ought to be receiv'd, tho' recommended by all the moft advantageous Circumftances imaginable, and with all the Confidence of a Heretick, Schifmatick, or Atheift, either by you or me. Whomfoever it may be your Lot to hear, follow the fame Method ftill. They are not the Tongues of Men or Angels, they are not all the Allurements and Artifices of fuch as lie in wait to deceive Souls; not all their fair Promises and feeming Zeal for your Welfare, that can contribute to your Eternal Salvation; but it must be Truth, Truth as freely given by a merciful God to miferable Mankind which must conduct you to everlasting Life. When the Pfalmift has defcrib'd the bleffed Man to us by what he is not, viz. That he walks not in the Counsel of the ungodly, Pfal. 1. * nor ftands in the Way of Sinners, nor fits in the Seat of the Scornful; he then deciphers him by what he does, viz. His Delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth be meditate Day and Night. He who is fo well exercis'd in examining the Records of Scripture, is the moft fecure from the fatal Influences of Temptation of all Men living; for he meets with fuch Materials in the Word of God as are a fufficient Defence against all the Affaults of erroneous and Antichriftian Spirits. The more Enemies a Man apprehends Dangers from, the more he had need to provide against Danger, and to ftand upon his Guard with the greater Vigilancy,

Among other Directions which God gives to Joshua, by which he might advance his Succefs against the Enemies of Ifrael, this is one; Jofh. 1.7, Be thou firong, and very couragions, that thoug. may'jt

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may obferve to do according to all the Law which Mofes my Servant commanded thee: Turn not from it to the right Hand, nor to the left, that thou may'ft profper whither foever thou goeft. The Book whitherfoever of the Law fhall not depart out of thy Mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein Day and Night, that thou may'ft obferve to do according to all that is written in it, for then thou shalt make thy Way profperous, then thou shalt have good Success. If the Author of the Epistle to the Romans, if St. Paul informs us truly of the Excellen cy of the Gofpel beyond the Law of Moses; no Man can doubt but that if he follows this Rule given by God himself, with respect to the Gofpel, he fhall have perpetual Succefs againft all the moft crafty and malicious Enemies of his Soul. But when. I advife any Man to examine the Doctrine of all Perfons whom he may happen to hear by Scripture, be not deceiv'd. Imagine not that every one who alleges Scripture in abundance to interlard what he utters, has therefore the Word of God really on his Side. Remember that the Devil himself, when he prefum'd to tempt our dear Redeemer, fet upon him with a Text of Scripture. All thofe notorious Hereticks of old, thofe of the prefent Age who have diftracted, or who endeavour to distract the Church of Chrift,have follow'd his subtle Example: And thofe of Rome, fince they have found it impracticable to root out the Doctrine of the Gospel by any other Way, will, and do pretend to maintain their Errors by miferably wrefted and perverted Texts. The Way to avoid thofe Dangers is only to be more careful whom you

hear,

hear, not to run your felves into Temptation by a Luft to fatisfy your own itching Ears, and to be more diligent in what you read, not depending barely upon the Sound of any fhort Phrafe quoted at Random out of Scripture, but by diligent Reading, to acquaint your felves fo with the general Import and Defign of thofe facred Writings, that the Language of Scripture abus'd may not impofe upon you. We have to our Amazement, liv'd. to hear Idolatry and Superftition, Rebellion and Murder maintain'd by wretchedly diftorted Scripture, if we may fuppofe numerous Quotations out of it ftrong enough to juftify fuch horrid Crimes, and to indemnify all those who are fo deluded into the utmost Guilt.

Yet he who reads thofe Divine Writings with agreeable Care and a ferious Preparation of Heart, will find according to the excellent Rules there laid down, nothing more odious to God, nothing more mifchievous to Men than those black and hideous Enormities. A little Superficial Skill in Scripture only makes you fit to ridicule the Word of God, and his holy Religion. If you understand perfectly what you read, it will make you a fober and a ferious Chriftian. Affure your felves that that God who fpeaks to you in thofe facred Writings, as he has in them given us a fair Idea of his own Nature; fo with relation to his Creatures he always fpeaks and acts agreeably with thofe Relations of himfelf. When therefore you hear or read any thing that grates upon, or contradicts thofe Characters which he has there given of himDd 3 felf

felf, know certainly that there's Deceit and Treachery in the Bottom. It may look a little oddly for those who take away one of God's Commandments, who add and take away from God's Word at their own Pleasure, to appeal to that fame Word in any Cafe. And it cannot but look very fufpitiously to confiderate Perfons, to find that thofe Men who almoft banish all Reading of Scripture out of their Congregations, (by which, if duly practifed, they might underftand the Conner ion and Coherence of Things,) fhould yet perfectly overwhelm their Hearers in their popular Difcourfes with a Multitude of Proofs. We know well enough what Ends are ferv'd by fuch poor Artifices. But let them not by fuch Tricks betray you into the Snares of Error and Ignorance. Let not the Name, the Reputation, the Plaufibility, or the Authority of any Man, make you have his Perfon, and confequently his Doctrine in Admiration; but try all Spirits by that which has been unqueftionably dictated by the Spirit of God, whether they be of God, or not. He who doubts of the Interpretation of obfcurer Paffages, ought to enquire into the Senfe of the moft antient Expofitors, if he be capable of fuch an Enquiry. But it is a very remarkable Abfurdity to expect the Senfe of the antient Writers from thofe who never read them, or from thofe who always practife in Contradiction to them. The Senfe of Antiquity is excellent, but not to be taken from fuch Anti-Apoftles. It is better to meditate on them diligently in private, tho' your Capaci

ties be of the meaneft, than to fubmit to fuch Impoftors.

It is excellently urg'd by St. Chryfoftom on this Occafion. "Read the Scriptures, fays he, Chryfoft. "tho' they may feem obfcure and hard to Hom. 3.in "understand; for it is impoffible, that thou Lazarum. "fhouldft be equally ignorant in every Part "of it. The Holy Spirit has fo directed the "Penmen, that even the fimpleft should not "have that Excufe to fly to; but that the "Tradefmen, the House-keeper, the Widow, "the moft illiterate Creature living might "fee and know thofe Things which are laid "down there. Who is he who hears or reads "that the Meek and Merciful, thofe who are

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pure in Heart, and the like, are bleffed, "and can yet need any farther Teaching to "endeavour after thofe Excellencies? Befides "this, the Miracles perform'd and related in "Scripture are plain and intelligible to every Body: And that Excufe from Difficulties oc

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curring there, is only a Plea for Sloth and "Lazinefs. Thou doeft not understand the Scriptures: And, indeed, how fhouldft thou "understand what thou feldom or never look'ft "into? Take the Book into thy Hand; read "it thro', remember what is plain and obvious, and by that endeavour to compre"hend what's more intricate and obfcure. "If thou ftumble yet, apply thy felf to thofe "who are wifer and more learned. Express "but an earnest Defire to understand his "Word, and when God fees thy Care and Induftry, he will not pass them by unregard"ed. If Man cannot inftruct thee, he him felf will, as he did by the Ethiopian Eunuch.

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