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visible in this, that it Makes Wife the Simple

And indeed to what purpose had it been that in these Holy Books all things neceffary, both to Faith and Obedience, were contain'd, if they were fo Obfcure to Us, that we could be never the Wiser for them? How abfurdly as well as impiously, must they think of that Holy Spirit, that di&tated these Writings for the Ufe of the Church in all Ages, who accuse them of being Dark, and not to be Understood? What an Imputation of Folly would it be in a Law-giver, to pen his Laws in fuch a Phrafe and Style, as his People could not understand? and what horrible Iniquity to punish them, for not acting according to a Command, which they were not able to know the Meaning and Purpose of? Far be it from Us, to conceive fuch an Unworthy Opinion of God Himfelf, and his Holy Word. No; the Word of God, in all things necessary, is plain and open to the meaneft Capacity. Hear what Mofes fays of his Law, (and St. Paul applies the very fame words to his Gospel, the word of Faith, which he preach'd, Rom. 10. 6.) This Commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in Heaven, that thou should't fay, Who fball go up for us to Heaven, and bring it to us, that we may bear it and do it? Neither is it be

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yond the Sea, that thou should't say, Who fball go over the Sea, for us, and bring it to us, that we may bear it and do it? But the Word is very Nigh unto thee, in thy Mouth and in thy Heart,that thou may ft do it. (Deut.30.11--14) Again, Thefe words that I command thee this day shall be in thy heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children, and shalt talk of° them when thou fittest in thy house, and when thou walkeft in the way, and when thou lyeft down, and when thou rifeft up. (Deut. 6.6, &c.) So plain did he think his Senfe deliver❜d in the Law, that it was to be their daily and familiar Difcourfe, at home and abroad, in all places, in all postures, and upon all occaGions; So plain, that inftead of running in fearch of any Infallible Expofitor, every Father might inftruct his Son in it, and every Mother her Daughter. The fame Clearness did Holy David acknowledge, when he says in the very next Verfe to that of my Text, The Commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightning the Eyes: and elsewhere, Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet, and a Light unto my Path; and his Son Solomon agrees exa&ly with his Father, The Commandment is a Lamp and the Law is Light, (Prov. 6. 23.).

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In like manner we find St. John in many places ftyling, fometimes our Saviour himfelf, and fometimes his Gofpel, Light, a Light that fbin'd in Darkness, the true Light that

lightens

lightens every man that comes into the World, the Light of the World, and the Light of Life. And St. Paul, speaking of the Gofpel, fays, That the Grace of God, which bringeth Salvation, hath appeared to all Men, has been ma nifeft to all Men. For who is there that is not capable of a fufficient Understanding of the Story, the Precepts, the Prohibitions, the Promifes, and Threatnings of the Gofpel? Who, that will but read it, is not able to under(tand the Meaning of that heavenly Sermon of our Saviour's upon the Mount, deliver'd with Equal Plainness and Power to the Capacity of the Weakest, as well as the Conviction of the Wifeft? Both the Law and the Gospel were writ for all Men, that All might come to the Knowledge of the Truth. And as God commanded, not only the Priests and the Levites, but the whole People, to read and be perpetually converfant in the Law; So has Chrift, by his Apoftles, deliver'd his Gofpel, and commanded it to be read, nor by the Learned only, or the Clergy, but by the whole Christian Church, by all Ranks and Conditions of Men, from the highest to the lowest in Fortune, or Understanding. Further, Every Man to whom the Writings of the Gospel have come, is oblig'd, under Pain of everlafting Damna. tion, both to believe its Doctrines, and obey

its Commands; and St. Paul tells us, That in the great Day, God ball judge the fecrets of Men's hearts by Chrift Jefus, according to his Gofpel. Now, what is the direct and natural Conclufion from this,but that thisCovenant between God and Man, which is fo Univerfal, as equally to concern all Mankind, the Wife and the Unwife, the Simple and the Learned, fo Obligatory, that without the fulfilling the Conditions of it, No One can be fav'd;fo adequate aMeasure of the whole Duty of a Chriftian, that it shall be the Standard, by which Chrift will judge the World, must bear a Sense most perspicuous and plain to all Perfons it concerns, that is, the Whole World, in those Parts of it by which they are to be judg'd, that is, all that are Fundamental and abfolutely Neceffary to Salvation? Unless we would charge the Judge of all the World with the highest Injustice, in exacting Belief and Obedience of those, who had no Means of knowing what they were either to believe or obey; and of the moft Barbarous Cruelty, in pu nifbing his Creatures to all Eternity, for not finding that Plain, which he himself had purposely left Obscure.

This I think may be fufficient, both from the Teftimony of Scripture, and from the Nature and Reason of the thing it felf, to evince the Perfpicuity of Holy Writ in all Neceffary

Neceffary Points. In all Neceffary Points I fay, which I defire may all along this whole Discourse be obferv'd and remembred. For, that there are feveral Difficulties, not only in St. Paul's Epiftles, in which the Romanifts object to us from St. Peter, Some things are hard to be Understood; but in many other Places of both Old and New Teftament, none is fo blind or partial, as not to grant. But because fome are Obscure, does it thence follow that all are fo? Because things, that are not Neceffary, are not always and in every place fo clear, that the moft ordinary capacity may fee thro' them; can it be concluded from hence, that whatever is abfolutely neceffary to every Man's Soul's health is equally Dark? This were Injurious to God, Contradictory to Scripture, Difagreeing to Reason, and which is the most impudent of all Oppofitions, against Experience too.

To fum up this Head therefore, It must be allow'd, that as in Scripture there is contain'd every thing, that of Neceffity a Chriftian Man ought to Believe or Practice, in Terms moft expreffive and Evident to the Simple and Unlearn'd; fo there are alfo in it, Depths and hidden Treasures of Knowledge, which may exercife all the Industry and Skill and Parts, of the most Learned and Wife, and furpass them too. But then

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