114 A CHRIBTIAIG CHURCH. often cited, acknowledges that plain inferences from scripture make up part of our religion : The bible, saith he, with em- phasis, " The bible is the religion of protestants; whatsoever else they believe besides it, and the plain irrefragable, indubitable consequences of it, well may they hold it as a matter of opinion, but not as a matter of faith and religion." Nor is it necessary to the plainness, evidence and strength of any consequences of scripture, that all persons should own them, and none deny them ; for the plainest and most open truths have been denied by some persons in all ages, through want of attention, through false education, through the prepossession of other opinions, through the attachment to a party, through ob- stinacy of temper, and blind zeal : But all the consequences of scripture, that are necessary to faith and practice in order to sal- vation, are so plain, that a honest, sincere and diligent person, though weak in understanding, may easily find them out by read- ing, meditation, humble prayer, and readiness to receive the truth in the love of it. Here let it be noted, that the necessary conse- quences of scripture, may be called the doctrine of scripture; though the consequences of the doctrines of Luther, Calvin, or any other man, may not be called their doctrines ; because the Spirit of God, who searcheth the deep things of God, well knew all the propositions and 'consequences that ever couldbe drawn, and fairly deduced from the words of scripture when he first in- spired thesacred writers ; and therefore he designed them all as certain anddivine truths. But it is not so with men, who may hold such opinions" as are attended with unhappy consequences, which yet they themselves may not be aware of; or perhaps may expressly deny. V. The most perfect rule always needs a proper application to every particular case ; aitd this does not at all diminish its per- fection, nor lessen its perspecuity. Scripture is still the perfect and final judge of truth and duty in things sacred, though every :aan must apply the words and sense of scripture to his own ease, for his own instruction, edification, and salvation; and every church for their own practice of communion, must apply the words of scripture according to their own best judgment. The law is a perfect judge of right and wrong in things civil, though it must be applied, by the reason and wisdom of man, to particular cases. A rule, or square, is not imperfect because it requires the hand of the builder to apply it, in order to measure the house, or the wall. We are not brutes that cannot reason, nor mere white paper, fit to takenothing but the express stamp of letters and syllables ; reasoning is one of 'our noblest powers, and God demands its exercise : We are bid to search the scrip- tures, and compare spiritual things withspiritual. It is impossi- ble to transfer, or apply, any general sentence, of scripture o
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