SER M. gracious Dispensations to flacken his Study in

II.

the Holy Writings; but induftriously applied himself to the reading and confidering the Myfteries revealed in them, In the first Year (faith he) of the Reign of Darius, I Daniel understood by Books, the Number of the Years whereof the Word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the Prophet, that he would accomplish Seventy Years in the Defolations of Jerufalem, Dan. ix. 2. And for this Industry and Pains to learn what he could by his own Application, he is declared by Gabriel to be greatly beloved, ver. 22, 23. and Chap. x. 1 1—2 I. and has the Knowledge of thofe Things revealed to him by the Angel, which were beyond his own natural Abilities to acquire.

Nor did Studying grow lefs ufeful, when, under the Christian Difpenfation, Revelations grew clearer; Timothy was the darling Difciple of St. Paul, a Man extraordinarily endowed with the Gift of the Spirit, and marked out by Prophecy, 1 Tim. i, 18. as one that should prove very ufeful and eminent in the Work of the Ministry. And yet this Man St. Paul exhorts to give Attendance to Reading, to Exhortation, and to Doctrine, chap. iv. 13. Where a late judicious Father of

our

II.

our Church * obferves the Order of the SER M. Words to be very remarkable: He is advised to give Attendance to Reading FIRST, and THEN to Exhortation and Doctrine; i. e. to be himself a well-read Divine, before he undertakes to inftruct and teach others. The very Words too of the Apostle, he observes to be emphatical: For he advifes Timothy not only to read and study, that he might be able to exhort and teach with Profit; but to give Attendance to Reading, and not to neglect the Gift that was in him, but to meditate on the Things that he had read and learned, and to addict and give himfelf wholly to them. All which Phrafes evidently fignified, that the greatest Industry and Diligence were to be used by him in Reading and Study, and the other Exercises that are there mentioned. The fame Thing (faith the same Reverend Father) which St. Paul intends when he admonishes him afterwards to fir up the Gift of God which was in him, 2 Tim. i. 6. where the Greek Word dvawπuper fignifies to cherish and rekindle a Fire, by blowing and fupplying it with new Fuel, which otherwise would be apt to die, and be extinguished.

K

* Bishop Bull's Sermon on 2 Tim. iv, 13. p. 114,

་

SER M.

II.

"

Nay, even St. Paul himself, who gave this Advice to his Difciple Timothy, and who was taught in the Mysteries of Religion by the Lord JESUS himself, and could boast of Visions and Revelations, 2 Cor. xi, xii. and of Spiritual Gifts, 1 Cor. xiv. 18. beyond all the Apostles; even this great Apostle, I fay, thinks it an Advantage that he had been educated and brought up at the Feet of Gamaliel, Acts xxii. 36 The Proficiency, he then made in all the Parts of Human Literature under fo eminent a Master, he found to the laft of great Ufe and Service to him, in his Preaching and Writing both to Gentiles and Jews *. Nor did his Inspiration afterwards by the Holy Ghoft fuperfede his fur ther Reading and Study: On the contrary, we may infer, that he purfued them both, with the fame Industry and Diligence that he had done before. To what End elfe doth he write to Timothy to bring him his Book Cafe, bis Books, and his Parchments? 2 Tim. iv. 13. What indeed I render by Book-Cafe, is in our English Translation called a Cloke : But the original Word may be interpreted a Book-Cafe or Scriptore; and fo it is ren

1

See Bishop Bull, ut fupra, p. 401.

dered

+ Daiórns, as in fome Copies, or horns, as in others.

Upon

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dered in the old Syriack Verfion *, and foS ER M. it would agree better with the other Things St. Paul writes for here, viz. His Books and his Parchments: By the first of which are understood a few choice Books which the Apostle had collected; by the other he is fuppofed to mean his Common Place-Book, wherein he had noted what he thought might be of Ufe to him out of the many Books he had read; which therefore being the Fruit of fome. Years Study, he charges Timothy efpecially to bring with him +. So that let pa ovns fignify what it will, it is plain from the Text, that our Apoftle, though inspired, had ftill Occafion for his Parchments and Books, and that he fent for them in order to read and make use of them, fince otherwise he sent for them to no Purpose.

Upon which Words fee Phavorinus, Hefychius, and Leigh's Critica Sacra. See also Eflius upon the Place. Phavorinus alfo fays, that Φελόνης fignifies εἱλητὸν τομάριον μεμβρανον, τ folded Vellum or Parchment, which perhaps (faith Dr. Hammond) may be all one with the pubgavat, hereafter mentioned; because they being mentioned with a pára d, but efpecially, feem to denote fomewhat which had been formerly mentioned, rather than any new Thing.

*So alfo Tremellius's Verfion (which is a Translation of the Syriack) reads Domum Scriptorum, &c.

+ See Eftius and Grotius and Pool's Synopfis on the Place; and Bull, ut fupra,

2. This

SERM.

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2. This is the firft Obfervation which naturally arifes from the Subject of my Difcourfe: And this as naturally fuggefts another not lefs pertinent or proper: And that is in relation to the Folly and Madness of fome Enthusiasts amongst us, who, under the Pretence of a Light within (which they blafphemously affert to fupply the Want of Human Learning) despise and renounce those ordinary Means for the attaining of Knowledge, which God affords. We have feen, that in the Times of the extraordinary Dif penfation of it, the Spirit of GoD was never given but to the Diligent and Industrious, and to fuch as did their best to attain it. E ven those who expected and depended upon the Illumination of the Holy Ghoft, did not expect that the Spirit fhould render their Stu dies needless; but rather used the greater Diligence in the one, in order to obtain a greater Portion of the other. The Affiftance vouchfafed by the Holy Ghost is well expreffed by St. Paul, where he fays, that the Spirit HELPETH our Infirmities, Rom. viii. 26. It helps, not by doing every Thing for us, but by affording it's Affiftance where our own Power fails. The original Word is very expreffive and fignificant : Συναλιλαμ

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