5. The word of God is to be read with fervent prayer; as the apostle says, _If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him_, James i. 5. The advantage we expect hereby, is as was before observed, his gift; and therefore we are humbly to supplicate him for it. There are many things in his word that are hard to be understood; therefore we ought to say, whenever we take the scriptures into, our hands, as the Psalmist does, _Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law_, Psal. cxix. 18. We may, in this case, humbly acknowledge the weakness of our capacities and the blindness of our minds, which renders it necessary for us to desire to be instructed by him, in the way of truth. We may also plead, that his design in giving us this word, was, that it may be a lamp to our feet, and a light to our paths; therefore we dread the thoughts of walking in darkness, when there is such a clear discovery of those things which are so glorious and necessary to be known. We may also plead, that our Lord Jesus is revealed to his people as the prophet of his church; and that whatever office he is invested with, he delights to execute it, as his glory is concerned therein; therefore we trust, and hope that he will lead us, by his Spirit into his truth. We may also plead the impossibility of our attaining the knowlege of divine things, without his assistance; and how much it would redound to his glory, as well as our own comfort and advantage, if he will be pleased to lead us into the saving knowlege of the truth, as it is in him: This we cannot but importunately desire, as being sensible of the sad consequences of our being destitute of it; inasmuch as we should remain in darkness, though favoured with the light of the gospel. 6. The word of God is to be read with diligence and attention to the matter and scope thereof. We have hitherto been directed in this answer, to apply ourselves to the reading of scripture, with that frame of spirit which becometh Christians, who desire to know the mind and will of God therein, viz. that we ought to have our minds disengaged from those prejudices which would hinder our receiving any advantage from it, and to exercise those graces that the nature and importance of the duty requires; that we ought to depend upon God, and address ourselves to him by faith and prayer for the knowlege of those divine truths contained therein. But, in this last head, we are led to speak of some other methods conducive to our understanding the scriptures; which are the effects of diligence and attendance to the sense of the words thereof, and the scope and design of them.