such a degree of exactness, been so minutely explained, so strictly and cautiously guarded on all sides, as to shut out the possibility of any mistaken meaning, the Bible had been too voluminous, and too subtle a book for common use. And though to some few distinguishing heads, it might have given better satisfaction, yet to the most, that is, to the unlettered part of mankind, it would have been ten times more obscure and untelligible, than even now it is represented to be. So that upon the whole, it was extremely fit and proper, that these doctrines should be delivered with that degree of clearness, as to be easily understood; not so, as to be perfectly incapable of being misunderstood. It was requisite, that they should be asserted shortly and plainly, not that they should be fenced about with all those nice distinctions, which could any way guard them from the attempts of the most captious and unreasonable.

And with this degree of clearness we affirm, that all necessary truths are delivered in Scripture, i. e., with such a degree of clearness, as is necessary. Nor does it weaken the strength of this assertion, to say, that the sense of those passages in Scripture, which we think plain to this purpose, is disputed by some, and absolutely denied by others; and therefore is not so plain as we imagine. For at this rate, there would, perhaps, be never a plain text left in the whole book of God. Since what text almost is there, that has not been the subject of different interpretations and opinions?

There is scarce any thing so absurd, says an ancient, in nature or morality, but some philosopher or other has held it. And there is scarce any thing so extravagant in divinity (may we say) but that some obstinate, opinionative man or other has maintained it, and made a wretched shift to countenance his opinion by the authority of Scripture, miserably wrested and perverted to his purpose. But what then? This makes no more against the perspicuity of the holy writings, in all necessary doctrines, than the wild opinion of that old philosopher, who affirmed snow to be black, disproves the clearness

and certainty of those informations, which proceed from the senses.

Let not a man therefore say, that the Scripture is not plain in those things, in which we pretend it is, because in those very things the church of God hath understood it one way, and Arius, Socinus, or some such broacher of heresy, another. For this proves nothing, but that there have been men hardy enough to deny somewhat, which all the world before them allowed: but it is by no means an argument of the obscurity of Scripture expression, unless we could know certainly, that these men were honest and upright in their searches, acted with no by-designs, had no vain end, which they proposed to themselves, of heading a party, or baffling received opinions; came to search these books without bias, prejudice, or any pre-engagements to some opinions of their own, which they were willing and resolved to find there. Without all this, and a great deal more, be proved, (which indeed is not capable of proof,) the Scriptures may be clear, though men of clear reason in other things do not, or will not, understand them.

Well then, the obscurity of Scripture carries no objection at all in it, either against the goodness or wisdom of God; for in all things necessary to be understood, it is obvious and plain; and in what is unnecessary to be understood, there are many good and wise reasons, why it should not be plain. In the mean time, let those, who reject Scripture, be pleased to find us out a system of religion delivered by God, without any of these difficulties in it. We desire no more of them, but to leave us in possession of our Bibles, till they can shew us a clearer (revelation, and more worthy of the divine Revealer.

If to this they shall say (as many in our own times do say) what need of any revelation at all? reason is clear, and by that we may guide ourselves; God has implanted a light in every one, sufficient to shew him the way to heaven: We must ask them, whether natural religion speaks so plainly in any one point of religion, but that

some perverse man or other has contradicted it? And then, by their own rule concerning the obscurity of Scripture, that point is not plain from reason, because rational thinking men have denied its plainness; so that a man, who on the account of the obscurity of Holy Writ, shall pretend to reject the christian religion, and turn deist, must, upon the same account, reject deism too, and turn atheist. For there are a great many things in the notion of a God, and of that worship which natural religion directs us to pay him, that he can never satisfy himself about, nor thoroughly understand. Nay, he must not stay at atheism neither, for the very same reason; since no system of that kind can be contrived, which is not, in many parts of it, obscure and unintelligible. A great instance of which we have in the writings of that modern atheist, Spinosa. In a word, he must be nothing, believe nothing, be of no opinion, but live under an indifference to all truths and falsehoods, in a pendulous state of mind; necessitated to act continually in order to some end supposed to be true, and yet doubting, whether there be any such thing as truth, or no; living under all the agonies and torments of a rooted scepticism.

Thus have I considered largely, and in some measure endeavoured to remove the first ill use that is made of the doctrine of the text, by those perverse and unreasonable men, who take an advantage from the confessed obscurity of some parts of Scripture, to dispute the authority of it.

I now hasten to mention some other ill uses that are made of what is owned here in the text, that there are in the inspired writings things hard to be understood.

And indeed, after what has been already discoursed, I need do little more than mention them; for to represent them, will be to disprove them.

Secondly, therefore, I observe, that it follows not from thence, as the Romanists would infer, that, because of these obscure passages in Scripture, there is absolute need of a supreme judge in controversies, who should

determine the sense of every text, and, among many false meanings of it, infallibly guide us into the only true one. I say, it by no means follows from hence, that such a judge is necessary, for this plain reason: because, as we have heard, none of those points, that are any ways obscure and doubtful, are necessary to be determined. In these every man may abound in his own sense, and have his own opinions to himself; and if he does but maintain those opinions with sobriety and modesty, without rending the unity, or disturbing the peace of the church, though he may be under an error, yet that error shall not be rigorously imputed to him.

Much less does it follow from hence,

Thirdly, that because of these obscurities in Scripture, therefore the book itself should be taken out of the people's hands. For though there are some things in it hard to be understood, yet many, nay most things there are easy to be understood, as that very expression in St. Peter intimates. And how unreasonable therefore is it, to make some dark passages in Holy Writ a pretence of locking up all at once, without distinction, from the generality of Christians; because there are a few things there, which they cannot understand, therefore to let them understand nothing at all! And this is so much the harder, because (as we have heard) all that is necessary to be understood, is evidently contained in ScripSo that to deprive a man of that which he can understand, and which also it is necessary he should understand, for the sake of somewhat contained in the same book, which he cannot understand, and which it is no matter whether he doth understand or no, is an unreasonable piece of cruelty.

ture.

I will be bold to say, that, upon the same grounds, that the Roman church denies the people the liberty of reading Scripture, she might have debarred them also of the privilege of our Saviour's conversation, while he lived upon earth. For there were several things in the course of his instructions, hard to be understood; and

therefore, for fear of misinterpreting those things, it was convenient, might she have said, that all ignorant, unskilful men should utterly abstain from his company. But our Saviour did not deter the common people from approaching him, because now and then he spake a dark parable. And therefore neither ought they to be withheld from reading his Gospel, though there be some hard things there, which, perhaps, they will read without understanding.

But fourthly, and lastly, these ill uses of the doctrine of the text being removed, the truest, and most proper use we can make of it, is, from a sense of these things hard to be understood in Scripture, to form ourselves into a deep humility, and lowliness of mind, in the perusing them; to read that sacred volume, with a wise jealousy, and a wary distrust of our own selves; not with a conceited opinion of our own gifts and parts, as if we alone were able to fathom all depths, and to grasp all mysteries. Except ye receive my Gospel as a little child, said our Saviour, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Mark x. 15. And except ye read my Gospel, as a little child, may he be as well supposed to say, with such an humble and teachable temper, with such a freedom from vanity, prepossession, and prejudice, as belongs to that infant state, ye cannot enter into the deep things of it; those things which are expressly said to be revealed to babes, but hidden from the wise, Matt. xi. 25.

Let us therefore weigh and consider what we read as well as we can; but let us not too much indulge our private reasonings upon, and fanciful expositions of, Scripture. When we stick any where, let us modestly consult those who should know better than we, and whose particular business it is to understand and explain this sacred volume. Let us inquire what has been the interpretation generally received in the church of Christ in the purest ages of it. Or, if that be hard to come at, what is the opinion of our own church, that particular member of the mystical body of Christ, into which it has pleased the divine Providence to engraft us.

When