THE STANDING USE OF THE

HOLY SCRIPTURES.

PART FIRST.

PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE STANDING USEFULNESS OF THE SCRIPTURES.

CHAPTER I.

PROOFS THAT THE SCRIPTURES ARE OF STANDING USE TO THE CHURCH IN ALL AGES.

"WHATSOEVER things were written aforetime were written for our learning." The Scriptures both of the Old and New Testaments are of standing use to the Christian Church in all ages. They are the rule of faith and practice now, as well as when they were first written. They were not dictated by the Spirit of God, and committed to writing, only for the use of some particular persons or churches in some particular ages, or in that age wherein the apostles lived, when for that reason there was less need of them than now; but for all the churches of Christ, and for all that shall receive and entertain them by faith in all ages.

This I shall endeavour to evince in the following manner:

I. From the Scripture's intimations concerning itself. The nature of my present design supposes an acknowledgment of the divine authority of the Scripture, or that God did once give it for some use to his church; and therefore what it witnesseth concerning the continuance of its use must be admitted as proper evidence in the case. For allowing this au

thority, nothing can be more just or equal, than to let it speak for itself; nor can any thing be a surer rule of judging of its design, than what itself suggests concerning it. Now we have many intimations in the Scripture itself, that it was designed for an extensive and lasting advantage. This appears from what it says with respect both to the Old and New Testa

ments.

1. With respect to the Old Testament, we are assured, that that was written for the use of the Christian church.

Though Christ justly reproached the scribes and pharisees, for their both sly and daring iniquity, in putting magisterial, forced constructions on the word of God, and imposing them, with their own traditions, to make it void; yet he never charged them with making any alteration in the text itself, nor gave the least intimation, that on his coming it was to be laid aside, as of no farther service. And though the apostles frequently declared the ancient rites and ceremonies, and the whole frame of Judaic worship, to be abolished by the coming of Christ, and called off their converts from trusting in Moses's law, or seeking justification by the works of it; yet they never cast the least slight on the Old Testament Scriptures, but always spoke of them, recommended, and used them with the greatest esteem and veneration, and to rich advantage.

Our blessed Lord declared, that "he came not to destroy the law and the prophets; but to fulfil them." As he came to fulfil the law, and the predictions of the prophets, by his obedience and sufferings; so he came to explain and inculcate the law, and the doctrine of the prophets, with the greatest advantage, and to set them in the strongest and most engaging light, by his preaching.

He made use of the Old Testament writings to direct and assist his own conduct in his encounters with the devil. All the arguments with which he resisted his temptations in the wilderness, were taken from those Scriptures. To the temptation to "command the stones to be made bread," Christ answered from Deut. viii. 3, " It is written, man shall not live by bread alone; but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." To the temptation "to cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple," he answered from Deut. vi. 16, "It is written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." And, to the temptation "to fall down and worship the devil," he answered from Deut. vi. 13," It is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." He did not urge these answers from the

reasons of things, as he justly might; but laid the whole stress on the divine authority of the Scriptures, because it was written so and so. By this sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," he defeated and triumphed over Satan in all his assaults.

He likewise quoted Scriptures from the Old Testament, opened and applied them, on all proper occasions, throughout his ministry on earth, to spread the knowledge of divine things, to prove himself the Son of God, and to confute his most obstinate adversaries. He recommended the study of them to the Jews, saying, "Search the Scriptures." And in his conversation with his own disciples, he mentioned Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms; which take in all the books of the Old Testament, according to the division of them then known among the Jews: he mentioned these as authentic records to be consulted in gospel days, and so explained all those Scriptures in their reference to himself. "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them, in all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself. And he said to them, these are the words which I spake to you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me."

Nor is it without reason, that a mark of distinguishing honour is left upon the Bereans for their diligent search into the Old Testament, Acts xvii. 11. Or, that the apostles so frequently recommend it to the Gentile converts as well as the Jews.

And it may be observed, that what Paul affirms in Rom. xv. 4, "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning," which concerns all the writings of the Old Testament, is directed to a church made up mostly of Gentile believers. And that in the close of his epistle to the Romans, the apostle speaks of the revelation of the will of God by "the Scriptures of the prophets," as made known, not to the Jews or these Gentiles only, but "to all nations for the obedience of faith." And in his epistles to the "Ephesians, another Gentile church, he represents believers as built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone." So, likewise, in his discourse to the Corinthians, another church of the Gentiles, he reminds them that the great points of the Christian faith, which he at first taught them, were according to the Scriptures. "For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and

that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures." Whereby he manifestly established the use of the ancient Scriptures for the assistance of their faith and hope, as to these saving doctrines of the gospel; unless we suppose him to refer to some of the New Testament writings, which, by that time, might be extant.

And this was his usual way of teaching and confirming the churches, constituted at least chiefly of Gentile converts, who, we must suppose from these intimations as well as from other reasons, had opportunities of consulting, or owned the divine authority of those Scriptures. Otherwise it would have been incongruous to have referred the Gentiles to them for the truth of the doctrines he taught among them.

Accordingly, when he preached to mere Pagans to bring them over to the faith of Christ, I do not find that he made any mention of Moses or the prophets to them.-See Acts xiv. 11-18, and xvi. 25-34, and xvii. 18-32, and xix. 26-27, and xxviii. 28-31. But when he spoke to any of the Jews or Gentile proselytes who were acquainted with, and acknowledged the divine authority of the Old Testament, he ordinarily, in his first applications to them, brought in aid from thence to confirm, illustrate, and enforce his doctrine, as is obvious to an attentive reader throughout the Acts of the Apostles. And he roundly averred that he said no other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: "That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people and to the Gentiles." Though when he had to do only with heathens, he could sufficiently prove the truth of the Christian religion contained in the New Testament, from the excellence of its doctrines and precepts, and from the clear attestations that were given to a crucified and risen Jesus, by numerous proper witnesses, and undoubted miracles, to confirm their testimony; yet he also found an additional assistance from the Old Testament to strengthen those proofs, when he was to deal with such as owned its authority, and could compare its ancient prophecies with the important facts that then appeared with open evidence, in many instances, to be fulfilled in Christ.

Yea, such was the fulness of the Old Testament writings, that speaking particularly of them, he pronounced that they were "able to make one wise to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus;" and thereupon added, as may well be supposed, with respect to all the sacred writings then extant, or