we know that throughout the length, and the breadth of the land, the people flocked to their churches; and gathered about the desks to which the precious volume was chained; that the aged, and the unlettered stood around while their kinsfolk, and neighbours were reading to them the pages of Gon's book; and that they drank this refreshment for the soul, as eagerly as the faint and weary footed pilgrim would drink the crystal water of a well spring in the desert. They gathered comfort and refreshment; many a dark mind was enlightened; many a broken spirit bound up; and many a burdened heart relieved. Again and again, did they come with willing feet where they might be fed and nourished, and go strengthened on their way. It needs not that I should enforce, by lengthened argument, the duty which they performed with such devotedness of spirit, or the privilege which they held so precious: the latter, though it be lightly esteemed, hath not been hidden; the former, though it has been neglected, has not been unknown. None of you can be ignorant, how mighty a demonstration it was of the love of GoD, that He put into our hands the record of our gospel hopes, the title deeds of a covenanted inheritance. And shall this this book be neglected? While we are giving our days unreluctantly to other pursuits, and consecrating bodily and mental faculties to the engrossing claims of an earthly service, shall we spare no secret, solitary hours, to commune in our chamber with our GOD, and to read of his dealings with a lost and ruined world. What would you say, if any one of you had a friend who watched over your interest with unceasing care, whose sympathising tenderness never varied, and when you were separated by a long distance from that friend, and he sent you a letter of kindness which might tell you that his love was unabated by time; that his power to serve you was still unweariedly exerted; and that he had been preparing for your permanent happiness with himself; what would you say, if that letter were laid, unread, to gather dust upon the shelf? Would you not say that the man must be stony hearted indeed, who, having had such long experience of kindness, and easily guessing what the letter must contain, could thus fling back cold neglect in requital of affection? Just such a charge will lie against us, if we suffer the Bible to be unread. We are closing, and laying by, our Father's letter-the letter which he sends to his children; wherein he tells them of the love which has been towards them from eternity, and shall endure unto eternity;-wherein he tells them how he has provided for their comfort and peace, during their trial time; and how he has prepared an everlasting resting place in his own kingdom, which is sealed and secured to them by the blood of his dear Son. But I need not dwell at greater length on the enforcement of the duty; arguments and motives, in sufficient number, will occur to your own minds: I would rather suggest to you two points of consideration connected with the performance of it.—First, the manner of reading God's word: Secondly, the benefits which will result from it. With respect to the first,-The manner of reading the word of God. It must be continual. They who at Berea "received the word with all readiness of mind, searched the Scriptures daily." It was not an occasional desultory occupation, but it was one which every day brought with it. Other engagements were made to yield; the con cernments and interests of earth were not permitted to intervene for the interruption of an employment of far deeper importance than any with which the world could furnish them. Now if we read the word of GOD only when other subjects have remitted their claim upon our time and thought, and have left us a season of leisure; we contravene the command which bids us "seek first the kingdom of GOD and his righteousness:" and there is hazard that the interest excited by the study being broken, and interrupted, the profit which might have resulted should be altogether lost. David, the man after GOD's own heart, he who advanced so far in the way of faith, and holiness, and service, read the divine. testimonies by day, and meditated on them by night. If we would advance to his high attainments in spiritual knowledge and experience, we must use constantly, and unweariedly, that means of grace, to the efficacy of which he has borne his willing testimony. It is a study which we shall not exhaust; it will leave a blessing with the meanest and most unlearned disciple; and it will abundantly repay the devotion of years by those who occupy the higher grades of intellect and genius. The world cannot, indeed, furnish forth a spectacle more beautiful or noble, than that which is beheld when men of the mightiest minds, whose researches have been into the very depths of science, and who have rifled all the stores of literature and learning, are receiving with all simplicity of spirit their daily lesson of Divine wisdom; and as they advance to deeper experience of their own hearts, and a truer estimate of the comparative value of present and future things, become more and more the men of one book. The Bible, to be read profitably, must be read with reverence. the word of the living GOD. It is the word which he speaks to his poor, lost, unworthy creatures; let them receive it with the deepest humility. It is the word of the King of kings; let his subjects be prostrate while he addresses them. If we follow the study of Scripture with reverence for its authority, we shall be infinitely far from attempting, nay, even from desiring to bring down its requirements, and lower its standard, to the measure of our own inclinations. We shall rather learn continually to set our mark high, and becoming more dissatisfied with low attainments in holiness, in proportion as we see more of the searching demands of a spiritual law, we shall aim at greater eminence of piety. Neither shall we be inclined to single out any isolated parts, on which to fix our exclusive attention, leaving the remainder unheeded, as though it concerned not us. The believer knows that his Father has given him the whole book as his privilege and his portion. This feeling of reverence will also prevent us from cavilling at some apparent difficulties which the Bible contains. There are, indeed, many things, fully to follow out, and to appreciate which does not fall within the compass and the power of human reason, and does not belong to a condition of so much darkness, as that which we at present occupy. But so far from suffering this to lie as a stumbling block in our path, we may use it rather as an additional testimony that the book is the book of GOD. If it contained nothing but what the finite might grasp, and comprehend; if there were nothing in it but what human intellect might span, and measure, the opponents of revelation would not have failed to seize on this as ground for the assertion that it was of earthly origin; and the weight, indeed, of an additional arguIt is ment on the other side, would seem to be wanting. Now, when we have | although the brightness of a rare satisfied ourselves, as we may beyond genius, and the force of the most vithe reach of reasonable doubt, that it gorous and exercised intellect should comes entire from Him, whose very be brought to bear upon the page, essence is truth, let us not question yet unless there be prayer for light the authority of one word which is from above, he shall not advance a written there. I well know that, single step towards unfolding the among modern theologians of a cer- precious subject which it contains, tain class, who delight in advancing but the veil, and the mist, and the bold and startling positions, there are cloud shall remain untaken away. those, who, admitting what they term Hence it happens that so many perthe general inspiration of Scripture, sons, who read the Bible, even with deny that the special arrangement, a degree of constancy and assiduity, the detail, and the form of expression, miss the special gain which it might are inspired; and thus they would bring them, and rise daily from the endeavour to reduce, and to pare volume, which had made others wise down the authority of the word, until unto salvation, unadvanced in heathey shall be able successfully to venly wisdom, and unchanged in maintain that the passages which op- heart. If you would make your readpose their own peculiar views have ing profitable to your own souls, and nought of inspiration, and may there- profitable to your family when gafore be safely rejected. Now, in con- thered around you to hear, use earntradiction to so hazardous an opinion, est, special prayer that you may have let us believe the testimony of Scrip- the teaching of the spirit of GOD. ture concerning itself, that it "is all Make the supplication of David your given by inspiration of GOD;" that own: "Lord open thou our eyes, every word is the expression of the that we may see wonderful things out Spirit which dictated to the sacred of thy law." "Send forth thy light penman; and that we cannot impugn and thy truth that they may lead us.” the divine origin of one sentence, without impeaching the authority of Him, by whose inspiration the whole was written. The Bible must also be read withnefit can result. "The well is deep, prayer. Without prayer there can be no profit. It is the appointed means of bringing down the guidance and illumination from above, the want of which can be supplied by no other qualifications for the study, of however high, and distinguished an order they may be. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Although he may put forth the reasoning powers of a gigantic mind, and use the resources of the most accomplished criticism; And lastly, with respect to the manner of searching the Scriptures, use a teachable spirit. If you are selfconfident, and self-dependant, no be and you have nothing to draw with." If you seek only for reasons, by the force of which, you may strengthen a particular clan of opinions, for whose establishment you feel an almost exclusive interest; or by which you may be helpful in upholding a particular system, which has received, perhaps a hasty and inconsidered adoption, you will incur the hazard of making the Bible speak your words, and not its own. And if in these days of controversy, we use the Scriptures only to furnish arguments, the weight and authority of which may give us an advantage over our an tagonists, we are taking from the ar- broken, prayerful spirit to his feet. moury of GOD weapons for an unholy Nothing in the dominion of grace, warfare, and we must look to receive any more than in the dominion of no blessing from Him whose name providence, is beyond the limit of we are profaning. Rather go in a his power. But we know also that teachable spirit, with an earnest de- his ordinary method of dealing with sire that the Lord would instruct | us, is by the instrumentality of means, you in these things, with a simple and of all which he has appointed for purpose to be advanced in the know- the advancement of his own glory by ledge of that which concerns the the conversion of sinners, none has soul, and has its issues in eternity; received more signal blessing, than the desire shall not be unaccomplish- the reading of his word. He declares ed; the purpose shall not fail of its by the mouth of his prophet, “As fulfilment. Go in the spirit of little the rain cometh down and the snow children to the school of Jesus Christ, from heaven, and returneth not thiand take the book wherewith Hether, but watereth the earth, and teaches his disciples. Go in a spirit maketh it bring forth, and bud, that of prayer; and remember the beau- it may give seed to the sower, and tiful petition which our church has ap-bread to the eater: so shall my word propriated to this day's service. Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. be that goeth forth out of my mouth : it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please; and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." We have here the promise of God himself, that the use of his word shall not be ineffectual. Mark with what richness and beauty of oriental imagery, the prophet expresses the result. But I proceed to the second head of our morning's subject, and I would speak to you a few words as to the benefits resulting from the study of the Scriptures. It leads to the establishment and confirmation of faith. The people of Berea, "searched the Scriptures daily, and therefore many of them believed, also of honourable women which were Greek, and of men not a few." The result was such as we may in every such case anticipate. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." We know indeed, that the Lord might at any time dispense with the use of ordinary means. He might deal with any unconverted person, as He dealt with Saul of Tarsus, of whom you have heard to day. He might pour such a flood of sudden, and unlooked for light upon the darkness of the natural heart, as should instantly de- | stroy the force of every long che- | individually applied to the case of rished prejudice, and remove every hindrance to the willing and immediate reception of the truth. He might in a moment subdue the stoutest heart, and bring the rebel with Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the brier, shall come up the myrtle-tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off." If this be applied nationally, we know that the waste howling wilderness of the heathen world shall become as the vineyard of the Lord, as a field which he hath blessed; and therefore we gather encouragement to follow up the work which has for its object the extension of Messiah's kingdom, by the gathering in of the nations. Or if it be each prayerful reader of the Bible; then we know that as thorns and briers have sprung up and covered the entire surface of the natural heart, so shall God's grace, working by his word as its instrument, establish faith, | cardinal principles, on which all the and its blessed fruits, hope, and ho- actions of life must be made to turn. liness, and love, the fir-tree, and the If we are in doubt we need but go to myrtle, growing in a once barren soil. the word of GOD, and we shall find The pride which long held out in re- that, on the same point which engages bellion against the gospel plan of our minds and excites anxious doubts, merey, shall be humbled, and laid there is a principle laid down, and we low by Scripture views of sin. The have but to apply that principle to hopelessness of purchasing salvation the case in hand, and our perplexity by efforts of human power, or pay- is ended. We shall gain that which ments of human merit, shall unan- we should seek in vain from the voice swerably proceed by the searching, of a human adviser, or from the page unmitigated requirements of the spi- of an earthly volume. ritual law. And by the detail of a dying Saviour's love, the awakened heart shall be drawn with cords of love as with the cords of a man. And again, from the word of God we derive comfort. And when we remember that man is born to sorrow as the sparks fly upwards, that affliction of some kind, in a greater or less degree, at one season or another, is the unvarying, appointed lot, of every Next, I would say, that from the word of God you may obtain direction. Though your path be encompassed with clouds, and though the murki-human being-when we consider that ness of night should envelope your we are encompassed, on every side, road; though with all the exercise of with hazard and trial and dangeryour own judgment you can gain no that the joys which now gladden the direction, and see no way of escape heart will pass away like the shadows from the perplexities which surround of evening-and that the flowers of you, it needs only that you should the earth, even while we grasp them, open the Bible, and you shall receive they are fading in our hand—and all guidance; you shall find that it is a which the heart loves best, and all on light unto your feet, and a lamp unto which we are resting with the fondest your path. It is indeed a guide book idolatry of the affections, may be soon to Zion's travellers; and, blessed be wrested away from us-it is a blessed the name of our God, it wants not thing that there is one source to which depth of human wisdom, learning, we may look for comfort. Is it bodily and research, to enable us to derive affliction that has fallen upon us? have the benefit. The promises of God's pain and suffering wrung the expresword, and the directions which He sion of agony from our lips? We gives therein to lead us through the look into God's word, and we see that intricate pathways of mortal expe- it was through suffering that the Caprience, are written as with a sunbeam. tain of our salvation was made perThe poorest, and humblest, and mean-fect. Is it the sickness of the soul? est of all the disciples of the Lord, Is it the burthen and the weight of “even the wayfaring man, though a sin that presses on us, and bows down fool, shall not err therein." The Gos- our spirit almost to the earth? oh! pel does not contain, and does not there is balm in Gilead, there is a pretend to contain, a system of exact, physician there, and the daughter of and precise legislation. It does not our people need not be sick. There tell us on every possible subject what is One who has trodden for us the we should do, or what we should wine-press of divine wrath, and has avoid to do: but it lays down great borne the weight of the divine curse. |