ones. Others of ftrong influence have proceeded from outward and accidental circumftances. When reftoring the knowledge of it had overthrown the dominion of Popery over this and feveral neighbouring countries, (an event, which ought to make it for ever dear to us,) the fpirit of controversy, once raised on that fubject, was unneceffarily extended to fo many others, that the word of God came to be confidered by too many in fcarce any other light than as furnishing materials for difputes and fo the following generations began to grow weary of them and it together. Another misfortune was, that frequently men, not the best qualified for interpreting even the plainer parts of it, blinded with new light, undertook without fear the moft difficult; and fathered upon the bible whatever abfurdities had started up in their own imaginations. Befides, not a few in the last century, from an affectation of uncommon esteem for it, introduced its peculiar phrafes on occafions of fo little dignity, grafted fo freely ftill more peculiar ones upon them, and used both so improperly and unfeasonably, that others, from difguft of their language, contracted no fmall diflike to that of fcripture itself. Nay, I fear, that the facred writings have not had fufficient juftice done them even in the pulpit. We are apter to dwell on general fubjects, than to explain particular paffages: and afraid to break the force of a reafoning or an exhortation by intermixing with it the expofition of a text. In fome degree this may be right: but I doubt we carry it too far, especially as we have no feparate expounding of fcripture, which difcreetly conducted would be unfpeakably useful. And thus the people have been left fadly ignorant of a great part of their bibles. Now these things, coinciding in our days with a higher degree, than ever the world knew before, of that felf-opinion, which defpifes the doctrines of revelation as irrational, and that rage for felf-indulgence of every kind, which renders its precepts and threatenings infupportable, have produced an abfolute fcorn of it in great numbers, and a strange indifference towards it in almost all. So that now mere cuftom and fashion is thought fufficient to juftify, and even require, if we are well bred, a total and avowed neglect of this important book; without spending a moment on the difagreeable examination, what pleas it hath to urge for being ftudied as the law of our lives. Yet tures. Yet visibly these inducements for difregarding it, are, if poffible, more groundlefs than the foregoing. Some have made wrong and abfurd ufes of it. Why should that hinder us from making the right and wife one? Some are conceited, or vicious, or fond of applaufe from the weakest of their fellow creaWhy should not we, notwithstanding that, be humble and virtuous, and seek the approbation of our Creator? Let us therefore determine, that neither bad reafons nor bad examples shall ever move us to flight the holy fcriptures: and carefully divesting ourselves of the prejudices too commonly arifing from them, let us proceed, 2. To hear the divine commands for reading and honouring it. Every manifestation of God's will implies in its very nature a command to hearken to it with our deepest attention: and his words could be written down for no other end, than that all perfons concerned might peruse them frequently, and bear them always in mind. But that none may pretend ignorance of his purpose, he hath declared it exprefsly. Mofes charges the If raelites: Behold I have taught you ftatutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me: take heed to thyself, and keep thy foul diligently, left thou forget them, and they depart from thy heart: but teach them thy fons and thy fons fons, that they may learn to fear him all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children *. God himfelf charges them: Lay up thefe my words in your heart and in your foul, and teach them your children, that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children †. He charges Joshua in particular: This book of the law fhall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayeft obferve to do according to all that is written therein for then shalt thou make thy way profperous, and then fhalt thou have good fuccefst. The first Pfalm faith the very fame thing of every pious man: His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law will be exercife himself day and night and whatfoever he doth, it shall profper ¶. Nor are we to ftudy the precepts only, but the rest. Ifaiah, fpeaking of the completion of a prophecy, directs the people: Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read §. When the rich man in the VOL. I. 3 P parable : parable was defirous to prevent his brethren from coming into the fame place of torment with himself, Abraham said unto him, They have Mofes and the prophets : let them hear them *. When the Jews were venting their prejudices against our Saviour, he exhorts them: Search the fcriptures for in them ye think, meaning, and rightly think, ye have eternal life; and they are they which teftify of met. St. Paul tells the Romans, that whatfoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning t. Now we cannot queftion furely, but the New Teftament deferves equal attention with the Old. The proof, which you have had, of its inspiration, proves that at the same time. The gofpels, written that men might believe, and believing have life, muft be read to produce that effect. Of the epifles we may judge, by the care which St. Paul took to have his communicated and spread. He infcribes his first to the Corinthians, not to them only, but to all that in every place call upon the name of Jefus Christ our Lord §. He requires the Coloffians, when that which he addreffed to them is read amongst them, to caufe that it be read alfo in the church of the Laodiceans. He charges the Theffalonians by the Lord, in the first epistle, which they had from him, that it be read unto all the holy brethren **. Doubtlefs the other churches too understood his mind in this matter. And St. John, in the beginning of the Revelation, a book that feems the leaft fitted of any for common ufe, takes care to fay, Bleffed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of this prophecy ††. These excellent men could not mean, that only the Chriftians of that generation were bound to read their writings. They knew the following ones would have the fame and greater need, in proportion to their distance. The following ones, for three centuries and more, knew it themfelves; employed their thoughts on the facred books principally, carried them about in their bofoms, gave up their lives rather than part with them and fuch as through fear, delivered them to their perfecutors to be deftroyed, were cenfured by the authority of the church; and branded, in the common fpeech of the faithful, by the infamous name of Traditores, from which the word traitor is derived into our tongue. In vain are we told then, that the fcriptures contain passages hard to be underflood, and therefore are not fit for vulgar infpection. St. Peter, who faid they did*, made no fuch inference. The primitive Chriftians, who experienced it as well as we, never thought nor heard of any fuch. In our Saviour's conversation with his apoftles there were things, extremely hard to be understood: ought they then to have been debarred from it? Let us not aim to be wifer than God. He hath given us his word, not for a snare, but for a light and a guide. Every bleffing which we have, indeed, puts us to fome trial: and this tries our fairness of mind, our diligence in collecting the articles of our faith and practice, our gratitude for what he bestows, our fubmiffion to his good pleasure in what he withholds from us. But he that hath engaged us in this work, if we use our faithful endeavours humbly, will not fail to fupport us under the difficulties of it, and the going through it as we ought will be fuitably rewarded. Were the pretended dangers therefore, in the ftudy of fcripture, much greater than they are, yet this is the method, which God hath appointed for our spiritual improvement; and which having appointed, he will render effectual. Let us truft him therefore to inftruct us in his own way. By the reading and preaching of his word, however unpromifing the means might feem, he raised up his church at firft, notwithstanding all the violence of Jews and Heathens and by the fame he will uphold it for ever, against all the scoffs and cavils of Infidels. For the foolishness of God is wifer than men and the weakness of God is ftronger than men f. Our only concern is to perform the duty, which he hath commanded: and we fhall certainly receive the benefits, which he hath promised, each in the manner and degree, that his cafe requires. : But as you have already feen the profitableness of scripture to every purpose of religion, you have seen by confequence the advantages of being converfant in it: and therefore I fhall now go on to invert the profpect, by fhewing you, as I propofed, 3. The evils, which follow from difregarding the injunctions of God in relation to it. Were 庐 Were thofe injunctions in themselves of no great moment, yet they come from the Almighty and refufing to take no tice of them is lofing the recompence of fo much obedience, and incurring the penalty of fo much difobedience. But they are indeed of moment unfpeakable, in feveral refpects. The facred writings are the fource of our religious knowledge: and without an acquaintance with them, we shall be liable to ignorance, uncertainty and mistake, even in points of the greatest importance. Thence arofe the falfe doctrine of the Sadducees, to whom our Saviour fays, Ye do err, not knowing the fcriptures. Nor is the danger lefs in respect of practice. Neglect of holy writ muft introduce a neglect of its Author, on more accounts than one. How fhall perfons keep themselves eafy in not looking into a book, which their Maker hath appointed to be written for their ufe, and required them to ufe continually, but by thinking as little and as lowly of him as they can? Therefore they will be ftrongly tempted to every thing, that may affift them in fuch impiety: and will foon, alas, find themfelves able to make large advances in that high road to ruin here and hereafter. Again, fcripture places before men, in every page, the most affecting proofs and defcriptions of the holiness and juftice, the wifdom and power, the goodness and mercy, the continual prefence and never ceafing agency of Him, who is the Creator, the Benefactor, the King and Judge of all. It makes known to us the inexpreffible condefcenfion and love of our Redeemer, the perfect reasonableness and purity of his law, the need and means of obtaining the fanctifying influences of the bleffed Spirit, the infinite importance of preparing for our unchangeable flate. If then, for want of attending to scripture, the impreffions of these objects wear out of our minds, as they muft; all the seriousness, which they are fitted to produce, will wear out of them at the fame time; fpiritual and eternal things will be lefs and lefs in our thoughts, (confult your own hearts, I intreat you, whether you do not find it fo) till at last we fhall come to live and act as without God in the world. Particularly, what we are bound to do and abstain from is laid down in the bible much too clearly to be mifunderflood or evaded. But if once we leave off looking for 1 Matth. xxii. 29. † Eph. ii. 12. |