1. And one way in which primitive Christianity is corrupted, and the holy scriptures perverted and wrested to people's destruction is by refusing to take the words in their well known and established signification, and wishing to shape them to pre-conceived opinions. As they were written for our instruction and guidance in all things relating to faith and practice, so we are to abide by the common and obvious import of the words used. The only proper and just way of discovering the real and true meaning of scripture-words, is to see how they are generally used by the inspired writers. The most of the words, have a fixed signification, as much as any words can have. Those, whose import is hard to discover, are few in number, and relate to certain customs or rites in the antient nations, now in the lapse of centuries, unknown. And, none of these phrases necessarily obscure by reason of customs now unknown, contain essential doctrines. The things necessary to be believed in order to obtain salvation are few, and so obvious that none can dispute or mistake them, but those who chuse to do it. If any rule of interpreting scripture be so just, at first view, as to be incontrovertible, it is this, that it is to be its own expositor--it is to be interpreted by itself--passages not so plain or clear, by those which are as plain as words can be--things not necessary or essential, by those which are necessary and essential. Do we wish to know the true meaning and spirit of scripture, we are to observe carefully how the words used, upon which we may be contemplating, are generally used in other parts of scripture; what the common known import of words is; and also how the sacred writers generally use them. They are likewise to be understood according to the analogy of faith, or the system of truths most evidently taught us in divine Revelation. The figurative and metaphorical language is to be conceived of from plain and unfigurative. And both according to the subject treated.--When we open the sacred Volume, we should be willing to be guided altogether by what it contains. It contains what we are to believe concerning God, and the duty required of us. We should not aim to make it speak according to ideas and opinions on religious subjects, which we have previously formed--or bend it from its easy natural sense, to conform to certain favourite authors uninspired, whom we passionately admire. If we will arbitrarily, or at our pleasure, take scripture and compel it to accord to our tenets or principles, already imbibed, whether from accident or reflection, or from corrupt writers; being, mean while, resolved to get passages of scripture to favour or support them, whether wrongly or rightly applied, we are certainly guilty of the sin of wresting it to our spiritual hurt, or even final destruction. Because, in this way we shall never fail to misuse it. We shall make it say any thing, we please to admit--or to deny any thing we wish to have it deny. It can, of course, be no rule of life to us, or standard of faith. One man will make it say one thing, and another, a directly opposite thing. Hence, it hath been unjustly charged with contradicting itself, by infidel Cavillers.--Also, serious and honest minds, but not of extensive information, or accuracy of judgment, have often been bewildered and confounded by opposite and contradictory interpretations. Were men to pervert any good writer on common subjects, or any antient Classical author, as they do the word of God, they would be justly chargeable either with incapacity or disingenuity: they would be complained of for the want of fairness, or be accused of willful perversion. No person who pretends to own the truth of scripture can be honest in his enquiries after duty from it, who is not disposed heartily to take it just as it is, without compelling it to speak a language wholly foreign from its most obvious meaning. In general, it has one plain, fixed meaning. And this would be as easily comprehended, were we honest to ourselves, and diligent in our search into it, as the meaning of any plain good writer. To suppose otherwise would be not only to asperse the SACRED ORACLES, but to impeach the divine wisdom and goodness. Because, for the same reason that God, infinite in mercy and benevolence, would give to a world lying in sin and wickedness, a revelation of his will at all, he would give one that could be easily understood where there were good and upright intentions in studying it.