bly on the whole to Advantage. But they, who once grow weary of the latter, seldom, I believe, continue long to make any confiderable Ufe 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 promise and threaten, that the Word of God hath: the Word, which our Saviour hath declared fhall judge us in the laft 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 fhall be apt to pay as little Regard, as we think fit, to mere human Writers: and overlook, or call in Queftion, whatever we do not like. Yet fometimes again we shall be in Danger of paying them too much Regard, and fo being led by them into falfe Notions, which may give us Uneafiness without Need, or Comfort without Ground; or into fuperftitious Practices, which may difcredit our holy Profeffion. What followed in the middle Ages of Chriftianity when Men left off and were difcouraged from reading the Word • John xii. 48. of Truth, but that they were turned unto Fables? Lying Legends were believed: Pictures and Images were firft gazed at for Inftruction, then worshipped. They forfook the Fountain of living Waters, and bewed them out broken Cisterns, that held no Water", but Draughts of Poison: whereas what we learn in Scripture, we learn from the Spring-Head; and not only every Thing it teaches is right, but its very Silence is inftructive. 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 fo: and had but Believers invariably kept to this Book, as their Rule; all the Corruptions of Christianity, and all the Wickedness of every Kind, produced by thofe Corruptions, had been happily prevented. Befides, were we to embrace every Thing right, and nothing wrong, that we find in other pious Treatifes; yet there is a peculiar Energy in holy Writ, which is not in Them. Its Denunciations are more awful, its Convictions ftronger, its Confolations more authentic, its Warnings more alarming, its Expoftulations more penetrating. The bare Reflection, who it is that fpeaks, cannot fail to make them fo in a very confiderable Degree; 2 Tim. iv. 4. Jer. ii. 13. and 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 fharper than any two-edged Sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul 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, but who, like Apollos, is mighty in the Scriptures ». He that bath my Word, let him fpeak 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, Perfons will be unacquainted with the Language of Religion. And hence they will first blindly stumble and cavil at the Phrafes of Scripture, not knowing them to be fuch: 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 y 1 Cor. ii. 4. * Jer. xxiii. 29. • AЯs xviii. 240 * Heb. iv. 12. Arange ftrange and unaccountable to them. They will repeat the Pfalms in the Congregation absolutely without meaning; neither faying in their own Perfons, or applying to their own Use, the Things that fuit them; nor thinking at all, to what Sort of Perfons, or good Purposes, the reft relates. They will hardly ever pay Attention to the Leffons, Epiftles and Gospels, but look upon them as Paufes and Breaks in the Service, to be filled up as they pleafe; or if they do hearken to them, yet not understanding many Parts of them, will receive little Benefit from them; and poffibly misunderstanding fome, 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 ufeful Sentiments, which would have been revived in their Breafts, had they applied themselves beforehand to an orderly Perufal of them with proper Care. Then as to Sermons, on which commonly the chief Reliance for Instruction is, they, who are not sufficiently verfed 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 Sound of fcriptural Words, used in a Senfe Senfe which the Writers never intended; and fo be like Children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every Wind of Doctrine, by the Sleight of Men and cunning Craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Now it is not our Defire to impofe on your Ignorance, but to appeal to your Knowledge. We wish, we beseech you, to imitate the Bereans, commended fo juftly in the Acts of the Apostles, as more noble than thofe in Theffalonica, in that they received the Word with all Readiness of Mind, and fearched the Scriptures daily, whether thofe Things were fo. It follows, Therefore many of them believed; effectually no Doubt. Another very important Use of searching the Scripture is, that in the Midst of that Deluge of evil Communication, which overflows this wicked Land, to a Degree that no Country, calling itself Chriftian, ever experienced before, few Perfons can avoid hearing, more or less, 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 fo well skilled in it, as either to know in particular the true Vindication of the Paffages abused, or at least Eph, iv. 14. c Acts xvii. II, 12. to |