we not only, in the easiest and clearest way, learn God and his perfections from Scripture, but we learn them in a manner the most proper and powerful to engage and unite our hearts to God; to warm and quicken our fpirits, to excite us to the love and obedience of God, and to confider ourselves infinitely interested in his attributes and perfections. Which is to learn divine things; i. e. the moft excellent things in a method vaftly fuperior to all the reasonings and instructions of the best and wifeft of philofophers.

In the Scriptures, any man of common fense may not only with ease learn his duty in the fulleft extent, but at the fame time by the numerous examples of pious men in all ages, he may fee that it is practicable, and may fee how to ingage in it; how exact, how conftant, how ready and chearful he fhould be in the discharge of it; how he ought to refift temptations, to ftruggle with difficulties. Even a mean capacity by reading the Scriptures, fhall at the fame time difcern the reasonableness, and the beauty of holinefs, and also be furnished with the strongest arguments and motives to embrace it, and to perfevere therein, fhall be affured of the Divine affiftance and protection in a religious courfe, fhall find the most proper confolations and encouragements in every the most diftrefled ftate of affairs; to every precept he fhall find an adjoined promife, and his duty will fhine brightly before his eyes, in the light and hope of everlafting glory.

There we have the trueft and most effectual rules for forming our minds into all habits of virtue; not fimple propofitions, declaring what we ought to do and be, but rules of life intermixed with the power and fplendor of Divine grace, working mightily to renew us into the Divine Nature. There religion appears in all its truth, luftre, sweetness, and majefty. There it is dreffed in all its charms; not as a four, fevere, morofe, gloomy principle, forbiding enjoyment, and the parent only of forrow, horror, and defpair, but as our life, our glory, our peace, our joy; as giving us the trueft relifh and enjoyment of life, as the fource of the moft folid pleasure and comfort, as uniting us to God, as lodging us for ever in the Almighty arms of his love and goodnefs, as leading to, and preparing for endless joys and pleasures in his prefence.

As to fin and wickedness, the philofophers have faid much concerning the odious nature of vice, that it is evil, and the worft of evils, that it is the difeafe and deformity of the mind, hurtful to the health of the body, and ruinous to the reputation and estate. Their reflections were fo far juft, but the benefit of them was confined to men of letters and study; the vulgar received little or no advantage from them; but in the Scriptures, the meaneft minds are favoured with far better inftructions than they could give. There fin is not only fet forth in all its odious colours, and in all its pernicious effects, as to this prefent life, but its deadly nature is demonftrated as it ftands in contrariety to God, as it is the tranfgreffion of his holy law, as it expofeth us to his difpleafure, and ditqualifieth us for his bleffing; as it is opposite to all the ends\ of our creation, and confequently as deferving of death. That God will punish all the impenitent workers of iniquity with everlasting deftruction, and purge out of his kingdom every thing that offends, that is either mischievous or polluting. And all this is fo plainly and power

fully

fully inculcated upon the mind, by many dreadful examples of the Divine vengeance upon ungodly men, throughout the whole series of Scripture-history, by fo many express declarations of God's wrath, and fo many exhortations of his goodness and mercy, to turn from every evil way, that no one, who carefully and feriously reads the Scriptures, can mifs not only of feeing the evil, the irregularity and deformity of fin, but of having his mind affected with it, and wrought into the most rational and the most fettled deteftation of it.

With regard to the pardon of fin, the wifeft of philofophers seem to have very imperfect notions of it. They rarely and very fuperficially confidered it in its relation of diffonancy to the Divine perfections; and therefore fay little or nothing concerning the placablenefs of the Deity, whether God would pardon fin, or in what way his wisdom thought proper to do it. Sacrifices were frequent among them, but they feem to have understood nothing of their true nature and end, nor were at all folicitous to inquire into them. In truth, they did not understand the true demerit of fin, and therefore of course, must be in the dark, as to the remiffion of it. But all these things are open and obvious to the weakeft capacity in Scripture.

How much the world was in the dark about a future state without a Revelation is well known, and how clearly now the world to come is opened to us in the awful profpects of eternal happiness, or endless perdition, can be concealed from none who are ever fo little acquainted with the Gospel of Chrift.These things duly attended to, will fhew us the admirable excellency of the holy Scriptures; that God's word is truth, and able to make us wife unto falvation; and further do demonftrate, that it is our duty to be much in reading them.

Reading the Scriptures is one of the first principles of our religion, as we are Chriftians, because our profeffion is built wholly upon the Scriptures. We juftly own no other rule of our faith but the word of God. Eph. ii. 20. We are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jefus Chrift himself being the chief corner-ftone. And we are built upon no other foundation. If we are true Chriftians, however we may use or value the writings of men, we make not them, not the beft of them, the rule of our faith, but the word of God alone. But that rule ought to be thoroughly perused, and digefted, otherwise how good foever in itself, or how much foever we profefs to take it for our rule, it is in fact, no rule to us. The word of God is the guide of our actions; it is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. Pfal, cxix. 105. Should we not then diligently study the word of God, that we may not wander from his commandments? The word of God is the fpring of all our comfort and hopes.

There and there alone, we have the rich and immense treasure of the Divine promises; and from thence alone, we can draw folid fupport and confolation, in any dark hour of trial and affliction. In fhort, to all the valuable purposes of knowledge and life, the Scriptures do infinitely excel all human compofitions whatfoever. They are but as the twinkling stars to that ocean of light which is poured out daily from the body of the fun. Of all the means of knowledge and wisdom in the world, I know nothing to be compared with the word of God. The reafon of

the

the thing therefore requires we fhould have our eyes intent upon this light and illumination. For this end God hath given us this invaluable treafure, the holy Scriptures, that we should make them our study.

It must be obferved carefully, that it is not enough to be much in reading the Scriptures, but while we read we fhould employ all our attention to underftand them. The Scriptures may be understood, but evidently not in every degree by every man ; for as there are various forts and degrees of knowledge in Scripture, fome perhaps, at prefent, beyond the reach of any man that ever yet was in the world; and as there are in men various capacities, and degrees of learning, fo it is manifeft, all men cannot attain to the fame degree of understanding in divine things; but there must neceffarily be a great difference between the knowledge of one man and another in matters of faith and Revelation. This fhews the abfurdity of the Popifh fcheme, which pretends to reduce the Chrif tian faith in all its parts to a certain invariable standard, to which every man either explicitly or implicitly, either with or without understanding, muft conform.

This fhews how much foever it is our duty to communicate knowledge one to another, that it is quite contrary to true religion to quarrel with one another, or to be difpleafed because we have not all the fame degree of understanding in matters of faith and religion; because this, according to the prefent conftitution of our minds, and of the Revelation God hath given us, which he never intended fhould be equally understood by all, is quite impracticable. But although the Scriptures are not to be underflood in every degree by every man, yet they may understood by every man fo far as God requireth, i. e. fo far as he is capable of understanding them; for what a man can understand, he may underftand, if he is not wanting to himself.

be

And as God can require of no man beyond his abilities, so no more than what a man can understand of Scripture is to him a rule of faith and practice; for what he cannot understand, he cannot be bound to believe or do. Further, thofe things in Scripture which are of the highest importance, and moft conducive to a holy life, are generally very easy to be understood; and therefore how perplexed foever those other things may be about which men have differed, though not fo perplexed in Revelation, as they are in mens heads and writings; yet I fay, how perplexed and difficult foever they may be, the grand principles of faith and practice are fo evident, that any ordinary capacity, may, with due care and attention, eafily gain the moft comfortable knowledge of them. Thus the Scriptures may be understood.

us.

So far as they are not understood, they are, at leaft, ufelefs to us. Nay further, the Scriptures mifunderftood, may prove very hurtful to The things chiefly to be understood in Scripture are principles, or the grounds and reafons of things, and precepts which are the rules of duty; now if we mistake either, we fhall throw all into confufion, our way will be all mift and clouds, that which should be light will be darknefs, or, which is all one, a falfe light to miflead us; that which should be our joy, will be our heaviness; that which fhould be our comfort, and infpire chearful hope, will be a dead weight to burthen our spirits and clog our courfe. Our path which fhould be as the fhining light, that shineth more and more, will be a gloomy melancholy road, and we

fhall

fhall make our way with difficulty, because we want that true fenfe and knowledge of the ways and will of God, which is neceffary to give life, comfort, and vigour. Chimeras and frightful images will terrify our confciences, and fill us with groundlefs fears; God will be painted in monftrous colours, and all the ravishing glories of his truth, wifdom, and love, which fhould powerfully draw our hearts to him, will be hid from our eyes. The luftre of redeeming grace will in part, or wholly, be eclipfed. Some parts of religion will be fuperftitiously magnified, while others of greater confequence will be undervalued.

Further, if for want of due attention to the sense of Scripture we miftake and fall into error, we ought to be fenfible, that religious error is of a far worse nature than any other; not only as it is error in a matter of the greatest importance, but as it is of all others, the moft difficult to be corrected. For under the facred name of religion it fhelters and defends itself, and gains the character of truth, of important, neceffary, awful, and perhaps excellent truth; and the unwary think themfelves bound in confcience and duty to maintain it with zeal; and then whoever endeavours to correct it, though ever fo much in the spirit of meeknefs and peace, muft do it at his peril. Hence thofe groffer inftances of perfecution and bloodfhed which have fouled the Chriftian name. Hence those wranglings, debates, heats, animofities, which have deftroyed Chriftian focieties. These things are the fruit of mens taking their religious principles upon truft, and not fetching them from the Scriptures, ftudied, and understood by themselves. Such contempt and neglect of the word of God expofeth them to ftrong delufion, and fuch delufion leads them to fight in the dark for they know not what. Thus religion is corrupted, the corruption of it defended, and irreligion and infidelity propagated, even by religious people themselves. So the fceptic, who is indifferent to any principles, when he finds abfurdity mixed with the Christian faith, taking the whole for a true account of Chriftianity, rejects the whole. For even common sense will not allow that Revelation to be divine, which cannot, in many of its parts, be reconciled with the known perfections of God.

By this unhappy means what numbers in our land have been drawn into Deifm! And, by this unhappy means, I guefs, if the truth were known, religion appears but in a doubtful light to many who feem to be ftrict profeffors of it; for where it is not received in its proper evidence, there cannot be, I think, a full and strong affent of faith; and no man can receive it in its proper evidence, who doth not endeavour carefully to understand the Scriptures.

Thus many who talk much of the word of God, and pretend a great reverence for it, may poffibly at the last day be ranked among the defpifers of it; because, although they have, perhaps, been much in reading of it, they never set themselves in good earneft to understand it, and fo in effect might as well not have read it at all; for their reading of it is only from a fuperftitious, opinion, as Turks, and Jews, and Papifts turn over the books in reputation among them, not from the love of truth, not with a defire to understand the truth; that moft people fuppofe they understand before they read their bibles, or however without reading their bibles; not to open their eyes, and to give them

a more

a more juft and diftinct view of the ways and difpenfations of God, fuch things they learn from other books; not to confirm and establish their minds in the faith of God and of Chrift; not for thofe purposes, I fear, are the Scriptures read, but only in a cuftomary, fuperftitious, or however, in a very carelefs, fuperficial way; and therefore there are fo few Chriftians that grow in grace, that rife in fpiritual ftrength, peace, love, and joy, because there are fo few that grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. iii. 18.

The full knowledge of Christ most people prefume they have attained long ago, and to talk of knowing more of Chrift, or in a clearer and more rational way, is perfectly fhocking to them. They have fomewhere or other fixed the precife ftandard of Divine knowledge, and either more or less than that standard of their's is impious and heretical. How then can they grow in the knowledge of Chrift? How can they set themfelves to understand the Scriptures, who in another way, as they think, have already gained the whole fum and body of spiritual understanding? See Rom. xv. 4. Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, for our inftruction, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. We have hope through that patience and comfort which is taught in the Scriptures; but the grounds and reasons of that patience and comfort muft be understood, otherwife we cannot establish in our minds a sure and folid hope. Hence it is that the Chriftian hope, that faith, and hope which overcometh the world, is fo great a rarity; therefore fo few rejoice in hope, because so few understand the Scriptures, which are the ground of the Chriftian hope. Lastly, because the Scriptures are but little understood, therefore they are fo little valued. We delight not in them, because we know fo little of them.

Let it be remembered, that we shall have the benefit of the Scriptures by ftudiously endeavouring to understand them. Then fhall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. So far as we understand the word of truth, we shall be truly enlightened, our confciences will be rightly directed, and all our principles well established; we fhall fee its real excellency, and it will accordingly be valued and esteemed; we shall taste its comforts, feel its power, be convinced of its Divine original, and it will be pleasant, and precious to us. The more we understand of the Scriptures, the more we fhall with pleasure fee the righteoufnefs, wifdom, and goodness of all the Divine difpenfations, that all of them are adjusted and fettled by the love of a Father, and calculated to promote our happiness. This will draw our hearts to God, and fhew us the infinite reasonablenefs of comporting with the conftitutions of his grace.

If we are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, our faith will stand upon a fure bottom, and not upon the weak, precarious judgment of man; henceforth we fhall be no more children toffed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine. Ephef. iv. 14. But fhall by use have our fenfes exercised to difcern both good and evil. 'Thus we shall with our own eyes fee the truth, and be inftrumental in preferving the purity of our religion. Thus we fhall grow up into Chrift in all things, in knowledge, in faith, and love. Thus we shall be rooted and grounded in love, in the love of God, of truth, and of

our