t5S S E E, MONS npon Serm. 29. of it. Things are nakedly reportedbut yet in an affeetive manner, as if we had been a&ually prefent to fee them done. Look to the Histories of the Word, certainlÿ they cannot he Fiaions, for Fi&ions mutt either be to delight the Fancy, as Poetry, or to win affent lot politick Ends. There is no filch thing in the Scriptures : not Poetry, things are delivered in a plain manner 5 not Policy, to gain a repute to themfelves, they (till feek to caf( the Honour upon God, as I (hall prove by and by, by the faith fulnefs of their Relations : It is not imitable by Art, fuch a plain genuine Narration. For Myfteries, there were Sophifts in the Apouile's Times. Nihil tam borrendam, pod non dicendo fiat probabile. The fashion was, to make abfurd horrid Things feem pro- bable by the paint and artifice of Words, as to prove a Gnat better than the Sun, or a Worm than a Mari, by plaufible Arguments. But, faith the Apofile, i Cor. 2. 4. My Speech, and my Preaching was not with inticing words of Man's Wifdom 5 Gut in demon- flration of the Spirit, and of Power; nor in oftentation of parts, but in Simplicity and Power : plain words have a mighty Efficacy. Thofe Sophifts and Orators did only tickle the Fancy, their Aim was not to win Affent. 3. The Fidelity of their Reports. The Penmen of the Scripture report their own Failings, which Men will not do. If they muff write of themfelves, they will be fure to write the belt, and not the worn ; but there fpared not their own Faults. Men na- turally labour to cover their own Faults, to hide them, to (peak well of themfelves efpecially they are careful not to leave an ill Chara&er of themfelves to Poferity, nor of their Party and Fa&ion. Now you (hall fee Mofes fpareth not to relate his own Weakneffes and Mifcarriages, his refrftañce of his Call, Exod. 4. nor what a great deal of do God had to bring him into Egypt, to perform his Duty to his Country : his falfe Pleas (hew his carnal Fear ; Verf. 19. The Lord faid unto Mofes in Midian, Go, return into Egypt, for all the Men are dead which fought thy Life; His murmuring against God, and fpeaking unadvifedly with his Lips ; the Idolatry of Aaron ; the murmuring of Miriam his Sifter ; God (hutting him out of the Land of Canaan ; and not believing after many Miracles. Numb. 20. 12. ../Ind the Lord fake unto Mofes and Aaron, Be- canfe ye believed not, to fanïlify me in the Eyes of the Children of Ifrael ; therefore ye Ad! not bring this Congregation into the Land which 1 have given them. Many fuels Inflances may be given, how the Penmen of Scripture relate things to their own difparagement. Deut. 32. 51. Becaufe ye trefpafd againf me among the Children of Ifrael, at the Waters of Meribah- kade(h, in the Wildernefr of Zin ; Gecaufe ye fantlified me not in the midf of the Children of Ifrael. 4. Another Quality to be difcerned in the Manner and Form of the Scriptures, is the Harmony and Agreement that is to be found in them all along, notwithfanding the diverfity of Times, Places, and Perlons ; (till there is an increafe of Knowledg, and Difpenfations rife higher and higher, as the Light increafeth till Noon -day, but there is no difference. Luke s. 70. . As he fpake by the Mouth of his Holy Prophets, which have been fine the World began. One Mouth, many Prophets. They lived in fuch distant Ages, handled fuch diverfity of Arguments, yet all confpired in promoting the fame Truth, which is now revealed to us in the New Tettament. There is a great difference of Style, Come fpeak with more loftinefs and majefty, others with greater familiarity and humility of Expre(fron, yet all promoting the fame thing. There is a difference in the manner of Profecution, yet an exalt harmony in the Subitanee and effential Qua- lity of their Writings ; not only in their general drift and (cope, to let out the Glory of God, and the Good of Mankind, but in the matter handled, without any fpice of fecular Vanity, as is to be feen in other Writings. So that one and the fame Spirit ap- peareth throughout the whole. r Cor. 12.4. Now there are diverfities of Gifts, bat the fame Spirit. Yea, there is not only a diverfity of Style, but a different degree of Light, according to the increafe of Gods Difpenfations,' yet there is an Harmony. God's Name, and Style, and the Myfery of Christ, was made known to the Church by degrees ; the folemn Title and Style of God was not one and the fame from the beginning of the World ; but rho they were divers, yet they were not one contrary to another, but one perfeeting the .other: He is called by Melchifedeck, The moll High God, Poffr of Heaven and Earth, Gen.t4. 19. Afterwards, by reafon of his Cove- nant with Abraham, +r<t -4 God Allfis cient, Gen. 17. r. I am the Almighty God, or the Alfufficient God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Then when he was put to it, he made known himfelf by the Name of Jehovah, Exod. 6. 2, 3. And God fpake unto Mofes, and faid unto him, I am the Lord. And I appeared unto Abraham, auto Ifaac, and .ante Jacob, by the Name of God Almighty, but by my Name f E H OV A H was
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