A Treatise of Family Instruction, Chapter 4 · Section 12
SECT. 12. The Plea of ſuch as are afraid they ſhould wreſt the Scriptures, anſwered. How to come to the true and right underſtanding of the Scriptures.
Object. 12 I Am afraid I ſhould wreſt the Scriptures if I ſhould go about to teach my Family, becauſe I am a man of ſmall learning; and the Apoſtle tells us, There are ſome things in the Scriptures hard to be underſtood, which they that are unlearned do wreſt to their own deſtruction, 2 Pet. 3.16.
Anſwer: 1. Ought you not to be afraid of bringing the guilt of your Childrens blood upon your heads, by neglecting to teach them, and nurſing them in ignorance, as well as fear wreſting the Scriptures? If your Families be not inſtructed, but live and die in ignorance, they will periſh eternally, but their Blood God will require at your hands, as hath been ſhewed before.
2. As there are ſome thing in the Scripture hard to be underſtood, ſo there are other things plain and eaſie: As, That we ſhould love God with all our hearts, and love our Neighbour as our ſelves; That we ſhould truſt in the Lord at all times, and for all things; That we ſhould do unto all men as we would that they ſhould do unto us; That we ſhould be contented in every condition: With many other Precepts and Directions pertaining to an holy Life: Which are ſo plain and eaſie to be underſtood, that perſons of very mean capacities may underſtand them. The Prophet ſpeaking of the way of Holineſs, ſaith, Iſa. 35.10. The wayfaring men, though fools, ſhall not erre therein. And as the Practical part of Chriſtianity is eaſie to be underſtood, ſo there are many Principles ſo clearly and plainly revealed in the Scriptures, that perſons of mean abilities may underſtand them. As, That God made man upright, and created him after his own Image, in Righteouſneſs and true Holineſs; That Adam did not continue in this eſtate, but ſinned againſt God by eating the forbidden fruit; That all men have ſinned, and come ſhort of the Glory of God; That the wages of ſin is death; That Jeſus Chriſt died for our ſins; That he roſe again from the dead the third day; That he aſcended into Heaven, and ſitteth there at Gods right hand to make Interceſſion for us; That whoſoever believeth in Jeſus Chriſt, ſhall receive remiſſion of ſins, and have eternal life; That the dead ſhall be raiſed, and be all judged at the laſt day; That at the day of Judgment they that have done evil ſhall be caſt into Hell Fire, where they ſhall remain for ever; and they that have lived godly in Chriſt Jeſus ſhall be taken into the Kingdom of Heaven, &c. Now if you have not ability to teach them the more abſtruſe and myſterious points of the Chriſtian Religion, teach them thoſe things which are plain and eaſie; and whilſt you do ſo, God will open your Underſtandings, and give you farther inſight into the Myſteries of the Goſpel.
3. Your fear of wreſting the Scriptures, ſhould make you diligent in uſing the means to get a true and right underſtanding of the Scriptures; but it ſhould not make you neglect your duty in teaching your Children the knowledge of the Scriptures. That man who had but one Talent, and out of fear did not improve his Talent, but went and hid it in the Earth, was not excuſed by his having but a mean Talent, or by his pleading his fearfulneſs; but is called by his Lord a wicked & a ſlothful ſervant, and was caſt into outer darkneſs, where there was weeping and gnaſhing of Teeth, Matth. 25.24, 25, 26, 30. He which had received the one Talent, came and ſaid, Lord, I knew thee, that thou art a hard man,—And I was afraid, and went and hid thy Talent in the Earth; lo there thou haſt that is thine: His Lord anſwered and ſaid unto him, Thou wicked and ſlothful ſervant, thou kneweſt that I reap where I ſowed not, and gather where I have not ſtrawed; thou oughteſt therefore to have put my money to the Exchangers, that I might have received mine own with uſury. Take therefore the Talent from him— And caſt the unprofitable ſervant into outer darkneſs, there ſhall be weeping and gnaſhing of teeth.
If you ask, What means ſhould we uſe that we may come to the true and right underſtanding of the Scriptures, and be kept from wreſting them?
I anſwer:
1. Be ſenſible of your own inability to underſtand the Scriptures of your ſelves, and pray to God to open your underſtandings, and to guide you into the true and right meaning of his holy word. It is Gods work to open the eyes of our underſtandings, whereby we may underſtand his word, Luc. 24.45. Then opened he their underſtandings, that they might underſtand the Scriptures: Prov. 20.12. The hearing ear, and the ſeeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them. And ſeeing it is Gods work to enlighten our minds, we muſt pray to God to reveal to us the meaning of his word, when we give our ſelves to the reading of it, Pſal. 119.18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law. And when we do with humble and lowly minds ſeek unto God, he will teach us, and lead us into the knowledge of the truth, Prov. 28.5. They that ſeek the Lord underſtand all things: Pſal. 25.9. The meek will he guide in judgment, the meek will he teach his way. They are uſually proud and ſelf-conceited perſons that fall into error, Pſal. 119.21. Thou haſt rebuked the proud, that are curſed, that do erre from thy Commandments.
2. Read the Scriptures diligently, and mark the coherence of what you read, with that which went before, and that which followeth after; obſerve the ſcope, and conſider well both the words and matter of thoſe places which have any difficulty in them, this will help you to a right underſtanding of the Scriptures, 2 Tim. 2.7. Conſider what I ſay, and the Lord give thee underſtanding in all things.
3. Compare one Scripture with another, that which is more obſcure with that which is more clear, that is the way to come to know the mind of Chriſt in the Scriptures: 1 Cor. 2.13, 16. —Comparing ſpiritual things with ſpiritual—we have the mind of Chriſt.
4. Conſider what is the general deſign and ſcope of the whole Scripture; and if you would not wreſt the Scriptures, underſtand and expound particular Texts ſo as they may agree with, and not contradict, the general ſcope and deſign of the whole Scripture. Now the general ſcope and deſign of the Scripture, is,
1. To bring us to believe in Chriſt, and to teach us to expect eternal Life by believing on Chriſt, John 20.31. Theſe things are written that ye might believe that Jeſus is the Chriſt, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his Name: Prov. 22.19, 20. That thy truſt may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee: Have I not written to thee excellent things in counſels and knowledge?
2. To keep us from ſinning againſt God, 1 John 2.1. My little Children, theſe things write I unto you, that ye ſin not—And to direct and help us to live holy and godly lives, Tit. 1.1. According to the faith of Gods Elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after Godlineſs: 1 Tim. 6.3. If any man teach otherwiſe, and conſent not to wholeſome words, even the words of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and the Doctrine which is according to Godlineſs.
3. The general deſign of the Scriptures, is, to comfort and to encourage us in all eſtates and conditions to hope in God, Rom 15.4. Whatſoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
5. Receive ſuch Truths as God reveals to you out of his word, with love, and yield ſincere obedience to them: When perſons do not love and obey the Word, God gives them up oft-times to ſtrong deluſions, that they believe lies inſtead of truth; 2 Theſ. 2.10, 11. Becauſe they received not the love of the truth, that they might be ſaved; and for this cauſe God ſhall ſend them ſtrong deluſions, that they ſhould believe a lie. But as for ſuch as do ſincerely obey the voice of the Lord, and continue therein, the Lord is wont to give them good underſtandings, and the ſpirit of a ſound mind; Pſal. 110.10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wiſdom, a good underſtanding have all they that do his Commandments, John 7.17. If any man will do his will, he ſhall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I ſpeak of my ſelf.
6. Lean not to your own underſtandings, but truſt in the Lord with all your hearts, rely upon him to keep you from Errour of Judgment, and to lead and guide you into all Truth; you have ſeveral promiſes to encourage you to reſt upon God to teach you the truth, and to preſerve you in the knowledge and belief of the truth: I will mention ſome of them: John 16.13. When he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: John 8.31, 32. Then ſaid Jeſus to thoſe Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my Diſciples indeed. And ye ſhall know the truth, and the truth ſhall make you free. John 6.45. It is written in the Prophets, And ye ſhall be all taught of God.
7. Take ſome convenient times for chaſtening your Souls by faſting and humiliation for your ſins, and bewail before the Lord your ignorance and dulneſs, and all your other ſins, and cry mightily to him for that wiſdom which comes from above; hereby Daniel obtained a great meaſure of Divine Illumination and Knowledge in the Myſteries of Salvation, Dan. 10.12. Fear not Daniel, for from the firſt day that thou didſt ſet thine heart to underſtand, and to chaſten thy ſelf before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. And at another time, whilſt he was humbling his Soul for his ſins, and calling upon God, the Lord ſent an Angel to give him skill and underſtanding, Dan. 9.20, 21, 22, 23.