And, be sure hold on m such a way of painful endeavours for the getting thy faith settled till it be done, and what thou hast hitherto received on the account of man thou now believest for the sake of God himself I deny thee not the testimony of the universal church of Christ in all ages, so far as thou art capable of knowino- it, as well
542 AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURE.
as of the present churcli, or any particular one to which thon art any way related, as a help to thee: make the best thou canst of it, only rest not on it. But especially take notice, if thou see not the stamp of God upon the word, characters of divinity imprinted on it, as well as external notes accompanying it, consider the antiquity of it, the continuance of it, the miracles that confiniied it, the condition of the men that penned it, — their aims, their carriage and conversation, — God's providence in keeping it and handing it down to thee through so many successive generations, when so many in all ages would have bereaved the world of it. And, farther, consider the majesty and gravity, and yet plainness and simplicity, of its style; the depth of the mysteries it discovers, the truth and divineness of the doctrine it teacheth, the spirituality of the duties its enjoins, the power and force of the arguments with which it persuades, the eternity of the rewards it promises and the punishments it threatens; the end and scope of the whole, — to reform the world, to discountenance and extirpate wickedness, and promote holiness and righteousness, and thereby ad- vance God's glory, and lead man on to everlasting blessedness, etc.
And, be sure, leave not off till thou find thy faith raised from so low a bottom as the authority of men, and fixed on God's own testi- mony; till thou canst safely and boldly say, "I believe the Scrip- ture now to be the word of God, not because I have heard men say so^ but because I hear God himself in this very Scripture bearing Avitness to it : his Spirit hath given me new eyes, and enabled me to see the divineness of it. I know, and am sure, that this is the word of God: never mere man spake at such a rate; never did the word of man work such effects. The entrance of it hath given light to my soul, which was before in darkness, not knowing whither it went. How many glorious mysteries do I see in it ! what purity, what spi- rituaHty, what holiness ! etc. — all which speak the wisdom, and power, and goodness, and holiness, and truth of the Author of it. What sweetness have I tasted in it ! It hath been as the ' honey and honey- comb" to me, Ps. xix. 10. What power, what life, what strange energy have I experienced in it! What a change liath it wrought in me ! What lusts hath it discovered and mortified ! What duties hatli it convinced me of, and engaged me in ! What strength hath it furnished me with ! How hath it quickened me when I was dead in sin, revived my comforts when they were dying, actuated my graces when they were languishing, roused me up when I was sluggish, awaked me when I was dreaming, refreshed me when I was sonow- ful, supported me when I was sinking, answered my doubts, con- (juerod my temptations, scattered my fears, enlarged me Avith desires, and filled me "with joy unspeakable and full of gloiy!" 1 Pet. i. 8. And what word could ever have wrought such effects, but that of the
AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTUEE. SIS
eternal, all-wise, all-powerful God? And therefore upon his alone authority I receive it; him alone I adore in it, whose power I have so often found working by it. I durst venture a hundred souls, if I had them, and a hundred heavens, if there were so many, upon the tmth and divine authority of this word ; and should not stick, not only to give the lie to the ' most profound/ and ' most resolute," and ' in- vincible,' and ' irrefragable,' and ' angeHcal,' and ' seraphicar doctors,^ nay, and ' infallible' popes and councils too, but even to say ' Ana- thema' to angels themselves, and seraphims, if they should tell me the Scripture were not the word of God."
Christian ! get but such a faith of the word as this into thy heart, and then thou mayest defy scoffers, atheists, Papists, and all their works. If they deride thee, let them mock on ; thou wilt not easily be laughed out of thy senses, nor overcome by men's jeers to disbe- lieve what thou hast seen and felt. If they will not beheve as thou dost, yet thou shalt never be brought to play the infidel as they do; no more than cease to behold and admire the glory of the sun, be- cause birds of the night, owls and bats, care not for looking on it: thou wilt never deny what thou plainly seest, because others do not who have no eyes. Sure I am, if they see not what thou dost, it is either because they wink against the light, or look off from it; or God hath not yet in mercy opened their eyes, or hath in judgment closed them up : " If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost," 2 Cor. iv. 3.