that they may learn and fear the Lord, &c. Thirdly, that their children which have not known anything, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God.

15. Joshua i. 8-"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth: but, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Here Joshua was commanded to meditate upon the written law. The purpose being that he might "observe to do according to all that is written therein." The result, that he might make his way prosperous, &c.

Joshua viii. 34-35-"And afterwards he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them."

On this occasion all Israel were assembled, "half of them over against Mount Gerizim, and half of them over against Mount Ebal." In their presence Joshua said all the words of the law, according to all that is written in the law to all the congregation of Israel, with the women and the little ones, and the strangers.

Joshua xxiii. 6

"Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and do all that is written in the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom, to the right hand or to the left."

Such was the injunction given by Joshua when he "waxed old " to all Israel, and their elders, their heads, their judges, and their officers, verse 2. The written word on which he had meditated day and night, and by obedience to which his way had been so prosperous, was to continue to be the rule of faith and practice to them after he had gone "the way of all the earth.”

16. 2 Chron. xvii. 9" And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people."

The good king Jehoshaphat, whose "heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord," sent princes and levites and priests to teach in the cities of Judah. They had the

book of the law of the Lord with them, and they taught the people. Here we see, ist, directions to give religious instruction to the people. 2nd, the commission was given to princes, as well as to levites and priests. 3rd, the rule for teaching was the written law. 4th, this conduct of Jehoshaphat was pleasing to God; for we learn in verse 10,

"And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat."

2 Chron. xxxiv. 29-31-" Then the King (Josiah) sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the King went up into the House of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the levites, and all the people, great and small; and he read in their ears all the words of the Book of the Covenant that was found in the House of the Lord."

Josiah, who was not a priest, but a king, read the Law in the ears of "the priests and levites, and all the people." The Law was that which was written in the book. He not only made a covenant himself to walk after the Lord, and keep His commandments written in this Book, but he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the result of all was, he expelled idolatry, and all his days his people "departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers."

17. Nehemiah viii. 2, 3-" And Ezra, the priest, brought the Law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street which was before the water gate, from the morning until mid-day, before the men and the women and those that could understand, and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the Book of the Law."

In the first verse we are told that all the people gathered themselves together, and spake unto Ezra to bring the Book of the Law of Moses. Ezra having brought the Book of this Law, read therein "before the men and the women and those that could understand.” And in verse 18 we are told that "day by day from the first day unto the last day he read in the Book of the Law of God."

Isaiah viii. 20- "To the law and to the testimony. If they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them." The appeal to the Law and to the testimony excludes the use of any other rule. Again, Isaiah says:

Isaiah xxxiv. 16-" Search ye out of the Book of the Lord and read."

The Israelites were directed to the Written Law. They were not only to read, but they were to search or seek it. The Douay Bible renders it still more strongly. "Search ye diligently." David says:

Psalm cxix. 105-" Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

130. "The entrance of Thy Word giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple."

The

Verse 105 shows that the Word of God is a clear and sure guide under circumstances of darkness and difficulty. Verse 130 is thus explained by Dr. Wells.* entrance of Thy Word, &c. That is, Thy Word a law is no sooner known but it enlightens the mind with most useful knowledge. It giveth understanding unto the simple, or, to the most unlearned, so far as to teach them how they may be happy.

18. The duties of a king are prescribed in Deut. xvii. Amongst them he is obliged to possess himself of a rule for his faith and practice.

Deut. xvii. 18, 19" And it shall be, when he (the king) sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this Law in a book, out of that which is before the priests, and the levites; and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this Law, and these statutes to do them."

only to have the law, 2nd. He was to read

Here the King was enjoined not but to write it himself in a book. therein all the days of his life. 3rd. Why was he to write and read it? "That he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of the law, and these statutes to do them."

We have thus, by a chain of the clearest proofs extending over the records of more than a thousand

* See Notes on the Bible by D'Oyley and Mant.

years, proved that the written word of God was the rule of faith to the Jewish Church. It was the rule for kings and princes, priests, levites, and people, men, women, and children, and the strangers within their gates. And in all those Divine records, from Genesis to Malachi, there is not one word about tradition, or Church interpretation, forming a rule, or any part of a rule, of faith. There is not the slightest evidence of any oral tradition being handed down from Moses till the time of our Saviour. If our opponents say there is, we reply, Produce it. Tell us what the tradition was, and how you know that Moses delivered it. We infer, therefore, that the written word of God was the rule of faith to the Jewish Church, that it was perfect and sufficient. And, as no proof can be adduced in favour of tradition, or Church interpretation; nay, as the very notion of the existence of such things is incompatible with the Scripture passages cited, we conclude that the written word was the only rule.

19. 6th Arg. Our Lord and His Apostles invariably referred to the Written Word of God as the rule of faith.

When our Lord was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness, He repelled the tempter by referring to the written Word of God.

Matt. iv. 3-" And when the tempter came to Him he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."

Christ answered :

"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," v. 4.

The Devil tries a second temptation:

"Then the Devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee, &c."

Again, Christ answers:—

"It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," v. 7.

The Devil tries a third time,

"Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the

glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me," v. 8-9.

What was Christ's answer?

"Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve," v. 10.

Here, three times the Devil strives to tempt the Lord, and in each case he was foiled by our Saviour's appeal to the written word of God. And the result was that the "devil leaveth Him, and angels came and ministered unto Him," v. II.

20. In Matt. xii. 1-3-When the Pharisees saw that the disciples plucked and eat the ears of corn on the Sabbath day, they complained to Jesus that they did what was not lawful. Our Lord answers them by referring to

the written word.

"Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him ?" v. 3. "Or have ye not read in the law?" v. 5.

Again, in Matt. xxi. 15-16 :—

"And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were sore displeased. And they said unto him, Hearest thou what these say ?"

How does Jesus answer them? Not by referring to oral traditions, but to the written word.

"And Jesus saith unto them, Yea, have ye never read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?"

Again, in verse 42, where, after a parable directed. against the Jewish priests and the Pharisees, our Saviour refers to the written word.

"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner ?"

21. In Matt. xxii. 23-34 we have a decisive proof that the Scriptures were the rule of faith. The Sadducees, who denied the doctrine of the resurrection, questioned our Lord as to the case of a woman marrying seven brothers, asking whose wife she would be in the resurrection. Mark our Saviour's answer. It was not "Ye do.