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Rom. 4. 1921.

SERM. know they are all men, liable to mistakes and errors of all sorts, as much as we ourselves are. So that after all that can be said, there is no way possible for us to come to the knowledge and faith of such things, so as to rest satisfied and be fully persuaded in our minds of the truth and certainty of them, but only from the testimony of God Himself. Wherefore, that we might have no reason to doubt of such things as belong to our Salvation, but might have all the assurance that could be of them, God Himself was graciously pleased not only to cause them to be revealed to us, but to do it Himself, that we might have His Word for them, and accordingly believe them upon that, without all manner of hesitancy or doubting, how much soever they may seem above our comprehension: as the father of the faithful did, who having the word and promise of God, that he should have a son in his old age, "in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old; neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded, that what He had promised, He was able also to perform." Such a faith it is that God now requires and expects from all those who have His written Word; whatsoever is there written, we must not dispute or doubt how it can be; but believe it therefore, because He said it, upon pain of eternal damnation; for this is the great condition required on our parts in order to our being saved. So that no man ever was, or can be saved without it; and it is no wonder; for not to believe what God saith, is the greatest affront that can be offered to His Divine Majesty: it is to make God a liar, and to deny Him the glory of His truth, the manifestation whereof was the great end wherefore He caused His Word to be written; that all the world might see how true the Lord is. And that is the reason that none of His Divine perfections are so frequently mentioned in His Holy Word, as His mercy and truth and nothing so peremptorily commanded, as to believe in Him and His Word; which after all, if men will not do, they can expect no other, but to find Him true in punishing 2 Thess.1.9. them according to His Word, "with everlasting destruction

from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power."

But they who knowing it is impossible for God to lie, take His Word for whatsoever is written in the Holy Scripture, and live accordingly with a firm belief and full persuasion of it upon their minds, such as is due to the Word of truth itself, they are sure of all the happiness which is there promised in this life, as well as that which is to come: for exercising their faith continually upon God's Holy Word, they converse with the other world even while they live in this. Their "faith being the substance of things hoped for, Heb. 11. 1. and the evidence of things not seen;" by it they reckon themselves as sure of what God hath promised, as if they had it already; and are as certain of what God hath said, as if they saw it with their eyes; as certain that God governs the world, as that there is a world to govern; as certain that He is wheresoever they are, as that they are there; as certain that Christ died for sinners, as that they themselves are sinners; as certain that He is now sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven, as that there is a sun shining in the firmament; as certain that He will judge them at the Last Day, as if they saw Him now upon His judgment-seat: for these and such like truths being revealed by God Himself, they are always plain and evident before the eyes of all that believe His Word; who therefore walk by the light of God's Word through all things relating to the other world, as they do by the light of the sun in this. By which means the Word of God is of mighty use to them through the whole course of their lives, far greater than any can imagine but they who feel it.

For though other people may read it over and over, and yet receive no benefit from it; they who really believe the Scripture was given by inspiration of God, and are conversant in it as such, they find it to be of such infinite advantage to them upon all occasions, that if there were no other arguments for it, that would be sufficient to convince them that it must come from infinite wisdom and goodness: nothing else being able to contrive a writing of such universal use to all who faithfully read it, that how many soever they are, and whatsoever their condition be, every one may meet with

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SERM. something there so proper and pertinent, as if it was designed for his very case. So that all the uses that may be made of His Holy Writing can never particularly be reckoned upon; and therefore I shall not offer at it, but shall only consider those four general heads to which the Apostle reduceth them in my text, saying, that "it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

First therefore, the Scripture being given by inspiration of God," is profitable for doctrine," or teaching us all things necessary for men to know that they may be saved: I say, that they may be saved: for the Holy Scripture was not intended to teach men mathematics, or logic, or natural philosophy, or any other art or science, but only how to serve and glorify God upon earth, so as to get at last to James 1.21. Heaven. Therefore it is called "The engrafted word, which is able to save our souls." And in the verse before my text, the Apostle saith, "The Holy Scriptures are able to make us wise unto Salvation." That is to be wise indeed, and to good purpose. Whatsoever else goes under the name of wisdom, will be found at last to be no better than folly or madness, which may do us mischief, but never can do us any good. This will both make us good, and do us good, all the good we can desire: but this wisdom can be no way attained but only by the Word of God; but there we may certainly find it; for "the law," or doctrine "of the Lord, is an undefiled law, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, and giveth wisdom unto the simple." It was for this Rom. 15. 4. end that the Holy Scriptures were written: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning; that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope;" hope of eternal life through Christ our Saviour: according to that of His beloved Disciple, "These things were written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in His Name."

Ps. 19. 7.

John 20. 31.

This therefore being the end wherefore God was pleased to give us the Scriptures by His Own inspiration, it cannot be imagined but that they fully answer the end for which He gave them, by teaching us all things necessary to our

Salvation, both what we must believe, and what we must do, that we may be saved. That we are there taught whatsoever is necessary to be believed, we cannot doubt, seeing nothing can be necessary to be believed, but what is there taught; for as we have seen already, we have no certain ground to believe any thing of that nature, but from the word and testimony of God Himself. But we have the word and testimony of God for nothing but what is written. in the Holy Scriptures, or necessarily follows upon something that is so. And therefore what is neither expressly contained in the Holy Scriptures, nor may be clearly proved from them, cannot be the proper object of our faith, much less can it be necessary for us to believe it: if it was, God, be sure, would have revealed it to us, that we might believe

upon His word; which seeing He hath not done, we are not bound to believe it, but are rather bound to believe, that it is not necessary to be believed.

But whatsoever God hath said in His Holy Word, it is absolutely necessary for all men to believe it, and to believe it merely upon His word, otherwise He Himself would never have told us of it. But seeing He hath told us of it, He hath thereby signified it to be His will that we should believe it upon His word, as ever we expect mercy and Salvation from Him.

And herein it is, that the Scripture is so profitable for doctrine, because we are there taught by God Himself whatsoever He would have us to believe, that we may obtain His favour, and eternal life; what He would have us to believe concerning Himself, His Essence, His Persons, His Perfections, His Works, what He hath done, and still doth in the world; what He would have us to believe concerning His Son, His Eternal Generation, His Godhead, His Incarnation, His Life, His Death, His Resurrection, His Ascension into Heaven, and the Intercession which He there makes for those who believe in Him; what He would have us to believe concerning His Holy Spirit, and the gifts and graces which proceed from Him, and the wonderful works which He hath done, still doth, and ever will do in His Church; what He would have us to believe concerning His said Church and the Communion of Saints which are in it,

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SERM. concerning the Forgiveness of Sins, the Resurrection of the Body, and the Life Everlasting. All which articles of our faith are briefly contained in the Apostles' Creed, explained by those of the Council of Nice, and of St. Athanasius, out of the Holy Scriptures, upon which they are all grounded. These great doctrines, to which all other may be referred which are any way necessary to be believed, God Himself hath taught us in His holy Word; and therefore it is not left to our choice whether we will believe them or no, but we must believe them upon His Word, or we can never be saved, nor do any thing aright which is required of us in order to it; our obedience to what He hath commanded, being wholly founded upon our belief of what He hath revealed to us.

And as the Holy Scripture is thus profitable for doctrine, by teaching us all things necessary to be believed; so likewise, by teaching us whatsoever is necessary to be done towards our obtaining eternal life for there God hath revealed His whole will to us, what He would have us do, both in relation to Himself our Creator, and to our fellowcreatures. All which His Holy Commandments, as we there read, He was pleased to reduce to ten general heads, which He solemnly proclaimed by His Angels upon Mount Sinai, then wrote them down with His Own finger upon two tables of stone, and afterwards explained them by His Prophets, by His Own Son, and by His Apostles; so that every one that will, may easily understand His Divine pleasure in every particular, which therefore every one is bound to do; and not only to understand, but also to perform what He so understands to be the will of God His Maker. And as it is not enough for us to believe what God hath said, but we must therefore believe it because He said it; so it is not enough to do what He commands, but we must do it therefore because He commands it, in sincere obedience to Him, as He is the supreme Lawgiver, and universal Governor of the world, who alone hath power to enact laws which shall oblige all mankind; as all those moral Commandments do, which I have hitherto spoken of.

But He was pleased heretofore to make some laws, as He was in a peculiar manner the God and King of Israel, for