Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

were "hard to be understood" (fo the preceding words fpeak), and fuch as for that very reafon there was no neceffity that they fhould underftand; and yet thefe men would pretend to understand them, and to be very pofitive also, and peremptory in ther opinions concerning them. Further it appears, that thefe places treated not of flight indifferent points of doctrine, but of fuch as were of the utmost concern and moment; fuch as were the foundations of the Christian faith, and the very pillars that fupported the whole frame of religion. I fay, it appears, that they treated of fuch points as thefe, from the foregoing parts of this chapter, where St. Peter difcourfes of the day of judgement, of its certainty and of the wife reafons for which God was pleafed to delay it; and reprefents fome men as fcoffing at thefe doctrines, "and faying, where is the promife of his coming? For fince the fathers fell afleep all things continue as they were." ver. 4. To convince thefe fcoffers he urges the authority of St. Paul to them; who in his epiftles had maintained the fame affertions, not always however expreffed with fuch a degree of evidence and clearness, as might be thought neceffary to prevent all miftakes from whence ill men had taken an occafion to abuse his words to a quite different fenfe, and to pervert his meaning. So that the points of doctrine, to which thefe wrested texts referred, were great and fundamental ones: and which it was of the last importance to be rightly instructed in. And to this we may add alfo a

Third Remark, That this forced interpretation

of

of obfcure paffages was in oppofition to other plain and evident texts. For fince (as I have already dif courfed to you) there is no point of moment, but what is fomewhere or other plainly and perfpicu oufly delivered in fcripture, and fince thefe wrefted places of fcripture, which St. Peter speaks of, related, as you have heard, to points of moment; it follows, that they who wrefted them, did it in contradiction to other plain and perfpicuous parts of Holy writ.

The full import of the text, therefore, under thefe feveral explications, will be, that they who, being mifled by pride, and vanity, or any other luft and paffion, perverted the sense of scripture, in order to make it fuit with their own wicked practices, or justify their ill opinions; who vexed and tortured texts, in order to make them fpeak fuch language as was for their purpo fe who did this in paffages very hard to be undertood, and therefore not neceffary to be underftood, and in points of doctrine which were of the utmost concern and importance,and interpreted these paffages, in relation to thefe points, quite contrary to other plain and exprefs places of fcripture; these men, I fay are very juftly and reafonably faid, "to have wrefted the fcriptures to their own deftruction. For furely there was fuch a complication of infincerity, pride, and obftinacy in this manner of wrefting fcripture, as deferved fuch a condemnation.

And therefore to that queftion, fhall a man be étérnally ruined for a mifunderstood place of fcripture? We answer yes doubtless, under those circumftances which we have before explained, Y 2

cir

if it be a fundamental point, about which he is miftaken, and be much his own fault, that he is mistaken.

A mifunderstood place of Scripture may overthrow one of the prime articles of faith, which God has made neceffary to be believed in order to falvation: Or it may deftroy the morality of the gofpel, by introducing a loose opinion concerning lite and manners. By wrefting one fingle paffage of holy writ, a man may either "deny the Lord who bought him, 2 Pet. i. 1. or turn the grace of God into lafcivioufnefs, Jude 4. And he that does either of thefe, cannot be faid to be feverely dealt with, though he be cut off from the mercies of the gospel. For a life led in oppofition to the plain practical rules of Chriftianity, or without that faith, which Chriftianity requires, are either of them a fufficient caufe of our condemnation. And therefore fuch a wilful wrefting of fcripture, as occafions either of thefe, muft, in its confequence, be damnable, and excufe God, in pronouncing this fentence, from all manner of feverity or rigour in his dealings with us.

This is

the account of the true meaning of St. Peter's affertion of the text, and of the juftnefs alfo, and reasonableness of it. Which points being thus stated and cleared, I come now, as I propofed, to make use of them, in fome obfervations and inferences that they afford us. And,

First, It may be obferved, that the Scriptures were perverted, and turned by ill men to ill purpofes, in the times of the apoftles themfelves; that they were no fooner writtten, but they were wrefted. From whence we may learn thefe two things. t, That

1ft, That if this happened in the apoftles day, then well might it happen in after times; efpcci❤ ally in this age which is at fo great a difiance from the time of the apofties writing. We may cease to wonder, how it has come to pafs, that 10 many controverfies have been started about the fenfe of Scripture, that it has been urged to fo many wrong and different purposes, and brought to fupport and countenance so many heretical opinions in latter days, when we find that during the lives of St. Paul and St. Peter themfelves, it was thus infincerely and unfairly dealt with. The ink was hardly dry. which fell from the apoftles pens, but men began to difpute about the words that were wrote in it; to mifconftrue, and mifap-ply them, every one to fuch doctrines as pleafed him beft; and to draw from the infpired writing things deftructive of faith and falvation, in the face of the infpired authors of them, without afking, or at least, without taking their opinions in the point; who furely had been the propereft mén to have given an account of their own meaning. And if these things were fo then, what wonder is it, if ever fince, and efpecially now, in the fe dregs of time, there be wilful men found, who will oppose their own vain fancies and novelt:s to the general fenfe of the whole body of Chriftians, and not fubmit themselves to fuch a concur rent teftimony in the expofition of Scripture, as, though of the utmost moment towards determining our affent, yet falls far fhort of infallibility - and inspiration.

From the fame observation also we may learn, in the

2d Place,

SERM. XI. zd Place That an unnerring expounder of Scripture is not fo ufeful and néceffary, as fomé men would make us believe it is; becaufe ifthere were fuch an one, and he were known and accknow1edged to be fuch by all men, yet would not that fecure all men from mifinterpreting Scripture, as is plain from the inftance of the text. The apoftles were certainly unexceptionable interpreters of their own writings, and infallible judges of all controverfies that could arife from them; and yet, notwithstanding this, their writings were in their own time perverted, to countenance erroneous and heretical doctrines; and fo doubtlefs would they be now, though there were an infallible judge upon earth ftill. And vain therefore is the pretence of our adverfaries of the church of Rome, that fuch an infallible judge is neceffary, to affure us of the true fenfe of Scripture, and put an end to all controverfies concerning it; fince plain it fs, that, when there was fuch an infallible judge, he did not put an end to all controverfies of this kind: There were ftill a great many proud, pertinacious, and opinionative men left, that would not be concluded by him.

Now if the inferring the neceffity of God's acting in fuch, or fuch a manner, from the convenience that would redound to mankind from his fo acting, be no very good argument in divinity, even when that convenience is allowed; what kind of argument muft that be, which would prove the neceffity of an infallible judge, from the great expedience of it towards determining all controverfies, when even that expedience itself (as we have feen) wants to be proved?

But

[ocr errors]
« AnteriorContinuar »