ESSAY II.

On the Importance of Revealed Truth, the Duty of reading the Scriptures, and the Manner in which it should be performed.

As the Bible may be unanswerably proved to be the

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word of God, we should reason from it, as from self-evident principles, or demonstrated truths: for "His Testimony is sure, and giveth wisdom to the simple."

Many parts of Scripture accord so well with the conclusions of our rational powers, when duly exercised, that ei ther they might have been known without Revelation, or else men have mistaken the capacity of perceiving truth for that of discovering it. Hence various controversies have arisen about natural religion, which many suppose to be rather taken for granted, than made known, by Revelation. But the term is ambiguous: for the word natural includes the propensities of our hearts, as well as the power of our understandings; and the same truths which accord to the latter, are often totally opposite to the former. The gentiles might have known many things concerning God and his will, if they had "liked to retain him in their knowledge;" but their alienation of heart from him prevailed to keep them in ignorance, or entangle them in error. So that the religion of reason would express the idea much more intelligibly, if any such distinction be deemed neces

sary.

This, however, is obvious, that many truths and precepts which are found in the Bible, have been maintained by persons who were ignorant of, or rejected, that divine revelation, or who chose not to own their obligations to it: and many others, professing to receive the Scriptures as the word of God, assent to some truths contained in them, not so much because they are revealed, as because they think

that they may be proved by other arguments; whereas, they reject, neglect, or explain away, those doctrines, which are not thus evident to their reason, or level with their capacities. So that at last it comes to this, that they discard all that is deemed peculiar to revelation; and refuse to believe the testimony of God, if their own reason will not vouch for the truth of what he says.

It may indeed be questioned, whether those opinions, which men so confidently magnify as the oracles of reason, were not originally without exception borrowed from revelation, as far as there is any truth in them: and it is evident, that they cannot possess sufficient certainty, clearness, and authority, to render them efficacious principles of action, except as they are enforced by revelation, and its awful sanctions. And the wildest enthusiast never dreamed of a grosser absurdity, than they maintain, who suppose that the only wise God hath given a revelation to man, confirmed by miracles and prophecies, and established in the world by the labours and sufferings of his servants, and the -crucifixion of his well-beloved Son; and that this revelation at last is found to contain nothing, but what we might have known as well without it! Nay, that it is expressed in such language, as hath given occasion to those, who have most implicitly believed and reverentially obeyed it, to maintain sentiments, and adopt practices, erroneous and evil in themselves, and of fatal consequence to mankind. . We might, therefore, have previously expected that a revelation from God should illustrate, confirm, and enforce such things, as seem more level to our natural powers: and that it should make known to us many important mat ters, which we could not have otherwise discovered; and which would be found exceedingly different from all our notions and imaginations; seeing that our contracted views and limited capacities are infinitely distant from the omnis, cience of God. So that it is most reasonable to conclude, that the doctrinal truths, which more immediately relate to the divine nature, perfections, providence, and govern, ment, the invisible and eternal world, and the mysteries

of redemption, constitute by far the most important part of revelation; as discovering to us such things "as eye hath "not seen, nor ear heard, neither have they entered into the "heart of man ;" and yet they are essentially connected with our present hope, worship, and duty, and with our future happiness or misery.

He therefore cannot, according to the common use of language, be called a believer, who only holds those doctrines, which he deems the dictates of reason as well as of revelation; whilst he rejects the testimony of God, whenever he deems it unreasonable. And we may hence learn what judgment to form of those who affirm, without hesitation, that the moral precepts and sanctions, with the more evident truths of the Bible, are the only important part of it; that it is of little consequence what men believe, especially concerning those things which are in any degree mysterious; and that none but narrow bigots, and weak and ignorant people, lay any stress upon speculative opinions "He that believeth not, maketh God a liar ;" especially he that believeth not the testimony which God hath given of his Son, and of eternal life bestowed on sinners through him: (John iii 12-21. 31-36. 1 John v. 9-12.): this is the uniform doctrine of Scripture; and to contradict it is equivalent to a total rejection of divine revelation. Can it be supposed that the prophets and apostles were commissioned, and that the Son of God was manifested in the flesh, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, merely to inform mankind that the Lord approved honesty, temperance, truth, and kindness, and disapproved the contrary vices? Or that the unnumbered testimonies which the scriptures contain, to the mysteries of the Divine nature, the Person of the Redeemer, the work of Redemption, and the influences of the Holy Spirit, may, without criminality, be disbelieved, derided, or reviled; provided men are moral in their conduct towards one another? Or that God is equally pleased with those who thus affront his veracity, as with them who implicitly submit to his teaching and credit his testimony? If this be the

case, in what does the difference between the infidel and the believer consist? All, except avowed atheists, will allow the propriety of many precepts, and the truth of some doctrines, coinciding with those contained in Scripture: but the infidel admits them as the dictates of reason, not as the testimony of God; and the pretended believer rejects all, without hesitation, that appears not to accord with the same standard. So that both of them believe their own reasonings, "lean to their own understandings," and "make God a liar," when his testimony contradicts their own self-confident decisions! It appears, therefore, that the prevailing notion of the comparatively small importance of doctrinal truth, is subversive of revelation; and, in fact, is only a more plausible and more dangerous species of infidelity.

If we believe the Scriptures to have been written by inspiration from God, and have any suitable apprehensions of his omniscience, veracity, and perfections; we must be convinced, that it is the height of arrogance for us shortsighted erring creatures of yesterday, to speak of any doctrine contained in them, as false or doubtful, because it is not coincident with our reasonings or conceptions. Surely, a small portion of modesty and humility might suffice to induce a confession, that we are more likely to be mistaken than the only wise God! In rejecting his authenticated testimony, we must either advance our knowledge above his omniscience, impeach his veracity, or deny the Scriptures altogether or in part to be his word; reserving to ourselves the infallible determination, what part is of divine authority, and what is not! If, on the other hand, we deem any part of the Scriptures, though true, to be of little or no importance, or of bad tendency, what do we, but affront the infinite wisdom or goodness of God, as if He did not know what truths were proper to be revealed to man; or as if he purposely discovered those matters, which would have been better for mankind never to have known? And seeing it is evident that the Lord hath, in the Scriptures, required the belief of certain doctrines as absolutely necessary to salvation; to

insinuate that these doctrines are either false, doubtful, or of no value, must involve in it the grossest and most affronting blasphemy imaginable.

We do not indeed maintain that all the truths of revelation are of equal importance; because they are not stated in Scripture to be so; but none can be wholly unimportant, and we are not always competent to decide upon their comparative value. Some things are more obvious than others; and such as are more hard to be understood, are not so well adapted to those persons "who are unstable and unlearned" in the school of Christ: yet we are not authorized to reject, or even to doubt, any of them. We may indeed demur as to the true interpretation of them, whilst in humble reverent teachableness, we wait for clearer light upon the subject: and we must remain for some time in partial ignorance or error, because we cannot at once become acquainted with all the truths which are revealed to faith, even when we have got a disposition implicitly to believe them. There are some things which relate to the very life and essence of religion; others are rather necessary to our stability, comfort, and holy conduct; these we must by no means reject, or treat with indifference; but it is possible, that to the last, we may be mistaken or ignorant about some of them, and yet be found among the heirs of salvation.

The importance of revealed truth may be shown in another way; for it is the seed or principle in the soul, whence all inward and real holiness proceeds. "Sanctify "them by thy truth, thy word is truth :" (John xvii. 17— 19;) "beholding as in a glass," (namely, in the doctrine of Christ,)" the glory of the Lord, we are changed into "the same image.” (2 Cor. iii. 18. iv. 3—6.) “Without con

troversy great is the mystery of Godliness, God was ma"nifest in the flesh." This doctrine was, in the judgment of the apostle," the great mystery (of Godliness," and indeed all holy dispositions and affections towards God, all the genuine spiritual worship, all the willing obedience of filial love, and all the cheerful acquiescence in the divine