How did he open their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures? It was by a just and true expounding them as well as deeply impressing their hearts. He laid their real and true meaning before their minds. He showed them the connexion, and reference to himself. And they understood him, and plainly saw the meaning, design, and intention of the Sacred writings. He gave them no new faculties and powers. He directed them how to use and employ their reason rightly to apprehend, and duly to apply scripture. We are, consequently, to exercise our rational powers in seeking the meaning and design of divine revelation.——Christ opens our understanding to understand the oracles of God, by using with us the proper means of information and instruction, and by saving influences on the soul. We are rational beings. And he treats us as such, not as machines, or beings that had no reason or conscience. He opens the understanding, by enabling us, in the exercise of reason, and our reflecting powers and capacities, to study into, and seek the meaning of holy Writ—to search into the meaning of the words used, and the order and connexion of them; and to divest ourselves of all corrupt biases and prepossessions. By reason of sin, or through the depravity of the heart, the mind is blinded to the spiritual beauty and glory of divine objects.——The purpose of the present discourse, is to point out the right way to gain a true and just understanding of the holy scriptures.
And in general, it must be allowed, that they are capable of being rightly understood. If the Supreme Being, in his infinite wisdom and goodness, be pleased to grant us a revelation of his will at all, he would give us such an one, as, with honest and upright intentions, could be easily understood, in its great and essential principles and duties, ordinances and doctrines. For to give us one that was involved in mystery, and could not be comprehended after a diligent, painful and careful examination, could answer no valuable purpose; nay, it would be altogether improper. It would, in truth, be to insult our misery. The language of it would be this. “Here is poor fallen man, blinded with prejudices—carried away with evil passions—plunged in the ruinous effects of the Apostacy—unable by the mere light of unassisted reason to find the path of duty and happiness. He is in perishing need, consequently, of a safer guide, an infallible directory, in the way to glory. Behold I will provide a Saviour for the helpless: a sanctifier for the unholy: I will grant him a revelation of my will.——But such an one as cannot be understood by him, even when he hath used most sedulously all possible pains and care, and means to understand it. Such an one as is insufficient to answer the intended purposes.” To urge, then, that the revelation, which we enjoy, of the divine will and our duty, cannot be truly and really understood, in all its essential principles, when no exertions or honest endeavours and faithful care, on our part, have been wanting, is to reproach the wisdom and goodness, grace, and justice of God: nay, it is to blaspheme his name: to represent him as trifling with his creatures; and mocking them in their misery. Far be such folly and impiety from us! We do therefore plead, and strenuously insist, that all things necessary to salvation, are laid before us, with sufficient clearness, both in regard to doctrines and practice, both what we are to believe, and what we are to do. The design of all the inspired writings is to save fallen man—to teach him that he may be pardoned and accepted of his sovereign Lord and Maker—to open the method, in which pardon here, and happiness hereafter have been procured—and the terms upon which they will be granted. As these things are of infinite importance to all, high or low, learned or unlearned, so they are revealed with as much plainness as possible. What the Psalmist says of the divine law, may with equal truth be applied to the Gospel. The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple: the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes.
St. Paul takes it for granted, that the principal and fundamental points of christianity, which he calls the first principles of the oracles of God, are easy for all to comprehend and to learn. And when for the time ye ought to be teachers; ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God. There are certain doctrines and duties of the Gospel, which are essential to the very existence of all religion, and which may, with the utmost propriety, be called the first principles of the oracles of God; upon which all the rest are built, and to which they constantly refer. These are plainly expressed, often illustrated, and warmly inculcated. None can mistake them, who honestly and faithfully attend to the scriptures. All that is wanting is to care to read them, and an honest heart, free from wrong biases, to receive the truth, as they exhibit it. Among these first principles of the oracles of God, may be, enumerated, the lost state of man by nature: the absolute need of regeneration: the nature of it as consisting in the implantation of a holy temper of heart or true love to God:—that what Jesus Christ did and suffered for fallen man is the sole meritorious ground of our pardon, and acceptance with a holy and sin-hating God:—the incarnation of the divine Saviour, and his sufferings to expiate human guilt:—the universal resurrection: a righteous judgment:—and eternal retribution. To these we may add, the great and essential duties and virtues of piety and morality or of the gospel—the need of repentance towards God and in what it consists: faith towards Jesus Christ: constancy in the exercises of devotion:—strict justice—benevolence, peace, and condescension—forgiveness of injuries—love to enemies—humility, patience, temperance, and self-denial. Can any one, who has ever read the sacred pages with any care, affirm that these are not set before us, as strongly as language can express them? Are they not often repeated? Are they not pressed upon the conscience, in a variety of ways, and elucidated by beautiful metaphors and figures? And they are pleasingly illustrated, I mean the duties of piety and Virtue, in the life and character of the divine author of Christianity. He, indeed, hath set us an indefective example of goodness—left us an example that we should follow his steps.
While it is asserted that the leading and fundamental doctrines of the Gospel are most clearly and repeatedly laid before us, it cannot be denied that some things in it, are hard to be understood. These are revealed as clearly as the nature of the subject would admit. Some things must be in their own nature mysterious and incomprehensible. Such things there are in the volume of nature, and we have no reason to suppose, it would be otherwise in the volume of revelation. They are so sublime as to transcend our scanty powers of mind. They are revealed, however, as far as they are capable of being revealed, or as far as we are capable of receiving them—or as far as may be needful, either for the glory of God, or our own salvation. Prophecies, for example, in the very nature of things, will be obscure. The event only can expound them. We may easily see what the grand design is: but the precise circumstances of the predicted event will remain a secret to us, till the event lay them before us.—We cannot pretend to comprehend the great points of Christianity relative to the Trinity, or a threefold subsistence in the divine essence—the human nature united to the divine to constitute the one mediator between God and man—the resurrection of the body—and the change which will pass upon those who shall be found alive at the coming of Christ to judge the world. These, we readily admit, are mysterious and incomprehensible doctrines. But their being so, is not proof that they are unreasonable and absurd. To say that whatever is incomprehensible in Religion is unreasonable, is a mark either of inattention or ignorance. God’s nature is incomprehensible. His works of creation are full of wonders. And a revelation from him to the children of men would be justly suspected, if it contained nothing incomprehensible, and above reason.
You will be pleased to observe also that, besides some doctrines which are beyond our reason, inexplicable difficulties may attend some particular passages of scripture. These difficulties originate not from any defect or impropriety of manner, in which they are expressed; but from our being unacquainted with the customs or usages, to which an allusion is made. These passages are not numerous. And our salvation depends not on our rightly understanding them. No essential duty or doctrine of the Gospel depends on a doubtful text. What is necessary to instruct us, in things divine, and to guide us safely to God and happiness, through the dangers, snares, and temptations of human life, is clearly made known unto us, and repeatedly urged by all suitable arguments, and the most serious and weighty considerations.
The scriptures, therefore, are as a light to our feet, and a lamp to our paths: a light shining in a dark place, with a steady brightness—able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ—And——
1stly. One way rightly to understand them is to interpret them by themselves. They are their own best interpreter. It is one of the most rational principles can be adopted relative to understanding the inspired writings to make them expound themselves. They are to declare their own meaning. No explanations of men, decisions of councils, or tenets collected into creeds are to be admitted as perfect guides, in things pertaining to our salvation. Men may be wise and learned: Councils may be judicious and pious in their intentions, but after all are liable to mistakes. This is not said to detract from the wisdom, piety and learning of men—or of venerable councils. A wise and candid Christian will honour their opinions—carefully weigh them, and be diffident of himself: will be modest and pay all due deference to the opinions of others, especially men of study, erudition, and piety. But still we must all think for ourselves, and must adhere undeviatingly to the scriptures, as our only infallible guide. We must stand or fall to our own Master. Another man’s faith cannot save us, or his want of faith destroy us. We are, in things divine, to call no man Master or Father, for one is our Master even Christ; and one is our Father who is in heaven. But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren. And call no man Father upon the earth; for one is your Father which is in heaven. No man has a right to interfere, by compulsive measures, in another man’s religion. Reason, argument, and persuasion and a pious example are the only weapons to be employed to spread the glories of that mild and benevolent system of Religion, which Jesus of Nazareth instituted. The first rule of rightly understanding the Oracles of God, is to make them their own expositor. This is the maxim of protestants. It is a just and important maxim. We are not to put upon them, the interpretations and constructions of imagination, or fancy; or to suppose that we have any impulses or inspiration in the mind to give us, the spiritual meaning of them.
2dly. Another method rightly to understand the Scriptures, is to take them according to the general, established, and well known import of the words used. All learned men, who alone can be competent judges, in the case, agree that they are well translated. And through the peculiar care and blessing of divine Providence they have been preserved pure and entire, during such a length of time, and so many revolutions of literature and of states and kingdoms. The men who were engaged in, and by authority appointed to the work of translating them into the English language (and the translation of them was a most arduous work) were men of great integrity, extensive learning, and, in the judgment of charity, undissembled piety. Opposite sects have all allowed them to be a faithful and just translation. When we, therefore, take them into our hands to peruse them, we should understand them precisely, as they are written, in the common import of the words, according to the plain rules of grammar, and the necessary construction of sentences. An attention to these things is absolutely necessary, in order to a true understanding of them. We are not to seek after any hidden, mystical sense of the words or sentences. The very letter and meaning of the scriptures is to be strictly attended to. We are to take the words used in the sacred, just as we would, in any other good writings. For the inspired writers always used words properly, and had good sense. They were not guilty of obscurity or self-inconsistency. Their sole end was to state and convey the truth, which they were commissioned to deliver, with propriety and fulness. This they did most admirably, and with great beauty and energy. The true meaning of scripture, is its very life and power, its spirit. The words that I speak unto you, says Christ, they are spirit, and they are life. They reveal true, spiritual and saving doctrines: doctrines all-important—doctrines that lead to life eternal.—
3dly. A third way rightly to understand the scriptures, is carefully and critically to observe the connexion and subject matter of discourse, or the occasion—the characters to whom or of whom the words are spoken. It is not to be expected that readers of the Bible will attain to a right understanding of it, if they overlook the connexion and occasion; and take single and detached passages by themselves, and shape them into a conformity to their own pre-conceived opinion or scheme of doctrines. The right way not to be deceived by our own reflections, or the artful insinuations of such as lie in wait to deceive, is to bring our opinions or tenets, our principles, whatever they may be, to the scriptures; to examine them by their light; and to make them bow to their decision. And not, as is too often done, to bend them to our tenets and principles. We are to search them, that we may thence take all our articles of faith, and maxims and rules of conduct. Learned and unlearned ought to do this; and to reject whatever will not bear the test, when applied to them. To the law and testimony ought to be our Motto as Christians or believers in a divine revelation. If any of our religious opinions be contrary to scripture, we are bound by our regard to their authority to abjure them. And that we may not inadvertently be led into error and delusion, we are to consider as accurately as may be, the connexion, the occasion, the design of the inspired penman, to whom, and of whom he is speaking, comparing one passage with another: that which is figurative, and less plain, with that which is unfigurative and more obvious: examining all, with diligence, by the general and ruling principles of the Gospel: with an honest desire to discover our duty and the will of God, even, if our favourite notions, (as almost all sects and individual Christians have their peculiarities of belief and practice) should be found to be directly repugnant to scripture. Thus we shall rightly understand scripture. Thus we shall be led into all truth and duty.—It appears, then, with an evidence exceedingly bright, that all our opinions, whether gleaned from authors uninspired, or taken up by reflection, or fallen into by accident, should be tried ty the word of God. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
4thly. A further way rightly to understand the scriptures, is to divest ourselves, as far as is possible, of all prejudices, and to read and hear them, with a sincere and honest intention to know the truth. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness, and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls. Perhaps to divest ourselves, wholly, of all wrong and corrupt biases is impracticable, what no person was ever yet able to do, after his most vigorous endeavours. Sinful prepossessions cleave to the most candid. We may be prejudiced many ways, and not be sensible of it, against the only true system of Religion. There is but one right way of belief and worship. Truth is uniform and one. There is one God, one Lord Jesus Christ, one faith, one baptism—one hope. Many different denominations of Christians may hold essentially to this one true system, and still drink in many small errors, unessential and circumstantial things, about which, they may violently contend to the loss of charity. We are, then, to do all that in us lies to get into this right way: not only to think we are right, but actually to be right. For this end, we must be faithful and impartial: faithful to God and our own consciences, and impartial in our enquiries; or be anxious lest our fondness for a party lead us into error, or into tenets which are subversive of the very foundation of the Gospel. We are to take heed how we read, as well as how we hear.