A PLEA for the reading of THE SCRIPTURES in Religious Assemblies.

“THE BIBLE, said Chillingworth, IS THE RELI GION OF PROTESTANTS." We are assured from a still higher authority, that THE HOLY SCRIPTURES are able to make us wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus; and that ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim. iii. 15, 16, 17.) It might surely be thought, that these declarations alone would be sufficient to convince any serious Christian of the necessity of having THE SCRIPTURES regularly and largely read in our religious assemblies, and of the culpableness of its omission. But fashion rules. every where, and reconciles even the religious world to most obvious and monstrous deviations from truth and rectitude.

Religious exercises are to be considered as they relate to the different circumstances of Christians. Some belong to individuals in retirement or privacy, and are denominated exercises or duties of the closet: these chiefly consist in private prayer, reading the Scripture, and meditation. Others are of a domestic nature, and called family duties or exercises; and here reading the Scripture and prayer must be included as principal branches. Others belong to

Christians in a social or congregated state, and may be denominated duties, exercises, or privileges of the church of Christ, or of social religion: these consist in prayer and thanksgiving, exhorting, admonishing, teaching, or preaching, observing divine ordinances, and maintaining christian order and discipline, &c.-but not to the exclusion of the public reading and expounding of THE SCRIPTURES, which must still be considered as a principal duty, and ought to have place as such: and no where, surely, more than in the meetings or assemblies of christian Churches.

Beside the foregoing, there are also duties or exercises that pertain to Christians as they appear mixing with the world, in their endeavours to spread the gospel and promote the conversion of unbelievers, whether in what we call Christian countries, or in unchristian or heathen lands. In which case it has been questioned, whether public praying and singing be at all essential, or even very proper, as it does not appear that the Apostles and primitive preachers practised them in those ministrations, though they are known to read the Scriptures and appeal to them in behalf of their doctrine and testimony. No one can therefore doubt of the lawfulness and propriety of reading the SCRIPTURES, even in those assemblies composed chiefly of infidels, or where it is the chief object of the ministry to convince and convert unbelievers. On the whole, then, it seems very evident that reading the Scriptures ought to be attended to in all the several professional

situations, or different religious exercises of Christians. It was the case in the first and purest ages of Christianity, and it ought surely to be so in this. Having premised thus much, we will now proceed to point out the importance of this practice, and the unwarrantableness of its omission.

With little reason or decency do we blame the Papists for withholding the Scriptures from the people, while so little of them are read in our own congregations. There have been known among Methodists and Dissenters many religious exercises, of some hours long, without so much as a single chapter of the Scripture read during the whole time; and yet the prime actors on those same occasions expected to be looked upon as more correct in their principles and proceedings than most of their neighbours. Such cases are certainly so very unbecoming, indecent, and shameful, as to call loudly for a speedy and immediate reformation. Whatever others may do, Protestant Dissenters, surely, ought never to omit or neglect reading of the Word of God in their religious assemblies. How can any one think or suppose, that they pay a due regard to THE DIVINE REVELATION, or make it the ground and rule of their faith and practice, if they do not admit the reading of it in their congregations as an essential part of their public service? It were no doubt, far better to abridge the preaching and singing, and even the prayers, to one half of their length, or more, than to neglect the public reading and expounding of THE SCRIPTURES. Let

these things therefore be duly considered, together with the following reasons and observations, and let the reader judge and determine between those who observe and those who neglect this practice.

1. Let it be remembered, that God no sooner caused any part of HIS WORD to be written, than he also commanded the same to be read; not only in the Family but in the Congregation; and that even when all Israel were assembled together, (the men women, and children, and even the strangers that were within their gates,) to the end that they might hear, and that they might learn, and fear the Lord their God, and observe to do all the words of his law. Deut. xxxi. 12.

2. Also afterwards, when synagogues were erected in the land of Israel, that the people might every Sabbath meet there to worship God, it is well known that the public reading of THE SCRIPTURE was a main part of the service there performed; so much so that no less, it seems, than three-fourths of the time were generally employed in reading and expounding the Scriptures. Even the prayers, and songs, or hymns, used on those occasions, appear to have been all subordinate and subservient to that prominent and principal part of the service-the reading of the law.

3. This duty or practice is sanctioned by the New Testament as well as the Old. As CHRISTIANS it is fit and necessary that we should first of all look unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. His example, as well as precept, is full of

precious and most important instruction :-and it is a remarkable circumstance, which ought never to be forgotten, that he began his public ministry, in the synagogue at Nazareth, by reading a portion of Scripture out of the book of the prophet Isaiah. (Luke iv. 15-19.) This alone might be expected to make all his sincere followers favourably disposed towards the practice. But the example of CHRIST has seldom the weight it ought to have (and often no weight at all) among modern religionists.

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4. In favour of this practice we can appeal not only to the example of CHRIST himself, but also to that of the apostles, after he had ascended on high,. and had endowed them with those promised gifts of the spirit, by which they were instructed how to lay the plan and set in order that church, or religion, which was intended to exist through all succeeding ages for, in the course of their travels and ministrations, they had to go to the synagogues, where Moses and the prophets were read every sabbath day, and where they themselves engaged in the work of reading and expounding THE SCRIPTURES, and from them preaching CHRIST to the people.-See, among other places, Acts xiii. 14, 15; also xviii. 19. And as they approved of this practice in the synagogues, we may be sure that they did not omit it in the Christian assemblies; although their pretended followers do now-a-days omit it without any shame or scruple.

5. The apostle Paul, in pointing out to Timothy his ministerial duties, particularly mentions reading,