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SERMON VII

Pfalm XIX. 7.

The Law of the Lord is Perfect, converting the Soul; The Teftimony of the Lord is Sure, making Wife the Simple.

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HIS Pfalm is a noble Poem, compos'd by Holy David in Contemplation of the two different Ways, by which God had been pleas'd to display Himself to Mankind. The Firft, of which he treats in the fix firft Verfes is that general Manifeftation of Himself, which fhines out in fo bright and glorious a manner, in the Beauty, and Order, and Conftancy of the Heavenly Bodys, the moft noble and conspicuous Part of the Vifible Creation.

Creation. The Heavens declare the Glory of God, and the Firmament Jheweth his Handywork (v. 1.) the Firmament fpread forth as a fair Volume, in which is written the infinite Wisdom and Power of its great Creator, in Characters legible to all Mankind, fuch as He, that can but look up, can't choose but read, and in a Language known and underftood by all the different Nations upon the Face of the whole Earth. There is neither Speech nor Language, but their Voices are heard among them. Their Sound is gone out into all Lands, and their Words into the ends of the World (v.4.) Infomuch that St Paul juftly reckons even the Heathen World inexcufable, if in this great Book of Nature they could not read the Divinity of its Author. For the invifible things of Him from the Creation' of the world are clearly feen by the things that are made, even His Eternal Power and Godhead. So that they are without Excufe, Rom. 1. 20.

The Second, which He begins to handle from the Verfe of my Text, is that more particular Manifeftation of Himself to his chofen People the Jews, to whom in a more peculiar Manner He reveal'd Himself, not only by his Works common to all, but by his Word appropriated to them, giving them a Law written with his own Hand. A Law which with fo much Divine Eloquence the Royal Prophet thro' this latter part of the

Pfalm

Pfalm fo highly and so justly 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 coine, who was to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as the Glory of his people frael. 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 119th, 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, Fudgments, 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 understood 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 those 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 alfo Prophetically Infallibly true of all the rest of it, which in God's fit Time was to be writ by the Inspiration of the L

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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 Understood.. Both which the Church of Rome, in order to erect a Spiritual Tyranny of her Own over Mens Confciences, would Sacrilegiously Rob them of; and to make it seem neceffary that she fhould have rightly that Power, which she moft falfely ufurps, of adding to them What The 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 lays the Pfalmift, 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;

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

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