QUESTION X. lit not the mere words of it, that must be our rule of duty and practice. I1. That the mere words of scripture were never given us for a test of truth and error, but the sense of scripture is such a test; much less can we suppose the words of scripture given us for a test of every man's knowledge, in order to christian com- munion. Those that are of this opinion, profess indeed to pay a most exalted and superlative honour to the holy scripture, in ma- king the very letters and syllables of it so effectual and powerful, to determine all controversies in the christian church with the greatest ease, and to charm and subdue thewarring tonguesof men to submission and silence: For if an heretic acknowledges these letters and syllables to be divine, no man must open his mouth against him. But surely this is such a honour, as God never de- signed for letters and syllables ; and if I might venture to use so hard a word, I should ask whether it were not a superstitious regard paid to ink and paper? When errors are proposed, we are indeed called to examine them by the law and the testimony; Is. viii. 20. and it is said, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. But the design of thistext is not to make the very words and syllables" the judges of truth, but the meaning and sense of them : I prove it thus : Suppose I doubt whether Christ " made a real and proper satisfaction to the justice of God for the offences of man ;" I compare this with the words of scripture, and I find there, that Christ redeemed us from the curse, he bare our sins on his body, he was made a sacrifice for sin, he is our propitiation, or atone- ment: but I cannot find the words real and proper satisfaction in scripture ; how then must I judge whether this be truth, or no ? I cannot do it by the more words, for these are different ; but by its agreement in sense and meaning with those other scriptural expressions,' I find it to be a divine truth. I prove it by another instance thus : Suppose I am told, that I must subdue My pride and vanity of mind, and that I must repent of all backbiting and intemperance, of which I have been guilty, if ever I would be saved:" I consult my bible, and there I find that Imust repent of sin, that I must mortify the deeds of the body, that I muss crucify the fleshwith its lusts, that I must pluck out my right eye, and cut off my right hand, if I would enter intò the kingdoms of heaven. Now how shall I know what is my duty ! Surely, the literal sense of the words cannot. be. How then shall I find my duty, but by explaining the spiritual Sense of these metaphors, in which scripture so much- abounds ? A right hand, and a right eye, signifies those sins which are be- loved asthose members of the body ;. and then I must draw such consequences as these, viz. " If sin must be repented of, then backbiting and intemperance must be repented of, for they are
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