Divine origin, but sometimes even among those who regard them as the word of God, and profess to take them for their guide. Without directly and openly rebelling against the light, they permit themselves to cavil at many plain declarations, to judge of the propriety of the Divine arrangements, to approve or disapprove according to their taste and judgment, to speak of the Bible much as they do of mere human compositions, and, in a word, to treat God, revealing himself in his word, as they would not suffer a child or a servant to treat them. This state of feeling, more inconsistent than the open contempt of infidels, who in trampling the Bible under foot, endeavor to convince themselves that it is the work of sinful and erring men, has been the fruitful source of many of those errors, both speculative and practical, which have exerted so pernicious an influence upon the church and the world.

Every reader ought at once to settle the question, whether the Bible is dictated by the Spirit of God, and sent to him as a

guide, or whether it is the work of man. If it is a mere human composition, reject its authority in matters of religion; rely upon reason and philosophy; mark out a course for yourself, and like the young ruler, turn away from Christ, to find your happiness among the beggarly elements of the world; confine your thoughts and affections to the present life, and give up the hopes, the consolation, the blessed immortality, which the gospel offers to man.

But if you cannot thus reject the Bible, with all its infinite blessings, then be consistent submit to it as your master, abjure that spirit of independence and insubordination which is so natural to the human heart, prostrate yourself before this Divine Teacher, and receive with meekness and humility the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls. Then you may hope to "know of the doctrine," and be led into all truth.

SECTION V.

PREPARATION FOR READING.

In order to gain clear and satisfactory views of the subjects presented in the Bible, there should be some previous preparation for reading.

It is the practice of too many who feel that the study of the Scriptures cannot be safely dispensed with, to snatch a moment amidst the distracting cares or follies of the world, and rush into the presence of Jehovah, as the horse rusheth into the battle. This is as fatal to success in study, as it is irreverent towards God.

We ought to take pains to place the mind in the best possible condition to see and receive the truth. We should suspend all other occupations, and lay aside all the cares and business by which our attention is liable to be diverted from the things of religion, and seek a place of stillness and seclusion, where we may listen undisturbed to the voice that speaks from heaven. We

should consider for a moment our need of this revelation, and who it is that undertakes to be our guide amidst the doubts and errors of life, calling upon our souls and all that is within us, to praise him for the unspeakable gift of this book. We should collect our scattered thoughts, and recall our wandering affections, and repress the worldly desires that agitate the soul, and endeavor to secure a season of entire calmness and serenity.

He that prays, says an eloquent writer, with a troubled and discomposed spirit, is like one that retires into a battle to meditate, and sets up his closet in the out quarters of an army, and chooses a frontier garrison to be wise in.

We may say the same of a man who attempts to read the Bible with a divided and distracted mind. How can he understand what he reads? As the lake reflects the objects above and around it only when it is unbroken by waves, so truth is mirrored in the soul only when we are free from excitement and disturbance; and the

lessons of heavenly wisdom, the touching narratives, the sublime doctrines, the beautiful examples of piety, the holy precepts, the many exceeding great and precious promises, the awful threatenings, which render the Bible the most wonderful and interesting of books, so far from transforming us into the image of the heavenly, will make but a confused and imperfect impression, and may even bewilder and mislead us.

SECTION VI.

PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE IN READING.

The Bible cannot be understood by those who are unwilling to make it the daily subject of study and investigation. It is a profound book. It contains the manifold wisdom of God, and must not be dismissed with a hasty and superficial reading. We should consider the reading of the Bible as one of the most important and imperative duties of life, and assign to this work a certain and a sufficient share of time, which