(7.) Seventhly, If ever you would be holy, then set in good earnest upon reading of the Holy Scripture. Many a man has been made holy by reading of the holy word. The Bible is the book of books, it is the only book ; all other books in the world are but waste paper to it.^ Augustine cries out, Away with our writings, that room may be made for the book of Grod. Notwithstanding the greatness and multiplicity of the affairs of princes, yet they were diligently to read the word : Deut xvii. 19, 'ibid it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.' God looks that the greatest princes on earth should make use of this library. Though David was a great prince, and had a multitude of weighty businesses upon his hand, yet he was so much in reading and meditating on the word that he made it his counsellors : the word was 1 Luther Comment : in Qen. xiz.
224 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, KARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
David's learned counsel, Ps. cxix. 24, to which he resorted for connsel, advice, and comfort, in all his necessities and miseries. Alphonsus, king of Arragon, hath been highly extoUed for reading the Scriptures fourteen times over, with glosses and expositions, notwithstanding his great public employments. And Alphonsus, king of Naples, read over the Bible forty times, notwithstanding many great affairs were upon his hand. Theodosius the emperor, and Constantine the Great, were much taken up in reading of the Scriptures. So Queen Elizabeth, when she passed in triumph through the streets of London after her coronation, and had the Bible presented to her at the little conduit in Cheapside, she received the same with both her hands, and, kissing it, laid it to her breasts, saying, ' that the same had ever been her chiefest delight, and should be the rule whereby she meant to frame her government.' ^ And it is very observable, that the eunuch was reading the Scripture when Philip was commanded, by commission from the Holy Ghost, to join himself to his chariot, and to instruct him in the knowledge of Christ, which proved his conversion and salvation. Acts viii. 26, 40. And Junius was converted by the reading of that first of John, ' In the beginning was the Word,' &c., being amazed with the strange majesty of the style, and the profound mysteries therein con- tained. And Augustine 2 was strangely converted by hearing a voice from heaven, saying, Tolle lege, tolle lege — Take and read, take and read ; and taking up the Bible, the first passage of Scripture that he cast his eyes upon was that Kom. xiii. 13, 14, ' Let us walk honestly as in the day ; not in gluttony and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof; ' and no sooner had he read the verses but the work of con- version was finished, and pious resolutions for a thorough reformation of life was settled in him. The gospel read is sometimes the power of God to salvation, as well as the gospel heard, Kom. i. 16. Cyprian confesseth that he was converted from idolatry and necromancy 3 by hearing the history of the prophet Jonah read and expounded by CecUius, whom therefore he calleth the father of his new life. And « Luther confesseth that he was converted by reading. I have read of a scandalous minister that was struck at the heart and converted in reading that Kom. ii. 21, 22, ' Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself ? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal ? thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege ? ' There is a scholar now alive, who being per- suaded by an honest poor man to leave reading of poetry, and to fall upon reading of the Bible, did so, and before he had read out Genesis his heart was changed, and he was converted. 0 sirs, as you tender your conversion, your salvation, make more conscience of reading the Scripture than ever you have done ; be often in whetting of these scrip- tures upon your hearts, Deut. vi. 6-9, and xxxi. 11, 12 ; Jer. xxxvi. 6, 7 ; John v. 39. In these scriptures God requires all sorts of people, both men, women, children, and strangers, both learned and unlearned,
* Speed's Hist. • Lib. viii. Confessions, chap. xii.
3 Spelled ' negromancy.'
Heb. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 225-
to read the Scriptures, and to search after the heavenly treasures that are laid up in them, as men search for gold and silver in the ore. And Paul charges Timothy that he give attendance to reading, 1 Tim. iv. 13. ' And blessed is he,' saith John, ' that heareth and readeth the words of this book,' Kev. i. 3. Yea, Christ himself hath highly honoured reading with his own example ; for coming to Nazareth, as his custom was, he stood up to read the Scriptures, Luke iv. 16, 21 ; and the Bereans, for reading and searching of the Scriptures, are styled ' more noble than the Jews of Thessalonica,' or as the Greek has it, they were better born and bred, they were better gentlemen, they were of a more noble and ingenuous disposition, though they did belong to the country town of Berea, than the Thessalonians were who dwelt in the rich and stately city of Thessalonica, Acts xvii. 11, ivryevia-Tepoi. Sometimes there is more true nobility and ingenuity i under a russet coat than there is under a satin suit. The Holy Ghost gives a very large encomium and high commendation of the Scriptures in that 2 Tim. iii. 15, 'And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.' It is observable that in these words you have not simply lepa ypdfifiaTa, holy Scriptures, but ra lepa ypdjjLfMara, the holy Scriptures. The article rd there is very emphat- ical, and it is used by the Holy Ghost to distinguish these sacred writings from all profane writings, and to note the eminency and excellency of the holy Scriptures above all other men's writings what- soever. Now the Scriptures have this adjunct, this epithet 'holy' given them in five respects.
1.] In respect of their author and original, viz., a holy God. 2. J They are holy in respect of the penmen, who were holy men of God, 2 Pet. i. 21.
[3.] They are holy in respect of their matter ; they treat of the holy things of God ; a vein of holiness runs through every line of Scripture. The Scripture calls for holy hearts and holy lives ; it calls for holy principles and holy practices, holy words and holy works, holy aJBFec- tions and holy conversations, 1 Pet. i. 15.