Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

point, which, if it be an error, tends to confirm all other errors. When a man reasons himself into a mistake, he may reafon himself out of it again. But when a man difcards reason, and fubftitutes in its room a divine inftructor, every enthusiastic notion becomes then immediately stamped with the character of divine truth. The ftrange effects of fuch wildness we have often feen.

As far, indeed, as a holy life is concerned, we are affured every where in fcripture, that unless the endeavours of man are affifted by the Holy Spirit of God, which dwells within him, and to whose divine admonitions he ought ever to liften, he can do nothing. Here the divine aid is neceffary. Man, as a moral agent, with all the mifchiefs of the fall about him, stands certainly in need of fupport.

But the investigation of truth is a different affair. It was not so much his understanding, that was disturbed ; as his will and affections.Wretched man! he knew what was right; but could not practise it. To rectify his knowledge, euough had been done: infpired truth was on record; and he had a rule given him to underftand it. Farther aid would have rendered that

[blocks in formation]

rule unneceffary; and the expectation of any fuch aid, enthusiastic.

It is true, indeed, the pious Chriftian will read his Bible with the beft effect and in this fenfe, no doubt, the Holy Spirit may be said to assist him in understanding the truth of scripture: for he who does the will of God, will know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. But this is still only the application of fcripture to the rectifying of his affections. To understand it as a fyftem of truth, the rule given us to compare spiritual things with fpiritual, feems abundantly fufficient. The New Testament is to us precifely in the state, in which the Old Teftament was to the apostles. It is inspiration recorded. If farther inspiration be neceffary, a written record is more than is neceffary. It seems therefore fully fufficient for the understanding of fcripture, to take it into our hands; and, in the spirit of fincerity, and piety, to compare one part with another; or with a general view of the whole. This feems, in the apostle's idea, the only key to the scriptures.

But now, it must be confeffed, that a variety of caufes have introduced difficulties into these facred records; and, of course, into the mode of investigation. Ancient cuftoms not well understood

derstood ancient modes of fpeaking, not conformable to our own-ancient errors, generated in times of ignorance-modern prejudices, and opinions, grafted on texts of fcripture mifapplied-have united with other causes in disfiguring the plain, and fimple truths of the gospel.

Why God fuffered this blot, as fome may call it, in the facred record of truth, we know not. Yet humbly tracing the reason of it in the analogy of his other works, we may refer it to the general law of a state of trial. Every thing here bears the marks of the fall. In our moral purfuits we are exercised with various difficulties: why not in the pursuit of religious truth? In both we may be affifted, if we apply the proper means. In one, the fpirit of God will direct our endeavours: in the other, the great fcriptural rule of comparing Spiritual things with spiritual.

The honest application of this rule, without doubt, would remove at least all the material difficulties of fcripture. But inftead of folving them in this way, we too often endeavour to adjust them by the words of man's wisdom. Hence arise all the difputes, that have divided the church.

[ocr errors]

The

The opinions which have occafioned them, however varied, run commonly in two great channels that of enthusiasm, and that of libertinifm. The enthusiast reads his Bible too literally the libertine, (I use the word in its lefs offenfive fenfe,) too laxly. The one utterly dif cards reafon the other thinks nothing but reafon worth attending to. The enthusiast loves a myftery, because he does not understand it: the libertine allows nothing to be a mystery; what he does not understand, he rejects. -Let us, in an instance or two, apply our great scriptural

rule to them both.

With regard to the jarring doctrine of faith, and works, it can never furely be settled by the literal application of a few scattered paffages of St. Paul but one fhould imagine it might easily be fettled by comparing fuch paffages with other parts of scripture; and 'still more by an appeal to the whole fcheme of chriftianity. The very first book of the Bible fhews us, that the gospel was meant to restore us to that purity of life, which we had originally loft. This indeed feems to be the leading point of christianity; the word of God every where exhorting us to cleanse our hearts.

-to

-to purify our affections-and to transform ourselves into new creatures.

Now it is certain, all this must be done by faith. Whoever cometh to God through Chrift, must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them who diligently feek him. So that in this sense we may be said to be justified by faith; because without faith, and its accompanying virtues, no man can attain that righteousness, which the gofpel requires as a proper qualification for our receiving the merits of Chrift's death. All chriflians therefore lay a stress on faith. The great difference is, the partial view makes it in itself an end-the comparative view makes it the means only of a purified heart, and a good life.

With regard again to an awful doctrine, which we have lately heard difputed with fo much freedom; one fhould think, that a comparison of fpiritual things with fpiritual, might lead us here alfo to one point, The whole Bible, Old Teftament and New, prophecies, and completion, seem so full both of the humanity and divinity of Christ, that one fhould wonder, how any one, who believes the fcriptúres, could separate the two ideas. If only human, how inconfiftent! Here is a human being, who engages in the ar

duous

« AnteriorContinuar »