that they were taught by the ancient Fathers, or delivered down by Memory. And they dea creed in the Council of Trent, 200 Years ago, that fuch Traditions were to be received with the fame Respect, as holy Writ. But let Us reft on furer Ground: build on the Foundation of the Apoftles and Prophets, Jefus Chrift himSelf being the chief Corner Stone*; and on all Occafions appeal to the Law and to the Teftimony for if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no Light in them'.

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* Eph. ii. 20.

1 If. viii. 20.

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SER

SERMON IV.

2 TIM. iii. 16, 17.

All Scripture is given by Infpiration of God: and is profitable for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Inftruction in Righteoufnefs: that the Man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good Works.

N difcourfing on these Words, I have already

I proved

I. That Scripture is of Divine Authority: II. That it completely answers every Purpose of Religion.

And therefore I now proceed to the next Head, propofed in the Beginning, which is III. That we ought to read and study it diligently.

This Duty follows with the clearest Evidence, from its Inspiration and Usefulness. For if we G 3

may

may neglect what was written under so peculiar a Direction of God, for our Guidance to eternal Happiness, to what can we poffibly ever be bound to attend? And yet I fear the Confciences of many, if not most of us, can too easily inform us, how little we regard, how feldom we look into, these Books. We exclaim against it perhaps as the wickedeft Tyranny in the Church of Rome, that it prohibits them to be read without Licence. But do we ourselves make much more Use of our Bibles in the Midst of the fulleft Liberty, than if they continued to be tocked up from us? Do we not spend a very fmall Share of our Time, of our Leifure Time, in looking into Them, compared with what is wafted in the idleft Occupations and Amusements? The Hours, which we allot to reading, do we not more commonly, and with far more Pleasure, employ them on any other Sort of Reading, the most infignificant, the most corrupting and pernicious, than on this? Are there not Multitudes, who can hardly name the Time, when, even on the Lord's Day itself, they read a Chapter, with the serious Intention of improving their Souls? Nay, the few, (and very few I doubt they are at prefent,) who think of Religion in earnest, do they not ufually apply to

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other

other Books chiefly for Inftruction in it, and tudy the facred Volumes far lefs, than the Compositions of fallible Men?

These are Facts as notorious, as they are lamentable. And therefore I shall

1. Confider, in order to remove, the Causes, from which fo wonderful a Contempt of God's Word hath arisen.

2. Produce his Commands for paying it a very different Regard.

3. Shew, what Evils follow from disobeying thefe Commands.

1. I fhall confider the Caufes, from which this wonderful Contempt of God's Word hath arifen.

Now the more general Caufes doubtless are, the original Corruption of our Nature, indifpofing us to every Thing good; (against which, if we value our Interests in a future Life, we ought to watch continually:) and our confequent Acts and Habits of Sin, which we very abfurdly suffer to drive us from the Scripture, that we may be eafy in them, inftead of having Recourse to the Scripture, which would excite us to an effectual Reformation of them. Another very extensive Cause is the wrong Education of our Youth. They are very little taught, in Comparifon

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