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for our duty there, we shall foon mould it within our own minds into what shape and fize we please, till we bring it in effect to nothing. For even supposing, that we begin our neglect with no such intention at all, yet bad inclinations will creep in upon us, one after another; and not meeting with the proper check, will increase and multiply, we cannot eafily fufpect beforehand to what degree.

It will be faid perhaps, that reading other good books, which are shorter and clearer, may supply the omiffion of reading fcripture, poffibly on the whole to advantage. But they, who once grow weary of the latter, seldom, I believe, continue long to make any confiderable use of the former and therefore this plea, for the most part, is only a pretence. Or were it fincere, as unquestionably it sometimes is, other books have not, and cannot have, the authority in what they affirm, in what they require, in what they promife and threaten, that the word of God hath: the word, which our Saviour hath declared shall judge us in the last day *. Joined with this, and confirmed by it, the compofitions of men are of great efficacy: but when they are feparated from it, the cafe is unspeakably altered. We shall be apt to pay as little regard, as we think fit, to mere human writers: and overlook, or call in question, whatever we do not like. Yet sometimes again we shall be in danger of paying them too much regard, and so being led by them into false notions, which may give us uncasiness without need, or comfort without ground; or into fuperftitious practices, which may discredit our holy profeffion. What followed in the middle ages of Christianity when men left off and were discouraged from reading the word of truth, but that they were turned unto fables +? Lying legends were believed: Pictures and images were first gazed at for instruction, then worshipped. They forfook the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out broken cisterns, that beld no water †, but draughts of poifon; whereas what we learn in scripture, we learn from the spring-head; and not only every thing it teaches is right, but its very filence is instructive. For if any thing is not made there a neceffary part of our faith or practice, no power on earth hath a right to make it so: and had but believers invariably kept to this

John xii. 48,

† 2 Tim. iv. 4.

# Jer. ii. 12.

this book, as their rule; all the corruptions of Christianity, and all the wickedness of every kind, produced by those corruptions, had been happily prevented. Besides, were we to embrace every thing right, and nothing wrong, that we find in other pious treatises; yet there is a peculiar energy in holy writ, which is not in them. Its denunciations are more awful, its convictions stronger, its confolations more authentic, its warnings more alarming, its expostulations more penetrating. The bare reflection, who it is that speaks, cannot fail to make them so in a very confiderable degree: and he hath added a fupernatural force to them over and above. Is not my word like as a fire, faith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces *? The word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged fword, piercing even to the dividing afunder of foul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a difcerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart †. Whence accordingly the efficacious and converting preacher, is he not who comes with inticing words of man's wisdom I, but who, like Apollos, is mighty in the fcriptures. He that bath my word, let him speak my word faithfully; what is the chaff to the wheat ? faith the Lord §.

But farther: By omitting to read and confider the original charter of our religion, from which our whole knowledge of it is derived, persons will be unacquainted with the language of religion. And hence they will first blindly stumble and cavil at the phrases of scripture, not knowing them to be such : and afterwards learn to despise them, though they do know it. The offices of the liturgy, especially the occafional ones, that recur feldomer, will feem strange and unaccountable to them. They will repeat the pfalms in the congregation absolutely without meaning; neither saying in their own persons, or applying to their own ufe, the things that fuit them; nor thinking at all, to what fort of perfons, or good purposes, the rest relates. They will hardly ever pay attention to the lessons, epistles and gofpels, but look upon them as pauses and breaks in the fervice, to be filled up as they please; or if they do hearken to them, yet not understanding many parts of them, will receive little benefit from them; and possibly misunderstanding some, will receive harm: entertaining injurious opinions of the facred oracles from what they hear out of them, in this imperfect manner, instead of the honourable and useful fentiments, which would have been revived in their breasts, had they applied themselves beforehand to an orderly perufal of them with proper care. Then as to fermons, on which commonly the chief reliance for instruction is, they, who are not fufficiently versed in the bible at home, will be unable to judge of the proofs we bring from it here, or the general conformity of our preaching to it. And elsewhere they will be misled by the found of scriptural words, used in a sense which the writers never intended; and so be like children toffed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the fleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive *. Now it is not our defire to impose on your ignorance, but to appeal to your knowledge. We wish, we beseech you, to imitate the Bereans, commended so justly in the Acts of the Apostles, as more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and fearched the fcriptures daily, whether those things were fo. It follows, Therefore many of them believedt; effectually no doubt.

little

Jer. xxiii. 29. 1 Acts xviii. 24.

† Heb. iv. 12. § Jer. xxiii. 28.

1 Cor. ii. 4.

Another very important use of searching the fcripture is, that in the midst of that deluge of evil communication, which overflows this wicked land, to a degree that no country, calling itself Christian, ever experienced before, few persons can avoid hearing, more or lefs, unfair and even ludicrous representations made of one part or other of God's word; which may be too likely to pass upon them for just ones, unless they are previously so well skilled in it, as either to know in particular the true vindication of the passages abused, or at least to know in general, that it cannot be liable to the imputations, which profane people would cast upon it, because the spirit of the whole is inconsistent with their suggestions. If indeed they themselves would but take the trouble of understanding what they take the liberty of burlesquing, it would save them the guilt of many a blafphemous reflection, and the shame of many a filly jest. But at least persons of better dispositions will furely

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Eph. iv. 14.

be

† Acts. xvii. 11, 12,

1

be perfuaded to so rational a method of guarding against the infection of their pernicious irreverence. Possibly some will reply, that irreligious thoughts and temptations to unbelief may arise from what occurs to us in reading the bible ourselves, as well as from what others occafionally say of it. But certainly the danger is far less: and the greatest part of that may be prevented by observing such rules for the fafe and useful performance of this duty, as persons, one should imagine, would of course lay down for themselves, or at least will fee to be reasonable, when proposed to them; as, God willing, they shall be to you the very next opportunity. And if still any difficulty and trial remain, yet coming in our way, when our minds are in a ferious and confiderate state, disposed to examine impartially and reverently, as in the presence of God, and to beg, that his Spirit would guide us into all truth*; there will be no doubt of obtaining, on due inquiry, competent fatisfaction.

I shall only say this farther, to shew the evil of neglecting the sacred writings, that they are what makes us to differ from the Gentiles, which know not Godt, for even our natural religion is borrowed from them; and they can be useful only by being read: that when the church of Rome had almost fupprefsed them, Chriftianity was buried under falsehood, superstition and wickedness; and when they were restored to common ufe, true piety, virtue and liberty, were restored by their means: that those nations and those persons, who attend to them with the highest respect, are the most fincerely, the most steadily good: and that in proportion as we of this nation have difregarded them, we have grown unsettled in our faith even of what reason teaches, profligate in our behaviour, unmindful of public or private real welfare, and visibly ripe for speedy det truction.

Let us all therefore instantly return to the right way, before it is too late. The poorest of us, if he hath not a bible, may have one, either by purchase, for he lays out much more in a few weeks on matters of far less necessity, or by the charitable gift of fome pious benefactor. And the busiest of us may and must find time for every branch of the one thing needful.

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ful*. Every person hath at least several hours of the Lord's day, and some little share of others, for the exercises of religion: But many of us have much more leisure; not all of it perhaps innocently, and a great deal of it not prudently employed. Spending a due part of it on the divine law would both difpofe and enable us to spend the rest, whether devoted to worldly affairs or to relaxations, with truer cheerfulness now, and to a better account at the great day. We have most of us at times heavy fufferings and poor supports are any others, that we can use under them, compared with theirs, who by patience and comfort of the fcriptures have hope t. The most cautious of us have frequently violent affaults from our spiritual enemy: and we cannot arm ourselves against him more effectually, than, as our Lord himself did, with the fword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The strongest of us have sad remains of weakness, the discreetest of injudicioufness: and the surest remedy for both is that of the son of Sirach: Let thy mind be upon the ordinances of the Lord, and meditate continually in his commandments: He shall establish thine heart, and give thee wisdom at thine own defire §.

• Luke x. 42. † Rom. xv. 4.

# Eph. vi. 17.

§ Eccluf. vi. 37.

३९

SER.

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