It cannot then be, but that the blafphemous ignorance, with which fome men perfecute the Word of God, must arife, either from their not searching it at all, or their not fearching it aright. In the former cafe, as I have already fhewn, they omit a plain and weighty duty; and in the latter they cause that, which should be their guide unto truth, to be unto them an occafion of ftumbling. As therefore it is incumbent on every one to search the Scriptures, it is too every one's concern to search them in fuch a manner, that they may be unto them, what the Apostle affures us they are in themselves-" The Power of God unto Salvation." In order to which happy use of the Scriptures, I observe,

First, That the precept of the text implies much more than a cursory reading.

To search the Scriptures is to apply to

them

them with diligence and attention-to examine well the grounds of credibility they exhibit-the completion of ancient prophecies-the number of aftonishing miracles-the divine nature of the doctrines the purity of the precepts-together with the extreme importance of the fanctions, contained in them. And this, in order to the procuring a safe and fatisfactory rule of faith and morals; by which we may fo direct our steps through the prefent life, as to intitle ourselves to a happy immortality in that which is to come.

An obftinate neglect of thefe means of religious knowledge was what subjected the Jews both to the personal rebukes of Chrift, and to the final vengeance of Heaven.-We find too that a fober and rational enquiry into the merits of scripture-testimony is required of All, according to their stations and capa

cities,

cities, by these very fcriptures; and that the obfervers of fuch pious practice are honourably mentioned and applauded in them. Certain it is, whoever reads the Bible, without seriously adverting to the weighty truths, and holy injunctions it delivers, might as well, perhaps better, not read at all. The Word in this cafe fhares a like Fate with the good Seed which fell upon ftony ground; the product, if there be any, of the one as that of the other, having no depth of root, withereth before it gróweth up. It was not owing to their not having read the Scriptures, but to a want of duly investigating and fairly applying them, that the -Jews fulfilled the voices of the Prophets, in condemning and crucifying the Lord of Life. And to what else shall we impute that deluge of impiety and wickednefs, which overflows the Chriftian world, than an unaccountable inattention to those glorious promifes and tre

mendous

mendous threatenings, by which an obedience to the Gospel Inftitutes is providentially bound upon the Confciences of Men ?

Again The precept of fearching the Scriptures gives no encouragement to an over fcrupulous inquifitivenefs into the abstruse nature of those awful truths, therein proposed as objects of faith and trials of it. There are myfteries both in the Bible, and in the Book of Nature. The latter, learned and curious men entertain themselves by inquiring into with much study and application: And after all their refearches are still under a neceffity of believing what they can never comprehend. But it happens otherwife with Scripture - Scepticks: Thefe commonly entangle themselves amidst fpeculative enquiries into matters too high for them, till they imagine there is no truth in them; and then speak

evil of those things which they understand not.

Verily, He with whom we have to do is a God that hideth himself," as faith the Prophet. "Clouds and darkness are round about him;" nor is it given unto us to fee him in our present state, even by the light of his own gracious Revelations, but as through a veil purposely thrown over them. Hence that raptur ous elogy of St. Paul, which the aftonishing difplay of divine attributes in the economy of man's redemption had extorted from him-"O the depth of "the riches both of the wisdom and "knowledge of God! how unfearcha"ble are his judgments, and his ways

past finding out !"-Notwithstanding therefore it is one of the excellencies of the gospel, that there is enough therein for the use of the fimpleft; yet is it folly and presumption to think that by our ftricteft