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tobey all that was therein commanded, yet, do they oblige all who come to the knowledge of them, to believe all that is therein reveal'd. The Levitical or Ceremonial, and Judicial Laws therein Recorded, concern'd no other, but the People of Ifrael; nor have they any Obligation on other People; yet may it be very ufeful in divers refpects, that we fhould know them. But all the Moral Laws, there given to the Ifraelites, concein Mankind in general, and therefore us Chritians, as well as others. And the historical Relations are all of excellent Ufe to all Men, and fome of them neceffary to be known by all; to give us a right understanding of the Original of the World, the Nature of Man, the Entrance of Sin, and of all the Evils confequent to it, into the World; the wonderful Methods of God's Providence, and his aftonishing Goodness in the promifes of mercy, and the reftauration of fallen Man; his especial care of his Church; the manifeftations of his Love to them that fear and ferve him, and the encouragements they have always had from him; and his Severity to those that rebelled against him, and his heavy Judgments inflicted on them. The Prophefies now vifibly fulfilled, confirm our faith of his Providence and Government, and efpecially in our Lord JESUS Chrift, as the Saviour of the World. In other parts of thofe Scriptures we are taught, how to pray unto, and to praife God on all Occafions, and may have many helps in thefe Duties. And therefore tho' the New Teftament ought to be our principal study, yet fhould we not neglect the reading of the Old, or willingly reft ignorant of the things contained in it.

Secondly,

Secondly, We learn hence, That the Holy Scriptures contain enough to guide us to Heaven, all things needful for our Salvation, and are a sufficient Rule of Faith and Life. There was no need of Lazarus his coming from the dead to inftruct Men in the way of Life. They who then lived had Mofes and the Prophets, and that in Abraham's Judgment was enough; they that would hear them needed no more. Now if Mofes and the Prophets were then enough for the Jews who had them; certainly the Evangelifts and Apostles added to them are abundantly enough for us Chriftians. We need not then either the unwritten Traditions, of the Roman Church, to piece up the Scriptures withall on the one fide; nor the pretended New Lights and Revelations of any fort of Sectaries among our felves on the other hand. The holy Scriptures given by inspiration of God are profitable for Doctriner for Reproof, for Correction, for Instruction in Righteoufneß. That the Man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good Works, 2 Tim. 3. 16.

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Thirdly, We hence conclude it to be our duty to hearken, and attend with all diligence to the holy Scriptures, and to govern our felves both in our Faith and Practice wholly by them; having always a very high veneration for them. For, tho' the Jews had fewer Scriptures than we have, and thofe a great deal more mystical and obfcure than ours are; and tho' Mofes and the Prophets could, after they were dead, fpeak no other way to the Jewish Church, but by thofe obfcurer Writings which they had left behind them; yet faith Abraham, as our bleffed Saviour here makes him fpeak, Let them hear them. Our Saviour taught

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not Abraham to call those obscure and mystical Wri tings, a Dead Letter, or Livelefs Ink and Paper, which can teach nothing; as both Papifts and Quakers are wont to call them. These poor deluded People last named, how much foever they are taught to rail at the Whore and the Beast, have yet been taught withal to speak too much of their Language in many things. Whereby one may fhrewdly conjecture (how little foever most of themselves are fenfible of it) who have been, and still are their principal Teachers. Abraham faith not, They have the Church, the Living Voice of the Church, which gives the Sense to those dead Letters, let 'em hear it; or they have a Light within them, and that must enliven those dead Characters, and make them legible and intelligible; the Voice they are to hearken to is within them, let them hear that. Neither was Abraham ever taught fuch Language as this, neither (I dare fay) hath the bleffed JESUS (whatfoever that which fome call the Holy Ghost in the Church, and others Chrift, or the Spirit within them, may do) ever taught any one to speak of the holy Scriptures, as thefe Men love to do.

Let not us give ear to fuch Teachers as thefe are, fo long as we have a Teacher from Heaven, and may be taught of God, as they boaft themselves to be. Let us hearken to the Voice within us, buɛ let it be no farther, than we find it to be an Echo to the Voice from Heaven, which once faid, This is my beloved Son, hear ye him...... Let us make good ufe of the Light within us, but take heed of being guided by it, where it is not a Reflection of Illumination of that Light which fhines from Heaven upon us in the Written Word of God, which

was

was fhed thence on the Apoftles on the Day of Pentecoft, to guide them into all Truth; which they have made vifible to us by the Light of the glorious Gofpel of Chrift writter by them for our Inftruction. What they preached by the infpiration of the Holy Ghoft, was certainly preached intelligibly, or elfe they preached in vain. And what was intelligible when preach'd, may be alfo intelligibly written, or elfe it must be written in vain. If by hearing the Words we might understand the Mind of God, we may fo understand it by Reading the fame Words written. If we do not, it is because we have no mind to it.

But here it will be very fit, that we be minded of one thing more, which is this. That when Abraham faid, They have Mofes and the Prophets, he added not, Let them keep them laid up hanfomly in their Closets; or let them be fure, for a Shew, to have them lying in their Windows; but let them bear them. That is, let them read, or hear them read, learn what is there taught, and be careful to do what they learn; for to hear is to obey. To have a Bible, tho' it have a gilded Cover, and filken Strings, is not enough to make a good Man. A Bible lying in the Houfe, can fo little preferve a Soul from Hell, that it cannot fave the House from the Fire, nor it felf from the Rats and Mice. As we too generally ufe the Holy Scripture, we make it to our selves as very a dead Letter, as ufeless and infignificant Ink and Paper, as any Papift or Quaker would have us take it for. We may poffibly fome of us delight to talk of the Scripture, and learn to cant in the phrafe of it, and again bestow upon it some of thofe good Words, which we have learn'd in it; and all this they will do, N 2 who

who yet revile it as we have heard. But what ufe after all do we make of it? Truly just the fame that they do. Whatever we read in the holy Scripture, or whatever it command or teach us, is nothing to us; we have another Rule to live by. And what's that, when it comes to be examin'd? Why? 'Tis either custom and fashion, the generally receiv'd Opinions of the World, or those of our Party, the manner of our Education, the way of our Forefathers, or fome fuch thing, much what one with the Tradition of the Papifts: Or elfe 'tis what we call our own Reafon and Judgment; but is oftener Humour and Phantfy, or indeed to fpeak more properly, our own carnal Will and Lufts; and truly this favours too much of the Quaker's Light within them.

Let us all be well affur'd of this one Thing, that neither Mofes and the Prophets, nor Chrift and his Apoftles, will ever avail any one of us one jot towards our getting into Abraham's Bofome, or escaping the Rich Man's torments in Hell; fo long as they are made no better ufe of, than fome of us now make of them. At this rate, we have them, and we have them not; juft as one hath Meat fet before him, but never eateth of it.

How fad a thing is it, that fo many thoufand Souls go to Hell, unto whom God hath liberally vouchfafed all the means of Salvation, and given a moft fure and infallible Guide to Heaven; and merely because they are too Lazy to make any use of God's kindness? Let us but frequently and deliberately read, diligently attend to, perfectly learn, and duly ponder, what in the Holy Scripture God teacheth us moft plainly, and we

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