Of .Abjiaining from the Appearance of Evil. --- . . ' ( ' find them fO; then b()IJ/nft the form offound word1, in v. 2 r. HpU {t1jf that 1vh~t'h i1 good: 13uc if, upon imparria~ fearch, y~u underJland and find rhac rh7 DoC!rr'!r. delivered eo you, be unfound,then abftatn from tt; c~ough rh~ DoCl:rm~ deh~ . Verad ro you be true, yet if their Expreffions b_e dec.enful, o~-_!uch as m,ay lead inco Errour · if their Notions be dang-erous ; 1fcheir E:-.:prellions be bold.and adventurous; though you muft nor reJect the Doc1rint, yec abftain from th:.t appearance of Evil chat is in rhem. • .' ~ ! Hence, from rhe Connexion, we may obferve, That m the dehvenng and receiving of Do8rives, w~ fhouid ca.refully abftain, not only from what is u~fbund and dangerous,b.ut alfo from what is unfafc and venturous. And r_ruly had thtsCaution of our A-pojlh been duly regarded; had not Teachers lu:-r;unanr.Tongues,and l'learers itChing Ears loadung old Truths,u·nlefs they appear fer off m new Dreff. es, our Times had n~c been fo fruitful in chofe Monfters of Opii:lions that make ir difputable, whether our Knowledge or our En·ours 'were more. It is a true Saying amorig the Ancients, That Here(Jes fp~ead from Words,,if not falOy, ycc unduly and improperly fpoken. The foohlh, ralh, and danng ExpreillOn5 chat have dropp'd from Men found in the Truth, being received by thof~ that have nor been able eo pur a difference betwixt what is Proper and what is Figurative; what is DOctrinal, and what is Rhetorical, have been the occafion of leading many afide into moll dangerous and defiruCHve Tenets: terrainly ChrifliP1J Religion is a thing tU. ore fevere and punctual than to be rhc:.. 'toric:ued upon, and flourifhed with Oraf.()YJ, .that may through Hearers Mifl:,akes as much pervertthe Judgment, as it may pleafe and tickle the Fancy. There is great ~eight in \Vords; for by them rhe Underfianding is ilcered_, ei~her inro the kn6wJedg:e of Truth,or elfe into the embracing of Error ; arid rherefore we ought co ufe fuch Exprelliohs as are leaft liable to any Mif~ar.prehenfions, or Mif-incerprecations. · It i~ nor ~nough co fpeak .rhat which may poffi-bly be fe.tch'd off wich Truth by a difiinttion; bur if we did bur confulr the Ignorance of fome, and the Malice of others, we fho1:1ld fee feafOn enou.gh eo fpeak, if pollibly, (o as that the ignorant might not be able to rniftake us, nor !the malicious be able to mif~conftrue us. , As forinftance,to affirm that we are myfii~ ~ally united unto Chrift1and thereby become one wirh him,chis is a !Tioil high and moft un~ oubted Truth; but to fay that we4re Godtd :.tndChrifted, as fome have gon a hour to expre:fs this ineffable My fiery in fweec :Jnd fugar words,this ba~h been the occafion of that familiftica/ BlnjfhemJ and Nonfenfe that ha rh invaded fo many parrs of the Nation. Wemuft oBferve and confider alfo that the fenfe and. meaning ?f many Exprellions var:y and aleer from the Time in which they were ufed. Thofe very Words that were well ufed fomeAges fince inMacrersof Di'viniry andReli$ion_,cannoc now be ufed without appearance of t'Vit in them, becaufe now their Stgmfication is quire different f1om what it was then: I willinft:3nce but in one_, and that is concerning the mecid,tg of good Works: Iris true the Anticnr Fathers of the Church did hold there was Merit in good Worlu ; but yet it is clear alfo by their \Vricings that the Word Merit did not then fignifie as now ic doch ; then it fignifi ed only Rewardablenefs ; and when any mainraine·d th:n Works rnericed,the common Senfe of them all was no more than this,That their Works lhould be rewarded by God, and eh is is all chat they did affirm. Buc now che Word Merit fignifies Defert in Works arifing from the Equality that is in rhem,' to the RewardS propounded and promifed eo them; and therefore now to afferd that Works have Mtrit in them, is very unf~fe and erroneOUs ·; which whilft the Papi(Js do, they do indeed.flill re cain the Expreffions tJf the Ancimt Fnthers, bur the Senfe is gon ; char is, they fiill hold faft: the Fratbtr when the Bird is flown away. We fhould therefore beware in our Difcourfes of the doubtful ~hingsof Religion,rhac we vencure nor upon thofe Phrafes and Expreffions that etthe: border UJ?O!l Error,or rhar may likely _!~ad in eo Error. And rruly the gener~ltcyof Chnfbans have need of much fpmrual Prudence and Sobriety, that whtle they de~ re and are ea ken wirh Jufcious and fweec \Vords and Expre[Iions~ they do nor WlChal fuck in poifonous and deftructive f?.rror;, This fhall fuffice to he ohfer~ed from rhe co~nexion of rhe Words furegoing,PrO'tle all thingt,chac is_, aflDoctrmes ~hac are delivered eo you; H_,Jd {4f thut which it good, bur ab/!ain from rhar whtch hath hue che pp ar nee of r'Vilinit; thotgh the Dod: · ines themfelves chac are delivered be in fame Senfe found and favoury, yec if chey be delivered
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=