NOTE XXVI.

IMPORTANCE OF THE EXPOSITION OF SCRIPTURE, AND OUR DUTY IN REFERENCE TO A DIVINE REVELATION.

I never enter on the exposition of a portion of inspired Scripture, without a conviction that in doing so I am performing one of the most important and responsible duties of my office as a public Christian teacher. I feel as if the ground on which I stood were peculiarly holy. It has always appeared to me, that it was comparatively a light matter to state generally my own views respecting any particular point of Christian doctrine or duty. If I have fixed opinions on any subject, I must know them and can readily express them. But in expounding Scripture I am declaring what, after using the best means in my power for ascertaining it, appears to me the mind of the Divine Spirit in a particular part of that word, all of which was given by his inspiration. My object is to bring the mind of man into direct contact with the mind of God; not merely to state truth—nothing but truth-but to state the truth in the defined form which it wears in that particular passage.

It cannot be wondered at if this feeling was peculiarly strong, when called in the providence of God to expound a portion of Scripture, which I have been publicly accused of grossly misinterpreting, and of giving substantial form to my misinterpretation in "a more flagrant violation of the Divine law than has often been exemplified." I did not form my opinion of the meaning of this passage without serious inquiry-nor did I act on that opinion till I was fully satisfied of the soundness of the ground on which I stood. My honest wish was to know the meaning of this part of Christ's law-and should I have misapprehended it, I shall account it no common favour if any man will put me right. But I must be convinced into a change of mind and alteration of conduct. I cannot be scolded into them.*

"Nothing, I confess, is more nauseous to me, than magisterial dictates in sacred things, without an evident deduction and confirmation of assertions from Scripture testimonies. Some men write as if they were inspired, or dreamed that they had obtained for themselves a Pythagorean reverence. Their writings are full of strong authoritative assertions, arguing the good opinion they have of themselves, which I wish did not include an equal contempt of others. But any thing may be easily affirmed and as easily rejected."—Owen on the Sabbath. Exercit. 1. § 8.

Nothing is more obviously irrational and impious than to refuse to acquiesce in the declarations, whether doctrinal or practical, of a plain, well-accredited divine revelation, on the ground that they do not accord with our previously formed notions of what is possible or what is proper; and nothing is more plainly right and reasonable than, with childlike simplicity, to receive the dictates of that all-perfect Mind, who is equally incapable of being deceived and of deceiving —who is the fountain of truth, and the source of knowledge. Chillingworth spoke the words of common sense as well as of piety when he said, "Propose me any thing out of this book, and require whether I believe it or no, and seem it never so incomprehensible by human reason, I will subscribe it with hand and heart, as knowing that no demonstration can be stronger than this, God hath said so, therefore it is true." I do not know if there is any act of religious homage more becoming in man and more honourable to God, than thus humbling ourselves in the inmost sanctuary of our rational nature, and laying on His altar there, that "high thing," of which the noblest spirits find it most difficult to make a sacrifice-intellectual independence.

Yet to render such an oblation, either becoming in man or acceptable to God, it must, like every other act of devotion, be "a reasonable service." Before I bow to a principle, whether doctrinal or practical, as of divine revelation, I must be persuaded that it is a principle of divine revelation;-I must, in other words, apprehend its evidence and its meaning.

I must apprehend its evidence, otherwise my profession of belief in the Bible is no more homage to the divine authority, than the Mohammedan's profession of belief in the Koran-or the Hindoo's professed belief in the Shasters. In their case they take for granted the divine authority of works of imposture, and in my case I take for granted the divine authority of a genuine revelation, entirely on the unsupported testimony of man, and, of course, we are all equally in reality subjecting our minds, not to the rightful sovereignty of God, but to the usurped dominion of man. It may be the word of God which I am receiving, but to me, continuing ignorant of its evidence, it is but the word of man. A large proportion of professed faith in the Christian revelation, it is to be feared, is thus so far from subjection to the divine authority, that it is implied rebellion against it.

But before I can reasonably and acceptably yield the homage of implicit subjection to a principle or precept of divine revelation, I must not merely apprehend its evidence, but also its meaning. When

I meet with a passage in a well-accredited revelation which I do not understand, the farthest I can go reasonably-the farthest I ought to attempt to go-while things continue in this state, is a firm conviction that whatever it means is true and right—something which, if I understood, I ought to believe or do-a persuasion which, if sincere, will urge me to employ all the means in my power to discover its meaning. But I must not in these circumstances do what is often done-surrender my understanding into another man's hands, and receive his explanation of the passage as the true one, unless he is able to make it distinctly out to my mind that it is so. It is to the word of God, and not to man's explications of the word of God, that I am bound to do homage. Human explications are, in their own place, useful and excellent things, but out of their own place they are most mischievous things. Their use is not to furnish us with what we are to believe but to place in a clear and satisfactory light the meaning and evidence of that divine word which should at once be the rule and the reason of our faith and duty. The man who takes for granted, without examination, human explications of a revelation, which on satisfactory evidence he has received as divine, is in effect as much an idolater of human authority, as if he had embraced the revelation without any inquiry into its evidence at all.*

There has been, and still is, on the part of some human expositors, an assumption of an authority which does not belong to them, and on the part of many professors of Christianity too easy a submission to these unauthorized claims. Never can the divine injunction be too frequently repeated-too strongly urged-too deeply pondered: "Call no man on earth master." It is of high importance to carry these truths about with us in all our investigations into the meaning of the inspired volume-but never is it of more importance than in our inquiries as to the meaning of passages of Scripture, which, though it may be not particularly difficult in themselves, have been, from various causes, differently interpreted. Amid the tumultuous noise of hostile disputants, it is not at all times easy to hear the still small voice of inspired truth-and yet if this is not distinguished and listened to, and understood, and believed, and obeyed, what are we the better? By attending to the former we may become accomplished

"Inspired writings are an inestimable treasure to mankind; for so many sentences, so many truths. But then the true sense of them must be known: otherwise so many sentiments, so many authorized falsehoods."-Dr George Bright-Preface to Lightfoot's Works, vol. i. Fol. Lond. 1684.

sophisters-able disputers of this world; but it is only by attending to the latter, that we become possessors of " the secret of the Lord," and are made "wise to salvation."

NOTE XXVII.

ABSURDITY OF SUPPOSING THE LAW OF TRIBUTE TO HAVE NO

LIMITS.

"Let it be supposed that after Nebuchadnezzar had made the decree for all to fall down and worship his image, and the three children were apprehended for refusing it, he had made another, that all, the Jews especially, should contribute every one a faggot, or money to buy it, to heat the furnace, or a rope to lead them to it; can any man suppose that Daniel, or the rest of the faithful, would have paid it? Even so, let it be supposed that one of these faithful ambassadors of Christ, or all these zealous workers together with God, who have la

"There is no Christian man, but will submit his understanding to God, and believe whatever he hath said; but always provided he knows that God hath said so, else he must do his duty by a readiness to obey when he shall know it. But for obedience or humility of the understanding towards men, that is a thing of another consideration; and it must first be made evident that his understanding must be submitted to men; and who these men are must also be certain, before it be adjudged a sin, not to submit. But if I mistake not, Christ's saying, Call no man master on earth,' is so great a prejudice against this pretence, as I doubt not will go near wholly to make it invalid. So that as the worshipping of angels is a humility indeed, but it is voluntary, and a will-worship to an ill sense, not to be excused by the excellency of humility, nor the virtue of religion: so is the relying upon the judgment of man a humility, too, but such as comes not under that vaкоŋ πισтews, that obedience of faith, which is the duty of every Christian; but entrenches on that duty which we owe to Christ as an acknowledgment that he is our great Master, and the Prince of the Catholic Church. In the meantime, he that submits his understanding to all that he knows God hath said, and is ready to submit to all that he hath said, if he but know it, denying his own affections, and interest, and human persuasions, laying them all down at the feet of his great Master, Jesus Christ, that man hath brought his understanding into subjection, and every proud thought into the obedience of Christ, and this is vñakon miσtews, the obedience of faith, which is the duty of a Christian."-Jeremy Taylor's Liberty of Prophesying, Sect. 2, pp. 28-31. 4to. Lond. 1647.

boured among the people in the preached Gospel, should fall into the hands of these hunters, and then they should make a law, and ap. point every man in the nation to send but one thread to make a towe to hang that minister, or to hang the whole company of Christ's ambassadors, and a farthing to pay the executioner, can any man without horror think of complying so far as to contribute what is commanded?"—A Hind let Loose, pp. 713, 714.

NOTE XXVIII.

MODE OF SUPPORTING HEATHEN WORSHIP, AND TERTULLIAN'S TE5

TIMONY ON THIS SUBJECT CONSIDERED.

"Certe, inquitis, templorum vectigalia quotidie decoquunt. Stipes quotusquisque jam jactat? Non enim sufficimus et hominibus et diis vestris mendicantibus opem ferre, nec putamus aliis quam petentibus impertiendum: denique porrigat manum Jupiter, et accipiat; cum interim plus nostra misericordia insumit vicatim, quam vestra religio templatim. Sed cætera vectigalia gratias Christianis agent, ex fide dependentibus debitum, qua alieno fraudando abstinemus; ut si ineatur quantum vectigalibus pereat fraude et mendacio vestrarum professionum, facile ratio haberi possit, unius speciei querela compensata pro commodo ceterarum rationum."-Tertull. Apologet. cap. 42.

This paragraph may be rendered thus:" But you say the revenues of the temples-vectigalia templorum-daily decrease; who now throws pieces of money (to the gods)? for we are not able to give assistance both to your begging men and deities; nor do we think that any thing should be given to any but such as crave it: then let Jupiter stretch out his hand and take it; for our compassion is bestowing more money in the streets than your religion docs in the temples. But the other revenues-cætera vectigalia—have cause to give the Christians thanks who discharge what is due, with the same fidelity with which we abstain from defrauding others; so that, if it were computed how much is lost to the revenues-vectigalibus—by the fraud and cozenage of those of your persuasion, it would readily be seen, that the complaint (against the Christians) as to one species (of revenue) is compensated by the benefit done by them to the rest."

Dr CAVE, in his Primitive Christianity, Part III. chap. 4, states his