er those
that ask a reason of the faith that is in you. Alas! simple souls, you
believe every thing, and yet really believe nothing, because you believe
not the word, as the word of the living God, but take it from men upon
their authority! Therefore when a temptation cometh, from any gainsayings
of the truth,--you cannot stand against it, because your faith hath no
foundation but the sayings of men, or acts of assemblies. And therefore,
as men whom you trust with holding out light unto you, hold out darkness
instead of light, you embrace that darkness also. But, I beseech you, be
builded upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, not upon _them_,
but upon that whereon they were builded, the infallible truths of God. You
have the Scriptures, search them; since you have reasonable souls, search
them. Other men's faith will not save; you cannot see to walk to heaven by
other men's light, more than you can see by their eyes. You have eyes of
your own, souls of your own, subordinate to none but the God of spirits,
and the Lord of consciences, Jesus Christ, and therefore examine all that
is spoken to you from the word, according to the word, and receive no more
upon trust from men but as you find it upon trial to be the truth of God.

Lecture VI.

What The Scriptures Principally Teach: The Ruin And Recovery Of Man. Faith
And Love Towards Christ.

2 Tim. i. 13.--"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast
heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

Here is the sum of religion. Here you have a compend of the doctrine of
the Scriptures. All divine truths may be reduced to these two heads,--faith
and love; what we ought to believe, and what we ought to do. This is all
the Scriptures teach, and this is all we have to learn. What have we to
know, but what God hath revealed of himself to us? And what have we to do,
but what he commands us? In a word, what have we to learn in this world,
but to believe in Christ, and love him, and so live to him? This is the
duty of man, and this is the dignity of man, and the way to eternal life.
Therefore the Scriptures, that are given to be "a lamp to our feet, and a
guide to our paths," contain a perfect and exact rule,--_credendorum et
faciendorum_,--of faith and manners,--of doctrine and practice. We have in
the scriptures many truths revealed to us of God, and of the works of his
hands,--many precious truths, b