the Ufe of tbc Holy Scriptures. . more fnblime than the Nature of God? And yet here we have it fo plainly de~ fcribed by all its moft glorious Attributes and PerfeClions that the Scripture dotl1 buq beam forth Li ght to an Eye of Faith, whereby it may be inabled to fee him who is invifiblc.. But if we confid~r .rhofe Gofpcl Myiterics ~he S..:ripture relates, the Hypofb.tical Unton of the D1vme and Humane NatUTe 111 Chrift's Incarnation, the Myfrical Union of our Perfons to his, by our believing, that the Son of God fhould he fubftitutcd in the fl:ead of guilty Sinners; that he who knew no Sin fhonld be made a Sacrifice for Sin, and the Juftice of God brcome reconciled to Man, through the Blood of God: Thefc are Myfteries fo infinitely profound as are enough to puzzle a whole Coll ege of Angels. Now thcfe the Scriptu re propounds unto ns, not only to pofe, but to pcrfeft our Undcrfranding. For that little Knowledr;e we can attain unto in thefe Things, is far more excellent tha n the moft comprehcnfive Knowledge of all things elfe in the World. And where our fcanty Apprehenfions fall fhort of fathoming thefe deep Myfteries, the Apoftle hath taught us to feek it out with an Z ~,}8®-, Rom. 1 r. 33· 0 th( depth of the Rich(s, both of th( lmoro/(dge aud wifdom of G"d! how unfearchab!e are hiJ judg.. ments, and his tt:a)'s paft finding out ! Thirdly, The Scripture it an inexhauftible fountain of Knowledge, the more you draw from it, the more ftill fprings up. It is a deep Mine, and the fanber you fearch into it, frill the richer you find it. It is tedious to read the Works and \Vritings of Men often over, becaufe we are foon at the bottom of what they deliver, and o_ur Under_franding_ha th not~ing new to refrefh _it. ~ut in reading the Scripture Jt _fa~cs w1th us as. Jt d1d wHh th?fe whom_ Chnft Jmracul~uOy fed, the Bread mult1phed under their Teeth, and mcreafed m the very chew1ng of it. So here; while we t uminate and chew on the Truths of the Scripture, they multiply and rife up thicker under our Meditation. One great Caufe of the negle'ct that many arc guilty o~ in read~hg the _Holy Scripture, is a Fear that they Ihall but meet with the fame Thmgs agam, wlnch they have already read and known· and this they account tedious and irkfome. Indeed if they, read it only fupcrfi~ially and flightly, it will be fa. But thofc who fix their Minds to ponder and meditate upon the Word, find new Truths arifing up to their Underftanding which they never before difcover'd. Look as it is in a Starry Night, if you ca'ct your Eyes 11pon many fpaccs of the Heavens, at the firll: Glance perhaps you fhall dif~ co_ver no Stars there;. vet if you continue to _look carnefHy and fixedly, fome wlll emerge to your V1ew that were before htd and conCealed: So is it with the Holy Scriptures. If we only r,lance curiouOy upon them, no wonder we difcover no more Stars, no more glorious Truths beaming out their Light to our Undet fta r.ding. St. Augt~jline found this fo experimentally true, that he teils us in his Third Epiftle, That though he ffiould with better Capacity, and greater Diligence, ftudy all his Life·time, from the beginning of his Childhood to decrepit Age, nothing clfe but the Holy Scriptures; yet they are fo compacted and thick-fee with Truths, that he might daily learn fomething, wh ich before b~ knew not.· God hath as it were ftudied to fpcak compendioufly in the Scriptures. What a Mirade of brevity is it, that the whole Duty of Man , relating both to God and his Neighbou r, fhould be all comprifed in ten Words? Not a Word but were the Senfc of it drawn out, were enough to fill whole Volnmcs; and therefore the Pfalmift, Pjal. I I 9· 96. I have fun an end of all perfcffion, but thy Commnndmmts arc excuding broad. 1 When we ha've attained the kno.,.·Iedgc of thofc Things that are abfolutely neceffary to Salvation, there yet remain fuch depths of Wifdom, both in the manner of Scripture-expreffion, and in the Myfrerioufnefs of things cxpreft, that after our utmoft lnduftry, ftill there will be left new Truths to become the Difcovery of a new fearch. Fourthly, The Scripture exhibits to us that Knowledge which is neceffary tO' Eternal Salvation. This is lif( etern<Jl to know thu1 the only rnu Ci~d and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft feru, .John 17· 3• And this knowl(dge the Scriptu:es {!lone t:an a./ford us, John 5· 39. So 2 Tun. 3· I 5· We need not therefore cngmre after blind Tra... didons, or expect any whimfical Entholiafms; the written Word contains whatfoever is necdfary to be known in ord\!r to eternal Salvation ; and whofotver is wife above what is written, is wife only in lmpertinencies. Now hath God· contraCted whatever was ncceifary for us to know1 and fummed it up in one Book; and fhallnot we be diligent and indultrious in ltudying thattwhich doth fa necef- . farily
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