Preface

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FAMILIAR ILLUSTRATION
QV CERTAIN
PASSAGES of SCRIPTURE
RELATING TO
THE POWER OF MAN TO BO THE WILL OF GOD,
ORIGINAL SIN,
ELECTION AND REPROBATION,
THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST, AND
ATONEMENT FOR SIN BY THE DEATH OF CHRIST.
By JOSEPH PRIESTLEY, LLD. T.R.S. *e.
Search the Scriptures. John y. 3#, ^
> * »
LONDONj
MlHmi> FOE J. JOItTISON AND CO., ST. PAUL'S churchyard;
AND DAYID EATON, 187, HIGH HOLBOBff*
1812.
i
\
JbchvrdTayior and Co,, Printtrs, Shot-Lane, London.
u*Uv
THE
PREFACE.
^ I —
K ^ MY CHRISTIAN BRETHREN,
^ IN all theological controversies our appeal lies to the
Y Bible, which contains the writings of the inspired
** prophets, and of the apostles and evangelists, who
have recorded the precepts and doctrines of Christ,
> To those who lived in tb were published, they were,'no doubt, very intelligible; the language in which they are written, and the^ custom* to which they allude, being perfectly known to them. But what was easy to them, a long course of time has rendered extremely difficult to us, who use a very different language, and whose manners and customs are so exceedingly unlike those of the
* Jews. On this account, it may puzzle the greatest scholar of the present age to make out the sense of a passage of scripture, which could not. but have been, perfectly understood by the most illiterate person in that age. In this state of things, the ignorant amj^* unlearned are. very liable to wrest tlie scriptures, ti- the apostle Peter says they, ever have done, while g sense and sound learning often maintain a yj unequa} congest.
AS,
1
*v The Preface.
It is another unfavourable circumstance with respect to the right understanding of the scriptures in this country, that the English translation of them was inade at a time when the christian world was but just emerged from the darkness of popery, and while the belief of all those opinions which are combated in the Appeal was almost universally retained. Our translators, therefore, having been educated m the fcelief of, and in a reverence for/ those particular opinions, and not having had their minds sufficiently enlightened to call them in question, It is no wonder that, without any ill design, they should, in many places of their version, have expressed their own sentiments, and not those of the apostles. In all these eases a just translation is all that is necessary to remove the errors into which a wrong translation has led us. But with respect to them, you; my brethren, who are not acquainted with the languages in which -the scriptures were originally written, must necessarily depend upon otlier persons for the interpretation of them. You may however be able, in a great measure, to judge for yourselves concerning different transla- tions, by considering, if you will take pains to reflect upon the subject, which rendering of a doubtful passage is most agreeable to the general strain of the >tures, and to common sense.
not, however, immediately conclude that an rotation of a passage in scripture is unnatural, ise, when it is first proposed to you, it may seem io; because this may arise from nothing but
your
The Preface. v
your having been long accustomed to understand it irv a different sense, ami from having imagined, though without sufficient grounds, that the tenor of scripture favoured a contrary sense. The Roman catholic*, I doubt not, Ihiuk it very unnatural to interpret the words of: our Saviour, This is my body, in any other than in the most literal manner ; and they think that our Lord's saying upon another occasion, Unless ye eat of the flesh of the son of man, and. drink his blood, ■ye have no life in you, abundantly confirms their interpretation.
Now, in this little treatise, I desire no greater in- dulgence in the interpretation of scripture than all Protestants think themselves justified in taking, when they assert, that the meaning of these figurative ex- pressions is, not that the flesh and blood, but that the doctrine of Christ is to be received and digested, (hat is, to he improved and practised by us, in order UT - our final salvation. Since the very strongest figures of. speech are manifestly used in almost all the books of scripture, it must be very unreasonable to expect that the most literal interpretation should always be the befit.
1 must further apprize you, my. brethren, thai the passages which I have attempted to ex for the most gart, highly figurative, accouitt, peculiarly difficult to underst though I may not have hit upon the pi the writers, there may he no doubt, fro liberations, that the sense which I am
vi The Preface*
not the true one; which is quite sufficient for my purpose. It by no means follows that because I am wrong, my adversaries are right. In these cases there is the greatest room for criticism, and diversity of opinion. I have given what at present appears to me to be the real sense of every text of scripture which I have taken into consideration ; but I shall gladly avail myself of the new lights which may be thrown upon any gf them in future editions of this pamphlet.
In the mean time, with great diffidence of my own judgement, I recommend what I have now written to your most serious and candid consideration; desiring that you would read it with your Bibles at hand, turn- ing to every passage to which I refer, and reading what goes before and after it; because I have no doubt but that, in this manner, you will see much more reason, if not to approve of my interpretations, yet to reject those of my adversaries, than I have suggested in this treatise, in which I have made a point of being as concise as I possibly could, con- sistently with perspicuity.
The rapid sale of the Jppeal makes me hope that, inconsiderable as the performance is, it has been the
trument of some good, in the hands of that Being 'works by small things as well as by great ones.
A FA-
FAMILIAR ILLUSTRATION
PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE.