482 LOGSc : oft, THE RIGHT sis t Or REASON. wicked, mischievous, and bloody principles, should pretend tá support and defend themselves by the gospel of Christ. Every learned critic has his own hypothesis ; and if the common text be not favourable to his opinion, a various lettion shall be made authentic. The text must be supposed to be defec- tive or redundant, and the sense of it shall be literal, or meta- phorical, according as it best supports bis own scheme. Whole chapters or books shall be added or left out of the sacred canon, or be turned into parables, by this influence. Luther knew not well how to reconcile the epistle of St. James to the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and so he could not allow it to be divine. 'Ilse Papists bring all the apocrypha into their bible, and stamp divinity upon it : for they can fancy purgatory is there, and they find prayers for the dead. But they leave out the second commandment because it forbids the worship of images. Others suppose the Mosaic history of the creation, and the fall of man, to be oriental ornaments, or a mere allegory, because the literal sense of those three chapters of Genesis do not agree with their theories. Even an honest plain - hearted and unlearned Christian is ready to find something in every chapter of the bible to coun- tenance his own private sentiments ; but he loves those chapters best which speaks his own opinions plainest : this is a prejudice that sicks very close to onr natures ; the scholar is infested with it daily, and the mechanic is not free. Self has yet a farther and a more pernicious influence upon our understandings, and is an unhappy guide in the search after truth. When our own inclination, or our ease, our honour, or our profit, tempts us to the practice of any thing of suspected lawfulness, how do we strain our thoughts to find arguments for it, and persuade ourselves it is lawful ? We colour over iniquity and sinful compliance with the names of virtue and innocence, or at least of constraint and necessity. All the different and oppo- uïte sentiments and practices of mankind are too much influenced by this mean bribery, and give too just occasion for satyrical wri- ters to say, that self-interest governs all mankind. When the, judge had awarded due damages to a person into whose field a neighbour's oxen had broke, it is reported that he reversed his own sentence, when he heard that the oxen which had done this mischief were his own. Whether this be an history or a Parable, it is still a just representation of the wretched influence of self to corrupt the judgment. One way to amend this prejudice, is to thrust self so far out of the question that it may have no manner of influence whenso- ever we are called to judge and consider the naked nature, truth, and justice of things. In matters of equity between man and man, our Saviour has taught us an effectual means of guarding against this prejudice, and that is, to put my neighbour in the
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