dom, to embrace every present Good, and shut our Eyes against their Confequences, unless we love Darkness better than Light, and feek our Happiness in the Destruction of our best Powers, we must in the highest manner be influenced by this our highest Concern, Eternal Life; and fearch the Scriptures, the only Writings in which is manifested both the Certainty of it, and the proper Means of attaining it.

It is indeed a most amazing thing, that those Men who are apprized of it, and think they have it in the Scriptures, do not more apply themfelves to fearch the Scriptures, and are not influenced by that Search to become quite another fort of Men, than they who have no fuch Inftruction, and no fuch Motives; that there fhould be fo little Difference in their Manners, whose Knowledge and Encouragements are so different. How VOL. II. F

is

is that Instinct, by which we neceffarily and inceffantly gafp after Happinefs, that Luft of Life and good Days determined, whilst every trifling present Good or Evil weighs more with us, than Eternal Happiness or Misery; these things would appear impoffible in Speculation, were they not familiar to our Experience.

The Jews, to whom the Advice in my Text was immediately directed, were probably very converfant in their Scriptures; their chief Advantage above the Gentiles, was, that unto them were committed the Oracles of God; but this Advantage was entirely loft to those who improv'd them not to the Purposes of Eternal Life. St. Paul tells us, that there fhould come a Time in the Chriftian Dif penfation, when Men will not endure found Doctrine; and these not the open and avow'd Enemies, but Friends of Christianity; Men who fhall

fhall heap to themselves Teachers, having itching Ears. 'Tis well known that fuch Wickedness has been committed by the Affistance of Revelation, I mean by falfe Interpretations of it, and Pretences to its Divine Authority, as mere Reason must have blush'd at, and could have found no poffible Means to have justify'd itself in: Men have thought they have done God good Service, when they were acting in direct Oppofition to his plainest and most exprefs Commands. 'Tis not long fince, in this Nation, the most enormous Villanies were called the Caufe of God, and by a Set of Men, who were fuch Admirers and Searchers of Scripture, that they spoke no other Language in their ordinary Conversation; and they were scarce reputed Christians, unlefs their very Names were Scriptural.

From these and many other Inftances, which will every Day force themselves upon our Observation, we must conclude, That it is not barely enough to fearch the Scriptures; (many have done this, fhall I fay, to no Purpose to the worst of Purposes ;) but we should confider further of a proper Method of searching them in.

When we are commanded to search the Scriptures, we are suppos'd to be antecedently capable of understanding the Scriptures; of difcerning the Reasonableness and Truth of the feveral Precepts and Duties in them enjoin'd. The Scriptures do conftantly address themselves to us, as Creatures before-hand poffest of these Capacities; therefore in fearching them, as in other Writings, we must make use of our natural Understandings; we must inquire freely and impartially, whether these things are fo; and not dream of New Lights, or

rely

rely on ufurp'd Authorities, or cancel our Reason to make way for Faith. Many have set out without this Caution, how obvious foever it may be; and have, and do every Day fall into those strange Extravagancies, which fuch wild Principles must naturally produce. The Scriptures undertake to enlighten our Understandings, and direct and quicken our Affections, but not to destroy either. We are renewed in the Spirit of our Mind, when we are rightly inform'd and employ'd.

As the great Motive for searching the Scriptures, is their containing in them Eternal Life; fo a most obvious Rule arifes from hence, viz. That we fhould always keep this great Motive in view, and make that the principal End of our Reading, which is God's chief End in Revealing.

The Obfervation of this Rule is abfolutely neceffary. Whoever reads