Oh, then, my Dear Brethren, I do beseech you) for every reason, to obey the admonition of the Psalmist in our text, and "Hate the thing that is evil." Hate it as your deadliest enemy, in whatsoever form or degree it presents itself to you! Hate evil thoughts, for the "very thought of wickedness is sin" in the sight of Him who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins. Hate evil words, "For by thy words thou shalt bè justified, and by thy words thou shalt be coǹdemned." Hate evil actions, because every evil deed you commit pleases the Devil, dishonour's God, and is a step taken on the road to destruction. Hate evil company because it tempts you to "follow the multidude in doing evil."

For the sake of your own happiness and peace of mind-For the sake of your Christian profession, that you may not give the enemy reason to rejoice -As you value your immortal souls-As you hope for a happy death-bed, and a joyful resurrection As a proof of your love to that adorable Saviour who died for you, and washed you in His blood and to the eternal glory and praise of your covenant God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, "see that ye hate the thing that is evil."

Now to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, &c.

SERMON XI.

ON THE AUTHENTICITY, INSPIRATION, AND EXCELLENCY OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES.

2 TIMOTHY III. 16.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.

THE question which Pilate put to our blessed Lord "What is Truth? is one that is deeply interesting to every reflective mind. For besides that there is an innate and ardent desire for knowledge in the human breast, the very circumstances in which the Creator has been pleased to place us, combine to make the acquisition of truth most fervently to be wished for by His rational

creatures.

Living as we do in a world where every thing around us is transitory and uncertain-surrounded by objects with whose outward forms we have ant imperfect acquaintance, but of whose essential na

tures and properties we are and must be ignorant -brought up as we have been from infancy in the midst of mysteries-daily accustomed to witness the occurrence of events, the means and purposes of which are wholly unaccountable to us, so that we can scarcely assign a satisfactory reason for any thing we see, either in the natural or moral world, and are sometimes almost tempted to question the reality of all around us, yea, even of our own existence it is no wonder, I say, that in this state of doubt and ignorance, our minds should turn with eagerness to every thing that bears the semblance of truth, and that a feeling of delight should associate itself with whatsoever seems to deserve the character of certainty.

Hence it is, that of all human sciences, the study of mathematics and experimental philosophy affords the greatest pleasure to those who have capacities for it, because by them we are enabled to arrive nearer, the reality of things than by any other; and on the very same principle it is, that the study of the Sacred Scriptures affords such unspeakable comfort to the renewed mind. For these present us, my Christian Brethren, with truth itself in its purest and sublimest form. Those blessed, books which are distinguished from all other writings by the honourable appellation of THE SCRIPTURES, (to use the words of that great philosopher, Mr. Locke)" have God for their Author,

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salvation for their end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for their matter." Truth, without any mixture of error! It is a pleasant thing to reflect, that this was the opinion of such men as Locke, Newton, Bacon, and Johnson. It is satisfactory to know, that the wisest and best of the human race have not been ashamed to submit their gigantic understandings to the teaching of the Bible. But it is still more comfortable to have the assurance from the lips of an Apostle, that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.”*

These words, my Beloved Brethren, lead us to consider, in the first place, the proofs of the Divine Inspiration of the Old and New Testaments; and, secondly, the consequences which necessarily ensue from it.

First, I say, the words of St. Paul, in our text, lead us to consider what proofs there are of the Divine Inspiration of the Old and New Testament. For though the Scripture, to which the Apostle here adverts, includes only the writings of Moses and the Prophets (the New Testament not being

* The author thinks it unnecessary to notice the different rendering which some give to this passage, viz. "All Scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable," &c., because this is a manifest perversion of the original Greek, as every unprejudiced person who consults it will at once perceive.

then in existence), yet, as that title has since been applied to both Testaments alike, I shall therefore take the liberty, in the following discourse, of using the term Scripture in the common acceptation, namely, as designating all the canonical or generally received books in our English Bible.

And here the question naturally suggests itself, -How can we be sure that the Scriptures contained in our Bibles are the very same with those which were regarded as being given by Divine Inspiration in the first ages of the Church? To. this question, which many have made a pretext for their infidelity, a most satisfactory answer can be returned.

For, first, with respect to the Scriptures of the Old Testament as we now possess them, the Jews, who are the most inveterate enemies of Christianity, do themselves acknowledge their authenticity. They deny, indeed, the propriety of their application to Jesus Christ, but they do not pretend to deny that they are the genuine writings of the persons whose names they bear. Take, for instance, that remarkable prophecy contained in the 53d chapter of Isaiah, "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep" have gone astray, we have turned every one after his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the