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4thly, If we would not wreft the bard SERM. Places in Scripture, we must be fure to XI. make that an inviolable Rule and Law to ourselves, never to expound them fo as to oppofe Perfpicuous and Clear ones: But fo to order our Interpretation of Doubtful Points, as to make them fall in with the clear and intelligible Parts of the fame Revelation; fo as together with them to make up one Complete Body of Truths, perfectly agreeing with each other.

The best Way of knowing whether a Line be Crooked or not, is to apply it to One that is confeffedly freight : And the pureft Way of not rring in Obfcure Paffages, is to make Plain Texts the Measure and Judge of them. The greatest Part of the Abuses and Mifinterpretations of Scripture have arifen from a contrary Management; from Mens giving obfcure Texts a new and particular Sense of their own first, and then growing fond of that Invention afterwards, and refolving to bring all the plaineft Paffages in Scripture,

whether

SERM, whether they will or no, to Counte nance and Comply with it.

XI.

That we may carry ourselves after a quite different manner in our Searches, it is fit for us to observe,

5thly, and Lastly, That the safeft and fecureft Way of looking into these Svovónta of S. Paul, and the other Holy Writers is, to poftpone the Confideration of them, till we have mastered what is fure and easy in Scripture, till we have rooted and grounded ourselves in those Points of Doctrine that lie obvious and open; and when we have done that, there will be no Danger of looking into any thing elfe, let it be never fo hard, and never fo obfcure. For either we shall hit upon the right Interpretation of it; or if we do not, the Wrong one fhall not hurt us. A Man that holds all that is plainly contained in Scripture, and all that is neceffary to be held by him, may in that which is not plain, and not neceffary, innocently abound in his own Senfe.

For

For though he should in these Matters SERM.] mistake in his Opinions, and mistake the XI. Senfe of Scripture, upon which he grounds thofe Opinions, yet those Miftakes cannot be fatal, because not fundamental. He can never maintain any thing Directly repugnant to the Catholick Faith, and Evidently deftructive of it; and while he does not, he may maintain what else he pleases; and fo he does it with Sobriety and Modefty, and a due Deference to the Opinion of those, who have a Right to be liftened to in thefe things, his Error (if it be one) fhall never prove dangerous, or be imputed to him. And this Remark is what is plainly fuggefted to us by the Words of the Text, where S. Peter tells us, that those

hich wrefted the hard Places in S. Paul's Writings, and the other Scriptures, were the Unlearned and Unflable, that is, (as I told you) those who being not well grounded in the Faith, were Easy to be drawn afide into pernicious Opinions and deftructive Errors. From whence it follows, that the best Way to fecure

our

SERM. ourselves from thus perverting what is XI. obfcure in Scripture is, firft, to render ourfelves Learned and Stable in what is plain; and fixing that as our Center, from whence we are not to be removed, we may extend our Thoughts and Opinions to what Circumference we please. That Faith which we keep pure and undefiled in Fundamentals, fhall either enable us to find out those Truths of leffer Moment, that perfectly agree with it, or fhall excufe us before, God, if we fhould mifs of them. There will be a Probability from hence of our Underftanding Obfcure Texts rightly; or if we do not, yet there will be a Certainty of our not incurring the Guilt of Wrefting Scripture to Our own Destruction.

Thus have I dispatched the Second general Obfervation, which I raised from the Text, (viz.) to (viz.) to confider from thence, What Temper and Qualifications of Mind, what Precaution and Degrees of Knowledge, are requifite, in order to make our Enquiries into the

Obfcure

Obfcure Parts of Holy Writ Innocent SERM. and Useful to us.

I might obferve alfo from hence, in the

3d Place, That if Perverting Obfcure Paffages of Scripture be a thing in itself damnable, as S. Peter affures us, it is, how much more certainly damnable is it to pervert plain ones? And then inferr,

4thly, and Laftly alfo, That if fuch a Sentence be pronounced upon those, who Wreft Scripture, then furely a much higher Degree of Punishment is referved for those who Affront and Ridicule it. But because the First of these Points has been already in fome measure intimated in the preceding Discourse, and there occafionally explained; and because the Second is of too extensive and concerning a Nature to be now confidered, I fhall therefore at present infift upon Neither of them. They may perhaps employ our Reflections on fome other Opportu

nity.

XII.

VOL. I.

X

A DIS,

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