p. 162 | LET SCRIPTURE LEAD

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 12, 1860

LET SCRIPTURE LEAD.

AND surely it is much better thus to consult scripture and take it for a guide, than to resort to it merely for confirmations, contained in detached texts of the several parts of some system of theology which the student fixes on as reputed orthodox, and which is in fact made the guide which he permits to "lead him by the hand;" while passages culled out from various parts of the sacred writings in subserviency to such system are formed into what may be called an anagram of scriptures: and then by reference to this system as a standard, each doctrine or discourse is readily pronounced Orthodox, or Socinian, or Arian or Sabellian or Nestorian, &c.; and all this on the ground that the theological scheme which the student has adopted is supported by Scripture. The materials indeed are the stones of the temple; but the building constructed with them is a fabric of human contrivance. If instead of this too common procedure, students would fairly search the Scriptures with a view not merely to defend their opinions, but to form them—not merely for arguments but for truth—keeping human expositions to their own proper purposes [See Essay VI. First series,] and not allowing these to become practically, a standard—if in short, they were as honestly desirous to be on the side of Scripture as they naturally are to have Scripture on their side, how much sounder, as well as more charitable, would their conclusions often be!

And it is important to remember—what we are very liable to lose sight of—the circumstance, that not only there arose grievous errors during the time of the Apostles, and consequently such were likely to exist in the times immediately following, but also that when these inspired guides were removed there was no longer the same infallible authority to decide what was error. In the absence of such a guide, some errors might be received as orthodox, and some sound doctrines be

condemned as heterodox.