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SERM.

X, XI.

HE is a fincere Reader of the Holy Scriptures, who (when he reads them) lays afide all Prejudice and Partiality, and firmly refolves to embrace whatfoever is therein revealed, tho' it fhould happen to clash with his Intereft, or with his Lufts, or with his own or other Mens Opinions. And this fincere Difpofition

is

very requifite to qualify Men for the right understanding of the Christian Doctrines. For it is well known that Mens inordinate Affections and Appetites are very apt to mislead them, and do in fome Cafes render them incapable of making a true Judgment of Things. They who have addicted themselves to the Purfuits of Honours, Riches and Pleasures, are concern'd not rightly to understand a Religion which calls them off from the Love of thefe Things; and therefore it is no Wonder if they do not rightly understand it.

PRECONCEIV'D Opinions likewife have a mighty Power to blind the Eyes of Men, and to hinder them from perceiving the plaineft and most evident Truths.

We

SERM.

X, XI.

We have a remarkable Inftance of this in
the Apoftles themselves. Tho' our Lord
had told them feveral Times, in as plain
Words as he could poffibly ufe, That
he should be betrayed into the Hands of
Men, and be mocked, and spitefully in-
treated and spitted on;
and that they
Should Scourge him and put him to Death,
and that the third Day he should rife
again; yet St. Mark once and St. Luke
twice obferves, that they understood none
of thefe Things; and this Saying was hid
from them, that they perceived it not,
neither knew they the Things which were
Spoken. Now this Blindness of the Dif
ciples may thus (and, I think, no other-
wife) be accounted for. It was a recei-
ved Opinion among the Jews in our Sa-
viour's Time, that the Meffiah fhould be
a mighty Temporal Prince, who, fhould
deliver Ifrael from the Yoke of their
Enemies, and extend his Conquefts over
foreign Nations, and reign profperously
and gloriously for ever and ever. And
it appears from feveral Places of the New
Teftament that this Opinion had taken
deep

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deep Root in our Lord's own Disciples; SERM. which was the Reason that they did not X, XI. apprehend his Meaning when he spoke very plainly to them of his Sufferings and Death. The literal and true Senfe of our Saviour's Expreffions was obvious; but it being apparently inconfiftent with that Notion which the Disciples (as well as the rest of the Jews) entertain'd of the Meffias, they overlooked it; and imagined that their Mafter's Words had fome figurative or myftical Meaning, which they were not able to find out.

THIS Inftance may teach us that the Way to understand the Scriptures is, not to make our Belief (tho' it fhould happen to agree with the receiv'd Doctrine) the Rule of interpreting Scripture, but on the contrary, to make the natural and genuine Interpretation of Scripture the Rule of our Belief. Which if we do, tho' our Sentiments should happen to differ from the Judgments of learned Men, and even of Councils and of Churches, we need not be much difturbed at it; because learned Men and Councils and

Churches

Churches may err, and oftentimes have erred in Matters of Faith; and therefore their Determinations have neither Strength nor Authority, unless they can be proved by Warrants of Holy Scripture. But the Scripture was written by the Infpiration of the Holy Ghoft, who is infallible; and therefore whatever that fays is by all means to be embraced, whether it be agreeable to the Opinions of Men or no. For the Opinions of Men are not a Rule by which we are to try the Doctrines of Scripture; but Scripture is the Rule by which we are to try the Opinions of Men.

As there is no Neceffity that we fhould interpret the Writings of the inspired Penmen confiftently with the Doctrines of Men uninspired: fo it is very necessary that we should fo expound every Part of God's Word, as that it may agree with every other Part of it. Which that we may do, we must diligently compare one Place with another, and confider together what is difperfedly faid in Scripture concerning any Doctrine.

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SERM.

X, XI.

SERM.

X, XI.

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By this Means many feeming Inconfiftencies may eafily be reconciled; many Difficulties, which have mightily puzzled Chriftians, may receive a clear and natu ral Solution; many Controverfies, which have difturbed the Peace of the Church, may foon be ended. An Example or two will fhew the Usefulness of this Practice which I am now recommending.

THE Scripture does frequently attribute the Creation of the World to God and in fome Places to Him alone; which may seem repugnant to thofe Places of the New Teftament, which afcribe the Creation to Jefus Chrift. To get rid of this Difficulty, fome have afferted that Jefus Christ had no Hand in the Creation of the World; others, that Jefus Chrift and God the Father are One and the fame Perfon. Neither of thefe Affertions is true; for the New Teftament doth as certainly afcribe the Creation of the World to Jefus Chrift, as to God the Father; and in almost innumerable Places fpeaks of Chrift as a diftinct Perfon from the Father. But this Difficulty may be easily cleared,

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