the lift of the Holy Scriptum. To this I anfwcr, Firft, lt may be thy Condition is fuch as requires js, Po~ ffibly thou art in a State of \Vrath, and would'ft t1JOu not be under the ap· prehenfions of it? Thou art under the Guilt of thy Sins, and then no wonder that the Voice of God fhould be terrible unto thee. It is moft unreafonablc to hate the Word, (as Ahab hated Miclfiah,) becaufc it prophefieth no Good concerning thee. Alas! What Good can it fpeak, as long as thou thy fclf continucft Evil ? Secondly, It is not fo much the Scripture, as thine own evil Confcience that l1aunrs and terrifies thee. \Vhen thou readeft that dreadful Threatning, Ez.ck. 18. 4· The Soul rhar Jinncth it Jhalt die, there were nothing of Terror in it, did not thy guilty Confcicnce witnefs againft thee, that thou art the Man: 'Tis this that turns and levels all God's Artillery againfi: thee. Get therefore a Confciencc pacified upon good Grounds, and the very threatning of the Word will fpeak to thee, not fo much Terror from the dreadfulnefs of the Wrath, and Condemnation denounced, as Joy that thou haft ~fcaped it. Thirdly, It may be, the Word of God by working in thee the Spirit of Fear, is preparing thee for the Spirit of Adoption; for that ufually ufhcrs in this. We find the Gaoler trCmbling, before we find him rejoycing: There were mighty and rending \Vinds, Earthquakes, and Fire, all terrible; before there came rhe ftiilvoicr , in which God was, 1 KingJ 19. 12. So God in Con.. viCl:ions may times prepares the way by Thunders, and Earthquakes, by the Thundering of his Word, and the Trembling of our own Confciences, before he comes ro us in the fl:ill aud fweet Voice of Peace and Comfort. And certainly they arc much more afraid than hurt, whom God by his Terrors thus frights into Heaven. But, Thirdly, Some may ftill fay, their Fean are fo ftrong that they will drive them into Defperation, or DiftraEtion, if they longer pore on thofedreadful Things, the Scripture contains. I anfwer, There is not one Line or Syilable in the whole Book of God that gives the leaft ground for Defpair. Nay, there are the mort fupporting ComfOrts a poor fearful trembling Sou l can de fire; Come unto me all that ar' weary And heavy laden, and I will give you nfl. Come unto me a1fi I will in no wife cajl you out ; return unto the Lord .end he will abundffnt!y pardon, Ifa. 55· 7· I, evm I, am he that blot.s out and forgetJ your Situ ; and innumerable fuch like. Now if Men will only take the Sword of the Spirit to wound them, and not alfo the Balm of the Spirit to heal them, they may through their own fault, efpecia\ly when they r.ead the Scriptures with the Devil's Commmentaries, fret thcmfclvcs into Defpa1r. ' 1 Fourthly, Some may fay, Certainly it cannot be t hus neceffJry that the \A/ord of Chrift fhould dwell thus richly and abundantly in all Chriftians. It is rcquifit-e indeed for Minifters, whcfe Calling it is to Teach and lnfi:rud others, that they fhould have this abundance of Scripture dyve\ling in them; but for us who are to receive the Law at their Mouth, a competent knowledge in the Fundamenta ls of Religion may well be fufficient. Wc know that Chrift is the Son of God, that he came into the World to favc Sinners, and that if we would be faved by him, we muft believe in him) and fuch chief Points of Chriftianity whicb are fufticient to Salvation. To this 1 anfwer, Firft, God may well e:cped: a more plentiful mcafurc of the Word to dwell in Minifi:ers; bccaufe it is not only their general, but particular Calling to perufe and ftudy it. There is therefore a twofold fulnefs, a fulnefs of the private Chriftian, and a fulnefs of the Treafurer or Steward, to whofe charge the Oracles of God arc committed, and who is to communi ... cate Knowledge to the People. This being the Minifi:er's OJlice, it is his Du.; ty efpecial\y to abound and be inriched in the knowledge of the Scripture. · But Secondly, Wherefore mufi: the Word of Chrift dwell fo richly in Minifters, is. it for themfclves only, or is it to in(trua their Flock? What? And £an it it be neceffary for them to Teach, and yet unneceffary for you to Learn? Are they bound to fearch into the depth of Gofpcl Myftcries to inform you of them, and is it enough for you only to know the firft Principles and Rudiments? Certain ly, whatfoever God requires the Minifi:er to Teach, that he requires yoa to Learn. Now would you your fclyes judge the Minifter to 7JI
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