Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the
truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of
him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Consider,
then, that of our Savior to Peter in Luke 22:32,
“When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” which containing nothing
but an application of one of the prime dictates of the law of nature, cannot,
ought not, to be restrained unto men of any peculiar calling as such. Not to
multiply many of this kind (whereof in the Scripture is plenty), add only that
of St James, James 5:19, 20, “My brothers
and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should
bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a
sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover
over a multitude of sins.” etc. From these and the like places it appears to
me, that, —
There is
a general obligation on all Christians to promote the conversion and
instruction of sinners, and men erring from the right way.
Again,
consider that of our Savior, Matt. 5:15,
“Men do not light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and
it gives light unto all that are in the house;” to which add that of the
apostle, “If anything be revealed to another that sits by, let the first hold
his peace,” 1 Cor. 14:30 which words,
although primarily they intend extraordinary immediate revelations, yet I see
no reason why in their equity and extent they may not be directory for the use
of things revealed unto us by Scripture light. At least, we may deduce from
them, by the way of analogy, that, — Whatsoever necessary truth is revealed to
any out of the word of God, not before known, he ought to have an
uncontradicted liberty of declaring that truth, provided that he use such
regulated ways for that his declaration as the church wherein he lives (if a
right church) cloth allow.
Amos 3:8 says, “The lion hath roared, who
will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?”
and Jer. 20: 9, “Then I said, I will not
make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine
heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I was weary with forbearing,
and I could not stay;” with the answer of Peter and John to the rulers of the
Jews, Acts 4:19, 20, “Whether it be right
in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye; for we
cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
From this
it appears, that, — Truth revealed unto any carries along with it an unmovable
persuasion of conscience (which is powerfully obligatory) that it ought to be
published and spoken to others.
That none
may take advantage of this to introduce confusion into our congregations.
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