Secondly, Because this is to accuse the blessed Scripture of insuffi- ciency ; for if the Scripture be a sufficient rule to order, guide, and direct us in all matters of worship, then how dost thou, 0 man ! de- tract from the sufficiency of the Scripture, who minglest thine own or other men's inventions with divine institutions, and settest up thy posts by God's posts ? 0 sirs, the Scriptures are sufficient to direct us fully in everything that belongs to the worship and service of God ; so as that we need not depend upon the wisdom, prudence, care, or authority of any men under heaven to direct us in matters of worship: 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17, ' All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness : that the man of God may be perfect, throughly fur- nished unto all good works.' The Scriptures are sufficient to inform the ignorant, to confute the erroneous, to reform the vicious, and to guide and direct, support and comfort those that are gracious. Here a lamb may wade, and an elephant may swim ; here is milk for babes, and meat for strong men ; here is comfort for the afflicted, and succour for the tempted, and ease for the troubled, and light for the clouded, and enlargement for the straitened, &c. Oh, how full of light, how full of life, how full of love, how full of sweetness, how full of goodness, how full of righteousness and holiness, &c., is every chapter, and every verse in every chapter, yea, and every line in every verse ! ^ The Rab- bins say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every word of Scripture, yea, upon every tittle of Scripture. God never sends his people to the shop of men's traditions and inventions, but he still sends them to the Scripture : Isa. viii. 20, ' To the law and to the testimony ; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light, or no morning, in them.' Chap, xxxiv. 16, 'Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read ; no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate ; for my mouth it hath commanded, and his Spirit it hath gathered them.' And in the New Testament Christ sends his hearers to the Scriptures : John v. 39, ' Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.' The Greek word epewdre, that is here rendered search, signifies a strict, narrow, curious, diligent search. We must search the Scrip- ture as we would search for gold, or for some precious stones which we would fain find ; we must search the Scriptures as hunters seek and search out their game. And so the apostle sends his hearers to the Scriptures, 2 Pet. i. 19-22, as to a surer word than that of revel- ation. All which speaks out the sufficiency of the Scripture to direct
^ The Scriptures are sufficient to direct us as to all the parts of worship. As, 1. That of public prayer. 2. And that of reading and expounding. 3. And that of preaching. 4. And that of singing. 5. And that of the seals both of baptism and the supper of the Lord,
330 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
US in all matters that concern our internal or eternal welfare. Oh that you would for ever remember these two things :
(1.) First, That that which bred the Popish religion, superstition, idolatry, and pompous worship, was men's departing from the word, and not cleaving to the word as a sufficient rule to direct them in all matters of worship. And,
(2.) Secondly, That that which hath occasioned all those discords, divisions, heats, heart-burnings, animosities, and contentions, &c., about ceremonies, liturgy, forms, gestures, &c., has been men's not keeping close to the blessed word of God. When men forsake this perfect rule, whither won't they run ? and what won't they do ? Ah, who art thou, 0 vain man ! that accuseth the holy Scriptures of insuf- ficiency ? and how wilt thou blush, and be ashamed and confounded, when in the great day the Lord shall plead the excellency, and vindi- cate the sufficiency and authority of his blessed book, in opposition to all the mixtures of men's traditions with divine institutions ?
Thirdly, God won't nor can't bear with mixtures in his worship and service, because to bring them in is to accuse and charge God luith weak- ness and folly, as if God ivere not careful enough, nor faithful enough, Heb. iii. 4-6, nor mindfid enough, nor wise enough, nor prudent nor understanding enough, to order, direct, and guide his people in the matters of his worship, hut must he beholding to the ivisdom, prudence, and care of man, John iv. 23, 24, of vain man, of sinful man, of vile and unworthy man, of weak and foolish man, to complete, perfect, and make up something that was wanting in his worship and service, Ps. xxxix. 5, &c.
Fourthly, God won't bear with mixtures in his worship and service, because all mixtures debases the worship and service of God, and makes the worship a vain worship, Isa. xxix. 13, 14 ; Mat. xv. 3, 6, 8, 9. As the mixing of water with wine is the debasing of the wine, and the mixing of tin with silver, or brass with gold, is the debasing of the silver and gold ; so for men to mix and mingle their traditions and inventions with God's institutions, is to debase the wor- ship and service of God, and to detract from the excellency and glory of it. The kings and princes of this world have most severely pun- ished such, who, by their base mixtures, have imbased their coin ; and there is a day a-coming wherein the King of kings will most severely punish all such who have imbased his worship and service by mixing their Eomish traditions with his holy institutions : Kev. xxii. 18, ' For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.' And no wonder ! For what horrible pride, presumption, stoutness, and baseness of spirit is it in foolish man to be so bold with the great God, as to dare to mix anything of his own with his worship and service, which, ac- cording to divine institution, is so perfect and complete ! God will never bear it, to see men lay their dirt upon his gold, and to put their rags upon his royal robes. Ah, Christians, Christians, evidence your holiness by standing up for holy ordinances and pure worship, in opposition to all mixtures whatsoever. Oh, don't you touch a polluted worship, don't you plead and contend for a polluted wor-
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 331