorrupt in the old world, in order to propagate piety and virtue in the new. At the fame time, and for the fame good purposes, he reduced human life into

much narrower bounds.

VII. Not long after the deluge, to prevent a fecond general corruption, God introduced another difpenfation, by confounding the language of mankind; which divided the world into feveral diftinct focieties, and, confequently, kept them under a ftricter government, and better preferved their liberties, than if the world had been one great Empire. VIII. Thus the outrage of violence and rapine was, in a good meafure, cured. But now mankind fall into a different iniquity, namely,

that