WAYENGUBANI uThomas Emlyn, ibe yintoni eyamenza wayimela inyaniso? Yintoni esinokuyifunda kuye enokusinceda namhlanje?

Ukuze sifumane impendulo, makhe sibuyele umva ekupheleni kweminyaka yee-1600 nasekuqaleni kweyee-1700 eNgilani nase-Ireland. Ngelo xesha icawa yaseTshetshi eyayidumile kula mazwe yayinegunya elikhulu. Amaqela ahlukeneyo ecawa yobuProtestanti kunye nabanye abantu babephikisana neemfundiso zale cawa.

Wazalelwa kule meko ke uThomas Emlyn ngoMeyi 27, 1663, eStamford, eseLincolnshire, eNgilani. Washumayela okokuqala ecaweni xa wayeneminyaka eyi-19. Kamva, wanikwa imisebenzi ethile yobufundisi sisidwangube saseLondon; yaye ekuhambeni kwexesha wafudukela eBelfast, eIreland.

EBelfast, uEmlyn wamiselwa ngokusemthethweni njengomfundisi wecawa. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, wakhonza njengomfundisi kwiindawo eziliqela, kuquka iDublin.

Ebudeni belo xesha, uEmlyn wayifunda ngokucokisekileyo iBhayibhile. Oko wakufundayo kwamenza wayithandabuza imfundiso yokuba uThixo uneziqu ezithathu, nangona wayekade eyikholelwa ngaphambili. Njengoko wayefundisisa iincwadi zeVangeli, waqiniseka ukuba zazimxhasa.

UEmlyn akazange akuchaze ngoko nangoko oko wakufundayo. Noko ke, abanye kwicawa yakhe yaseDublin bafumanisa ukuba wayengathethi ngoThixo oneziqu ezithathu xa eshumayela. Njengoko wayesazi ukuba abanye babengayi kuzithanda iimfundiso zakhe ezintsha, wabhala wathi: “Andiqondi ukuba ndiza kuqhubeka ndikhonza kwesi sigxina.” NgoJuni 1702, abanye ababini ababekhonza naye bambuza ngokuyeka kwakhe ukufundisa ukuba uThixo uneziqu ezithathu. UEmlyn wavuma ukuba akasayikholelwa le mfundiso, waza emva koko wabachazela ukuba uza kusuka esihlalweni.

Emva kweentsuku ezimbalwa, wayishiya idolophu yaseDublin, eseIreland, waya eNgilani. Kodwa emva kweeveki ezilishumi wabuyela eDublin ukuze aqhawulise izinto ezimbalwa, ngenjongo yokufudukela eLondon umphelo. Ngoxa wayelapho, wapapasha incwadi ecacisa iimfundiso zakhe ezintsha, enomxholo othi An Humble Inquiry Into the Scripture-Account of Jesus Christ. Kuyo wachaza ngokusuka eZibhalweni isizathu sokuba uYesu engenakuba nguThixo Ophakamileyo. Oku kwawacaphukisa amarhamente ebandla likaEmlyn eliseDublin, aza ammangalela.

UEmlyn wabanjwa waza wasiwa phambi kweNkundla Yamatyala yaseDublin ngoJuni 14, 1703. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi True Narrative of the Proceedings, uEmlyn uthi: “Ndamangalelwa ngenxa yokubhala nokupapasha incwadi, ekuthiwa iyanyelisa, kuba ndithe uYesu Kristu akalingani noThixo uYise.” Eli tyala alizange lixoxwe ngendlela eyiyo. Iijaji  zaziphahlwe ngoobhishophu abasixhenxe beCawa yaseIreland. UEmlyn akazange avunyelwe ukuba azithethelele. URichard Levins, owayezenza igqwetha, wathi kuEmlyn baza “kumzingela oku kwenyamakazi, bengenalo tu usizi.” Ekupheleni kwetyala, uRichard Pyne, uMtshutshisi Omkhulu waseIreland, wayityityimbisel’ umnwe inkundla ngelithi, ukuba ayigwebanga ngendlela ekulindeleke ngayo, “yayiza kuyibek’ apha koobhishophu bakhe,” mhlawumbi eyigrogrisa ngelithi yayiza kohlwaywa ngokuqatha.

Akuba efunyaniswe enetyala uEmlyn, igqwetha lakhe lamcebisa ukuba arhoxe kwiimfundiso zakhe. UEmlyn wala. Wahlawuliswa waza wagwetywa unyaka entolongweni. Ekubeni wayengenayo imali yokuhlawula ityala lakhe, wagwetywa iminyaka emibini entolongweni, de wahlangulwa ngumhlobo wakhe owacela inkundla ukuba iyinciphise intlawulo yakhe. UEmlyn wakhululwa ngoJulayi 21, 1705. Oko kuhlaziswa kwambangela ukuba athethe amazwi acatshulwe ngaphambilana athi: “Ndikulungele ukubandezeleka ngenxa yenyaniso nozuko lwakhe [uThixo].”

UEmlyn wafudukela eLondon, apho wadibana noWilliam Whiston, owayengumfundi weBhayibhile owasikwayo ecaweni ngenxa yokupapasha inyaniso yeBhayibhile. UWhiston wayemhlonipha uEmlyn, embiza ngokuba “ngowokuqala ngqa ukumela ‘ubukristu bokwenene.’”

NjengoWilliam Whiston kunye nomnye umfundi ohloniphekileyo, uIsaac Newton, uEmlyn wafumanisa ukuba iBhayibhile ayingqinelani nemfundiso yoThixo oneziqu ezithathu echazwe kwiSivumo Sokholo Sika-Athanasius. Wathi: “Emva kokucingisisa nokufunda eZibhalweni, . . . ndikubone kuyimfuneko . . . ukutshintsha indlela ebendikade ndiyiqonda ngayo imfundiso yoThixo oneziqu ezithathu.” Wagqiba ekubeni “uThixo onguYise kaYesu Kristu nguye yedwa Ophakamileyo.”

Yintoni ebangele uEmlyn afikelele kweso sigqibo? Wafumana izibhalo ezininzi ezichaza umahluko okhoyo phakathi kukaYesu noYise. Nantsi imizekelo embalwa (amagqabaza kaEmlyn kwizibhalo akekelisiwe):

•  UYohane 17:3: “Apha akuthiwa uKristu ukuphela koThixo.” NguBawo kuphela obizwa ngokuba “ukuphela koThixo oyinyaniso.”

•  UYohane 5: 30: “UNyana akenzi ukuthanda kwakhe, kodwa ukuthanda kukaYise.”

•  UYohane 5:26: “Ubomi bakhe ubunikwe nguYise.”

•  AmaEfese 1:3: “Nangona ngokuqhelekileyo kusithiwa uYesu Kristu nguNyana kaThixo, akukhe kuthiwe uBawo nguYise kaThixo, kunoko kusoloko kusithiwa unguYise weNkosi yethu uYesu.”

Emva kokuba uEmlyn ebuhlole bonke ubungqina, watsho eqinisekile ukuthi: “Akukho nokuba ibe nye indawo eZibhalweni ethi uYise, uNyana noMoya Oyingcwele basisiqu esinye.”

Abantu abaninzi namhlanje bayoyika ukumela imfundiso yeZibhalo. Kodwa uEmlyn wayezimisele ukuyimela inyaniso yeBhayibhile. Wabuza wathi, “Ukuba umntu akavumelekanga ukuthetha ngenyaniso ebalulekileyo necacileyo ayifunde kwiZibhalo ezingcwele, usazifundelani ke?” UEmlyn akazange oyike ukuyimela inyaniso.

Umzekelo kaEmlyn nabanye umele usenze sizibuze enoba nathi sikulungele na ukuyimela inyaniso kwanaxa sigculelwa. Simele sizibuze, ‘Kokuphi okona kubalulekileyo—kukuzithandis’ ebantwini okanye kukumela inyaniso yeLizwi likaThixo?’