it is as plain and clear as it need to be; and it can be no reflection on the divine goodness not to have made it plainer.

But now, that whatever is requisite to be believed or done by us, is sufficiently evident in Scripture, will appear from these two considerations.

1. The darkness of Scripture in some particular places does not hinder its being generally plain and clear. Its having some things in it hard to be understood, implies that it has but some; and that most things in it are easy to be understood, lie open and level to the meanest understandings. The truth is, whatever difficulties there are in Scripture, they are few and little, in comparison of what is plain and intelligible there. Take it altogether, and it well deserves the character holy David bestows on it, Psal. cxix. 105; that it is a lantern unto his feet and a light unto his paths: that the testimony of the Lord is sure, and giveth wisdom unto the simple, ver. 130: that the commandment of the Lord is pure, and giveth light unto the eyes, Psal. xix. 8. And if in general, and for the most part, Scripture be perspicuous and clear, we have reason to think there is enough of it clear to instruct us in the whole of our duty; and make us sufficiently wise unto salvation. Especially since, in the

2d place, nothing there, that is hard to be understood, is necessary to be understood by us: and therefore, whatever truth is contained in any obscure place of Scripture, we may satisfy ourselves, that the knowledge, or practice of it shall never be required at our hands, upon the account of its being contained there.

I say, upon the account of its being contained there: for a necessary doctrine that is delivered obscurely in one place, may yet be revealed clearly in another. And wherever it is clearly revealed, we are obliged to take notice of it. But whatever doctrine is contained in one or more obscure texts of Scripture, and no where else clearly expressed, is not necessary to be embraced

and believed by us; nor shall we be condemned for not receiving it.

The goodness of God is sufficiently justified, in proposing the Scripture as a rule of faith to us: for though it be not equally perspicuous and clear throughout, yet it is in the main, and for the most part so; and whatever is hard to be understood, is on that very account not necessary to be understood. But,

Secondly, neither is there any reflection by this means cast on the wisdom of God. For though it may be said, if these hard places are not capable of being understood, why were they written? why were they made parts of the revelation of God's will to men, if we are still as much in the dark to them, as if they had never been revealed; yet to this it may, in the

First place, be answered, that there is no part of Scripture so obscure, as to be utterly unintelligible. St. Peter says only, there are some things hard, but he says not, that there are any impossible to be understood. It is difficult indeed in some places to reach the sense of the inspired writers: but still it is not so difficult, but that it may be done, if, with care and attention, we study the holy Scripture; if we free ourselves from the prepossessions and prejudices; if we take in all proper helps, and make use of all proper means, and, above all, if we ardently beg of God the assistance of his good Spirit, to teach and enlighten us, and lead us into all truth. I say there is no difficulty so great in Scripture, but that by the supernatural illuminations of God's Spirit concurring with our natural endeavours, it is possible to be mastered; and therefore God did not inspire the holy writers to write any thing altogether in vain and to no purpose; for nothing written by them is perfectly incapable of being understood; only some things lie readier to our sight, upon the surface as it were of the text, and others lie deeper, and we are forced therefore (in the words of Solomon) to dig for them as for hidden treasures, Prov. ii. 4. But,

Secondly, the wisdom of God is further justified, in leaving these hard passages, inasmuch as there are several wise ends which it serves by it, and several weighty reasons which it has for so doing.

He left them on purpose to humble the presumption and pride of man, to confound the wisdom of the wise of this world, 1 Cor. i. 19; and to give us an instance of the mighty power of God, in making those plain men, the apostles, utter such great and sublime truths, as those of the most improved understandings, among the heathens by the mere light of nature, never did, nor could do.

He left them on purpose to create an awful reverence of mind in us towards holy truths; which, had they been all easy of access, would in a little time, have grown familiar, and cheap to us also.

To secure the majesty of religion therefore he wrapped up some of the great mysteries of it in obscurity.He made (as the Psalmist speaks) darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him with dark waters, and thick clouds to cover him, Psal. xviii. 11.

Further, he left them also, to exercise our industry, and to engage our attention. He designed the holy book to be such, as that we might make it always our companion and our study: that our delight might continually be (as David's was) in the law of the Lord, and in that we might meditate day and night, Psal. i. 2. In order to which, it was requisite, that the sense of every thing, every where, should not be too plain, and obvious. For how then could we have found always fresh matter for our thoughts and inquiries? No, the treasure of divine knowledge was necessarily so to be hid, in these sacred volumes, as not soon to be exhausted; so as continually to provoke our searches, and to feed our mind with ever fresh discoveries; so as that, how long soever we meditate upon it, we may have still room left for further meditations. Were all plain, were all open there, the mind would quickly droop, and the attention languish, upon the repeated views of that, which it was so well acquainted with, and knew so thoroughly.

Again, God mixed together obscure with plain things, deep with common truths in Scripture, that what was addressed to all might be adapted to every one's capacity: the babes in Christ, as well as grown saints, the weak promiscuously, and the strong, were to read the holy Seripture. And therefore fit it was, that there should be food in it proportioned to both; milk for the one, and strong meat for the other.

Yet, further, these dark doctrines and puzzling passages were inserted, to be the test of ingenuous, of sincere and well-disposed minds: to see, whether, when we were once satisfied that a book came from God, we would acquiesce in every thing contained in it, and submit ourselves (without disputes or cavils) as well to those parts of it, which shocked, as to those which enlightened our minds; or whether we would not (as many have done) lay hold of every obscure passage to the prejudice of Scripture, though we had otherwise never so many arguments for the divine original of it; and reject the authority of all that which is plain and clear there, for the sake of something which we do not comprehend.

Finally, God left these obscurities in Holy Writ, on purpose to give us a taste and glimpse, as it were, of those great and glorious truths, which shall hereafter fully be discovered to us in another world, but which now are, in some measure, hidden from our eyes; on purpose to make us earnestly aspire after, and long for that blessed state and time, when all doubts shall be cleared, and the veil taken off from all mysteries: when the book, that is now in some measure shut, shall be opened, and every one of the seven seals thereof loosed, Rev. v. 5. When that which is perfect shall come, and that which is in part shall be done away, 1 Cor. xiii. 10. When we shall exchange faith for sight, hope for enjoyment, reasoning for intuition, and shall not (as we do now) see through a glass darkly, but know even as we are known, ver. 12.

To that blessed state, God of his infinite mercy bring us all, &c.

SECOND

SERMON

ON THE SAME SUBJECT.

In which are some things hard to be understood, &c. 2 Pet. iii. 16.

IN my former discourse I shewed you, that these words of St. Peter relate directly to the writings of St. Paul; in which he owns, there are some things hard to be understood; and that they, who were unlearned and unstable, wrested them, as they did the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Whereby he intimates, that there are also in the other parts of Scripture, as well as in the writings of St. Paul, obscure passages, liable to be misunderstood, wrested and perverted by unlearned and unstable readers.

I have therefore taken an occasion from hence, to discourse to you at large concerning the difficult parts of Holy Writ, so as to take in the general argument; and yet to keep my eye more particularly all along, upon the books of the New Testament, to which St. Peter's words chiefly refer.

I proposed to treat of this subject under the four following heads.

1. First, by enlarging a little on the proposition, allowed and laid down in the text, that there are in St. Paul's writings, and in the other Scriptures also, things hard to be understood.

II. Secondly, by giving some account how, and for what reason it hath come to pass, that the Scriptures are and must be, in some measure, obscure; how necessary and unavoidable it was, that there should be some passages