_Second_ place, to lay down some directions, how you may search them
with advantage.
_First_, Have always in view, the end for which the scriptures were
written, even to shew us the way of salvation, by JESUS CHRIST.
“Search the scriptures,” says our blessed LORD, “for they are they that
testify of me.” Look, therefore, always for CHRIST in the scripture.
He is the treasure hid in the field, both of the Old and New Testament.
In the Old, you will find him under prophesies, types, sacrifices, and
shadows; in the New, manifested in the flesh, to become a propitiation
for our sins as a Priest, and as a Prophet to reveal the whole will of
his heavenly Father.
Have CHRIST, then, always in view when you are reading the word of GOD,
and this, like the star in the east, will guide you to the Messiah,
will serve as a key to every thing that is obscure, and unlock to you
the wisdom and riches of all the mysteries of the kingdom of GOD.
_Secondly_, Search the scriptures with an humble child-like disposition.
For whosoever does not read them with this temper, shall in no wise
enter into the knowledge of the things contained in them. For GOD
hides the sense of them, from those that are wise and prudent in their
own eyes, and reveals them only to babes in CHRIST: who think they
know nothing yet as they ought to know; who hunger and thirst after
righteousness, and humbly desire to be fed with the sincere milk of
the word, that they may grow thereby.
Fancy yourselves, therefore, when you are searching the scriptures,
especially when you are reading the New Testament, to be with _Mary_
sitting at the feet of the holy JESUS; and be as willing to learn what
GOD shall teach you, as _Samuel_ was, when he said, “Speak, LORD, for
thy servant heareth.”
Oh that the unbelievers would pull down every high thought and
imagination that exalts itself against the revealed will of GOD! O that
they would, like new-born babes, desire to be fed with the pure milk
of the word! then we should have them no longer scoffing at Divine
Revelation, nor would they read the Bible any more with the same intent
the _Philistines_ brought out _Sampson_, to make sport at it; but they
would see the divine image and superscription written upon every line.
They would hear GOD speaking unto their souls by it, and, consequently,
be built up in the knowledge and fear of him, who is the Author thereof.
_Thirdly_, Search the scriptures, with a sincere intention to put in
practice what you read.
A desire to do the will of GOD is the only way to know it; if any man
will do my will, says JESUS CHRIST, “He shall know of my doctrine,
whether it be of GOD, or whether I speak of myself.” As he also
speaks in another place to his disciples, “To you, (who are willing to
practise your duty) it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of GOD, but to those that are without, (who only want to raise cavils
against my doctrine) all these things are spoken in parables, that
seeing they may see and not understand, and hearing they may hear and
not perceive.”
For it is but just in GOD to send those strong delusions, that they may
believe a lie, and to conceal the knowledge of himself from all such as
do not seek him with a single intention.
JESUS CHRIST is the same now, as formerly, to those who desire to
know from his word, who he is that they may believe on, and live by;
and to him he will reveal himself as clearly as he did to the woman
of _Samaria_, when he said, “I that speak to thee am he,” or as he
did to the man that was born blind, whom the _Jews_ had cast out for
his name’s sake, “He that talketh with thee, is he.” But to those
who consult his word with a desire neither to know him, nor keep his
commandments, but either merely for their entertainment, or to scoff at
the simplicity of the manner in which he is revealed, to those, I say,
he never will reveal himself, though they should search the scriptures
to all eternity. As he never would tell those whether he was the
_Messiah_ or not, who put that question to him either out of curiosity,
or that they might have whereof to accuse him.
_Fourthly_, In order to search the scriptures still more effectually,
make an application of every thing you read to your own hearts.
For whatever was written in the book of GOD, was written for our
learning. And what CHRIST said unto those aforetime, we must look upon
as spoken to us also: for since the holy scriptures are nothing but a
revelation from GOD, how fallen man is to be restored by JESUS CHRIST:
all the precepts, threats, and promises, belong to us and to our
children, as well as to those, to whom they were immediately made known.
Thus the Apostle, when he tells us that he lived by the faith of
the Son of GOD, adds, “who died and gave himself for me.” It is this
application of JESUS CHRIST to our hearts, that makes his redemption
effectual to each of us.
And it is this application of all the doctrinal and historical parts
of scripture, when we are reading them over, that must render them
profitable to us, as they were designed for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness, and to make every child of GOD
perfect, thoroughly furnished to every good work.
I dare appeal to the experience of every spiritual reader of holy writ,
whether or not, if he consulted the word of GOD in this manner, he was
not at all times and at all seasons, as plainly directed how to act,
as though he had consulted the Urim and Thummim, which was upon the
high-priest’s breast. For this is the way GOD now reveals himself to
man: not by making new revelations, but by applying general things that
are revealed already to every sincere reader’s heart.
And this, by the way, answers an objection made by those who say, “The
word of GOD is not a perfect rule of action, because it cannot direct
us how to act or how to determine in particular cases, or what place
to go to, when we are in doubt, and therefore, the Spirit, and not the
word, is to be our rule of action.”
But this I deny, and affirm on the contrary, that GOD at all times,
circumstances, and places, though never so minute, never so particular,
will, if we diligently seek the assistance of his Holy Spirit, apply
general things to our hearts, and thereby, to use the words of the
holy JESUS, will lead us into all truth, and give us the particular
assistance we want: But this leads me to a
_Fifth_ direction how to search the scriptures with profit: Labour to
attain that Spirit by which they were written.
For the natural man discerneth not the words of the Spirit of GOD,
because they are spiritually discerned; the words that CHRIST hath
spoken, they are spirit, and they are life, and can be no more
understood as to the true sense and meaning of them, by the mere
natural man, than a person who never had learned a language can
understand another speaking in it. The scriptures, therefore, have
not unfitly been compared, by some, to the cloud which went before the
_Israelites_, they are dark and hard to be understood by the natural
man, as the cloud appeared dark to the _Egyptians_; but they are
light, they are life to christians indeed, as that same cloud which
seemed dark to _Pharaoh_ and his house, appeared bright and altogether
glorious to the _Israel_ of GOD.
It was the want of the assistance of this Spirit, that made _Nicodemus_,
a teacher of _Israel_, and a ruler of the _Jews_, so utterly ignorant
in the doctrine of regeneration: for being only a natural man, he could
not tell how that thing could be; it was the want of this Spirit that
made our Saviour’s disciples, though he so frequently conversed with
them, daily mistake the nature of the doctrines he delivered; and it
is because the natural veil is not taken off from their hearts, that
so many who now pretend to search the scriptures, yet see no farther
than into the bare letter of them, and continue entire strangers to the
spiritual meaning couched under every parable, and contained in almost
all the precepts of the book of GOD.
Indeed, how should it be otherwise, for GOD being a spirit, he cannot
communicate himself any otherwise than in a spiritual manner to the
hearts of men; and consequently if we are strangers to his Spirit,
we must continue strangers to his word, because it is altogether like
himself, spiritual. Labour, therefore, earnestly for to attain this
blessed Spirit; otherwise, your understandings will never be opened to
understand the scriptures aright: and remember, prayer is one of the
most immediate means to get this Holy Spirit. Therefore,
_Sixthly_, Let me advise you, before you read the scriptures, to pray,
that CHRIST, according to his promise, would send his Spirit to guide
you into all truth; intersperse short ejaculations whilst you are
engaged in reading; pray over every word and verse, if possible; and
when you close up the book, most earnestly beseech GOD, that the words
which you have read, may be inwardly engrafted into your hearts, and
bring forth in you the fruits of a good life.
Do this, and you will, with a holy violence, draw down GOD’s Holy
Spirit into your hearts; you will experience his gracious influence,
and feel him enlightening, quickening, and inflaming your souls by
the word of GOD; you will then not only read, but mark, learn, and
inwardly digest what you read: and the word of GOD will be meat indeed,
and drink indeed unto your souls; you then will be as _Apollos_ was,
powerful in the scriptures; be scribes ready instructed to the kingdom
of GOD, and bring out of the good treasures of your heart, things both
from the Old and New Testament, to entertain all you converse with. One
Direction more, which shall be the last, _Seventhly_, Read the
scripture constantly, or, to use our Saviour’s expression in the text,
“search the scriptures;” dig in them as for hid treasure; for here is
a manifest allusion to those who dig in mines; and our Saviour would
thereby teach us, that we must take as much pains in constantly reading
his word, if we would grow wise thereby, as those who dig for gold and
silver. The scriptures contain the deep things of GOD, and therefore,
can never be sufficiently searched into by a careless, superficial,
cursory way of reading them, but by an industrious, close, and humble
application.
The Psalmist makes it the characteristic of a good man, that he
“meditates on GOD’s law day and night.” And “this book of the law,
(says GOD to _Joshua_) shall not go out of thy mouth, but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night;” for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and thou shalt have good success. Search, therefore, the
scriptures, not only devoutly but daily, for in them are the words of
eternal life; wait constantly at wisdom’s gate, and she will then, and
not till then, display and lay open to you her heavenly treasures. You
that are rich, are without excuse if you do not; and you that are poor,
ought to take heed and improve that little time you have: for by the
scriptures you are to be acquitted, and by the scriptures you are to be
condemned at the last day.
But perhaps you have no taste for this despised book; perhaps plays,
romances, and books of polite entertainment, suit your taste better: if
this be your case, give me leave to tell you, your taste is vitiated,
and unless corrected by the Spirit and word of GOD, you shall never
enter into his heavenly kingdom: for unless you delight in GOD here,
how will you be made meet to dwell with him hereafter. Is it a sin
then, you will say, to read useless impertinent books; I answer,
Yes: And that for the same reason, as it is a sin to indulge useless
conversation, because both immediately tend to grieve and quench that
Spirit, by which alone we can be sealed to the day of redemption. You
may reply, How shall we know this? Why, put in practice the precept in
the text; search the scripture in the manner that has been recommended,
and then you will be convinced of the danger, sinfulness, and
unsatisfactoriness of reading any others than the book of GOD, or such
as are wrote in the same spirit. You will then say, when I was a child,
and ignorant of the excellency of the word of GOD, I read what the
world calls harmless books, as other children in knowledge, though old
in years, have done, and still do; but now I have tasted the good word
of life, and am come to a more perfect knowledge of CHRIST JESUS my
LORD, I put away these childish, trifling things, and am determined to
read no other books but what lead me to a knowledge of myself and of
CHRIST JESUS.
Search, therefore, the scriptures, my dear brethren; taste and see how
good the word of GOD is, and then you will never leave that heavenly
manna, that angel’s food, to feed on dry husks, that light bread, those
trifling, sinful compositions, in which men of false taste delight
themselves: no, you will then disdain such poor entertainment, and
blush that yourselves once were fond of it. The word of GOD will then
be sweeter to you than honey, and the honey-comb, and dearer than gold
and silver; your souls by reading it, will be filled as it were, with
marrow and fatness, and your hearts insensibly moulded into the spirit
of its blessed Author. In short, you will be guided by GOD’s wisdom
here, and conducted by the light of his divine word into glory
hereafter.