And, accordingly, we are often exhorted to pray that our understandings may be enlightened; and the epistles of the apostles, especially of St. Paul, abound with the like prayers for others. "Consider what I say (says he to his beloved and faithful Timothy, 2, ii. 7.) and the Lord give thee understanding in all things!"

But as it has been above seen, that we are called upon to make use of our own understandings, and that it is God's appointed way of our gaining wisdom and true knowledge; it must be only in the diligent and faithful improvement of these means, that we can fitly pray to him ourselves, or expect any benefit from the prayers of others, that he would communicate the knowledge of his will to us. And it would be folly and presumption for us to ask of him divine wisdom, while we neglect the means of acquiring it ourselves; as it would be to request of him our daily bread, which we are commanded to do, to pray for food and raiment, and yet use no endeavours to clothe and nourish our bodies.

IV.

The holy scriptures contain an authentic

history

history of the extraordinary government and superintendence over his creatures of mankind, which the Lord hath exercised from the time that he first made them and placed them on this earth. And the divine excellency of these scriptures herein appears, that they teach and manifest, that, from the beginning, it has been the design of this benevolent parent of all to bring men to the knowledge of himself, the only true God, and to virtue and holiness to fit them for a perfect happiness in a future state for ever.

Men may find fault with particular parts of this sacred history ;-the account given of the fall of man, and the concern which a supposed evil spirit had in it; of the destruction of the idolatrous Canaanites by the Israelites by divine command; and other things which they deem reprehensible in the histories of Moses and the prophets.

They may inveigh against the history of Christ, as containing an unnatural state of things, representing evil spirits continually brought upon the stage and acting, which no where else appear.

And they may find fault with Paul in parti

VOL. II.

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cular,

cular, as making the Father of the universe a partial unjust being, arbitrarily destining some to happiness, and devoting others of his creatures, without any ill-desert of their own, to endless misery.

go

But the inquiries and explanations of the scriptures, given by serious learned christians in these latter times, have evinced, and will on more and more to prove, that all these objections against the Bible are either no just objections at all, or are founded in ignorance and misconstruction of the real meaning of those sacred writings. That the account of our first parents' trial and transgression is to be taken in an allegorical sense, and no real evil spirit the enemy of God and goodness ever intended or spoken of there, or in any other part of the Old Testament.

That the severity exercised towards the idolatrous Canaanites, of which the Jews were made the instruments, was necessary to prevent the whole human race from being affected with idolatry and the most enormous wicked

ness.

That there were no real evil spirits ever spoken of by Christ or his apostles; but it

was

was only the vulgar language used concerning certain diseases, being supposed to be inflicted by evil spirits.

And the like satisfactory replies may be made to these and all other objections.

Lastly: Our Saviour, in one place, commands the Jews not barely to read but to search the scriptures, to explore and find out the wisdom contained in them.

And what we have now heard from his apostle Peter calls us to the same study. For, if there are obscurities and things hard to be understood, we should take the more pains to come at their true meaning.

But chiefly should we all turn ourselves to the study of these sacred pages, for the moral and spiritual advantages to be reaped from them.

For, in a world like this, where the best are in danger continually to be diverted from wisdom's paths, the reading of the scriptures must be of peculiar benefit to strengthen our faith in divine things, and the reality of the heavenly world to which we are going; and to bring its holy rules and precepts and its efficacious motives present to our minds. One of the most famous preachers amongst

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the ancients, who seems to have had the good of his people much at heart, complains of them; that one cause of their little proficiency under him, in knowledge and holy practice, was their neglect of reading at home those scriptures which he explained to them.

He observes, likewise, that some of them made excuses for their not reading the scriptures, that they were too expensive for them to purchase. And, indeed, they were costly in those days when they were all written by the hand. But that pretence is now absolutely taken away, by the providential discovery of printing in these latter ages.

It is surely a just reproach to men, that they spend so much time about health, and recreations, and worldly matters, (we speak of those who are most harmlessly employed,) but can find no leisure, and will be at no expense to store our minds with the knowledge of divine truth, and thereby to cultivate virtuous dispositions and affections in ourselves, which will last for ever.

This study of the scriptures, where it is carried on with a single and sincere view to piety and a holy life, has a wonderful effect in exalting and improving men's natural capacities,

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