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to be content to live here any longer.

the sun on the dial, but swift, as the sun in the firmament. Why was he so zealous in glorifying God, but that he might at last centre and terminate in him? 1 Thess. iv. 17., "Then shall we be ever with the Lord."

3d. Use of Consolation. Let this comfort the godly in all the present miseries they feel. Thou complainest, Christian, thou dost not enjoy thyself, -fears disquiet

2d. Let this be a spur to duty. How diligent and zealous should we be in glorifying God, that we may come at last to enjoy him? If Tully, Demosthenes, and Plato, who had but the dim watch-light of reason to see by, and did fancy an elysium and happiness after this life, did take such Herculean pains to enjoy it, O then how should Christians, who have the thee,-wants perplex thee,-in light of scripture to see by, be- the day thou canst not enjoy ease, stir themselves that they may in the night thou canst not enjoy attend at the eternal fruition of sleep,-thou dost not enjoy the God and glory! If any thing comforts of thy life. Let this can make us rise off our bed of revive thee, that shortly thou sloth, and serve God with all shalt enjoy God, and then shalt our might, it should be this, the have more than thou canst ask or hope of our near enjoyment of think; thou shalt have angels' God for ever. What made Paul joy, -glory without intermission so active in the sphere of religion? or expiration. We shall never 1 Cor. xv. 10., " I laboured more enjoy ourselves fully till we enjoy abundantly than they all." His God eternally.

obedience did not move slow as

OF THE SCRIPTURES.

QUEST II. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him ?

Ans. The word of God (which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament) is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

verenced and esteemed, because we are sure it came from heaven, 2 Pet. i. 21. The two Testaments are the two lips by which God hath spoken to us.

Q. How doth it appear that the scriptures have a jus divinum, ' a divine authority, stamped upon them?

A. Because the Old and New Testament are the foundation of all religion. If their divinity

2 Tim. iii. 16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God," &c. By scripture is understood the sacred book of God. It is given by divine inspiration; that cannot be proved, the foundation is, the scripture is not the con- is gone on which we build our trivance of man's brain, but of a faith. I shall therefore endeavour divine original. The image of to evince this great truth, that the Diana was had in veneration by scriptures are the very word of the Ephesians, because they did God. I wonder whence the suppose it fell from Jupiter, Acts scriptures should come, if not xix. 35. This book then of the from God!-1. Bad men could holy scripture is to be highly re- not be the authors of scripture. left; and the church of God hatl kept these public records of heaven that they have not been lostThe word of God hath never wanted enemies to oppose, and, if possible, to extirpate it. They have given out a law, concerning scripture, as Pharaoh did the midwives concerning the Hebrew

Would their minds be employed in inditing such holy lines ? Would they declare so fiercely against sin?-2. Good men could not be the authors of scripture. Could they write in such a strain? or could it stand with their grace to counterfeit God's name, and put, "Thus saith the Lord," to a book of their own devising?- women's children, to strangle it 3. Nor could any angel in heaven in the birth: yet God hath prebe the author of scripture: Be- served this blessed book inviolable cause, 1. The angels pry and to this day. The devil and his search into the abyss of gospel- agents have been blowing at scripmysteries, 1 Pet. i. 12., which ture light, but could never prevail implies their nescience of some to blow it out, a clear sign that parts of scripture; and sure they it was lighted from heaven. Nor cannot be authors of that book hath the church of God, in all rewhich themselves do not fully volutions and changes, only kept understand. Besides, 2. What the scripture that it should not be angel in heaven durst be so arrogant as to personate God, and say, "I create," Isa. lxv. 17., and "I the Lord have said it," Numb. xiv. 35.? So that it is evident, the pedigree of scripture is sacred, and it could come from none but God himself.

lost, but that it should not be depraved. The letter of scripture hath been preserved, without any corruption, in the original tongues. The scriptures were not corrupted before Christ's time, for then Christ would never have sent the Jews to the scriptures; but he Not to speak of the harmonious sends them to the scriptures, consent of all the parts of scrip- John v. 39., "Search the scripture, there are seven cogent argu-tures." Christ knew these sacred ments which may evince it to be springs were not muddied with the word of God. human fancies.

3. The scripture appears to be the word of God, by the matter contained in it.-1. By its profundity. The mystery of scrip

1. By its antiquity. It is of ancient standing. The grey hairs of scripture make it venerable. No human histories extant reach farther than since Noah's flood; ture is so abstruse and profound, but the holy scripture relates that no man or angel could have matters of fact that have been known it had it not been divinely from the beginning of the world; revealed. That eternity should it writes of things before time. be born; that He who thunders Now, that is a sure rule of Ter- in the heavens should cry in the tullian, "That which is of the cradle; that He who rules the greatest antiquity, - id verum stars should suck the breasts; quod primum, is to be received that the Prince of life should die; as most sacred and authentic." that the Lord of glory should be

2. We may know the scripture put to shame; that sin should be

to be the word of God, by the miraculous preservation of it in all ages. The holy scriptures are the richest jewel that Christ hath

punished to the full, yet pardoned to the full; who could ever have conceived of such a mystery, had not the scripture been the oracle

to reveal it to us? So, for the Where is there such holiness to doctrine of the resurrection: that be found, as is digged out of this the same body which is crumbled sacred mine? who could be the into a thousand pieces, should author of such a book, but God rise idem numero, the same indi- himself?

was foretold by the prophet, " A virgin shall conceive," Isa. vii. 14.; and, the "Messiah shall be cut off," Dan. ix. 26. The scripture fortels things that should fall out many ages and centuries after; as, how long Israel should serve in the iron furnace, and the very day of their deliverance, Exod. xii. 41., "At the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the self-same day, it came to pass, that the host of the

vidual body, (for else it were a 4. That the scripture is the creation not a resurrection,)- word of God, is evident by its how could such a sacred riddle, predictions; it prophesieth of above all human disquisition, be things to come. This shows the known, had not the scripture voice of God speaking in it. It made a discovery of it?-2. By its purity. It is, for the matter of it, so full of goodness, justice, and sanctity, that it could be breathed from none but from God; the holiness of it shows it to be of God, it bears his very image. The scripture is compared to silver refined seven times, Ps. xii. 6. This book of God hath no errata in it; it is a beam of the Sun of Righteousness, -a crystal stream flowing from the fountain of life. All laws and Lord went out of Egypt." This edicts of men have had their prediction of future things, merely corruptions, but the word of God contingent, and not depending hath not the least tincture, it is upon natural causes, is a clear of a meridian splendour, Ps. cxix. demonstration of its divine origi140., "Thy word is very pure," nal. like wine that comes from the 5. The impartiality of those grape, which is not mixed nor men of God, who wrote the adulterated. It is so pure, that scriptures. They do not spare to it purifies every thing else, John xvii. 17., "Sanctify them through thy truth." The scripture presseth holiness, so as never any book did; it bids us live "soberly, righteously, godly," Tit. ii. 12. Soberly, in acts of temperance; righteously, in acts of justice; godly, in the acts of zeal and devotion. It commends to us whatever is just, lovely, and of good report, Phil. iv. 8. This sword of the Spirit, Eph. vi. 17. ing ages; Peter relates his own cuts down vice. Out of this tower pusillanimity in denying Christ; of scripture is thrown down a Jonah sets down his own passions, millstone upon the head of sin. "I do well to be angry to the The scripture is the royal law, death." Surely, had not their which commands not only the pen been guided by God's own actions, but affections; it binds hand, they would never have the heart to its good behaviour. written that which did reflect

set down their own failings. What man that writes an history would black his own face, viz, record those things of himself that might stain his reputation ? Moses records his own impatience when he struck the rock, and tells us, therefore he could not enter into the land of promise; David writes of his own adultery and bloodshed, which stand as blot in his scutcheon to succeed

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dishonour upon themselves! Men eth for us a far more exceeeding do usually rather hide their and eternal weight of glory." blemishes than publish them to When he hath been deserted, the the world: but these penmen of holy scripture eclipse their own name, they take away all the glory from themselves, and give the glory to God.

word hath dropped in the golden oil of joy into his heart: Lam. iii. 31., "The Lord will not cast off for ever." He may change his providence, not his purpose; he may have the look of an enemy, but the heart of a father. Thus the word hath a power in it to comfort the heart: Ps. cxix. 50.,

are conveyed through the arteries of the body; so divine comforts are conveyed through the promises of the word. Now the scriptures having such an exhilarating, heart-comforting power in them, it shows clearly that they are of God, and it is he that hath put this milk of consolation into these breasts.

7. The great miracles wherewith the Lord hath confirmed scripture. Miracles were used by

6. The mighty power and efficacy the word hath had upon the souls and consciences of men.1. It hath changed their hearts. Some by reading of scripture "This is my comfort in mine have been turned into other men, affliction; for thy word hath they have been made holy and quickened me." As the spirits gracious. By reading other books the heart may be warmed, but by reading this book it is transformed, 2 Cor. iii. 3., "Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle Christ, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God." The word was copied out into their hearts, and they were become Christ's epistle, so that others might read Christ in them. If you should set a seal upon marble, and it should make an impression upon the Moses, Elijah, Christ, and conmarble, and leave a a print pri behind, tinued many years after by the there were a strange virtue in that apostles, to confirm the verity of seal: so, when the seal of the the holy scriptures. As props word leaves a heavenly print of are set under weak vines, so these grace upon the heart, there must miracles were set under the weak needs be a power going along with faith of men, that if they would that word no less than divine.- not believe the writings of the 2. It hath comforted their hearts. word, yet they might believe the When Christians have sitten by miracles. We read of God's the rivers weeping, the word hath dividing the waters, making a dropped as honey and sweetly causeway in the sea for his people revived them. A Christian's chief to go over, the iron swimming, comfort is drawn out of these -the oil increasing by pouring wells of salvation: Rom. xv. 4., out, Christ's making wine of "That we through comfort of water, his curing the blind,the Scriptures might have hope." and raising the dead: thus God When a poor soul hath been ready hath set a seal to the truth and to faint, he hath had nothing to divinity of the scriptures by comfort him but a scripture cor- miracles.

dial. When he hath been sick, OBJECT. The papists indeed the word hath revived him: 2 cannot deny but that the scripture Cor. iv. 17., "Our light affliction, is divine and sacred; but they which is but for a moment, work-affirm that quoad nos, 'with respect to us, it receives its divine hast known the holy scriptures, authority from the church; and which are able to make thee wise they bring that scripture, 1 Tim. unto salvation." It shows the iii. 15., where the church is said credenda, what we are to believe; to be the ground and pillar of and agenda, what we are to prac

truth.

tise. It gives us an exact model of religion, and perfectly instructs us in the deep things of God. The papists therefore make themselves guilty, who go to eke out scripture with their traditions, to which they equalise it. The

Ans. It is true, the church is the pillar of truth; but it doth not therefore follow, that the scripture hath its authority from the church. The king's proclamation is fixed on the pillar, the pillar holds it out, that all may council of Trent saith, that the read, but the proclamation doth traditions of the church of Rome not receive its authority from the are to be received pari pietatis pillar, but from the king; so the affectu,-with the same devotion church holds forth the scriptures, but they do not receive their authority from the church, but from God. If the word of God be divine, merely because the church holds it forth, then it will follow, that our faith is to be built upon the church and not upon the word; contrary to that, Eph. ii. 20., "Built upon the foundation (that is the doctrine) of the apostles and prophets."

Q. Are all the books in the Bible of the same divine authority ? A. Those which we call canoni

cal.

are the scriptures cal

Q. Why led canonical?

A. Because the word is a rule of faith, a canon to direct our lives. The word is the judge of controversies, the rock of infallibility; that only is to be received for truth, which is consonant to, and agrees with scripture, as the transcript with the original. All maxims in divinity are to be brought to the touchstone of scripture, as all measures are brought to the standard.

Q. Are the scriptures a complete rule ?

that scripture is to be received with; so bringing themselves under the curse, Rev. xxii. 18., "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book."

Q. What is the main scope and end of scripture?

A. To chalk out a way to salvation. It makes a clear discovery of Christ: John xx. 31., "These things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing ye might have life through his name." The design of the word is to be an examen whereby our grace is to be tried; a sea-mark to show us what rocks we are to avoid. The word is to sublimate and quicken our affections; it is to be our directory and consolatory; it is to waft us over to the land of promise.

Q. Who shall have the power of interpreting scriptures?

The papists do assert that it is in the power of the church. If you ask who they mean by the church, they say, the Pope who is the head of it, and he is infallible; so Bellarmine. But that

A. The scripture is a full and perfect canon, containing in it all assertion is false, because many things necessary to salvation: 2 of the Popes have been ignorant Tim. iii. 15., "From a child thou and vicious, as Platina affirms,

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