ADVANTAGES OF SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES.

A SERMON

PREACHED BEFORE

THE SOCIETY IN SCOTLAND

FOR PROPAGATING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE;

AT THE ANNIVERSARY MELTING

IN THE HIGH CHURCH OF EDINBURGH,

ON THURSDAY, JUNE 7. 1787.

BY GEORGE HILL, D. D.

ONE OF THE MINISTERS OF THE CITY AND

PROFESSOR OF GREEK IN THE UNIVERSITY, OF ST. ANDREWS;

AND DEAN OF THE ORDER OF THE THISTLE.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.

JOHN, V. 19,

EDINBURGH:

PRINTED BY MARTIN AND M‘DOWALL,

FOR THE SOCIETY;

AND SOLD BY W. GRAY FRONT OF THE EXCHANGE,

Anno 1787.

EDINBURGH, JUNE 7. 1787.

At a General Meeting of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Chriftian Knowledge,

THE Thanks of the Society were given from the Chair to the Rev. Dr. George Hill for his excellent Sermon preached before them this day; and, being requested, he gave his Manufcript of the fame to be printed for the benefit of the Society.

JOHN M FARLAN, Sec

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THOMAS EARL OF KINNOUL,

PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY IN SCOTLAND FOR

PROPAGATING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE,

CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS, &c. &c.

MY LORD

THE commands of that Society over which your Lordship prefides, have afforded me an opportunity of expreffing, in this public manner, my gratitude to my Patron.

My obligations to your Lordship are too perfonal to admit the ufual file of Dedications. But, when I folicited your permiffion to infcribe to your Lordship a plain difcourfe which had been honoured with your approbation, I was defirous of conveying to those who may read it, that one very strong motive to exertion in the

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difcharge of my duty, has been an earnest defire of appearing, in your eyes, not altogether unworthy of the countenance and protection which I have received from your Lordship, for twenty years, in all the varieties of my life.

ON THE

ADVANTAGES OF SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES.

JOHN V. 39.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES,

THE

HE books of the Old and New Teftament are received, with reverence, by the whole Christian world. All in every land, who name the name of Jefus, agree in acknowledging them to be the Scriptures given by inspiration of God: but they differ in the method of testifying their reverence. The Church of Rome, profeffing to confider this treasure as too facred, and too liable to abufe, to be committed to ordinary hands, lock it up in a tranflation which is now understood only by the learned; and they communicate to the people fuch par

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