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20, they injure themſelves and others thereby.

Gar. Ah! lady, ſhall I be free, and deal plainly with you in this point?

Deid. With all my heart; let me hear what you can ſay in anſwer to it.

Gard. All scriptures are given for our learning. God is willing we should know his revealed will, that we may be the better enabled to perform it. St. Paul commends the Bereans, and calls them noble, becauſe they ſearched the ſcriptures, to ſee whether the things they heard were ſo or not; and we have many commands for this; as, Iſa. xxxiv. 16. 'Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read.' Acts xvii. 11. 'They were more noble, in that they ſearched the ſcriptures daily.' Col. iii. 16. Let the word of Chriſt dwell in you richly.' 2 Tim. iii. 15. 'From a child thou haſt known the holy ſcriptures.' Eph. iv. 17. 'Take the helmet of ſalvation, and the ſword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.' There are many others that I might mention, which are to be found in the ſcriptures; and this not commanded to ſome, but to all that ſeek ſalvation.

Deid. Certainly, if our church had ſeen this fit, they would not have denied it; but being dangerous to ſouls, it ought to be reſtrained.

Gard. It is indeed dangerous to break God's commandments, and to teach men ſo to do, and to make the word of God of none effect by human tradition. We know the woes Chriſt pronounced againſt the Phariſees for theſe things.

Deid. Why, who are guilty of this! The church of Rome, the holy catholic church, as it has in many ages been ſtyled, is not ſurely ſpotted with ſuch crimes.

Gard. I wiſh I could ſay it was not; but it is