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Pfalm fo highly and fo juftly extols, not without a further Profpect to that more clear Revelation, which in Fulness of time was to be made to the whole World, when He fhould come, who was to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as the Glory of his people Ifrael. For that Law of the Lord, which, both here and in many other places, particularly quite thro' that whole long, but moft artificial and excellent Pfalm,the 19th, Holy David with fo much Devotion and Rapture, fo much Zeal and Love, magnifies and adores under the feveral Synonymous Expreffions of God's Word, Judgments, Commandments, Statutes, Teftimonies, and the like,is not of that confin'd and narrow Signification, as to mean only the Law of Mofes, or whatever other Divine Writings were in David's time extant, but is to be underftood of the whole Reveal'd Word of God, the whole Body of Scriptures, taking in what should in after Ages be deliver'd to the Church, as well as what was already penn'd. And all thofe divine Elogies and Praises, which occur fo often thro' the Book of Pfalms, as they were Hiftorically and Experimentally true of that part of Scripture, which the Faithful then enjoy'd; fo were they also Prophetically Infallibly true of all the rest of it, which in God's fit Time was to be writ by the Infpiration of the L fame

fame Spirit, by which those before David, and David himself wrote. Taking therefore, as we ought, the words Law and Teftimony in this their juft Latitude and full Senfe, we may, from thefe Words of my Text,obferve two very remarkable and diftinguishing Excellencies of the Holy Scripture; namely, their Perfection, and Perfpicuity; Their Sufficiency to Salvation, and Plainnefs to be Underflood. Both which the Church of Rome, in order to erect a Spiritual Tyranny of her Own over Men's Confciences, would Sacrilegioufly Rob them of; and to make it seem neceflary, that the fhould have rightly that Power, which fhe moft falfly ufurps, of adding to them What fhe pleases, and interpreting what is in them how The pleafes, as boldly as unjustly charges the Word of God of being both Imperfect and Obfcure. But what fays the Pfalmist, who we may fafely prefume understood this Holy Word? He concludes the quite contrary in my Text; The Law of the Lord is perfect, Converting the Soul: The Teftimony of the Lord is fure, making Wife the Simple. In which two Members are most evidently contain'd these two Propofitions;

ift, That Holy Scripture, in all things neceffary to Salvation, is fo compleat that it

needs

needs no Addition, for The Law of the Lord is Perfect; and,

2dly, Is fo Evident, that it needs no Infallible Judge for its Interpretation, for it makes Wife the Simple.

Both which I fhall endeavour to make out, both from Scripture and Reafon; and that briefly and didactically; entring as little into Controversy as I well can.

3dly, I fhall then fhew, how he ought to be qualify'd, that would read the Scripture with Profit; imply'd in this Word of the Text, the Simple.

1st, Then, We affirm, That the Holy Scri ptures contain in them all things neceffary to be Believ'd or Pratis'd, in order to the obtaining of Everlafting Salvation.

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I. This Propofition might be undeniably prov❜d by Induction, that is, by a bare recital and enumeration of all the Articles of Christian Faith, and all the Rules of Christian Obedience; and by fhewing where each, and every of them is particularly and expressly taught and commanded in feveral places of Holy Writ ; but this would amount to no less than a whole Body of Divinity,

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and being too large an Undertaking for this Time and Place, I fhall wave it at prefent, leaving it to every Man's own Observation and Experience, to fatisfy Himself of the Truth of it; and challenging the Adverfaries of the Truth of it, to produce One fingle Point abfolutely neceffary to Salvation, relating either to Belief or Practice, which is not fomewhere or other clearly fet down and deliver'd to us in Scripture.

That the Law of Mofes was, as the Pfalmift here ftiles it, a Perfect Law; that is, that it contain'd all things that were neceffary for God's People, the Jews, to Believe and to do, in order to obtaining the Promifes of it, is plain from the frequent and preffing Admonitions of Mofes to the Children of Ifrael to the moft Religious, Stric, and Inviolable Obfervation of it; And that they might know that That was the entire Will of God, and to which Only he expected their Exact Obedience; how often through the whole Book of Deuteronomy does he repeat? These are the Teftimonies and the Statutes and the Judgments, and Hear O Ifrael, the Statutes and the Judgments which I Speak in your Ears this Day: Now these are the Commandments, Thefe and none else, the Statutes and the Judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that thou

might'ft

might'ft fear the Lord to keep ALL HIS STATUTES. And that none might doubt, but that All his Statutes were herein contain❜d, that nothing more was to be expected to make up the Perfection of the Law, or fupply any imaginable defect in it; what a peremptory Caution does he give? Te fball not Add unto the Word that I command, neither fball ge Diminish ought from it, Deut. 4. 2. and again, repeating the fame Prohibition, What thing foever I command you, obferve to do it, thou shalt not Add thereto, nor Diminish from it. Chap. 12. 32. Since therefore no Ad ditions might be made to it, it must be concluded to have been already Perfect: Perfect, both as a full Direction of Life and Manners, and as a compleat Sum of all they were to Believe and expect. To thefe Scriptures therefore it was that our Saviour while he was upon Earth, upon all occafions appeal'd, from Thefe he convinc'd the Jews of theirUnbelief, Thefe he commanded all toSearch,Search the Scriptures, for in Them Te think ye have Eternal Life, and they are they which testify of me. John 5. 39. It was to Thefe Scriptures, that Father Abraham referr❜d the Brethren of the Rich Glutton, as to a fure guide, to direct 'em to the perfect Bliss, which he himself enjoy'd, and to fecure them from that place of Torment,

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