WAYENGUBANI uThomas Emlyn futhi yini eyamenza wamelela iqiniso? Yini esingase siyifunde kuye engasisiza namuhla?

Ukuze siphendule le mibuzo, kudingeka siphindele emuva ngasekupheleni kwekhulu leminyaka le-17 nasekuqaleni kwele-18 eNgilandi nase-Ireland. Ngaleso sikhathi iSonto laseNgilandi lalinegunya elikhulu. Amaqembu ahlukahlukene amaProthestani kanye nabantu ngabanye babephikisana nesonto.

UThomas Emlyn wazalwa ngale nkathi ngo-May 27, 1663 eStamford, eLincolnshire, eNgilandi. Lapho eneminyaka engu-19 washo intshumayelo yakhe yokuqala. Kamuva waba umfundisi wowesifazane odumile owayehlala eLondon; ngemva kwalokho wathuthela eBelfast e-Ireland.

Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi wagcina esehola isonto lomphakathi eBelfast. Njengoba isikhathi siqhubeka, u-Emlyn waba umfundisi ezindaweni eziningana kuhlanganise naseDublin.

Ngalezo zikhathi, u-Emlyn wayetadisha iBhayibheli ngokucophelela. Lokho ayekufunda kwamenza wangabaza imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu, nakuba ayekholelwa kuyo ekuqaleni. Njengoba ayecwaninga amaVangeli, waqiniseka ngokuthi ayayisekela indlela ayeseqonda ngayo imiBhalo.

U-Emlyn akazange akwembule ngaleso sikhathi lokho ayekutholile. Nokho abanye esontweni lakhe laseDublin baphawula ukuthi ezintshumayelweni zakhe wayengasakhulumi ngoZiqu-zintathu. Azi ukuthi abanye babengeke bakwamukele kahle lokho ayekutholile, wabhala: “Angiboni ukuthi ngizokwazi ukuqhubeka ngishumayela uma ngingasho amaqiniso engiwatholile.” Ngo-June 1702, abefundisi ababili bambuza ngokukhipha kwakhe uZiqu-zintathu ezintshumayelweni zakhe. U-Emlyn wavuma ukuthi akasakholelwa kule mfundiso futhi wacela ukwesula esontweni.

Ngemva kwezinsuku ezimbalwa, wasuka eDublin, e-Ireland waya eNgilandi. Nokho, ngemva kwamasonto ayishumi waphindela eDublin eyolungisa izinto ezithile enomgomo wokuthuthela eLondon ngokuphelele. Ngesikhathi elapho, enethemba lokuvikela imibono yakhe, wabhala incwadi ethi An Humble Inquiry Into the Scripture-Account of Jesus Christ. Kuyo wanikeza ubufakazi obucacile obuseBhayibhelini bokuthi kungani uJesu engeyena uNkulunkulu Ophezukonke. Lokhu kwacasula amalungu ebandla langaphambili lika-Emlyn eDublin. Kwavulwa icala.

U-Emlyn waboshwa futhi wavela phambi kweNkantolo YeNdlovukazi eDublin ngo-June 14, 1703. Encwadini yakhe ethi True Narrative of the Proceedings, u-Emlyn uthi wasolwa ‘ngenxa yokubhala incwadi okuthiwa kuyo ukhulume ngokuhlambalazayo washo izinto ezimbi njll., wathi uJesu Kristu akalingani noNkulunkulu uYise.’ Icala aliqulwanga  ngendlela enobulungisa. Ababhishobhi abangu-7 beSonto Lase-Ireland babehlezi kanye namajaji. U-Emlyn akavunyelwanga ukuba azikhulumele. URichard Levins ummeli owaziwayo, watshela u-Emlyn ukuthi “bazomzingela njengempisi.” Lapho ukuqulwa kwecala kuphela, uRichard uPyne, iJaji eliKhulu Lase-Ireland, watshela labo ababezothatha isinqumo ukuthi uma bengakhiphi isigwebo esilindelekile, “izinduna zakhe nababhishobhi babekhona,” mhlawumbe ebonisa ukuthi labo abathatha izinqumo babezojeziswa.

Lapho u-Emlyn etholwa enecala, isikhulu sezomthetho sathi makahoxise umbono wakhe. U-Emlyn wenqaba. Wahlawuliswa futhi wagwetshwa unyaka ejele. Ngenxa yokuthi akakwazanga ukukhokha inhlawulo, wahlala ejele iminyaka emibili kwaze kwaba yilapho umngane wakhe ekhuluma neziphathimandla ukuba zinciphise inani. Wakhululwa ngo-July 21, 1705. Indlela ahlukumezeka ngayo yamenza washo amazwi acashunwe ekuqaleni: “Ngizimisele ukuhlupheka ngenxa yalokho engikholelwa ukuthi kuyiqiniso ngoNkulunkulu nodumo lwakhe.”

U-Emlyn wathuthela eLondon futhi ngokuhamba kwesikhathi wazihlanganisa noWilliam Whiston, esinye isazi seBhayibheli esasikhishwe inyumbazane ngenxa yokubhala lokho esasinomuzwa wokuthi kuyiqiniso leBhayibheli. UWhiston wamhlonipha u-Emlyn, embiza ngokuthi “umambuli wokuqala noyinhloko wendlela yobukristu endala.”

NjengoWilliam Whiston nesinye isazi esihlonishwayo, u-Isaac Newton, u-Emlyn wathola ukuthi iBhayibheli aliyisekeli imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu njengoba kuveziwe eSivumweni Sokholo sika-Athanasius. Uyachaza: “Ngemva kokucabangisisa nokutadisha imiBhalo engcwele, . . . ngithole isizathu .  . . sokulungisa ukwahlulela kwami ngokuphathelene nombono ebenginawo ngoZiqu-zintathu.” Waphetha ngokuthi “uNkulunkulu noYise kaJesu Kristu nguye yedwa Ophezukonke.”

Yini eyabangela ukuba u-Emlyn afinyelele kuleso siphetho? Wathola imiBhalo eminingi ebonisa umehluko phakathi kukaJesu noYise. Nazi izibonelo ezimbalwa (ukuphawula kuka-Emlyn ngemiBhalo kubhalwe ngomalukeke):

•  Johane 17:3: “UKristu akazange athi ungukuphela kukaNkulunkulu.” UBaba kuphela obizwa ngokuthi “owukuphela kukaNkulunkulu.”

•  Johane 5:30: “INdodana ayenzi intando yayo kodwa intando kaYise.”

•  Johane 5:26: “Ukuphila kwakhe ukuthole kuYise.”

•  Efesu 1:3: “Nakuba uJesu Kristu ebizwa ngokuthi iNdodana kaNkulunkulu, akwenzeki ukuba uYise kuthiwe unguBaba kaNkulunkulu nakuba ngokuvamile ebizwa ngokuthi uYise weNkosi yethu uJesu.”

Ngemva kokuba u-Emlyn esebuhlole bonke ubufakazi, ngesibindi wathi: “Alikho ivesi emiBhalweni engcwele elithi uYise, iNdodana noMoya Ongcwele bangumuntu oyedwa.”

Abaningi namuhla bayesaba ukumelela lokho okufundiswa iBhayibheli. Kodwa u-Emlyn wayezimisele ukumelela iqiniso eliseBhayibhelini. Wabuza, “Uma umuntu engawavumi amaqiniso abalulekile alotshwe ngokucacile emiBhalweni engcwele, kumsiza ngani ukuwafunda nokucwaninga ngawo?” Walivikela iqiniso.

Isibonelo sika-Emlyn nabanye singasenza sizibuze ukuthi sizimisele yini ukumelela iqiniso ngisho nalapho sishushiswa. Nathi singazibuza, ‘Yikuphi okubalulekile—ukudunyiswa nokuthandwa umphakathi noma ukumelela iqiniso leZwi likaNkulunkulu?’