90 The Life of Faith. according to the pur pole of the holy Spiry ; f) the Perfel io,. of the Scripture muft be judged of, in relation to its intended ufe. 'It was not written to b: a fyfteme of Pbyfrcks, nor Ora- tory; nor to decide grammatical Controverfrs about words; but to record in apt expreffions the things which God would have men to know, in oozier to their faith, their duty, and their b,rppinefs. And in this reipc& it is a p:rfeâword. Bit you muff not imagine that it is fo far the word of God himfeif, as if God had [hewed in it his fulleaskill, and made it as perfcd in every refpct , both phrafe and order, as God could do. Audit' you meet in it with feveral words, which you think are lets grammatical, logical, or rhetorical, than many other Men could (peak, and which really favour offome humane irnpesfcâion, remember that this is not at all dero- gatory toChritlianity ; but rather tendeth to the ftrcngthen- ing of ourfaith : For the Scriptures arc perfect to their in- tendedufe : And God did purpofely chufe men of imperfect Oratory, to be his Apoflcs, that his Kingdom might not be in word, but in power; and that our faith might not be built upon the wifdom and oratoryof man, but on the fupernatural operationsof the Almighty God : As David's fling and (tone muff killGoliab So unlearned men, that cannot out-wit the world to deceive them, (hall by the Spirit and Miracles con- vince them. Looking for that in the Scripture, which God sieves intended it for, doth tempt the unskilful into un- belief. 9. Therefore you muff be Cure to diaingui(h the Chriffian Religion, which is the viral part or kernel of the Scriptures, fromall the ref( : And toget well planted in your mind, the fumm of that Religion it felf. And that is briefly contained in the two Sacraments, and more largely in the Creed, the Lords Prayer, and the Decalogue, the fummaryes of our Belief, Vefire andPraîfite. And then wonder no more that the other parts of Scripture, have tome things ofIds moment, thanthat a man hath fingers, nails andhair, as well as aftomach, heart and head. r o. Diftingui(h therefore between theMethod of the Chri- flanReligion, and theMethod of the particular Books of Scri- ptures. The Books were written on feveral occations, and in feveral
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