THE Bible resembles an extensive and highly cultivated garden, where there is a vast variety and profusion of fruits and flowers: some of which are more essential or more splendid than others; but there is not a blade suffered to grow in it, which has not its use and beauty in the system. Salvation for sinners, is the grand Truth presented every where, and in all points of light; but the pure in heart sees a thousand traits of the Divine Character, of himself, and of the worldsome striking and bold, others cast as it were into the shade, and designed to be searched for and examined-some direct, others by way of intimation or inference.

HE, who reads the Scriptures only in the translation, is but meanly prepared as a public teacher. The habit of reading the Scriptures in the original throws a new light and sense over numberless passages. The original has, indeed, been obtruded so frequently, and sometimes so absurdly, on the hearers, that their confidence in the translation has been shaken. The judicious line of conduct herein, is-To think with the wise, and talk with the vulgar—to attain, as far as possible and by all means, the true sense and force of every passage; and, wherever that differs from the received translation, work it in imperceptibly, that the hearers

may be instructed while they receive no prejudice against that form in which they enjoy the Scriptures.

No man will preach the Gospel so FREELY as the Scriptures preach it, unless he will submit to talk like an Antinomian, in the estimation of a great body of Christians; nor will any man preach it so PRACTICALLY as the Scriptures, unless he will submit to be called, by as large a body, an Arminian. Many think that they find a middle path: which is, in fact, neither one thing nor another; since it is not the incomprehensible, but grand plan of the Bible. It is somewhat of human contrivance. It savours of human poverty and littleness.

WERE the Scriptures required to supply a direct answer to every question which even a sincere enquirer might ask, it would be impracticable. They form, even now, a large volume. The method of instruction adopted in them is, therefore, this:-The rule is given the doctrine is stated: examples are brought forward-cases in point, which illustrate the rule and the doctrine : and this is found sufficient for every upright and humble mind.

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THE simple and unprejudiced study of the Bible is the death of religious extravagance. Many read it under a particular bias of mind. They read books, written by others under the same views. Their preaching and conversation run in the same channel. If they could awaken themselves from this state, and come to read the whole Scripture for every thing which they could find there, they would start as from a dreamamazed at the humble, meek, forbearing, holy, heavenly character of the simple religion of the Scriptures, to which, in a greater or less degree, their eyes had been blinded.

THE right way of interpreting Scripture, is, to take it as we find it, without any attempt to force it into any particular system. Whatever may be fairly inferred from Scripture, we need not fear to insist on. Many passages speak the language of what is called Calvinism, and that in almost the strongest terms: I would not have a man clip and curtail these passages, to bring them down to some system: let him go with them in their free and full sense; for, otherwise, if he do not absolutely pervert them, he will attenuate their energy. But, let him look at as many more, which speak the language of Arminianism, and let him go all the way with these also. God has been pleased thus to state and to leave the thing;

and all our attempts to distort it, one way or the other, are puny and contemptible.

A MAN may find much amusement in the Biblevariety of prudential instruction-abundance of sublimity and poetry: but, if he stops there, he stops short of its great end; for, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The grand secret in the study of the Scriptures, is, to discover Jesus Christ therein, the way, the truth, and the life.

IN reading the Scriptures, we are apt to think God farther removed from us, than from the Persons to whom He spake therein: the knowledge of God will rectify this error; as if God could BE farther from us than from them. In reading the Old Testament especially, we are apt to think that the things spoken there, in the prophet Hosea for instance, have little relation to us: the knowledge taught by Christian Experience will rectify this error; as if religion were not always the SAME SORT of transaction between God and the soul.

THERE are two different ways of treating the Truths of the Gospel-the SCIENTIFIC and the

SIMPLE. It was seriously given me in charge, when I first entered into the Ministry, by a fe male who attended my Church, that I should study Baxter's "Catholic Theology." I did so: but the best idea that I acquired from this labour was, that the most sagacious and subtle men can make out little beyond the plain, obvious, and broad statement of Truth in the Scriptures. I should think it a very proper and suitable punishment for a conceited and pragmatical dogmatist, to oblige him to digest that book. Another great truth, indeed, we may gather from it: and that is, that the intemperate men, on either side, are very little aware of the consequences, which may be legitimately drawn from their principles. Even Dr. Owen has erred. I would not compare him, in this respect, with Baxter; for he has handled his points with far greater wisdom and simplicity: yet he errs ex abundanti. He attempts to make out things with more accuracy, and clearness, and system, than the Bible will warrant. The Bible scorns to be treated scientifically. After all your accurate statements, it will leave you aground. The Bible does not come round, and ask our opinion of its contents. It proposes to us a Constitution of Grace, which we are to receive, though we do not wholly comprehend it. Numberless questions may be started on the various parts of this Constitution. Much of it I cannot understand, even of what respects myself; but I am