which they propofed to themfelves, of SERM heading a Party, or baffling received O- X. pinions; came to fearch thefe Books without Biafs, Prejudice, or any Præengagements to fome Opinions of their own, which they were willing and refolved 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 Obfcurity of Scripture carries no Objection at all in it, either against the Goodness, or Wisdom of God; for in all things neceffary to be understood, it is obvious and plain; and in what is unnecessary to be understood, there are many good and wife Reasons, why it should not be plain. In the mean time, let Thofe, who rejec Scripture, be pleased to find us out a Syftem of Religion delivered by God, without any of thefe Difficulties in it. We defire no more of them, but to leave us in Poffeffion of our Bibles, till they

can

SERM. can fhew us a clearer Revelation, and more worthy of the Divine Revealer.

X.

If to this they fhall fay, (as many in our Own Times do fay) What need of any Revelation at all? Reafon is clear, and by that we may guide Ourselves; God has implanted a Light in every one fufficient to fhew him the Way to Heaven; We must ask them, Whether Natural Religion fpeaks 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 Obfcurity of Holy Writ, fhall pretend to reject the Chriftian Religion, and turn Deift, muft, upon the fame Account, reje& 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 fatisfy himself about, nor throughly

un

X.

understand. Nay, he must not stay at SERM. Atheism neither, for the very fame Reafon; fince no System of that kind can be contrived, which is not in many Parts of it obfcure, and unintelligible. A great Inftance 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 Falfhoods, in a pendulous State of Mind; neceffitated to act continually in order to fome End supposed to be true, and yet doubting, whether there be any fuch thing as Truth, or no; Living under all the Agonies and Torments of a Rooted Scepticism.

Thus have I confidered largely, and in some measure endeavoured to remove the First Ill Ufe that is made of the Doctrine of the Text, by thofe Perverse and Unreasonable Men, who take an Advantage from the Confeffed Obscurity of some Parts of Scripture, to dispute the Authority of it.

VOL I.

T

I now

SERM.

I now haften to mention fome Other X. Ill Ufes that are made of what is own

ed here in the Text, that there are in the Infpired Writings Things hard to be understood.

And indeed, after what has been already difcourfed; I need do little more than mention them; for to reprefent them, will be to difprove them.

Secondly, therefore, I obferve, That it follows not from thence, as the Romanifts would inferr, that, because of thefe Obfcure Paffages in Scripture, there is abfolute Need of a Supreme Judge in Controverfies, who fhould determine the Senfe 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 fuch a Judge is neccffary, for this plain Reafon : Because, as we have heard, none of thofe Points, that are any ways obfcure and doubtful, are neceffary to be determined. In thefe every Man may abound in his own Sense, and have his own Opinions to himself;

and

X.

and if he does but maintain those Opi- SERM. nions with Sobriety and Modefty, without rending the Unity, or difturbing the Peace of the Church, though he may be under an Error, yet that Error fhall not be rigorously imputed to him.

Much lefs does it follow from hence, Thirdly, That, because of Thefe Obfcurities in Scripture, therefore the Book itself should be taken out of the Peo ples Hands. For though there are some Things in it hard to be Understood, yet many, nay most Things there are eafy to be understood, as that very Ex

preffion in S. Peter intimates. And how unreasonable therefore is it, to make fome dark Paffages in Holy Writ a Pretence of Locking up all at once, with out Distinction, from the Generality of Chriftians; because there are a few things there, which they cannot underftand, therefore to let them understand nothing at all. And this is fo much the harder, becaufe (as we have heard) all that is neceffary to be understood, is evidently contained in Scripture. So that