ness, and I may add of wickedness, that we may well fuppofe, it was in the spirit of forefight, that the apostle puts us fo much on our guard against man's wifdom. Man's wifdom hath filled innumerable volumes: the gospel is comprised in

one.

In this ingrateful field we might wander long. The history of man's wisdom is the history of his opinions; and of these there is no end. Zeal, and indifcretion; pride, and vanity; bad meanings, and good meanings, have all contributed to interpret what the Holy Ghoft teacheth, by the words of man's wisdom. Inftead therefore of wandering in this wide wilderness, let us fix our eyes on thofe great land-marks, which the apostle has fet up to lead us fafely through it.

The apoftles were immediately infpired. They taught, as the Holy Ghost inftructed. Immediate inspiration brought all things to their remembrance, whatever their blessed Lord had taught them.

At the fame time, it should seem that the infpiration of the apoftles was restricted to what was new in the religion they taught—or if not wholly new, yet fo obfcurely fhadowed out in prophecies, and prophetic types, that it

needed

needed explanation. The great truths, with regard to the redemption of the world-the interceffion of Chrift-his atonement for fin-the conditions of acceptance-the universality of the christian religion-the motives it holds out— the purity it hath introduced into morals-the certainty of a future ftate-and of a laft judgment were all, no doubt, ftrongly impressed on the minds of the apoftles, and properly opened by immediate infpiration. In any of these great truths, mistakes were dangerous-memory was frail-and there were yet no written records.At the fame time fuch notices as were already on the records of inspirationthofe divine truths contained in the books of the Old Teftament-wanted no farther illuftration from the Holy Ghoft. Here nothing more seems to have been neceffary, than the use of reafon and common fenfe. And thus the apostle diftinguishes between the things, which God. had revealed by the fpirit; and the act of comparing Spiritual things with fpiritual. calls declaring the teftimony of God: the

The one he

other was plainly the exertion only of reason. Nothing more than the exertion of reafon was neceffary to prove the connection between the Old Tefta

ment and the New-or to point out the completion of prophecies-or to fhew, how the types of the law were fulfilled. Of this mode of reafoning we find abundant inftances among the facred writers-in the epistle to the Hebrews efpecially.

Thus then infpiration feems to have been neceliary to direct the apoftles in what was hitherto unknown: but human reafon feemed fufficient to enable them to apply what had been already inspired.

II. Let us then now fee, how this rule, which guided the apoftles, appears applicable to us-or in what way we are to speak what the Holy Ghoft teacheth, comparing fpiritual things with Spiritual.

In the first place, I think, it plainly appears, we have no reason to expect immediate direction from what the Holy Ghoft teacheth. To wait for defultory illapfes of the fpirit to lead us into truth, feems to have little countenance from fcripture; unless indeed we apply to ourselves fuch paffages, as by the faireft rules of interpretation can apply only to the apostles. And furely the greatest caution is neceffary in fettling a

point, which, if it be an error, tends to confirm all other errors. When a man reafons himself into a mistake, he may reafon himself out of it again. But when a man difcards reason, and fubftitutes in its room a divine inftructor, every enthusiastic notion becomes then immediately ftamped with the character of divine truth. The ftrange effects of fuch wildness we have often seen.

As far, indeed, as a holy life is concerned, we are affured every where in fcripture, that unlefs the endeavours of man are affifted by the Holy Spirit of God, which dwells within him, and to whose divine admonitions he ought ever to liften, he can do nothing. Here the divine aid is neceffary. Man, as a moral agent, with all the mifchiefs of the fall about him, ftands certainly in need of fupport..

But the investigation of truth is a different affair. It was not fo much his understanding, that was disturbed; as his will and affections. Wretched man! he knew what was right; but could not practise it. To rectify his knowledge, enough had been done inspired truth was on record; and he had a rule given him to underftand it. Farther aid would have rendered that

rule unneceffary; and the expectation of any

fuch aid, enthufiaftic.

It is true, indeed, the pious his Bible with the best effect

Christian will read

and in this sense,

no doubt, the Holy Spirit may be said to affift him in understanding the truth of fcripture: for he who does the will of God, will know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. But this is ftill only the application of fcripture to the rectifying of his affections. To understand it as a system of truth, the rule given us to compare fpiritual things with fpiritual, feems abundantly fufficient. The New Teftament is to us precifely in the ftate, in which the Old Teftament was to the apofties. It is infpiration recorded. If farther infpiration be neceffary, a written record is niore than is neceffary. It seems therefore fully fufficient for the understanding of fcripture, to take it into our hands; and, in the spirit of fincerity, and piety, to compare one part with another; or with a general view of the whole. This feems, in the apostle's idea, the only key to the fcriptures.

But now, it must be confeffed, that a variety of caufes have introduced difficulties into these facred records; and, of course, into the mode of investigation. Ancient customs not well underflood