bard, Alex. Hales, Bonaventure, times the scriptures, sometimes the Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, sacred or holy scriptures, and someand Durandus. Gill's Body of times canonical scripture. These Div., Preface; Eclectic Rev. for books are called the scriptures by Dec. 1805; H. Moore's Hints to a way of eminence, as they are the Young Princess, vol. ii, p. 267-8. most important of all writings.SCORNER, one who treats any They are said to be holy or sacred person or thing with contempt on account of the sacred doctrines "He deems," says Mr. Scott, which they teach; and they are. "his own understanding equal to termed canonical, because when the discovery, investigation, and their number and authenticity even comprehension, of every sub-were ascertained, their names were ject: he therefore rejects as false inserted in ecclesiastical canons, whatever he cannot account for; to distinguish them from other what he finds contrary to his pre-books, which, being of no authoconceived sentiments, and what rity, were kept out of sight, and is out of the reach of his reason; therefore styled apocryphal. See and, indeed, all that tends to con- APOCRYPHA. demn his conduct, or expose his folly.

Among other arguments for the divine authority of the scriptures, the following may be considered as worthy of our attention:

SCOTISTS, a sect of school divines and philosophers; thus called from their founder, J. Duns Sco- "1. The sacred penmen, the tus, a Scottish cordelier, who main-prophets and apostles, were holy, tained the immaculate conception excellent men, and would not-artof the Virgin, or that she was born without original sin, in opposition to Thomas Aquinas and the Tho

mists.

less, illiterate men, and therefore could not, lay the horrible scheme of deluding mankind. The hope of gain did not influence them, SCRIBE. This word has differ- for they were self-denying men, ent significations in scripture. 1. A that left all to follow a Master who clerk, or writer, or secretary, 2d had not where to lay his head; and Sam. viii, 17.-2. A commissary, whose grand initiating maxim was, or muster master of the army, 2d Except a man forsake all that he Chron. xxvi, 11. 2d Kings xxv, hath, he cannot be my disciple.19.-3. A man of learning, a doc-They were so disinterested, that tor of the law, 1st Chron. xxvii,

32.

they secured nothing on earth but hunger and nakedness, stocks and SCRIPTURE is a word derived prisons, racks and tortures; which, from the Latin scriptura, and in indeed, was all that they could its original sense is of the same im- or did expect, in consequence of port with writing, signifying "any Christ's express declarations. Neithing written." It is, however, ther was a desire of honour the commonly used to denote the motive of their actions, for their writings of the Old and New Tes-Lord himself was treated with the taments, which are called some-utmost contempt, and had more VOL. II.

3 G

than once assured them that they "3. Reason itself dictates that should certainly share the same nothing but the plainest matter of fate besides, they were humble fact could induce so many thoumen, not above working as mecha- sands of prejudiced and persecutnics, for a coarse maintenance;ing Jews to embrace the humand so little desirous of human re-bling, self-denying doctrine of the gard, that they exposed to the cross, which they so much despisworld the meanness of their birth ||ed and abhorred. Nothing but the and occupations, their great igno- clearest evidence arising from uDrance and scandalous falls. Add doubted truth could make multito this, that they were so many, tudes of lawless, luxurious heaand lived at such distance of time thens receive, follow, and transmit and place from each other, that, to posterity the doctrine and wrihad they been impostors, it would ting of the apostles; especially at have been impracticable for them a time when the vanity of their to contrive and carry on a forgery pretensions to miracles, and the without being detected. And, as gift of tongues, could be so easily they neither would nor could de- discovered, had they been imposceive the world, so they neither tors; and when the profession of could nor would be deceived them-Christianity exposed persons of all selves; for they were days, months, ranks to the greatest contempt and and years, eye and ear-witnesses most imminent danger. of the things which they relate ; "4. When the authenticity of and, when they had not the fullest the miracles was attested by thouevidence of important facts, they sands of living witnesses, religious insisted upon new proofs, and even rites were instituted and performupon sensible demonstrations; as, ed by hundreds of thousands, for instance, Thomas, in the mat- agreeable to scripture injunctions, ter of our Lord's resurrection, in order to perpetuate that auJohn xx, 25; and, to leave us no thenticity: and these solemn cereroom to question their sincerity, monies have ever since been kept most of them joyfully sealed the up in all parts of the world; the truth of their doctrines with their | Passover by the Jews, in rememown blood. Did so many and brance of Moses's miracles in such marks of veracity ever meet Egypt; and the Eucharist by Chrisin any other authors? tians, as a memorial of Christ's death, and the miracles that accompanied it, some of which are recorded by Phlegon the Trallian, an heathen historian.

"2. But even while they lived they confirmed their testimony by a variety of miracles wrought in divers places, and for a number of years; sometimes before thousands "5. The scriptures have not onof their enemies, as the miracles ly the external sanction of miraof Christ and his disciples; some- cls, but the eternal stamp of the times before hundreds of thou-omniscient God by a variety of sands, as those of Moses." See prophecies, some of which have MIRACLE. already been most exactly con

firmed by the event predicted." See PROPHECY.

of like passions with ourselves.-There we discover a vein of eccle"6. The scattered, despised peo- siastical history and theological ple, the Jews, the irreconcileable truth consistently running through enemies of the Christians, keep a collection of sixty-six different with amazing care the Old Testa- books, written by various authors, ment, full of the prophetic history in different languages, during the of Jesus Christ, and by that means space of above 1500 years.afford the world a striking proof There we find, as in a deep and that the New Testament is true; pure spring, all the genuine drops and Christians, in their turn, shew and streams of spiritual knowledge that the Old Testament is abun-which can possibly be met with in dantly confirmed and explained by the largest libraries.-There the the New. See JEWS, § 4. workings of the human heart are "7. To say nothing of the har-described in a manner that demonmony, venerable antiquity, and strate the inspiration of the Searchwonderful preservation of those er of Hearts.-There we have a books, some of which are by far particular account of all our spirithe most ancient in the world; to tual maladies, with their various pass over the inimitable simplicity symptoms, and the method of a and true sublimity of their style; certain cure; a cure that has been the testimony of the fathers and witnessed by multitudes of martyrs the primitive Christians; they carry and departed saints, and is now with them such characters of truth, enjoyed by thousands of good as command the respect of every men, who would account it an unprejudiced reader. honour to seal the truth of the "They open to us the mystery scriptures with their own blood. of the creation; the nature of-There you meet with the noGod, angels, and man; the im- blest strains of penitential and mortality of the soul; the end for joyous devotion, adapted to the which we were made; the origin dispositions and states of all traand connexion of moral and na-vellers to Sion.-And there you tural evil; the vanity of this world, read those awful threatenings and and the glory of the next. There cheering promises which are daily we see inspired shepherds, trades-fulfilled in the consciences of men, men, and fishermen, surpassing as to the admiration of believers, much the greatest philosophers as and the astonishment of attentive these did the herd of mankind infidels. both in meekness of wisdom and sublimity of doctrine.-There we admire the purest morality in the world, agreeable to the dictates of sound reason, confirmed by the witness which God has placed for himself in our breast, and exemplified in the lives of men

"8. The wonderful efficacy of the scriptures is another proof that they are of God. When they are faithfully opened by his ministers, and powerfully applied by his Spirit, they wound and heal, they kill and make alive; they alarm the careless, direct the lost,

support the tempted, strengthen | is obscure, the context must be the weak, comfort mourners, and consulted. This, however, will not nourish pious souls.

"9. To conclude: It is exceedingly remarkable, that the more humble and holy people are, the more they read, admire, and value the scriptures: and, on the contrary, the more self-conceited, worldly minded, and wicked, the more they neglect, despise, and asperse them.

always answer.-5. If it do not, consider whether the phrase be any of the writer's peculiarities: if so, it must be enquired what is the acceptation in which he employs it in other places.-6. If this be not sufficient, recourse should be had to the parallel passages, if there be any such, in the other sacred writers.-7. If this "As for the objections which throws no light, consult the New are raised against their perspicuity Testament and the Septuagint, and consistency, those who are where the word may be used.both pious and learned, know that 8. If the term be only once used they are generally founded on in Scripture, then recur to the orprepossession, and the want of un-dinary acceptation of the term derstanding in spiritual things; or in classical authors.-9. Someon our ignorance of several cus-times reference may be had to toms, idioms, and circumstances, the fathers.-10. The ancient verwhich were perfectly known when sions, as well as modern scholiasts, those books were written. Fre-annotators, and translators, may quently, also, the immaterial error be consulted.-11. The analogy arises merely from a wrong punc-of faith, and the etymology of the tuation, or a mistake of copiers, word, must be used with caution. printers, or translators; as the Above all, let the reader unite daily discoveries of pious critics, prayer with his endeavours, that and ingenuous confessions of un- his understandu g may be illumiprejudiced enquirers, abundantlynated, and his heart impressed prove."

with the great truths which the To understand the scriptures, sacred scriptures contain. On the says Dr. Campbell, we should, subject of the scriptures, we must 1. Get acquainted with each wri- refer the reader to the articles ter's style.-2. Enquire carefully BIBLE, CANON, INSPIRATION, into the character, the situation, PROPHECY, and and REVELATION. and the office, of the writer; the See also Brown's Introduction to time, the place, the occasion, of his Bible; Dr. Campbell's Prelimihis writing; and the people for nary Dissertations to his Transl. of whose immediate use he originally the Gospels; Fletcher's Appeal; Siintended his work.-3. Consider mon's Critical Hist. of the Old and the principal scope of the book, New Test.; Ostervald's Arguments and the particulars chiefly ob- of the Books and Characters of the servable in the method by which Old and New Test.; Cosin's Schothe writer has purposed to execute lastical Hist. of the Canon of Scrip his design.-4. Where the phrase Warden's Sustem of Revealed Reli

gion; Wells's Geography of the Old not possessed of landed property, and New Test.; the Use of sacred and were, on that account, deHistory, especially as illustrating prived of what they deemed their and confirming the Doctrine of Re- natural right to choose their own velation, by Dr. Jamieson; Dick pastors. It was also said, that on Inspiration; Blackwell's Sacred this act was extremely prejudicial Classics; Michelis's Introduction to to the honour and interest of the the New Test.; Melmoth's Sublime church, as well as to the edificaand Beautiful of the Scriptures; tion of the people; and, in fine, Dwight's Dissertation on the Poe- that it was directly contrary to try, History, and Eloquence of the the appointment of Jesus Christ, Bible; Edwards on the Authority, and the practice of the apostles, Style, and Perfection of Scripture; when they filled up the first vaStackhouse's History of the Bible; cancy in the apostolic college, Kennicott's State of the Hebrew and appointed the election of deaText; and books under articles cons and elders in the primitive BIBLE, COMMENTARY, CHRISTI-church. Many of those also who ANITY, and REVELATION.

SECEDERS, a numerous body of Presbyterians in Scotland, who have withdrawn from the communion of the established church.

were thought to be the best friends of the church expressed their fears that this act would have a tendency to overturn the ecclesiastical constitution which was establish

In 1732, more than forty mi-ed at the revolution. nisters presented an address to Mr. Ebenezer Erskine, minister the general assembly, specifying at Stirling, distinguished himself in a variety of instances, what by a bold and determined opposithey considered to be great defec- tion to the measures of the assemtions from the established consti- bly in 1732. Being at that time tution of the church, and craving moderator of the synod of Perth a redress of these grievances. A and Stirling, he opened the meetpetition to the same effect, sub-ing at Perth with a sermon from scribed by several hundreds of Psalm cxviii, 22. "The stone elders and private Christians, was which the builders rejected, is beoffered at the same time; but the come the head stone of the corner." assembly refused ahearing to both, In the course of his sermon, he and enacted, that the election of remonstrated with no small degree ministers to vacant charges, where of freedom against the act of the an accepted presentation did not preceding assembly, with regard to take place, should be competent the settlement of ministers; and only to a conjunct meeting of el-, alleged that it was contrary to the ders and heritors, being Pro-word of God and the established testants. To this act many ob- constitution of the church. A jections were made by numbers formal complaint was lodged of ministers and private Christians. against him for uttering several They asserted, that more than offensive expressions in his sermon thirty to one in every parish were before the synod. Many of the