Manual of sacred interpretation : for the special benefit of junior theological students : but intended also for private Christians in general

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PRINCETON, N. J.

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MANUAL

SACRED INTERPRETATION

SPECIAL BENEFIT

JUNIOR THEOLOGICAL STUDENTS :

BUT INTENDED ALSO FOR PRIVATE CHRISTIANS IN
GENERAL.

By ALEX. McCLELLAND,

PH.0FE3S0B OF BIBLICAL LITEBATUS.S IN THS THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY AT ITSW-BBUNSWICE:.

NEW-YORK:

ROBERT CARTER, 58, CANAL-STREET.

18 4 2.

E. LUDWIG, PRINTKB,
73 Veaey at, W. Y.

PREFACE.

The following little work was drawn up with exclusive
reference to the wants of the Junior Class in the Theo-
logical Semuiary with which the author is connected, and
was intended as a general introduction to the subject of
which it treats. His design in publishing it, is to spare
the young gentlemen some weary hours in writing im-
perfect and erroneous transcripts, while he thinks that it
may be useful to others in their situation.

He has attempted to give a faithful statement of the
general laws and principles of sacred interpretation, in a
form so popular and devoid of technicality, that the stu-
dent fresh from a literary institution can comprehend the
whole at two or three sittings, and make an immediate use
of them in reading the Scriptures. It will be seen at once,
that the treatise, both in its plan and the details of its exe-
cution, differs entirely from Professor Stuart's Translation
of Emesti. That, is certainly an excellent work, but I
think that it is wanting in simplicity, " lucidusordo," and
appropriate illustrations. Young minds are not success-
fully addressed by dry apothegms and abstractions. Cases

IV PREFACE.

must be adduced, which will give them hue and colouring,
and the form of composition should be that of continued
argument, both to satisfy the understanding and impress
the memory. Whether I have made a happy selection of
examples, the reader may judge. They are for the most
part such as occurred to me at the time of writing. I
have only to add that there are scarcely three pages in the
whole volume, so exclusively addressed to theological stu-
dents, that the unlearned reader can derive no advantage
from them. It is hoped therefore, that private Christians
will not find their money thrown away in purchasing it.
To them as well as to the ministry, our blessed Lord
addresses the command, " Search the Scriptures ;" and
the manner of their performing the duty, will be a solemn
item in the account which they must render.

CONTENTS.

Page.
Definitions, 7

MAXIM I.

The object of interpretation is to give the precise
thoughts which the writer intended to express, . . 8

MAXIM II.

Scripture is to be interpreted in the same method, we
employ in ascertaining the meaning of any other work, 10

MAXIM III.

The sense of Scripture is (in general) one; in other
words we are not to assign many meanings to a
passage, 14

MAXIM IV.

The interpretation of Scripture requires suitable pre-
paration, , 18

SPECIAL RULES.

RULE I.

Carefully investigate what is called the " Usus Lo-
quendi;" or the meaning which custom and common
usage attach to expressions, 21

VI CONTENTS.

RULE II.

Examine the parallel passages, 27

RULE III.

The consideration of the author's scope greatly facili-
tates interpretation, 33

RULE IV.
Examine the Context, 39

RULE V.

We must know the character, age, sect, and other pe-
culiarities of the writer, 53

RULE VI.

Let there be a constant appeal to the tribunal of com-
mon sense, Gl

RULE VII.

Study attentively the tropes and figures of the Sacred
Scriptuies, 73

RULE VIII.
Attend to Hebrew and Hebraistic idioms, 102

RULE IX.

Much of Scripture being Prophetical, we should ac-
quaint ourselves with the nature and laws of that
kind of composition, 115

Addresis to Theological Students 143

MANUAL &c.

Hermeneutics is the Science of Interpre-
tation. Sacred hermeneutics, has for its ob-
ject, the holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments. Exegesis is the practical appli-
cation of the Science. This, gives us the
laws — the former, executes them. Thus, we
speak of the Exegesis of a passage, accord-
ing to Hermeneutical principles.

All that we purpose to say on the subject
in this brief treatise, shall be arrranged un-
der two Heads :

I. We shall lay down some general Max-
ims, useful to be fixed in the mind as a pre-
paration for the study ;

II. Give the rules in detail by which we
should be guided.

O SCRIPTURE NJT TO BB

MAXIM I.

The object of Interpi'etation, is to give
the precise thoughts ivhich the sacred writer
intended to express. No other meaning is to
be sought, but that which hes in the words
themselves, as he employed them. In all
cases, we should take a sense from Scripture
rather than bring one to it. This rule is fun-
damental : and yet how often is it violated !
Some, will allow no other sense but what has
been baptized in their philosophy, or abstract
notions of moral fitness. These, in reading
the Bible, make one as they go. Thus, they
nowhere find the doctrines of the Trinity, or
Original Sin, of Atonement, Justification by
Faith, or Divine Influence : some even, are
unable to discover Miracles. Hence the
bloody violence which they practice on every
thing that comes in their way. A Socinian
can read the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah,
without perceiving any trace of Vicarious
Suffering ; can turn the \ ccpx^ in the begin-
ning of John, into the " commencement of the
Christian dispensation ;" and refuses to the

TRIED BY OUR OPINIONS. 9

Only Begotten of the Father, any higher di-
ploma than that of an accomplished teacher
of morals. Nothing is too absurd or arbitra-
ry, for one who brings the word of God to
the touchstone of his own speculative opin-
ions. To him it is no- revelation at all ; for
it teaches only what he knows already.

Others, make it speak invariably according
to their theological systems. When they sit
down to interpret, they think of nothing but
what they call the "Analogy of Faith." Provi-
ded they explain the passage consistently
with it, all is well. The Analogy of Faith is,
within certain limits, exceedingly useful. —
But it has been carried too far ; and made to
include all that a man thinks or guesses at on
the subject of religion. Undoubtedly there
are certain truths in the Bible, which we are
at liberty to assume, and by which we may
reason analogically concerning the meaning
of dubious passages. Such are the doctrines
of the Unity and Perfections of God, Man's
Moral Accountability, the Fall, Redemption
by Grace, and Divine Influence. Any expo-
sition of a text contradicting these, we may

10 THE BIBLE TO BE EXPLAINED

put down at once as disagreeing with the
Analogy of Faith. This rule is a good one,
and applied in the interpretation of all wri-
ters. But surely we have no right to set up
our whole system of religious belief, includ-
ing the minutest of our sectarian peculiari-
ties, as a criterion of truth ! This, is to make
our creed expound the word of God, instead
of letting the word of God frame our creed,
and establishes a principle as arbitrary and
odious as that of the Socinian. Our ordina-
ry Commentaries are greatly disfigured with
the fault just mentioned — being rather dog-
matical paraphrases, than expositions of Scrip-
ture itself. In few do we discover an unfet-
tered and liberal spirit. The Romanist, Lu-
theran, and Calvinist, peep out at the end of
every line.

MAXIM II.

Scripture is to he interpreted in the same
method which we e?nploy, in discovering the
7neaning of any other book. It was indited

LIKE ANY OTHER BOOK. 11

to men ; it speaks to men, in the language of
men ; and was understood by those to whom
in ancient times it was addressed, as they un-
derstood any other communication. The de-
sign of God in giving it, was to communicate
certain ideas — in order to which, he must
speak to us, just as do others. Words call
up ideas, not by any native significance, but
by compact, and every one in speaking is
supposed to conform to the bargain. If he
does not, but employs language in a sense
different from that established by common
use, he is, to all intents and purposcj, a Cov-
enant Breaker. In reading Scripture, there-
fore, we are to use the same appliances and
aids employed in other cases. Inspiration
gives it no spc_ial privileges. Rather may
we suppose, that a revelation of God's will
to the great world of mankind, must be pe-
culiarly susceptible of popular interpretation,
and positively require it. This rule sweeps
away at once a host of errors : We shall
specify two.

1st. That of the Papists, who contend that
the Exposition of Scripture is entirely sui

12 THE BIBLE TO BE EXPLAINED

generis, and supernatural — being committed
to Holy Mother Church, consisting of the
Pope, Decrees of Councils, and the ancient
Fathers. The pretension is rejected by all
sound Protestants with disgust. While we
say that the Bible is the book of God, we af-
firm with equal emphasis, that it is the Book
of Man, and can be understood by man in
the use of the ordinary means. We also af-
firm that Holy Mother, with her Councils
and Fathers, has given too many proofs of
something worse than mere fallibility, to be
entrusted with the authoritative exposition of
it. The Patristic interpretations of Scripture
are, with a few exceptions, contemptible. Je-
rome, Theodoret, and Chrysostom, are all
that a modern can quote, and absurdities of
every kind are found even in them. They
were all ignorant of Hebrew, except Jerome :
The later Fathers knew httle of Greek. When
they used citations in controversy, they took
any thing (as Jerome himself acknowledges)
which seemed likely to confound their oppo-
nents ; and there was scarcely one, who did
not prefer an allegorical explanation, or some

LIKE ANY OTHER BOOK. 13

frigid and far-fetched conceit, to the plain
sense of a passage.

2dly. The errors of Fanatics and Enthu-
siasts ; such as Quakers and Swedenborgians,
who boast of certain immediate revelations,
which they call the " Word of God within"
This interior light is the supreme rule, which
entirely dispenses with every thing else —
with the knowledge of languages, philoso-
phy, logic, and common sense. With it,
every shoe-black is abundantly qualified to
expound all mysteries. Without it, " all the
learning in the world,^' says the famous Bar-
clay, " will only make light darkness, and
turn the truth into a lie." How the Bible
fares in such hands, their writings show. —
Yet it would be folly to reason with such peo-
ple. sThey are above reason : theirs is the
little Goshen where all true light is found :
darkness blacker than that of Egypt covers
*he whole world without.

14 THE SENSE IS,

MAXIM III.

TJie sense of Scripture is {i?i general)
ONE : in other words, ive are not to assign
many meanings to a passage. Words indeed
have a variety of significations ; but they
cannot have this variety at the same time.
A single sense must be chosen, in doing
which, one expositor may differ from another,
and it may be dubious which is right. They
cannot, however, be hoth right. If we ap-
prove the one, we must, if they really differ,
disapprove the other.

The transgressors of this rule, are the Mys-
tics and Allegorists. Their fundamental max-
im is not unlike that of the Papists ; for they
consider the Bible to be a book so different
from others, that its depth of meaning can
never be reached by the ordinary laws of in-
terpretation. Being from God, they insist
that it must in all respects be worthy of him,
and contain a richness of thought suited to
his infinite understanding. Hence their fa-
vourite maxim; Verha Scripturce tantum ubi-
que signijicare, quantum signijicare possunt :

IN GENERAL, OUe. 15

i. e. whatever a word 7nay mean, it does mean.
A single noun could thus have twenty differ-
ent senses in the same place, and refer to
twenty different things. This odd theory
was a great favourite with the Jews in the
time of our Lord and his apostles, who oc-
casionally allegorized to please them, though
by no means frequently. See an instance in
Oal. iv. 22 ; where the Apostle makes Sarah
and Hagar types of the two covenants. So
far did the Jews carry their love of it,
that their rabbles all maintained — " There is
not a letter in Scripture, or apex of a letter,
which does not contain wdiole mountains of
meaning." They even had a science or art
called the Caballa, which by changing, dis-
joining, or transposing letters, or by calcula-
ting their value as arithmetical signs, elicited
worlds of profound mystery !

The Jews communicated their mania to the
old Christian Fathers, whose writings abound
in mystical expositions of all kinds. Every
thing in sacred history, was metamorphosed
into type and symbol. Origen denied even
the literal truth of history, contending that

16 THE SENSE IS,

its whole and only meaning was allegorical.
Thus he pronounced it absolutely absurd to
suppose, that the world was created in six
days. The creation signified the renovation
of the soul by the gospel, and the six days,
intimate that it is carried on by degrees.
Israel in Egypt, he makes to be the soul liv-
ing in error ; and the seven plagues are its
purgations from various evil habits — the frogs
deneting loquacity, the flies carnal appetites,
the boils pride and arrogance, &c. This
mode of expounding continued through the
different ages of the church, and has been
formally adopted by the Papists, who recog-
nize three different senses besides the literal,
viz. the allegorical, tropological, and ana-
gogical. Nor was it put down by the re-
formation, Cocceius, a celebrated Dutch di-
vine, carried it almost as far as Origen did.
He held that the whole of the Old Testament
was an anticipative history of the Christian
church, containing a full recital of every thing
which should happen to the end of time. —
Even the Lord's Prayer was a prophesy, and
its six parts denoted six great epochs in his-

IN GENERAL, OUe, 17

tory. Every good man in the Old Testa-
ment, was a t)^pe of Christ, or his apostles :
Every bad man, of the devil, or the unbe-
lieving Jews.

Such schemes are to be utterly rejected.
They destroy all certainty of interpretation.
They take the ground from beneath our feet ;
and make scripture a nose of wax which ev-
ery one may twist into the shape that pleases
him best. Thomas Woolston, a celebrated
English infidel, attacked Christianity itself
with these arms, insisting that the narratives
of Christ's miracles were not designed to be
histories, but are pure allegories. Volney, a
French writer, has turned the evangelic histo-
ry into a system of astronomy — Christ being
the sun and moon, and the twelve apostles
the twelve signs of the zodiac. Without
affirming that there are no secondary senses
in scripture, we believe that (tlie phrase being
properly understood) there are very few. —
Generally, the meaning is, as in other books,
one ; and that, lies near the surface. Who
ever heard of a man in common conversation,
attaching different significations to the words
2*

18 SUITABLE PREPARATION.

he used — unless indeed he was playing a
game at riddles, or double ent^endres ?

MAXIM IV.

The interpretation of Scripture requires
suitable preparation. The languages in
which it is written, are strange — difficult ;
and both are dead. In every page, there are
references to times, places, transactions, with
which we must be well acquainted. The
history of the world is given, with a few
breaks and interruptions, from the beginning
to the four thousandth year. Not only are
there accounts of the Hebrew nation, but of
many others with whom 'var or peaceful in-
tercourse brought them in connection ; Syri-
ans, Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks,
Romans : cities, lakes, rivers, hills, valleys,
are continually mentioned. So are natu-
ral productions — as plants, trees, precious
stones, animals. Hence arises the necessity
of being well acquainted with —

1st. Hebrew and Greek : and also the cog-
nate languages, Chaldee and Latin.

SUITABLE PREPARATION. 19

2d. History, civil and political ; especially
of the Israelites, Egyptians, Phoenicians, As-
syrians, and Greeks. If the student has no
time for extensive investigation, he should at
least make himself master of Josephus and
Prideaux, who are accessible to all, and full
of entertainment as well as instruction.

3d. Chronology ; which ascertains the
dates and order of events. There is great
uncertainty and difficulty in this science, but
it must not be neglected. A general know-
ledge of its principles, and a clear view of
the great epochs into which sacred and pro-
fane history is divided, with an ability to re-
fer every important transaction to its proper
time, is indispensable. Chronology is one
of the eyes of history. The other is —

4th. Geography. That of Palestine is of
special moment, for obvious reasons. But
that of Egypt, Idumea, Arabia, and Mesopo-
tamia, m.ust not be passed by.

5th. Customs and manners, or archaiolo-
gy. These exercise a mighty influence on
the ideas of a people, and their mode of ex-
pressing them. There is in scripture, a

20 SUITABLE PREPARATION.

constant allusion to Hebrew usages, and near-
ly all its tropes are borrowed from them, in
connection with the natural features of the
country.

6th. Logic and general literature ; which
invigorate the mind, and inure to habits of
accurate discrimination. Every study that
improves the thinking faculties — especially
the judgment, and enlarges our mental hori-
zon, will make its value felt in explaining the
word of God. What blunders have been
committed by commentators, simply because
they did not know that they were reading poe-
try ; and who would not have been benefit-
ted by the discovery, as they knew nothing
of the laws of that kind of composition —
their whole reading having been confined to
the mellifluous jingle of Dr. Watts ! The
remark of Cicero concerning the orator, is
tjuite as true of the sacred interpreter: —
■'* Quod debet omnibus disciplinis instructus
esse." Let no student of theology allow
himself to think, that when he occasionally,
or -even frequently, opens the page of a Mil-

USUS LOQUENDI. 21

ton or a Locke, he is wasting time, or steal-
ing it away from his proper work.

We proceed to the Special Rules which
should guide us in the interpretation of Scrip-
ture.

RULE L

Carefully investigate the Usics loquendi.
By this is meant what the words literally ex-
press, the custom of speech. The mean-
ing of words is for the most part perfectly
arbitrary. They call up certain ideas, be-
cause men have agreed that they shall do so,
and for no other reason. General usage,
therefore, is the great standard, " quem penes
arbitrium est et jus et norma dicendi." In
living languages, we ascertain the usage from
conversation and personal intercourse. In
those long since dead, as the Hebrew and
Greek, we draw on various sources :

1st. Contemporary writers. With respect
to the Old Testament, we have none such —
all the Hebrew extant being contained in our

22 USUS LOQUENDI.

volume. In place of them, we have a tole-
rably clear and ample Jewish tradition. It
cannot be doubled, that the rabbles have
preserved with good fidelity much of their
old national language. As to the New Tes-
tament, we have all the Greek writers from
Homer to Longinus ; though they must be
used with caution, as the New Testament is
written in a Hebraistic idiom, and not in the
classical language of Demosthenes.

2d. Scholiasts and glossographers. These
were men Avho lived after the death of the
writers ; but while the language was still liv-
ing, and who must have understood the mean-
ing of words better than we. Scholia were
short notes inserted in the margin of the work
explained, illustrating some phrase or turn of
expression. Scholia on the New Testament
are very numerous, and some of them have
come down from remote antiquity. A noble
edition of the New Testament, containing a
large collection of them, has been published
by Matthai, a distinguished German profes-
sor. Glossaries (from yXoiTtrct a form of
speech) are dictionaries, containing explan-

USUS LOQUENDI. 23

aliens of certain words arranged in alpha-
betical order. They differ from common
dictionaries, in containing remarks on such
words only as are difficult and obscure. The
principal works of this kind are those of
Hesychius, Suidas, Phavorinus, andPhotius.
3d. Ancient translations, made when the
languages were still living. Such is the Sep-
tuagint version of the Hebrew Bible, made
nearly three hundred years before Christ ;
when the language was well understood,
though not spoken with perfect purity. The
value of this work to the student of the New
Testament, as well as the Old, is incalcula-
ble. Without the steady light which is cast
by it on the meaning and force of expressions,
the interpreter could scarcely advance a step.
The Chaldee paraphrase, is another venera-
ble translation of the Old Testament. It pre-
sents the views concerning the meaning of
that part of scripture, entertained by the
learned Jews contemporary with our Lord.
It was composed a little before his birth, and
in the dialect spoken at that time by the na-

24 USUS LOQUENDI.

tion. The old Syriac version is also ex-
tremely valuable.

4th. Kindred dialects. This source of
aid is peculiarly useful wdth respect to that
part of scripture which most needs it — the
Old Testament. The Hebrew has three sis-
ters, so like her, that there can be no mistake
as to their common parentage. They are
the Arabic, Chaldaic or East Aramaean,
Syriac or West Aramaean. In two of these
— the Syriac and Arabic — there are numerous
writings still extant, and the Arabic is a liv-
ing language. The use of dialects in deter-
mining the sense of words, requires skill and
judgment ; as it by no means follows that the
precise signification is the same in both, be-
cause they are sisters. Yet its great value as
a subsidiary, is general^ confessed. Proofs
of it you have in every page of Gesenius's
dictionary.

5th. Etymology ; or the examination of
roots. When other expedients fail, we may
sometimes derive considerable assistance from
tracing an expression to its original element.
But after all, etymology is slippery ground.

USUS LOQUENDI. 25

Words in the process of derivation or compo-
sition, often deviate from their original im-
port, so that the child loses nearly all resem-
blance to its parent. Thus the English word
villain, in our old writers means a slave ;
rascal, in Saxon, a lean beast ; hostis, in
Latin, originally signified (according to Cice-
ro) a stranger ; pagan, which with us is
equivalent to heathen, denoted nothing worse
in the language last mentioned from which
we obtained it, than a farmer or inhabitant
of the country. tJI.P ^^ "^ Hebrew verb sig-
nifying to he holy ; the noun "^^Ip, one of
its derivatives, is the common term for pros-
titute. Two instances may be given from
the New Testament to illustrate the danger
of reasoning from etymological significations.
The verb Trpoynary.a is compounded of the
the preposition t/jo, before, and yauTKu^ to
Jcnoiv. It should therefore always denote
simple foreknowledge, and many Arminians
contend that it does so ; yet whoever impar-
tially examines the usus loquendi of the New
Testament, will see at once, that it is some-
times fully equal in strength of meaning to
3

26 USUS LOQUENDI.

our English word foreordain : see Rom. ii.
2, Acts ii. 23, 1 Pet. i. 20. The adjective
utuno^^ is commonly used by the Greeks for
" eternal" or " everlasting," and is the strong-
est term they can employ. In this sense it
is constantly used in the New Testament,
with perhaps one or two exceptions. But the
Universalist reminds us, that it comes from
ccio)v an age, and mubt therefore be translated
" having age'^ or *' enduring for an ageT
So too ctimi<i ccimm can mean nothing more
than a " number of ages," though in every
case, without a solitary exception, it expresses
proper eternity.

Nothing can be more unsafe than such
modes of procedure. The use of words is con-
tinually fluctuating, and we cannot be too care-
ful in guarding against errors from this source.
Yet they are common. Whole systems of
theology, and even natural science, have
been constructed on fanciful etymologies, by
men whose imaginations outran their judg-
ment, of which we may cite Parkhurst's He-
brew and Greek lexicons as an example.
Great aid, however, may be derived from a

PARALLEL PASSAGES. 27

sober and skilful tracing of words back to
their source. If it does not always direct to
their present meaning, it seldom fails to throw
a happy light on the history of language.

These are the principal means of obtaining
the " Usus Loquendi." It would be cruel,
however, to impose upon all, the task of dig-
ging into these deep mines. The labour is
in a measure saved by good dictionaries,
which, if really good, contain the results of
such investigations. Happily we are well
supplied with Gesenius in Hebrew, and Wahl
and Bretschneider in Greek. Professor Ro-
binson's Lexicon is also excellent.

RULE II.

Examine carefully the parallel passages.
By these are meant, texts which relate to
the same subject, teach the same doctrine,
or relate the same historical fact. They
should be accurately collatedj that one may
supply light to the other, and fill up what is
wanting to the perspicuity of the whole. We

2S PARALLEL PASSAGES.

perform this operation constantly — in reading
the most familiar letter, or the simplest stor}^
Its value in the study and explanation of
scripture, can hardly be expressed. It not
only enables us to enter into the meaning and
force of particular expressions, but places us
on a commanding eminence, where we may
survey the whole field of divine truth, and
admire the harmony of its several parts. All
S3^stematic theology should be built on this
alone. " I will not scruple to assert," says
the learned Bishop Horsley, " that the most
illiterate Christian, if he can but read his
English Bible, and will take the pains to read
it in this manner, (studying the parallel pas-
sages) without any other commentary than
what the different parts mutually furnish for
each other, wmII not only attain all that
practical knowledge which is necessary to
salvation, but will become learned in every
thing relating to his religion. He may safely
be ignorant of all philosophy, and all his-
tory, which he does not find in the sacred
books."

Parallels arc of two kinds, Vcrhal, and

PARALLEL PASSAGES. 29

Real ; Verbal, are those in which the very
same word or phrase is used, though the
meaning in one may be much clearer than in
the other, and consequently give light to it.
Thus in Joel ii. 28, God promises that he
" will pour out his Spirit on all flesh." Doubt-
ful how to understaiid " flesh" in this pas-
sage, I compare it with Gen. vi. 12, which
says that " all flesh corrupted their way."
As the whole mass of mankind is here meant,
I feel authorised to give the same extent of
meaning to the word in Joel. In Matt. i.
20, the angel of the Lord declares that Mary
shall " conceive of the Holy Ghost." Struck
with the peculiarity of the expression, I go
to the corresponding passage in Luke, and
find him using it also, but adding another
which is evidently intended to be exegetical,
viz. " Power of the Highest," Luke i. 35,
The Holy Ghost therefore is here equivalent
to the Divine energy. In 1. Cor. vii. 1, Paul
says " It is not good for a man to marry." A
little startled at this squinting of the great
apostle towards monkery, I look further
down the chapter for an explanation, and
3*

30 PARALLEL TASSAGES.

lind it in the 26th verse ; " It is good for the
present distress." Marriage is an excellent
thing, but may be very inexpedient in times
of severe persecution.

Ileal parallelism is a correspondence in
the thought or subject, although the words
are different ; and is still more important
than the other. It is two-fold, historical and
doctrinal. Historical parallelisms are those
which occur in the relation of matters of fact.
The four gospels are full of these, and a
careful collation of them is of unspeakable
use in interpretation. One evangelist fills
up the outlines briefl}?" sketched by another,
supplying some circumstance of time, place,
or occasion, which throw a flood of light on
the whole transaction. From a diligent and
minute comparison of their accounts, Har-
monies are constructed, which deserve to be
well studied. There are similar coincidences
in the Old Testament, ex.gr. between the
books of Chronicles and Kings.

Parallelism of doctrine is found, where
the same principles are taught in two or
more passages. The great business of the

PARALLEL PASSAGES. 31

didactic theologian is to investigate this
class of correspondencies. iVll sound know-
ledge of Christian doctrines, depends on the
faithful and judicious comparison of scrip-
ture with scripture. Does the student want
clear views concerning man's relations to his
Creator, original corruption, the person and
work of the Redeemer, justification, the
connection between it and the renewal of the
soul in holiness, the happiness and misery
of a future state — his course is plain and
easy. He must find the great classical pas-
sages on each point, and bring them in juxta-
position : he must compare (asking no other
assistance but God's grace and a good
dictionary,) Isaiah with Matthew, Paul to the
Romans with Paul to the Galatians, and both
these with James — the author of the Apoca-
lypse with Daniel and Ezekiel, the Epistle
to the Hebrews with Genesis and Leviticus.
Let him do this in the fear of the Lord, with
a single desire to know the truth ; he will not
probably come from his labour a hair spht-
ting metaphysician or cunning rhetorician —
buthe will prove something more and better,

32 PARALLEL PASSAGES.

" a good steward of the manifold grace of
God."

Besides the coincidences above mentioned,
there is in scripture what is called the poetic
j^arallelism, with which every reader of He-
brew is acquainted. It consists in a mutual
correspondence of the two members of a
stanza ; the one being a sort of echo to the
other, as in Isaiah i. 3.

The ox knoweth his owner,
The ass his master's crib,
Israel does not know,
My people do not consider.

Sometimes the answering clause is synony-
mous with the first, as in the example just
cited.

Sometimes antithetical, or opposed to it,
as in Prov. xii. 1.

A wise son makes a glad father,

But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

At others it contains only a farther deve-
lopmcnt of the thought, as in Psal. cxlviii. 7.

Praise the Lord upon the earth,

Ye dragons and all deeps ;

Fire and hail : snow and vapour ;

SCOPE. 33

Stormy wind ; fulfilling his will :
Mountains and all hills ;
Fruit trees and all cedars.

These parallelisms are of excellent use to
the interpreter. They often enable him to
decide important questions concerning the
meaning of words and propositions, when
deserted by all other hermeneutical aids.
Nor is their use confined to the Old Testa-
ment. The same rythmical construction
everywhere prevails in the New, which in
this, as in many other respects, has received
a decided tinge from the Hebrew writings.
On this whole subject we earnestly recom-
mend to the student, Bishop Lowth's Lec-
tures on Hebrew Poetr}^, a book almost
worthy of its theme.

RULE HL

The consideration of the cmthor'^s scope
or design greatly facilitates interpretation.
Every man (not a fool), has some definite
purpose in speaking, and it is fairly presum

34 SCOPE.

ed that he will use such terms and arguments
as are suited to it. The scope is the soul —
the vis vitae of a work, which lives and
breathes through the whole, giving order,
force and beauty to every part. It may be
ascertained in various ways.

1. By marking the occasion on which the
passage or hook was loritten. Thus the
occasion of Paul's epistle to the Galatians,
was the dissemination among them of Jew-
ish errors concerning the way of justifica-
tion. He " marvels that they were so soon
removed from him that called them into the
grace of the gospel." The epistle to tlie
Romans had a like origin. The inscriptions
on many of the Psalms, describing the con-
dition of the poet when they were composed,
give them wonderful vivacity and impressive-
ness : we almost seem to be reading differ-
ent compositions. Take for example the third
Psalm, and in reading it, set before you the
pious monarch driven from his throne by the
machinations of an unnatural son, and wan-
dering among the hills of Gilcad, wanting
the very necessaries of life, and in constant

SCOPE. 35

clanger from enemies who were thirsting for
his blood ; yet expressing his perfect confi-
dence that all would be well at last, what-
ever temporary triumph might be allowed
them. How thrilling every expression of
his victorious faith in the power and promise
of God under such circumstances ! It ap-
pears that the serene old man did not lose a
night's rest in the darkest period of his trial :

I lay me down and sleep,
I awake for Jehovah sustains me,
I fear not ten thousands of people,
Who set themselves round about me.

The discourses of Christ receive hke illus-
trations from adverting to the occasion of
them. Many were answers to the cavils and
impertinencies of the Pharisees : some were
connected with occurrences which took place
in his presence : others were suggested by
questions of his disciples. How much we
should lose of the meaning and beauty of his
conversation with the Samaritan woman, if
we separated it from the little introductory
circumstances which are recorded ; viz. that
the place was " Sychar," the chief city of

36 SCOPE.

the most biltcr enemies of liis nation ; that
"Jacob's well" was there ; that weary with
journeying he sat upon its mouth waiting the
return of his disciples " who had gone into
the city to buy meat ;" that he excited her as-
tonishment by asking drink of her, " for the
Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans."
Every one of these apparently trifling inci-
dents has its use in illustratinir what follows.
Not one could be spared, without detracting
from a composition which measured by a
standard merely literary, has nothing to com-
pare with it in all the ancient and modern
classics.

2. By examining ivlietlier the icriter has
not himself mentioned his design. Thus
the Evangelist John informs us, what his
purpose was in writing his gospel, John xx.
31. *' These things are written that ye might
believe upon Jesus, and that believing ye
might have life through his name." Luke
avows his design very clearly. He seems to
have been dissatisfied with some of the cur-
rent accounts which had been published of
the life of Christ, and determines to give an

SCOPE. 37

accurate and orderly detail, the result of his
own personal investigations. As he intimates
his purpose to write x-ci^ef;;?, i. e. "in order" —
having carefully followed up every event,
*' ^xptiKoXovdriKori etvahv uKptjia^^ j many judi"
cious commentators infer that where the
evangelists differ as to the order of facts,
his account is to be preferred, and have ac-
cordingly made it the basis of their schemes
of harmony. The author cf Ecclesiastes
is another instance of a sacred writer w^ho
states his object. The whole work is a
commentary on the first verse, " Vanity of
vanities saith the preacher ; all is vanity."
It must be confessed that he sticks to his
melancholy text most closely, and expounds
it with a fearful energy.

Occasionally a sacred writer gives his pur-
pose not at the outset, but the close of his
remarks. A striking instance is found in
Paul's epistle to the Romans. In the first
three chapters, he elaborately reviews the
moral condition of mankind both Jews and
Gentiles, in all ages, and shows that the
whole world was guilty before God. In the
4

38 SCOPE.

20th verse of the third chapter, we see him
distinctly approaching his object : " There-
fore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be
justified in his sight ; for by the law is the
knowledge of sin." This was one point
gained, and one of momentous interest to a
mind anxiously inquiring, " How shall man
be just with God." But he had a much high-
er aim than merely to prostrate the sinner.
He kills that he may make alive ; and after
an eloquent discussion through the seven
verses that follow, brings out in the 28th the
great central truth of the gospel with dia-
lectic formality, " Therefore we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law."

3dly. If both the expedients mentioned
fail, we should read the ivhole book, marking
the coherence of its various parts. Mr.
Locke recommends the perusal of it at one
sitting, quoting his own experience in favour
of the plan. " I concluded it necessary," he
says, (speaking of Paul's epistles), "for the
understanding of any one of them, often to read
it all through at one sitting, and to observe as

CONTEXT. 39

well as I could the design of bis writing it.
If the first reading gave me some light, the se-
cond gave me more ; and so I persisted on,
reading constantly the whole epistle over at
once, till I came to have a good general view
of the apostle's main purpose in writing."
The advice is excellent. It is the very
method we employ in ascertaining the scope
of other writings. If the title page leave
any doubt or darkness on the subject, we
instinctively turn to the table of contents, or
skim over the different chapters, before we
engage in a critical perusal. We thus catch
the author's drift — we see what he would he
at — without some knowledge of which, read-
inir is the most intolerable of all drudgery.

RULE IV.

Examine loell loliat p-ecedes and folloivs
the part to he expounded. This is called the
context ; and is divided into the remote and
immediate. The immediate, is that part
which stands in immediate proximity to the

40 CONTEXT.

passage ; the remote, may extend some
distance backward and forward. The mind
generahy thinks in train, and connects its
ideas together b}^ well-known laws of asso-
ciation. This connection of thought, and the
logical relation of one part of the series to
another, is an invaluable key to the mind of
a writer, except when he professedly deals
in aphorisms ; as the author of the book of
Proverbs, and Christ in part of his sermon
on the mount. It is in some respects more
important than the scope : the latter only
gives me the author's general purpose, which
does not forbid the admission of episodes, and
topics merely collateral : We shall be certain
lo err with regard to these, if we negleci the
connection.

We must be on our guard, however, against
manufacturing a connection ; in other words
against putting a false construction on what
precedes or follows, and then moulding the
exposition in conformity with our own gloss,
a fault often committed. Falsehood can only
beget falsehood. Nor, supposing that our
construction is true, may we adjust our pas-

CONTEXT. 41

sage to it by any violation of the Usus Lo-
quendi, or rules of grammar. In these cases
we must take what might seem the worst of
two meanings — sacrificing contextual sym-
metry to the general laws of language. Thus
limited, the rule that no explanation is to be
admitted which does not suit the context, is
of constant use.

Suppose me reading the 42d Psalm, and
considering the pathetic exclamation in the
second verse :

My soul thirsteth for God, the living God,
When shall I come and appear before God ;
My tears are my meat day and night,
While it is said continually, Where is thy God ?

My first impulse is to view it as the ex-
pression of a wish to die and enjoy the feli-
city of heaven ; especially as the phrase
" seeing God," often refers to future blessed-
ness. But a glance at the 4th verse, shows
that the pious monarch longed for restoration
to the services of the earthly sanctuary, of
which he had been deprived by the persecu-
tions of his son Absalom :

42 CONTEXT.

When I think of this, I pour out my heart in tears,
IIow I went with the multitude — went to the house

of God,
With jubilee and praise in a sacred happy throng.

The llOth Psalm describes the victorious
progress of an illustrious prince, greatly hon-
oured by God, and exalted to his right hand.
The first three verses leave me in doubt
whether the poet speaks of David or another
and far greater personage, as the sitting at
God's right hand may be figurative :

Jehovah said unto my Lord,

Sit thou at my right hand,

Until I makb thine enemies thy footstool,

'I'hy powerful sceptre Jehovah sends out of Zion :

Rule in the midst of thy foes.

But the 4th verse settles the question :

Jehovah hath sworn and will not repent,
Thou art an everlasting priest,
Of the order of Melchisedech.

David was no priest, nor could any He-
brew monarch assume tlie office without
heaven-daring profanity. The strange, and
(to the Jew) astounding phenomenon of a
" priest upon a throne," directs us at once to

CONTEXT. 43

David's Son and Lord. The application of
this simple test will enable the plainest Chris-
tian to detect the Psalms called Messianic at
a glance. They all embody in their repre-
sentations such remarkable incidents and
traits of personal character, as make it impos-
sible to apply them without the grossest im-
propriety to any but the great anointed of the
Father. Let the 2d, 16th, 22d, 45th, and
72d be brought to this touchstone ; nothing
but arrant infidelity can resist the force of the
arcjument.

It may admit a doubt, whether the cele-
brated description in Rom. vii. of the strug-
gle between the " flesh and the spirit," refers
to the true Christian or the unregenerate.
There are some expressions in it, which cer-
tainly agree best with the latter supposition.
On the other hand, there are whole sentences
which cannot at all be reconciled with this
hypothesis, and compel us to understand the
apostle as describing the exercises of the
Christian. In the 18th verse, it is clearly
imphed that the person described possesses
impulses and principles superior to those of

44 CONTEXT.

unrenewed nature. " In me, that is, in my
flesh, dwelleth no good thing." In the 22d
verse, he is said to " dehght in the Law of
God after the inner man ;" and in the 25th,
he thanks God for '' his dehverance through
Christ Jesus." Farther, to entirely preclude
the supposition that this deliverance is a neiu
state, following, and not contemporary with
the struggle, he adds, " So then with the
mind I serve the Law of God ; but with the
flesh the law of sin." Surely it is not in ac-
cordance with the tenor ;f scripture, as an
excellent commentator observes, to describe
in this way the exercises and character of
unholy men.

Let us bring to the contextual touchstone
another passage — the well-known paragraph
in Romans 5th, which seems to assert a di-
rect causal connection, between Adam and
his posterity. " By one man sin entered into
the world, ard death by sin, and so death
passed upon all men, for all have sinned :"
" By one man's offence death reigned by
one :" " By the offence of one, judgment
came upon all to condemnation :" "By one

CONTEXT. 45

man's disobedience many were made sin-
ners." Pelagians affirm that all intended by
these remarkable statements is, that Adam
gave the first example of sinning, and that
somehow his posterity walked in his steps.
They compare the phraseology with expres-
sions like these : '' By Sir Robert Walpole,
bribery and corruption entered the British
parliament :" " By Lysander, luxury entered
Sparta ;" which, according to them, only
mean that the evils mentioned began with
these persons. Without dwelling on the vi-
olence done to the words by this gloss, or the
fact that their own phrases clearly denote not
only a chronological but ^ causal connection,
let the student look at the whole series of
discourse that follows ; in which the apostle,
with an emphasis and accumulation of sy-
nonymous expressions, which show how in-
tently his mind was working with the
thought, draws a parallel between Adam and
the Redeemer. If he does not mean to say
that there was a similitude between them in
official character and relations, almost perfect,
there is no meaning in language. The infer-

46 CONTEXT.

ence is irresistible. Christ was not the first
who received salvation, but is the immediate
author of it. In the same sense our guilty-
progenitor is the immediate author of sin and
misery to our world.

This attempt to explain away the plain
meaning of scripture is sufficiently gross.
That of the Socinians to evacuate the Epis-
tle to the Hebrews of our Redeemer's priest-
hood and atonement, is yet more so. The
priesthood of Jesus, they say, is a bold fig-
ure, merely denoting that he was a consecra-
ted minister of God. His sacrifice consisted
in the virtuous obedience which he yielded,
and which might be so called, not properly,
but in a pretty^ fanciful way — because it was
crowned with a death of martyrdom ! The
apostle then, through six mortal chapters, has
been hammering at a rough, uncouth figure,
and the result of all his learned labour is — ab-
solutely nothing ! Nowhere, in all the an-
nals of writing, can be found an instance to
compare with it, of the " montes parturiunt,
nascetur ridiculus mus." It would be idle to
allege the context against such expounders.

CONTEXT. 47

They grant evcr}^ i ^ ing we say concerning its
entire and perfect iiarmony with the doctrine
of vicarious satisfaction. All they ask us to
allow is, that thr; whole book may be a meta-
phor run mad. We would rather doubt the
sanity of some of its expositors.

These examples may suffice of the advan-
tage derived from studying the context. It
is unhappily much discouraged and impeded
by the w^ay in which our modern Bibles are
printed. The fracture of great coherent
masses into verses, is an unhappy arrange-
ment. The reader's attention is almost ne-
cessarily carried away from the flow and cur-
rent of thought, and fixed on an isolated pro-
position, whose true meaning depends upon
something not distinctly before his mind. In
consequence, he is very apt to treat revelation
as an immense collection of proverbs ; and
the majority of common readers actually so
consider it. Nor can we approve the prac-
tice adopted by many preachers, of running
into their pulpits with a single sentence or
part of one, which they make their exclusive
subject ; not bestowing on the connection a

48 CONTEXT.

word of notice — unless they have been hur-
ried in their preparations, and find it conve-
nient to talk a little round it, in an extempore
introduction. What would we think if we
heard any other book prelected on in this
way ; a treatise on medicine for instance, or
on morals ? Or wliat would we think of a
judge expounding in this way a legal stat-
ute ? The civil law has laid down an ex-
press canon on the subject, with some tart-
ness, as if indignant at the idea of such a
practice : " Turpe est de lege judicare, tota
lege non inspecta." Ministers are often heard
to chide their people sharply, for the careless
and unprofitable way in which they read the
word of God. Bui they would do well to
ask whether they are not themselves to blame
in forming them to such Avretched habits of
perusing it. When his Reverence appears
before the people month after month, without
in a single instance perhaps, explaining the
design, coherence, and argument of a para-
graph containing only six verses, it is re-
ally too much to expect, that honest John

CONTEXT. 49

will spend his Sabbath evenings in supplying
the pastor's lack of service.

The same evil prevails in the domain of
controversial theology. Many allow^ them-
selves to be captivated with the mere sound
of a phrase. It seems to suit their purpose
in an argument. Incontinently they detach
it from the paragraph to which it belongs,
dress it up in high-sounding paraphrase, and
send it forth, " to root out, pull down and de-
stroy" every thing that opposes. Examples
without number could be given, from the writ-
ings of all religious parties, even our own.
Many passages which Calvinists quote are
utterly irrelevant, as the slightest examina-
tion shows. An instance of this is the cele-
brated declaration in Jer. xxxi. 3 : "I have
loved thee with everlasting love, therefore
with loving kindness have I drawn thee." It
may be more properly translated thus,

In days of old have I loved thee,

Therefore will I prolong ray goodness to thee.

God is here assuring the ten tribes of delive-
rance and protection, on account of the love

he bore them in former times, when with out-
5

50 CONTEXT.

Stretched arm he brought them from the land
of Egypt. Nothing is said of the eternity of
his purposes, or their accomphshment in the
conversion of the elect. If applied to this
subject, it must be in the way of pious ac-
commodation. The same is true of another
favourite passage: Matt. xxii. 14, "Many
are called, but few are chosen." The whole
context and scope shows, that the Redeemer
is not speaking of sovereign election, but
rather stating the fact, that while all are invit-
ed to the gospel feast, there are compara-
tively few admitted, in consequence of neg-
lecting to secure the necessary qualifications.

On the other hand, our Arminian brethren
quote, with as little shadow of reason, 1 Cor.
xii. 7, to prove universal grace. The pro-
position that " a dispensation of the spirit is
given to every man to profit withal," sounds
indeed bravely. But the sound is all : the
whole argument shows that the Apostle is
speaking of supernatural gifts of the spirit,
and is addressing church members exclu-
sively»

When we apply our Rule to interpretation,

CONTEXT. 51

some caution is necessaiy, in consequence of
the context being occasionally broken by a
parenthesis. In the New Testan:ient these
are very frequent, especially with Paul, whose
impetuous genius often starts aside to em-
body a vivid conception or glowing sentiment
that suddenly kindled in his mind, and which
he did not allow himself leisure to weave into
the general texture of his discourse. We
have a beautiful example in 2 Tim. i. 16, 18:
where the short prayer in the beginning of
the 18th verse is evidently an extempore
burst of grateful emotion, and the words must
be enclos'ed in brackets ; '^ But when Onesi-
phorus was in Rome he sought me out very
diligently and found me, [the Lord grant unto
him that he may find mercy of the Lord in
that day,) and in how many things he minis-
tered to me at Ephesus, thou knowest very
well." A more striking instance is in Eph.
iii. where the first and fourteenth verses must
be immediately united, the parenthesis con-
sisting of not less than thirteen.

Attention to this, wonderfully enlightens
some of his dark sayings ; among others, that

52 CONTEXT.

in 1 Tim. v. 23 : ''Drink no longer water,
but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake
and thine often infirmities." The Apostle is
in the midst of a solemn and weighty exhor-
tation to Timothy in relation to ordaining can-
didates for the ministry. In the 22d verse,
he says, " lay hands suddenly on no man,
neither be partaker of other men's sins, keep
thyself pure." In the 24th he carries out the
thought, stating that some men's disqualifica-
tions were open and manifest to all, others
were more secret and followed after them.
There is thus a complete connection between
the 22d and 24th verses ; and the question
rises how the Apostle comes to press the
matter of wine-drinking directly between
the two, when the thought was so foreign to
his whole subject ? It is manifestly a paren-
thesis. In the midst of his directions con-
cerning ordination, he remembers that his
young friend was of feeble constitution, and
liable to severe attacks of dyspepsia. It is in
his mind to prescribe a glass — not of syrup,
but of good generous wine, which is known
to possess great virtue in such complaints.

CONTEXT. 53

No sooner thought, than done. Without
losing a moment, he tosses it into the middle
of his argument, where it stands a fine spe-
cimen of the noble artlessness of the great
Apostle. Dr. Paley builds on this circum-
stance a strong argument for the authenticity
of the epistle. It scarcely would have en-
tered the mind of an impostor, to exhibit
Paul as commending wine, in a grave, apos-
tolical epistle : much less, would he have in-
troduced the advice in so strange and im-
probable a manner.

RULE y.

We must know the character, age^ sect,
nation, and other peculiarities of the writer.
Every human being has a character — a cer-
tain something which distinguishes him from
others, giving a hue to all his thoughts and
modes of expressing them. This must be
known, in order to his being understood. The
inspired writers are no exception to the rule.
They who imagine that the Holy Spirit so
6*

54 CHARACTER, ETC.

possessed their minds that they became mere
automata in his hands, and poured out words
and thoughts as they were successively
poured in — hke so many water-pipes of a
cistern, betray profound ignorance of the sub-
ject. Some such crude fancies were enter-
tained in former times, and are probably not
extinct. They doubtless originated in a
vague notion, that the more entirely human
agency was excluded from the doctrine of in-
spiration, the higher honour was bestowed on
the Divine Spirit : and the etymology of the
word " inspiration" had also its effect. It
originally and properly signified, a hreatliing
in, and suggested the dark and mysterious
conception of an effect produced on the think-
ing substance of a man, not unlike tiie infla-*
tion of a bladder —

*' magnam cui mentcm animumque,
Delius inspirat vates."

But inspiration has nothing in common with
its etymology. It simply expresses the idea
of supernatural assistance and guidance in
the communication to mankind of truths pre-
viously unknown. Those who were honoured

OF THE WRITERS. 55

with it, were enabled to speak, act, and write,
as divine messengers, in perfect conformity
with the will of Him who sent them ; so that
nothing proceeded from them, but what was
holy and true. Yet they were not puppets,
acted on by a ph3^sical and compelling force
from without. They were living, personal
agents, in full possession of all the faculties
with which they had been endowed by their
Creator — with perception, memory, con-
sciousness, will ; and the energy of the Holy
Ghost wrought no greater violence on their
minds in the exercise of these powers, than
is wrought by his ordinary operation on the
hearts of believers in every age of the church.
It is not our business to give the philoso-
phy of this " pre-established harmony" be-
tween agencies so different, nor to speculate
on the mode in which they were combined
for the production of a single result. As in-
terpreters, we state the fact — not exjylain it:
and the fact certainly is, that no men are
more distinguished from each other by strong
mental idiosyncrasies, nor any who give more
decided evidence, that their own spirits per-

56 CIlA^RACTERj ETC.

formed an important office in composition.
In the author of the book of Proverbs, we see
before us the grave, sententious, dignified
monarch, whose profound knowledge of hu-
man nature, and sparkhng gems of wisdom,
made liis name celebrated throughout the
East. Amos is alwaj^s the strong, bold, but
somewhat unpolished herdsman of Tekoah.
The rough and vehement Ezekiel, standing
with dishevelled hair and rolling eye, in the
midst of his fantastic but expressive symbols,
never suffers us to mistake him for Isaiah,
the sublime, imaginative, tasteful courtier of
Hezekiah. The same with the plaintive,
tender Jeremiah — the contemplative John —
the argumentative, glowing Paul. It is an
old, but, with proper explanation, perfectly
true remark, originally made by Jerome, that
*' revelation consists in thought, not in words
or external dress : nee putemus in verbis
scripturam evangelii esse, sed in sensu." We
insult the Holy Ghost by supposing him un-
able to accommodate himself to the mode of
thinking and phraseology of those whom he
honoured with his influence — that when he

OF THE WRITERS. 57

made the prophet he was forced to unmake
the man.

When we read the Epistle to the Romans
therefore, we must remember that we are
conversing with a finished gentleman of the
old school ; a scholar brought up at the feet
of Gamaliel, a powerful but rapid reasoner,
delighting in ellipses, digressions, repetitions,
bold figures, and pregnant expressions, sug-
gesting more than meets the ear — fond of il-
lustrating his subject by Old Testament ideas,
even when he intends making no use of them
in argument ; and above all, that we are con-
versing with him, who, more than any other
apostle, was deeply penetrated with the glo-
rious catholicity and abounding grace of the
gospel ! In reading James, we must think
of the stern, high-souled moralist, in whom
the ethical element of Christianity seems to
have taken the deepest root ; who, while with
adoring faith he beheld " the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world," never lost
from his view the awful form of that "eternal
law," which spoke in thunder from Sinai,
and yet speaks in milder tones, though with

58 CHARACTER, ETC.

the same commanding authority, to every
child of Adam. John, in his writings, seems
to be still clinging to his master's bosom. —
Love to the person of his Redeemer is evi-
dently his engrossing sentiment. No one
can doubt, apart from every argument con-
tained in other parts of Scripture, that John
believed him to be divine. His glory as the
uncreated Logos— that glory which he had
with the Father before the world was, a few
scattered rays of which had been seen through
the veil of his humiliation, is the great thought
with which his soul holds constant commun-
ion, raised above every other object — like the
eagle calmly reposing in mid heaven, and
gazing at the sun ! He who gives no atten-
tion to these things, and does not take pains
to catch the distinctive peculiarities of the
sacred writers, commits the same kind of
blunder with that of the man who reads Mil-
ton's Paradise Lost, and Addison's Essays in
the Spectator, yet sees no difference between
them except in the length of the lines.

It is important also to note the different
kinds of composition they employed. Some

OF THE WRITERS. 59

were poets, and must be interpreted according
to the laws of poetry. Their bold tropes
must not be turned into sober matter-of-fact
realities ; as is done by the Millenarians who
read Isaiah nearly as they would Black-
stone's Commentaries, or the British Consli-
tution. Ezekiel is not Luke, nor is Mat-
thew the publican, David, singing one of the
sweet odes of Zion to the music of his harp.
Historians are to be treated as historians, not
as poets or rhetoricians. The accounts of
miracles given in our four gospels must there-
fore be taken to the letter. No books in the
world bear more decided evidence that their
authors intended to give simple and perspic-
uous narratives of events as they actually oc-
curred. The principle must not be tolerated
for a moment, of explaining them away, by
doing violence to the plain meaning of lan-
guage, and to all the laws which are apphed
to other historical compositions. Yet it has
been sanctioned by great names, especially
in Germany. Grave divines are found, who
insist that there is not one miracle in the
gospels. The events which seem miraculous

60 CHARACTER, ETC.

were entirely natural, but exaggerated and
embellished by the warm fancies of the peo-
ple among whom they occurred. Only strip,
they say, the Evangelists of this semi-poetic
drapery, and the business of exposition will
go on delightfully. Moses fares, if possible,
still worse. They turn him into an allego-
rist or reciter of mythological fables. The
first ten chapters of Genesis contain about as
large a body of real truth, as can pass with-
out inconvenience through the eye of a nee-
dle— being made up of old stories and scraps
of song, which mean nothing, or anything,
that a lively fancy may suggest.

Let not the Christian student take great
pains to refute this wretched infidelity, which
does not openly avow itself infidel, merely
because its advocates earn their bread by a
profession of Christianity ; the most of them
being either professors of Christian theology or
pastors of Christian churches. Indignandum
de isto ; non disputandum est. Such interpre-
tations do not deserve the name. They are
feats of jugglery and legerdemain ; and their
authors are canceited sciolists, who, pranking

COMMON SENSE. 61

themselves as the high-priests of philosoph)%
prove by their irreverence for things sacred,
that they have not reached the portico of her
temple. The true philosopher always trem-
bles when he stands, or even suspects that
he stands, in the presence of God ! He can-
not trifle with such a book as the Bible ! He
cannot sport with a volume, the falsehood of
which, if proved, turns him over to the beasts,
and deprives him of his last stake as a can-
didate for the glories of immortality.

RULE VI.

In expounding Scripture, let therebe a con-
stant appeal to the tribunal of common sense.
Language is not the invention of metaphysi-
cians, or convocations of the wise and learned.
It is the common blessing of mankind, framed
for their mutual advantage in their intercourse
with each other. Its laws therefore are pop-
ular, not philosophical — being founded on the
general laws of thought which govern the
whole mass of mind in the community. Now,
however men may differ from each other,

62 COMMON SENSE.

there are certain universal notions, plain and
obvious principles of knowledge, according
to which speech is regulated. When we try
a work by these, we bring it to the standard
of " common sense."

There is occasion for it every moment. —
Scarcely will we hear in a long and serious
conversation between the best speakers, a
sentence which does not need some modifi-
cation or limitation, in order that we may not
attribute to it more or less than was intended.
Nor is the operation at all difficult. We
make the correction instantly, with so little
cost of thought, that we would be tempted
to call it instinct, if we did not know that
many of our perception's which seem intui-
tive, are the work of habit and education. —
It would be an exceedingly strange- thing, if
the Bible, the most popular of all books, com-
posed by men for the most part taken from
the multitude, addressed to all, and on sub-
jects equally interesting to all, were- found
written in language to be interpreted on dif-
ferent principles. But, in point of fact, it is
not. Its style is eminently, and to a remark-

COMMON SENSE. 63

able degree, that wliicli we would expect to
find in a volume designed by its gracious Au-
thor to be the people's hook — abounding in all
those kinds of inaccuracy which are sprink-
led through ordinary discourse, hyperboles,
analogies, and loose catechrestical expres-
sions, whose meaning no one mistakes, though
their deviation from plu?nb, occasionally
makes the small critic sad. In such cases,
we reject every thing incompatible with evi-
dent truth ; assuming that the Bible could
never intend to contradict our reason, or teach
in any possible case that two and two are
five. We shall give a few illustrations.

1st. It never teaches doctrines refuted hy
the testimony of the senses. Thus, when
David sa3^s that " he is poured out like water,
and all his bones are out of joint, that his
heart is melted in the midst of his bowels,"
we perceive instantly that a literal pouring
out and melting cannot be meant, as nothing
of the kind has been ever witnessed. When
the Redeemer, in the institution of the Sup-
per, declares of the bread, that it is his body ;
and of the wine, that it is his blood, we ne-

64 COMMON SENSE.

cessarily understand him to be speaking figu-
ratively and symbolically. My senses dis-
tinctly see, taste, smell, and feel, that the sa-
cramental elements are nothing but real bread
and wine. If the Scriptures really taught the
popish doctrine of transubstantiation, they
would declare a falsehood, which would be
quite sufficient by itself to destroy their au-
thority. The principle of believing a doc-
trine indirect opposition to the clear evidence
of the senses, is destructive of all evidence.
If my senses may deceive me, how shall I
convince myself that I ever saw a book called
the Bible, or read it, or ever heard of such a
being as Jesus Christ ? The delusion prac-
tised on me at the Lord's table, where 1 am
eating and drinking the real body and blood
of a dead man, while tasting and smelling
bread and wine, may be part of a most ex-
tensive scheme of imposture, to which no
limits can be assigned.

2d. Its statements must he co??ipared with
the results of experience and observation. —
No one who reads the command, " Be per-
fect, even as your Father in heaven is per-

COMMON SENSE. 65

feet," with reference at the same time to the
state of the world in all ages, can deny that
it is to be taken with a grain of allowance.
Let us aim at perfection, but not dream of
attaining it — experience amply proving that
there is no man who sinneth not. In Matt.
X. 34, Christ tells his disciples that "he came
not to send peace on earth but a sword." —
History is the best commentary on this some-
what harsh expression. The Gospel occa-
sioned discords in families and nations, by
inducing some to accept its guidance, while
others rejected it. These frequently led to
persecutions, which were the sword alluded
to in the text.

3. Passages must be harmonized ivith es-
tablished facts in science. Truth is always
in accordance with herself. Her two great
books, Nature and Revelation, cannot be
at variance, though the latter seldom trims
her phraseology into conformity with the
starched definitions of science ; for which
every man of taste and discernment likes her
tlie better. The expressions therefore which
represent the earth as at rest — as being built
6*

66 COMMON SENSE.

on the waters — as having hounds and limits
— and the sun as moving round it, are not
to be brought in coUision with astronomy.
The representations of God as coming to a
place — deserting it: — asking questions —
grieving — repenting, must be explained con-
sistently with the first elements of natural
rehgion, which teach that he is a pure Spirit,
omnipresent, all-knowing, and above all
change or perturbation. Lactantius, a Latin
Father, must have lost his compass entirel}^
when he undertook to prove from the Scrip-
tures that God has passions — thus contradict-
ing a plain and evident principle of reason.

Whether the sacred interpreter will ever
be required to modify the old expositions of
the first twenty verses of the first chapter of
Genesis in conformity with the decisions of
geology, we do not profess to conjecture.
The science is in its infancy, and as yet has
made no positive demands, though on some
points expressing very strongly its wishes.
Whatever be the result, we need not fear it.
Scripture will never be found among the ene-^
mies of knowledge and sound learning.

COMMON SENSE. 67

4. It cannot he at issue ivitli any of our
intuitive moral judgments If it recom-
mends the " cutting off a right hand and
plucking out a right eye," it must not be
taken to mean bodily mutilation. Our life
and members are a sacred trust committed
to us, which we dare not trifle with. When
Christ says, " If any man hate not his father
and mother and wife and children, he cannot
be my disciple," he is using a strong hyper-
bole to denote the greater love which we
should bear himself. Our moral sense re-
volts at the idea of hatred to parents, and no
exposition can be tolerated that would sanc-
tion a feeling so detestable. In Luke x. 4,
he commands his disciples " not to salute
(during one of their missionary journeys) any
by the way," — a precept which our Quaker
Brethren obey to the letter. But Christ could
never have intended to inculcate rudeness ;
it must therefore mean, '• Do not lose time by
holding unnecessary intercourse with your
friends ; use all expedition in journeying to
the scene of your labours." Equally absurd
is their well known exposition of the precept

C8 COMMON SENSE.

" When smitten on the one cheek, turn the
other also ;" as if the Saviour disapproved
of self-defence.

On a similar principle, we explain those
passages, which exhibit the prophets as doing
by command of God things inconsistent with
natural propriety. Hosea, for example, is
commanded to marry two impure w^omen ;
Ezekiel to lie on his left side a year and a
month, looking at an iron pan — then turn
over to his right side, on which he must lie
forty additional days — eating during the
whole period a compost of lentiles, beans,
barley, millet and fitches, prepared in a man-
ner most decidedly disagreeable. We affirm
boldl}^ that the expositors who consider these
and others which might be mentioned, as
real transactions, dishonour the word of God,
while they betray a want of taste that is as-
tounding. Beyond all doubt, they were sym-
bolical representations, that passed before the
Prophet's mind in his inspired extacy.

The rule under our notice, requiring us to
try expressions by the standard of common
sense, is of great use in explaining a class of

COMMON SENSE. G9

propositions very frequent in Scripture, which
seem to have no limit in their apphcation,
but must be restricted by the mind of the
reader. They are thrown out by the waiter,
with the noble carelessness of one who takes
a strong view of a sul)ject, and determines
to strike with it — not caring for the great
swarm of little huts^ that invariably rise be-
fore the mind of a feeble thinker, and darken
the principal idea. We shall add a few ex-
amples.

Absolute expressions, often denote only
what usually takes place. Solomon tells us
in Prov. xxii. 6, " train up a child in the way
he should go, and when he is old he will not
depart from it." This is not always true :
Odd as it may seem, Solomon himself was
an exception. Yet it is true generally. A
wise and pious education gives good reason
to expect the divine blessing. Sometimes
they only denote the tendency of a thing.
Prov. XV. 1, "a soft answer turneth away
wrath." It is calculated to produce this hap-
py effect. Paul declares that the " good-
ness of God leadeth to repentance." With

70 com:\ion sense.

submission to the Apostle — not always. Too
often it corrupts and hardens.

At other limes, they only indicate duty —
right — official obligation. Thus Solomon
says, Prov. xvi. 10, " a divine sentence is in
the lips of the king, his mouth transgresseth
not in judgment." Peter, in like manner
says of the civil magistrate, " he is the min-
ister of God for good, a terror to evil work-
ers and a praise to them that do well."
Such declarations show what he is de jure :
the de facto, is quite another question, as
Peter himself experienced shortly after ;
being put to death by one of these divine
ministers in the most cruel manner. The
same principle we apply to those statements
which exhibit the Redeemer as dying for
"all" — for " every man" — for the " sins of
the world." They contain a precious char-
ter of privilege — right — and consequent obli-
gation to accept him. He is by oflice the
world^s saviour. All may enjoy the blessings
which he hath purchased, and are excluded
simply by unbelief.

Occasionally, we find assertions broadly

COMMON SENSE. Tl

made that refer only to external character
and profession. Paul describes apostates as
counting *' the blood of the covenant where-
with they were sanctified, an unholy thing."
They were so in appearance. Having avow-
ed their attachment before the church and the
world, they were recognized as true disciples
and heirs of the promise. Yet of such, an-
other Apostle declares, " they went out from
us, because they were not of us : for if they
had been of us, they never would have de-
parted." So, all credible professors are call-
ed " saints" and *' holy." The sacred wri-
ters always treat them as being what they
ought to be. This practice of naming things
from their appearance is quite common. The
impostor Hananiah for instance, is called in
Jer. xxviii. 1, a "Prophet." False pretend-
ers to piety, are in Matt. ix. 13, called right-
eous : '* I am not come to call the ri^rhteous
but sinners to repentance." Paul in 1. Cor.
i. 21, names the preaching of the gospel
" foolishness," because it was thought such
by the haughty Greek.

There are other ways in which proposi-

72 CO:\IMON SENSE.

tions stated absolutely, must be limited. In-
deed, so various are they, that no definite
rule can be laid down which will apply to
every case. Each should receive the modi-
fication dictated by common sense. The
precept for instance, requiring us " not to
revenge ourselves," forbids the taking pri-
vate vengeance, not judicial punishment.
Christ, in Matt. v. 33, commands us to " swear
not." The connection shows us, that he re-
fers to unnecessary and extrajudicial oaths ;
but independently of arguments from the
context, we might safely assume that he
never could have intended to nullify an in-
stitution almost coeval with the human race,-
and which he sanctioned by personal exam-
ple. We are commanded in like manner, to^
"take no thought for the morrow" — to "judge
not, that we be not judged" — to " pray with-
out ceasing" — expressions which it is scarce-
ly possible to misunderstand — though it
would not be safe to stake much on the as-
sertion ; many betraying a perversity of
thinking where Scripture is concerned, that
on any other subject would be ludicrous.

TROPES AND FIGURES. 73

The family of wrongheads in theology, is a
very numerous one.

RULE VII.

Study attentively the tropes and figures
of the sacred luritings. These are devia-
tions from natural simplicity of expression ;
one idea being substituted for another, and
made to represent it on the ground of some
relation between them ; as when I call a
warrior, a lion ; compare the march of an
undisciplined army to the flight of a noisy
flock of cranes, or address a dead or absent
person as if possessing life. They abound
in all languages, and in many instances are
the very language of nature. The least ex-
citement of feeling impels a man of ordinary
fancy to express his thought, not by the word
directly appropriated to it, but by some acces-
sory idea, which he prefers on account of its
greater vivacity and beauty. Thus old age
is the evening of life ; youth the morning ;
error is blindness ; a great statesman, the
7 .

74 TROPES AND FIGURES.

pillar of the commonwealth. The fields
smile — the stones cry out — the heavens weep.
No one fails to perceive the superior liveli-
ness and brilliancy of such modes of expres-
sion.

Nor will their frequent occurrence in the
Bible surprise us, when we consider that
much of it is poetry, and its birth-place the
imaginative east. Its figures are not only
numerous but exceedingly bold— sometimes
even startling to an occidental ear and a taste
formed on classic models. " The blood of
Abei cries from the ground." '* God makes
drunk his arrows with blood." " The heav-
ens celebrate the praises of Jehovah." " The
floods clap their hands." " When Israel
came out of Egypt, the s^a saw it and fled,
Jordan was driven back, the mountains skip-
ped like rams and the little hills like lambs."
Such is the glowing language that meets us
in every page, and justifies the remark that
it is by far the richest volume of fancy in
our literature. The tropes which occur most
frequently, are the following.

1. Metonymy. This denotes the siibsii^

TROPES AND FIGURES. 75

tution of one word for another, where the
thouglits are closely conjoined and rise up
together in the mind, though there be no
proper resemblance between them. Such
are the ideas of cause and effect— subject
and attribute — container and contained — sign
and thing signified.

The cause is put for the effect. Thus the
Holy Spirit is put for the gifts and influence
of the Spirit. 1. Thess. v. 19, " quench not
the Spirit." Luke xi. 13, " how much more
shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spi-
rit to them that ask him." Rev. i. 10, "I
was in spirit on the Lord's day," i. e. a state
of mind caused by the spirit. In the same
sense Jesus was " led by the spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil :" he
went there under a divine prompting and im-
pulse. Parents are sometimes put for their
posterity, as Judah for the Jews ; and in
Ezek. xxxiv. 23, David is used for Messiah,
his promised son and successor to his throne :
" I will set up one shepherd over them, and
he shall feed them, even 7ny se7^vant David."
Frequently the converse of our rule takes

76 TROPES AND FIGURES.

place — the effect being put for the cause.
Chirst is called " our hfc" because he is its
author. " He is made of God unto us wis-
dom, righteousness, sanctification and re-
demption :" i. e. God has constituted him
the source of all those blessings. In He-
brews vi. 1. the Apostle calls sinful works
" dead." In what sense are they dead ? Some
reply, because they have no moral principle
or vitality in them. But this is too weak.
They are probably so called, metonymicall}^,
because they lead to death. In Rom. vii. 7,
Paul asks " is the law sin ?" he means to
inquire, whether it produces sin.

The container is put for the contained.
A table, denotes the food placed on it : " Let
their table become a snare." A cup stands
for the liquor it contains: 1. Cor. x. 16,
" The cup of blessing which we bless."
Heaven, for God himself. Hence the often
recurring phrase, " kingdom of heaven," ap-
plied to the new dispensation of Messiah.
There is no direct allusion in it to the heaven-
ly state, but simply to its divine origin. In
other places it is expressly called the king-

TROPES AND FIGURES. 77

dom of God, Matt. xix. 24, Luke xiii. 29.
House, signifies the family residing in it.
Gen. vii. 1, " Enter thou and all thy house
into the ark." This is its meaning in Ex. i.
21, which states that because the "midwives
feared God, he made them houses." If the
idea of giving two midwives a pair of houses
be a little odd, there is nothing strange in
Divine Providence rewarding their kindness
to the families of his people, by giving them
large and flourishing families of their own.
On this use of the word, Pa^,dobaptists found
one of their strongest arguments for infant
baptism. It is contended, that the " houses"
which the Apostles baptized, must have in-
cluded all of the family, young as well as
old — such being the way in which the term
is uniformly employed.

The sign for the thing signified ; as a
sceptre or shepherd's staff for power. To
" lift up the hand" is to sioear : "to bow the
knee" is to do homage: to ''put on sack-
cloth" is to mourn. Baptism is by a like
metonymy identified with the moral renova-
tion which it symbohzes. The neglect of
7*

78 TROPES AND FIGURES.

this figure led the ancient Fathers, who are
followed by many in the present day, to hold
that baptism was itself regeneration — found-
ing their opinion on the words of Christ to
Nicodemus, " except a man be born of water
and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of
God ;" and the language of Paul, Tit. iii. 5,
*' he saved us by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost." From
these expressions they infer, that a positive
renewing grace is actually communicated to
the subject of the ordinance, and with it a
complete forgiveness of sin previously com-
mitted. Were we believers in this doctrine,
we should spend a considerable part of our
time in marvelUng at the singular taste of the
Apostle Paul, who declined administering
baptism except in a few extraordinary cases ;
and even thanks God that he had regenerated
none but Crispus, Gains, and the household
of Stephanas, 1 Cor. i. 16. The same Apos-
tle, however, in another place, expressly
claims the honour of having begotten them,
though he had no agency in their baptism ;
1 Cor. iv. 15, " In Christ Jesus I have begot-

TROPES AND FIGURES. 79

ten you through the Gospel." Equally strange
is it that our blessed Lord should have de-
clined to perform a rite, which, for the stu-
pendous effects produced by it on the corrupt
and darkened mind, infinitely surpassed all
his miracles on the body. The doctrine seems,
on other accounts also, really incredible ; and
we deem it far more reasonable to suppose,
that moral renovation is coupled with baptism
in the passages quoted above, because of the
sacramental and symbolical relation between
them. As in Acts vii. 8, circumcision is called
the " Covenant," because it was the sign of
the covenant ; so baptism is the " washing of
regeneration," because it is the visible token
of it, on the application of which, a man be-
comes accredited as a citizen of the great
spiritual commonwealth, which Christ has
washed in his blood.

Frequently a sentiment or action is used
for the object with ivhich it is conversant.
Faith signifies not the belief, but the doctrine
believed : " Contend earnestly for the faith."
Hope stands for Christ, the great object of
hope : Col. i. 27, " Christ, the hope of glory."

80 TROPES AND FIGURES.

Desire, for the thing desired ; Ezek. xxiv. 16,
*' Behold I take away the desire of thine eyes
[the prophet's wife] wdth a stroke." Thus
Christ may be called " the desire of the na-
tions," on account of the earnest longing for
a Saviour, and actual expectation of one about
to appear, which preceded his advent. The
passage in Haggai, however, where the ex-
pression is used, will hardly bear an immedi-
ate reference to the Messiah. The context,
as well as certain grammatical considerations,
prove that the treasures of the Gentiles are
meant, which the prophet says shall be
brought in great abundance to adorn the
second temple. That the whole paragraph
contains a prophecy of Christ is almost cer-
tain ; but nothing of that kind is involved in
this particular phrase,

2d. Synecdoche, is the substitution of a
whole for the part, or a fart for the lohole.
Of the first kind, the following are examples.
The "world," denotes sometimes the Roman
Empire, which was a very small portion of it,
''Augustus decreed that the whole world
ehould be taxed," " All," is put for a single

TROPES AND FIGURES. 81

individual. Thus it is said of King Joash
that his servants slew him for the blood of the
sons of Jehoida, the priest, 2 Chron. xxiv. 25.
But it appears from the 20th verse, that Joash
had killed but o?ie son, the Prophet Zecha-
riah. In Judges xii. 7, it is said that Jephtha
was " buried in the cities of Gilead." He
could be buried of course only in one. The
neglect of this synecdoche led some Jewish
commentators to invent the strange fable, that
to punish him for the sacrifice of his daugh-
ter, his body was chopped into pieces, and a
part interred in each of the principal cities.
Sometimes, All, is equivalent to Many.
*' All Jerusalem went out to John the Bap-
tist." " The devil showed to our Redeemer
all the kingdoms of the earth and their glory."
At others, it denotes all kinds : Acts x. 12.
Peter saw a great sheet, "in which were
[literally] all four-footed beasts of the field."
Our translators have rendered the expression
more intelligible, but in so doing forsaken the
original, as they have done also in translating
Matt. iv. 23 ; where the Greek says that
Christ "healed all sickness anddisease among

82 TROPES AND FIGURES.

the people." All manner of sickness is un-
doubtedly the idea intended. On this S3aiec-
dochical use of the word, those who con-
tend that in no sense can Christ be said to die
for the non-elect, found their explications of
the numerous passages objected to their view.
Nothing more is meant, they say, than that
he died for " all kinds of men." Happily,
these gentlemen are themselves a synecdo-
che— and w^e trust a small one — of the party
to which they belong. Calvinism can boast
of a different class of expositors, among whom
is found Calvin himself— than whom, few use
stronger language in describing the magnifi-
cent fulness and universality of the gracious
provisions of the gospel.

The pari is put for the ivhole ; as in Acts
xxvii. 37, " There were in the ship two hun-
dred souls." The soul here comprehends the
entire man. Many, is substituted for all ;
Dan. xii. 2, " Many that sleep in the dust
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and
some to shame and everlasting contempt."
The prophet certainly does not mean to de-
scribe a partial resurrection in these remark-

TROPES AND FIGURES. 83

able words. Rom. v. 19, " By one man's
disobedience many were made sinners." Who
the many are, we find in the former verse ;
" By the ofTence of one, judgment came upon
all men to condemnation." A striking exam-
ple of the figure we have in Ex. xii. 40, which
has given much trouble to critics : " Now
the sojourning of the Children of Israel, who
dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty
years." But it can easily be proved, that
four hundred and thirty years include the en-
tire period from the calling of Abraham out
of Ur of the Chaldees. How then are the
Israelites represented as dwelling during that
whole period in Egypt? We answer, that
the part is put for the whole— Egypt, for the
entire region in which Abraham sojourned
with his descendants. Being an important
part, and that in which they resided last; the
writer singles it out to represent all the other
scenes of their pilgrimage. The whole thought
is given by the Septuagint translators, who
insert after Egypt, *' and in the land of Ca^
naanr

On Synechdoches of this kind, is founded

84 TROPES AND FIGURES.

a general canon very useful to be remem-
bered in exposition, viz : that Scripture often
exhibits a general truth in the form of a 'par-
ticular case — not that it is the only one, but
that it explains the principle, and suggests
the mode of applying it to all others. The
language and education of the writers indis-
posed them for dealing in abstractions. Eve-
rything is definite and particular, and may
be almost pictured to the eye. But we shall
do them the grossest injustice, if we suppose
they rested here. There was doubtless a
great general idea distinctly before their
mind, of which the picture was a symboli-
cal representation. When the wise man in
Prov. XX, 10, says, ''Divers weights and di-
vers measures are an abomination unto the
Lord," who can doubt that he thought of the
other innumerable frauds practised by shop-
keepers on their customers ? The Psalmist
tells us, that " the good man is ever merciful
and lendethr Accommodating a poor and in-
dustrious man with a loan of money, is true
kindness, but not the only expression of it.
Christ, in Matt. vi. 1, forbids us to do our

TROPES AND FIGURES. 85

alms before men ; " he means that we should
conceal, if possible, all our benevolent ac-
tions. In John xiii. 14, he says, "Ye ought
to wash each other's feet : " he might equally
have said, for it is what he intended, " Be
humble and mutually affectionate."

In a like way, those who justify the practice
of granting divorce for other causes than adul-
tery, interpret the words of Christ in Matt.
V. 32 : " Whosoever shall put away his wife
save for the cause of fornication, causeth her
to commit adultery, and whosoever shall
marry her, that is divorced, committeth adul-
tery." The fornication here stated, to be the
only ground, they view as the princi-
pal one, standing for others equally serious,
as desertion, violence, and continued ill-treat-
ment. They contend, that the scope of the
Redeemer is to attack the doctrine of arbi-
trary divorcBy not to lay down in form the
justificatory causes ; and appeal to the paral-
lel passages, Mark x. 4, Luke xvi. 18, which
give the prohibition, without even specifying
fornication as an exception. Why, they ask,
should the statement of Matthew be consid-
8

86 TROPES AND FIGURES.

ered a complete enumeration of the jiistifiable
causes of divorce, v, hen the other evangehsts
give none v/hatever? declaring, absolutely,
" Whoso shall put away his wife, and mar-
rieth another, committeth adultery ? " May
it not rather be viewed as a synecdochical ex-
pression of the thought, that no divorce is
valid which is not founded on tlie strongest
reasons ? We think the argument of these
gentlemen is exceedingly plausible, if not en-
tirely satisfactory ; and remember having so
entirely convinced by it a worthy old friend,
who paid daily visits with great fear and
trembling to an equally worthy lady, divorced
for causes not laid down in St. Matthew, that
he came to the point at once, and rejoices when
he hears the name of our figure mentioned.
We have a lingering doubt, whether the
example just given be not somewhat strained.
Our next is much more clear and certain.
The principle we are illustrating, is of special
use in explaining the Mosaic law, which
some Lave degi:ided into a mere civil insti-
tute, enjoining nothing but overt acts and a
routine of external observances. Nothing

TROPES AND FIGURES. 87

seems more evident than that in the great
majority of cases, the legislator is giving
examples, leaving the generalization to the
understanding of those whom he addressed.
Paul was decidedly of this opinion, as ap-
pears from his comment on the precept.
"" Thou shaltnot muzzle the ox that treadeth
out the corn." He contends, that Moses de-
signed it not so much for oxen as for men,
teaching by it, that the labourer is worthy of
his hire. Nor can it be reasonably doubted,
that the command not to '' seethe the kid in
its mother's milk " — not to " plough with an
ox and ass together " — not to " sow different
seeds in the same ground," with a hundred
others, must be explained on the same prin-
ciple. The good old custom, therefore, of
spiritualizing, or giving moral extent to the
ten commandments, which some modern
writers object to, is a sound one, and justified
by all the laws of interpretation. The Re-
deemer has given a most beautiful example
of it in his sermon on the mount. This sub-
ject is well worth the student's attention. A
habit of generalizing, without straining or do-

88 TROPES AND FIGURES.

ing violence to Scripture — of rising from par-
ticulars to great catholic principles, which
come home to every man's business and bo-
som, is one of the most valuable acquisitions
he can make in his theological course.

3. Metaphor, is founded on the resem-
blance between objects ; being the substitu-
tion of one thing for another, which is like it.
When I say, '' God is my protector," I ex-
press the thought in its simplicity : When
I sa)'-, " He is my shield," I clothe it in me-
taphor. In no figure are the sacred oracles
so rich as in this. But little need be said, as
there is seldom any difficulty in explaining
it. The great point to be remembered is,
not to press the resemblance beyond the
boundary intended by the author. When
Christ declares, that he will come as a thief,
suddenness of appearance^ not ivickedness of
purpose is the thought which he illustrates.
Anthropopatheia is reducible to this class,
which exhibits the Divine Being, as clothed
loitli the attributes, and performing the ac-
tions of men. In explaining passages of an
anthropopathie character, the rule is plain.

TROPES AND FIGURES. 89

They must be understood in a way suitable
to the infinite majesty of God, and purged
from everything savouring of impurity o!»jin-
perfection. His " eye," is his infinite know-
ledge : his " arm," is his almighty power :
the " sounding of his bowels," is his tender
love and compassion : his " repentance," is
his purpose to change the course of his pro-
vidence for good and sufficient reasons,
springing out of the moral conduct of his
creatures : he is " angry," when he punishes
the sinner ; and his " fury," paints the seve-
rity of their doom.

Prosopopoeia, is another form of meta-
phor, in which human actions and life are
ascribed to inanimate or irrational objects.
Examples are very frequent, and some ex-
ceedingly beautiful : but they are all easily
understood.

4. Allegory, is a figure in which one thing
is expt^essed, and another under^stood. It
may be defined a continued metaphor, or an
image founded on resemblance, carried out
into a variety of details, for the purpose of
inculcating some moral truth. Nathan's pa-

90 TROPES AND FIGURES.

rable of the poor man and his ewe-lamb ; the
description of the vine in the 80lh Psalm ;
JodSthan's apologue of the election of a king
by the trees, in the ixth of Judges, and Paul's
representation of the members of the body in
1. Cor. xii, are fine examples. All the para-
bles belong to this class. Their only pecu-
liarity is, that they narrate a series of ficti-
tious events ; other allegories are descripiwe.
But this makes no difference in their nature,
or the laws of interpreting them.

Allegories consist of two parts ; the sensi-
ble image or similitude, as drawn out into a
series of imaginary facts, which we may call
the shell: and the doctrine or moral truth
illustrated, which may be called the kernel.
The latter, is of course, not expressed, being
contained in the shell, which must be broken
before we become its masters. Practice,
however, and the exercise of a little common
sense, makes the operation a very easy one.
There is always something in the connec-
tion, or the occasion, or the accompanying
remarks of the speaker, or the nature of the
thing itself, which informs us what great

TROPES AND FIGURES. 91

thought is to be elucidated. There are two
important rules which the interpreter must
observe in relation to this figure.

1. Never seek for it ; nor turn into alle-
gory what admits of being understood in a
plain and obvious sense. The rage for dis-
covering mystical significations in Scripture,
is one of the worst diseases with which a
young student can be infected. It has led to
that infinite multitude of typcs^ which disfi-
gure the writings of many otherwise excel-
lent writers, and throw a darkness, that may
be felt over the sermons of many of our
preachers. A type is a person or thing in
the Old Testament, supposed to prefigure a
person or thing in the New. It is, therefore,
a divinely appointed practical Allegory, and
was designed to prepare the minds of those
living in the Theocracy, for the farther deve-
lopments of truth which should characterize
the age of the Messiah. In this point of view,
a wise and well arranged system of types
was an admirable expedient. They illustra-
ted, in a way peculiarly lively and pictu-
resque, the great principles of moral govern-

92 TROPES AND FIGURES.

ment, which remained to be unfolded in the
latter day ; so that no shock should be given
to the pious nnind by their unexpected novel-
ty. " Sacrifices," made the people familiar
with the idea of substitution. The " mercy
seat," on which the Divine throne was erect-
ed, yearly sprinkled with blood, was a
speaking allegory, from which they could
not but infer something, that prepared them
for the Christian doctrine of reconciliation.
Their water lustrations suggested the neces-
sities of moral renovation. The like may be
said of typical persons. The royal David,
assisted them to conceive of a great theo-
cratic monarch, whose kingdom was to be
" an everlasting kingdom, and of whose go-
vernment there should be no end." The
mysterious king of Salem, so abruptly in-
troduced in patriarchal history, and so ab-
ruptly withdrawn, in whom the attributes of
priesthood and royalty were so strangely com-
bined, and to whom Abraham himself paid
homage, was well calculated to arrest the
reflecting spirit, and induce the suspicion at
least, that a new order of things might arise,

TROPES AND FIGURES. 93

which would exhibit the august spectacle of
a priest upon a throne. We need not sup-
pose that they perceived the full significance
of these symbolical representations. It is
enough that they suggested great and ina-
portant hints — seeds of truth, rather than
truth itself, which after lying buried and tor-
pid in the depths of the soul during the long
winter of the ancient economy, quickened
into glorious life, *' when the time of the
singing of birds was come, and the voice of
the turtle was heard in their land."

If now the question is asked, how far the
system may be carried out : we answer, so
far as it pleases God, and no farther. It is
his prerogative to institute ordinances for his
church, and when he does, he lets us know
it. If Samson be an appointed emblem of
the Lord Jesus Christ, I am sure that I shall
find it in the Old or New Testament ; if they
be silent on the point, all his strength shall
not compel my assent. I have no talisman
given me, with which I can go into the sim-
ple perspicuous narratives of the book of
God, and by a presto passe, turn its men and

94' TROPES AND FIGURES.

women into types ! To prove their exist-
ence, much more must be done, than to
show that one object on some points resem-
bles another.^ Mere simiUtude may quahfy for
office, but cannot possibly induct into it, else
Capt. Fluellen's celebrated theory of a typi-
cal connection between Alexander the Great,
and king Harry of Monmouth, would be
strictly true, being based on indubitable facts :
1st, that the birth-place of both commenced
with an M. ; 2d, that both were great fight-
ers ; and 3d, that there was a river in Mon-
mouth and also a river in Macedon, though
the honest gentlemen had forgotten its name.
The great point to be established, is, that
the likeness was designed in the original in-
stitution. It is the i^evious purpose and in-
ientioUy which constitute the whole relation
of type and antitype. Now this must be
proved, and there is only one way of doing it.
Show me from Scripture the existence of
such a connection. Whatever persons or
things in the Old Testament are asserted by
Christ or his Apostles to have been designed
prefigurations of persons or things in the

TROPES AND FIGT'RES. 95

New, I accept. But if you only presume
ihe fact from a real or fancied analogy, you
are drawing on your imagination, and assum-
ing the dangerous liberty of speaking for
God.

Nor is it enough to quote passages from
the New Testament which refer to incidents
in the Old. Many facts of the old economy
are adduced simply as happy illustrations —
to adorn or enliven a sentiment, not to prove
it, of which we have no less than two in-
stances in the second chapter of Matthew, —
*' The voice in Rama, lamentation and great
mourning — Rachel weeping for her children,
and refusing to be comforted," spoken of by
Jeremiah, was the mourning of the Jewish
mothers when separated from their children
on the way to Babylon. The evangelist al-
ludes to that catastrophe as resembling the
murder of the infants by Herod, and says
tliat the murder was a fulfilment of it, mean-
ing nothing more than that the one illustrated
the 'Other. This use of the phrase ottu^ TrXTipah
is known to every scholar. " Any thmg,"
as Dr. Bloomfield observes, " may be said to

96 TROPES AND FIGURES.

be fulfilled, if it admits of bein^ appropriately
applied." The quotation in the 15th verse,
" out of Egypt have I called my son," is a
like instance of accommodation. The de-
parture of Israel from Egypt under Moses, of
which Hosea speaks, Hos. xi. 1, was neither
a prophecy nor type of the Redeemer's brief
residence in that country. But there was a
pleasing and interesting coincidence, which
attracts the notice of the Evangelist, and in-
duces him to borrow the prophet's words.

The consequence of neglecting these plain
and rational principles, may be seen in the
writincrs of divines without number. Larf^e
folios have been filled with types and anti-
types, which exist only in the brains of their
authors. The facility of the operation great-
ly recommends it to many. To become a
good Grecian, and skilful collator of paral-
lelisms, is labour indeed ! Nothing more easy
than to lie all day on a sofa, tracing like-
nesses between Delilah and Judas Iscariot —
Adam's fig-leaves and the works of the law-
It is also very convenient ; for each sect may
provide itself with its own typology, from

TROPES AND FIGURES. 97

which, as from a fortress built in air, and
therefore beyond the reach of human wea-
pons, they may hurl defiance to every enemy.
In this way, Pope Innocent the third proved
to the Emperor of Constantinople, the im-
measurable superiority of his Holiness to his
Majesty. God, says he, made two great
lights, i. e. he constituted two great dignities
— the Papal and the Royal. The greater is
the Papal, ruling in spirituals, or over the
day : the lesser is the Royal, ruling in tem-
porals, or over the night. From which it
clearly follows, that as the sun is superior to
the moon, so the Pope is exalted above kings !
This was not bad. What his majesty re-
plied we cannot say — though doubtless he
contrived some method of turning the tables.
The scheme, after all, in matters of argu-
ment at least, is not so convenient as we al-
lowed it to be : as we can seldom bring the
adversary to our way of thinking about it,
and our best cases may be so easily retorted.
The types of theologians much resemble their
little namesakes of the printing office, in one
respect ; however ingeniously set, one stroke
9

98 TROPES AND FIGURES.

of a mischievous elbow can dash them all
into 2Ji. Those who desire to see the way
in which the subject is treated by some of
our evangel" ;al divines, may look into " Mc-
Ewen on the Types." He is greatly com-
mended by scm.e ; and we would not deny
him the praise of lively fancy and sincere
piety. But it is fancy run w^ild, and no de-
Igree of piety can give respectability to non-
sense. We hold an interpretation not based
on principles, to be an unprincipled interpre-
tation, though endorsed by all the saints in
the calendar. That there are persons and
things in the ancient dispensation intended to
be prefigurative of persons and things in the
new, we have already expressed our belieL
We go on solid grounds when we make the
assertion, and appeal boldly in support of it
to the " Word." But we will not desert that
light for ignes fatui, or add our own muddy
inventions to divine ordinances. The extra-
vagances of the advocates of typology have
done more to make the whole doctrine appear
ridiculous than all the sneers and wit of infi-
delity.

TROPES AND FIGURES. 99

2d, As we are not to seek for Allegory, so
we must consider only the parts which arc
connected ivith the doctrine taught — paying
no regard to unessential circumstances. —
Having mastered the scope of the writer, we
must interpret so much of the figure as di-
rectly relates to it, and no more. The remark
is of special use in explaining parables, though
it applies also to types. The correspondence
between them and the antitype must never
be pressed beyond the manifest design of
God in establishing the relation. Levitical
sacrifices prefigured the great atonement of
the Redeemer ; but we must not turn, as
some have done, the tongs and fire-shovels
of the altar into symbols. The High Priest
typified the person of Christ ; but it v^ould
be mere trifling, to discover profound mean-
ings in every part of the sacerdotal dress. —
With regard to parables, the rule must never
be lost sight of. Many circumstances in them
are only added to give an air of probability,
or render them more lively and interesting. —
They are (to use the beautiful expression of
Solomon) '' golden apples in silver baskets :"

100 TROPES AND FIGURES.

As interpreters, we have concern only with
the apples. Circumstances, in short, form
what may be called the machinery of the par-
able, and therefore do not always have weight
in the investigation of its meaning.

The parable of the ten virgins for instance,
is designed to teach the folly of those who
neglect preparation for their Redeemer's com-
ing. Virgins are selected, not on account of
their purity, but because virgins in those days
played an important part at bridals ; and a
bridal feast was made the basis of the fable.
The virginity therefore of the personages is
a mere circumstance, which teaches nothing.
So is the distinction into '' five wise," and
" five foolish." Nothing can be inferred as
to the comparative number of nominal and
sincere professors of religion in the world.
The two classes are equalized, to guard
against all speculations on a subject foreign
to the speaker's object. The " sleeping" of
the wise virgins is another mere circum-
stance, introduced to bring about the catas-
trophe in a natural wa)^ — not to teach the
dangerous doctrine that the best Christians

TROPES AND FIGURES. 101

fail in spiritual vigilance, and are very liable
to be taken by surprise, when the master
calls them. The truth is, that their sleeping
was designed to be rather complimentary than
otherwise, as it brought out the fact that they
were provided and ready. They had noth-
ing to fear : a little refreshment therefore was
not amiss, especially as they had no duties to
perform until the arrival of the procession.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus,
is another example. The angels who carry
the soul of Lazarus to Abraham's bosom,
probably belong, as well as Abraham's bosom
itself, to the machinery, and nothing is dedu-
cible from it. The representation oi the rich
man and Abraham being in the same region,
and within sight of each other, is an image
taken from the ancient idea of Hades, and
must not be listed to prove that the souls of
the blessed hold intercourse with those of the
wicked in another world.

Great prudence therefore, and good taste

are needful, in explaining these interesting

compositions. Without such qualifications,

and foolishly ambitious of making every thing

9*

102 HEBRAISMS.

out of any thing, interpreters have often made
them ridiculous. What can be more simple
and intelligible than the parable of the good
Samaritan, which so beautifully inculcates
universal benevolence ! It is absolutely trans-
parent ! Yet in the hands of some, it turns
out a perfect riddle, where the true signifi-
cance is, not obscured, but utterly lost. The
man who fell among thieves, is the sinner ;
the thieves, are the devil and his angels ;
the priest who passed by on the other side,
is the law ; the Levite is legal obedience.
The good Samaritan is Christ ; the oil is
grace ; the wine comfort from the promises ;
the inn-keeper is the Christian Ministry ; the
coming again is death, judgment, and eterni-
ty. All this may be very pious ; but we re-
peat our maxim, that no piety can give re-
spectabihty to nonsense.

RULE VIII.

Attend carefully to Hebrew and Hebrais-
tic idioms. In reading the Bible, never for-

HEBRAISMS. 103

get tliat its language, in every thing which dis-
tinguishes one from another, is at variance
with your own. That this holds true of the lan-
guage of the Old Testament, no one doubts ;
but the remark equally applies to that of the
New. In its use of words, its grammar, and
syntactical constructions, it has many of the
peculiarities of its oriental sister ; so that its
authors may be said without much exaggera-
tion, while they spoke in Greek to have
thought in Hebrew. It could not be other-
wise ; an impure Hebrew being their native
tongue, and their Greek style being formed
by the constant reading of the Septuagint,
which was an extremely literal translation of
the Old Testament into that language. There
is no reason to believe, that any of them ex-
cept Paul had ever read a single Greek au-
thor. The student should be mindful of this,
and ^eep his Old Testament and Septuagint
always before him. A few examples of the
Hebraising style shall be given : details would
fill a volume.

One striking instance, is the use of the
Genitive, which has a much more extensive

104 HEBRAISMS.

signification than is customary with us ; com-
prehending a greater variety of relations 5
and often quaUfying the noun which governs
them as adjectives. This often occurs in the
New Testament. In 1 Cor. i. 5, Paul says,
the " sufferings of Christ abound in us." He
means the sufferings not undergone by Christ,
but which we undergo for him. Sufferings
for the sake of Christ would be the proper
English expression. The same is meant by
the Apostle, when he calls himself '' a pri-
soner of Christ." He was a captive, on ac-
count of him. In various chapters of the
Epistle to the Romans, he speaks of the
righteousness of God, by which he plainly
signifies, not the excellency of the divine na-
ture, but the righteousness by which the sin-
ner is justified, and which he names " God's
righteousness," because he graciously pro-
vided and accepts it. In the same way,
" horn of salvation" signifies a horn (the em-
blem of power among the Hebrews borrowed
from their pastoral life) which is the cause of
salvation ; in other words, (when stripped of
its orientalism,) a mighty author of deliver^

HEBRAISMS. 105

ance. The Hebrew mode of employing ge-
nitives for adjectives is also common. The
Apostle addressing the Thessalonians, speaks
of their " patience of hope." He means pa-
tient hope. '' Glory of his power," is equal
to glorious power.

The Hebrews' were fond of giving empha-
sis to what they said by repetition. Jer. xxii.
29, " Oh earth, earth, earth, hear the word of
the Lord." Isa. vi. 3, '' Holy, holy, holy, is
the Lord God Almighty ;" from which many
have drawn a prodigiously silly argument for
the Trinity.

Hendiadys is the joining of two words hy
the copulative, while a single thing is assert-
ed ; the one being generally employed as a
genitive, or adjective : Acts xxiii. 6, " of the
hope and resurrection of the dead I am called
in question." This is a striking instance.
He means the hope of the resurrection of the
dead. In Acts xiv. 13, it is said that the
" priest of Jupiter brought oxen and garlands
to the gates." The garlands were upon the
oxen : croivned with garlands, therefore, ex-
presses the idea. Many judicious commen-

106 HEBRAISMS.

tators explain by this peculiarity the phrase
in Matt. iii. 11, " He shall baptize you with
the Holy Ghost and with fire :" i. e. with the
burning Spirit — with him who is powerful,
penetrating, and all -purifying, as the element
of fire.

There are singular examples of disregard
to the regular construction of sentences in
both the Old and New Testaments, which in
a classical Greek writer would be offensive,
but in our authors is positively agreeable ;
being so redolent of primitive simpHcity. In
Gal. iii. 4, 5, 6 verses, we have a series of
propositions, which seem to defy all the ef-
forts of interpreters to disembroil them. —
Nothing is more common, than for the Apos-
tle to commence a thought in a particular
way, and conclude it in a manner entirely
different, as if he had forgotten his beginning.
Thus he commences the well-known com-
parison between Adam and Moses, in Rom. v.
with the following sentence, or rather part of
one, " Wherefore as by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin, and so death
passed upon all men, for all have sinned." —

HEBRAISMS. 107

He thus gives us reason to expect a reddi-
tive or corresponding clause to be introduced
by the usual formula, so, or thus. None oc-
curs ; and after examining what follows, we
are obliged to conclude that in the onward
impetuosity of his movement, he has lost
sight of his starting point — without however
forgetting the thought, to which he does am-
ple justice.

But it is i?i the use of verbs, that the He-
braism of Scripture appears most clearly. —
They ^'ery frequently express not the action
itself, but something approaching or allied to
it — the desire or endeavour to perform it — its
commencement, or the giving occasion to it ;
its permission, or the obligation to its perform-
ance. We shall as usual give some examples.
Things are said to be done, where there is
only endeavou?' or desire. Thus Reuben is
said to " have delivered Joseph out of the
hands of his brethren." He attempted his
deliverance, but succeeded very partially. —
'' Whoso findeth his life," says our Redeem-
er, " shall lose it :" i. e. seeks to find it, is
unduly anxious for its preservation.

103 HEBRAISMS.

Sometimes verbs only intimate that the
subject gave occasion to the action. In Jer.
xxxviii. 23, God says to King Zedekiah,
" thou shalt be taken by the hand of the king
of Babylon, and thou shalt cause Jerusalem
to be burnt with fire." The conduct of the
unhappy monarch should lead to this catas-
trophe. " The wrath of man," says the
Psalmist, " shall praise God" — not praise
him, but be an occasion of praise. This ex-
plains the apparent discrepancy between
Matthew and Luke, in their account of the
purchase of the field of blood. The former
states that it was bought by the priests and
elders with the thirty pieces of silver, which
Judas Iscariot had returned to them. The
latter, in Acts i. 18, says, " this man (Judas)
purchased a field with the reward of iniquity."
The fact was, that he gave occasion for the
transaction, and the historian describes him
as the agent.

Frequently, words expressing the power
of doing actions only mean facility ; and the
denial of power signifies nothing more tlian
difficultij. In Ruth iv. 6, the near kinsman

HEBRAISMS. 109

of Elimelech says, ** I cannot redeem his in-
heritance." He could have done it, for he
was evidently a man of property, but not
without considerable sacrifices. The house-
holder in our Lord's parable, of whom a friend
solicits admission at midnight, replies that
" the door is shut, the children with him in
bed, and that he cannot rise." He meant
that rising was extremely inconvenient. So
it is said of our Lord, in Mark vi. 5, that he
could do no mighty works in a particular dis-
trict, because of their unbelief. He could not
with pleasure and satisfaction. It was pain-
ful to him to throw his pearls before such
swine. The Pelagians appeal to this idiom,
when they attempt to explain the sinner's in-
ability to do what is good. He cannot ; be-
cause in consequence of the strength of ani-
mal impulses, and of bad education, commen-
cing at the mother's breast, it is extremely,
and in the last degree, difficult. Their en-
lightened opponent meets them, not by ring-
ing changes on the words '' can," and '' can-
not," violently torn from their connection, but
by a careful study of the passages in which
10

110 HEBRAISMS.

they are found, directed by the laws of sound
interpretation.

Words expressing actions are often only de-
claratory— denoting the recognition of them
as having been performed, or about to be. —
" Behold," says Isaac to Esau, " I have made
Jacob thy lord, and all his brethren have I
given to him for servants." The only agency
of the venerable patriarch in this transaction
consisted in announcing it. He intended to
say " I have declared Jacob thy lord." In a
like manner, Jeremiah v\ras set up by God
*' over the nations to root out, pull down, and
destroy." The Prophet was not a military
conqueror ; but as a divine messenger, he de-
clared what should be accomplished by the
hand of Nebuchadnezzar. So also when the
priest saw on a man signs of leprosy, he was
ordered to '* pollute or make him unclean,"
Levit. xiii. 3. The meaning is plain enough.
He was to jrronounce him unclean, as it is
expressed in our English version, which very
properly rejects the grosser Hebraisms.

The 7th verse of the 2d Psalm, receives
great light from this declaratory use of verbs.

HEBRAISMS. Ill

" The Lord hath said unto me, thou art my
son, this day have I begotten thee." Most
of the old divines supposed that David is
here describing the actual generation of the
son from the father ; having in thought car-
ried himself back to a point in eternity vv^hen
the generation was supposed to take place.
The words " this day," refer to that imagi-
nary point. The view cannot be sustained,
and among other reasons for this, that though
certain German theologues of our times have
invited themselves to be present at the gene-
ration— not only of the son but the father
from the great bosom of Nichts ; nothing of
the kind is found in sacred Scriptures. We
do not believe that the most raging delirium
could have made the pious, simple-hearted
Psalmist imagine to himself a God beginning
to he — or a God half formed. The word
"begotten," is to be taken declaratively. —
The point of time assumed by the writer in
this noble Messianic ode, is the resurrection
of its subject from the dead. God is repre-
sented as addressing him on the occasion —
presenting him to the admiring gaze of the

112 HEBRAISMS.

whole moral universe ; and acknowledging
the endearing eternal relation of which, on
that day, he had given such magnificent
illustration. The clause may be thus briefly-
paraphrased : " Thou art my only begotten
and eternal son. I here avow thee to be
such, and require all my subjects to honour
thee as partner of my throne." With per-
fect propriety therefore, the Apostle connects
the passage with our Lord's resurrection :
Rom. i. 4, " declared to be the son of God
with power by his resurrection from the
dead."

The last example which we shall give, is
of words signifying action, being used to de-
note the permission of it ; as in the prayer
of David, Psalm cxix. 31, "I have adhered
to thy testimonies, put me not to shame."
A more striking example we have in Isaiah
Ixii. 17, " O Lord, why hast thou made us
to err from thy ways, and hardened our
heart from thy fear." In this passage and
some others, the English reader is startled
at discoverincr indications of the horrible doc-

a

trine, that God exercises a positive agency

HEBRA.ISMS. 113

in the production of moral evil. Thus we
are taught to pray, that he " may not lead
us into temptation :" He " hardened Pha-
raoh's heart :" He '' shuts the eyes of sin-
ners, and makes their ears heavy, lest they
see v^^ith their eyes and hear with their ears."
They contain, however, nothing alarming ;
the whole doctrine which they teach, being
approved by the light of reason itself ; that
God, in righteous judgment gives the pre-
sumptuous sinner up to his own evil im-
pulses, permitting him to '' harden himself
even under those means which he useth for the
softening of others."* Misapprehension of
this idiom led many excellent men in New-
England, to profess without scruple or limi-
tation, their belief, that unholy volitions were
the immediate effect of divine agency. The
race is nearly extinct, having been succeed-
ed (as might be expected from the usual
course of things in the world), by a genera-
tion who seem afraid to trust the Supreme
Being with any agency even in good. We

• Westminster ConfeBsion of Faith.
10*

114 HEBRAISMS.

have always reverenced those worthy men.
We especially admire that iron intrepidity,
which enabled them to look in the face and
take to their bosoms so ugly a monster,
from simple regard to the divine will. Men
who could sacrifice to faith the strongest
moral instincts of their nature, were prepared
for any thing. Yet after all — in the matter
of expounding Scripture, heroism is a poor
substitute for Hebrew.

The student will be making small progress
in the knowledge of his Bible, who does not
soon find that we have been giving only a few
specimens of its phraseology. Let him devote
his best powers of attention to it : for there is
not a tree in the garden which yields more
precious fruit. What especially recommends
it, is the fact, that in exploring the Hebra-
isms of the Bible, we go to the very fountain
head of knowledge concerning the meaning
of those important and constantly recurring
words by which the New Testament writers
describe the fundamental truths of Christiani-
ty ; such as faith^ propitiation, redemption,
atonement, church, baptism, regeneration,

PROPHECY. 115

justification and righteousness. Let a young
man tolerably versed in the languages, sit
down as ignorant as a babe of the gospel,
and study these words carefully as he finds
them in his Hebrew and Greek Old Testa-
ment, with no other human aid but a good
dictionary and concordance ; we promise
him with unbounded confidence, that he will
obtain an infinitely clearer notion of them in
a single week, than by reading five hundred
folios of polemic divinity.

RULE IX.

Much of Scripture being Prophetical^ u)e
should acquaint ourselves with the nature
and laws of that kind of composition. This
is far from easy. No departnaent of theology
has occasioned so much perplexity to serious
inquirers, and the subject is still beset with
difficulties, which we have httle hope will
soon be removed. God has suffered clouds
and darkness to rest on it for the wisest rea-
sons, some of which are obvious. He would

116 PROPHECY.

not deprive his Church of the privilege which
ehe has enjoyed in every age and place, of
walking by faith. He would not by exhibit-
ing a clear picture of the future, disturb the
freedom of his creatures, and the natural
course of human events : in short, he would
teach, that our religion provides other busi-
ness for us, than to indulge a childish cu-
riosity as to " times and seasons." We would
not therefore encourage the student to specu-
late much on this subject. The predictions
which have been fulfilled, especially those
accomplished in the advent of our Redeemer,
deserve all attention — being the strongest
confirmation of the truth of our holy religion,
and arguments of resistless force against the
Infidel. As to futurity — let the " sapphire
throne," borne by the flaming Cherubim,
take its own mighty course. There is a
*' living Spirit in the wheels," who keeps his
own counsel, and seems, if we may judge
from the past success of Apocalyptic com-
mentators, to treat with very little respect the
numerous attempts to advise him. Scan as
curiously as you will, the car of Providence

PROPHECY. 117

in its magnificent progress through the earth :
but choose wisely your part of observation,
and by all means mount up behind!

The following hints on the general subject
of Prophecy may be of use.

1st. Remember that the dictioji of this
fart of Scripture is intensely poetical. Not
only were its authors poets in the common
sense of the word, but in its richest and no-
blest acceptation. In splendour of imagination
— in the gorgeous colouring which they throw
over every thing they describe — in boldness
of imagery and enthusiastic glow of feeling,
they excel all other authors. How miserably
such noble spirits will be explained by those
who treat their productions as if they were
discourses on History or Civil Government,
we need not say. Quite as little may be ex-
pected from those, who discover in their
writings a dark and tangled forest of hiero-
glyphics ; insist that every image is a defi-
nite symbol of invariable signification ; and
actually turn the noblest creations of genius
into an Egyptian alphabet, of which these
great Champollions have been fortunate

118 PROPHECY.

enough to discover the key that enables them
to decipher the most crabbed page in the
book of destiny !

2d, They ivere while composing their pre-
dictions in a state of ecstasy or high super-
natural excitement, produced immediately
by the inspiring Spirit. The influence they
were under, we have reason to think, was of
a much more engrossing and controlling
character, than that which illuminated the
minds of the Apostles. The latter, while
they thought the thoughts and spoke the
words of God, retained all their mental ac-
tivity and self-command. Their ideas seem
to have risen spontaneously, according to the
laws of association, nor do we discover any
traces of a compulsory necessity, in the elec-
tion of some, and the rejection of others. No
enlightened reader of Paul for instance, can
doubt, that he thought out every thing he
said, as fully as if he had not been under
heavenly influence. His personality mingles
itself with every sentiment he utters. He
sends courteous salutations to private friends,
describes his feelings on hearing favourable

PROPHECY. 119

or painful accounts of them, reminds his
young favourite Timothy of his ill health,
speaks of a certain ^' cloak" which he had
left at Troas, " as also the parchments,'*
hopes to visit some of them, though he is not
certain ; nay, there are strong indications in
one or two cases, of his concluding a letter,
and then returning to it for the purpose of
adding something new.

With the prophets it was different. They
" were carried away," as the Apostle Peter
expresses it, by the inspiring God, and seem
rather to be lictcd on, than voluntary agents.
Hence those various expressions which re-
present "the hand of the Lord as coming
upon them," and their yielding to his influ-
ence as something involuntary on their part,
accompanied with a feeling of horror and
great darkness, ar.' sometimes a falling to
the ground: Gen. xv. 12; Num. xxiv. 4.;
1 Sam. xix. 20. This is, of course, to be
understood comi '.ratively ; for we have al-
ready observed, that even prophecy did not
entirely paralyze reason and self-conscious-
ness. But ihey were certainly wrought upon

120 PROPHECY.

in a much more powerful manner, than the
other holy men who were honoured with a
divine afflatus. Though not mere machines,
nor agitated with a blind fury like the ancient
Pythia of Delphos, the}?- were yet not entirely
themselves. The powers of perception and
volition were for a time partially suspended,
and their minds became so many placid mir-
rors, from which were reflected the pure
rays of heavenly truth.

3d. In this state, they saio objects as pre-
sent to them. The various incidents and
transactions which were revealed, imprinted
themselves vividly on their imaginations and
with all the force of living truth, so that they
possessed an ideal reality, similar to that
which objects have in dreams. Hence the fre-
quency with which they are called " Seers,"
and their revelations " visions." Thus Ba-
laam, who was doubtless a true prophet, de-
scribes himself, as " the man whose eyes are
opened, who heard the words of God, who
saw the vision of the Almighty, having fallen
upon the ground." Similar were the revela-
tions of Isaiah : ** In the year that king Uz-

PROPHECY. 121

ziah died," he says, " / saio — the Lord sitting
upon a throne, high and Hfted up, and his
train filled the temple."' On another occa-
sion, he sees — a hero marching forward in
splendid apparel, stained with the blood of
conquered enemies, and exclaims in admira-
tion, as if personally addressing him : " Who
is this that cometh from Edom with died gar-
ments from Bozrah, that is glorious in his
apparel, travelling in the greatness of his
strength ?" Ezekiel, when the hand of the
Lord was on him, '* saw and passed through
a valley of dry bones," which, after being
addressed by the prophet at the divine com-
mandment, " came together, bone to bone,
and the breath came into them, and they
stood up an exceeding great army." Habak-
kuk stands upon his watch-tower, to see —
what God will say and exhibit to him. These
were not rare and isolated cases. They
were of a more striking character than many,
but they illustrate the general mode in which
the prophetic mind was affected. Li short,
we may consider the future events predicted,
as a large and magnificent 'panorama^ en-
11

122 PROPHECY.

compassing the sacred visionary on every
side, and becoming for a time his whole world
of being, in which he breathes, and moves,
as if in his proper home.

He did not, however, see them in their
strict relations to each other, nor in their
chronological connection. God did not think
fit to exhibit a clear and perfect map, for wise
reasons. Each saw pieces, inemhra disjecta
of the mighty whole : but in no one place, do
we find a prophet giving a symmetrical view
of the entire compass of a subject. Some-
times, we find a rich delineation of the person
of Christ ; at others, a description of his king-
dom and the glories of his reign. Here, note
is taken of him, as meek, gentle, compas-
sionate, who *' will not break the bruised
reed, nor quench the smoking flax." There,
he is seen striking through kings in the day
of his wrath, filling the places with dead
bodies, and wounding the head over many
countries. Some prophets, say not a word
of his humiliation and cruel sufferings — Mal-
achi for example. Only two, advert to his
remarkable forerunner. Sometimes the vision

PROPHECY. 123

is sad and melancholy, exhibiting the rejec
tion of the Jews on account of their unbelief,
and their utter dissolution as a people. At
others, all is joy and sunshine. The city is
rebuilt, the sanctuary is restored, all kings
of the earth bring their treasures to it, and
the ransomed of the Lord return with songs
and everlasting joy upon their heads. This
fragmentary character of prophecy, is a very
striking and important one. The want of
duly considering it, is the principal cause of
those complaints we often hear, especially
from infidels, concerning the darkness of this
part of revelation. Were such to sit down,
and carefully unite the scattered pieces into
a whole, they would be astonished to find
how clearly, as well as fully and consistently,
the Christian Saviour is delineated.

Equally deserving notice, is the fact, that
they seldom 'perceive objects as related to
each other in time. The reason has been
already stated. They were in the midst of
what they saw, like a man in a dream. The
events of the far distant future were so many
present realities, on which they gazed with

124 PROPHECY.

terror or delight ; unsuspicious, probably,
that ages would elapse before the fulfilment.
Thus Isaiah, chap. ix. 5, speaks of Messiah
as if already born, and entc ving into his king-
dom. " Unto us a child is born, unto us a
Son is given, and his n'^^me is called Won-
derful, Counsellor, the Mighty God." In
chap, xlii.l, He directly points to him : " Be-
hold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect
in whom my soul delightelh." Instances
of this are numberless. It is not surprising,
therefore, that events most widely separated
from each other, should be blended in pro-
phetic description, and treated as continuous.
They saw them in clusters — not in chrono-
logical succession.

Thus in the 10th chapter of Isaiah, we
have a thrilling account of the destruction of
the Assyrians, which took place at least six
centuries before the coming of Christ. Yet
the prophet joins it immediately with that
event, by the ordinary copulative : " And
there shall come forth a rod out of the stem
of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his
roots." The conjunction of this great event

PROPHECY. 125

with the return from Babylon, is so frequent,
as to strike the most careless reader. Our
Redeemer's prophecies display the same
character. Tn the remarkable prediction con-
tained in the 24th of Matthew, two great
objects hovered before his mind : the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, to take place in less than
forty years ; and his final coming in glory.
Yet he passes from the former to the latter
at once, and even intimates the succession
by a word, {evhaq,) which seems to exclude
all interval or delay : ver. 29 ; '* Immediately
after the tribulation of those days (the de-
struction of Jerusalem) shall the sign of the
Son of man appear, and all the tribes of the
earth shall wail, and they shall see the Son
of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory, and he shall send
his angels," &c. If any wonder that he
should have conjoined two events so distinct
from each other, by the strong adverb ivha<; ;
let him consider, that when our Redeemer
assumed the prophet's mantle, he voluntarily
placed himself under the prophet's laws. He
11*

126 PROPHECY.

saw objects, precisely as Isaiah would have
done, and spoke as he saw.

This characteristic of the prophetic writ-
ings is inscribed on almost every page. All
the Messianic passages exhibit it in a greater
or less degree ; many of them, for instance,
placing the final consummation of all things
in immediate juxtaposition with the first
preaching of the Gospel. The field of sa-
cred vision may, in this respect, be compared
to a clear midnight sky. We see the stars
above our head — star diff'ering from star in
magnitude and brightness, but their relative
distance from us, or from each other, we are
unable even to conjecture.

The subject may be illustrated by a fact
in mental philosophy. It is now well under-
stood, that sight gives no primary informa-
tion concerning distance, in any case what-
ever. We obtain it from touch. Having
acquired by the constant handling of objects,
notions of their comparative nearness or re-
moteness, we associate with them the vari-
ous impressions received by the eye, and
learn to infer their distance in the use of this

PROPHECY. 127

organ alone. Its informations, however, en-
tirely depend on the previous handling.
Without experience, sight would be perfectly
helpless — as is proved by the fact, that per-
sons born blind who have suddenly obtained
their sight, cannot for some time even walk
the streets. Every thing appears to them
fixed in a plane, till repeated trials have
taught them to correct the illusion. Sup-
posing, therefore, a state of things, in which
by reason of the great remoteness or inac-
cessibleness of objects, experiment is impos-
sible : it is clear that sight would be forever
at fault, and unable to form the least notion
of the relations in space, which they bear to
each other. Such was actually the state of
the prophet. He had no measure by which
to judge of the real size or proportion of the
events he foresaw. He was ushered into a
new world, nothing belonging to which he
had ever touched — where all was etherial —
boundless — *' dark by excessive bright." No-
thing in his own experience, or that of his
nation, or of mankind at large, offered the
slightest clue to guide him through the won-

128 PROPHECY.

drous scene ; as Isaiah distinctly commemo
rates, " From the beginning of the world
men have not heard, nor perceived by the
ear ; neither hath the eye seen, 0 God, be-
side thee, what he hath prepared for him
that waiteth on him." No wonder that he
was utterly lost in the contemplation, and
stood amazed — like the man blind from his
birth, when his darkened eyeballs first open
on the glories of the visible universe !

4th. As the scenes and events described
were present to him, so their dress and
colouring were harrowed from objects with
which, as a Jew, he was familiar. The
whole representation having the nature of a
picture addressed to the eye, it was neces-
sary that a certain system of imagery be
adopted, in which the great moral truths
should lie enshrined, as in a beautiful casket.
This imagery must be familiar to him, and
the people ; otherwise it would be unintelli-
gible. Hence we find, that the kingdom of
Christ is always exhibited by ideas taken
from the national theocracy. Messiah is not
only " Son of David," but " David" himself.

PROPHECY. 129

Mount Zion and Jerusalem, the religious and
civil metropolis of the nation, signify the
Church redeemed by the blood of the only
true sacrifice for sin, and serving God in
spirit and in truth. The aggrandizement and
enlargement of Jerusalem, are the enlarge-
ment and increase of that church. Her ene-
mies are called by the names of the ancient
enemies of Judah — Egypt, Ammon, Moab,
Edom, and Babylon. The restoration of the
Jews in latter days to the blessings of God's
covenant, is symbolized by their rebuilding
a temple on Mount Moriah : and the union
of all nations in the love and worship of God,
is shadowed forth by a universal participa-
tion in the feast of tabernacles. The ex-
tinction of sectarian feuds, and the delightful
harmony prevailing among the lovers of the
Lord Jesus Christ, especially the redeemed
children of Abraham, is beautifully repre-
sented by the healing of the ancient separa-
tion between Israel and Judah.

There is nothing strange in this. It is
perfectly natural to invest our conceptions
with the hue appropriate to our physical and

130 PROPHECY.

moral condition, and the objects with which
we are daily conversant. Where could the
prophet have gone, if precluded from this
source of colouring ? Besides, there was a
most serious truth at the bottom. Our bless-
ed Saviour tells us, that he came not to de-
stroy the law, but to fulfil — in other words,
that his religion is but the purification and
expansion of the faith of God's ancient people.
How entirely becoming then was it, that the
spirit of prophecy should paint its future
glory, in those forms of thought to which the
people were accustomed, and which were so
dear to the national heart.

These remarks have perhaps been unduly
protracted. But the subject is important,
and we think — not always understood. Be-
sides, our statement of general principles, re-
lieves from the necessity of entering into a
minute detail of rules. Two only shall be
specified.

1st. Be not anxious to find chronological
connection and order in the prophecies . They
are all fragmentary, and exhibit their subject
in detached pieces. We have also seen, that

PROPHECY. 131

events the most widely separated in time, are
grouped together, as if contemporary, or im-
mediately following each other. Due regard
to this, will enable us to dispense with many
violent expedients which have been resorted
to by the learned ; especially with the irra-
tional assumption of a " double sense" in
prophecy. That which gave it favour with
commentators, was the fact above stated, that
events far separated in time, were closely
connected in description — to explain which,
they found it convenient to suppose tw^o dis-
tinct fulfilments. The first, they imagined to
take place in some event which occurred
among the Jewish people, during the exist-
ence of their economy. The second and
more perfect, was realized in the advent of
the Saviour. To give the scheme greater
respectability, it was married to Typology,
who adopted the children as her own, calling
the temporal fulfilment — the type, and the
other the antitype. A good example occurs
in the 10th and 11th chapters of Isaiah al-
ready quoted. The 10th, announces the de-
struction of the Assyrian empire. In the

132 PROPHECY.

1 1th, the prophet advances at once to the glo-
ries of the Messiah's reign — when " the wolf
shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard
with the kid, and nothing shall hurt nor de-
stroy, in all God's holy mountain." Yet not
a few contend, that this magnificent prophecy
had a primary fulfilment in Hezekiah ; though
they grant a far more complete accomplish-
ment in our Redeemer, of whom we need
not add that they suppose Hezekiah to have
been a type !

The view is arbitrary beyond measure, and
opposed to facts. We maintain without fear,
that wherever Christ is definitely spoken of
at all, he is spoken of alone, and where the
blessedness of his rule is delineated, no other
blessedness is delineated. Even in the Mes-
sianic Psalms, he is the entire subject. Da-
vid may have gathered materials of his de-
scriptions from incidents in his own Hfe and
experience, but in no sense does he speak of
himself. His exalted " Lord" is the all in
all which occupies his mind. When you
meet therefore a passage, connecting at once
the coming of a glorious epoch with the re-

PROPHECY. 133

building of the temple after the Babylonish
captivity, disnaiss all anxiety to find it partial-
ly or typically fulfilled in Zerubbabel, or Al-
exander the great, or the Maccabees ; but in-
stantly transport yourselves into Messianic
times, or, if necessary, to the consummation
of all things. The notion that prophecy has
two senses, a primary and secondary, throws
a dark cloud of suspicion over both — almost
conceding to the infidel, that it is a kind of
writing which cannot be understood by the
ordinary laws of exegesis. If this were so,
Peter, when he spoke of a " sure word of
prophecy," was very unfortunate in his choice
of an epithet.

2. Do not interpret Prophecy too literally.
Its splendid imagery, and glowing pictures
must not be tortured into statements, such
as a witness makes in a court of justice, or
a historian, in describing the campaigns of
Wellington or Bonaparte. They are figures
and must be treated as figures. Here, our
Millenarian Brethren err exceedingly. Their
whole hypothesis of the Jews becoming pre-
eminent as a nation over all the people of the
12

134 PROPHECY.

earth, the actual subjugation of the latter un-
der their political sway, the rebuilding of the
temple, the resurrection of the martyrs, and
the personal residence of Christ as a tempo-
ral monarch in Jerusalem, rests on no other
basis than the assumption, that tropes when
found in the Bible tell the literal truth. It is
the very error committed by the carnal Jews
themselves, and which led to their rejection
of the Just One. Inflated with the most
fantastic hopes and anticipations nurtured
by their mistaken interpretation of Prophetic
symbols, they crucified their prince, not be-
cause he failed in proving his celestial mis-
sion, but because he had nothing to offer them,
except a "kingdom, that was righteousness,
peace and joy in the Holy Ghost."

To the instances already cited, proving
that the imagery taken from the Theocrac}^
was symbolical of great moral and spiritual
truths, we add the following, merely as spe-
cimens. The student must pursue the inves-
tigation for himself. In the latter part of the
11th chapter of Isaiah, we have a magnifi-
cient account of the martial gathering of the
Jews under the standard of the Messiah, and

PROPHECY. 135

their brilliant conquests over enemies. The
question is, whether we must understand it
literally ? Try the principle upon the 14th
verse : '' But they shall fly upon the shoulders
(the figure is taken from the pouncing of a
ravenous bird) of the Philistines toward the
v^est; they shall lay their hand upon Edom
and Moab, and the children of Ammon shall
obey them." These vi^ere the ancient ene-
mies of the theocracy, and are according to
our view, selected by the Poet with great
taste and appropriateness, as representatives
of every thing opposed to the peace and hap-
piness of the covenanted people, when they
should have submitted themselves to Christ.
If wrong in this, w^e see no alternative but
to expect along with a resurrection of the
martyrs, that of all the savage clans who in
fested Israel during her national existence.
Try it on the 15th verse : " The Lord shall
utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian
sea, and shake his hand over the river, and
smite it in the seven streams, and make men
go over dry shod." There is here, a beauti-
ful allusion to the Exodus of Israel from

136 PROPHECY.

Egypt through the Red Sea. On that occa-
sion, God brought his people safely through
the raging waters, but now — he promises that
he will utterly destroy the sea itself. Can
this mean any thing more, than that when his
ancient people are to be gathered into the
Christian fold he will remove every obstruc-
tion ; no obstacle shall be so great that he
will not put it out of the w^ay by his almighty
power.

In Hosea ii. 14, God promises that he will
bring his church " into the wilderness, and
speak comfortably to her as in the day when
she came out of the land of Egypt, and give her
vineyards and the valley of Achor for a door
of hope." No one surely dreams, that the
Jews are again to travel through Arabia
Petraea, under the guidance of the fire and
cloud. The words are plainly allusive, and
express the general idea — that God will deliver
his people from their spiritual bondage, and
give them every proof of his cordial and ten-
der love.

What shall be done with such a passage
as that in Malachi, which distinctly states

PROPHECY. 137

that the old Propliet Elijah is to come from
heaven, and announce the advent of the Mes-
siah ? *' Behold I send Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord." Nothing is more express ;
and the literalists would most certainly add
to the accompaniments of the personal ad-
vent, a mission of this prophet, (as some have
done,) if Christ had not determined him in
Mat. xi. 14, to be John the Baptist. We are
so happy in this case, as to have not only a
New Testament interpretation of the phrase
as applied to John, but a New Testament
statement of the reason for it, which we take
leave to employ as our key, in opening other
dark chambers in ancient Prophesy. Luke
i. 17, *' He shall go in the spirit and power
of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to
the children, and the disobedient to the wis-
dom of the just."

The 33d chapter of Jeremiah exhibits the
principle for which we contend, in so clear
and decisive a manner, that it is quite suffi-
cient of itself to settle the question. God is
promising to his people, the advent of their
12*

138 PROPHECY.

great spiritual redeemer, and the happy con-
sequences of his reign are graphically describ-
ed in v. 15 : "In those days will I cause the
Branch to grow up unto David. In those
days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem
shall dwell safely ; and this is the name where-
with she shall be called, The Lord our right-
eousness." That the Prophet is expatiating
on the blessedness of the new economy in
these words, is beyond a doubt. But what
thought immediately follows ? Surely, un-
less I apply my key, a very singular one :
V. 18, "Neither (in these times) shall the
Priests and Levites want a man before me
to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat
offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.^'' Is
it possible to consider this as any thing more
than symbol, borrowed from the Levitical
service of the old economy ^ Will Aaron
return from his grave. Christian altars rise
to steam with the blood of rams, lambs, and
he-goats ; and the purified churches of the
Redeemer return to those weak and beggarly
elements from which she has been delivered ?
The fantastic notion got up to evade the
force of many passages resembling this, that

PROPHECY. 139

the Jews will return to their own land uncon-
vertedf and offer sacrifices, is of no service
here. The Levitical bondage is expressly-
declared to be enduring, and its continuance
is represented as one of the most glorious
incidents of King Messiah's reign.

It is needless to dwell on a point so evi-
dent. The scheme of these ingenious gen-
tlemen cannot stand. It introduces a world-
ly element in our holy religion, at utter vari
ance wdth its genius and spirit. By its daz-
zling promises of " all the kingdoms of the
earth and their glory," it strengthens the
earthly principle within us, and greatly lowers
the tone of Christian sentiment. It dis-
honours the glorified person of our Redeem-
er, by degrading him from the seventh hea-
vens to our miserable earth, from the right
hand of the Eternal Father, to a marble hovel
in Jerusalem : and all this it does, not only
without necessity, but in violation as we think
of the plainest rules of sound inrerpretation.

With regard to the Apocalypse of John,
we have made no special reference to it, as
its highly figurative and allegorical character
strikes every reader at once. Indeed it is

140 PROPHECY.

surprising, that persons should be found ca-
pable even in their dreams, of putting literal
constructions on any part of a book so decid-
edly and professedly enigmatical, with the
exception of the first three chapters. Yet
this is done to a certain extent by the exposi-
tors above mentioned, though they are far
from carrying out the principle v^ith due con-
sistency. They grant all we are disposed to
ask concerning the general structure of the
poem ; for poem, beyond all doubt it is. They
allow, that its angels with their trumpets,
sickles and vials — its thrones, four living crea-
tures, and elders clothed in white — its "lo-
custs," like horses prepared unto the battle —
" its red dragon with seven heads and ten
horns" — its woman " clothed with the sun'*
and that other female who " sits on many
waters and is drunk with the blood of Saints,"
are parts of a splendid gallery of emblematic
pictures, designed to represent certain great
moral truths connected with the state and pro-
gress of the church in different ages. But
when they come to the Martyr'' s corner, they
suddenly wax literal — insisting that the "souls
of them that were beheaded for the witness

PROPHECY. 141

of Jesus," are the identical men and women
who died at former periods, and are now to
rise from their graves and reign with Christ
in person, a thousand calendar years ! This
theory, they maintain in the face of two plain
and undeniable facts ; first, that the resurrec-
tion of the martyrs, stands in the very centre
of the boldest symbolical imagery which the
book contains; and secondly, that '' resurrec-
tion'^ is a favourite figure employed by the
Prophets, to denote any great moral renova-
tion in general, and is used in cases where
physical resuscitation is entirely out of the
question. Isa. xxvi. 19, Ezek. xxxvii. 13,
Hos. vi. 2. Sober criticism would draw a
conclusion directly opposite to that of these
gentlemen — would infer that the phrase in
question cannot possibly receive any other
than a figurative sense, on the very rational
and obvious principle, that a symbohcal docu-
ment must be symbohcally interpreted.

While, however, we differ from the lite-
ralists ; let us avoid the other extreme, that
of turning Prophesy entirely into figure.
Doubtless many things will take place, sub-
stantially as described. Such we think is

142 PROPHECY.

the promised return of the Jews to their own
land. We build the opinion, not so much
on expressions used in the Prophets, which
might all he symbolical of their union to the
spiritual theocracy, as on the covenant stipu-
lations given to the people in the land of
Moab, and recorded in the 30th and 31st
chapters of Deuteronomy. This legislative
edict, which I have no right to treat as a pre-
dictive poem, states most emphatically, and
with great variety of phrase, that if after be-
ing rooted out of their country they should
repent, the " Lord their God would bring
them back into the land, which their fathers
possessed, and they should possess it." Still
more confidently do we believe in their con-
version to Christ, their holy brotherhood with
the Gentiles, and the universal reign of peace
on the earth. How far the literal fulfilment
will be carried, v/e are ignorant. God did
not give us prophecy, that we might know all
things ; but might have encouragements to
faith, and incentives to holy exertion. The
expositor who has not learnt to be ignorant —
and to let his ignorance sit gracefully on him,
has yet to learn the elements of his art.

ADDRESS
TO STUDENTS OF THEOLOGY.

Young Gentlemen,

We have been exhibiting in brief
compass, the rules and maxims by which you
are to be guided in the study of Holy Scrip-
ture. Before parting company, we desire to
say a few words on the deep responsibility
which you are under in relation to this mat-
ter. Mere rules, however clearly laid down
and faithfully WTitten on the tablets of memo-
ry, will be of little avail, unless accompanied
with earnest, vigorous, and untiring labour
in reducing them to practice. Allow us then
to speak on this point, with frankness and
Christian affection. As candidates for the
sacred office, you have a duty to perform to
the word of God, wdiich requires the devotion
of your best faculties, the consecration of all
your time, and a fixedness of purpose which
nothing can relax. If you doubt it, look at
the nature of that office !

Perhaps Christianity is in nothing more

144 ADDRESS, ETC.

Strikingly distinguished from other rehgions,
than in tlie function and duties assigned to
its ministers. The priests of heathenism
never dared to come out among the people,
as simple promulgers of truth. Indeed they
could not well give what was not in their
possession, and this they knew. Not a phi-
losopher of the porch or academy, laughed
more heartily than themselves, at the ridicu-
lous impostures they were daily practising
on their votaries ! What their system want-
ed in solidity, however, they made up in
form, and if it could not speak to the under-
standing, it should at least dazzle the senses,
and captivate the imagination. Hence those
magnificent structures whose broken frag-
ments are siill the worlds admiration, in
whose sacred shrines were encased the
wonderful achievements of statuary — the all
but breathing Gods of stone, which modern
virtuosos still worship with little short of
heathen idolatry. Hence the expensive sa-
crificial rites by which these marble gods
were propitiated, tlie pompous festivals and
processions, the magnificent exhibitions of

ADDRESS, ETC. 145

poetry, dance and song, which in their origin
were purely rehgious, and never entirely lost
the character of worship rendered to the
Deity. Hence the famous mysteries, in the
celebration of which every thing was com-
bined to awe — to fascinate — to bind in the
chains of an abject superstition, the man who
yielded himself to their bewitchments.

Eut far different is the spell which our
holy religion of light and love, casts on the
human faculties ! Prejudice itself cannot
deny, that whether its principles be true or
false, they belong to a system magnificently
intellectual. Far, indeed, are we from sup-
posing, that its exclusive aim is to ratify spe-
culative error. Its astonishing power over
the heart, is a fact conceded by all. But we
mean to say, that this control, it exercises
through the previous mastery it has obtained
over the understanding — the conscience — the
unsophisticated sense of right and wrong. It
calls to deep thoughts — grave discourse, soul
stirring contemplations. The themes which
it brings before the mind, are so magnificent
and enchained with infinity itself, that the
13

146 ADDRESS, ETC.

sublimest intellect is lost, before it has enter-
ed on their investigation, and yet so conge-
nial to reason, that what we do comprehend,
appear almost self-evident propositions.

It tells concerning a pure Almight}^ Spirit,
who by a simple act of will, called into being
the heavens and the earth. It imparts the
most interesting details concerning his provi-
dential government, informs us of our primi-
tive condition, and gives the most simple and
beautiful solution of the great problem which
has confounded the acutest minds, " whence
come evils upon men." It tells us when,
and where, the first notice was given of that
plan of mercy, into which angels are looking
with crrowinsj w^onder and delio^ht. It relates
with accuracy the preparatory measures for
its execution, unfoldiag his mysterious deal-
ings for more than a thousand years with that
singular people, whom he had selected to be
the depository of prophecy and promise, till
the advent of him, in whom all families of
the earth should be blessed. Thus far, we
are only in the holy place of the temple — and
now the veil is rent in twain, which conceal-

ADDRESS, ETC. 147

ed the glories of the inner house, allowing
us to behold the true ark and the living 'per-
sonal Shechinah, "God manifested in the
flesh ;" who, after he had purged our sins,
ascended on high, and sat down at the right
hand of the heavenly majesty !

In exact cosrespondence with so thoughtful
and suggestive a religion, is the work of its
official minister. He is not a master of cere-
monies, presiding over a splendid ritual,
which fills the eye, but leaves an aching void
in the heart. He is by divine institution— a
teacher ; and in the simple, naked grandeur
of this character, he stands before the people.
A volume has been put into his hands of rich
and various contents, nay, absolutely teem-
ing with matter ; and at the peril of his soul,
he must s*pread it out in its whole length and
breadth before his hearers. The principle
on which he must act, is this simple and ob-
vious one, that there is nothing in his com-
mission which he may deliberately overlook.
He is not at liberty here. Some parts of
duty may perhaps be omitted without sub-
jecting him to the brand of gross unfaithful

148 ADDRESS, ETC.

ness. Bat if he neglects to expound the sa-
cred volume, if he shows no anxiety to form
among his people, habits of carefully reading
and inwardly digesting it, he may well trem-
ble at the thought of rendering an account.

Labour then — labour, is heaven's first law
of preparation for the gospel ministry. We
have seen, that the Bible, though a popular,
and in many respects an easy book, presents
serious difficulties to him who would become
master of its treasures. Both its great divi-
sions are written in languages, which have
long ceased to be vernacular. The people
who spoke them were distinguished by re-
markable peculiarities of opinion, habits,
laws, which influenced greatly their modes
of expression. Besides therefore, possessing
a knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, one must
be well acquainted with Jewish and classical
antiquities, including chronology, geography,
civil and religious history. Yet, even this
is but preliminary. Now comes the actual
tug : the reading of verse after verse with
the accurate settling of every philological
question that arises, by aid of the dictionary

ADDRESS, ETC. 149

and grammar ; ihe examining of scope, con-
text, parallelism, idiom and tropical diction ;
the comparing our own results with those of
some judicious commentator ; and the careful
gathering up of the great truths whether doc-
trinal or practical, contained in every para-
graph. These — are the gymnastics, by which
the young Christian athlete learns to endure
hardness, and becomes a skilful and gallant
soldier in the service of his master ! Do you
complain of the arrangement ? Then ask the
Lord Jesus Christ, why he ordained it ; why
it was not enough to tread the " dolorous
way " in his own person, without imposing
vigils and self-denials on his followers ? Tell
him plainly, that while you like his wages,
you dislike the labour ; and wish to share his
kingdom without companionship in his pa-
tience and tribulation. Does your cheek man-
tle with shame at the suircrestion? Then be
silent young man — and to your work ! ! It
is quite honour enough for the disciple to be
as his master, and the servant as his Lord.

But some one asks, in a tone half-apologeti-
cal, whether, after all, much of the trouble
13*

150 ADDRESS, ETC.

we have spoken of may not be spared ? Are
we not blessed with " king James' admirable
translation of the Bible," and with most judi-
cious commentators, in whom are reposited
as much criticism and literary information,
as are necessary to a right understanding it ?
Why, as the fountain is so difficult of ac-
cess, not content ourselves w4th these delec-
table pipes at our very door? We confess,
that language like this, when heard, (as it
sometimes is) ruffles our good humour. God,
in his infinite kindness to men, has preserved
for them an ample revelation of his will, by
a series of dispensations falling little short of
miracle. He has set apart an order of men
to be its official expounders, and the church
is generously sustaining the institution by its
munificent provision for the gratuitous edu-
cation of candidates in all stages of their pro-
gress, and when they have entered on their
work, by relieving them from every worldly
care and avocation, that they may give them-
selves wholly to it, and their profiting may
appear to all men. Yet the question is seri-
ously asked, whether a practical acquaint-

ADDRESS, ETC. 151

ance with these lively oracles in their proper
dialects, should be anxiously cultivated by the
Christian minister !!

We blush to think in hovir many respects
the children of the v^^orld are w^iser than the
children of light. The merchant's clerk, if
his interest point that way, will sit down and
master French, Spanish and German, with
out heaving a sigh. The gentleman who in-
tends to travel a few years in the east,
grudges no pains to make himself acquainted
with Turkish, Arabic or Lingua Franca.
Even the girl scarcely in her teens, wearied
of thrumming on her guitar to the harsh strains
of her native English, determines, and car-
ries the purpose through in a way that might
astonish many a grave student of the other
sex, to achieve a conquest over the sweetly
flowing Italian. But the professed interpre-
ter of God's holy word, the legate of the
skies, is so astounded at the thought of learn-
ing eifectively a pair of languages — than
either of which, a finer never vibrated on the
human ear, that he prefers to live and die,

152 ADDRESS, ETC.

just able to spell the letters of his commis-

sion

With regard to our English translation,
much as we admire that noble monument of
" English pure and undefiled," which will
last probably as long as the world, we say to
those who quote it in the present argument,
that it is an exceedingly imperfect represen-
tation of the original. The venerable men
who formed it, were not profoundly versed
in either Greek or Hebrew, though their at-
tainments were eminent for the day in which
they lived ; and accordingly there are not a
few instances in every page, where the sense
is not injured merely, but entirely lost.
Even where the signification of words is giv-
en properly, the transitive and connecting
particles which show the relation of the dif-
ferent members of a thought, have secondary
meanings so entirely different from those of
the corrseponding particles in English, that a
literal version is often nothing better than a
mere travesty of the original. Take St.
Paul for an example. It is quite impossible
for a mere English reader to peruse his argu-

ADDRESS, ETC. 153

mentative epistles, without feeling tempted to
suspect, that there may be a grain of truth in
the profane remark of Dr. Priestly, that his
premises are not always sound, nor his con-
clusions logical. His reverence for inspira-
tion will not allow him to say so in express
words. But if asked the question, he will
acknowledge his great surprise, at the little
profit which he receives from the decidedly
most intellectual writer of theChristianschooL
Now where in this doubt and darkness shall
the interpreter go? To expositors? But expo-
sitors often differ ; and who shall decide when
doctors disagree ? The value of this class of
authors to the unlearned reader, and to the
learned also, if properly used, we are far from
denying. But not one is to be absolutely
trusted. To none, does the remark of Mr^
Locke that " every man has a secret flaw in
his cranium, producing some extravagancy
in opinion or action, which in that particular,
renders him fitter for Bedlam than ordinary
conversation," apply with more force than to
commentators. The best, has not only faults,
but frequently under the influence of secta-

154 ADDRESS, ETC.

rian bias or mental idiosyncracy, falls into
perfect absurdity. He oiily therefore uses
them with safety, who can compare them to-
gether, and exercise an eclectic judgment of
his own. Pitiable, most pitiable, is the con-
dition of that professed teacher of Clmstiani-
ty, the only source of illumination to whose
darkened mind, are the contradictory opinions
of men — who has not the shadow of a reason
for his preference of one above another, ex-
cept that it is more agreeable to the Shibbo-
leth of his sect !

Can a creature thus lame, blind, and
shackled, the passive recipient of whatever
the adopted lord of his understanding and
conscience may choose to impose upon him,
be called an authoritative (we grant the " au-
thorized ") expounder of divine truth ? Im-
possible ! and no one is more fully convinced
of it, than the man himself- He may not run
to the house top, and proclaim it ; for this
would greatly lower his estimation with the
people, and probably somelhing else. He
may even join in the senseless clamor against
a learned ministry. But he feels ncvcrthe-

ADDRESS, ETC. 155

less, that he labours under a dreadful incom-
petency, that he is a blind leader of the blind,
right only bv chance, and without even en-
joying the.happiness of knowing it, that the no-
blest part of him, his understanding, is prostrate
before a miserable creature as blind perhaps
as himself, whom he often suspects, but al-
loays foUoivs — with the servility of a dog,
not darinc^ to move a hand-breadth from his
track. In a word, he cannot help despising
himself, and takes refuge probably from the
shame of his own thoughts, in the entire neg-
lect of Scriptural inquiries — limiting his am-
bition to ringing peals from Sabbath to Sab-
bath, on a few topics of general exhortation !
These remarks may be thought more ap-
plicable to those already in the sacred office^
than persons who are in a course of prepara-
tion. But it is not so. Though the evil is
developed in the ministry, its birth-place and
cradle are our seminaries of learning. HerCy
those habits are formed both for good and
evil, which mould the character beyond the
reach ot change, except by the sovereign grace
of God. We fear that they are often formed

156 ADDRESS, ETC.

badly; and that many of our young candi-
dates for the ministry need the application
of a little stimulus to their reason and con-
science.

The general sincerity of their purpose to
serve God faithfully in the gospel of his Son,
we do not intend here to question. But that
they are far from being awake to the neces-
sity of vigorous and untiring effort, in mak-
ing biblical preparation for their work, is too
evident. They entered the Theological sem-
inary perhaps, full of life and ardor. But,
alas ! in one short month, a chilling frost
came over them, nipping the tender buds of
promise, and infusing a deadly torpor through
all their facuUies. They became fatigued —
alarmed — and are evidently disappointed
men. They seem to have expected, that af
ter passing through the straight gate of con-
version, they should be put on a road strew-
ed with flowers, bordered with groves of cit-
ron— and couches of ease at every turn, in-
viting the traveller to sweet repose. 'Tis hard
they think — passing hard, that gentlemen of
:!ialent and piety, so devoted to the great work

ADDRESS, ETC. 157

of converting sinners, that if the church per-
mitted it, they would gladly mount the pulpit
at once, should be treated almost as harshly
as a galley slave at the oar ; condemned to
disinter a thousand Hebrew roots, analyse a
legion of Hellenistic idioms, pore over Latin,
Greek, Oriental Antiquities ; and be told that
when all this is accomplished, preparation
for their work may be considered fairly be-
gun!

The effect of such reflections is apparent.
They have become listless, inert, melancholy.
Study does not agree with their constitution ;
producing dyspepsia, palpitations of the heart,
" incipient bronchitis," and a determination
of blood to the head. A hundred times in
the day they exclaim, what a weariness is it !
and gladly seek relief in dull vacuity of
thought, idle miscellaneous reading, or talk-
ing pretty nothings in a lady's parlour. Per-
haps, to make time pass less heatily, they
offer their preaching services to a neighbour-
ing prayer meeting, where the plaudits re-
ceived, give precious omen of more extensive
triumphs, and prove, that genius like theirs,
14

158 ADDRESS, ETC.

may safely despise the uncouth adornments
of Greek and Hebrew. Many of them deem
the irksome season of probation, an admira-
ble time for securing that best of earthly
blessings — a good wife; and thus, a business
in which the wisest man is apt to play the
fool, they contrive to despatch, at the period
when every faculty, every affection of their
being, should be engrossed by the one great
object which has received their consecra-
tion ! This impatience of labour, this mor-
bid desire to engage in an enterprise without
submitting to wholesome preparatory disci-
pline, this voluptuous effeminacy of charac-
ter, 13 a blight and a curse on all our semina-
ries of learning.*

* Yet the evil is attributable far more to our literary in-
stitutions, than to the young men themselves. The truth
is, they have had no opportunity of obtaining suitable pre-
paration, or forming proper habits. We speak at present
of the study of languages. They are sent to schools,
whose reputation has been established by the magical ra-
pidity with which they turn out finished scholars to the
varion.s colleges in their neighbourhood ; and when in col-
lege, they admirably succeed in losing the scanty modicum
which they acquired in :.chool. The writer has heard

ADDRESS, ETC. 159

All are not thus. We attest it with pleasure,
and even fully believe, that could a census be
taken, the class described above, would be
found in a decided minority. There are many
however, who cherish an honest wish and
purpose to do their duty, yet are not a little
daunted by the prospect before them. It
seems to stretch out into immensity ! Is ade-
quate preparation, they ask, feasible ? Are
they capable of attaining by conscientious
exertion, such a real acquaintance with the
languages and literature of Scripture, that on
their entering the ministry and applying to
the work of exposition, the painful thought

ecores of ingenuous youth confess with bitter regret, that
their whole course in Alma Mater was a regular business
of forgetting the little Greek they had previously acquired.
At the same time, we do not think that serious blame
should be attached to the professors and tutors in our col-
leges. No teacher is under obligation to make himself a
drudge and a slave, when the only object accomplished,
will be the driving students elsewhere. Something might
be done to raise the standard of claisscal (especially
Greek) literature, by a united offort of all our institutions.
But we have little hope of this taking place before the
Greek Kalends. Parents must be accommodated.

160 ADDRESS, ETC.

will not obtrude, that they have been labour-
ing to no valuable purpose ? Assuming, that
those who put the question, commence their
theological course, possessing that amount of
learning which ought to be obtained in a lite-
rary college, we answer. Yes ! With the
ordinary blessing of Him, whose you are, and
whom you serve, it depends entirely on your-
selves. We do not affect to conceal the dif-
ficulties which are in the way. The elemen-
tary exercises of learning the grammar and
vocabulary of a strange language, of impress-
ing on the memory the genders, cases, and
other accidents of nouns, of hunting verbs
through all the mazes of conjugation, we ad-
mit were not exactly the form, in which
Satan presented the temptation to aspire af-
ter knowledge in Paradise. But what then ?
Would you expect young men to be placed
above the universal law of heaven, that every
thing truly valuable is purchased by strenu-
ous exertion ?

Far however be the thought, that Prepara-
tion is in all its stages a painful drudgery.
Only let the student sit down, and make a

ADDRESS, ETC. 161

fair trial : he will be astonished to find how-
soon light rises out of darkness, and the im-
pediments which seemed insurmountable dis-
appear, until his path becomes agreeable, and
even delightful. The forms of words, with
their significations, gradually rivet them-
selves in his memory, so that he can recal
them with ease and pleasure. His dictionary
enjoys longer intervals of rest ; the beauties
of thought and expression begin to show
themselves, like modest daisies in spring —
and what a blessed rapture pours its tide
through his soul, when he discovers that he
can draw the water of salvation directly from
the limpid fountain, and with his own hand
pluck the healing leaves from the tree of life !
Then his work goes on pleasantly indeed !
A field of delightful employment stretches
before him— a garden of the Lord, lovelier
than Eden ever was, which he cultivates
without pain, whose fruit he gathers without
fatigue, while the God who placed him
there, walks amid the fohage, and converses
with him face to face.

This is no fancy sketch. Those who have
14*

162 ADDRESS, ETC.

gone through the process, will certify to the
truth of every word, and say that after a cer-
tain stage of progress, the critical reading of
Holy Scripture became one of the most pleas-
ant occupations of their life. Witness the
beautiful recital of the learned and pious
Bishop Home of his state of mind while pre-
paring his commentary on the Psalms. —
" Could the author flatter himself," he says,
" that any one would take half the pleasure
in reading the following exposition, which he
has taken in writing it, he would not fear the
loss of his labour. The employment detach-
ed him from the bustle and hurry of life, the
din of poHtics, and noise of folly. Vanity
and vexation flew away for a season, care and
disquietude came not near his dwelling. He
arose fresh as the morning to his task, the
silence of night invited him to pursue it, and
he can truly say that food and rest were not
preferred before it. Happier hours than those
which have been spent on these meditations
on the songs of Zion, he never expects to see
in this world. Very pleasantly did they pass,
and moved smoothly and swiftly along ; for

ADDRESS, ETC. 163

when thus engaged he counted no time. —
They are gone, but have left a relish and fra-
grance on the mind, and the remembrance of
them is sweet." Will you not feel encour-
aged, young friends and brethren, by this ex-
perience of the venerable bishop, to enter on
your work like men ? Away with despond-
ency and forebodings of defeat. Away with
that ingenuit}^, which, bribed by indolence,
sees monsters and lions in the way. Listen
not to those evil spies, those lazy, worthless
cowards, who would tell you that the good
land which flows with milk and honey, is be-
set with giants, sons of Anak ; that the Ama-
lekites dwell in the south, Hittites, Jebusites,
and Amorites, in the mountains, the Canaan-
ites by the sea ; and that you cannot go
against this people ! Hear them not, but say
in the strength of the Lord, and your own
firm purpose, " Let us go up to possess it, for
we are fully able to overcome them." You
will not be uttering a vain boast. Victory is
certain, and when it comes, you will be more
than recompensed for all your toils.

Pardon us, if we dwell a moment longer

164 ADDRESS, ETC.

on this subject, and remind you what the re-
compense will be. Are you anxious that one
day you may cover with confusion the bold
infidel, who defies the armies of the living
God, and by calm convincing demonstrations,
which shall come home to the honest under-
standings of men, show the groundlessness
of his objections. This you will be able to
do, by displaying the truth, beauty and
moral dignity of that blessed volume against
which his violence is directed — in order to
which, you must have studied it. Without
study, -'ou will scarcely be able to avert the
baneful influence of scepticism from your own
soul, much less build your hearers on their
most holy faith. Do you wish to become
vivid, interesting, various preachers, who
make their hearers feel the commanding en-
ergy of truth, and whom they never tire of
hearing, as every sermon brings forth new
evidences of apostleship? Study your Bible !
There, you will find inexhaustible resources
of pleasing, impressing, profiting. Prepare
yourselves for expounding the word of God
from Sabbath to Sabbath. Prepare your-

ADDRESS, ETC. 165

selves for bringing before the people Moses
and the Prophets, Christ and his Apostles, to
unfold its instructive histories, analyze its
charming parables, disentangle and develope
its sublime reasonings. If such be the char-
acter of your exhibitions, we venture to prom-
ise you immunity against one sore evil under
the sun — that of being waited on by a church
session or consistory, in the second year of
your labours, and affectionately informed that
there is no farther call for your services.

Do you wish to be eminently successful in
winning souls to Christ? Study the Book.
This, is the two-edged sword, that pierces to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart. Machinery has been
invented, which, worked by skilful hands,
can furnish to order, a greater number of nomi-
nal converts, manufactured in a given pe-
riod ; but " the truth" alone makes children
of God, and heirs of immortality !

Have you regard to personal comfort and
enjoyment ? What an inexhaustible source
of amusement — yes, amusement, high and

166 ADDRESS, ETC.

holy as that of angels, will you possess, when
you have acquired the taste, skill, and habit,
of reading in its originals the holy Word, —
To this mount you will be able to retire at
any moment, like the pious Home, from the
cares and turmoils of life, and see more than
the three disciples saw, on the hallowed sum-
mit of Tabor. When afflicted and almost re-
pining at the ways of Heaven, let your old
Hebrew Bible introduce you to the bedside
of vCiierable Job, with whom and his friends,
you may speculate on the mysteries of Provi-
dence, until convicted of your folly, you join
with him in his humble acknowledgment, "I
have uttered what I understood not, things
too wonderful which I knew not !" Are you
suffering under hypochondriac depression ?
you may order the sweet singer of Israel to
strike his lyre. If its music does not expel
the evil spirit, as it did from Saul, your case
is indeed melancholy.

But the study we recommend will be far
more than an occasional solace. The pre-
paration of a series of expository remarks on
an important portion of Scripture, which he

ADDRESS, ETC. 167

knows his people look for on the ensuing
Sabbath, furnishes to a pastor a de-ightful
regular employment, that rouses the faculties,
gives elasticity to every muscle, fillips the
blood, and is more conducive to health than
all the medicine of the dispensatory. We
are not ignorant, that mental application is
considered by many unfavourable to a good
condition of the physical system, and that by
this supposed fact, they explain the meagre
and hectic looks of clergymen. Nothing is
more absurd. Look through the vi^orld, and
you will find no class of men more vigorous
and long-lived than active thinkers. The
truth is, clergymen do not study enough. —
That they sit much, and are more sequestered
from the hum and tumult of society than
members of other professions, is fully granted.
But sitting is not studying, nor are we willing
to bestow this respectable name on the me-
chanical operation of transposing a few stale
thoughts, repeated a thousand times, on cer-
tain common-places of Didactic Theology.
What the ministry need, is an employment
bringing them in contact with a succession of

168 ADDRESS, ETC.

new as well as interesting objects, which will
produce an agreeable tension of the faculties,
never wearying, or followed by reaction, be-
cause sustained by a constant and pleasing
variety. Such, you will find to be the regu-
lar study and exposition of sacred Scripture.
It will do thee good like a medicine, and be
*' marrow to thy bones."

In view of all these motives, we pray you,
as a friend and brother, as one who every day
looks back with regret to his own misim-
provement of youthful privileges, to exert un-
tiring diligence in biblical preparation for
your work. Systems of human concoction
have their use : but they are of secondary
importance. As such, must you view them.
You must get close up to the pure crystal
fountain, that issues from the heavenly throne.
There you must dwell ; thence must you
draw for your own souls, and the souls of
those committed to your charge. " Blessed
is the servant, who, when the Master comes,
shall be found so doing."

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