people in our Saviour's time, is so far from being discontinued, either by himself or his apostles, that it is always mentioned by them with applause and approbation. Thus the Bereans are commended as a people of a nobler strain than those of Thessalonica, because they searched the scriptures daily whether those things which St. Paul had preached to them were so or no. And St. Paul is so far from reprehending Timothy for meddling with the scriptures whilst he was a layman, that he mentions it to his honour, that he had known the scriptures from a child. And in all those passages wherein our Saviour takes it for granted that the common people of the Jews did read the scripture, we have not the least intimation of his dislike of their practice, which we should certainly have had, had he apprehended it to be either dangerous or unwarrantable. Seeing therefore neither our Saviour nor his apostles do in the least disallow of the scriptures being read by the common people, but on the contrary do expressly commend it; this is a plain argument that it was their intention to perpetuate the practice of it to future ages. For seeing the Jews read the scriptures in obedience to an express command of God, as was shewn before, had our Saviour intended that they should not continue it, he would doubtless have repealed that command by some countermand, which he was so far from doing, that he not only every where allows of their reading the scriptures, but also expressly approves and commends it; whereby he plainly establishes the obligation of that ancient command, in obedience to which they did read them.

3. From the great design and intention of writing the scriptures, it is also evident that the people are

still obliged to read them. It is plain, the great design of writing the scripture was to instruct men in the knowledge, and persuade them to the practice of true religion; for thus, of the scriptures of the Old Testament, St. Paul tells us, that whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, Rom. xv. 4. and for our admonition, 1 Cor. x. 11. And as for the New Testament, we are told, that it was written, that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing we might have life through his name, John xx. 31. And St. Peter tells us, that he wrote both his Epistles to stir up the pure minds of Christians by way of remembrance: and to put them in mind of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of the apostles of our Lord and Saviour, 2 Pet. iii. 1, 2. And St. John gives us this account of his writing his Epistles, These things have I written to you, that ye sin not, 1 John ii. 1. And St. Jude, this of his, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, ver. 3. These are the ends for which the scripture was written; but how can the writing of it contribute to these ends, if we are not permitted to read what is written? For the scripture was written to the people as well as to the clergy, as I shall shew by and by; but to what purpose should it be written to the people to instruct and admonish them, if the people are not allowed to read its instructions and admonitions? What influence could the writing it have upon the people's belief, that Jesus Christ is

the Son of God, if they had been debarred from acquainting themselves with what is written concerning him? How could it stir up their remembrance, if they might not read what it suggested to their memory? By what other way can it keep the people from sinning, but by motives and persuasions? But how should its motives and persuasions affect their minds, if they are not allowed to consult and understand them? Upon what account can it move the people earnestly to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, if they are not allowed to learn from it either what that faith is, or what those reasons are which oblige them to contend for it? So that to write to the people on purpose to instruct and reform them, and at the same time to purpose to debar them from reading it, is either to suppose that the writing will operate like a charm, or to purpose a downright contradiction. For how oddly would it have looked, if in the aforecited passages the apostles had expressed themselves thus: "These things are written for your learning and admoni"tion; but it is by no means fit you should learn "from them what they teach and admonish you. "These things are written that ye should believe "that Jesus is the Christ, and the Son of God; but

66

66

they are not written that you should inquire of "them whether Jesus be the Christ or the Son of God. These things are written to put you in mind "of what hath been spoken by the prophets and "apostles; but they were not written that you might

66

acquaint yourselves by them what the prophets and "apostles spake. These things are written that you "should not sin; but beware you do not read them, "lest the bad examples recorded in them occasion

66

you to sin. In short, these things were written "to excite you earnestly to contend for the faith "once delivered to the saints; but you are by no " means allowed to inquire into them, lest you should "misunderstand them, and so, instead of contending "for the faith, you should contend for heresy and "false doctrine." Had the apostles thus expressed themselves, I appeal to any reasonable man, whether these passages would not have startled his understanding, and tempted him to question whether the authors of them were well in their wits; and yet this must have been their meaning, supposing that they meant that the people should not read what they wrote.

4. From the direction of these holy writings to the people, it is also evident that the people are still obliged to read, or acquaint themselves with them. For so we find the law of Moses was delivered by God to all the people, as well as to him and Aaron, and, as was shewn before, they were all of them commanded to search and inquire into it. And so also were the sermons of the prophets, which are usually prefaced with an, Hear, O Israel; Hear, O house of Judah; Hear, O house of Jacob; and Hear, all ye of Judah. So also our blessed Saviour preached his sermons and parables, not only to his apostles and seventy disciples, but also to the people and to the multitudes. And so also his apostles direct their epistles, not only to the saints, to the faithful in Christ Jesus, to the beloved, which in the language of scripture includes every Christian, but also to all that are at Rome, to all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, to all the saints which are in Achaia, to all the

saints which are at Philippi, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, to the strangers scattered through Pontus, Galatia, &c. and to them which have obtained like precious faith with us; that is, to all the Jewish Christians dispersed over the world. Seeing therefore the scriptures were directed to all, as well laity as clergy, this not only gives a right to all to read them, but also lays an obligation upon all to acquaint themselves with them. For the very directing such a writing or epistle to such or such persons, doth, in the sense of all the world, imply, that he who writes doth design and intend, that they to whom he directs it should read and peruse it; and therefore since the scriptures were written to all, that is a plain intimation that it was the intention of the writers that all should read them. And for us not to read what God hath written and directed to us, is by implication of fact a profane neglect and contempt of his mercy, and looks as if we either thought him such an insignificant being, or ourselves so little concerned in any thing that he can say or write to us, as that it would not be worth our while to receive and peruse the contents of those sacred epistles, which, by the hands of his holy penmen, he hath vouchsafed to direct to us. Nor is it a sufficient excuse for our contempt to say, that in consideration of our own proneness to err and mistake, we ought to content ourselves with this, that our spiritual guides should read God's writings for us, and deliver the sense and contents of them to us: for to be sure, had God intended that the priests only should read them, he would have directed them only to the priests, and ordered them only to deliver the sense of them to