gence and irregularity, which little wits ridicule, and great ones admire; and pious hearts very justly reverence, as the worthier of God, the remoter it is from the laboured correctnefs of man.

But had the Jewish language (while they spoke Hebrew or Chaldee, or when afterwards many of them spoke Greek) been still more obfcure and ambiguous than we must own it to be, and had that defect been lefs compensated with the advantages of expressiveness and grandeur than it is, yet this was not the fault, either of the prophets, or of the apoftles. They would of course learn and use the stile of their countrymen: they wrote probably as well in it, as any other good men of their time: and God was not bound to teach them to write better. For how far he would extend his aid, was entirely in his own choice: and we owe him inexpressible gratitude for the things, he hath communicated, how little foever he might interfere in directing the words. But indeed had they been endued with ever to great excellency of speech, they could have applied to their hearers or readers in no other phrafes, than such as they comprehended, were accustomed, and would hearken to: and the difficulties arifing from hence in the facred writings were unavoidable.

But here a farther complaint is made, that in several places they are defignedly guarded against being clearly understood. And we own they are: for the fubject required it. Predictions too plain might hinder their own execution: as, in many common cases, the previous publication of a thing, which else would certainly have been done, will prevent it most effectually. And therefore they ought to be formed in the manner they are: fo as not to betray the intention to every one prematurely, nor yet leave room to any one for doubting afterwards, to what event the prophecy related. Had all the particulars of our Saviour's life and death, which are foretold, been too distinctly fet forth to be mistaken or overlooked, the Jews would have taken care they should not happen; and have justified their rejection of him by the failure. Again: had the kingdom of the Meffiah been every where described by the prophets as intirely a spiritual one, in which all mankind were to have an equal share; that perverse nation, on hearing that their civil polity and ceremonial worship was all to be abolished, would either, from contempt, have grown negligent of it, and thrown it off too foon; or else, from fondness for it, would have fuppreffed or corrupted the passages, declaring it should cease: which Providence designed them to preserve, for an evidence against themselves, as they have proved to be. And therefore the gospel days are prefigured by a mixture of temporal images with others, liable to be misunderstood before the time of explanation came, but soon apprehended then by every fair mind; though still open to the cavils of others, who, to use the terms of St. Peter, stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed *. Not appointed to be disobedient: but appointed, fince they would be disobedient, to take their own course and the consequences of it; to ftumble and fall at difficulties, of which they would eafily have seen the proper folution, and so got over them unhurt, had they but modeftly begged, and dutifully followed, the divine illumination.

I cannot proceed now to the objections, which have been raised against the usefulness of the books of the New Testament: and therefore contenting myself at present with recommending to your confideration what you have heard, shall conclude with the comfortable, yet awful words of the prophet: Who is wife, and be shall understand these things? prudent, and be shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them, but the tranfgreffors shall fall therein t.

Pet. ii. 8.

† Hof. xiv. 9.

SER

SERMON

ON THE USEFULNESS OF SCRIPTURE.

XL.

2 Тім. ііі. 16, 17.

All fcripture is given by inspiration of God: and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness : that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

HAVING undertaken to shew you,

I. That fcripture is of divine authority;
II. That it answers every purpose of religion;
III. That we ought to read and study it diligently;
IV. How we niay do this to the best effect :

I have finished the first head, and made some progress in the fecond, the complete usefulness of holy writ. The direct evidence of this I laid before you, fully I hope, though briefly, for it lies in a small compass: by proving, that in the nature of the thing, books inspired to give men the knowledge of religion must be in the highest degree profitable for that end; by specifying their own exprefs declarations, that they are so; by referring you to the experience of innumerable multitudes, that have found them so. Then I proceeded to answer the se

veral objections raised against the truth of this assertion: some

of them general, that the bible is not fo short, so plain, so methodical as one should have expected for the benefit of mankind; fome again particular, and levelled against several things recorded in its several parts. To these I give solutions, as far as the Old Testament was concerned. Let us now go on to the New.

1

The

The history of our Saviour is written there by four evangelists. And fome tell us their narrations differ in so many things, that the reading of them is perplexing, and even their authority doubtful. But what are these things? The words, related in one evangelist, as spoken on such or such an ocсаfion, vary from those in another. But perhaps the words, that are in each, were spoken, successively: or each puts the Hebrew words, which he heard, into his own Greek, by a stricter or a freer translation, but still without altering the sense. Again, one fets down facts, which another omits. But this is no proof of contradiction. For they professedly omit many facts, which they knew to be real. One of them passes over things, because another before him had related them. Hence probably St. Matthew and St. Mark omit several particulars which are in St. Luke, who wrote first. And St. John, who came last, supplies a great deal, which the others have not, and writes very little which they have; excepting the history of our Saviour's death and refurrection, which it was fit they should all have. Thus no single gospel containing every thing, (though it did contain every thing necessary) each of them was shorter, and therefore much more commodiously obtained at first, when books were written very flowly, and fold very dear; so that he who could not procure the four, might however furnish himself with one: and we may now have the joint benefit of them all. But farther, when they feem to be relating the same fact, the circumstances differ. And they may be different, yet consistent. Or if they be inconfiftent, they are two facts, and not one, though in some respects alike. For our Saviour might, at various times, both perform miracles and deliver difcourses, nearly akin, and yet really distinct. Still after all, even allowing for these things, it is not easy to make an orderly history of our Saviour's life and instructions out of the four evangelifts. For they did not think it, nor was it always, requisite, to mark down the order, in which things happened. They might for one good cause or other, relate such of them together, as were not done together: but then, as they do not say they were, this is no falsehood. And learned men, agree. ing in the main, though not in all particulars, have brought them to a harmony each with the other, only by allowing a very few things to have been transposed in one of them. But were the attempt harder than it is, our edification from our Saviour's

Saviour's discourses depends very little on the time, or place, or other circumstances, of their delivery. Common perfons need not attend to fuch points at all: and persons of more ability will find both a trial of their impartiality, and a reward of their labour, in studying them. Indeed were the ablest men incapable of reconciling all difficulties, it doth not follow, that they are irreconcileable. Or though they were, the confequence would be only, that the divine fuperintendency, under which the authors wrote, extended not to fuch minute circumstances, though it did and must to doctrinės and precepts, and principal facts *. Not very much therefore would be loft by this: and one advantage would be gained; that these diverfities would ftill more evidently shew, (what indeed the whole air and manner of their writings shews) that the evangelists are absolutely free from all imputation of concerting their story together, to deceive mankind: the affurance of which makes good amends in respect of usefulness, for any perplexities we may find in adjusting their accounts.

Another complaint is, that our Saviour's parables, which make up a confiderable part of his doctrine in the three first evangelists, are obfcure, and some of them purposely made fo: and that a great deal of what he faith in the fourth is not clear

But it should be confidered, that parables were not only an admired way of teaching then, but a valuable one in their own nature; as they excite attention, please the imagination, and fasten upon the memory. And nothing can be more intelligible, or more beautifully perfuafive, than most, if not all, of our Saviour's parables, and other discourses, are now, and were in a very short time after his own days. Some of both indeed appeared, and were designed to appear, otherwise, when he spoke them. But these were accommodated with the utmost prudence, for letting in light upon his hearers by gentle degrees, which, if poured on them all at once, would have been too ftrong for many perfons of good meaning, but whose prejudices required to be gradually worn off; and would have furnished handles to bad people, for decrying him fuccessfully, and destroying him, before his ministry had taken due root. Perhaps it may be thought, that to the later some of his cenfures