Discourse of Mental Errors, Part · Section 4
The Remedies.
The proper Remedies and Preventives in this case are an heedful attendance to, and practice of these Rules.
Rule I.
Let all obscure and difficult Texts of Scripture be constantly examined and expounded according to the Analogy or proportion of Faith, which is St. Paul's own Rule, Rom. 12. 6. Let him that prophesieth, (i. e. expoundeth the Scripture in the Church) do it according to the proportion of faith. The Analogy or proportion of Faith is what is taught plainly and uniformly in the whole Scriptures of Old and New Testament, as the rule of our Faith and Obedience. Whilst we carefully and sincerely attend hereunto, we are secured from sinful corrupting the word of God. Admit of no sense which interfereth with this proportion of Faith. If men have no regard to this, but take liberty to rend off a single Text from the body of Truth to which it belongs, and put a peculiar interpretation upon it which is absonous and discordant to other Scriptures, what woful work will they quickly make?
Give but a Papist liberty to take that Scripture, Iam. 2. 24. out of the frame of Scripture, A man is justified by works, and not by faith only; and expo…d it without regard to the Tenor of the Gospel-doctrine of Iustification in Paul's Epistles to the Romans and Galatians, and a gross Error starts up immediately. Give but a Socinian the like liberty to practise upon Iohn 14. 28. and a gross H…resie shall presently look with an Orthodox face.
Rule II.
Never put a new sense upon words of Scripture in favour of your preconceived Notions and Opinions, nor wrest it from its general and common use and sense. This is not to interpret, but to rack the Scriptures, as that word foreign signifies, 2 Pet. 3. 16. Interpretis officium est, non quid ipse velit, sed quid censeat ille, quem interpretatur, exponere, as Hieron. against Ruff. speaks. We are not to make the Scriptures speak what we think, but what the Prophet or Apostle thought, whom we interpret. In 1 Cor. 7. 14. we meet with the word [holy] applied to the Children of Believers; that word is above 500 times used for a state of separation to God: Therefore to make it signify in that place nothing but Legitimacy, is a bold and daring practising upon the Scripture.
Rule III.
Whenever you meet with an obscure place of Scripture, let the Context of that Scripture be diligently and throughly searched; for 'tis usual with God to set up some light there to guide us through the obscurity of a particular Text. And there is much truth in the Observation of the Rabbines, Nulla est objectio in Lege, quae non habet solutionem in l…tere. There's no scruple or objection in the Law, but it hath a solution at the side of it.
Rule IV.
Let one Testament freely cast its light upon the other; and let not men undervalue or reject an Old Testament Text, as no way useful to clear and establish a New-Testament Point of Faith or Duty. Each Testament reflects light upon the other. The Iews reject the New-Testament, and many among us sinfully slight the Old: But without the help of both, we can never understand the mind of God… in either. 'Tis a good Rule in the Civil-Law, Turpe est de Lege judicare, tota lege nondum inspectâ. We must inspect the whole Law, to know the sense of any particular Law.
Rule V.
Have a due regard to that sense given of obscure places of Scripture, which hath not only the current sense of Learned Expositors, but also naturally agrees with the scope of the place. A careless neglect and disregard to this, is justly blamed by the Apostle, 1 Tim. 1. 7.