i ' .V hi /^ ,v\^t\\^^i ,t U lHeo%f,,r . nfn. l^. PRINCETON, N. J. Q>GSih^^ruL, Q\^ Shelf. Di Secdon ...A iViimlhr ..-,. «Sj*Ci^^|^':;#v..,j. ^48.lf SACRED LITERATURE; COMPRISING A REVIEW OF THE PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION LAID DOWN CY THE LATE ROBERT LOWTH, D.D. LORD BISHOP OF LONDON, IN HIS PRJELECTIONS AND ISAIAH: AND AN APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES SO REVIEWED, TO THE ILLUSTRATION OK IN A SERIES OF CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE S^fYLE AND STRUCTURE OF THAT SACRED VOLUME. By the Rev. JOHN'JEBB, A.M. RECTOR OF ABINGTON, IN THE DIOCESE OF CASHEL. I use the Scripture, not as an arsenal, to be resorted to only for arms and weapons to defend this party, or defeat its enemies; but as a matchless temple, where I delight to be, to contemplate the beauty, the symmetry, and the magnificence of the structure, and to increase my awe, and excite my devotion to the Deity there preached and adored. The Honourable Robert Botle, LONDON: PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES, IN THE STRAND ; AND W. BLACKWOOD, EDINBURGH. 1820. THE MOST REVEREND AND RIGHT HONOURABLE CHARLES BRODRICK, D.D. LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CASHEL. My Lord, In permitting me to place where it now stands, a name so justly and so generally revered and beloved. Your Grace has con- ferred upon this work, and upon the author of it, no ordinary benefit. On such an occasion, were my language to keep pace with my feelings, I am conscious, that, instead of imparting pleasure, I should inflict pain. They who most delight them- selves in shewing kindnesses, are the most unwilling to have those kindnesses proclaimed: and when Providence connects one with a A S VI DEDICATION. benefactor of this stamp, he should, in ex- pressions at least, confine himself to " The still small voice of gratitude." There are facts, however, which, as con- nected with the vohime now submitted to your censure, I have not the self-denial wholly to suppress. Your Grace can scarcely have forgotten, and I hope never to forget, the conversations whence originated the first rude sketches of the present work; conversations held within your palace walls, and elicited by your mild graciousness of manner : it has more probably escaped your recollection, that, in the earlier stages of my progress, I was in- debted to your discriminative judgment, for several valuable hints : and it is morally cer- tain, that, were it not for the lettered retire- ment, which, through Your Grace's long-tried and unintermitting friendship, I have enjoyed during the last ten years, this effort, whether successful or unsuccessful, toward elucidating Holy Scripture, could never have been made. To other, and invaluable friends, I am largely indebted, both for counsel and encou- ragement. But the earliest and best of those DEDICATION. ' Vll friends, will be the first to feel, that, on every account, whether of a public, or a private nature, these pages could be inscribed to none so properly, as to the Archbishop of Cashel. So far as respects myself, it is a rare feli* city, that the prelate, to whom I am both officially and morally responsible for the employment of my time, is also the man, to whom, with full assurance of an indulgent and even cordial reception, I can present this offspring of some thought, and much leisure. That Your Grace may be long spared, to diffuse happiness through the circle of your family and friends ; and as long strengthened^ to promote the best interests of the Church and Christianity, is the fervent wish and prayer of. My Lord, Your Grace's most obliged, Most attached. And most dutiful Servant, JOHN JEBB. ' Abington Glebe, April 17. 1820. A 4 CONTENTS. SECTION I. Structure of the New Testament often modelled after poeti- tical parts of the Old. To prove this, the object of the pre- sent work. Collateral advantages expected from this enquiry. Bishop Lowth. His character as a man of letters. He ex- tended the sphere of Hebrew poetry. Universal character- istic of that poetry. Parallelism defined. Not unreasonable to look for it in the New Testament. - Pffge 1 Notes on Section I. Scripture a source of recreation and enjoyment. Doctor John- son. His unhappy education. Books of the prophets for- merly accounted prosaic, Hebrew versification. Absurd and unsuccessful theories of it. Basis of Bishop Lowth's system. Hebrew poetry not metrical. Not always of the sublimer character. Doctrine of parallelism : by whom briefly analysed. ------ g SECTION II. Parallelism described, after Bishop Lowth. His Lordship's doctrine of synonymous, antithetical, and constructive paral- lelism, illustrated by examples. - - - 23 Note on Section II. Proverbs, x. 2. vindicated from the misinterpretation of Glass. 32 SECTION m. Bishop Lowth's name and definition of the first kind of parallel- ism reviewed. The notion of synonyme examined and re- X CONTENTS. jected. The term cognate parallelism proposed as unex- ceptionable. In parallelisms commonly called synonymous, the second clause invariably diversifies the preceding ; commonly so as to rise above it. This fact exemplified from Bishop Lowth's own specimens. These distinctions of moment, in the philology, and moral philosophy, of Scripture. Further illustrations, from the twenty-fourth, and first psalms. Climax in the latter, maintained against Gataker. Isaiah, li. 4, 7. Common reading of the fourth verse defended. Page S^ Notes on Section III. Bishop Lowth. Dr. Gregory. Archbishop Newcome. Abuse of the doctrine of synonymous parallelism by modem Scrip- ture lexicographers. Caution to students in Divinity 49 SECTION IV. Varieties of the parallehsm hitherto unnoticed. Introverted pa- rallelism. Applicable to the interpretation of obscure pas- sages. Value of experimental analysis of Scripture. Epa- nodos ; rationale of it. Illustrated from portions of the cviith psalm. Noticed, but not explored, or accounted for, by some of the critics. ----- 53 Notes on Section IV. Importance of technical distribution. Dr. Kennicott, and Arch- bishop Newcome upon it. Lord Bacon's experimenta luci- fera. Collocation of words. Hebrew poetry superior to classical in this particular. Epanodos, by whom noticed. Exemplified from the classics, - ' - GQ SECTION V. Parallelism variously distributed through the Old Testament. Preserved in the Septuagint. Employed in the Apocrypha. Imitated by the Rabbins. Unity of Scripture, an argument for its existence in the New Testament. Habits and predi- lections of the writers and readers of that volume, an addi- tional argument. Question to be settled by an appeal to facts. Preparative authorities favourable to unprejudiced examination. ----- 75 CONTENTS. XI Notes on Section V. Followers of Bp. Lowth not agreed respecting the precise limits of Hebrew poetry. Book of Ecclesiastes, how far poetical. Specimens of parallelism from the Apocrypha. From rabbi- nical writers. Parallelism a valuable auxiliary of the best moral philosophy. Style of the New Testament. Extracts on that subject. Parallelism already discovered in a few verses of the N. T. and by whom. - - Page 82 SECTION VI. Quotations from poetical parts of tlfe Old Testament. An in- termediate Hnk between the paralleHsms of both Testaments. Parallelism carefully preserved in these quotations. Three- fold division of this topic. 1. Simple quotations. 2. Com- plex quotations. 3. Quotations mingled with original matter. Simple quotations exemplified. Compared with the render- ings in the Septuagint Version. Superiority of the former. 96 SECTION VII. Complex quotations. Several specimens examined. United and blended very skilfully. Contrast between these and classical centos. - - - - -114 SECTION VIII. Quotations mingled with original matter. Parallelism equally pervades the whole compound. Animadversions on Ernesti and Wassenbergh. Acts, iv. 24— 30. An eucharistic hymn. An exact commentary on the beginning of the second psalm. Affords, on the principles of sententious parallelism, a proof of our Lord's supreme godhead. - - - 124 SECTION IX. Original parallelisms of the New Testament. Couplets. Tri- plets. Climax or gradation of members. Received reading of S. Matt. vii. 4. 6. 18., defended against Origen, Dr. Camp- bell, and several modern critics. - :, _ 143 Xll CONTENTS. SECTION X. Quatrains ; direct, alternate, and introversive. Occasional and significant departure from exact parallelism. Strictures on Dr. Campbell. S. Matthew, xii. 39 — 4<2., compared with S. Luke, xi. 39 — 42. Variations accounted for. Both con- texts illustrated by 1 Cor. i. 18 — 27. Received readings defended against Bengel, Griesbach, and others. Page 168 SECTION XI. Five-lined stanza. Variously constructed. Specimens of each variety. Just sense of S. John, xi. 9, 10. Importance, in Scripture interpretation, of antitheses, and parallelisms of sense. The six-lined stanza. Our Lord's character misun- derstood and misrepresented. Moral depth of antithesis in S. Luke, xii. 47, 48. Just reading of S. Matthew, v. 46 — 48., established from the doctrine of parallelism. Analysis of S. Matthew, xi. 28—30. - - - 193 SECTION XIL Stanzas consisting of more than six-lines. Picturesque beauty of S. Matthew, vii. 24 — 27. Injured by want of simplicity in Dr. Campbell's translation. Niceties of phraseology and con- struction. S.Matthew, XX. 25 — 28. Clear though compli- cated relationship of members. S. Matthew, x. 40 — 42. Expressive climax, and anticlimax. Gift of a cup of cold water illustrated by anecdotes from Josephus and ^lian. S. Matthew, xi. 16 — 19. Jewish Customs. Classical coin- cidences. Cheerful spirit of Christianity. S. Matthew, xv. 3 — 6. An obscure passage. Elucidated by resolution into parallelisms. - - - - -212 SECTION XIII. Connected stanzas, forming paragraphs, or sections. S. Luke, xvi. 9 — 13. S.James, iv. 6 — 10. Moral gradations in this passage. S.James, v. 1 — 6. A prophetic poem. IS. John, ii. 15 — 17. Analytically examined. - - - 249 SECTION XIV, Commentary on S. James, iii. 1 — 12. - - 273 CONTENTS. XIU SECTION XV. CuMAx ; or ascending gradation of members in the cognate parallelism. Bishop Bull. Dr. G. Campbell. Critical ex- amination of Rom. V. 7. An absurdity of Schleusner ex- posed. Revelation, xxii. II. Received text defended. Shades of moral discrimination in S. Matt. vii. 1, 2., S. Mark, iv. 2., S. Luke, vi. 38., when compared w^ith each other. Page 309 SECTION XVI. Epanodos. Reference to fourth Section. S. Matt. vi. 24. vii. 6. X. 16. Rom. xi. 12. Acts, xx. 21. l.Cor. vi. 11. 2. Cor. ii. 15. 16. Philem. 5. Unwarrantable liberties taken with the text of Scripture, by critics and translators. Espe- cially by Mr. G. Wakefield. Bishop Middleton's estimate of our authorised translation. Hebrews, x. 33, 34. M. Valc- kenaer observed upon. S. Matt, xxiii. 16 — 22. S. James, i. 22—25. S. Luke, xii. 33—40. Observation of Euthy- mius. -.„... 335 SECTION XVII. Euphemism. S. Matt. xxv. 34. 41. S. Chrysostom. Strige- lius. Rom. ix. 22, 23. S. Chrysostom. Grotius. Dr. Dod- dridge. S. Luke, xii. 8, 9. S. Matt. x. 32, 33. S. Mark, viii. 38. Probable reference to the case of S. Peter, Heb. vi. 7, 8. Temerity of Mr. Wakefield. Sober warning from Valckenaer. - - - _ _ 353 SECTION XVIII. Co-ordinate dependence on a common antecedent. This pecu- liarity of composition exemplified, and explained. 375 SECTION XIX. The Sorites ; or linked style of composition. - 388 SECTION XX. The Song of the Blessed Virgin. - - - 391 SECTION XXI. The Hymn of Zacharias - - - . 403 XIV CONTENTS. SECTION XXII. The Song of Symeon. - - - Page 418 SECTION XXIII. The Sermon on the Mount. - - - 429 SECTION XXIV. Song of triumph over the mystical Babylon. Revelation xviii. 450 IH^OLOGi^ SACRED LITERATURE. SECTION I. It is the design of the following pages, to prove, by examples, that the structure of clauses, sen- tences, and periods, in the New Testament, is frequently regulated after the model afforded in the poetical parts of the Old : and it is hoped, that, in the course of investigation necessary for the ac- complishment of this design, somewhat may be incidentally contributed, towards the rectification or establishment of the received text ; some gramma- tical difficulties may be removed ; some intricacies of construction may be disentangled ; some light may be thrown on the interpretation of passages hitherto obscure ; and several less obvious pro- prieties of expression, and beauties, both of con- ception and of style, may be rendered familiar to the attentive reader : while, if the thoughts, not hastily or indeliberately submitted to the public, shall approve themselves to competent minds, a new, and, if my own experience be not deceitful, B £ SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. I. an agreeable field of enquiry (1) will be opened to students of the Sacred Volume. The acknowledged sphere of Hebrew poetry was, in former days, much narrower than at pre- sent : it was then the general, and almost universal opinion, that the books of the prophets were written in mere prose (2) : the style, indeed, the thoughts, the imagery, and the expressions, were allowed to be often poetical ; sometimes poetical in the highest degree : but, with few exceptions, the composition was not supposed by the critics to possess those distinctive features, whatever they might be, which had confirmed the traditional claim of Job, the Psalms, the Proverbs, and certain occasional hymns, to be accounted poetical in the strict sense of the term. At length, however, the schools of the pro- phets were to be restored to their ancient honours : it was not enough that their title to the gift of pro- phecy was undisputed ; their title, also, to the gift of poetry, was to be asserted and maintained : for this, and for other distinguished purposes. Divine Providence was pleased to raise up and to cherish, in the university of Oxford, a man eminently quali- fied by nature and art, by a poetical mind, a saga- cious intuition, a pure taste, and an acquaintance, no less intimate than extensive, with the best re- mains of antiquity, to attempt and achieve the re- storation of a branch of knowledge, which, in the lapse of ages, and through the decay and downfal of the Hebrew language, had, to all human appear- ance, irrecoverably perished. Numerous efforts, SECT. I.] SACRED LITERATURE* S indeed, had previously been made, to restore the long-lost theory of Hebrew versification (3) ; but their number, and their fruitlessness, served only to indicate, that, in future, all such efforts must be vain : while the scanty rays of light which had gleamed upon the subject, were lost in the obscurity of two or three rabbinical dissert- ations. (4) Such was the state of things, when Bishop Lowth (5) was called to the poetical chair of Oxford : and, while, amidst the applauses of let- tered Europe, he seated Isaiah and his compeers in the assembly of the poets, he discharged the less brilliant, but not less important, office, of exhibit- ing, to the satisfaction of all unprejudiced minds, the only universal characteristic of that poetry, in which the sacred writers were wont to clothe the lively oracles of God. The nature of this universal characteristic, it is essential to the present enquiry, that I should de- termine with some accuracy: the usefulness of having so determined it, will, as we proceed, abundantly appear : but, in the very outset, this precautionary step may, in some degree, anticipate certain prejudices, not unlikely to arise, against a further extension of the poetical character, beyond the writings of the prophets, to several portions of the New Testament. The grand characteristic, then, of Hebrew poetry, does not appear to belong peculiarly to the original language of the Old Testament, as contra-distin- guished from that of the New. It is not the 4 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. I. acrostical, or regularly alphabetical commencement of lines or stanzas (6) ; for this occurs but in twelve poems of the Old Testament ; it is not the intro- duction of foreign words, and of, what grammarians call, the paragogic, or redundant particles (7) ; for these licences, though frequent, are by no means universal, in the poetical books of Scripture ; and they are occasionally admitted in passages merely historical and prosaic : it is not the rhyming termi- nation of lines (8) ; for no trace of this artifice is discoverable in the alphabetical poems, the lines or stanzas of which are defined with infallible preci- sion ; and every attempt to force it on the text, has been accompanied by the most licentious mutila- tion of Scripture : and finally, this grand character- istic is not the adoption of metre, properly so called, and analogous to the metre of the heathen classics .; for the efforts of the learned, to discover such metre in any one poem of the Hebrews, have universally failed * ; and, while we are morally certain, that, even though it were known and em- ployed by the Jews, while their language was a living one, it is quite beyond recovery in the dead and unpronounceable state of that language, there are also strong reasons for believing, that, even in the most flourishing state of their literature, the Hebrew poets never used this decoration. (9) Again, it is most certain, that the proper charac- teristic of Hebrew poetry is not elation, grandeur, * See Note (3) on this Section. SECT. 1.] SACRED LITERATURE. 5 or sublimity, either of thought or diction. In these quahties, indeed, a large portion of the poetical Scriptures, is not only distinguished,^ but unrivalled : but there are also many compositions in the Old Testament, indisputably poetical, which, in thought and expression, do not rise above the ordinary tone of just and clear conceptions, calmly, yet pointedly delivered. (10) Having thus briefly stated vi^hat the distinguish- ing characteristic of Hebrew poetry is not, it re- mains, that, with still greater brevity for the present, I should endeavour to state what it is. In one word, then, it is what Bishop Lowth entitles paral- lelism (11); that is, a certain equality, resem- blance, or relationship, between the members of each period ; so that, in one or more lines or mem- bers of the same period, things shall answer to things, and words to words, as if fitted to each other, by a kind of rule or measure. * The nature of the parallelism thus defined, I propose to illus- strate in the next section : meantime, it may not be improper to derive this conclusion from the statements of the present ; that, since the charac- teristic feature of Hebrew poetry is altogether independent of the Hebrew language ; and since it is often found, in its greatest accuracy and per- fection, in the less impassioned and more didactic portions of the Old Testament, it cannot be wholly * See Bishop Lowth, Prjcl. 19. Vol. ii. p. 34v ofElr. Gregory's tranelalion ; or p. 208. Ed. Koh;enm. Ii 3 6 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. I. unreasonable to expect exemplifications of it in the Greek of the New Testament ; in the calm instruc- tions, for example, of our Blessed Lord, and in the practical exhortations of his apostles: but this, though here intimated, will be more advantageously the subject of future consideration. NOTES ON SECT. I. (1) An agreeable Jield of enquiry.'] This may, perhaps, to some minds, appear a light expression, as applied to a very grave subject. It is, however, deliberately chosen : and, in all seriousness, I would here express a feeling of regret, in which I am by no means singular, that scholars rarely approach the Scriptures with a view to recreation and enjoyment. As a field of literary labour, as an arena for theological controversy, and, I am happy to add, as the inexhaustible store-house of religious truth, the Bible has, indeed, in most ages, been assiduously frequented. But how few possess an intellectual and moral relish, (and the two should never be disjoined) for the beauties of Scripture ! In many instances, a religious reverence very sincere, but not very enlightened, induces even those who have received a liberal education to shrink back, as though it were a kind of sacrilege, irom an examination of Scrip- ture, with respect to the excellencies of its style and man- ner. The indisposition of several to this pursuit may not improperly be traced to some defectiveness, either in the kind, or the degree, of their religious training : I speak not here of the unthinking or profane ; no man is authorised, or should be expected, to look for recreation in the Scrip- SECT. I.] SACRED LITERATURE. 7 tures, who has not previously applied, and who does not habitually apply to them, for guidance and instruction ; but there aie multitudes under the influence of a religious prin- ciple, however imperfect, yet undeniably conscientious, who are not fond of the Bible ; and this principally from want of proper training. These men have never found devotion pleasurable; to them it is a thing unmixedly awful; they never dream of seeking recreation from it; they go to it as a solemn and rather painful duty, and they get away from it as soon as they conscientiously can. Such men do not, and cannot taste the beauties of Scrip- ture ; in the study of it, they are too much alarmed to feel at ease ; and ease is indispensable to the fair exercise of taste. Dr. Johnson was eminently of this class : and what he writes of the Paradise Lost, had reverential awe per- mitted, he would probably have said of the Bible : — "Its " perusal is a duty, rather than a pleasure. We read Mil- " ton for instruction, retu'e harassed and overburthened, and " look elsewhere for recreation: we desert our Master, and *' seek for companions." Now, it is certain, that, in reli- gious matters, the training of this great and good man was not of the happiest kind : his own account of it is instruc- tive, and bears particularly on the subject of this note : " Sunday was a heavy day to me when I was a boy. My " mother confined me on that day, and made me read The " Whole Duty of Man, from a great part of which I could " derive no instruction. When, for instance, I had read the " chapter on theft, which from my infancy I had been taught " was wrong, I was no more convinced that theft was wrong " than before : so there was no accession of knowledge. " A boy should be introduced to such books, by having " his attention directed to the arrangement, to the style, " and other excellencies of composition ; that the mind " being thus engaged in an amusing variety of objects, " may not grow weary. — I fell into an inattention to re- " ligion, or an indifference about it, in my ninth year. E 4 8 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. I. '* The church at Lichfield in which we had a seat, wanted *' reparation; so I was to go and find a seat in other " churches; and having bad eyes, and being awkward *' about this, I used to go and read in the fields on *' Sunday. This habit continued till my fourteenth year ; " and still I find a great reluctance to go to church." BoswelPs life of Johnson, vol, i. p. 44. Independently of constitutional disease, morbid melancholy, and unfavour- able circumstances in after-life, the facts, here stated as they came from his own lips in familiar conversation, may be sufficient to account for much that was erroneous, and not a little that was defective, in the religion of Dr. John- son. His earliest and most indelible impressions of pious reading, as well as of public worship, were of an un- pleasing kind. Can we wonder, therefore, when we find him repeatedly taking himself to task for neglect of the Scriptures ; and perpetually making resolutions on that subject, which he was unable to reduce to practice ; when we hear him confess, that he had never read the Bible through ; and when we fail to discover a single record of his deriving 'pleasure from the study of that volume ? An observation which I have made elsewhere, I will here take the liberty of repeating : " One great reason why so few " people in the world are truly religious, and why, among " the truly religious, so many are not happy in their re- " ligion, is this, that early religious habits are too com- '' monly associated, not with cheerfulness, but with con- " straint and gloom." This view of things cannot fail to excite painfld re- flections, but happily, there is a brighter side of the sub- ject: for to those who have been instituted in a better school, and who have made due advances on their early institution, the sacred volume is the most cheerfld of com- panions. It is the character of the happy man, that " his « delight is in the law of the Lord :" not merely, thougli that be the supreme excellence of Scripture, as spiritually SECT. I.] SACRED LITERATURE^ 9 excellent, but also, as pre-eminently beautiful and sublime. And it may be pronounced with confidence, that if a man's faith be strong, if his religious affections be fervent, if his religious views be bright and cheerful, if his natural taste be good in itself, and properly cultivated, and if his mind have been healthfully exercised in the walks both of pro- fane and sacred letters, that man will infallibly make the book of God's word his chosen pleasure-ground. This note has grown to considerable length : but the subject of it is eminently practical : and the introduction of such a subject, will, I trust, not be esteemed unseasonable, at the opening of a work like the present. (2) General opinion that the books of the prophets were written in mere prose.'] Scaliger, (Animadv. in Chron. Euseb. p. 6.) and Vitringa, (Proleg. in Jesaiam p. 8.) have attributed a kind of oratorial measure to the composition of Isaiah ; but they distinctly except against its being, on that account, termed poetry. Herman Van der Hardt, aptly named the Hardouin of Germany, attempted to reduce Joel's elegies, as he called them, to Iambic verse; and, consistently with his hypothesis, he assumed, that the prophets in general wrote in metre. « This," says Bishop Lowth, « is the only exception I meet with to the univer- " sality ofthe contrary opinion." Seethe Prelimin. Dissert, to Isaiah, p. ii. 2d ed. 4to. Lond. 1779; to which edition any future references in this work shall be made. (3) Numerous efforts to restore the theory of Hebrew versif cation.-] Any thing like an historical or critical detail of the attempts made to discover and describe the system of Hebrew versification, would require a volume, rather than a note; and, after all, the mtrmsic value of the subject would ill repay the writer or the reader. As, however, this is a matter of some curiosity, a brief sketch in the way of catalogue may not be unacceptable; espe- 10 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. I. cially as the sources of information respecting it have never, with any degree of fulness, been indicated to the Enghsh student. The earliest record concerning the structure of Hebrew poetry is Exodus, xv. 1 — 21. : from thence we learn, that it was fitted for alternate recitation, with musical accom- paniments. Of this alternate recitation there are many subsequent examples in the Old Testament; but, whether the poetry was or was not metrical. Scripture gives no sort of intimation. Josephus (Ant. Jud. ii. 16. § 4., iv. 8. § 44., vii. 12. § 3.) and Philo Judaeus (de Vit. Contempl. p. 893. edit. Par. 1649.) assert that the Hebrew poetry had metres, resem- bling those of the classical authors. Origen, (ap. Hieron. Praef. ad Euseb. Chron.) Eusebius, (Praep. Evang. ii. 3.) S. Jerome, (Praef. ad Euseb. Chron.) and S. Isidore, (Ori- gin, i. 18.) make similar assertions; in support of which, like their Jewish predecessors, they fail to bring forward any proof. These ancients are ably and satisfactorily re- futed by Joseph Scaliger, Animadv. in Chron. Euseb. p. 6 — 8. Nor should it be omitted, that S. Gregory Nyssen (1 Tract, in Psalm, cap. iv.) expressly denies the fact of any resemblance between the composition of the Psalms and the classic metres. Among the moderns, Fr. Vatablus, Andr. Masius, M. V. Reatinus, J. Croius, L. Fabricius, N. Petraeus, and Theod. Ebertus attempted to investigate, or to restore, the Hebrew versification. The result, or rather the failure, of their efforts, is compendiously stated by Augustus PfeifFer, Dub. Vexat. Cent. III. loc. xlvi. p. 530. seqq. In the year 1637, Fr. Gomar published his "Lyra " Davidis : seu Nova hebraeae S. Scripturae ars poetica, ca- ** nonibus suis descripta, et exemplis sacris, et Pindari ac " Sophoclis parallelis demonstrata." This work was hailed with approbation by J. Buxtorf, D. Heinsius, L. De Dieu, Const. L'Empereur, and others; but warmly SECT. I.] SACRED LITERATURE. 11 opposed by L. Cappel, " Animadv. in Novam Lyram ;" by Abr. Calovius " Crit. Sacr." p. 337 ; by Conr. Dan- hauer, " Hermeneut. Sacr." p. 344 ; by Aug. Pfeiffer, " Dub. Vexat." p. 553 ; and by Salom. Van Till, « De Poes. et Music. Veterum." It was well observed, that, by Gomar's rules, any piece of writing might be reduced to every land of metre. After some interval, followed Marcus Meibomius ; who boasted, that to him was revealed the long-lost secret of Hebrew versification ; and that, through his means, by divine destiny^ two great discoveries were about to break forth on the world: namely, the science of Hebrew metre; and a more perfect knowledge of the Hebrew tongue, than had been possessed by the Alexandrine translators, and by the whole body of interpreters since their time. His secret, however, he determined not to disclose with- out an ample pecuniary recompense ; and, meeting neither patron nor purchaser at home, he passed over from Belgium into England, in fruitless quest of applause and money. His reasonable proposals were, that when six thousand subscribers (his own words are " sex millia curiosorum hominum") should give in their names, and subscriptions at five pounds sterling for each copy, he would go to press. He forwarded addresses on the sub- ject, to the different sovereigns of Europe ; and published three specimens of his work; the first in 1678, the last in 1698 : but the mass of his important secret he carried to the grave. Posterity may contentedly endure the de- privation : the absurdity of his specimens,, we are told by competent witnesses, was equalled only by their arrogance, and by the reproaches which he dared to fling upon the Sacred Text. He was severely chastised by J. H. Maius, B. H. Gebhardi, and J. J. Zentgravius. The system of Van der Hardt nearly resembled that of Meibomius. His " First three Elegies of Joel" were pub- lished at Helmstadt, 1706. He went so far as to affirm, not merely that Hebrew poetry is metrical, but, that the 12 SACRED LITERATURE. ]]sECT. I. Iambics of classical poetry were borrowed from the He- brews; while, with an amusing versatility of paradox, he elsewhere taught, that Greek was the primitive language. Gomar had insisted both on rhymes and metre. Le Cierc, rejecting metre, espoused the scheme of oaoioreXsura, or rhyming poetry ; according to Bishop Lowth, the most absurd and untenable of any proposed : See Le Clerc " Comm. in Prophet." p. 621—630. Amst. 1731: also Biblioth. Univer. Amst. 1688. He was supported by M. Fourmont, " Mem. de I'Academ. des Inscr." tom. vi. The same, or like opinions, were also adopted by Sig. Ga- rofalo, in a treatise published at Rome, 4to. 1 707. Garo- falo was opposed by Barnabas Schachius, otherwise Ra- phael Rabbenius; a Jew, according to the " Acta Erudi- torum," a Christian, according to Wolff. The system of Le Clerc, was further opposed by Dom. Calmet, " Diss, de Poes. Heb. ;" by M. Dacier, Preface to his edition of Horace, 1709; by Masclef, Gram. Hebr. edit. 1731 ; and by Mr. Arthur Bedford, in his " Temple Music :" also by Guarini, P. Simon, M. Du Pin, M. Heumann, and M. L' Abbe Fleuri ; all of whom reject both rhyme and metre. In this country, the metrical system of the learned Bishop Hare naturally attracted more attention than any of the preceding : it did not, however, satisfy the public mind. We learn, from George Psalmanazar's Memoirs, that his lordship printed but five hundred copies of his Hebrew Psalter; one half of which he presented to his learned friends, at home and abroad ; the remaining copies sold but slackly, and the work has never been separately republished.* The Bishop's metrical system was overthrown by Bishop Lowth : repeated efforts were made for its re-edification by Dr. Thomas Edwards ; whose attacks on Lowth were both peevish and disrespectful. The Harian system, and the defences of it, will be little known to posterity, but li'om * It is given, with several works of a Kke nature, in the 31st voKime of the Thesaurus of Ugohni. SECT. I.] SACRED LITERATURE. 13 Bishop Lovvtli's " Shorter Confutation," annexed to his Praelections on Hebrew Poetry. The Larger and Shorter Confutations of Bishop Lowth abundantly satisfied the learned public in general, that all efforts to discover the metre of Hebrew poetry must be fruitless. Some few writers, however, persevered in such attempts ; nor have continental scholars given over the pursuit, even at the present day. Four authors, in par- ticular, may be mentioned: — 1. Conrad. Gottl. Anton, in his " Conjectures respecting the Ancient Metre of the Hebrews," Leipz. 4to. 1770; in his "Vindication" of those " Conjectures," against the animadversions of Professors Bauer and Schmidt, Leipz. 8vo. 1771, and 1772 ; in his " Specimen of the Psalms reduced to Metre, &c." Viteberg, 8vo. and in his edition of " Solomon's Song," Leipz. 8vo. 1800. 2. Sir William Jones, in his " Poeseos Asiaticag Comment." Oxon, 1774. 3. E. J. Greve, in his " Last Chapters of the Book of Job, with a Treatise annexed respecting Hebrew Metres, &c." Da- vent. 1788; and in his "Metrical Edition of the Pro- phets Nahum and Habacuc," Amst. 1793. 4. Jo. Joac- him Bellermann, in his " Treatise on Hebrew Metres," Berlin, 8vo. 1813. Sir William Jones and Greve aimed at the fabrication of an art of Hebrew poetry, from the Arabic, and other cognate oriental dialects; Anton and Bellermann resolved Hebrew metre into a system of ac- cents. Herder, on the other hand, and De Wette, the former in his " Epistles on the Study of Theology," and his " Treatise on the Genius of Hebrew Poetry," — the latter, in the prolegomena to his " Commentary on the Psalms," Heidelberg, 1811, have, after Professor Mi- chaelis, adopted and illustrated the principles of Bishop Lowth. This catalogue, which might readily be extended, in- cludes the more considerable writers, and works, on this obscure subject. In drawing it up, much aid has been de- 14 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. I. rived from the prolegomena to Bishop Hare's edition of the Psalms ; from Buddeus' " Hist. Eccl. Vet. Testament." part ii. p. 291 — 2j97; from Weisius's Account of Bishop Hare's Metrical System ; and from the additional notes to the Prcelectiones of Bishop Lowth, in Rosenmiiller's edition of that work, published at Leipzig in 1815. Besides the " Notse et Epimetra " of Sir J. D. Michaelis, this edition contains large annotations by Rosenmliller himself, toge- ther with the above noticed dissertation of Weisius, and another dissertation by C. F. Richter, on the age of Job. From thence, as the latest and the fullest edition of the " Prcelectiones^^ I shall make my citations. On the subject of this note, further information may be had from Carpzov, " Intr. ad Libr. Can. Bibl. Vet. Test." par. ii. c. i. p. 1 — 29. He gives a copious list of ancient and modern writers on Hebrew poetry. (4) Two m^ three rabbinical dissertations."] I allude par- ticularly to the extracts from Abarbanel, and Rabbi Asa- nas, given by the j^ounger Buxtorf, in the " Mantissa Dissertationum," annexed to his edition of the book Cosri. The latter of these dissertations may be considered the technical basis of Bishop Lowth's System of Hebrew Poetry. There is also another short, but very important treatise, which the Bishop does not appear to have known ; at least, he makes no mention of it, either in his Praelec- tions, or in his Preliminary Dissertation to Isaiah ; nor have I seen it cited by any writer on the subject of Hebrew poetry. I mean the sixth treatise in the first volume of Schoettgen's " Horae Hebraicae," p. 1249 — 1263. Under the title of " Exergasia Sacra," this learned writer, ably, distinctly, and, for the most part, accurately, lays down that very doctrine of parallelism, which it remained for Bishop Lowth to improve, to elucidate, and to invest with all the graces of attractive composition. Schoettgen exhi- bits ten varieties of parallelism, in ten canons ; each canon SECT, r.] SACRED LITERATURE* 15 is supported by three clear examples ; and tlie canons thus established, are applied to the interpretation of perplexed and obscure passages of Scripture. The whole discussion affords a good model for the conduct of biblical enquiries ; in fact, Schoettgen seems to have apprehended, more dis- tinctly than most of our later critics, the interpretative value of the parallelism. See especially his seventh dissertation ; in which he applies the doctrine of Eocergasia, as he calls it, to the elucidation of Genesis, xlix. 10. (5) Bishop Lowth.] If it be questioned, that the Praslections and Isaiah of this eminent prelate gave rise to a new era in sacred literature, let the present sedate and intelligent agreement of the first biblical scholars on the subject of Hebrew poetry, be contrasted with that obscurity and unsettlement, which, during the seventeenth and the earlier part of the eighteenth century, perplexed the learned world on the same subject ; and then, let it be remembered, that, at home and abroad. Bishop Lowth is almost univer- sally appealed to, as the ultimate and classical authority in these matters. (6) The regularly alphabetical commencement of lines.'} On the nature of the Hebrew acrostic, see Bishop Lowth, Prael. iii. p. 29. Prelim. Dissert, p. iv — vi. The alphabeti- cal poems are. Psalms xxv. xxxiv. xxxvii. cxi. cxii. cxix, cxlv. Prov. xxxi. 10 — 31. Lament, i. ii. iii. iv. (7) The paragogic particles.'] See Bishop Lowth, Prael. iii. p. 30 — 32. with Michaelis's note, p. 430—432. It is remarkable, that, in the Preliminary Dissertation to Isaiah, no mention is made of these particles ; whence may safely be inferred, how little stress the Bishop was disposed to lay on them, as characteristics of Hebrew Poetiy: for, in that Dissertation, he gave his last, his fullest, and his most mature views of the subject. 16 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. I, (8) The rhyming tei'mination of lines.'] See Lowtli; Metr. Har. Brev. Conf. p. 407. — Weisius ; Har. Syst. Metr. p. 707. — and Hare; Proleg. to Psalms, pp. 3. 8. 9. 10. 39. (9.) Strong reasons for believing that the Hebrew poets never used metre.'] It is here my duty to dissent from Bishop Lowth ; this duty cannot be other than a painful one ; it is like resisting a benefactor. On this, and any future occasion, where I may be obliged to express a dif- ferent opinion from this great man, I hope never to lose sight of the conviction, that, if he had not written on He- brew poetry, the Hterary world must, probably, at this day, have been altogether in the dark upon the subject. On the question of Hebrew metre. Bishop Lowth is an unwilling writer. He terms it difficult, and exceedingly obscure ; he owns, that he would gladly have avoided the discussion, could he have done so consistently with the de- sign of his Lectures ; he professes, that he will make the attempt with brevity and caution ; and that, feeling himself embarked on an ocean dishonoured by the shipwreck of many eminent persons, he will only presume to coast along the shore. * Under such impressions, it is not extraordinary that he should speak with more than common hesitation. He begms by asserting, that certain of the Hebrew writ- ings are not only animated with the true poetic spirit, but, in some degree, couched in poetic numbers f ; yet, he allows, that the quantity, the rhythm, or modulation of Hebrew poetry, not only is unknown, but admits of no investigation by human art or industry J ; he states, after Abarbanel, that the Jews themselves disclaim the very memory of metrical composition § ; he acknowledges, that the artificial con- formation of the sentences, is the sole apparent indication of metre in these poems II ; he barely maintains the credibiliti/ * Prael. iii. p. 28. f Ibid. p. 29. % I^id. p. 34, § Prsel. xviii. p. 194. || Ibid. p. 197. SECT. I.] SACRED LITERATURE. 17 of attention having been paid to numbers or feet in their compositions ; and, at the same time, he confesses the utter impossibility of determining, whether Hebrew poetry was modulated by the ear alone, or according to any definite and settled rules of prosody * : language, in all its parts, in- dicative of much embarrassment; admissions, which, fairly put together, amount to a virtual surrender of the point that he labours to maintain. The occasion of the Bishop's embarrassment may be not improbably assigned. As Professor of poetry, it was his duty to deliver Preelections on poetry, properly so called; now his classical habits and predilections would natu- rally lead him to consider metre of some kind indispensable to poetry ; while, at the same time, the disgraceful failure of all previous attempts to discover metre in the parts of Scripture accounted poetical, rendered him avowedly cautious, lest, in his own person, he might add one to the number of discomfited adventurers. From this mixture of prejudice and apprehension, I am inclined to account tor the hesitancy, and, we might almost say, the self-con- tradiction, of his language. He might better have boldly stated, that the technicism of Hebrew poetry, though altogether different from the prosodical technicism of the classics, abundantly distinguishes the composition from simple prose ; while the ardour and elevation with which that technicism is frequently accompanied, entitles many Hebrew compositions to rank with poetry of the highest class. He might thus, instead of " coasting along the shore," have at once landed in the country, and explored it. But it is proper to examine Bishop Lowth's only argu- ment for the existence, in Hebrew poetry, of metre, or rhythmical composition. After describing the alphabetical poems, his Lordship thus proceeds : " In the first place, " we may safely conclude, that the poems •perfectly alpha- *' betical consist of verses properly so called ; of verses * Prael. xix. p. 225. C 18 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. !• " regulated by some observation of harmony or cadence, " of measure, numbers, or rhythm. For it is not at all " probable, in the nature of the thing, or from examples " of the like kind in other languages, that a portion of " mere prose, in which numbers and harmony are totally " disregarded, should be laid out according to a scale '* of division, which carries with it such evident marks of " study and labour ; of art in the contrivance, and exact- " ness in the execution." — Prelim. Dissert, to Isaiah, p. vii. This argument is then analogically extended to the poems imperfectly alphabetical; and further, in like manner, to those compositions which, though not alpha- betical, have, in all other respects, the same characteristic features with those that are alphabetical. The fairness of the analogical reasoning employed in this case cannot properly be questioned : that is, if the argument be cogent respecting the alphabetical poems, we must needs allow its cogency respecting the non-alphabetical; but what I mainly doubt, is, the validity of the argument in the first instance ; and, if it fail there, it must fail altogether. Let us then consider, whether there be not, in the terms em- ployed, a kind of igtioratio elenchi, " It is not at all probable," the Bishop says, " that a *' portion of mere prose, in which numbers and harmony *' are totally disregarded, should be laid out according " to a scale of division that carries with it such evident " marks of study and labour : of art in the contrivance, *' and exactness in the execution." Now is there not, in these words, a departure, unintentional I am sure, but still a departure, from the real state of the case ? For, do the opponents of a strictly metrical system assert, that the Psalms, for instance, are " mere prose " ? And, while they reject poetical numbers, do they also maintain, that " harmony is totally disregarded ?" If they do not thus assert, and thus maintain, his lordship's argument falls to the ground ; and that they do not so assert, and so main- tain, is probable, on a two-fold account : first, because that SECT. I.] SACRED LITERATURE. 19 very " scale of division," and that " studious, elaborate, " artificial, and exact contrivance and execution," to which his Lordship refers, and which, on all hands, are admitted, are, in themselves, sufficient to take the composition out of the sphere of prose, and place it in the sphere of poetry ; and, secondly, because the rejection of poetical numbers, properly so called, by no means implies the assertion, that " harmony is totally disregarded." But I am willing to meet the Bishop's argument on broader ground : I am ready to enquire, whether the phe- nomena do not, not only authorise, but powerfully suggest, and I could almost say compel, a course of reasoning diametrically the reverse of that employed by his lordship ; whether, to come directly to the point, a highly artificial, and, in ail books except the Scripture, unparalleled species of regular, pointed, sententious, and elaborate construc- tion, does not furnish a strong argument against the pro- bable co-existence of metre ? It is certain, that, throughout the works and word of God we do not commonly observe a redundancy of means ; and we are assured, that the pecu- liar and unquestionable artifices of what is called Hebrew poetry, abundantly distinguish it from ordinary prose ; while we may learn, both from our own feelings and from the testi- mony of all competent judges, that these artifices, in com- bination with the excellence of the subject-matter, have, in numerous instances, the effect of giving to the composition all that commanding and delightful interest which attaches to poetry of the noblest kind. This is all undeniabley^c^: why then have recourse to the hypothesis, (for it can be no more; proof is out of possibility) of an additional artifice? This would seem, in contradiction to all known analogy, a gratuitous waste of means ; and till some undeniable, and, as matters stand at present, inconceivable necessity be pro- duced for its adoption, the inference must lie decidedly against it. But I will go further : such additional artifice not only seems to have been unnecessary ; it may be rea- sonably argued, that it would have been positively injurious; c 2 20 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. I. that its tendency must have been, to counteract the pe- culiar and distinguishing excellence of Hebrew poetry; namely, its transfusibility, by mere literal translation, into all languages; an excellence, not only unattainable in classical poetry, but prevented by classical metre. Clas- sical poetry is the poetry of one language and of one people : the words are, I will not say chosen^ (though this be some- times the case) but arranged^ with a view, not primarily to the sense, but to the sound; in literal translation, therefore, especially if the order of the original words be preserved, not only the melody is lost, but the sense is irreparably injured. Hebrew poetry, on the contrary, is universal poetry ; the poetry of all languages, and of all peoples : the collocation of the words, (whatever may have been the sound, for of this we are quite ignorant) is pri- marily directed to secure the best possible announcement and discrimination of the sense: let, then, a translator only be literal, and, so far as the genius of his language will admit, let him preserve the original order of the words*, and he will infallibly put the reader in possession of all, or nearly all, that the Hebrew text can give to the best Hebrew scholar of the present day. Now, had there been originally metre, the case, it is presumed, could hardly have been such ; somewhat must have been sacri- ficed to the importunities of metrical necessity ; the sense could not have invariably predominated over the sound ; and the poetry could not have been, as it unquestionably and emphatically is, a poetry, not of sounds, or of words, but of things. Let not this last assertion, however, be misinterpreted : I would be understood merely to assert that sound, and words in subordination to sound, do not * On the advantage of literal translation, and of preserving the original order of the M^ords, something additional will be found towards the close of Section IV. and in note (5) upon that Section : but, in the first instance, reference should be made to Bishop Lowth's " Preliminary Dissertation," p. xxxv — xxxvii- SECT. I.] SACRED LITERATURE. 21 in Hebrew, as in classical poetry, enter into the essence of the thing : but it is happily undeniable, that the words of the poetical Scriptures are exquisitely fitted to convey the sense; audit is highly probable, that, in the life- time of the language, the sounds were sufficiently harmonious: when I say sufficiently harmonious, I mean so harmonious, as to render the poetry grateful to the ear in recitation, and suitable to musical accompaniment; for which pur- poses, the cadence of well-modulated prose would fully answer; a fact, which will not be controverted by any person with a moderately good ear, that has ever heard a chapter of Isaiah skilfully read from our authorised trans- lation ; that has ever listened to one of Kent's anthems well performed, or to a song from the Messiah of Handel. If the reasoning of this note be satisfactory to the reader, it may throw some additional light on the poetry of the Old Testament : it may also serve to establish, that if all other requisites be there, the mere absence of poetical numbers, cannot defeat the claim of any passage in the New Testament, so qualified, to rank with the poetical portions of the Old. (10) Compositions undeniably poetical, \sohich do not rise above the ordinary tone of just and clear conceptions, calmly^ yet pointedly delivered.'] " There are passages," says Bishop Lowth, " and those not inelegant, which possess " little more of the characteristics of poetry than the versi- " fication" (which must go for nothing, as it is admitted to be undiscoverable) " and that terseness and adaptation of the " sentences, which constitutes so important a part, even " of the harmony of verse. This is manifest in most of " the didactic Psalms, as well as in some others, the mat- " ter, order, diction, and thoughts of which, are clearly " historical ; but the conformation of the sentences wholly " poetical." Lect. iv. Dr. Gregory's Translat. vol. i. p. 99. Now, if the same terseness, the same adaptation, the same conformation of the sentences be plainly and obviously c 3 %% SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. I. apparent in many passages of the New Testament, in what respect can such passages be justly said to differ from the didactic and historical poetry of the Old ? (11) Parallelism J\ A brief description of the poetical parallelism is given, after Lowth and Herder, in Dr. Ge- rard's " Institutes of Biblical Criticism :" Part i. ch. v. sect. 1. A more satisfactory compend may be found in the " Hermeneutica Sacra" of Professor Bauer, p. 168 — 1 T^ ; a work, which, on account of its daring and licen- tious scepticism, is wholly unfit for the commencing student, and should be read with caution even by the proficient. It is to be regretted, that the writings of this foreigner, have been recommended to the academical youth of our country, without a single note of repre- hension, from one of our most distinguished professorial chairs. A far better analysis of the parallelism than either of those just mentioned, is inserted in Mr. Home's useinl " Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of " the Holy Scriptures." vol. i. p. 318 — 324. His first example is St. Luke i. 52, 53. " This parallelism of ** members of sentences," he, however, immediately adds, *' does not occur very frequently in the New Testament." Though I hope to shew cause, why, in future editions, the word " not" should be expunged from Mr. Home's text, I am not sorry to meet even this partial admission, in a compilation which deserves, and which probably will attain, much popularity as an elementary treatise. ^ SECTION II. I NOW proceed to illustrate more particularly the poetical parallelism ; which I shall do in the words, and chiefly by the examples, of Bishop Lowth ; derived from his Nineteenth Praelection, and from his Preliminary Dissertation to Isaiah. In Hebrew poetry, there is a certain correspond- ence of the verses one with another; a certain relation, also, between the composition of the verses, and the composition of the sentences ; the formation of the former, depending principally upon the distribution of the latter ; so that, gene- rally, periods coincide with stanzas, members with verses, and pauses of the one, with pauses of the other. This correspondence is called parallelism : when a proposition is delivered, and a second is drawn under it, equivalent to, or contrasted with it, in sense, or similar to it, in the form of grammatical construction, these are called parallel lines; and the words or phrases answering one to another in the corresponding lines, parallel terms. The poetical parallelism has much variety, and many gradations : it is sometimes more accurate and manifest, sometimes more vague and obscure: it may, however, be generally distributed into three kinds; parallels synonymous; parallels antithetic ; and parallels synthetic, or constructive. c 4 24 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. II. Parallel lines synonymous are those which cor- respond one to another, by expressing the same sense in different, but equivalent terms; when a proposition is delivered, and immediately repeated, in the whole, or in part, the expression being varied, but the sense entirely, or nearly the same j for example : Seek ye Jehovah, while he may be found ; Call ye upon him, while he is near : Let the wicked forsake his way ; And the unrighteous man his thoughts : And let him return unto Jehovah, and he will compas- sionate him; And unto our God, for he aboundeth in forgiveness. Isaiah^ Iv. 6, 7. O Jehovah, in thy strength the king shall rejoice; And in thy salvation, how greatly shall he exult ! The desire of his heart thou hast granted him ; And the request of his hps thou hast not denied. Psalm xxi. ] , 2- Honour Jehovah with thy riches; And with the first-fruits of all thine increase. Proverbs, iii 9. Blessed is the man that feareth Jehovah ; That greatly rejoiceth in his commandments. Psalm cxii. 1. Parallel lines antithetic are, when two lines cor- respond with one another, by an opposition of terms and sentiments ; when the second is con- trasted with the first, sometimes in expressions, sometimes in sense only. Accordingly, the de- grees of antithesis are various; from an exact SECT. II.] SACRED LITERATURE. ^5 contra-position of word to word, singulars to sin- gulars, plurals to plurals, &c., through the whole sentence, down to a general disparity, with some- thing of a contrariety, in the two propositions j for example : — Faithful are the wounds of a friend ; But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. Proverbs, xxvii. 6. A wise son rejoiceth a father ; But a foolish son is the grief of his mother. Prov.x. 1.(1) The memory of the just is a blessing ; But the name of the wicked shall rot. Prov* X, 7. Many seek the face of the prince ; But the determination concerning a man is from Jehovah. Prov. xxix. 26. These in chariots, and those in horses ; But we in the name of Jehovah our God, will be strong : They are bowed down and fallen ; But we are risen, and maintain ourselves firm. Psalm XK, 7, 8. Parallel lines constructive are, when the paral- lelism consists only in the similar form of con- struction 5 in which, word does not answer to word, and sentence to sentence, as equivalent or opposite ; but there is a correspondence and equality between different propositions, in respect of the shape and turn of the whole sentence, and of the constituent parts ; such as, noun answering to noun, verb to verb, interrogative to interrogative. To this de- 20 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. II. scription of parallelism may be referred all such as do not come within the two former classes. The variety of this form is accordingly very great. Sometimes the parallelism is more, sometimes less exact: sometimes hardly at all apparent. The following examples will suffice : — Praise ye Jehovah, ye of the earth ; Ye sea-monsters, and all deeps : Fire and hail, snow and vapour ; Stormy wind, executing his command : Mountains, and all hills ; Fruit-trees, and all cedars : Wild beasts, and all cattle ; Reptiles, and birds of wing : Kings of the earth, and all peoples ; Princes, and all judges of the earth : Youths, and also virgins ; Old men, together with the children : Let them praise the name of Jehovah ; For his name alone is exalted ; His majesty, above earth and heaven. Psalm cxlviii. 7 — 1 3. The law of Jehovah is perfect, converting the soul ; The testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple ; The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart ; The commandment of Jehovah is clear, enlightening the eyes; The fear of Jehovah is pure, enduring for ever ; The judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are altogether righteous : More desirable than gold, and than much fine gold ; And sweeter than honey, and the dropping of honey- combs. Psalm xix, 7 — 10. Respecting the three species of parallelism, it SECT. II.] SACRED LITERATURE. 27 sliould be observed, that, separately, each kind admits many subordinate varieties ; and that, in combinations of verses, the several kinds are per- petually intermingled ; circumstances, which at once enliven and beautify the composition, and frequently give peculiar distinctness and precision to the train of tliought. A few subordinate varieties are added; the exemplifications of which are taken chiefly from Bishop Lowth. Sometimes the lines are bi-membral ; that is, they consist, each of double members, or two propo- sitions ; for example : — Bow thy heavens, O Jehovah, and descend ; Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke : Dart forth thy lightning, and scatter them ; Shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them. Psalm cxliv. 5, 6. And they shall build houses, and shall inhabit them ; And they shall plant vineyards, and shall eat the fruit thereof: They shall not build, and another inhabit ; They shall not plant, and another eat. Isaiah, Ixv. 21, 22. Parallels are sometimes formed by a repetition of part of the first sentence: — My voice is unto God, and I cry aloud : My voice unto God, and he will hearken unto me : I will remember the works of Jehovah ; Yea, I will remember thy wonders of old : — The waters saw thee, O God ; The waters saw thee ; they were seized with anguish. Psalm Ixxvii. 1, 2. 16. 28 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. II. Sometimes, in the latter line, a part is to be supplied from the former, to complete the sen- tence : — The mighty dead tremble from beneath ; The waters, and they that dwell therein. Job, xxvi. 5. There are parallel triplets ; where three lines correspond together, and form a kind of stanza ; of which, however, only two lines are commonly synonymous : — The wicked shall see it, and it shall grieve him ; He shall gnash with his teeth, and pine away ; The desire of the wicked shall perish. Psalm cxii. 10. That day, let it become darkness ; Let not God from above enquire after it ; Nor let the flowing light radiate upon it. Job^ iii. 4-. There are parallels consisting of four lines; two distichs being so connected together by the sound and the construction, as to make one stanza : — Be not moved with indignation against the evil doers ; Nor with zeal, against the workers of iniquity : For, like the grass, they shall soon be cut off*; And like the green herb, they shall wither. Psalm xxxvii. 1, '2, The ox knoweth his owner ; And the ass the crib of his lord : But Israel doth not know : My people doth not consider. Isaiahy i. 3. SECT. II.] SACRED LITERATURE. ^9 In stanzas of four lines, sometimes the parallel lines answer to one another alternately ; the first, to the third ; and the second, to the fourth : — As the heavens are high above the earth ; So high is his goodness over them that fear him : As remote as the east is from the west ; So far hath he removed from us our transgressions. Psalm ciii. 11, 12. And ye said, Nay, but on horses will we flee ; Therefore shall ye be put to flight : And on swift coursers will we ride; Therefore shall they be swift that pursue you. Isaiah, xxx. 16, Sometimes, in the alternate quatrain, by a peculiar artifice of construction, the third line forms a continuous sense with the first, and the fourth with the second. Of this variety, a striking example occurs in Bishop Lowth's nineteenth preelection : its distinguishing feature, however, is not there sufficiently noted : more justice has been done to the passage by Mr. Parkhurst (Heb. Lexicon, Voce j/'ii) whose translation follows : — I will make mine arrows drunk with blood; And my sword shall devour flesh : With the blood of the slain and the captive ; From the hairy head of the enemy. Deut, xxxii. 42. That is, reducing the stanza to a simple quatrain : I will make mine arrows drunk with blood ; With the blood of the slain and the captive : 30 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. II. And my sword shall devour flesh ; From the hairy head of the enemy. Again, From without, the sword shall destroy ; And in the inmost apartments terror ; Both the young man and the virgin; The suckling, with the man of gray hairs. Deut, xxxii. 25. The youths and virgins, led out of doors by the vigour and buoyancy natural at their time of life, fall victims to the sword in the streets of the city : while infancy and old age, confined by helpless- ness and decrepitude to the inner chambers of the house, perish there by fear, before the sword can reach them. Mr. Green, in his *' Poetical parts of the New Testament," observes that there is a similar hyper- baton in Isaiah, xxxiv. 6. And my learned friend, Dr. Hales, reduces to a similar form, that remark- able prophecy. Genes, xlix. 10 ; The sceptre shall not depart from Judah ; Nor a scribe of his offspring : Until Shiloh shall come; And [until] to him a congregation of peoples. That is, according to Dr. Hales, the sceptre, or civil government, shall not depart, till the coming or birth of Shiloh ; and the scribe, or expounder of the law, intimating ecclesiastical regimen, shall not depart, or cease, until there shall be formed a congregation of peoples, a church of Christian wor- SECT. II.] SACRED LITERATURE. 31 shippers, from various nations ; the former branch of this prophecy was fulfilled, when Augustus made his enrolment preparatory to the census throughout Judea and Galilee ; thereby degrading Judea to a Roman province : the latter branch was fulfilled, at the sacking of Jerusalem by Titus ; when the temple was destroyed, and the Jewish ritual abolished. Some periods, also, may be considered as form- ing stanzas of five lines ; in which the odd line or member usually either comes in between two distichs; or, after two distichs, makes a full close : — Who is wise, and will understand these things ? Prudent, and will know them ? For right are the ways of Jehovah ; And the just shall walk in them ; And the disobedient shall fall therein. Hosea, xiv. 9. Who estabhsheth the word of his servant ; And accomplisheth the counsel of his messenger ; Who sayeth to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited ; A nd to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built ; And her desolate places I will restore. Isaiah^ xliv. 26, The five-lined stanza sometimes consists of an alternate quatrain, with a fifth line annexed; thus : — Who is there among you that feareth Jehovah ? Let him hearken unto the voice of his servant : That walketh in darkness, and hath no light ? 3^ SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. II. Let him trust in the name of Jehovah ; And rest himself on the support of his God. Isaiahy 1. 10. These are the chief varieties of parallelism, and of combinations of lines, or stanzas, noticed by Bishop Lowth ; for a few others, the reader is referred to his Lordship's nineteenth prelection, and to his preliminary dissertation. Some varieties also, that have escaped his observation, as well as that of other writers on the subject, shall be exemplified in a future section : but, in the first place, attention is demanded to what appears no trifling error, in the Bishop's nomenclature, and definition, of the first kind of parallelism : this will be the subject of the next section. NOTE ON SECTION IL (1) Proverhs, x. i.]— Glass, Philol. Sacr. p. 1228. (395. ed. Bauer.) says, that in each member of this verse, both fatliei^ and mother are to be understood ; though, in the first member, the father only, and, in the second member, only the mother is mentioned. Bishop Lowth more justly states, that " the terms father and mother, are, as the logicians " say, relatively opposite." Prel. Diss. p. xix. The truth is, that, on Glass's plan, the force and beauty of the passage would be lost. It is to be understood thus : A wise son rejoiceth even a father ; whose demands are high, and whose affections are commonly of the sterner cast : but a foolish son is sorrow even to his mother ; whose tender- SECT. II.] SACRED LITERATURE. 33 ness would be less ready to perceive his defects; and, when perceived, more apt to extenuate them. The ap- propriative term his^ wanting in the case of the father, is added in that of the mother; probably to heighten the pathos. A passage of Seneca may help to illustrate this distinction. " Non vides, quanto aliter patres, aliter ma- " tres indulgeant? Illi excitari jubent liberos ad studia " obeunda mature, feriatis quoque diebus non patiuntur " esse otiosos, et sudorem illis, et interdum lacrymas ex- *' cutiunt : at matres fovere in sinu, continere in umbra ** volunt, nunquam flere, nunquam tristari, nunquam la- " borare." De Provid. cap. ii. torn. i. p. 306. ed. Elzev. 1672. D 34 SECTION III. Bishop Lowth, in the eleventh page of his Pre- liminary Dissertation, has the following words : " First, of parallel lines synonymous : that is, which " correspond one to another, by expressing the " same sense in different, but equivalent terms." Now, I must confess, it appears to me questionable whether there be any, and very certain that there are not many, parallelisms in Scripture, strictly syyionymous ; not many, perhaps not one, consecu- tive pair of lines, in which " the same sense" is ex- pressed " in different^ but equivalent terms." On this point, indeed, the excellent author of the dis- sertation himself seems to have felt some misgiv- ings : for, to the definition just cited, though in itself complete, and (assuming the subject-matter to be true) very clearly, adequately, and neatly ex- pressed, his Lordship annexed a supplemental eluci- dation. Conscious, it would seem, that his defini- tion did not accurately correspond with the phoe- nomena, he had recourse to guards and limitations ; and, it so happens, that those guards and limit- ations are at variance with, and destructive of, the original definition. The whole passage stands as follows : " Parallel lines synonymous ; that is, " which correspond one to another, by expressing *« the same sense, in different, but equivalent ** terms j when a proposition is delivered, and is SECT. III.] SACRED LITERATURE. 35 « immediately repeated, in the whole, 07^ in part, " the expression being varied, but the sense entirely « or nearly, the same.** (1) That is, (if we assume the definition to agree, as it ought to agree, with its further explanation, and their correspondent terms to be mutually convertible) a part may be equivalent to the whole ; and the same sense, may be not the same sense, but only an approximation to the same sense. The truth is, the Bishop's ex- planation should have led him to re-examine his definition ; to compare that definition with a suffi- cient number of scripture parallelisms from whence to form a safe induction ; or, at least, to try it closely by the test of his own examples : had his Lordship taken these steps, he might probably have seen cause to cast about for a nomenclature and a definition, more accordant with the real state of the case. The fact appears to be, that, (with the exception of those rare instances, where, for the sake of em- phasis, not only the same sense is repeated, but the same words) in the parallelisms commonly termed synonymous, the second, or responsive clause in- variably diversifies the preceding clause ; and ge- nerally so as to rise above it, forming a sort of climax in the sense. This last variety has been noticed and exemplified by Archbishop Newcome, in his Preface to Ezekiel (2) : but that learned Prelate would seem by no means to have suspected its frequent occurrence, much less its general pre- D 2 66 SACRED LITERATURE. f SECT. III. valence, in that class of parallelisms usually styled synonymous. Within a brief compass, this point cannot pro- bably be more fairly brought to issue, than by examining Bishop Lowth's own examples, of what he terms parallel lines synonymous ; to the critical student, I may venture to promise both inform- ation and satisfaction, if he will institute this in- quiry for himself; while, partly for his sake, but more ^especially for that of general readers, I shall produce, and observe upon, two of those examples, couched in the very language of the Bishop's own exact and elegant translation : O Jehovah, in thy strength the king shall rejoice ; And in thy salvation, how greatly shall he exult : The desire of his heart, thou hast granted him ; And the request of his lips, thou hast not denied. Psalm xxi, 12. The gradation of member above member, and line above line, in each couplet of this stanza, is unde- niable : " salvation" is an advance upon " strength •," and " how greatly shall he exult," an advance upon " he shall rejoice :" again, " the request of the lips," is something beyond " the desire of the heart," — it is desire brought into act. The gradation in the last members of the last two lines, may not be equally obvious ; but it is by no means less certain : " thou *' hast granted ; — thou hast not denied :" the ne- gative form is here much stronger than the positive ; for it is a received canon of biblical philology, that verbs of negation, or, what amounts to the same SECT. III.] SACRED LITERATURE. 37 thing, adverbs of negation prefixed to verbs, have, in such cases, the force of expressing the opposite affirmative with peculiar emphasis : — for example ; " the Lord will not Jiold him guiltless, who taketh his name in vain :" that is, will assuredly hold HIM GUILTY. Exod. XX. 7. Again : And he blesseth them, and they multiply greatly ; And their cattle he doth not diminish : Psalm cvii, 38. that is, he exceedingly increaseth. See Glass. Philol. Sacr. pp. 801. 988. or in Dathe's Edition, pp. 231, 411. On this principle, in the above passage of the twenty -first Psalm, thou hast not denied, means, thou hast assuredly or abundantly GRANTED. Seek ye Jehovah, while he may be found ; Call ye upon him, while he is near : Let the wicked forsake his way ; And the unrighteous man his thoughts : And let him return to Jehovah, and he will compassion- ate him ; And unto our God, for he aboundeth in forgiveness. Isaiah, Iv; 6, 7- In the first line, men are invited to seek Jehovah, not knowing where he is, and on the bare intelli- gence that he mai/ be found ; in the second line, having found Jehovah, they are encouraged to call upon him, by the assurance that he is near. In the third line, the wicked, the positive, and pre- sumptuous sinner, is warned to forsake his way, his habitual course of iniquity ; in the fourth line, the unrighteous, the negatively wicked, is called to D 3 58 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. III. renounce tJie very thought of sinning. While, in the last line, the appropriative and encouraging title OUR God, is substituted for the awful name of Jehovah ; and simple compassion is heightened into overflowing mercy and forgiveness. More might be added ; but it is enough to say, that all Bishop Lowth's examples of what he calls the Synonymous Parallelisms, might be examined in like manner, and with like success. And if, in any instance, the sense may, at the first view, appear to stand still, a nearer inspection will not fail to disclose some distinction of meaning ; and, in the great majority of cases, an unquestionable climax. On the whole, therefore, it would appear, that Bishop Lowth's definition of this species of paral- lelism ought to be corrected ; and, that the name also, should, at least, not be at variance with the thing. The term Progressive Parallelism would apply in all cases where there is a climax in the sense : but it may be preferable to use a term that will include other varieties : the anti-climaa: occa- sionally occurs, and with powerful effect ; some- times there is an ascent from species to genus, for the purpose of generalisation ; sometimes a descent from genus to species, for the purpose of particular- isation : with these, and other varieties in view, if I might venture to suggest a name, it should be the COGNATE PARALLELISM J in all sucli cascs, there is close relationship, though by no means absolute identity. This is no idle disquisition about words (S) : if things were not intimately concerned, it should SECT, III.] SACRED LITERATURE. 39 assuredly be spared. But it is no trifling object to rescue the language of Scripture from the imput- ation of gross tautology; an imputation which could not easily be repelled, if the Sacred Volume were admitted to abound in consecutive pairs of lines strictly synonymous, * But another, and not less important consideration remains. It can, I apprehend, be satisfactorily shown, that a great object of the duality of members in Hebrew poetry, accompanied by a distinction, and, commonly, either a progress or antithesis, in the sense of re- lated terms, clauses, and periods, is, to make inex- haustible provision for marking, with the nicest philosophical precision, the moral differences and relations of things. The Antithetic Parallelism serves to mark the broad distinctions between truth and falsehood, and good and evil : the Cognate Fa- rallelism discharges the more difficult and more critical function, of discriminating between differ- ent degrees of truth and good on the one hand, of falsehood and of evil on the other. And it is pro- bable, that full justice will not be done to the lan- ffuas-e, either of the Old Testament, or of the New, till interpreters qualified in all respects, and gifted alike with sagaciousness and sobriety of mind, shall accurately investigate these nice distinctions. One * The imputation is not new ; and the defence has been long since almost anticipated : <' Nothing is thought more imperti- *' nent in Scripture than the frequent repetitions : but the learned " need not to be told, that many things seem to the ignorant hare " repetitions, which yet ever bring along with them some light, " or some accession." — Boyle on the Style of Scripture, p. 90. D 4 40 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. III. or two specimens shall now be given, of passages exemplifying this moral discrimination : — . Who shall ascend the mountain of Jehovah? And who shall stand within his holy place? The clean of hands, and the pure in heart. Psalm xxiv. 3, 4- To ascend marks progress ; to standy stability and confirmation : the mounfain of Jehovah ; the site of the divine sanctuary ; his holy placey the sanctuary itself: and in correspondence with the advance of the tw^o lines which form the first couplet, there is an advance in the members of the third line : the clean of hands ; and the pure in heart : the clean of hands, shall ascend the mountain of Jehovah : the pure in heart, shall stand within his holy place. To this example, I gladly acknowledge that my atten- tion was directed by the greatest of the Latin Fa- thers : his words are deserving of consideration. *' Puto autem inter esse inter rectum corde, et mun- " dum corde. Nam et rectus corde in ea quce sunt *^ ante extenditur, ea quce retro swit ohliviscens, ut f* recto cursu, id est, recta fide et intentione per- " veniat, ubi habitet mundus corde. Sicut ilia ** singula reddenda sunt singulis, ubi dictum est : *^ Quis ascendet in montem Domini, aut quis stahit in ^^toco sancto, ejus ? Innocens manibus, et mundus corde, Innocens manibus ascendet ; et mundus corde stabit : illud in opere est, illud in fine." S. Augustin. De Perfectione Justitiae. cap. xv. torn. x. p. 183. ed. Bened. To the interpretation of this great man, I most heartily subscribe ; to his SECT. III.] SACRED LITERATURE, 41 use of that interpretation, and to the principles of the treatise in which it occurs, I would by no means unreservedly pledge myself. In combating the pernicious tenets of Pelagius, this " magnus opinator," to say the least, occasionally verged upon errors of an opposite kind. O the happiness of diat man, Who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly ; And hath not stood in the way of sinners ; And hath not sat in the seat of the scornful. Psalm i. i The exclamation with which the Psalm opens, belongs equally to each line of the succeeding triplet. In the triplet itself, each line consists of three members 5 and the lines gradually rise, one above the other, not merely in their general sense, but specially, throughout their correspondent mem- bers. To "walk, implies no more than casual intercourse ; to stand, closer intimacy ; to sit, fixed and permanent connection : the counsel, the ordinary place of meeting, or public resort ; the *way, the select and chosen foot-path ; the seat, the habitual and final resting-place ; the ungodly, negatively wicked ; , sinners, positively wicked ; the scornful, scoffers at the very name or notion of piety and ffoodness. This climax has been noted by a multitude of the best commentators, Jewish and Christian, ancient and modern. See Poole's Synopsis, De Muis, Moller, Viccars, Genebrard, &c. and parti- cularly Glass, Philol. Sacr. p. 2050 j or, in the edition 42 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. III. of Dathe, p. 1381: among Jewish interpreters Aben Ezra, among modern Christians, Junius, have been most exact in their analysis of the passage j Theo- doret, among the Fathers. The learned Gataker, (Ad vers. Misc. ap. Open Crit. tom. ii. p. I70, I7IO vehemently denies the existence of this triple climax ; and would work up this beautiful series of well-discriminated moral pictures, into one colourless and undistinguishable mass. * As the sentiments of this laborious and acute, but perhaps not very philosophical scholar, have, respecting this passage, been implicitly adopted by several commentators, from our English Poole, to the German Rosenmiiller, it may not be unserviceable to bring his argument to the test of a close, but fair examination. His argument is, that, if there be a cUmcLV in the scale of wickedness, there must, of necessity, be an anti'Climaa: in the scale of goodness ; it certainly implying much less virtue to be exempt from the highest, than from the lowest degree of vice. " If,'* says he, ** we understand the Psalmist to say, " * Beatus is est, qui nee cum improbe affectis con- " < silium inierit ; nee cum prave viventium artibus * I subjoin Gataker's own words : — " Quaenam ergo, dicat " quis, hymnographi meus genuina ? Hoc certe : eumvere bea- " turn esse hominem, qui ab omni prorsus cum improbis impiis- ** que, qua stmt tales, commercio atque consortio alienum se " prcBstiterit,'' " Clear, and cold, like a fine frosty night." Had the Psalmist written thus, we might say, "Very true:" but should we be affected, penetrated, and morally amended ? I doubt not. SECT. III.] SACRED LITERATURE. 43 " < malis se immiscuerit ; nee cum obfirmatis in ma- " ' leficio obstinate perstiterit,' — the sense will not ** rise, but sink ; the first exemption being greater " than the second ; and the second, in like manner, *< greater than the third : a frigidity, and frivolity, " which it were monstrous to impute to the Royal « Psalmist." Now, admitting, for a moment, this reasoning to be dialectically and forensically just, it might per- haps, be sufficient to reply, that the first Psalm is neither a logical disputation, nor a judicial pleading, but an affecting poem ; and, after citing an observ- ation of professor Michaelis, that, ** aliter poetas " vates. tractabit, aliter merus grammaticus *,'' to add from Bishop Lowth, himself not less a reasoner than a poet, that, " In dialectica flagitium, in poe-» ** tica mterdum est virtus, quia nimirum illic ratio, << hie affectus dominatur :" t that in poetry, the object is not so much ratiocinative conviction, as a powerful impression on the moral man, thi'ough the medium of the imagination and affections ; and that, in a poem, that order is the most judicious, which reserves for the last, the strongest and most im^ pressive matter ; in the present instance, for ex^ ample, the picture of obdurate pertinacity in evil. But it would seem that the learned author of the " Adversaria" may be resisted on other, and on stronger grounds. It may, as I conceive, be justly argued, that he did not accurately conceive the * Praef. ad Lowthi Prael. p. vi. t Prsel. de Sacr. Poes. xxiii. p. 270. 44 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. III. meaning of those, who find a climax in this disputed verse ; and indeed, that he did not sufficiently keep in view the Psalmist's own avowed object. The alleged climax is an ascending series, not in the scale of moral goodness, but in the scale of con- scious happiness, flowing out of an exemption from certain stages of moral evil : and, in each of the ascending terms, the consciousness of happiness must be measured by the magnitude of the evil from which the good man is exempted : a mode of understanding the passage in strict accordance with the main object of the Psalmist, who exclaims not, O the goodness^ but O the happiness, &c. Now con- scious and reflective happiness must, as we have said* be measured by the magnitude of the evil avoided or escaped : the man who has escaped from ship- wreck, will feel more happy in the sense of his deliverance, than the man who has escaped a shower of rain ; though, at the same time, the latter has re- ceived less positive injury, and retains more positive comforts, than the former : and, transferring this mode of reasoning to the case of a single individual, he, who, at one period of his life, has been delivered from a greater, and, at another period of his life, fix)m a less evil, whether of mind, body, or estate, will enjoy most reflective happiness, when his thoughts revert to the more considerable evil. On the supposition, then, of a climax in the contested verse, (and if there be not a climax, how account for so accurate a gradation, of such nicely selected words ?) the Psalmist surely did well, in reserving SECT. III.] SACRED LITERATURE. 45 for the last, not an exemption from the lowest stage of moral evil, but, an exemption from that awful, and perhaps irreversible state, in which wickedness becomes the settled habit of the soul : this last ex- emption may, indeed, be justly accounted a low stage of moral deliverance : but what good man will not, at the very mention of it, be powerfully affected, (as we read of the great Boerhaave,) by the thought, that such, but for the providence and grace of God, might now have been his own state ? The sense of present happiness is thus unspeakably heightened by the force of contrast : nor is this the whole : a salutary dread is thus infused, of the first and fatal step, which might ultimately issue in such hopeless consequences ; while, where the climax is thus alarming, the mind is admirably prepared by the painful ascent, to repose in the delightful and refreshing imagery of the next verses : But his delight is in the law of Jehovah ; And in his law will he meditate day and night : And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water ; That bringeth forth its fruit in its season : Its leaf also shall not wither ; And whatsoever it produceth shall prosper. * Psalm \.2yS. It must be mentioned, that in a passage lately cited, which bears some resemblance to the first * In preserving the metaphor unbroken to the close of the third verse, I am supported by several judicious critics : espe- cially by Faber and Knapp. 46 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. III. verse of the first Psalm, the order of the climax is reversed : Let the wicked forsake his way ; And the unrighteous man his thoughts. Isaiah, Iv. 6. The " way of the wicked," in Isaiah, is clearly equivalent to " the way of sinners," in the Psalm ; and ** the thoughts of the unrighteous," are tan- tamount to " the counsel of the ungodly." But why is the order inverted ? For this plain reason, that the object of Isaiah is, not to illustrate conscious happiness, but to enforce moral rectitude; a de- sign, which demands a descent in the scale of evil, in order to an ascent in the scale of good. " Let " the confirmed sinner forsake his evil practices ; — " but this is not enough ; let him whose faults have " been rather negative than positive, put away even " his unrighteous thoughts : the very thought of « wickedness is sin." One more example of moral gradation will suffice : Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness ; Ye that seek Jehovah : Hearken unto me, my people ; And my nation, give ear unto me : Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness ; The people in whose heart is my law. Isaiah, li. L 4. 7. The ascent in this three-fold classification, is very manifest. The faithful Jews are addressed, first, as in pur- suit of righteousness, as seeking Jehovah (a clause, it SECT. III.] SACRED LITERATURE. 47 may be observed, harmonising with St. Matt. vi. S3.) : secondly, as, in consequence of that pursuit, ac- cepted and acknowledged, as God's people, and nation : and lastly, as knowing that righteousness, which before they had only pursued ; and, as having so found Jehovah, that his law is writte?i in their heart. Each distich has an ascent within itself; the second line rising above the first : each distich, also, is the commencement of an appropriate address; 1. to aspirants after true religion; 2. to persons admitted within its sphere ; and 3. to those who have made good proficiency in holiness and virtue. A further nicety is observable : to the first class, the invitation is simply " Hearken unto me ;'* it is not again repeated; probably, because such repetition was needless ; the people ai'e described as " seeking Jehovah ;" and, when Jehovah himself was pleased to invite them to hear, their earnest expectation, would, at the very first call, secure, on their part, a promptness of attention : to the third class, in like manner, but one invitation is given ; for God's law is in their heart ; and the religious affection of this class, would ensure attention yet more infallibly, than the religious ea:citement of the former : but, to the middle class, the invitation is earnestly repeated ; hearken unto ine : give ear unto me : for their very advance in religion might render them comparatively inattentive : they had proceeded so far, as to lose the perturbed anxiety of the first class ; they had not proceeded far enough, to attain the matured affection of the last ; and, precisely in 48 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. III. such a state, it would be most necessary to stimulate attention and keep it alert, by a reiterated call, accompanied with a two-fold memento of this re- lation to HIM who called them : hearken unto me ; give ear unto me : my people ; my nation. Bishop Lowth, it should be stated, reads, and renders, the fourth verse otherwise ; following the Bodley MS. and a few others, of inferior value : Attend unto me, O ye peoples ; And give ear unto me, O ye nations. " The difference," his Lordship deserves, " is ** very considerable : for, in this case, the address is " made, not to the Jews, but to the Gentiles, as <* in all reason, it ought to be ; for this, and the two " following verses express the call of the Gentiles, " the islands, or the distant lands, on the coasts of " the Mediterranean and other seas." The change however, (though supported by the Syr. Vers.) seems to be at once needless, and injurious: injurious, because it would make an ungraceful and violent transition, destructive of the unity of the passage ; and needless, because, in several other instances, the calling of the Gentiles is announced to the Jews, as a future blessing in which they themselves are deeply interested : how deeply, we learn from St. Paul, Rom. xi. 24. 26. As the received text stands, there appears a beautiful gradation : 1 . In- cipients in religion are encouraged by the comforts of the Gospel : 2. To those more advanced in re- ligion, and consequently better able to look beyond SECT. III.] SACRED LITERATURE. 49 their own individual well-being, the calling of the Gentiles is foretold : 3. To those who are rooted and grounded in love, the final conflict and victory of the Messiah, with the consequent happiness and glory of his universal Church, are described in the most glowing terms. It is to be noted, that neither Dathe nor Rosen- miiller has adopted Bishop Lowth's alteration of the text. NOTES ON SECTION III. (1) Bishop Lowth's definition of the ^nonymous parallel- isvi,"] That given in the " Praelectiones," is perhaps less exceptionable, though far from exact : it comprises within itself, its own limitation, " Primam constitumit speciem " parallela synonyma; cum, proposita quacunque senten- " tia, eadem denuo exprimitur aliis verbis, idem fere t« significantibus." Prael. xix. p. 208. " The first spe- " cies is the synonymous parallelism, when the same sen- " timent is repeated, in different, but [nearly] equivalent " terms." Dr. Gregory's Translat. vol. ii. p. 35. An important word, omitted by the translator, is here sup- plied : how came Dr. G. to suppress the fere of his original ? Was it from a mistaken notion of, by that means, conforming to the language of the " Preliminary Dissertation " ? It should not be overlooked, that Bishop Lowth, in his fourth Preelection, throws out a hint, which he never afterward follows up : and which, if pro- perly followed up, must have led to the discovery of an ascending scale in this class of parallelisms : " Idem ite- '' rant, variant, augent." Page 50. " They repeat, they^ E 50 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. III. " vary^ they amplify the same sentiment." Greg. TransL vol, i. p. 100. (2) Archbishop Ne^wcome, in his Preface to Ezekiel.'] The following are his Grace's words: p. 39, 40. "From the " various examples of ornament and elegance which might " be produced, I shall select a very few ; and those of that " particular class, where the follomng clauses so diversify ** the preceding ones, as to rise above them: " To bring him that is bound out of the dungeon ; -" And them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house : Isaiah, xlii. 7. *' Who maketh a way in the sea ; " And a path in the mighty waters. *' Jehovah is a great God ; " And a great king above all Gods. Isaiah, xUii, 16. Psalm xcv. 2. " O Jehovah my God, thou art very great; " Thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Psalm civ. 1." The Archbishop adds other examples ; which, indeed, though true and fair specimens of gradation, are by no means the most striking that might have been selected; but all of which, together with those here extracted, Bishop Lowth would inevitably have classed among syno- nymous parallelisms. (^) No idle disquisition about words,'] The sense of words, however, is not to be trifled with. And I am sorry to be under the necessity of remarking, that the doctrine of SYNONYMOUS PARALLELISM has exercised an influence very far from favourable, on the modern lexicography of Scripture. The assumed synonyme of periods, members, or lines, has, in many instances, occasioned the consequent assumptioTi, that, in the Alexandrine translators, of the Old SECT. III.] SACRED LITERATURE. 51 Testament, and Alexandrine translators or authors of the Apocrypha, words are synonymous^ which, in all other writers, have totally diverse meanings. The same principle has been applied to several words and passages in the New Testament ; and if it proceed to be thus applied, this will be one reason, in addition to many others, for serious apprehension, that, from those philological works which students are more and more taught to respect, as guides to the critical knowledge of scripture, much confusion, much obscurity, repeated contradictions, and a fatal habit of explaining away the most pregnant truths of Christianity, may be superinduced upon, or rather substituted for, our manly, sound, and unsophisticated English theology. This is not a place for protracted philological discussion. But I would earnestly exhort those biblical students, who may happen to use, (as, nsoith proper caution, all ad- vanced students will find it their advantage to use) the Lexicons of Spohn and Schleusner for the New Testament, and those of Schleusner and Bretschneider, for the Septuagint and Apocrypha*, to be particu- larly on their guard against alleged identity of mean- ing, in words whose ordinary acceptation is any thing but synonymous. In such cases, let the cited passages be carefully examined ; and I venture to affirm, that, instead of synonyme, there will almost universally be found an important variation of meaning, between the related mem- bers : commonly a progress in the sense ; but always such a variation, as will quite supersede the necessity of resort- ing to an unusual, much less an unprecedented, acceptation of the terms employed. I had selected many examples of erroneous, and, as I think, dangerous interpretation, from Schleusner and Bretschneider ; but a necessary attention to brevity, especially on a subject, in this work, but col- * With the particular error, against which I here thought it my duty to protest, I do not think Biel chargeable. E 2 52 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. III. lateral and incidental, has deteimined me to suppress them. It is with no invidious, or controversial purpose, or feel- ing, that I have given this caution. I am simply zealous to maintain the truth and purity of Scripture ; to promote, so far as in me lies, the acceptance of scripture language in its just and proper meaning ; and to protest against all novel- ties of interpretation, which may tend, in any degree, to render that language vague, uncertain, unsettled, and indis- criminativco 53 SECTION IV. It is the object of the present section ta pro- duce, and sometimes to observe upon, certain varieties in the poetical parallehsm, unnoticed as such by Bishop Lowth, or by subsequent writers on the subject. There are stanzas so constructed, that, whatever be the number of Hues, the first Hne shall be paral- lel with the last ; the second with the penultimate ; and so throughout, in an order that looks inward, or, to borrow a military phrase, from flanks to centre. This may be called the introverted parak lelism : — My son, if thine heart be wise; My heart also shall rejoice ; Yea, my reins shall rejoice ; When thy lips speak right things. Prov. xxiii. 15, 16. Unto thee do I lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens ; Behold, as the eyes of servants to the hands of their masters ; As the eyes of a maiden to the hand of her mistress: Even so look our eyes to Jehovah our God, until he have mercy upon us. Psalm cxyiiiu 1, 2. E 3 54 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. IV. From the hand of hell I will redeem them ; From death I will reclaim them : Death ! I will be thy pestilence ; Hell ! I will be thy burning plague. Hosea, xiii. 14. See Bishop Horsley. And I saw as the colour of electrum ; As the appearance of fire round about within it : From the appearance of the loins even upward ; And from the appearance of the loins even down- I saw as the appearance of fire ; [ward : And it had brightness round about. Ezekiel, i. 27. And it shall come to pass in that day ; Jehovah shall make a gathering of his fruit : From the flood of the river ; Iscil, Euphrates.] To the stream of Egypt : And ye shall be gleaned up, one by one ; O ye sons of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day ; The great trumpet shall be sounded : And those shall come, who were perishing in the land of Assyria ; And who were dispersed in the land of Egypt ; And they shall bow themselves down before Jehovah ; In the holy mountain, in Jerusalem. Isaiah, xxvii. 12, 13. In these two stanzas of Isaiah, figuratively in the first, and literally in the second, is predicted the return of the Jews from their several dis- persions. The first line of each stanza is parallel with the sixth; the second with the fifth; and the third with the fourth : also, on comparing the stanzas one with another, it is manifest, that SECT. IV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 55 they are constructed with the utmost precision of mutual correspondence ; clause harmonising with clause, and line respectively with line: the first line of the first stanza with the first line of the second, and so throughout. It is extraordinary that the peculiarity of construction in this passage should have escaped the penetration of Bishop Lowth : in the first stanza, his distribution of the clauses into lines is subversive of the order mani- festly designed by the prophet ; yet, so indestruc- tible is that order, that it is here exhibited in the precise language of the Bishop's own version, without the translocation of a single word. The stanzas are merely separated ; the lines properly dis- tributed, and the parallelisms distinctly marked. (1) A difficult passage in the Psalms may, perhaps, derive some partial elucidation from a simple re- duction to this form of stanza : — Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee : The passengers in whose heart are the ways ; In the valley of Baca make it a spring, The rain also filleth the pools; They go from strength to strength; He shall appear before God in Zion. Psalm Ixxxiv. 5 — 7. The first and sixth lines are here considered, at once, as constructively parallel, and as affording a continuous sense (see the Obs. on Deut. xxxii. 4^. in Sect. II. p. 29.): the intermediate four lines may be accounted parenthetical ; the second, construe tively parallel with the fifth; and the third with E 4 56 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. IV. the fourth. The first Une seems to contain the character of a confirmed proficient in rehgion, — his strength is in God ; the sixth hne, to describe his final beatification, — he shall appear before God in Zion. The intermediate quatrain may be re- o-arded as descriptive of the intermediate course pursued by those who desire to be good and happy : they are passengers ; but they know their destination, and they long for it; at a distance from the temple, (the mystical " sapientum templa serena,") they are anxious to arrive there; the very highways to Jerusalem are in their heart. And what is the consequence ? Affection smooths all difficulties : the parched and sandy desert be- comes a rich well-watered valley ; and they cheer- fully advance from strength to strength ; from one degree of virtuous proficiency to another. Whether the above distribution throws any light on the passage, it is for others to determine : com- mentators have been so perplexed by it, that even a total failure cannot be attended with disgrace ; while partial success may be serviceable to those who shall come after. On one clause, the com- mentary of Euthymius is so beautiful, that I can- not help inserting it : gjc Zvya[xsoos si; 8yv«jx]v agsTYiv sxj(re., 8*8ou S'aya-^ov ts, koixov ts, HoM. Odyss, 0. 63, In celebrating the affection of the muse for Demodocus, Homer properly begins and closes with her bounties; ayct^ov — Yi^sioLV oLOi'^riv : her less enviable gifts, the result of studious application, xaxov — o3T0» T a.gpy]TOi ts, AiOj (/.syaKoio exyjxi* pe»a jw,£v yag ^giotsi, pja 5e ^giuovTot ^othsTrrsr psiu 8* agil^YiKov /xivy-S^si, xaj a8>jXov as^er E^y* xcn i^fjt,5g, 1, Pierian Muses, ever-tuneful choir, Chaunt grateful hymns to Jove, your bounteous sire : Our lot as mortals, nameless or of name. Much praised or praiseless, by Jove's mandate came ; With ease he lifts the low, the haughty bends ; The lofty levels, and the poor befriends. Our own Spenser has an epanodos, in which promi- nence is given, not to the elevation of the lowly, but to the depression of the exalted, and the impoverishment of the wealthy.: SECT. IV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 73 He pulleth donxsne^ he setteth up on hy ; He gives to this, from thai lie takes a*way. Faerie Qiieene, B. v. Cant. ii. st. 41. By the same figure, the stern Juvenal, after his man- ner, gives prominence to the hateful, rather than to the ludicrous ; to the colossal vices, than to the pigmy port and presence, of his contemporaries : Terra malos homines nunc educat, atque pusillos, Ergo Deus quicunque aspicit, ridet et odit. Sat, XV. 70. A vriCKED brood earth now brings forth, and *weak^ Which every God who sees, derides and hates. Malos, pusillos; ridet, odit; pusillos ridet; odit malos: derides the weak ; hates the wicked. Nor is this artifice unobservable, even in prose writers; for example : Btov gfersXeo-gv svasSoov kch ZiKocioTrgctyMv, Trgos rs uv^goo7rov§ koli deou?. Diod. Sicul. p. 32. " He closed life " with acts of piety and justice, towards both men and " Gods.." Piety towards the Gods; justice towards men: piety is placed first, the Gods are placed last, fi:om a sense of religious decorum. " Ad hoc, quos manus atque " lingua, perjurio et sanguine civili, alebat." Sail, de Bell. Catal. c. xiv. Manus, sanguine civili ; lingua, perjurio. To the murder of fellow-citizens, as to the more atrocious crime, the historian gives prominence. These last two passages, have been cited by Miinthe ; Observ. Philol. on S. Matt. vii. 6. and Philem. 5. A fine example of this construction is afforded by Lucian, while citing, amplify- ing, and illustrating, the memorable and great-hearted saying of Thucydides : Y^neq ej to Tragov uycjovKTfLa' acci |x>) TO /xudwSsj acTra^ccrdai' aXXoL T>jv aA>)de)v uKvi^eiccv. See Hemsterhus. Luc. vol. ii. p. 55, Eternity and truth are first and last. This figure, however, as might naturally be expected, prevails most in poetry : and indeed Hesiod tells us, that the Muses were fond of it ; taking special care to assign to themselves the commencement and the close, and, not very respectfully, relegating to the centre the rest of the im- mortals : xcii ju,e xsAov^' u[ji,veiv [x^ocxugMV ysvo^ cciev eovroov, (r(pug I'uvTus tt^cotov re xa< vfsgov aiev aoihiv. Ssoyov, 33. I shall close this long note with a slight, but not unin- teresting particular: in the customary form of Arabian salutation there is a beautiful epanodos: " When the " Arabs salute one another, it is generally in these terms, *' Saldm aleikum, Peace be 'with you: in speaking these *' words, they lay the right hand on the heart. The an- *' swer is, Aleikum essaldm, With you he peace,^^ Niebuhr. quoted by Dr. Harmer. Obs. vol. ii. p. 328. ed. 1808. Peace begins the salutation ; and it ends with peace. 75 SECTION V. The poetical or sententious parallelism, some varieties of which have been exemplified in the preceding sections, is variously distributed through the writings of the Old Testament : sometimes it is continuous and unmixed ; as in the Psalms, Proverbs, and Canticles : sometimes it charac- terises the main body of a work, with a prosaic introduction and conclusion ; as in the book of Job : sometimes it predominates throughout a whole book, with occasional intermixture of nar- rative in prose ; as in most of the prophets (1) : and sometimes, on the contrary, it forms the ex- ception ; the general texture of the composition being unquestionable prose ; as in the historical books, and, we may add, the book of Ecclesias- tes. (2) Again, it is to be observed, that, with the exception of a few partial failures, the charac- ter and complexion of Hebrew poetry have been very competently preserved in that body of Greek translations, composed at different times, by dif- ferent persons, and known under the name of the Septuagint Version. Nor should it be omitted, that the Hebraic parallelism occurs also, with much variety, in the Apocrypha (3) : the book of Ecclesiasticus, for example, is composed of pure parallehsms : the Book of Wisdom, too, affords fine specimens of this manner, though it is com- 76 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. V. monly overlaid by the exuberant and vicious rhetoric of the Alexandrine Platonists ; while, not to mention other parts of the Apocryphal writings, in Tobit and the books of Maccabees there are examples both of lyric and didactic poetry, clothed in parallelisms which will hardly shrink from com- parison with several in the genuine Hebrew Scrip- tures. One other fact remains : namely, that, in the sententious Jor/ww/fi^ of the Rabbinical writers, the manner of Hebrew poetry is frequently ob- served, with much accuracy, though with a mani- fest declension of spirit. (4) The above circumstances appear worthy of con- sideration: and, if attentively considered, they may, probably, both suggest, and authorise, a few anticipations respecting the style of the New Testament. Here we have been examining a mode of composition, applied almost exclusively to sacred subjects; admitting considerable varie- ties ; and, in all those varieties, more or less pre- valent throughout the entire Old Testament; a manner, alike perfect in the sublime ode, the tender elegy, and the didactic aphorism ; carefully retained, by the most ancient translators of the Hebrew Scriptures; happily imitated, by a suc- cession of Jewish writers, whose authority is all but sacred; fondly, though feebly, cherished by those Rabbinical teachers who preceded, and who survived, the destruction of the Jewish polity ; and, what is of considerable importance in our present enquiry, a manner completely naturalised in the Greek language, by the Alexandrine ver-* SECT, v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 77 sionists ; and even by original Greek writers, in some of the books termed Apocryphal. Now, the question may be confidently asked, is it in any degree probable, that such a manner should have been abruptly and altogether discarded in the New Testament ? Does not the very suppo- sition run counter to all the analogies, afforded by the works of him who was the inspirer of both portions of the Sacred Volume ? In the wide ex- panse of nature, there is no abruptness of transi- tion. The forms indeed, and the colourings, are infinitely various ; but so harmonically blended, and so nicely shaded off, that it is impossible to define, with accuracy, where one begins, and where another ends. And if this be so in God's inani- mate works, shall we not much more expect the same keeping, the same congruity amidst variety, throughout his living word ? In the latter, we can- not suppose that even the style and manner were fortuitous : design pervades the whole matter of both Testaments ; and unity is the soul of that design ; but the matter and manner of Scripture are, beyond the matter and manner of any other body of writings, most intimately connected ; so intimately connected, that unity of matter de- mands and implies, in this divine book, a corre- spondent unity of manner. And, on this ground alone, we may reasonably conclude, that a manner largely prevalent in the Old Testament, cannot be relinquished in the New. This question may, however, be regarded in another and a more popular light. Let us only 78 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. V. consider, what the New Testament is, and by whom it was written. It is a work siippletory to, and perfective of, the Old ; composed under the same guidance that superintended the composition of the Old ; written by native Jews, Hebrews of the Hebrews ; by men whose minds had, from infancy, been moulded after the form and fashion of their own sacred writings ; and whose whole stock of literature (except in the case of St. Paul, and probably of St. Luke and St. James) was com- prised in those very writings : now, surely, it is improbable in the extreme, that such men, when they came to write such a work, should, without any assignable motive, and in direct opposition to all other religious teachers of their nation, have estranged themselves from a manner so pervading the noblest parts of the Hebrew Scriptures, as the sententious parallelism. Of such an estrangement, no less can be said than this, that it would imply a constraint and pressure upon the natural move- ments of minds so disciplined and trained, alto- gether inconsistent with that ease, and freedom, and simplicity, which characterise the style of the New Testament, from its commencement to its close. While, with respect to him, who spake as never man spake, and who had all varieties ot language at his command, it was so much his usage, in every allowable method and degree, to accommodate his manner to the tastes and pre- judices of his countrymen, that his departure from it in this instance, would have been perhaps a solitary departure : and, leaving out of con- SECT, v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 79 sideration, for the present, the native and im- perishable excellencies of the Hebrew parallel- ism (5), it is not easy to imagine a particular, in which our blessed Lord could have more safely become, like his great follower, to the Jews a Jew, than in the adoption of a manner, at once familiar to their understanding, agreeable to their taste, and consecrated, by a thousand associations with their best and happiest religious feelings. But this, after all, is no question of probabilities : it must be decided by an experimental appeal to facts ; and facts bearing on the subject are neither difficult to be found, nor hard to be stated. It has been, for many years, my first literary object to search the Scriptures of the New Testament, for facts of the nature alluded to j for passages, namely, which bear evident marks of intentional conformity to the Hebrew parallelism ; a selection of those passages I have examined with all the at- tention in my power ; and the result of my exa- mination, I propose to give in the following pages of this work. It remains for me, however, before closing this last of my preliminary sections, to address a few words to the indulgent reader. The subject on which I am about to enter is confes- sedly new ; as such, it demands the production of original matter ; and a new method of arranging, exhibiting, and examining, matter which is not original. In such an undertaking, it were pre- sumptuous to expect exemptions from oversights and errors ; but it is my hope, and it shall be my effort, that no unpardonable oversight, and no 80 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. V. gross error, may disgrace these pages : and, if I succeed thus far, 1 feel confident in the humanity and equity of those who are to pass judgment on my labours, that offences of a lighter nature will not be severely dealt with. In an enquiry like the present, it cannot be ex- pected, that, at this, or indeed at any subsequent stage of it, I am, or can be, largely prepared with authorities corroborative of my leading views ; facts, for the most part, are my sole authorities. There is, however, no lack, if I may use the expression, of preparative authorities; that is, matured opinions of learned and able men, legitimately deduced from facts well ascertained, which, though they do not go the length of asserting, or even intimating, the frequent occurrence of Hebrew parallelism in the New Testament, yet may, and, in my judgment, ought to produce so77ie expectation, that such fre- quent occurrence mai/ be proved; and, conse- quently, may, and ought to prepare intelligent readers, for the patient, candid, and unprejudiced reception of such proofs of that frequency, as I have been able to collect, and am about to submit for public consideration. A brief sketch of those preparative authorities is all that I can pretend, or afford, to give in my text; a few extracts from, and references to, the authors from whom they are derived, shall be added in the Notes. It is certain, then, in the first place, that the New Testament is not written in a purely Greek style (6); that there is a marked difference between SECT, v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 81 its manner, and that of the writers called classical j that this difference is by no means confined to single words, or combinations of words, but per- vades the whole structure of the composition ; and that, in frequent instances, a poetical manner is observable, which, not only is not known, but would not be tolerated, in any modern production, purporting to be prose. (7) In the next place, it is to be observed, that certain writers have noticed in the New Testament an arrangement of the periods, corresponding with the Hebrew verses ; not, indeed, in their opinion, those of Hebrew poetry, but such as are found in the historical books: while other critics and commentators have, in a few instances, detected and described unquestion- able specimens of Hebrew parallelism, (which, it will be recollected, is the grand characteristic of Hebrew poetry,) in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke j and have admitted their occur- rence in the Revelation of St. John. (8) Further than this, any writers, with whose works I am ac- quainted, have not gone. It remains to be en- quired, with due caution indeed, but, at the same time, with proper freedom and independence of mind, whether facts do not warrant us to go con- siderably further. I will only express my hope, that, in several of those examples from the New Testament, which I am about to produce, an identity of manner with the Old Testament poetry will be discoverable at the first glance ; and, while I admit, that, in other examples, a closer scrutiny may be demanded, X 82 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. V. must mention, once for all, that if, in any particular case, the resemblance may not appear to be satis- factorily made out, that example may be dismissed from the reader's mind, without any prejudice to the general argument. NOTES TO SECTION V. (1) The 'projphetical jpoetry of the Heb?'eivs.^ It has been observed by Bishop Lowth, in his Nineteenth Prelection, that sometimes the nature of the parallelism is very subtile and obscure ; and must be developed by art and ability, in distinguishing the different members of the sentences, and in distributing the pauses, rather than by depending upon the obvious construction. The truth of this observation has been practically illustrated by those distinguished scholars who succeeded his Lordship in translating the prophets. They have been by no means agreed, either in their distribution of parallelisms, or even in their decision what books, or parts of books, are to be accounted po- etical ; or, if poetical, are to be exhibited in the poetic form. " Doubts must always remain," says Archbishop Newcome, " not only as to the division of particular " lines which appear to have a poetical cast, but as to pas- ** sages of some length, whether they resolve themselves " into metre or not. Bishop Lowth thinks that the " prophet Haggai is wholly prosaic : but, before this au- " thority was observed, the following translation had been " formed, on the conjecture that great part of this book " admitted of a metrical division." Minor Prophets, Pref. p. 15. Dr. Blayney distributes the first, fifth, and seventh chapters of Zechariah, as unmingled prose; Archbishop Newcome has exhibited those chapters, with a considerable mixture of verses : again. Archbishop Newcome, with the SECT, v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 83 exception of one or two short paragraphs, divides the whole book of Hosea into parallelisms; while Bishop Horsley, in his translation of the same prophet, disclaims any attempt at metrical arrangement, on the alleged grounds, that the division of hemistichs is not preserved in MSS. by masoretic punctuation, or otherwise; and that the parallelism, the only remaining guide, is, in many, or most parts of that book, exceedingly imperfect, inter- rupted, and obscure : yet his Lordship, at the same time, admits that the style of Hosea is poetical in the very highest degree; that it possesses all the characters by which poetry, in any language, is distinguished from prose; and that some of Bishop Lowth's choicest examples of parallelism, the great principle of Hebrew versification, are taken from this prophet. Preface to Hosea, p. xliii. xliv. It is presumed, that the absence of masoretic ac- centuations of Hebrew verse, will hardly justify Bishop Horsley's omission : in the books undoubtedly poetical, those accentuations often need to be rectified ; and, when they are correctly placed, they follow the parallelism; therefore, wherever they are not clearly supei-fluous, they are an encumbrance, and not an aid. But, however this may be, the acknowledged difficulties in always distinguish- ing the parallelisms of the Old Testament, (difficulties which, I am persuaded, time, and a more perfect know- ledge of the subject, will hereafter remove) may prepare us to expect similar difficulties in the first application of Bishop Lowth's principles to the New Testament; yet, as in the former instance, these obstacles have not prevented several attempts from being crowned with reasonable suc- cess ; neither should their occasional recurrence in the present case, tempt us to relinquish our undertaking in despair. (2) The hooJc of Ecclesiastes.'] The substratum of this book is unquestionably prose : but equally unquestionable, and very elegant verses are frequently induced upon it. Mr. Desvoeux, in his Philol. Observ. on Ecclesiastes, p. 341, &c. seems to have been the first who maintained this G g 84 SACRED LITERATURE. j^SECT. V. opinion: Bishop Lowth had been originally disposed to think the work altogether prose; but, in a subsequent edition of his Prselections, he cheerfully acceded to the sentiments of Mr. Desvoeux. See Prael. xxiv. p. 279. Edit. Rosenm. Hebrew poetry would seem to be intro- duced pretty much in the same proportion, into the New Testament, as into the book of Ecclesiastes. (3) Hebraic parallelism in the Apocrypha. "l Bishop Lowth (Prael. xxiv.) does not scruple to state, that the two didactic books of Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach, and that which is entitled the Wisdom of Solo- mon, though extant only in Greek prose, may justly claim the distinction of Hebrew poetry. The twenty-fourth chapter of Ecclesiasticus has been translated by the Bishop into Hebrew verses ; to which translation it may be sufficient to refer the reader, as a proof how completely the Son of Si- rach had imbibed the spirit of poetical parallelism. From that finest of the apocryphal books, I^shall adduce one short specimen ; which will be followed by examples from the books of Wisdom, Tobit, and first Maccabees : from these, and from other apocryphal writings, it were easy to accumu- late specimens of like character: but my object is merely to shew, within a brief compass, that the traditional chain of Hebrew poetical composition was preserved unbroken among the Jews, even at a period when their ancient lan- guage had ceased to be vernacular. eXsy^ov (piXov, jxijTrore outc STroiYicrs' xa» e» Ti e'CTOjyjcre, (JiYfTroTs 'urgoa-^v] : eXey^ov rov (pi\ov, ixyjtots ova sitts* KOLi £{ ej^yjxev, Iva |Ur>j ScUT£^«;(r>j : sXey^ov j y\cojv* xui evgicrKsrat vtto toov ^yjrouvrcov auTvjv* (p^avsi Tovg sTn^vu.ovvrus Tjypoyvooa-^rivcn : 6 op^gijTOj e< (tu 6 ^eo^, iv 'Z^ucFYj ivXoyiu KU^agoi kui ayici : G 3 86 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT V. xai svKoysiraKTuv as 6i uyioi cov-, xai 'STUVTSs 6» uyysKoi (TOv, KCX.I 01 SXASXTOI cov, ivXoyeiTcocTOLV as sic, Tovg uioovct^. euXoyrjTOj si, on •t\u<^qixva.i jics, xaj oux sysvsro ixoi xadwj vttsvoovv, uXXa xara to ztoXv sXsog aov STTOiriaus /xe-^' ^jaoov : svXoyriTog ei, hi YiXsYjactg dvo [xovoysvsii, ^jTOiriaov avTOiSy Zsa'JtoTU, sXsog' (TUVTsXsaov T7)v ^MYjv uoTMv sv vyisiu, [xsr svfgoavvYig xui sXsovg, Tobit, viii. 15—18. Worthy art thou to be praised, O God ; With all pure and holy praise : And let thy saints praise thee ; And all thy creatures ; And all thine angels ; And thine elect ; Let them praise thee for evermore ! To be praised art thou ; for thou hast made me joyful ; And it hath not been with me as I apprehended ; But according to thy great mercy hast thou dealt with us : To be praised art thou ; for thou hast been merciful to two only-begotten children ; Fulfil to them, O Lord, thy mercy ; Complete their life in healthfulness ; With joyfulness, and mercy. /xufyj^iov ^aaiXeoog xuXov xgv^ai' rot ds cgyoc rov 0sou oLVuxocXvTrrsiv sydo^ov * : ayct^QV ^oi€iTSy xai x.a.xov ov^ evgriasi vpi^ug* uyu^ov zjgoasv^ri jasra VYifsiac, xai sXsrjfxoavvYiCf xoci ^ixai- oavvYig* uyu^ov TO oXiyov jaera lixuioa-vvrjc, t] ttoXv {xsru a^ixictg* * So the Complut. edit. ; others read e)/5o|ws. SECT v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 8? sXsv}[ji.oarvvvi yug sk ^uvoltou pusTctf xa< «UT>j UTTOTCU^otgisi 'BTOicrciV ajxagTiav : 01 ^e ujJi^ctgTuvovTeg, 'uroKef/.toi skti TY^g ktxvToov ^oorig^ T'oMtyXU, 7—10. The secret of a king it is proper to keep close ; But the works of God it is honourable to unveil : Do good, and evil shall not find you ; Good is prayer, with fasting, almsgiving, and justice ; Good is a little with justice, rather than much with in- justice ; It is better to give alms, than to treasure up gold : For almsgiving delivereth from death ; And the same shall purge away all sin : They who give alms, and do justice, shall be filled with life. But they who sin are enemies of their own life. /< oijxoi, IvuTi TOVTO syevvij-^ijv tZeiv ; TO (rvvTgi[j.fji.oc too kuov (/.ou, ycon TO 3? is^oXsMS TtiS uyicig ; ■KCii xu^KTcn sKsi, sv Tou SoS'ijvaj uvTi^v ev %e»g< ep^d^ojv, X.UI TO 0(.yiOLofL(pa.iu s^^gov : 'STOiov e^vog ovx. exX>j^ovo/x>]cre ^otcriXsKxv auTvjf ; xflii ovx £KgaTYi(re twv (TkvXmv auTYig ; 'STug 6 xojv: xui *5ou ru ayiu y^[xu)v, XOH Yj XOCXXOVYI ^/XOJV, xai Yj So^y) Yji^oov, y)^>)jxa;3»), xat s^Yi§Yi\oocrev uura. roc edv*) : bun Yjfj^iv £Tt ^vjv ; 1 Maccab, ii. 7 — 13. G 4 88 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. V. Wo is me ! wherefore was I born to see this ! The treading down of my people ; Even the treading down of the holy city ! And to sit idly * there, while she given into the hands of the gentiles ; Even the sanctuary into the hands of strangers ! , Her temple is become as an inglorious man ; The vessels of her glory are carried away captive : Her infants are slain in the streets ; Her young men with the sword of the enemy : i What nation hath not inherited her kingdom ; And hath not seized upon her spoils ? All her ornaments are taken away ; Instead of a freewoman, she is become a slave ! And behold, our holy things, And our beauty. And our glory, — are laid waste t And the gentiles have profaned them : Why then should we any longer live ! (4) T/ie manner of Hebrew Poetry accurately ^ though not spiritedly^ retained by rabbinical miters,'] Their aphoristic sentences rarely exceed the limits of a quatrain, generally containing an alternate parallelism of the antithetical kind. From Vorstius, " De Adagiis Nov. Test." and from Schoett- gen's " Horae Hebraicae," I have selected a few examples of this description; the best, indeed, that I could find: but it can hardly fail to strike every reader, that, in vigour, in raciness, and in variety, they are far inferior, not merely to the specimens given from the Old Testament, but also to those adduced from the Apocrypha. The subject- matter often resembles that of our Lord's discourses ; but * That this is the force, in this place, of the verb KoS^Krai, has been shown by Professor Kuinoel, of Leipzig, in a note on S. Matt. iv. 16. See his " Observationes in Nov. Test, ex Libr, " Apocr. V. T." p. 6. SECT, v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 89 how different the maimer, and the spirit ! — Hv ya§ Bi^acrxcov, (hg s^ova-iav zyj^v^ xaj ou;^' coj hi y^ajw^jxareij. This is an im- portant branch of the internal evidence of the Gospel. Whosoever maketh himself humble, him the holy bles- sed One exalteth ; But whosoever exalteth himself, him the holy blessed One maketh humble ; And whosoever pursueth dignity, him dignity fleeth ; But whosoever fleeth dignity, to him doth dignity return. Cod, Talm, Enibin, c. i. When the number of sins on earth is increased ; The holy name also is not glorified on earth : But when the number of sins on earth is not increased ; Then the holy name of God is glorified on earth. Sohar, Deut, fol. 127. col. 503. Do the will of God, like thine own will ; That he also may do thy will like his own : Forego thine own will, on account of his will ; That he also may frustrate the will of others on account of thy will. Pirke Aboth, ii. 4. Whosoever taketh on himself the yoke of the precept against usury ; Taketh on himself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven : But whosoever casteth off the yoke of that precept ; He also casteth off the yoke of the kingdom of lieaven. Siphra, fol. 104. 4. Whosoever maketh iiimself little on account of the law in this world ; He becometh great in the world to come : 90 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. V. And whosoever maketh himself a slave on account of the study of the law in this world ; He shall be free in the world to come. Bava Mezia, fol. 84. 2. When the holy blessed One judgeth the gentiles, he judgeth them in the night ; At the time when they sleep in their transgressions : But when he judgeth the Israelites, he judgeth them in the day ; At the time when they are employed in the study of the law. Midrascli Tehillim, ad Ps, ix. If any one giveth attention to the law, for the sake of the law ; That study becometh to him an odour of life : But if a man studieth not for the sake of the law ; To him it becometh an odour of death. Taanith. fol. 7. 1. (5) The native and imperishable excellencies of the Hebrew parallelisfn.'] I can by no means consider the adoption by our Lord of the Hebrew poetical manner, as exclusively, or even primarily, an accommodation to the habits and feelings of his countrymen; though for argument sake, it has been so regarded in the text ; and though it must, beyond doubt, have been eminently grateful to those habits and feelings. But this manner can never become obsolete ; and, the more thoroughly it is investigated and under- stood, the more will it be found a noble auxiliary of the best moral philosophy. The antithetical and gradual dis- tinctions which it continually requires, induce the natural developement, and almost unconscious reception, of a system of moral oppositions and gradations, alike beau- tiful, just, and useful. In virtue of this manner, the Hebrew sages had, in no slight degree, anticipated the dialectic sagacity of St. Augustine, and the analytic SECT, v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 91 acuteness of the schoolmen, unalloyed by the severity of the one, or by the ostentation of the other. That our Lord was pleased to move in the path thus prepared, I hope abundantly to prove; and what has been the result? A result universally felt, though, so far as lan- guage is concerned, the causes of it have never been sufficiently explored; that, in his discourses, profound- ness and simplicity meet with unexampled union. Never was so much said, in so few words ; and never did so much beauty come forth, as if without being called for. (6) The New Testament not ijoritten in a purely Greek style.'] The controversy that once so violently agitated the learned world, respecting the style of the New Testament, has long been set at rest: the first biblical scholars are now unanimously agreed, that, while the words are Greek, the phraseology is Hebrew. They who are desirous to acquaint themselves competently with the subject, will find the necessary information, or will l?e guided to the sources of it, in Fabricius, Bibl. Graec. vol. iii. p. 224 — 227 ; in Ernesti, Instit. interpr. Nov. Test. p. 83 — 100. edit. 1809; in Michaelis, Introd. to New Test. c. iv. vol. i. p. 97—200 ; in Dr. Campbell's first and second Preliminary Dissertations to the four Gospels ; and in Dr. Maltby's Illustrations of the Truth of the Christian religion, 2d ed. p. 1 — 12. Several ex- cellent observations are also made by the learned Mosheim, Cogit. de Interpr. et Emend. SS. Litt. published in his Observ. Sacr. Amst. 8vo. 172] ; or, enlarged and improved, in his Syntagma Dissert. Lips. 4to. 1733. The preface, too, of Fecht, to Raphel's observations on the N. T. may be read with advantage. The following extracts, it is presumed, wiU show the expectation to be far from unreasonable, that, among other peculiarities of Hebrew construction, the parallelism must be found in the New Testament. " Negari non potest, Deum ter Opt. Max. admira- " bilem, minimeque fortuitam loquendi cum hominibus, in 9^ SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT, V. " utroque S. voluntatis suae et religionis instrumento ** servasse consonantiam, congruentiamque. Unde fac- *' turn est, ut cum verba essent alterius linguae in Novo " Testamento, ratio loquendi eadem animadverteretur : '' Aut, si clarius dicendum est, ut character Veteris Testa- " menti non quasi interpretatione libera, sed retentis " formulis, totaque indole representatus, agnosci posset. " Usus ipse et experientia locupletissimum praebent tes- " timonium, neque facilius, neque gravius, ad ipsum " Novi Testamenti nucleum perveniri, quam ea resolvendi " interpretandique ratione, quae Vet. Test, stylo, novi foede- " ris libros, metitur, expendit, evolvit. " Ex ipsa divinissimarum rerum, humanisque nee " mentibus comprehensarum, nee Unguis pronunciata- " rum (ita enim omnino de evangelio, et sacris scripturis, " respectu humanorum operum scriptorumque, loquen- " dum est) indole, novus quidem orationis character,^sua " sponte exhibetur. Atque, ut philosophia euayyeXix*; " Novi Testamenti cum nuUo monumento praeterquam " cum Veteris Testamenti sapientia conferri potest, ita, *' dictio, quae rerum genium mira exprimendi arte gra- " vitateque sequitur, non alia quam ejus styli compara- " tione designabitur, quo talia primum, et quidem cum ** respectu ad Novum Testamentum secuturum^ adeoque cum <* tacita exempli conformitaie^ Divinus Spiritus consig- " navit. " Extra dubium mihi videtur, stylum Novi Testamenti a <' caetera graecitate tota humanorum operum diversum esse. *' Si quaeras, qua ratione potissimum? Dicam xara tov *' Xagaxrrjga ry;? Xefswj, qui ad idioma Veteris Testamenti " (quod citra controversiam singulare est, et exemplo " caret) proxime accedit. Argumenti loco amplius con- " siderandum hie proponimus, quod Novum Testamentum *' in nuUam omnino linguam, tam facile, et quasi de verbo " ad verbum transferri potest, sicuti in Hebraeam : adeo *' quidem, ut cum duplex alias interpret! labor oriatur, " quomodo nimirum et mentem scriptoris quern inter- SECT, v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 93 " pretatiir exprimat, et linguam qua interpretatur noii " violet aut negligat, — hie posteriori ilia solicitudine vix " opus videatur, Hebrseo idiomate sponte et statim cum " stylo Novi Testamenti conspirante." J. H. BoECLER. Diss, de Ling, Nov, Test, original, §§ 6, 8. 9. 43. " Certum est, singularem quendam, et ab aliis scripto- " ribus Grsecis differentem, non linguam nee dialectum, sed " colorem dictionis stylique, in libris novi foederis exstare, " cui nihil unquam similius aut proprius eo nomine acce- " dens reperitur, quam Graeca Ixx interpretum versio " Veteris Testamenti." Fabricius, Bibl, Grcec, vol. iii. p. 224. " Though the two testaments are written in different " languages, the same idiom prevails in both ; and, in the " historical part at least, nearly the same character of " style." Campbell, Prelim, Dissert, vol. i. p. 2. " Everyman who has read the Greek Testament, knows " that it contains a variety of Hebrew words, such as " a^>3v, uXKriKovici, but single words are trifles in compa- « rison with sentences. The whole arrangement of the " periods is regulated according to the Hebrew verses, « (not those in Hebrew poetry, but such as are found in " the historical books, and are always closed with Silluk cum " Soph Pasuk,) which are constructed in a manner directly " opposite to the roundness of the Grecian language." MicHAELis /w/r. vol.i. p. 123. " Sed haec, ut arbitror, vestigia ling. Hebr. sunt in sin- " gulis verbis formulisque dicendi animadversa. Quid " vero ? An etiam in habitu et velut forma totius ora- " tionis aliquid ejusmodi animadvertitur ? Saepe miratus " sum, viros doctissimos, cum de stylo N. T. ut vocant, « in utramque partem dissererent, banc partem, quantum " ego quidem repererim, non attigisse, solis verbis et " phrasibus expendendis voluisse contineri." Ernesti. De Vestig, Ling, Hebr, in Ling, Gi\ adfiaem. 94 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. V, Had Boeder been acquainted with the nature of the Hebrew paraliehsm, it is not improbable, that he would have sought and found it in the New Testament. That Ernesti, Michaehs, and Campbell, stopped short where they did, is somewhat extraordinary. Michaelis, espe- cially, seems to have been on the very brink of discovering n poetical conformation of verses in the New Testament : as appears from his very denial of the fact ; for why deny it, if the supposition had not been present to his mind ? (7) A poetical ma7iner ohservahle in the New Testamerit.'] " Besides a peculiarity of style from the perpetual recur- '' rence of Jewish phraseology, the New Testament has, " in common with the Old, the leading features of the " oriental style of instruction, — short aphoristic sen- *' tences, and frequent use of allegory and parable. In " each, extreme simplicity of phrase is jomed throughout, ** to extreme boldness and pomp of imagery ; and both " are rendered the more striking by their proximity. This *' is frequently seen in the most familiar discourses re- " corded of Christ by the evangelists. Even in the Sermon " on the Mount, the subject and the simile are often '' united in a manner which the nations of the West have " never employed out of poetry." Butler, Horce Biblicce, p. 27. ed. 1799. (8) Critics have , in a few instances, observed the par al- lelisin in the New Testament.'] It has been already noticed, that Mr. Home, in his late biblical work, has cited S. Luke i. 52, BS., as an example of parallelism. It may be added, that Mr. Wakefield, in his " New Translation of S. Mat- " thew's Gospel," has distributed, and described, as He- braic parallelisms, the following passages: " S. Matt. vi. 25. vii. 6. XX. 25 — 27. xxiv. 29. and S. Luke i. S5. Mr. Farrer, in his Bampton Lecture Sermons, reduces the Beatitudes, S. Matt. v. 3, &c. to Hebrew poetry. And Amnion, in his notes on Eiiiesti Interp. Nov. Test., has the following observation : " Synonymia occurrens in SECT, v.] SACRED LITERATURE. 95 « phrasibus adpellatur exergasia, et apud scriptores V.T. « poeticus parallelismus, cujus leges cognoscere debet « hymnorum Lucae et Apocalypseos interpres. Vid. «« Schleusner. Diss, de parallelismo membrorum egregio « egregio interpretationis subsidio. Lips. 1781. 4to." Ernesti, p. 43. Schleusner's work, here cited, I have been unable to procure ; but, for reasons mentioned, Sect. III. note (3), I fear that its tendency may be injurious: from Ammon's manner of reference, I presume, however, that Schleusner recognises the parallelism, at least in the songs of S. Luke, and the Apocalyptic hymns. It should not be omitted, that Amnion, when designating the writers with whom those of the New Testament should be com- pared, for the purpose of determining their claims to purity of style, says, that the Apocalypse should be com- pared with Pindar and .Eschylus ; and the hymns of the New Testament, with the choruses of the tragedians. I find, that Dr. A. Clarke, on S. Luke, i. 46. describes the address of the angel to Zacharias, in the same chapter, ver. 13—17 ; that to the Virgin, ver. 30—33; and EHza- beth's answer to Mary, ver. 42—45, as all deHvered in poetry, and all easily reducible to that hemistichal form, in which the Hebrew poetry of the Old Testament is found in many MSS. With the passages referred to in this note, I was altoge- ther unacquainted, till after I had reduced, for my private satisfaction, the whole Sermon on the Mount, and several other portions of the New Testament, to the form of He- brew parallelism : and, as I was far less anxious to find myself original than just, I rejoiced at meeting such autho- rities, at least partially in my favour. 96 SECTION VL When Bishop Lowth was desirous to establish an identity of form and character, in the composi- tion of the books universally esteemed poetical, and in that of the prophetical writings, especi- ally the writings of Isaiah, he proceeded in the following manner : he produced various exam- ples of parallelism from books of Scripture unde- niably poetical ; he then adduced correspondent examples from Isaiah, and from the other prophets ; and, himself satisfied by this experimental evidence, he left the complete similarity of construction so exhibited, to work its own effect upon the reader's mind. In the present undertaking, 1 see no reason for departing from a precedent at once so judicious and successful. I have already brought forward sufficient examples of parallelism from the Old Testament : it remains, that I should match them with suitable examples from the New. An addi- tional link, however, in the chain of evidence, and that link a strong ^ one, is afforded by a circum- stance, in which the evangelists and apostles differ materially from their inspired predecessors : the prophets, how^ever they might occasionally imitate and enlarge upon passages in preceding books of Scripture, and however they might, in language, in imagery, and even in the substance of their predictions, yet more frequently resemble eacli SECT. VI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 97 other, were by no means in the habit of direct quot- ation : not so the writers of the New Testament ; for obvious reasons, their quotations are numerous, and often scrupulously exact ; insomuch, that, in the opinion of the ablest judges *, the citations in the New Testament are, in several places, more ex- pressive of the original Hebrew, than the corre- sponding passages in the Alexandrine, and other versions. Now, in cases of quotation from poetical parts of the Old Testament, it appears to me, after careful examination, that not only the sense is faithfully rendered, but the parallelism is beauti- fully preserved, by the New Testament writers : no trifling evidence, that they were skilled in He- brew poetry ; and no unreasonable ground of ex- pectation, that, on fit occasions, their own origi- nal composition should afford good examples of poetical construction. To the subject of New Testament quotation from the poetical parts of the Hebrew Scriptures, I propose devoting this, and the two succeeding Sec- tions ; that subject naturally distributing itself into three divisions : 1. Simple and direct quotations of single passages ; 2. Quotations of a more complex kind: when fragments are combined, from different parts of the poetical Scriptures, and wrought up into one connected whole ; 3. Quotations mingled with original matter : when one or more passages, derived from the Hebrew Scriptures, are * Particularly Surenhusius, /3tg\oy Kara?o]A. It appears, from the Arab. Vers, and from the Commentary of S. Jerome, that the Septuag. had originally the negative particle before oXiyos-og, and, indeed, it is extant in the Barberini MS. which reads ju,tj oxiyofo-^ : a reading clearly demanded by the yag of the Alexandrine copy. In citing this passage of Micah, several Fathers give the negative particle : S. Justin Martyr, Dialog, cum Tryph. pag. ^35, edit. Jebb, reads oySa/xwj sXax^r*]. Tertul- lian, adv. Judaeos, § 12. vol. ii. p. 665. edit. Oberthiir, non minivia, Origen. Cont. Cels. lib. i. pag. 39. edit. Spencer, ouk oXiyofo^. S. Cyprian, Adv. Judaeos, lib. ii. sect. 12. p. 39. edit. Fell, NON exigua. And thus, St. Matthew stands recon- ciled with that, which, in all probability, is the true reading of the Septuagint. As to the Hebrew text. Dr. Pococke under- stands the word 1»yy to mean great, as well as little ; some conclude, that the negative particle K^ was accidentally lost; and others, without either putting force on words, or altering the text, pro- pose to read the passage interrogatively, thus : And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, Art thou little among the thousands of Judah? The interrogation in the Hebrew text, and still more the negative particle, coupled with the super- H 2 100 SACRED LITERATURE* [SE€T. VI. lative degree, in the text of S. Matthew, convey the opposite affirmative very emphatically ; in the former case, expressing thou art assuredly great ; and, in the latter case, thou art assuredly the GREATEST. And thus, the texts of S. Matthew and Micah are so reconciled, that there is not the least pretext for resorting to the strange fancy of S. Jerome, adopted by Pere Simon, Michaelis, &c., that S. Matthew did not intend, or undertake, to quote the prophet correctly ; but merely reported the answer of the chief priests and scribes, with all its glosses and misrepresentations of the divine original. See Surenhusius, ^j^ao^ xaraxxayij?, p. I70 —181. ; Dr. H. Owen, Modes of Quotat. p. 16— 18. ; and Dr. Blair's (of Westminster) Lectures on the Septuagint, p. 147 — 15^« It may have been observed, that, while in Micah we read " the thousands of Judah," S. Matthew has Yiys[xo3^,. A voice in Rama hath been heard, Lamentation, and weeping, and mourning. Of Rachel weeping for her children. And she would not be comforted, because they are not. Here, the first couplet, taken by itself, makes genuine Hebrew poetry : but taken, as, by the construction, it must be, in connexion with the genitive, gotx^K uTroxXuiof/^evYig, the poetry again is gone. From every one of these faults, the text of S. Matthew is free ; the construction is senten- tious like Hebrew poetry, not periodical like Greek prose ; line is in apposition with line ; and the relative proportion of members is preserved. It should be observed, that the apostle renders the second line, with a force and beauty exclusively his own : the original of that line, preserving the Hebrew idiom, may be thus rendered : Lamentation, and weeping of bitternesses. a sentence which, as exhibiting one of the most H 4 10^ SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. VI. powerful superlatives in the Hebrew language, the evangelist expresses by three nouns substantive, with the addition of the adjective TroAwr Lamentation, and weeping, and much mourning. The Septuagint gives three substantives ; but, in no copy of it is the adjective to be found. It may be further observed, that S. Matthew improves upon the received Hebrew text, by re- jecting the repetition in the fourth line of n01-by> " for her children :" a rejection confirmed by the Compl. Septuag. and by the Syriac. These words Dr. Blayney, in his translation of Jeremiah, very properly expunges, ** as carrying internal marks " of interpolation ; as being not only superfluous, " but rather perplexing the sense, and loading the " metre.'* If, as it is extremely probable, the Hebrew text had the superfluous words in S. Mat- thew's day, his rejection of them argues both cri- tical skill, and an attention to the concinnity and equipoise of the poetical parallelism. The example now to be produced, is a quota- tion, also by S. Matthew, from Isaiah : the follow- ing is a fair representation of the original, as understood by Vitringa, Mede, Lowth, Dathe, Rosenmiiller, and Stock : At the former time he made vile, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nepthali : And in the latter time he hath made glorious. The way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles : SECT. VI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 105 The people that walked in darkness, Have seen a great light : And the dwellers in the land of the shadow of death, Light is risen upon them. Isaiahy viii. 22. ix. 1. The beginning of this prophecy, to use the strong expressions of Joseph Mede (Book i. Disc. 25. p. 101.) has been sadly " troubled and dark- " ened, by mis-translating, and mis-distinguishing " it : — the Septuagint is here corrupted into ** mere nonsense.'' Thus deformed, it were idle to think of reducing the former part of this ver- sion to an arrangement in parallel lines : while the latter part, though capable of being so arranged, presents a marred and mutilated meaning, by a confusion both of persons and tenses. The most ingenious efforts of criticism, to remove the cor- ruption, or even to account for it, have altogether failed. I do not attempt an English translation : odov ^uXaca-vj^ x«i 6i Xomoi bi tyjv TrotgotXiocv KctTOiKOVvre^ xou TTSgcCV TOV lOq^CCVOU yclkiXoHOL TCOV s^voov* 6 kctos 0 xct^Yifjisvo^ ev (rxorei, xai hi xoiTOiKOvvTss sv yoigot. xai (rxta ^uvutou, S. Matthew quotes but a part of the passage : blov ^ccKuj oX^yonqsi 'ta-ondeiug Kvgiou, jotyjSe sKXvoVy wv uvtov sX^y^ofxevo^ : [xufiyoi ds 'SJuvTu uiovj 6v txruga^s^eTui. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord ; Nor faint, when thou art rebuked by him : For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth. But scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Heb. xii. 5, 6. 120 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. VI. - This passage is taken from Proverbs, iii. 11, 12. : thus rendered in our authorised translation : My spn, despise not the chastening of the Lord ; Neither be weary of his correction : For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth ; Even as a father the son in whoin he dehghteth. In the last line, our translators have followed the Vulgate, which reads : Et quasi pater in filio complacet sibi. The Syriac and Chaldee read : Et sicuti pater qui castigat filium. Dathe's rendering is : Atque tamen eo, ut pater filio delectatur : and he gives his opinion, that the received reading of Prov. iii. 12. should not be meddled with ; on the ground, that it affords a good sense ; and that the other reading, that, be it observed, of St. Paul, nearly borders on tautology; a charge, surely, which a modern professor might, with more seem- liness, have hesitated to bring against an inspired writer of the New Testament. St. Paul's reading, however, is afforded without altering a letter in the Hebrew text, by a slight departure from the Masoretic punctuation : 2^D means " even as a father ;" but 2^^ " be hatu afflicted," or " scourged." The passage, there- fore, may be thus rendered, in strict conformity with the apostle : SECT. VI.] SACllED LITERATURE, 111 The chastening of Jehovah, my son, do not despise ; Neither be weary, at his rebuking : For whom Jehovah loveth, he chasteneth ; But scourgeth the son in whom he dehghteth. See Surenhusius, J. Cappel, Grotiiis, Sykes, Hallett, and Macknight, but especially the learned Dr. John Owen, on Heb. xii. 6. As the quatrain stands in this corrected version, and in the epistle to the Hebrews, the parallelism is preserved ; and, very far from tautology, there is a fine climax in the sense. The parallelism is preserved : for the fxoifiyoi, " scourgeth," of the fourth line, answers to the •craiSeysj, " chasteueth," of the third, precisely as the viov 6v ^uqah'xsrai, *' SOU wliom lie recciv- eth," of the former, answers to the 6v ayaTra, " whom he loveth," of the latter. A like bi-mem- bral correspondence may be traced, in the four terms of the first couplet. In the third and fourth lines, there is a beautiful epanodos : God's love and his pater?ial qffectio?i, are placed first and last, his chastening and scourging, are placed in the centre ; and thus, the impression first made, and last enforced, is that of the divine benignity. There is also a fine climax in the sense : in the first couplet, sxXvsiv, " to faint," is a stronger term, than oxiycogeiv, " to make light of j" and z\zyyo\Lzvoc, " rebuked," " reproved," implies a sterner pro- cess than mere -caraj^eja, *' chastening," or instructive discipline : again, in the second couplet, there is a similar gradation : *< to scourge," is severer dis- 112 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. VI. cipline, than merely " to chasten ;*' a scourging is the ne-'pluS'Ultra of corrective instruction ; and the ** son whom God receiveth," that is, adopteth, taketh to himself, acknowledgeth for his own, stands in a more endearing relation to God, than the person, not called a son, " whom he,'* merely «' loveth." Beza, proposes a strange alteration in the Gi'eek text ; he argues, that, as ixafiyoi Se, with the ad- versative particle, seems to be opposed to -craiSeysi, one would think oo should be inserted before For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth; But scourgeth every son whom he doth not receive : Now, surely, it is improbable, that a person thus expelled from the divine favour and protection, should, in the same words that pronounce his miserable doom, be called a son. The argument also would be curious : the laws of alternate parallelism require that we should connect the second line with the fourth ; let us see how they stand connected, according to Beza's plan : Nor faint when thou art rebuked ; For God scourgeth every son whom he dotli not receive ; that is, " do not faint, since your chastisement is onl^ penal ; since you are onli/ an outcast from the eternal providence." Or take it otherwise ; and suppose the last line to contain some actual en- couragement to the spirit fainting under God's corrective discipline ; of what nature then is that encouragement ? It is of a kind at which humanity SECT. VI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 113 recoils : " do not faint ; for, however severe your <« sufferings, you may solace yourself with the " comfortable reflection, that they are as nothing, " compared with those sufferings which must be " eternally endured, by those^ whom God, in " his high sovereignty, hath excluded from liis « family.'' Why did this learned man go out of his way, to enlist false grammar, and false rhetoric, in the cause of that, which, happily, is not true theology ? His notions seem to accord rather with Jewish, than with Christian apprehensions of our " Al- mighty and most merciful Father." Rabbinical writers were fond of distinguishing between parental and 'penal inflictions, in no very amiable way ; as the reader may see, who chuses to consult Schoettgen on Heb. xii. 6. But truly, this passage cannot be tortured into a recognition of Calvin's " horribile decretum :" the negative ov is without the support of a single MS., Version, or Father ; and it is quite irreconcileable with the bearing of the context : the particle Is is not here adversative y but amplificatory ; it indi- cates, not antithesis^ but climax : " whom the Lord " merely loveth, he chasteneth, he corrects light- « ly ; but, there is a stricter, yet more gracious " process in reserve; God scourgeth, he corrects " with severity, for his greater good, the son whom " he receiveth ; the object of his special regard, " and most pecuhar care." 114 SECTION VII. In the last section, we have been considering simple and direct quotations of single passages from the poetical parts of the Old Testament : in the present section, we shall proceed to examine quotations of a more complex kind ; wherein frag- ments are combined, from different parts of the poetical Scriptures ; and wrought up into one con- sistent whole. The following passage is a short, but satisfactory specimen : 0 01X0$ iJ'OU, oiKog Trgoasu^-^^ xX))3*;(reTai ^rao"! roig £^vE;So^)jxaTe, xXottols ?^syoo, xui evsdgug, xui {xoi^sias' agTrexryaig ^egtt^STs xoti (povoti;, xui ^svug xciivoTO(xsiT£ xccxiag ohvg' exh^siov h TTUVToov TO Ugov ysyovs, xon x^9^^^ e[x,(pvXiOis 6 ^siog [xsfxioiVToti %«)^o?, ov xai goo[xaioi iroggoo^sv TrgoGsxuvovv. Joseph. de Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. ix. § 4. " You are not ashamed of those crimes, which " ordinarily seek concealment ; thefts, I mean, and " circumventions, and adulteries. But, in rapacity " and slaughter, you strive for the mastery; and- " task your ingenuity, to invent new ways of sin- " ning : while the Temple itself is become the re- " ceptacle of all these abominations ; and, with " Jewish hands, you violate that consecrated ** place, which even the Romans venerated afar « off.'' In the following passage, the quotation is not always so direct as in the last example : but the marks of imitation are unquestionable ; the proba- ble sources of imitation are numerous ; the con- tinuity of the parallelism is maintained unbroken ; and the style, both of thought and of expression, is remarkable alike for elegance, animation, and profundity : CO ^a^og ttXovtov, xui )(7STat uuTOi ; I ^ 118 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. VII. - G the depth of the riches, and the wisdom, and the knowledge of God I How inscrutable are his judgments ; And untraceable his ways ! For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? • Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given unto him. And it shall be repaid him again ? Bom. xi. 33—35. It is probable, that, while composing this noble epiphonemay the apostle had the following passages present in his recollection : VI ZfKaKXTVVfi (TOV OOg 0^>J 0SOU' Thy righteousness is like the highest mountains ; Thy judgments are as a great abyss. Psalm xxxvi. 6. ij £*j ra sfT'/jxrct a(pixov a sTroiv^asv 6 'croiVTQxguTuig ; Wilt thou discover the footstep of Jehovah ? Or hast thou arrived at the end of the doings of the Almighty ? High [as] the heaven, and what wilt thou do ? Deeper than the things in hell, what hast thou known ? Joby xi* 7, 8. SV^O^U TS, Xai S^UKTIU, (hv OVK 6f JV Ugi^fJLO$» Who doeth great and untraceable things ; Glorious also, and excellent, of which there is no number. Job, V. 9, '^ iSou 6 in'xyqog xgaTUKaa-ei sv icrp^yi uutw^ Tt5 yag gfj hut uutov Suv«r>)j ; SECT. VII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 119 Tig h sfiv b B^&raXjMV axyrorj to. egya. ; >3 Ti$ 6 eiTTcov sTTgu^sv u^ixoc ; Behold the strong one will prevail in his strength ; For who is against him a potentate ? And who is there that shall scrutinize his works ? Or who shall say that he hath done injustice ? Job, xxxvi. 22, 23. 6t» Tis efjj sv UTTOfifjjtXraTi Kvgiou ; xai 6i8e Tov Xoyov avrou ; Tiij evcoTicraTO, xa* »3xou(rev ; For who hath stood in the council-chamber of Jehovah ? And hath seen his word ? And hath listened, and hath heard ? Jeremiah.^ xxiii. 18 't\% zyvo) vouv ILvqior) ; xa» T/j j OT^oj Tiva (Tovg^ouXeoo'aTo, x«« (ryvg^i^ao^ev aurw ; >j Tis shi^BV auTot) xgKTiv ; ' >) 68ov o-wveo-ecoj t*c ehi^sv uvtoo ; >) Tij zygos^ooxev avra), xai avTunro^o^ridSTOLi uDTOi ; Who hath known the mind of Jehovah ? And who hath been his counsellor, that will instruct him? Or with whom hath he taken counsel, that hath instructed him? Or the way of understanding who hath shown him ? Or who hath first given unto him, And it shall be repaid him ? Isaiah, xl, 13 — 16. The last couplet, having no equivalent in the He- brew, or in any other of the versions; and not appearing in the Vatican, or Complutensian text of the Lxx, was probably introduced in the mar- gin, from Romans, xi. 35. as a gloss, and after- I 4 120 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. VII. wards brought into the text of Isaiah, by the Alexandrine copyist : sTTSt ds ouv Sixaioj eij rt h(0(rei§ uutcjo ; But since thou art just, what wilt thou give him? Or what will he take from thy hand ? Job, xxiii. 18. One other passage shall close this body of citations : Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him ? AU under heaven is mine. Job, xli. 2. In the Sept. the rendering is very different: the rendering of the Vulgate is highly approved by Schultens, who traces S. Paul to this passage : Quis ante dedit mihi, ut refundam ? Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay ? Notwithstanding the grandeur of the sentiment, the texture of Romans, xi. 33 — 35, is beautifully, though by no means palpably, artificial. The first line proposes the subject : O the depth of the riches, and the wisdom, and the knowledge of God ! The notion of depth, as a quality attributed alike to God's riches, and wisdom, and knowledge, is first expanded in the next couplet : How inscrutable are his judgments ; And untraceable his ways ! Riches, wisdom, and knowledge, are then, in a fine epanodos, enlarged upon in the inverted order j first, knowledge : For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? SECT. VII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 121 secondly, wisdom: Or who hath been his counsellor ? thirdly, riches : Or who hath first given unto him, And it shall be repaid him again ? Let, now, the most skilfully executed cento from the heathen classics, be compared with this finished scriptural mosaic of S. Paul : the former, however imposing at the first view, will, on closer inspection, infallibly betray its patch-work jointing, and incongruous materials ; while the latter, like the beauties of creation, not only bears the micro- scopic glance, but, the more minutely it is exa- mined, the more fully its exquisite organisation is disclosed. The Fathers also, often quote, and com" bine Scripture : let their complex quotations be contrasted with those of the apostle; the result may be readily anticipated. One other example of the same kind : s(niog'jri(rev, eScoxs to/j 'STivrjO'iy 6 8g 67rip^a;^y)y«jv (nrsgiJ,a tco (TTTSigovTi, xott ccgrov u^ ^guxriv ^ctigYiyYiasi xai 7rA*j^ove» rov (nropov Uj^wv, xcn avyYiasi * ra yzvr^iuuroi, tv}? 8*xajojj vfj^oiv* * I have here followed the readings which best agree with the context, and best bring out the parallelism. They are sup- ported by several MSS., Versions, and Fathers ; approved by Mill ; by Bengel, 2d edit, and Gnomon ; and received into the text of Griesbach. 122 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. VII. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor ; His righteousness abideth for ever : Now He, who abundantly supplieth seed to the sower; And bread for food : Will supply and multiply your seed sown ; And will increase the produce of your righteousness. 2Cor. ix. 9,10. Of this passage, the following are the component members : ea-xogTno-ev slcaxs toij 7rev>)(riv ^ dixaio(rvvy\ avrou /xfvei eij tov otioovu rov ottcovog, • He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor ; His righteousness abideth for ever and ever. Psalm cxii. 9. xon 8a> ]o-e*, and TrXri^vm, " will Supply and multiply :'* again, o-Tre^jxa is the " seed for sowing;" cTtogov, " the seed already sown :'* while, instead of agTov eij ^gaxriv, " bread for food," the ha-ig aya^>3 of the se- cond line, we have, in the fourth line, a daigyiiiu reXeiov *, namely, ysvYJiutru ty^s B*xa«o(ruv>)$, ** the pro- duce of righteousness;" that bread of life, WHICH ENDURETH FOR EVER. * Respecting the distinction between Soo-« 070,^, and Swprjfia T€\eioj/, somewhat will hereafter be said^ when I come to treat of the climax. See Section XV. 124 SECTION VIII. We proceed now to examine quotations mingled with original matter : when one or more passages, derived from the Hebrew Scriptures, are so con- nected and blended with original writing, that the compound forms one homogeneous whole ; the sententious parallelism equally pervading all the component members, whether original or derived. 'CTOi^ yup 6$ av 67rixaX£(r>jT«j to ovo[jia Kvgiou (ra)^>;Yi aTrofaAowo"! ; wg ysyqccmui* vog (hgonoi 01 'CTo^sg tmv euayysXi^o/xevcov e»§)jv>)V ; Twv suayyeXi^Ojxsvcov ra uyu^u ; For whosoever will call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved : But how shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed ? And how shall they believe in him, of whom they have not heard ? And how shall they hear without a preacher ? And how shall they preach, if they be not sent? As it is written : How beautiful the feet of those who bring good tidings of peace ! Who bring good tidings, of good things ! Rottux^ 13 — 18. SECT. VIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 125 Of this passage, the first line is literally taken from the Sept. Vers, of Joel, ii. 32. The next quatrain is original ; and it affords an exact, though somewhat peculiar, specimen of pa- rallelism, its composition nearly resembling that of the logical sorites; instances of similar construc- tion abound in the writings of S. Paul : they occur also in the prophetic writings ; for example : I will hear the heavens ; And they shall hear the earth ; And the earth shall hear the corn, and wine, and oil ; And they shall hear Jesreel. Hosea^ iii. 21, 22. That which the palmer-worm hath left, hath the locust eaten ; And that which the locust hath left, hath the canker-worm eaten ; And that which the canker-worm hath left, hath the caterpillar eaten. Joel^ i. 4. Further specimens of this manner, I propose to give in Section XIX. The last couplet is from Isaiah, Iii. 7., the Sep- tuagint rendering of which being confused and inaccurate, Bishop Lowth's translation may be given, only with the parallelisms divided into shorter lines : How beautiful on the mountains The feet of the joyfiil messenger ; Of him that announceth peace ! Of the joyful messenger of good tidings ; Of him that announceth salvation ! 126 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. VIH. From this exquisite passage, S. Paul selected so much as it answered his purpose to quote; and, in so selecting, he was careful to maintain the parallelism uninjured : an abridgment of the same kind, conducted with like caution, may be seen in S. Matt. xxi. 5., compared with Zechariah, ix. 9. Ernesti says, that, by a very common expres- sion, " the feet of the messengers" are put for " the messengers themselves." The fact I do not mean entirely to question; though confident that something more is conveyed, and was intended to be conveyed, by the figure, than could be con- veyed by that unfigurative expression, which Er- nesti would account equivalent, and, as it seems, would prefer. Were it said, ** How beautiful the messengers," &c., the ideas excited would be those only consequent on the messengers' arrival ; but, when it is said, " How beautiful tJie feet of the messengers," &c., the idea is excited of their progress towards us : we admire them yet afar off; our imagination kindles at the prospect of good things to come ; our feeling partakes of that faith, which is " the substantiation of things hoped for ; the conviction of things unseen." That, surely, is a wretched style of criticism, which would forcibly withdraw our attention from the animated imagery of Holy Scripture, not only without any gain, but with unspeakable loss, to the sense, no less than the spirit, of the Sacred Writings. I shall add Ernesti' s own words, which are so offensively coarse, that I do not chuse to render them into English. Tliat may possibly be thought a good SECT. VIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 1^7 witticism in the lecture-room of a foreign uni- versity, which, in these countries, would not be tolerated by any society claiming to be decently respectable. " Quam jucundi sunt nuncii pacis : non pedes nunciorum ; qui suaves esse non solent.*^ ! ! ! Ernesti Diss, de Vestig, Ling, Heh\ in Ling, Grcec, vroLPOi xugKiv sysvero ayr^j, diu Touro \syoo ujxiv* or* ap^Yi(rsToti «jcrei wotov. The stone which the builders rejected ; The same is become the head of the corner : From the Lord hath this proceeded ; And it is marvellous in our eyes ; Wherefore I say unto you : That from you shall be taken away the kingdom of God ; And it shall be given to a nation producing the fruits thereof: And he who falleth upon this stone, shall be sorely bruised j But upon whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. S, Matt, XXI, 4.2—44.: The first four lines are literally taken from the Septuag. Vers, of Psalm cxviii. 22, 23. ; the last four are original. Is not the parallelism more striking, in the latter portion, than in the former ? M. Wassenbergh, in his ** Dissertation respect- ing the Trajections often necessary in the New Test- ament," prefixed to the second volume of bis 128 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. VIII. recent edition of the learned Valckenaer's Select ** SchoW* on the New Testament, proposes a trans- position of the forty-third and forty-fourth verses, in terms sufficiently dictatorial and objurgatory, to startle any person of weak nerves, who may not happen to agree with him. His expressions could not well be rendered into English current among the class of readers for whom these pages are in- tended : how far he has maintained the established courtesies of scholarship, scholars may determine. « Quis natura adeo hebes est, aut obtusus, ut " nexum baud observet, satis profecto manifestum, " inter §§ 42 et 44, aut transitum non notet perquam " idoneum, a § 43, ad 45 ? Quare, qui semel ista " legerit, sic disposita, fastidiat ille oportet invete- *« ratam in sacro historico confusionem." p. 31. At whatever risk of attaching to myself the mild epithets of M. Wassenbergh, I cannot bow to his decision : and I trust there are multitudes in the Anglican Church, who, on this, and all similar occasions, will both disapprove, and discountenance, such arbitrary and licentious trqjectionSy unsanc- tioned as they are, by any one of the collated MSS., Versions, or Fathers. In the present instance, the alteration is not only needless, but would be inju- rious to the meaning of the passage. I grant, indeed, the connection between verses 42 and 44; but I maintain, that the suspension of the sense occasioned by the intermediation of verse 43, is an excellence and beauty. That which M. Wassenbergh, in his " fastidiousness," is pleased to despise as " inveterate confusion," is, in truth. SECT. VIU,']' SACRED LITERATURE. 1^9 no more than a fine epanodos ; the first couplet of this example being parallel with the fourth, and the second with the third; and due promin- ence being thus given to the great head-stone OF THE corner, by placing it Jirst, and last It may be further observed, that, as the passage stands, there is a just, and most orderly gradation; which, by M. Wassenbergh's conjecticral deterior- ation, vfo\x\di be totally destroyed : in the conclud- ing quatrain, a two-fold punishment is denounced against Messiah's enemies : in the first couplet, a negative punishment, according with what theolo- gians call the pain of loss : From you shall be taken away the kingdom of God ; And it shall be given to a nation producing the fruits thereof: in the second couplet, a positive punishment, in- cluding the most grievous paiiis of se72se, and end- ing with irretrievable destruction : And he who falleth upon this stone, shall be sorely bruised ; But upon whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. Transpose these couplets according to the scheme^ of M. Wassenbergh, and, instead of a terrific "^ climax, WQ shall have a ludicrous bathos ;itioti'^ merely a rhetorical blemish, but a practical -ah-' -* surdity : for, according to the refornied distrib%i^ - ' ' tion, those who had been thus threatened with"^*- instant and utter extermination, are,' by way of heightening, assured, that they shall lose a king- 130 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. VIII. dom ; first, they shall be " ground to powder," then, " the kingdom shall be taken away from " them." This is too modern, to be termed " in- « veterate ;" but, if it be not " confusion," I have yet to learn the meaning of that word. But this is not the whole : as the passage stands, the former couplet predicts merely the overthrow of the Jewish Church and polity, together with the substitution and adoption of the Christian Church and polity : but the latter couplet has an ampler prophetic reach ; in its ultimate meaning, it is yet unfulfilled ; it extends to Messiah's triumph over his enemies, in the last times : and therefore, this clause was, with admirable propriety, reserved for the close of this most awful warning. The allusion of the two concluding lines has been well explained by Lightfoot, in loc, and by Pere Lamy, Appar. Bibl. b. I. ch. xii. p. 215., from the manner in which the punishment of ston- ing to death was inflicted among the Jews. The criminal was thrown headlong from an eminence or pillar, in such a manner as to dash him against some great stone ; if this failed to dispatch him, they threw another great stone upon him, thereby to crush him to pieces. The learned and excellent Dr. Doddridge, not sufficiently adverting to the circumstance, that the latter mode was adopted only after the former mode had failed ; that it was a dernier ressorty and always fatal, rejects the illustra- tion ; professing his inability to see, that one of those inflictions was at all more dreadful than the other. The difference is, that, by the former the criminal mighty by the latter he musty be killed. SECT. VIII.J SACRED LITERATURE. 131 fx,y) vofj^KniTS on yjX^ov ^otXsiv sigYjVYjV stti tyjv y>)V' oux. >]Adov ^ccXsiv sigYivr,v, uXKcc fj^oi^onguv : YlX^ov yag di^o(.(rui ctv^gcoTrov xuru rov irargoi; otvTOV aoii ^uyctTsgix Kara ryjj iW'^JT^o? otuTYig- ■Kon vy/^(p>)V KOLTU Tr]g Trsv^sgog uvTYjg* xui s^^goi Tov ciV^gooTTOv oixiaxoi uvtov : 6 tpiXctiV TTUTcgCi >J (Jl,YlTSgO(. VTTSg SfJt,^, xa» 0 ] ^uyuTsgix, VTTsg S[j,s, oua Ef* [xov cc^ioc : xai 0^ ou kocfj^^civsi rov g-avgov ocurov xai ciKoKov^si oiticroi ^ou^ ovx Sfi /xou a^ioj : 6 evgoov tyjv ^o^yiv 6a>Tov, UTToXsa-si aurriv : Kcti b amoKzaac, rvjv vj/up^^vjv u'oto^^ hsxsv sfxou, hgYj(Ts:i avTY^v Think not that I am come to send peace upon the earth ; I am come not to send peace, but a sword ; For I am come to set at variance a man, against his father ; And the daughter, against her mother ; And the daughter-in-law, against the mother-in-law ; And a man's enemies, shall be they of his own family : He who loveth father or mother more than me, Is not worthy of me : And he who loveth son or daughter more than me, Is not worthy of me : And he who doth not take his cross, and follow after me, Is not worthy of me : He that findeth his life, Shall lose it : And he that loseth his life, for my sake, Shall find it. S. Matt, X. 34—39. Of this passage, lines 3 — 6, are, with slight alter- ation, taken from the Sept. Vers, of Micah, vii. 6. The remaining twelve lines are original : and it is K ^ 13S SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. VlII. manifest, that the paralleHsm equally pervades the original, and the citation : the passage of Micah stands thus : e^^poi TTOtVTs^ (xvdgog ol ev rca otxu) ocvtov. For the son shall dishonour the father ; The daughter shall rise up against her mother : The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ; All the foes of a man shall be those dwelling in his house. The Bishop of Calcutta brings strong reasons, why, in the last line, we should read Travro^, instead of TravTcj : an emendation, which, if allowable, would account for the insertion of the article before av^gooTTovj in S. Matthew ; implying " every man," or " man generally." — Doctrine of the Greek Article, p. 205—207. I shall close this section with an example from Acts, iv. 24—30. 6 TTOivia-ois Tov ovgocvoVf koli t>]V y>)y, 2. ivctTi Bipguet^ixv e^v»), xai h.oioi £[ji,sXYirYi(r)o-ouv, " thine holy child Jesus;'* that is, the holy child Jesus of the Acts, must $ECT..VI1I.] SACRED LITERATURE. 137 be the same with the Jehovah of the second Psalm. But this conclusion will gain additional strength by a more extended examination of the context. Let us, then, appeal to the other parallel lines of the quoted psalm, and of its annexed interpreta- tion, or, what amounts to the same thing, let us refer to the tabular exhibition of those parallelisms given in the above two columns. Here are six pairs of terms, five of which are studiously and emphatically identified with each other : now, it is utterly incredible, that, in composition so nicely balanced, and, in five parts out of six, so obviously conformed to the laws of Hebrew parallelism, those laws should be infringed in the remaining sixth part ; that is, that, when five pairs of terms are respectively identical, the sixth pair should be diverse. Thus far, we have been viewing these lines almost abstractedly from their subject-matter, and as we might view a question of mathematical pro- portion. But the incredibility of the supposed departure from the laws of parallelism will be in- finitely increased, when we consider what the only term is, in the prophetical citation, which, by this departure, would be left without equivalent, in the interpretative stanza : it is a term, which, it were little short of blasphemous to say, could, through any forgetfulness or oscitancy, have been for a moment lost sight of, either by the inspired utterers of this magnificent hymn, or by the inspired pen- man who recorded their expressions: — no less a 138 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. VIII. term, 'than the incommunicable name of the su- preme Jehovah. This name is the key-stone, at once, of their argument and their prayer. Leave it out here, that is, deprive it of a just equivalent, and their prayer will be disrespectful, and their interpretation of the prophecy will halt in its most leading member. But the only possible equiva- lent, the only unappropriated words of the four interpretative lines, are those very words, which, by an independent argument, we have already shewn to be the correlatives of that name ; the words, tov uym iruila cgi^Y,(rs(r^s, in the first line, require, in order to preserve the balance of the periods, i^st^m, i^srqzns, joier^>)^rj(r£Tai, in the second line. IlavTi Se w eSodv] 'SxoXu, 'oroXy ^yjrvj^yyo-sraj 'GTuq oivrov TLOLi U) 'SJUqZ^SVTO OTOXU, 'UTSgKTG'OTSgOV a\rY^3j (rotgxog ^sgiasi (^^ogav xa< 6 (TTreigoov sig to OTveujtta, ex rou -crveyjU-aTO^ ^sgiosi ^corjv (XICJOVIOV. He who soweth to his flesh, of the flesh shall reap corruption ; And he who soweth to the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life eternal. Gal vi. 8. SECT. IX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 145 0 otycc^og ocv^gcoTCOc, sx. rou uyu^otj ^Yi(ruvgou, sx^aWsi oiyu^a,' xcci 6 'j^ovY^qog uv^gcjDTros, ex rov -srovyj^ou ^i^(ruvgou, SK^aWsi ZTOvrigcc, The good man, from the good treasure, bringeth forth good things ; And the evil man, from the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things. S, Matt. xii. 35. In the received text, the reading is ex rov aya^oo &vi(ruvgou rvig Kughug, The last two words, on the authority of numerous and ancient MSS., Versions, and Fathers, have been very properly rejected by Bengel, Griesbach, Dr. Campbell, &c. They are, in fact, altogether needless, being far more ele- gantly supplied from the tyi? Kughug of the preceding verse : and, if inserted in the first line of this cou- plet, their insertion would, in order to maintain the parallelism, be necessary in the second line also ; an insertion sanctioned by very few MSS., and those of little value. In the parallel place of S. Luke, ch. vi. ver. 45., the words tyi^ xaghag uvtov, are, of necessity, inserted; because that evan- gelist, by a transposition with him not unusual, has postponed the clause sx yug tov T^rsgia-a-evixxTOs TYig xotphug, which, in S. Matthew, is preparatory to this couplet. S. Luke, it will be observed, intro- duces the additional words into both lines, so as to maintain the equipoise : 6 uyct^QS otv^goiTTog, ex. rov ccyu^ou &ri(ratjgov tyis xaghug uvtou, 'STgo(psgsi to uyu^ov xoii 6 T;TOV)^gog ocv^gooTTog^ ex, rou 'z^ovvigou Qr}o-ctvgQV tyj^ xughug UVTOU, 'crgoi^egei to tffOvr\gov, 146 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. IX* The received text, and even the text of Griesbach, in S. Matt. xii. 35., read ra. ayci^ot with the article, and -crovij^a without it. This difference has occa- sioned what Bp. Middleton justly calls " a whim- " sical distinction" of Casaubon ; rendered yet more whimsical by Raphel. The Bishop is of opinion that " either both uya^oL and tsrovij^a had the article, or both were without it." The latter branch of the alternative is more probably the right one, both from the doctrine of the Greek article, and from the preponderance in its favour of the best, as well as the most numerous MSS. Either of these readings would preserve the parallelism of members. The present is one of those instances, in which Griesbach not only, after his usual man- ner, neglects both the grammatical construction, and the balance of periods, but decides against a great mass of external evidence : no less than twenty-seven MSS. of Wetstein, ten of Birch, in- cluding Vatic. 1209, and fifteen of Matthai, among which are several of his best, omit t« before oLya^oL. See Bp. Middleton, Doctrine of Gr. Article, p. 214. 00 TO e<(r6g%ojX£vov sij to fojtta, v.(i\n\ tov uv^gooTrov aXXu TO exTTogsvofj^svov ex rov s-o]xaTOj, touto tcoivoi tov olv- ^gOOTTOV, Not that which cometh into the mouth, defileth the man ; But that which goeth forth from the mouth, this defileth the man. S. Matt. XV. 11, 6i TOL uyct^oL -croojo-avTej, si§ uvoifota-iv ?60>jj* 01 §s Toi (^0L\t>^0L 'crga^ocvTsc, si$ avoi^oKTiV Kgiasctis^ SECT. IX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 147 They who have produced good things, unto the resurrec- tion of life; But they who have practised evil things, unto the resur- rection of condemnation. 5. John, v. 29. The distinctness of the two participles, OToojo-avrsj and 'ssqa^avTB^, I have endeavoured to preserve, by rendering the former, " who have produced," the latter, *« who have practised." I am well aware, that these terms are promiscuously employed, in several parts of the New Testament : but, in this passage, I conceive they are antithetically used; Tffoifia-oivrss being applied to good works, and tn-^afavrej to evil: a conjecture strengthened by a similar pas- sage of the same writer : -era? yoLq 6 (pccvkix 'zrrgaa-o'oov, [ji^iarei to ipoog- 6 h 'STOKOV TYiv ctkYi^siuv, sg^sTOii STgog TO (pot)^. For every one who practiseth evil things hateth the light ; But he who doeth (or produceth) the truth, cometh to the light. S, John, iii. 20, 21. S. John, it is to be observed, is the only sacred writer with whom we are here immediately con- cerned ; it is respecting his acceptation of the terms, that we are alone to form our opinion : now, he uses the verb -sr^ao-o-a;, only in these two cases ; and his adoption of a word probably not familiar to him, in two antithetical passages exclusively, cannot well be accounted for, but on the supposition, that he wished to give the antithesis all the force in his power : had not this been his intention, the verb 'usaim L '2 148 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. IX. might have been repeated ; and, where he had no antithesis in view, he actually does employ it in the bad sense : W^e read, 5 -croicov rviv ufji^a^iuv, ncn t»)v avoiuietv -croiei- " He who committcth sin, committeth also « a breach of the law." 1 John, iii. 4. Both Lampe and Bengel have observed, in the two pas- sages of S. John's gospel, the antithetical force of 'CTOiZMy and OT^ao-o-w. The precise import of this anti- thesis, I cannot presume to determine. It may not, however, be amiss to throw out for consider- ation, that tsroiso) frequently signifies " to produce fruit ;" and that S. Paul contrasts the fruit of light, with the unfruitful works of darkness. See Ephes. v. 9.11.; with the various reading, (j TctTrsivooasi ocvtou. Let the lowly brother, rejoice in his exaltation ; But the rich, in his humiliation. S, James, i. 9, 10. xu^agKraTS ^sigotg, ccfji^cngTooXor xa» ayvicrare xug^ius, St\|/yp^o». Cleanse your hands, ye sinners ; And purify your hearts, ye double-minded. S. James, iv. 8. XXI 6 ^uvuTOs xcLi 6 aS))f eSojxav tow^ ev avTOig vsxgovg. And the Sea gave up the dead that were in it ; And Death and Hades give up the dead that were in them. Revel, XX. 1 3. SECT. IX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 149 2. The next examples to be adduced, are exam- ples of the triplet ; that is, of three connected and correspondent lines, at least constructively parallel with each other ; and forming, within themselves, a distinct sentence, or significant part of a sen- tence : xoii rcc 'STeTSivoi tov ovpavou xaTacrx>jva)cre»5' 6 8e viog tou av^gcoTrov ovk e^ei 'srou tyjv xefuXviv xKivri. The foxes have dens ; And the birds of the air have nests ; But the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. S. Matt. viii. 20. r\ TjjoiYia-UTs TO osvbgov xaXov, xai tov jictg'Trov auTov xu\ov' IJ 'UTOiYlO'CiTS TO dsV^pOV (Td'KqOV, XCtl TOV ^UqitOV OCVTOO CTOCTTgOV £K yug TOU KoigTTOU, TO hv^pov yiVMo-xsTai, Either make the tree good, and its fruit good ; Or the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt ; For, from the fruit, the tree is known. 5^. Matt. xii. 33, Kcu da}(ya) (toi raj TcXsig t>jj ^oKriksicts todv ougavcav TiOLi 0 SUV S*)(r»3? STTi T»)j y*jj, sfdi SeSgjtcevov ev tois ovgocvois' xa* 6 SUV Xva-Yis stti tijj y>]^, sj-ai Xs^u^lsvov sv TOig ovguvoig ; And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. S, Matt, xvi. 19, eyeigui 6 xa^suSwv, xat uvug-u fx todv vexgMV, Hui sTTK^uvtrei ) uvTiXoyicc TOV xogs UTTCaXoVTO. Wo unto them ! For in the way of Cain have they walked ; And in the deviousness of Balaam's reward, they have eagerly rushed on ; And in the gainsaying of Korah, they have perished. S.Jude, !!• Things future are here spoken of in the grandest style of prophetic poetry, as already accomplished. The climax, in the concluding terms especially of the lines, is very strongly marked. Trgju-rJ/ov TO dgsTTuvov )f a^xTrsAoy t»)^ y>jj* OTi Yixfji,u}V XV^VIOCV, KOLi KUf^TTSi TTCKyi TOl^ SV TY} OiKlU. bVTCti kUfJi^UTO TO <^00§ XJ^J^OiV ejXTT^OCrdsV TOOV OCV^gUiTTOOVj byrco^ iloo(nv v[ji,oov tol ^olKol sqya, xoci lo^ottrooai tov wuTsgcx. vfxcav, tov sv roij ovgavoig. But if the salt have become insipid, wherewith shall it be salted ? It is good for nothing thenceforth, except to be cast out; And to be down-trodden under foot of men. 156 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. IX. A city cannot be concealed, situated on a mountain ; Nor do they light a candle, and place it under the bushel ; But upon the lamp-stand, and it shineth to all in the house. So let your light shine before men. That they may see your good works, And glorify your Father who is in heaven. S.MatL V. 13, 14, 15. The bushel, the lamp-stand ; monadic nouns, which require the article ; see Dr. Campbell and Bishop Middleton in loc. Our Lord, in addressing the multitude, frequently brings his illustrations not only from familiar, but from humble life ; here he speaks of a house, in which there seems to be only one candlestick or lamp-stand j and one bushel for measuring corn. xa* TOO xgovovTi, avoiyi^asToii, Ask, and it shall be given unto you ; Seek, and ye shall find ; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you : For every one who asketh, receiveth ; And every one who seeketh, findeth ; And to every one who knocketh, it shall be opened. S. Matt, vii. 7, 8. These triplets are closely connected, not merely in their subject-matter, but by their form of construe- SECT. IX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 157 tion ; the first, second, and third Imes of each, being respectively parallel to the first, second, and third lines of the other : the parallelisms will be obvious, by reducing the passage to a stanza of six Hues, thus : Ask, and it shall be given unto you ; For every one who asketh, receiveth : Seek, and ye shall find ; For every one who seeketh findeth : Knock, and it shall be opened unto you ; For, to every one who knocketh, it shall be opened. The existing order, however, is incomparably pre- ferable ; both, as presenting our Lord's three in- junctions in a compact body, and as keeping distinct two separate grounds of encouragement to obey these injunctions. In the first triplet, it will be observed, the encouragement is individual, or, at least, specific : " it shall be given unto you ; " ye shall find ; it shall be opened unto 3/ow." In the second triplet, the encouragement is generic, or, rather, universal : " every one who asketh, who *« seeketh, who knocketh.'** May not this ad- vance, from promises to principles, from particulars to universals, have been designed, at once to elicit the faith of our Lord's immediate followers, and to establish the confidence of all succeeding gener- * According to syntactic order, the "^^.s yap of the first line relates equally to the two remaining lines of this second triplet. The copulative ««» is, in fact, but a substitute ; the full expres- sion would stand thus : was yap 6 airwv XaixSaun' Tsras yap 6 ^ryruu evpta/cei "oravTi yap ru Kpovovri avoLyr]aeTai. See Dr. Campbell, Prelim. Diss. xii. part i. § 29. 158 SACRED LITERATURE, [sECT. IX. ations? Had the assurance been merely of a general nature, had it wanted the personal speci- alty of the first triplet, sufficient provision might not have been made for the doubts and hesitancies of early converts, of whom it is repeatedly asserted, that they were dull in apprehension, and slow of belief: had the assurance been merely specific, had it wanted the principled extension of the second triplet, it might, in after-ages, have been difficult to prove, that it was not a peculiar privilege of our Lord's original disciples : as the passage stands, both purposes have been abundantly attained : the timidity of Christ's infant followers was encou- raged, and the scepticism of prayerless rationalists was met by anticipation. A bare inspection of the context is enough to confute Rosenmuller, and others ejusdemfarince, who would fain restrict the promises here made, to the apostles alone. A distinction of the same nature with that just adverted to, is observable in the commencement of our Lord's discourses, (for, that they were distinct discourses, delivered on different occasions and in different places, I am, on many accounts, per- suaded,) S. Luke, vi. 20. and S. Matt. v. 3. : in the former we read : Happy are ye poor : for yours is the kingdom of God : in the latter : jotaxagioi 01 -cTTcop^oi too 'crvsufjiUTi* on uvtmv sfiv f) oa(7)Xot to ^rjTe/TH. x«t ft>j jttovov jxer' sttiij^ovyi^ xoti soroviocg, aKKa. xcci [xstoc. -^s^jw-ot)]- rog xoti (Ti^odgoTT^Tog* tovto yug fSovXsrcn to xgovsrs. '^ He " commanded us to ask, and promised the gift : " not, however, simply to ask, but with perse- " verance and alacrity ; for this is indicated by the <^ word SEEK : and not only with perseverance and " alacrity, but with fervour also^ and vehemence ; ** for this is the force of the word knock/' An in- terpretation, it must be observed, which Euthymius extracted and abridged from S. Chrysostom. See this Father's twenty-third homily on S. Matthew. Perhaps, without doing any violence to the moral meaning, the continuity and progress of the meta- phor may be thus exhibited : Ask the way, and information shall be given to you ; Seek the house, and ye shall find it ; Knock at the door, and it shall be opened unto you. (Tov h, 'STQiovvTog sXsy}fjiQa-vvr]v, fXY, yvcDToo r} otgig-sgot )v xs(poLXviv, y,ai TO 'STgo(Too7rov (rov vi\|/aj, OTTcos fLri (puvYig tois av^guoitoig vrjfeucov, aXKct TOO 'STccrgi trou, too sv too xgvTTTOo, xoci 6 'SJUTYjg jxoyTi* aWot xui fJiSToc isyXsiovccg croi auTO 'crage^si Trig VTTeg^oKrig. vuv fLsv yx-g av gTriSei^)), Ssxa xai eixoj xai Ixarov uv^gumoii; sTritsi^oKr^oit §uvr)(r>) f/^ovoi;' av Ss (rTrouSaaijj vuv Aav^aveiv, tots tre autof 6 iBgoj avaxifigv^si, t>)j oixoujxevTjj -zaragoy- " good works, especially conceal them now; in order " that, hereafter, all men may behold them with " greater approbation, when God will make them " manifest, and extol them, and proclaim them be- " fore all. For besides, those who now see thy works " will condemn thee as vain-glorious ; but here- " after, when all behold thee crowned, they will " not only not condemn, they will admire and " revere thee. — On this account it is, that Christ " commands thee, not only not to court exhi- " bition, but to be studious of concealment : for " observe, it is one thing not to be studious of " publicity; and another thing to be studious of " concealment.'* 4. The laws of parallelism seem to decide the point at issue. Omit sv tw (^avegw in the three places, and that equipoise, so essential to Hebrew poetry, will be destroyed ; destroyed, too, in a passage, every other part of which is cast in the very mould of poetical parallelism. Omit the clause in any one triplet, and that one will un- accountably differ from the rest ; a diiference the more extraordinary, as the entire Sermon on the Mount is composed in parallelisms, without a single chasm or break, from the commencement to the conclusion. Nor, if we look to the mean- ing of the passage, can these words be spared, without manifest inj ury to that meaning. Through- out these verses, the phrase ev tco j %eig» auTOU, xai 8iaxa.&ag»6* tov aXcavoL uvtov* Hcn (Tvva^si TOV (TiTOV auTOO e»j T*jv a7ro^>jx>jv, TO 8e ap^ugov xaruxuva-ei -ttv^i ao-^so-Tco* I, indeed, baptize you with water, unto repentance ; But he who cometh after me, is mightier than I ; Of whom I am not worthy to carry the shoes ; He will baptise yeu with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Whose fan is in his hand ; And he will throughly purge his floor : And will gather the wheat into his granary ; But the chaff he will consume with unquenchable fire. S. Matt Ail 11, 12. Trav fYi(J^oc agyov b otv XuXT^(ra)(riv bi ctv^gcoTroiy ento^uidODO'i 'iregt atjjorj Xoyov ev y^y^sgu KPiasMg* iK yaq Tcav Xoycav aou Sixaiwdyjcry;, Hui sx Twv \oyojv 70V xaTaSjo-y/ SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 169 Every idle word which men shall speak, They shall give account thereof in the day of judgment ; For, by thy words thou shalt be justified : And by thy words thou shalt be condemned. S, Mail. xii. 36, 37. 6 yiVUiO-KUiV TOV QsoVi UKOVSI ^JU-COV. 6$ oux efiv ex too Geov, ovx, uKovzi ^jxwv : ev TOVTOi yivoo(TKO[JLev to 7rv£V[xx tijj aXyjdejaj* xui TO i;TVeu[xa, t^s 'srXavijj. He w^ho knoweth God, heareth us ; He who is not of God, heareth us not : By this we know the spirit of truth ; And the spirit of error. 1 John^ iv. 6. /x>) ixsgifj^vocTs T>j ^|'L'%>3 UjOowv, ti jTe' [j^Yih TOO (TcojxaTi, TI evduorYi)j Tgo^Yjg' xoci TO (rcc[jt,oc, TOV evSujaaroj. Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat ; Nor for your body, wherewith ye shall be clothed ; Life, is a greater gift than food ; And the body, than clothing. S. Luke, xii. 22, 23. eav Tocg svroXug [lou T>3^>j(rv3Tg, fxsvsiTs sv TYj ayotTrYi [jlow Kct^oog sycti tol<; evToKots too 'UTUTgo^ [xou TgT))^)jxa, xaj ju,6Vco avTOU sv t>j uyamy^. If ye keep my commandments. Ye shall abide in my love ; Even as I have kept my Father's commandments, And abide in his love. S.Johiiy XV. 10. TJ TO -BTVSUjXa TOV dV^gMTTOV TO SV UVTCti ; OVTOi XOH TCL TOV 0SOU Ovlei§ OiSeV, SI /X>) TO ^nVfJl^U TOV ^SQV, lyO SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. X. For who of men, knoweth the depths of any man, Save only the spirit of that man which is in him ? Even so, the depths of God knoweth no person ; Save only the spirit of God. iCor.ii. 11. Our authorised version reads, *' the things of a man ; the things of the spirit of God :" an awk- ward mode of supplying the ellipsis ; which ought to be filled up from the to. ^a^») of the preceding verse. For this observation, I am indebted to Dr. Macknight. The article before av^qonrou is hypo- theticaL See Bishop Middleton 5 Doct. of Gr. Art. part i. ch. iii. sect. ii. § 1. iyca s(pvT£VcrUy uttoaXcios sTroTicrev cife, ovTs 6 ipvTsvoov sf* rt, outs 6 'tjroTi^oov aXX* 0 av^avwv (dsog. I have planted, Apollos hath watered ; But God made to grow : So that neither he who planteth is any thing, nor he But God, who maketh to grow. [who watereth ; 1 Cor, iii. 7, 8. f7rgiS>) yug ?i' av^gconov 6 ^uvuTog, xcn Si* av^gooTTOU avafacnj vexgcav (ha-TTsg yotp sv ru) ot^ufj, Travres aTTO^vYia-xovaiv, ovTO) xa* £V TO) %p»rco TTCiVTBg ^a;o7roi>3d>j(rovTai. For since by man came death ; By man also came the resurrection of the dead ; For as in Adam all die ; Even so, in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor, XV. 21, 22. SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. I7I ou dvvocTcn 6 viog itomv ot.<^^ suvtov ouhv, sctv [x^rj Tt ^AsTrr) tov TTCtTsgot Trojoyvra* a yxg av exsivog Trojvj, rccvTU xai 6 viog 6iJi.oioog itoiei : 0 yOLP 7r«T*)^ i^jXsi TOV uiov, xa» TZOLVTci Ssixvuctv auTo; a auTOj Troisr x«» jtjoei ^ova tovtoov hi^si uvroo sgyu, hot V[ji,si5 ^ayjxa5»]T£ : (ba-TTsg yccg 6 TruTrjg syeigsi rovg vsxgovg xcn ^wotoisi, ovTOD ncci 6 viog ovg ^sXst t^caoTTOisr ovh yctg 0 'TTOiTYig xgivsi ouhvcc, olKKol t>]v xgij. If one member suffer, All the members jointly suffer ; If one member be glorified, All the members jointly rejoice. 1 Cor, xii. 26. In this quatrain, as in a very large proportion of quatrains of the alternate kind, there is also a direct parallelism of lines : in one view, the first line is parallel with the third, and the second with the fourth ; in another view, the first and second, and the third and fourth lines, are respectively parallel. In the parallelism, however, of the last two lines, there is a departure from the strict correspondence of terms : the ^o^u^srui in the third line, would seem to demand o-uvSof «?gTa< in the fourth, in like manner as the Tracrxsi of the first line, is an- swered by o-ujxTracrxe' in the second. Instead of a blemish, however, the variation is a propriety and beauty ; and might well warrant our addressing the reader in the words used by Saint Augustine, respecting a similar variation, of the same apostle : " Vide, obsecro te, in quanta brevitate, quam " vigilanter verba posuerit." In his previous de- scription of the members of the body, S. Paul had characterised some as aa-^svsfsgu, some as urifxoTsgx, some as a(r%r)ftova, — more feeble, more dishonourable, and uncomely : now, it could not with propriety be said, that such members participate in the glorifi' cation of those, which are strong, Jionourable, and SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 173 comely ; while, on the other hand, there is strict propriety, as S. Chrysostom, in his commentary on this passage, has ably proved, in saying that they rejoice along mth them. Thus far, we have viewed these terms in their literal meaning : nor, if we pass from the members of the body, to the mem- bers of the church, will the apostle's selection of language appear less appropriate. The foundation of his argument is, that some members of the Corinthian Church possessed superior gifts, and, consequently, attained superior honours : hence arose envy and jealousy on the part of those, who were less highly gifted, and less conspicuously honoured : in correcting those evil passions, by an apt allusion to the harmony subsisting between the members of the human frame, he could not say, consistently with fact, that the less honour- able members of the body, that is, the less illus- trious members of the Church, were jointly glori* Jied with the more honourable members, with those who derived fame and reputation from the exer- cise of their superior powers ; the very occasion of his address, impHed and pre-supposed the con- trary ; but, in stating that, which, from the myste- rious sympathies of our animal frame, actually does take place in the natural body, he indicated, in the most delicate, and the most masterly way, what their duty was, as members of the spiritual body ; to rejoice, namely, in the exaltation of their more conspicuous brethren. It may be just observed, that if we look to the verbal antithesis of the second and fourth lines. 17* SACRED LITERATURE. fsECT. X. the verb o-vyxoitg^^ is a far better correlative to (rvy.7rct(rxsi, than cryygoJa^sTa* would have been ; and thus, by a beautiful compensation, what is lost in the parallelism of lines 3 and 4, is gained in the parallelism between lines 2 and 4. xat ^isysg^sig e7reT/jX>j(re to) oLVsiioi' xon sysvero yaX>jv>) iJ^syctXri. And having arisen, he rebuked the wind ; And said unto the sea. Peace, be still ! And the wind ceased ; And there was a great calm. S, Mark, iv. 39. It may not be amiss to observe here, how pos- sible it is, in a translation, to give, with tolerable fidelity, the general scope of a passage, and, at the same time, .to destroy its simplicity, energy, and beauty : for example. Dr. Campbell has thus rendered this passage : " And he arose, and <« commanded the wind, sayhig to the sea, Peace! « Be still ! Immediately the wind ceased, and a ** great calm ensued.'* The unity of action, in the first clause, is broken by the unauthorised insertion of the copulative ** and;'* while, in the next two clauses, the distinctness of action is impeded by a twofold omission, equally unauthorised, of the same particle. And what is gained by these liber- ties ? Positively nothing, unless we account it an advantage to have Scripture divested of its charac- teristic style ; to exchange the terse, sententious, and poetical brevity of the original, for the tame- SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 175 ness and prolixity of mere prose. The drag at the conclusion, " a great calm ensued," is abso- lutely frigid: how different from the dignified repose of our authorised Version, almost vying with the noble original: — and there was a GREAT calm! On comparing the parallel places, S. Matt. viii. 26, and S. Luke, viii. 24, it will at once appear, that the description of S. Mark is fuller, more beautiful, and more picturesque, than those of his brother-evangelists. For this superiority, a pro- bable cause may be assigned. S. Mark wrote under the direction, and probably, in this instance, from the lips, of one, who not only was an eye- witness of our Lord's divine power over the winds and waves ; but who, above all other eye-witnesses, had special cause to be impressed by every exer- cise of that power : S. Peter was, on another oc- casion, enabled by Christ to walk upon the water j a privilege peculiar to himself. " The servants of " God," says Dr. Townson, " had sometimes " walked through the parted waves : but no mere <* man do we read of in holy writ, who was enabled " to walk upon them, but S. Peter." The next example to be adduced, consists of three quatrains from S. Matthew, and an equal number from S. Luke ; each set of quatrains re- lating the same discourse of our Lord ; but each varying from the other, in some remarkable parti- culars ; these variations, together with some im- portant bearings of the subject matter, will, in this 176 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. X. case, demand a greater length of observation than I am in the habit of allowing myself to use. Xa» (TYlfJ^SlOV OV ^0^Yl<7STUl OIVTI], SI jOtrj TO a-YlfXClOV KJOVCt TOU wa-TTSQ yug tjv icavocg ev rrj xo»Xia tou xijroyj, rgsij yjfJ'Sgoig TiOLi rgng vvxrotg, cvTctig sfcui 0 viog tou uv^gooTrov sv rrj xag^icx. t»)j yr)f, T^e30-av eij to xrigvyi/.oc icavot, "KM »8oy, -ccrAsiov icova wSs : ^a(7iA»o-(ra votou eys^^rjo-STaj ev Trj x^icrsi, jutsTa T»3J ycvsaj TauT)];, xa* KOLTuxgim avTTt]V : OTl >jAdeV £X TCOV -DTS^aTOJV T>JJ yT)f, OLK0V(rUl Tr^v (TO3(rcTai ayrij, e< [xr] to (TYifj^siov twva : xu^M^ yap eyBVsro imvolc (ri^iJ.siov roi^ vivsuirong' ovrco: sfxi xui 6 vioc tov civ^gooTrov, rrj ysvscc ravTr}, ^«(riXi(rcr« voToy syig^ri(rsrui sv rrj xgiasi, fjiSTu Toov «v$^wv TYi; ysvsocs TauT>)j, xon xuToixgivsi OLurou^ : QTi rjX^sv sx T(t)v 'orsgcuTwv Tv\g yy^<;, axoucrai t>jv troi^iav (toAo- xui <5ou, 'mXziOv aoXou^Mvog chdz. civ^geg vivBVi uvus-viorovTixi sv tv} xgicrsi, fjLSTU TYjg ysvsug rayrrjc, xxi xotTuxgivovaiv «ut>jv : OTi }j.=TSVQYi3 xo»xia tov xtjto?, — " in the cavity of the whale." The great body of commentators, (I speak not here of infidel theo- logians, who, at all hazards, and by the most absurd evasions, would rid themselves of every thing miraculous in Holy Scripture :) but the great body of orthodoa: commentators, have been in the habit of considering, that Jonas w^as re- ceived into the belly or stomach of some great fish : and, since the days of Bochart, they are generally agreed, that the fish in question was not a whale, but a shark. It must, indeed, be admit- ted, that, from the narrowness of the passage, a man could not have passed into the stomach of a whale: but a learned French writer has brought invincible reasons to prove, that, neither could a man be received into tiie stomach of a shark, and preserved there, without a series of miracles. That fish is furnished with five or six ranges of teeth, placed in each jaw, after the manner of a palisade, which must have prevented the safe ingress and egress of the prophet. The monster's dreadful voracity must have been charmed down ; its extra- ordinary and most rapid digestive powers must have been kept in abeyance ; and, even if the body of a man could have been preserved entire, it is hardly possible to conceive how, in such a place, respiration could have been carried on. On the contrary, a safe and practicable asylum is afforded, not, indeed, in the stomach, but in another cavity of the whale : the throat is large, and provided with a bag, or intestine, so consider- sect; X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 179 able in size, that whales frequently take into it two of their young when weak, especially during a tempest. In this vessel there are two vents, which serve for inspiration and respiration ; and here, in all probability, Jonas was preserved ; not, indeed, without miracle, but with that ceconomy ofmiracky so frequently exemplified in Scripture. This re- ceptacle may be accounted a sort of air-vessel, and sufficiently answers to the term xo»x»a in S. Mat- thew, which I have rendered, cavity. See, for the particulars here stated in an abridged form, a very ingenious dissertation in the " Memoires des Je- " suites, publics par M. I'Abbe Grosier,'* tome i. art. 9. Of the above opinion, a strong, and undesigned, and independent confirmation is afforded by an eminent naturalist: " La nature a construit ces " masses organisees de maniere qu'elles peuvent " s'elever a la surface des eaux, ou s'abaisser dans " leur profondeur a volonte. Du fond de leur " gueule part un gros intestin fort epais, fort long, *' et si large qu^wi homme y passeroit tout entier. " Get intestin est un grand magazin d'air que ce " cetacee porte avec lui, et par le moyen duquel, il " se rend a son gre plus leger, ou plus pesant, sui- " vant qu'il I'ouvre ou qu'il le comprime, pour aug- " menter, ou pour diminuer, la quantite d'air qu'il " contient." Diet. d'Hist. Nat. par M. Valmont Bomare, Art. Baleine. This, it will be observed, is the testimony of a writer who had not the case of Jonas at all in view ; who wrote merely as a naturalist ; and who could, therefore, have given N 2 180 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. X^ no such colouring to his description, as the Jesuit might, perhaps, be suspected of giving. * The student who desires further information on this subject, may consult the Curse Philologicaa of Wolfius, vol. i. p. 220, &c. He there cites Peta- lossi, a physician of Lyons, and Heumann, for an opinion apparently similar to that of M. PAbbe Grosier. As, however, I have not access to those authors, I cannot speak with certainty. The foregoing, as I intimated, was an incidental topic. I proceed now to observations more imme- diately within the purpose of the present work. In the first quatrain of the specimen, as recorded by S. Luke, there is a striking variation from the parallel quatrain of S. Matthew. This variation has been well described, and, in a good measure, accounted for, by the late excellent Dr. Townson. His words are as follow : *' Our Lord had mentioned " the sign of the prophet Jonas ; first, as pre-%ur- * I feel pleasure in acknowledging, that for these curious, and, as I conceive, not unimportant references, I am indebted to my learned friend Dr. Nash, late senior fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and now rector of Ardstraw. It is, I trust, a higher motive than the mere partiaUty of friendship, which in- duces me here to mention, that the Irish Church is much indebted to the indefatigable exertions of Dr. N. for a long course of years, while divinity lecturer in the university of Dub- lin. From this notice, his modest and retiring merit will be apt to shrink. But many will thank me for paying this sHght tribute to a man, whose example, whose advice, whose instruc- tions, and whose encouragement, had the most beneficial influ- ence upon their theological studies, and, it is hoped, will produce an ampler and better harvest, in their future professional ex- ertions. SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 181 «« ing his own death, and resurrection on the third " day J and secondly, as a warning to the Jews, « who stood condemned, by the conversion of the " Ninevites. The sign of Jonas seems more im- " portant in the first view ; but to understand it, " required a knowledge of his history. S. Luke " therefore mentions it only in the second, which " his context explains." Works, vol. i. p. 188. It will be recollected, that, according to the scheme of Dr. Townson, S. Matthew wrote for Jewish, and S. Luke for Gentile converts. It has been further, and judiciously remarked, by Archdeacon Churton, that S. Luke drops the term adulterous (f^oix^xis) probably because spiri- tual adultery, the desertion, that is, of God, who had espoused to himself his covenanted people, was a notion not familiar to the Gentiles. Introduc. to Townson. vol. i. p. cxxv. It may be added, that, according to the best MSS., and several Versions, the same evangelist drops the [term too 'STgo(^rilovy the prophet ; a title, that, like the phrase i^oix^Kisy would have had weight with Jewish converts, but to native Gentiles, must have been comparatively un- interesting : an additional reason, however, may be assigned for expunging, as Griesbach does, the words TOO 'aTgo(^Yilov : S. Luke unquestionable/ drops ij^oix^Kis' it occurs not in a single collated MS., nor in any one of the ancient Versions, of S. Luke ; nor is it cited, as his expression, by any of the Fathers ; now, ix^oix^Xis being omitted, were rov ^go(prilotj retained, the equipoise of the two parallel lines would be destroyed; while, by its exclusion, that N 3 18£ SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. X. equipoise is preserved. In S. Matthew, the greater length of the second line is counterbalanced by^the two epithets -srovrj^a, and fxoixaKis' and indeed, the inequality of the first two lines of this evan- gelist, is but an accident of language ; in the Aram- asan, (the language which our Lord undoubtedly employed) the lines must have been of equal length ; for, as they stand, the second is length- ened out by Greek particles from which the first is free ; and which, in the original, were expressed far more briefly. * But, to resume S. Luke's omission of the typical allusion : a further probable cause may be assigned for it. That computation of time which extended the interval between our Lord's death and resur- rection to three days, and three niglits, was per- fectly familiar to the Jews 5 and accordingly, as * I would here, once for all, make an observation, which it may be useful to keep in view. The equiponderance of pa- rallel lines is, in a great measure, preserved by their equality of length. That equality, however, is by no means uniform in the Old Testament : and, where lines are of equal length in the Hebrew original, there are frequent variations of length in the Septuagint version, occasioned by the different genius of the Greek language. Mere inequalities of length are not, there- fore, in the New-Testament s-ixoi, or lines, to be considered de- partures from the laws of parallelism ; nor, are those lines to be compared directly with the parallelisms of the Old Testament, as distributed, for example, in Kennicott's Hebrew Bible, but as distributed in Grabe's Septuagint ; and, in like manner, the English lines, in all preceding and subsequent examples of this work, may be compared with the lines in Bishop Lowth's trans- lation of Isaiah, or in Bishop Horsley's version of the Psalms. So far as the relative proportion of parallel lines is concerned, I fear not the result of such comparisons. SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 183 Reland has remarked, no objection was, on this ground, brought against the apostles, or the early Christians by their Jewish adversaries ; to Gentile converts, on the contrary, that mode of reckoning was strange ; they might have been startled by the seeming discrepancy between tlie typical prophecy, and its alleged fulfilment : and, on this ground, were there no other assignable motive, it might have been prudent for S. Luke to omit the typicaly and confine himself to the moral application, of the sign of Jonas. It is but right, however, in passing, to observe, that every real difficulty in the typical allusion, has been fully surmounted by the commen- tators ; by none more ably than by Dr. Lightfoot, whose Jewish learning qualified him peculiarly for the task. " The propriety of the expressions three ** days and three nights, and the third day, as applied " to our Saviour's resurrection, has been contro- " verted/' says Mr. Wakefield, *' by some writers of " much malice and little learning : such are always " the most uncandid and disputatious." I am not fond of partial and invidious applications ; in «// sects and parties, individuals doubtless may be found, to whom these words apply. But facts of recent occurrence suggest, and almost compel, the enquiry, whether certain of Mr. Wakefield's admirers might not derive benefit from trying themselves by his just and unquestionable aphorism ? In the disposition of the two remaining qua- trains, another, and a greater variation must be considered. S. Luke has reversed the order of S. Matthew j interposing, with some apparent loss N 4 184 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. X. of orderly connexion, the case of the queen of the south, between the first and the second mention of Jonas. Archdeacon Churton is incUned to suppose, that S. Luke's previous omission of the typical alhision " induced the difference of order, which, " reversed in each, seems in each most proper/' Introd. ut supr. p. cxxvi. Now, that St. Matthew's order was not merely the most proper order for his purpose, but the only order which he could pro- perly have used, is sufficiently clear : in his first stanza, he makes no moral application of the sign of Jonas ; and further, he does make a typical appli- cation ; but, to have proceeded at once from this type, without morally opening the sign, to another, and a foreign topic, would have implied inevitable confusion of subject, and distraction of the reader's thought. S. Matthew, therefore, could not, re- taining his topics, have reversed his order. In S. Luke's case, these obstacles did not exist ; his omission of the type left him comparatively free ; if, in his first stanza, the moral application be not fully expressed, at least, no diverse application is even remotely hinted ; and therefore, without per- plexing his readers, he might safely postpone, for a short time, the topic of Jonas. But though, on Archdeacon Churton's principles 1 can perceive that S. Luke's transposition was allowable^ some- thing further seems necessary to prove it the most proper order for his adoption. I cannot here pro- fess myself able to bring decisive proof, but I would offer, as a probable reason, the character of that class of readers for which S. Luke primarily SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 185 wrote: they were Gentile converts, to whom it must have afforded most encouragement, and most incitement, to mention, in the first instance, the case of a Gentile queen, not, like the people of Ni- neve, propelled by the terrors of impending death and ruin, but attracted by the lessons of superior wisdom. The Jews sought a sign : and they sought it with earthly minds, and with obdurate hearts ; to them, therefore, with admirable fitness, S. Matthew first exhibited our Lord's tremendous application of the sign of Jonas. The Greeks enquired after wisdom : and, however erroneous the manner of their search, and however vain the principles on which it was conducted, still the desire was at bottom of a noble kind : S. Luke, therefore, in writing for the Greeks, or native Gentiles, seems to have discriminated most wisely, in placing before his readers, as soon as he possibly could, the attractive example of one who sought, and sought effectually, the streams of that true wisdom, the over-flowing fountain of which was now brought within their reach. A slighter variation of S. Luke was probably not without design ; it appears, at least, to be very sig- mifkant : in S. Matthew we read : A qiieien of the south shall arise in the judgment, ^^f^^ith this generation, and shall condemn it : in S. Luke : A queen of the south shall arise in the judgment With THE MEN of this generation, and shall condemn THEM : According to this latter exhibition of it, the verbal 186 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. X. antithesis is stronger, and the reproach is par- ticularly pungent : a woman, a queen, accustomed to all the delicacies of life, eager after wisdom ; men neglecting it : she coming from afar ; tkeji/ refusing to hear the voice of wisdom in their streets, and at their very doors. When S. Matthew wrote, there might still, perhaps, have remained to the apostles some hope of converting the Jewish race, or a large portion of it ; in which case, it would seem judicious to make the verbal antithesis between the queen, and the generation : when S. Luke wrote, the case was altered ; there was no prospect of nationally converting the Jews ; the apostles had turned to the Gentiles ; and the reason no longer existed for directing attention, rather to the race, than to the mdividuals of it. In our Lord's introduction of the queen of the south into this discourse, more, it is probable, was meant, than could meet either the ear, or the un- derstanding, of his immediate hearers. At the Very time when our Lord was, in their presence, performing miracles on earth, the Jews demanded a sign from heaven. This unreasonable demand was naturally answered by a reference to, and application of, the sign of Jonas : with the rest of the context, however, the topic of the queen of the south appears to have little or no connexion. I am disposed, therefore, to believe, that in this particular, our Lord had reference to a class of persons beyond his immediate auditory; that he meant a covert allusion to the case of the Gentiles ; which allusion, for obvious reasons, could, before SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 187 such an audience as he was then addressing, be no more than covert. And this conjecture derives no inconsiderable support from the fact, that the topics of a sign, and of wisdom, are taken up and discussed by S. Paul, in such terms, as plainly indi- cate that, throughout his entire discussion, this very discourse of our Lord was strongly present to his mind : with this remarkable compensatory dis- tribution of the two subjects, that, while in our Lord's discourse, the topic of wisdom is, as it were, incidentally brought in, and less fully dwelt upon, — the sig7i being manifestly the leading topic, — in S. Paul's discussion, the order is reversed : the sig7i is incidental and subordinate ; wisdom is the primary subject; it occupies his thoughts, as it flows from his pen. This to me appears a fine example of the right division of the word of truth. Our blessed Lord, in speaking to the Jews, is not wholly unmindful of the Greeks : S. Paul, in writ- ing to Greeks, is not altogether regardless of the Jews : but each addresses himself principally to his proper class of hearers and disciples. As the pas- sage of S. Paul is a good example of sententious parallelism, I feel the less difficulty in producing it, at full length. To the reader I commit the office of marking for himself the coincidences which are neither few nor slight, with the passages w^hich we have been so long considering, of S. Matthew and S. Luke : 6 Xoyo; yug 6 tov fau^ou, ysyguTiTui yug : 188 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. X. UTToXcji) TrjV (TOfuxv Toov 3T>3T>3j tow aic<;voj toutou ; ovyi ejxoogccvsv b 0co^ rrjv j ya^ ev rvj ]jW,=]TOi^, jouSaiOij ts xoii IXArjcri, X^jfov, 05OU SuvajtAJV, xa< 0eou (yoi^ioiy : OTJ TO [JiWQOV TOV 0SOU, (TOC^ViTiqOV TOOV UV^gOOTlCJOV efJ* xa< TO «(rdevej TOU 0eou, icryyqoTeqov twv uv^gMTroov eft: ^XsTTSTg ya^ T>5V xXyjciv uju-c/jv, aSeAipoi, OTi ou -OToAXoi o-0(poi xaTa cr«^xa, 01) 'UJoKXoi SuvaTOJ, o« 'syoKKoi suyevsis : aAA« Tot jw^w^a Toy xoa-jxov s^sXs^uto 6 0eoj, »va Touj (ro(poyj KUTOLia-yyvY^ : xa< Tcc a(r^£V>) tou }iO(y[jt,ov s^sXe^uto b 0eoj, iva KotTUia-^vvYi to, la-^vgoc. For the word of the cross, To the destroyed, indeed, is foolishness ; But to us, the saved, is the power of God : For it is written : I will destroy the wisdom of the wise ; And the intelHgence of the intelligent I will set aside: Where is the wise man, where the scribe ? Where the disputant of this world ? * Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world ? For when, by the wisdom of God, The world, through wisdom knew not God, God was well pleased, SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 189 Through the foohshness of preaching to save them who believe : For the Jews demand a sign; And the Greeks seek wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, To the Jews, indeed, a stumbhng-block ; And to the Greeks foohshness ; But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God : For the foolishness of God, is wiser than men ; And the weakness of God, is stronger than men : For, behold your calling brethren ; There are not many wise men after the flesh ; Not many powerful, not many nobly born : But the foolish things of the world hath God selected. That the wise men he might put to shame : And the weak things of the world hath God selected, That he might put to shame the strong things. 1 Cor, i. 18—27. In the above passage, several MSS., instead of lov^onoi )vef )(r». If, therefore, we read (Djf^sia, not only will the sense be injured, as SECT. X.] SACRED LITERATURE. 191 Wolfius has demonstrated, but the beautiful sym- metry of the passage will be destroyed. It may be noticed, in passing, that for IXA»)^wrgiw[^svoi Tv\g ^ooYjg tqv &eoo : 192 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. X. dice TYjV OiyVOlOiV TYjV OVCTOIV SV (XVTOig' hot TYjv TTM^cocriV TV}; xag^iug uuTCtiV. Being darkened in the understanding ; Beins: alienated from the life of God : Through the ignorance which is in them ; Through the blindness of their hearts. Ephcs. iv. 18. That is, adjusting the parallelism : Being darkened in the understanding, Through the ignorance which is in them ; Being alienated from the life of God, Through the blindness of their hearts. Again : x«t e^TjTOUV etvrov KgciTY,(rai' KCH CK^BVTSi eHUrOV, UTTYlX^OV. And they sought to seize him ; And they feared the people : For they knew, that against them he spake the parable i And having left him, they departed. S. Mark, xii. 12. That is : And they sought to seize him ; For they knew, that agamst them he spake the parable : But they feared the people ; Therefore, having left him, they departed. " The particle x«i in this verse," says Dr. H. Owen, ap. Bowyer, Conj. " bears three different " senses : the first is used in its common sense ; " the second stands for ukxol- and the third for '* ovv» 193 SECTION XL I PROPOSE, in this Section, to exemplify stanzas consisting of five lines j and those also which con- tain six. 1. The five-lined stanza admits considerable varieties of structure : sometimes the odd line or member commences the stanza ; frequently, in that case, laying down a truth to be illustrated in the remaining four lines : sometimes, on the contrary, after two distichs, the odd line makes a full close ; often containing some conclusion deducible from what preceded : sometimes the odd line forms a sort of middle term, or connective link, between two couplets : and occasionally the five-lined stanza begins and ends with parallel lines ; a parallel triplet intervening. Of all these varieties, some exemplification shall be given : — gav Ti§ TregiTTOtTYi sv rr] rifLsga, on Trgoo-aoTrTsr on TO (^m; too xog-{J^ou tovtov ^Asttsj : gav Se Tig 7re^i7raT>} sv t>) vuKTi, TrgofTTCOT^Tsr OTl TO ]ysjTaj. euv ds Tig irsqiiroLTYi sv t*) (ncoTsi TV]g xajcia;, TtgocrxoTiTsr oti to (poog ouk sg-iv sv otUTco. *' If a man " walk in the light of virtue, he stumbleth not SECT. XI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 195 " into danger ; for he seeth the hght of virtue, " and is led on his way. But, if a man walk in " the darkness of vice, he stumbleth ; for the light " is not in him." The light is wanting, not in the world, but in the individual. It is probable, that the whole range of literature, ancient and modern, sacred and profane, does not afford a better illus- tration of this passage, than the strains of our great poet : Virtue could see to do what virtue would, By her own radiant light, though Sun and Moon Were in the flat sea sunk. He that has light within his own clear breast, May sit i' the centre, and enjoy bright day : But be that hides a dark soul, and foul thoughts, Benighted walks, under the mid-day sun ; Him self is his own dungeon. Comus. wno Toov xagTroov uvtcov STriyvcjoascr^s ocvTOvg* ixYjTi (TuWsyoudty omo ukocv^mv faf^uXrjv ; OUTCO TTOtv SevS^ov (xyct^ov xocgTrov^ xix\ov§ Troisr TO Ss (TixTtqov SevSgov Kagyrous TrovYigovg Troist : ou luvccTixi Sev^^ov txyu^ov nugTrou^ TrovYjgovg Troieiv* ovde SsvSgov croLizqov xcc^ttov^ kixXovs ttoisiv : Tcav hvdgov [j.ri ttoiovv xagTrov xccXov, aqoLys aTTO tmv xa^Trwv ](raTe rovg Koguxu^' oTt 01) CTrei^oucnv, ouSe ^sgi^ova-iv, oif ovx s<^iv Toifxnov, ovh a7ro^>3x>5, 1^0(700 fLaXXov vi^ei^ '$icij £TOi[j.a(rcc§, ju,>j5e ^oiyjcraj 'srgo^ to -^eAvj/jta uvtov, ZagYiasTcn "OJoXKci^* 0 8s fxn] yvov^, 'STon^o'u^ Ss 0.^10. t!j-A>jywv, t(xpi^(r6Tui oKiyuc, And that servant who knew the will of his Lord, And who prepared not, neither did according to his will, Shall be beaten with many stripes ; And he who did not know, And did things worthy of stripes, Shall be beaten with few stripes. S, Lukc^ xii. 47, 48» SECT. XI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 205 The antithesis in this passage has prodigious moral depth : he who sins against knowledge, though his sins were only sins of omission, shall be beaten with many stripes : but he who sins without knowledge, though his sins were sins of commission, shall be beaten only with few stripes. Mere negligence, against tlie light of conscience, shall be severely punished; while an offence, in itself compar- atively heinous, if committed ignorantly, and without light, shall be mildly dealt with. This merciful discrimination, however, is full of terror : for, whatever may be the case, respecting past, forsaken, and repented sins of ignorance, no man is entitled to take comfort to himself from this pas- sage, respecting his present, or future course of life : the very thought of doing so, proves, that the person entertaining that thought, has sufficient know- ledge to place him beyond its favourable oper- ation. fI.Yj JTS UTTO TWV UTTOKTSlVOVTiOV TO jt8 civtov. Fear not them who kill the bod}^, And after that have no more that they can do ; But I will shew you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed, Hath power to cast into hell ; Yea, I say unto you, fear him. S. Luke, xii. 4, 5, 206 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XI. iciv yoLQ ayoLTTYiorifiTs rovg wyaTroovTotg v[J^cig, nvu [xi^ov sphere ; ouYt xa* 01 TsXcovcci TO uvTO -CTOioucri ; xaj eotv ci(T'KCi(Tri3V oixiav avTOV stn rrjv -cxsT^av x«j xoiTS^Yj ri .^go^Yi, xcti gTTveucrav 6i av£//,oi, xai xffgoas'Tr&TOV t>) oixioc sxsivyi, KOLi ovx STreas* Ts^sfxeXiooTO yug stti tijv ttstpuv : xcn T^TOcg 6 uxovoiv ftou TQug \oyov§ rovrovs, xon /xrj ■sroicov uvrovg, 6jX0*cod>j(r£Taj avdgi jj^cogoo, bfis ct)xoto[xri(Ts rrjv oikiocv avrov etti t-^v ccy^(J^ov' XOCl XlXTe^Y] f) ^go^Yj, xoLi S7rvev(7av bi uvbixoi, xa.1 'srgoarsxo^ocv t>] oixia. sxsivyj, xoLi STTsa-S" xcti >}V r) -sTTcoo-ij aurr)^ fxsyuXy}. Whosoever, therefore, heareth these my words, and I will liken him to a prudent man^ [doeth them, Who built his house upon the rock : And the rain descended. And the floods came. And the winds blew, And fell upon that house ; And it fell not; for it was founded upon the rock. And every one hearing these my words, and doing them Shall be hkened to a foolish man, [not, Who built his house upon the sand : And the rain descended. And the floods came. And the winds blew. And struck upon that house ; And it fell ; and the fall thereof was great. S, Matt. vii. 24—27. 1 have rendered stt* rrjv Trsrguv, " upon the rock," the rocky or stony ground ; opposed to ezi t>jv a/A]xov, p 3 ^14 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XII. " upon the sand." See Bp. Middleton, Doctr. of Gr. Article, p. 193. In these two connected stanzas, the language may be justly termed picturesque. The marked transition in each of them from a long and mea- sured movement, to short rapid lines, and the re- sumption, at the close, of a lengthened cadence, are peculiarly expressive. The continual return, too, in the shorter lines, of the copidative particle, (a return purely Hebraic, and foreign from clas- sical usage,) has a fine effect : it gives an idea of danger, sudden, accumulated, and overwhelming. These are beauties which can be retained only in a literal translation ; and which a literal translation may exhibit very competently. Dr. Campbell has some very judicious observations (Prelim. Diss. iii. § 4<.) on the literal simplicity of the Latin Vulgate, as contrasted with the classical affecta- tion of Castalio's Version. By way of example, he produces their several renderings of the begin- ning of Genesis. In the Vulgate, as in our autho- rised English Version, the first five verses are broken into no less than eleven short sentences, connected by the copulative particle : these all, except the first and last, Castalio reduces to one complicated period, for which he is, with much propriety, censured by Dr. Campbell. It is to be regretted, that, as in many parts of the four Gos- pels, so especially in the passage now under con- sideration, the translation of the learned professor offends against his own better principles. In the original text, the description of the tempest which assailed the prudent man's house, together with its SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 215 final stability, is comprised in six short independent sentences, the first five of which are linked toge- ther by the particle xa* : in like manner, tlie tem- pest which assailed the foolish man's house, with its final overthrow, is described in six short sen- tences, all beginning with the copulative particle. In Dr. Campbell's translation, each of these de- scriptions is wrought up into a single period : so that, instead of the eleven or twelve short sen- tences of the original, we have two periods, by no means happily assorted, in the Version of the learned professor; periods, alike deficient in the full flow of classical composition, and in the pun- gent brevity of the sententious parallelism. His rendering of the entire passage I will insert, as de- manding a few additional observations : " There- " fore whosoever heareth these my precepts and " doth them, I will compare to a prudent man, " who built his house upon the rock. For although " the rain descended, and the rivers overflowed, " and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, " it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock. " But whosoever heareth these my precepts and " doth them not, shall be compared to a fool, who " built his house upon the sand. For when the " rain descended, and the rivers overflowed, and ** the winds blew, and dashed upon that house, it " fell, and great was its ruin." In tlie first place, by omitting to render avrov in the second line. Dr. C. has committed a fault against grammar ; " whoso- ever heareth — I will compare." Again ; ** for " although the rain — it fell not," is substituted p 4 2lG SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XII. for, " AND the rain — and it fell not;" and in like manner, " for when the rain — it fell," is substituted for " AND the rain — and it fell." Substitutions surely not conceived in the happiest taste : for, as I have already observed, they resolve two series of short, and most expressive sentences, into two ill- constructed periods ; nor is this the whole, or per- haps the worst ; for the gratuitously inserted words anticipate, and by anticipating, sadly weaken, the final contrast : *' For although the rain, " the rivers, &c. — it fell not : for when the rain, " the rivers, the winds, &c. — it fell :" here is, on both sides, a premature disclosure, unwarranted by the original ; which, if we may so speak, cheats the reader of a conclusion that he would have been gratified by drawing for himself. Nor should it be omitted, that much of the effect depends on the calamities being described in both cases, in similar terms, and with precisely opposite results ; an effect materially assisted, by the unvaried co- pulatives of the original; and no less materially impeded, by the antithetical variations of Dr. Campbell. Further; " the rivers overflowed ;" this is, at once, less poetical, and less just, than our authorised version, " and the floods came," less poetical ; for when rivers are said to overflow, a mere physical fact is asserted ; but when it said, *' the floods came," we have a fine personification: and less just ; for there is a departure from the original >]A^ov and besides, rivers might overflow, without coming near the house, and therefore without increasing the danger. Again : "a pru- " dent man — a fool;" why depart from the strictly SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 217 antithetical terms of the original^ uv^i (pgonfjioo — avlgr luviqM ? Certainly the dignity of our Lord's manner has not been consulted in the departure. And, lastly, "great was its ruin 1" — a very unsuccessful effort after emphasis : the simple unpretending re- petition of the word fall, is far more expressive : " and it fell ; and the fall thereof was great !" In making these observations, I would earnestly deprecate the notion, that I feel the slightest dis- respect for the memory of Dr. Campbell, or the least disposition to undervalue his labours. Few of his contemporaries rendered more essential service in the department of Scripture-interpretation ; and his Preliminary Dissertations especially, will remain a lasting monument of industry, acuteness, and discrimination, which all students of theology will do well to emulate, and which few can hope to equal. But the acknowledged excellence of Dr. Campbell's most matured, and most elaborate per- formance, makes it the more indispensable to hint at his occasional failures ; a duty, indeed, of para- mount obligation, when the truths, and even when the beauties, of Sacred Scripture, are in any danger of being, either, misrepresented, or impaired. Some niceties of phraseology and construction in this passage, ought not to pass unnoticed. In the case of the prudent man, our Lord says oi/^okjoo-m uvtov, I will liken him : in the case of the foolish man, ofji^oica^riorsTm, he shall be likened. The distinction here, would seem to be studiously designed. When the wise and fruitful hearer is to be characterised, our Lord himself institutes the comparison : when the foolish and unprofitable listener, it is otherwise ^18 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XII. managed ; the comparison is then matter of com- mon fame ; he shall be likened ; as though he were unworthy of Christ's own personal attention. Thus also in the first Psalm : The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous ; But the way of the ungodly shall perish : On which Euthymius observes : tu h koixu, w? av«^«a TYj§ sKsivov yvooosoos, ayvosiv zjgoo-'TroisiTOii. *' The wicked, " as unworthy of his recognition, he feigns not to " know." Comment, in Psalm, apud Theophy- lact. tom. iv. p. 348. edit. Venet. 1763. The verbal distinction in our Lord's discourse, has been observed by some, who give it a milder, and, perhaps, on the whole, a juster colouring. For example, the following inedited Scholium of Photius, inserted by Matthaei, in his valuable edi- tion of Euthymius on the Gospels, tom. i. p. 290. jju.g(rai, on to jxev ysvecr^on (pgoviix^ov, ouk £fi avsv t>)j tov ©sou (Tvvsgyiccs xon sTriTrvoiocg. Sio (pijcnv 6[ji,oicti(T(jo avTOV uv^gi (pgon(ji>oOy avTi rou (ryvavTiXr)r|/ojuj^evTa jx>j ^lUTTSceiv, jotrj^s Sja(pd«e>)V«r stti 5s too [i^cogco, ouKSTi 6[ji.oia)(ra}, aXX* OjxojcO'&yjcreTai , oiov ccvtos suvtm uirtog gfw, T)j5 ^goKTVTYiTOS Kcci Tifj^oogicig, oTi hov agzTY^v hoiKOvrci t*)j rou ^SQU PuCT>)(r) tov Ssov notTOg^ovTai ^ocgiTr t) Ss t»)j Kuxiocg 'urgoi^ig, yvooi^vis [ji.o^^')^gici<, xcn '^gouigsasMs 'uyagurgoTrri, STTiyivs- Tui. " To signify the impossibility of becoming " prudent, without the assistance and inspiration " of God. Wherefore he'saith I will liken him to ** a prudent man, for the purpose of expressing, * I SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 219 " will give my assistance and co-operation, in order " that his buildings may neither fall, nor moulder " away.' But of the foolish man, he saith not " * I WILL LIKEN HIM,' but * HE SHALL BE LIKENED j' " as though he were to say, let him blame himself " for his rashness, and his punishment ; for when, ** by the pursuit of virtue, he ought to have " attained the kingdom of God, he has, by meddling <« in wickedness, made himself a partaker of tor- " ment. Thus, the possession of virtue is accom- <« plished by our own diligence, and by the grace ** of God : but the practice of evil is superinduced <« by viciousness of mind, and by an abuse of free " will." Thus far the Scholium of Photius : Eu- thymius is more brief, but to the same effect : he notices the various reading, in some copies of oiloim^ ^Yia-sron for oixoiMo-ca, in the case of the prudent man ; and adds, xaXov h xai by^oiMo-oo, %«Jg3v ^' yrjv, and that too, %w^*j ^si^iXm'' The difference. 222 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XII. I think, is purely verbal : in some particulars, S. Luke is more full, and S. Matthew more con- cise ; in other particulars, S. Matthew is graphi- cally descriptive, where S. Luke is silent ; but the circumstances are, I conceive, precisely the same. The process of the building, is stated largely by S. Luke ; it is not at all stated by S. Matthew in direct terms ; yet it is indirectly brought out, by his use of the word reds/xsXjwTo in describing the stability of the wise man's house : and by his omissioii of T£:&6jxeX<«;To, in describing the downfall of the foolish man's house : an omission the more remarkable, as, could the truth and propriety of things, or, what amounts to the same thing, the moral fitness of the apologue, have allowed it, the clause j^r it was founded upon the roch, at the conclusion of the first stanza, would require, as an equipoise, the clause for it was founded upon tlie sand, at the conclusion of the second stanza : we must accordingly infer, that S. Matthew's foolish man built without foundation, no less certainly, than that his prudent man laid a foundation on the rock. The difference between -njv a/x,ju,oy, and t>;v yvjv, is easily reconcileable : a sandy soil, might be fairly called the sand ; or a sand-bank might be truly called the earth. The reconciliation of slight apparent discrepancies in the evangelical writers, is by no means a matter of slight import- ance : sometimes, weighty truths may be implicated in such cases ; and, at all events, every such recon- ciliation, increases the probability, that a closer examination of alleged dissonances, may be attended with equal success, to an indefinite extent. SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. ^23 The departure from strict verbal parallelism in the closing line of the Sermon on the Mount, is beautifully expressive: in the case of the wise man, there is a most judicious return to the im- moveable rock J in the case of the foolish man, no final mention is made of the sand : the rock remains; the sand, we are left to imagine, was swept away by the overwhelming deluge : no vestige is produced, either of the edifice, or of the site on which it stood ; and the last impression left upon the mind, is that of irretrievable de- struction. 01 aqypvTs^ Tcov e^vctiv xotTaxvgisuoucriv olvtwv, xoci 01 i^syuXoi x,ciTs^ov(Tioifyv(riv uutcjov, oup^ ovToos eg-on sv viJ.iv sfui v[x,uiv diaxovog* xui 6$ SUV ^sXv} sv OjU.iv eivai -crgcoTOf, SfUl U[J,ODV dou?\.os' dxTTTsg 6 uiog tou av^gooTrou oojc rjX^ev Sjva<, aXAa 8iaxoy»jo-«< , xcti dovvcn rrjv ^u^i^v uutov Kurqov uvn 'uroKXviv. The princes of the nations lord it over them ; And the great ones exercise harsh authority over them ; It shall not be so among you ; But whosoever would among you become great, Shall be your servant ; And whosoever would among you be chiei^ Shall be your slave ; Even as the Son of Man Came not to be served, but to serve, And to give his life a ransom for many. S. Matt, XX. 25—28. In the Greek text of this passage, after the 224 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XII. great majority of MSS. &c., and the editions of Bengel and Griesbach, I have, in the third line, omitted h from before er«»- the insertion of it would serve but to forestall and weaken the suc- ceeding adversative particle axxa. In the fifth and seventh lines, for sfoo, I have substituted sfcci, which Oriesbach places with an approving mark in his interior margin ; and which agrees with the pre- ceding srai of the third line : this form of the verb lias here the power, both of the future tense, and x)f the imperative mood ; it renders the sentence at once preceptory, and predictive. Several of the ablest critics have maintained, justly, as 1 think, that, in the verbs xaraxu^isuouo-jv and xarejouo-ia^oyo-iv, the preposition augments the force. Schleusner, Rosenmiiller, and others of the modern German school, identify the compound with the simple verbs. In my rendering, I have been careful " not to exhaust the meaning." An objection has been often brought, against attribut- ing a bad sense to xarefoucna^ouo-jv, from the parallel place, S. Luke, xxii. 25, where s^ovcnot^ovTsg are styled svsgysToti : Dr. Campbell, however, has pro- perly rendered tliat clause, *' and they who oppress ** them, are called benefactors;" a rendering which he has justified in an able note : to his ob- servations it may be added, that the vain assump- tion on the one side, and the abject conferring on the other, of flattering and pompous titles, have ever been among the most characteristic features of the tyrant and the slave. In; rendering the words Ziaxovog and lovXo^, sei^vant SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 225 and slave, I am supported by Dr. Campbell, whose reasons I am unwilling to abridge ; the more especially, as they tend to confirm some principles advanced in other parts of the present work. *' In " the proper and primitive sense of huyiovo^, it is a *« servant who attends his master, waits on him at " table, and is always near his person to obey *' his orders ; which was accounted a more credit- " able kind of service. By the word SoyXoj, is not " only meant a servant in general, (whatever kind " of work he be employed in,) but also a slave. " It is solely from the scope and connection that " we must judge when it should be rendered in " the one way, and when in the other. In the " passage before us, the view in both verses is to " signify, that the true dignity of the Christian " will arise more from the service done to others, " than [from] the power he possesses over them. " We are to judge, therefore, of the value of the words, " from the import of those they are contrasted with. " And, as desiring to be great, is a more mo- <* derate ambition than desiring to be chief, we " may naturally conclude, that, as the word op- " posed to the former should be expressive of ** some of the inferior stations of life, that opposed " to the latter must be expressive of the lowest, " When this sufficiently suits the ordinary signifi- ** cation of the words, there can hardly remain ** any doubt. As this is manifestly the case here, " I did not know any words in our language, *« by which I could better express a difference in ** degree so clearly intended, than by the words Q SS6 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XII. " servant and slave. The word minister is now ** appropriated to the servants, not of private " masters, but of the public. It is from the *« distinctions in private life, well known at the " time, that our Lord's illustrations are borrowed." Campbell on the Gospels, vol. iv. p. 1^9. Mr. Wakefield rightly observes, that " this ad- •* dress of our Lord is delivered in parallelisms^* From want, however, of a more perfect know- ledge of the true nature of the cognate parallelism, he has assumed, that the related lines are synony- mous ; and, from this unauthorised assumption, he argues, that iji^syuxoi is put for ixsyi^oi, and is syno- nymous with aq-)(pvTss' that iJ^Byus also' is put for /xe- yifoj, and is synonymous with 'nrqaiTo^. But this mode of interpretation, the readers of these pages are, I trust, already prepared to set aside, on the real principles of Hebrew poetry; and to con- demn, as attributing to him, 'who spake as never man spake, a succession of feeble and unmeaning tautologies. It is an ungracious, and by no means a scholar-like office, to explain away the rich and profluent meaning of words, not one of which is without its own distinct and proper value. At length, I am enabled to proceed with a more particular examination of S. Matt. xx. 25 — 28. The whole construction of this passage is eminently beautiful ; the several divisions of it are linked to- gether by a close, but neither " obvious nor obtru- sive " correspondence of related members ; which correspondence must be strictly examined, and clearly exhibited, in order to a just disclosure of SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. ^^7 the sense. The central quatrain may be regarded as the key of the whole paragraph or stanza : it stands connected, antithetically, with the com- mencing, and homogeneously, with the concluding triplet : which triplets, again, by the explanatory intervention of the same central quatrain, will approve themselves antithetically parallel with each other, in the introverted order. The antithesis to be first noticed, is that between the first two lines of the first triplet, and the two distichs of the central quatrain : the lines in ques- tion, are severally taken up in the inverted order ; the second line first : And the great ones exercise harsh authority over them : which is provided with its antithetical relative in the first couplet of the adjoining quatrain : But whosoever would among you become great, Shall become your servant. The first line of the first triplet is next referred to: The PRINCES of the nations lord it over them : antithetical to which, is the second couplet of the central quatrain : And whosoever would among you be chief ; Shall become your slave. In the first couplet of the stanza at large, there is an anticlimax, or descending scale of dignity : hi ag^ovTsg roov s^vcov KotTotavgisvova-iv oivrwVj Q ^ 2^8 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XII. The princes of the nations lord it over them ; And the great ones exercise harsh authority over them : the aqyfiVTZi being kings or autocrats, who rule over their subjects with supreme dominion ; xuruxugt- iuova-iv : and the ix^syaKoi, only lords or satraps, who exercise over those entrusted to their charge a delegated sway ; xoLTiiomiufyva-iv. In the quatrain, on the contrary, there is a cli- max, or ascending scale of dignity : x«i 6j eav -&sX>} ev v^iv sivcti Trpoorog But whosoever would among you become great, Shall be your servant ; And whosoever would among you be chief, Shall be your slave : The fisyuc, or great one, is here correspondent to the lords or satraps ; and the TrgooTo^, or chiefy is equivalent to the agxovrsg, kings or autocrats. This change from anti-climax to climax, is subservient to a high moral purpose : it shews us, " by due steps," how Christians are to attain the first dig- nity of the Christian character; ** he that would " become great, let him be as a servant ; but he " that would become chief, let him be as a slave.'* In the religion of our crucified Redeemer, the deepest humiliation, is the path to the most exalted pitch of glory : it is thus, in that true sense, of which Stoicism was but the mockery, that men may become not only " priests,'' but ** kings unto Godr See Revel, i. 6. SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 2^9 The third line of the first triplet, — " it shall not be so with you," — though not brought into paral- lelism with any part of the central quatrain, is by no means inactive, or inefficient ; that it is pro- vided with a correspondent or parallel member, we shall presently see : meantime, considered in itself, and independently of parallelism, it serves as a most apt transition, from the case of Gentile kings and satraps, to the case of aspirants after Christian greatness and perfection^ " It shall not be so among you." The connection between the central quatrain and the concluding triplet, is, as I have already intimated, not of the antithetical, but of the homo- geneous kind ; in other words, the parallelism is, what I term cognate. Into this parallelism, the first line of the last triplet does not, strictly speak- ing, enter : it is the turning point, or connecting link, between the couplets of the preceding qua- train, and the other two lines of the same triplet : and with the last line of the first triplet, it forms, an antithetical parallelism, thus : It shall not be so with you ; Even as the Son of Man ;. that is, in other words : You shall not resemble the ambitious heathen ; But you shall resemble the meek and lowly Saviour of mankind. The cognate parallelism between the central quatrain, and the last two lines of the concluding Q 3 g50 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XII. triplet, is not in the reversed, but in the direct order: the first couplet of the quatrain, is first pro- vided with its homogeneous relative : [_u)(r'7rsQ 6 vio^ rou av^gooTrov'] ovx. yjX'&ev Sjaxov>)-&*)va<, uKXa. 8iaxov»j(rai. But whosoever would among you become great, Shall be your servant : [Even as the Son of Man] Came not to be served, but to serve. The second couplet of the quatrain, is then simi- larly provided : xa» o; SUV ^sXi^ sv u/xjv sivcn tt^coto^, sg-ui u[J.(JOV ^ovXo^ : [diCTTng b vios Tot> av^qmirou y)X^evj Souvai T>]V 4/ux>3V uuTorj XvTgov avri rroXXajv. And whosoever would among you be chief, Shall be your slave : [Even as the Son of Man came] To give his life a ransom for many. In the first of these parallelisms, the relationship is brought out with strict verbal identity : haycovoi — 8jaxoy*)(rai- a sewant, to serve. In the second paral- lelism, the verbal coincidence is not equally strik- ing, but the reality of agreement is, if possible, more strong. It is not said, that Christ became a slave ; but much more \ that he gave his life a RANSOM to redeem many from the slavery of sin and death. SECT. XII.J SACRED LITERATURE. 2SJ Finally, the commencing and concluding triplets, especially after the above explanatory intervention, approve themselves antithetically parallel, in the introverted order : the last line of the first triplet, we have already seen, is opposed to the first line of the last triplet. The second lines of each are, in like manner, antithetical : The great ones exercise harsh authority : — Came not to be served, but to serve : The authority of the oppressive noble, opposed to the voluntary obedience of the servant : while the first line of the commencing, is antithetical to the last line of the concluding triplet : The princes of the earth lord it over them: — To give his life a ransom for many : The tyranny of earthly potentates, opposed to the humiliation, even to the death of the cross, of Him who is KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. TMV OVgCiVOOV aXX' 0 -CTOicov TO ^eX>3/xa tov 'uyccrgo; i^ov, too sv ougavoii : 'OTOXXOi SqOUCTi [XOl sv SKSiVH] TV) ^/jos^a* xugis, xugis, ov too (TM ovojocaxi 'aTgos(pYiTsiJ] dTToKscrYj rov ij^kt^ov uutou. He who receiveth you, recelveth me ; And he who receiveth me, receiveth Him who sent me : He who receiveth a prophet, in the name of a prophet ; Shall obtain the reward of a prophet : And he who receiveth a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, Shall obtain the reward of a righteous man : And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones A cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, Verily I say unto you, he shall by no means lose his reward. S, Matt X. 40—42. Here, as in several places of the New Testament, (see especially Heb. xi. 31. S. James, ii. 25.) the verb Izyo^oLi means to receive "with JiospitaUty as a guest : a sense demanded in this passage, by the subsequent gift of a cup of cold water (t3-o1r}^*ov ^Ijuxgov}, which is selected, as the lowest degree of hospitable reception. Olearius and Schoettgen by no means entered into the spirit of the context, when they as- signed, as the meaning of^xeo-^ai, to hear, to obey, to believe a teacher's words. Dr. Doddridge translates it, entertains ; a word too familiar and undignified, especially as applied to the Father, and the Son. Our English verb receive, is a just representative of the original : it, like ^sxoy^svos, has that ambiguity of meaning, which may properly lead the reader's mind from the notion of corporal, to that of spiritual Q34f SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XII. reception ; we use it in familar discourse to express hospitable entertainment ; and it is employed, in our Lord's acceptation of it, by Milton : .... Some great behest from heaven To us perhaps he brings, and will vouchsafe This day to be our guest. But go with speed. And, what thy stores contain bring forth, and pour Abundance, fit to honour and receive Our heavenly stranger : well we may afford Our givers their own gifts, and large bestow, From large bestowed. Parad. Lost, v. 311. The reader can scarcely have failed to observe the beauty of the ascending scale, in the first two lines : receiveth you ; receiveth me ; receiveth Him who sent me : and of the descending scale, through- out the remainder of the passage : receiveth a pro- phety receiveth a righteous man ; giveth a cup of cold water to a little one. The ascending scale marks the degree in which God dehghteth to honour those, who, from a religious motive, shew honour to his servants ; the descendiiig scale marks the certainty of retribution which awaits even the slightest act of Christian kindness : and, while the rewards are adjusted in equitable proportion, it is remarkable, that, for the least and lowest office of brotherly good will, the reward is promised with peculiar emphasis : Verily I say unto you, he shall hy no means lose his reward; that is, according to a familiar idiom both of the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures, he shall most assuredly, and abun- dantly, OBTAIN it. 6 SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 235 In this passage, Grotius discovers three classes or degrees of our Lord's disciples : 1. The lowest class ; little ones : so called also S. Mat. xviii. 6., S. Mark, ix. 42., S. Luke, xvii. S. Also termed iXoLXiToi, the leasty S. Matt. xxv. 40. 45. vriirm, babes, 1 Cor. iii. 1. tskvicc and -craiSta, little children^ and infants^ 1 S. John, ii. 12, 13. 2. The middle class; righteous men : so called also, S. Matt. xiii. I7. and elsewhere, as in 1 S. John, ii. 13. vgav*o-xoi, young men. 3. The highest class \ prophets : so called also S. Matt. xiii. I7. av§§£? TsXsm, perfect 7nen, Eph. iv. 13. and ^arsgss, fathers, 1 S. John, ii. 13, 14. Respecting the gift of a cup of cold water, some- what remains to be added. The rabbins had a si- milar saying : " He who gives food to one that *' studies in the law, God will bless him in this " world, and give him a portion in the world to ** come." Synops. Sohar. ap. Schoettgen. tom. i. p. 108. Mr. Weston, (ap. Bowyer. Conj.) men- tions, that the dervises, (Mahometan monks) offer cold water to the traveller in the desarts ; no trifling present in those parched and torrid wastes of sand. And Koecher, in his Analecta, cites Beausobre, Remarques, p. 43. for a precept and promise of Zoroaster, or one of his followers, similar to those of our Lord. There^ are two interesting historical anecdotes, which finely illustrate the fact, that a cup of cold water only, given from genuine motives of hu- manity, or presented as a token of unfeigned respect, shall by no means lose its reward. The ^36 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XII. first is from Josephus, Antiq. lib. xviii. cap. J. § 6. edit. Hudson. Herod Agrippa, during his impri- sonment in the dungeons of Tiberius, was one day in an agony of thirst ; and, seeing a young slave pass by, carrying a vessel of water, implored that he would let him drink of it. The slave willingly, and, doubtless, at some personal risk, complied. The captive monarch assured his humble benefac- tor, that, when he regained his liberty, this good deed should not pass unrequited : and he kept his word : he procured the slave's manumission ; made him comptroller of his estates ; recommended him in his dying testament to his heirs, Agrippa and Bernice ; and history, while it hands down the name of this benevolent slave, assures us that Thaumastus reached a good old age, in that station of trust, emolument, and respectability, to which he had been worthily promoted. The moral of this little tale Josephus could not, or would not draw : it may, however, be deduced by the sim- plest follower of Christ. If a man, to use the mildest terms, by no means remarkable for virtue, obeyed with such good faith the dictates of a grateful heart, and so recompensed the gift of a single draught of water, what may not be expected from the solemn promise of our gracious Master ? The other is a Persian story, for which we are indebted to the moral taste of ^lian ; Var. Hist, lib. i. cap. xxxiii. It happened, on a certain day, that Artaxerxes Mnemon was making a journey, attended by his court : as the king passed along, his unexpected appearance greatly distressed a SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. ^SJ Persian traveller, Sinsetes by name. This man, at a distance from home, was wholly unprovided with the means of presenting any one of those gifts, which the law required all subjects to offer to the Persian monarchs, on their royal progress ; and with which he saw the surrounding multitude eagerly advancing. Respect for the laws, and, still more, reverence for his sovereign, filled him with anxiety : but he did not long pause or hesi- tate ; he ran, at his utmost speed, to the adjoining river Cyrus ; scooped up some water with both hands ; approached the king, and thus addressed him: *' King Artaxerxes, reign for ever! That " thou mayest not pass by ungifted, 1 pay my " duty with such materials, and in such a manner, «* as my case admits : I pay my duty, with water ** from the Cyrus. Should your majesty deign to " approach my dwelling, I hope to offer the best ** and richest gifts in my possession." Artaxerxes, filled with delight, addressed his subject in the fol- lowing manner : " I accept your gift with plea- " sure: I prize it more than the most splendid " offerings : first, because water is, in itself, the " most excellent of all things ; and then, because " this water bears the name of Cyrus.'' The story proceeds, that Artaxerxes commanded his attend- ants to receive the water in a golden cup ; sent to Sinaetes a robe of honour, a golden cup, and a thousand Darics ; and commissioned the messenger to say, ** The king commands thee, from this cup ** to recreate thine own soul, as thou didst recreate ** his, nor didst suffer him to pass, ungifted and ^38 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XII. " un honoured ; but honouredst him, as place and " time permitted. And he wills, that drawing it " with this cup, thou shouldst drink water out of " this river." Thus has history recorded the name, the act, and the reward of him, who be- stowed a simple handful of water. The names of proud satraps, and the catalogues of their costly donations, meantime, have sunk into silence and oblivion. Does not this remind one of another gift, and a memorial unspeakably more blessed ? — " Verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel " shall be preached in the whole world, there shall " also this, that this woman hath done, be told for " a memorial of her." Tivi 8e bfi,oiM(rM t»]v ysvsav ruurriv ; ojtiOia £§-» -CTOLiloLqiOii; sv uyoguig xa^Yjfxsvoi^y xai ^po(r(pMVOV(ri roig sTuigoig uvtmv, xai Xsyoua-iv yjuArjcrajxev u/xjv, xai oux. oog^r}(ra(r^=' rjA'&e yccp ivootvvYjc, /xv^re scr5'3(rr), a vvv jw-ev adAyjraj -srai^si, vvv de fj^ovofxa^ovc' vvv Ss o-aA7r<^c<, eira rgotyMhi. Lib. iii. cap. 15. " Otherwise, take no- " tice, you will behave like children, who now ^* play wrestlers, now gladiators ; at one time blow '*' the trumpet, and at another act tragedies." Mr. Weston (ap. Bowyer's Conj.) cites a curious example of this oriental manner of illustration, out of Cyrus's answer to the ambassadors from Sardis ; in which he compares the lonians to fish that would not dance when they were piped to : STrej ovu sff.su auAeovrs^, yj-^cXsre sn^aivsiv oq')(soi^svQi. Herodot. Clio. p. 58. ed. Gronov. See alsoWolfius, Cur. Phil, for a similar proverbial saying from ^sop. The rendering of exovj/ao-^e, smote the breast, is recommended; 1. by the known usage of the Jews on such occasions : 2. by the obvious ellipsis in the original : so Bos. Ellips. p. 274. " £>covI/«(r^e, subint, ra r5^v>3, ra f^Orj." Leisner, indeed, and SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 241 SchoefFer, do not admit an ellipsis, urging the force of the middle verb, xotttso-^ui, sciL xotttsiv kuurov, to smite one*s self; and maintaining, that wherever s-e§vov is added, it is pleonastic : rather, it should be said, wherever s^gvov, or some other substantive, is not added, there must still be an ellipsis : to smite one*s self, is indefinite ; to smite one's self on tJie breast, is a definite and complete sense : 3. by the parallelism of members : a)§;:^>;o-a(rds conveys the notion of bodily action, expressive of joy ; exovj/ao-^e, therefore, being antithetically correlative with cag^yi- )v tov ©sou, diot Tt)v TTctgixdoo-iv u/jtwv ; 6 ya^ 0505 evsTeiXciTO Ksycav TlfJl^Oi TOV TTCCTSgoC (TOV, XOH T>JV jX>)TS^a* xai, 6 xaxoXoywv TraTsgu >) fjLYirega., ^otvuTo) rsKsvToiTca : u/xsif Ss XeysTS' OS OLV SlTTVl TV) TtdTqi, >) TCO /XVJT^J, luiqOV CO gf S^LOrj KUl OV [Jiy\ TlfXYia-Yl TOV TTOlTSgCC UVTOV, Yj TYIV {XYlTSgd OIVTOV xa» SKVgcticruTs t>3v svtoXvjv tqu Gsov, ^isi rvjv 'Trotgothoa-iv y/x,cov. SECT. XII.3 SACRED LITERATURE. 245 And why do ye transgress the commandment of God, by your tradition ? For God commanded, saying : Honour thy father and thy mother ; And he who revileth father or mother, let him die the death : But ye say : Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, [be that] a gift, by which thou mightest have been relieved from me ; Must also not honour his father or his mother : Thus have ye nullified the commandment of God by your tradition. S, Matt, XV. 3—6. The mere exhibition of the parallelisms in this confessedly obscure passage, tends in no slight degree to its elucidation : the two small connective clauses 6 yag Sso^ svstsiXuto Xsycov, and Uj^eij Se XsysTSy form an antithetic parallelism, and as such I have arranged them : with respect, however, to the construction of the stanza, they may be left out of consideration ; being similar to the " Ye have said," and " thus saith Jehovah," which so fre- quently occur as connecting links, in the poetry of the prophets. Now, omitting those clauses, the remainder of the passage constitutes a six-lined stanza, of the introverted, or epanodostic kind, thus : And why do ye transgress the commandment .... Honour thy father .... And he who revileth father .... Whosoever shall say to his father .... Must also not honour his father .... Thus have ye nullified the commandment, &c. R 3 246 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XII. The whole difficulty lies in the central quatrain : in the first two lines of it, a two-fold command- ment of God is authoritatively cited ; in the last two lines, a two-fold breach of that commandment is criminatively charged upon the Pharisees : the commandment divides itself into, 1. the honour due to parents, meaning especially pecuniary main- tenance, and support ; this occupies the first line of the quatrain, Honour thy father, 8^x. : ^. the pro- hibition of injurious language towards parents j this occupies the second line. And he who revileth father, ^c. The criminative charges are brought for- ward, and established, in the inverted order : the crime of using injurious, and even imprecatory language to parents, is brought home in the third line, Whosoever shall say to his father, ^c. : and, lastly, the crime of failing to honour, that is, to maintain or relieve indigent parents, is brought home in the fourth line. Must also not honour his father, S^c. The reason of this inverted order, or epanodos, is clear : the original and great offence w^as, the evasion of that law, which bound children to support their parents ; the offence of using injurious language, was subor- dinate and subservient ; it was but a means of carrying the other offence into full effect ; that, therefore, which constituted the end, is put first and last j the means are enclosed in the central couplets. That the crime of using towards parents, injuri- ous and even imprecatory language, is by our Lord imputed to the Pharisees, I would thus establish : when they wished to evade the duty of affording SECT. XII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 24? relief to their parents, they made a pretended^ or, at best, an eventual dedication of their property to the sacred treasury ; or rather, a dedication of ail that could or might, have been given by them to their parents ; saying, be it corban, be it a gift, be it a con- secrated or devoted thing : from that moment, though at liberty to expend such property on any selfish pur- pose, they were prohibited from bestowing it on their parents : to themselves, if they gave, and to their parents if they received, any part of this devoted property, it was accounted sacrilege ; and, as such, would draw down malediction both on the receiver, and the giver. To say, therefore, to a parent, be it a gift, was an aggravated breach of the commandment : it was not only to revile, but to curse. Between the end of the third, and begin- ning of the fourth line of the quatrain, it has been usual to supply some words, for the purpose of fill- ing up a supposed ellipsis ; our authorised English version, for example, supplies the words, he shall be free : any such addition, however, is quite need- less : the context has within itself the full mean- ing : " whosoever shall say, &c. ; must also not " honour, &c. :" he is under an obligation not to do so : a sense yet more fully brought out, in the parallel place, S. Mark, vii. 12. kui ovksIi ot(pieTs uvtov Qvhv 'STOiYia-ai too 'orulgi, x. r. A. " Ye Suffer him no ** more to do aught for his father, &c." Thus, the very door of repentance was shut ; and by a most hypocritical abuse of the sacred name of rehgion, :he son who had once, and perhaps hastily, acted an mnatural part towards his parent, was doomed to continue an unnatural child all the days of his life. R 4 248 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XII. Well, therefore, might our blessed Lord re-assert, as he does with incomparable dignity, and with aggra- vated force, the charge with which he commences this indignant recrimination :. his first words are : Si«T< Kui vi^sig 'uraqoL^aivers rr^v evroAijv too Qsov, ha. ttjv And why do ye transgress the commandment of God, by your tradition ? His last words describe as consummated, a far more weighty crime than mere transgression : Thus have ye nullified the commandment of God, by your tradition. Respecting this passage, those who wish for addi- tional information, may consult with advantage the following commentators : Erasmus, Lud. Cappel, Grotius, Poole, (Synops.) Dr. Campbell, Wetstein, Clarius, Zegerus, Masius, Camero, Wolfius, Koe- cher, Eisner, Lightfoot, and Dr. Doddridge. m9 SECTION XIIL Several stanzas are often so connected with each other, as to form a paragraph or Section : a few examples of this description shall be given : -CTOiriG-ctTS hoLUTQig j yag Tov ev« jx«7>])(re*, >3 evof av^s^sTut, xai tou iTs^oy xaT«(pgoy»)(re*, ou dvvu(T^s ^£0) SouXsyejv x«i [i.ci[j!,oovoi. Make to yourselves friends with the unrighteous mammon; That, when ye fail, they may receive you into the ever- lasting tents : He who is faithful in the least, In much also is faithful ; And he who in the least is unjust, In much also is unjust : If, therefore, in the unrighteous mammon, ye have not been faithful. Who will entrust you with the true ? And if in the possessions of another, ye have not been faithful. Who will give you possessions of your own ? 250 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT XIII* No domestic can serve two masters : For either he will hate the one, and love the other ; Or he will adhere to the one, and neglect the other ; Ye cannot serve God and mammon. S,Lu7ceyyiy\, 9—13. I have rendered raj uimiovs a-xrivasi the everlasting tents : not omitting the article, because it is here significant, and even emphatic, see Dr. Campbell in loc. ; and giving the literal English of crxrjvyj, be- cause the force and beauty of that word, in this place, have been overlooked by the commentators. " What aiMvioi a-xvivcn are," says Dr. H. Owen, ap. Bowyer's Conject., I do not understand. " There " seems to be a sort of contradiction in the expres- " sion ; for ajirimi are only temporary/ conveniences, " Heb. xi. 9. 2 Sam. vii. 6. uioonot, are eternal," This catachresis, to my apprehension, has a fine effect: the everlasting tents ; not such perishable tents as you set up here ; but tents that will endure for ever : it is a word which forcibly calls up the recollection, that here we have no abiding habit- ation -y and which may serve to impress the convic- tion, that, in heaven, God imparts his own eter- nity to things, which, in themselves, might natu- rally be accounted void of duration as the " cottage of a night." In the last quatrain of this extract, we have a fine example of epanodos ; which I propose to illustrate in a future Section. SECT. XIII,] SACRED LITERATURE. 251 eyyKruTs too 0ec«, xoii zyyxzi v[xiv : Tiu^agKTCiTS ^eigu^i ufXctgrooXor xui otyvKTstrs x«g5»aj, Si\|/up^ot : b yeXcog V[/,oov sig -crey^oj iJ,6TU<^gu(pT^TM' xai r} yoLgcL e*? x«T>j(pe3(raT£, is properly, to lament for the dead ; to wail ; a more clamorous expression of sorrow : xXavo-uTe, from xXaiw, to wccp ; a gentler, and more moderated expression of sorrow : kutyi^sioc is that feeling of mingled grief and shame, which ex- presses itself by downcast eyes. See Wetstein and Schleusner ; especially the definition by them cited from the Etymol. Magn. : dejectioii is the nearest English word; it is more than sorrow, and less than despair, as we may conclude from Milton's use of it : What besides Of sorrow, and dejection, and despair, Our frailty can sustain, thy tidings bring : it is also well suited to express a calm religious grief: *' Adoration," says Bishop Pearson, ^' im- *< plies submission and dejection; so that, while " we worship, we cast ourselves down." For the former of these illustrations, I am indebted to Dr. Johnson ; for the latter, to Mr. Todd ; Diet. Voce, Dejection. 256 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XIII. It is worthy of observation, that our great poet, in describing the moral process of the repentance and restoration of our first parents after the fall, makes them pass through several stages, exactly correspondent with those laid down by S. James : the stages, namely, of silent and oppressive heavi- ness ; of wailing, or loud lamentation 5 of weeping, or softened sorrow ; o£ dejection ; of humiliation ; and of exaltation, consequent upon that humble frame of spirit. The leading passages may be given in order, without any comment, as a spe- cimen of Milton's skill, in the depths, at once, of the human heart, and of the best theology : 1. ASTONIMENT. Silent, and in face 'Confounded, long tliey sat, as stricken mute. Parad,Lost, B.ix. 1063. 2. Wailing. And in a troubled sea of passion tost, Thus to disburden sought, mth sad complaint, B.x. 719. Thus Adam to himself lamented laud Through the still night. B.x. 845. 3. Weeping. .... Both confessed Humbly their faults, and pardon begg'd : mth tears Watering the ground, B.x. 1100. 4. Dejection. Thus they, in lowliest plight repentant stood Praying ; for from the mercy-seat above Prevenient grace descending had removed SECT. XITI.] SACRED LITERATURE. ^7 The stony from their hearts, and made new flesh Regenerate grow instead ; that sighs iio\io breath' d Unutterable ; which the spirit of prayer Inspired, and wing'd with speedier flight Than loudest oratory : yet their port Not of mean suitors. Parad. Lost, B. xi. 1. 5. Humiliation. Therefore to his great bidding I submit ; This most afflicts me, that, departing hence, As from his face I shall be hid, deprived His blessed countenance : Yet recall'd To life prolong'd and promised race, I now Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts Of glory : and far off his steps adore, * B. xi. 314, 333. 6. Exaltation. This having learn'd, thou hast attain'd the sum Of wisdom ; . . Only add Deeds to thy knowledge answerable ; add faith, Add virtue, patience, temperance, add love By name to come call'd charity, the soul Of all the rest : then wilt thou not be loth To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess A Paradise within thee, happier far. B. xii. 575,587. ays. vvv ol 'urXovo'ioi, hXuvo-uts, oXoKv^ovTSi, BTTi TCLii; TCiXuiTrMgion^ y/xwv rotig sTrsg^oy^svong. xoti ra Ifj^oLTioi vf/^oov i'ii FraudfuUy kept back by you, crieth : /onb Oift And the outcries of those who have gathered in youjf, harvest. Have entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts : Ye have lived delicately upon the earth; ye have been^" luxurious ; Ye have pampered your hearts, as for a day of slaughter : Ye have condemned, ye have slain the Just One ; He is not arrayed against you ! Jamesy v. 1 — 6. This tremendous apostrophe to the unbelieving Jews is in the grandest style of Hebrew poetry. It is almost as though one of the old prophets had risen from the dead, to announce to his SECT. Xlir.] SACRED LITERATURE. 259 wretched countrymen their impending ruin ; the just retribution about to overtake their avarice, their oppression, their fraud, their abandoned lux- ury, and their cruel thirst of blood. Dr. Mac- knight has justly observed, that, in this passage, " the apostle hath introduced figures and ex- " pressions, which, for boldness, vivacity, and ** energy, might have been used by the greatest " tragic poet ; and which, if they had been found " in any of the writings of Greece or Rome, would " have been praised as exceedingly sublime." The first thing to be observed, is the climax in the terms KXava-ars, oXokv^uTS, TccKmrroogiaig, — Weep, howl, stmming afflictions: an exact inversion of the descending series in the last example ; tuKch- TTODgYjO-ixTs, xdi 'zjsv^vi(rciTs, xui kKccuo-uts, be astoniedy and wail, and weep: with this only difference, that oAoXy^are is Substituted for 'stcv^yig-ccts, a more voci- ferous, for a more plaintive expression of sorrow : the one, indicative of penitence; the other, of despair. The descending scale marks, that the sorrows of the penitent are daily mitigated; the ascending series intimates, that the pangs of the impenitent are for ever on the increase. The parallelism of lines 3 and 4, has, I find, been noticed by Professor Pott, in his elaborate edition and Commentary. The enumeration of the various kinds of wealth, is a poetical ampli- fication, containing also a climax. Three kinds of wealth are intended: 1. stores of corn, wine, oil, &c., liable to putrefaction : S. wardrobes of s 2 ^60 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XIII. rich garments ; among the ancients, and especially the oriental nations, a principal portion of their wealth, and proverbially the prey of the moth ; see Isaiah, li. 8 : and 3. treasures of gold and silver; liable to rust, or, at least, to change of colour. Many commentators, indeed, have ob- served, that gold v/ill not rust ; but Kypke cites Strabo and Diodorus Siculus, to shew, that this metal is sometimes liable to a kind of corrosion : the fact, however, is, that, in keeping with the whole of this truly poetical context, S. James intimates something beyond the order of nature ; your very gold rusts. The climax in this three-fold distri- bution of wealth is manifest : — the splendid robes were more costly than the provisions ; the vessels of gold and silver, more precious than the accumu- lated wardrobes. It is worth being mentioned, that, when Alexander took Persepolis, in which city he found heaped together all the treasures of Asia, those treasures consisted not only of gold and silver, but also of garments : " Aurum argen- *« tumque cumulatum erat : vestis ingens modus." Quint. Curt. lib. v. cap. 6. -i «u;w S. James, in his poetry, is at least equal »tl8!!r^e finest of the classics; thus Menander: > "> hiA oiov 6 fj^ev 10$ Tov cril-^gov, av (TKOTTYig, TO 8* iLLOiTlOV 01 (TYITTS;, Each thing within itself the seed contains Of its own ruin : rust consumes the steel ; Moths fret the garment. SECT. XIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 26l and Horace : 'Oforrrf? Si et stramentis incubet unde- ■^rr ^Octoginta annos natus, cui stragula vestis, Blattarum et tinearum epulae putrescat in area. ^. Sat,Uh.\\, SatjjS, . fjtjf at fourscore of straw he made his bed, While moths upon his rotting carpets fed. Francis. The context of this passage of the Roman sati^ list has a further agreement with the enumeration of S. James ; each of them specifies the stores of the granary, the wardrobe, and the coffer. The cerugo of the precious metals rising as a witness against avaricious hoarders, is a very noble personi- fication : and the terror is heightened, when, in the next line, it becomes a fire that preys upon their vitals : am I deceived, or is not this worthy of ^schylus or Pindar? That, however, which in a classical author, would be merely a fine poetic image, was here, in all probability, an accurate prediction of some future event ; and may have had its accomplishment in some stage of the Jewish war, if not among the calamities of that most ca- lamitous of sieges, which the words of inspiration had elsewhere almost historically described, and to which, it can be scarcely doubted, S. James is here, at least in general terms, referring. Josephus (Bell. Jud. V. xiii.4. ed. Hudson,) records the fol- lowing tremendous fact : let the reader apply it as he pleases. The wealthy Jews, towards the con- clusion of the war, were put to the severest tor- tures, in order to extract a discovery of thei^' s 3 262 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XITI. wealth : these wretched men resorted to every ar- tifice of conceahnent ; among the rest, several of them swallowed large quantities of gold : this prac- tice did not escape the vigilance of their ene- mies: and (horrible to relate!) in search of this murder-making treasure, the bowels of two thou- sand Jews were, in one night, ripped open. The last line of this stanza excels in that, wliich, if the phrase be allowable, I would term sarcastic sub- limity ; a combination of qualities frequently observ- able in the most lofty of the prophets : s^avgit^otrs sv io-x^Tuig riiji.sgcn5' " Ye have laid up treasures for the " last days:" — treasures! — but of what kind? Let the last days tell : the days of the destruction of your nation. S. Paul (Rom. ii. 5.) fully enun- ciates what S. James indignantly suppresses : ^>)- (Tuvgi^eig (tsuutco ogyriv sv rnji^sgct oqyy\s' " ^Xidi trcaSUrCSt Up for thyself wrath, against the day of wrath." In the one place, we have the explicitness of the reasoning theologian : in the other place, the somewhat ob- scure hmrr^g of the prophet : these are equally in character ; and such marks of individuality of composition, are no slight indications of authen- ticity in the sacred writers. The transition to another branch of the subject, and the commencement of a new stanza, are, in the next line, marked by the apostrophising adverb iSoy, which, it will be observed, answers to the «ys of the first stanza: come ; heholcL It has been justly noticed by commentators, that there is a fine gradation in the first four lines of this stanza : first, the hire of the labourers, then the lahoiirers thevu SECT. XIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 2fS3 selves, are made to call for vengeance. It may be added, that, in the other terms of the quatrain, the climax is maintained ; we have the reapers ad- vanced upon, by the gatherers : the hire of the for- mer crying, the latter themselves breaking forth into shoutings or clamorous outcries: and, as the consummation of the climax, those outcries pene- trate the ears of the Lord of Hosts, Thus magni- ficently has the apostle combined the spirit of the law and the prophets ; collecting his materials from Moses, and from Malachi ; from the first and from the last of the sacred canon. The "wages of him that is hired, shall not abide with thee all night, until the morning. Levit. xix. 13. Thou shall not oppress an hired servant: , , . at his day thou shall give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it : . . . lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, Deut. xxiv. 14, 15. And I will be a swift witness against those who oppress the hireling in his hire, Malachi, iii. 5. * A passage, this last, the more .deserving of attention, in this connexion, from the context in which it stands ; the description, namely, of the coming of the Messenger of the co- venant, to judgment against his foes. Hence we j,j * The frauclful detainers of their servants' hire stood con- victed, not only by the denunciations of the law and the pro- phets, but even by the moral lessons of their own rabbins. For example : " When a poor man discharges, in any house, '* any servile office, the vapour proceeding from his body " through the severity of his labour, ascends towards heaven ; " woe therefore to that master of a family, who delays the " payment of the poor man's hire." Synops. Sohar. p. 100. N. 45. s 4 264 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT.XIII. at once perceive the propriety and naturalness of the apostle's next transition : we have the same luxurious profligacy, leading to the same terrible destruction, on which the last of the prophets ex- , patiated, while describing ** the great and terrible day of the Lord :" Ye have lived delicately upon the earth, ye have beei^^ , luxurious ; Ye have pampered your hearts, as for a day of slaughter : words manifestly predicting the sanguinary havoc of the Jewish war ; which, be it remembered, extended far beyond the limits of Palestine ; and, in almost every direction, reached the Jews of the dispersions'^ to whom especially, S. James is addressing himselfiM Josephus informs us, that, in one massacre, fifty thousand Alexandrine Jews were put to the swordi*^ Respecting the last two lines of the passage, the contradictory opinions of interpreters are well known : I cannot but very decidedly agree with those, who understand ton aikaion, the just one^^^ emphatically to mean Christ: 1. because, as Bishop Middleton well observes, the hypothetical use of the article would here be much too strong; and the strictly definitive use, would point out the eminently just one ; 2. because our Lord is fre- quently so styled in the New Testament, particu- larly by S. Peter, Acts, iii. 14, 15. vy^sii 1& ton uym HOH AIKAION OtgVYl(rcit](r^£ ; " THE JUST ONE, of *' whom ye now have been the betrayers and mur- " DERERs j" in this passage, we have not only tot AiKAioT, but the substantives 'srgohlcn and (poms, answer- ing to the two verbs in S. James, KUTsdixua-ccIs, e]3cr«T£, in tlllS line. 268 SACRED Lyf]gR]fft)RE. (^SECT. XIII. We should perhaps also read a former couplet thus : Tu lixccria v[xajv o-YiTO^gctiToc ys'yovsv. Your riches are putrified ; ^Your robes are moth-eaten: ,,,.. l. \ the Km before Ifxancc being omitted in the MSS^^^ 30* otGriesbach, and in the edit. Colb. '-''Ill d : «i ':*^.'.' iia *^ -i*-^ .' ..^^*.^oux ejifv ^ (xyonrrj tov -srar^oj ev uvtco : DTI OTav TO ev Tw xoa-fjiooy ^ J^. :< ^ sTn^u/Aja T>j$' o-ctgKog, -^"^ ^■^ t^I^ xa/ ^ eTTi^ufxicx. tcov o^A' SX TOU KOGrfJt^QV Sfl, xai 6 XQ(7i^o$ 'craguyeTui, xai r) gTTiS^ujona auTou* 6 8e -CTOiwv TO deX>}]w,a tou 0eou jxevei eij tov ohoovu. Love not the world ; .- Neither the things of the world : If any one love the world, The love of the Father is not in him : For M that is in the world, — The desire of the flesh. And the desire of the eye, And the pride of life, — Is not of the Father, But is of the world : SECT. XIJI.] SACRED LITERATURE. ^69 And the world passeth away, yq \y^iu > And the desh'e thereof: But he who doeth the will of God, Abideth for ever. I John^ ii. 15 — 17. Of this passage, the subject or proposition is laid down in a two-fold form : 1. " Love not the " world; 2. " Neither love the things of the " world." The first of these injunctions is first taken up in the succeeding couplet : " If any one " love the world," &c. ; the second injunction is then enforced in the following six lines: "For " all that is in the world," &c ; and, in the con- cluding quatrain, the reasons of both injunctions are, in the first couplet, severally condensed : For the world passeth away ; And the desire thereof: while, in the last couplet of that stanza the moral of the whole is most powerfully brought home, by the strong antithetical assurance that, He who doeth the will of God, Abideth for ever. From the disjunctive form of the commencing couplet, it is unquestionable that the apostle in- tended to draw a marked distinction between '« the world," and " the things in the world;" but what is the distinct meaning of each ? Probably the WORLD here signifies that entire system of bad pursuits, and false enjoyments, which fallen man has manufactured for himself; and the things in THE WORLD, the wroiig dispositions and propensities 270 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XIII. which engage men in such pursuits, and pkuige them into such enjoyments : he who loves the former, must clearly want an abiding principle of love to God ; for that system is antagonistically opposed to the word, and the will, of God : he who loves the latter, loves dispositions proceeding, not from God, but from that world opposed to God, which fosters them, and to which they are subservient. These dispositions the apostle clearly and pointedly describes : the desire oftJieJiesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life 'y that is, sensualifi/, avarice^ and ambition. These, all, and that system to which they minister, are alike tran- sient ; they pass away : but he who doeth the will of God, he who makes himself a denizen of God's world, abidethfor ever ; eternity is stamped on his enjoyments and pursuits ; an eternity which inhe-' ' rently belongs to his own character, formed, as it is, by the grace of God, and by that grace, pre- served " From the rank vapours of this sin-worn mould." Such I take to be the meaning and connexion of the apostle's argument. Respecting the grammatical construction of the clause beginning with or* Ttav to sv too xoo-iim, and ending with ex. tov xoo-^jlou sg-*, many commentators have been strangely at a loss. Grotius, for example, observes, that, in verse 16, the reading, instead of ova 65-iv, is a ovx eg-jv : a reading, he continues, which we must either follow, or else, understand before ovx es-iv, the word a, or the word «ut«: neither alter- SECT. XIII. J SiECR130 "IJITBRATORE. 271 native is in any degree necessary : ruv sv tw xoo-jhw is the nominative case to ook gs-»v the intermediate three lines are but an enumeration of the consti- tuent parts of that to ^av : not even a parenthesis (which Dr. Benson proposes) is necessary : proper punctuation will sufficiently keep the sense sus- pended. U// JiiiiJ 'i i(iJ^O illO'li r ' For the three-fold distinction of worldly disj)<)- sitions or desires, the commentators may be con- sulted. Schoettgen, Grotius, Wetstein, and Pri- casus, bring several parallel passages both from Jewish and heathen writers ; a very few of these I shall adduce. 6« yug IXXrjvwv KUi ^ctg^agm, -rrgog rs euvTOug, xoci Ttgog aXX>)Xouj, rgocyca'^yi^svTsg TroXe/xoi ttuvts^, airo inctg 'Trviy^^g Ef>pvri) XPHMATHN, )} A0HH2, )} 'HAONHS* TTSgi yug retuTOL Kvigccmi to twv avdgcoTrcov ysvog* Phllon. Jud. in Decalog., " All the tragical wars of Greeks and " barbarians, whether civil or foreign, have flowed <* from one fountain ; — from the desire, either of " riches, or of GLORY, or of pleasure ; for, in pur- " suit of these, the human race brings on its own ** destruction," uvtoli h tpeis Tuy^avovTi* *iaaaonia |xsv, £v Tajj U7ro\ciO(rs(ri rcng dice cra;/xaT05* nAEONESIA Ss, sv too xsglocivsiv *lAOAOHIA Se, sv too Kot^VTrsps^sv ts tcuv la-cov ts xaa ojxoicov. Clinias. Pythagor. ap Gale. Opusc. p. 687. " The sources of evil are three : love of pleasure^ " in matters of corporeal enjoyment j love of money, " in matters of gain ; and love of glory, in point of " pre-eminence over our equals and companions.'* Aotoi '^cm bgfj^ooa-iv avsu kuXov, olWo^ stt* aAAa* 01 fhsv VTtsg A0HH5 (TTTOvhyiv Suo-epig-yjv e;^ovTsjj 6» 8*s7rt KEPA02YNH5 TeTgotf^iJi^evot ouSev* ico3 tou su^vvovto; ^ovKyitoli : hrjTM X.OLI )j y\(aJ> oihX(pot IJ1.0V, ruxjla oulc/o ysvsa-^ui : j!x.>)Ti Yj 'S7viyvi, ex T*3j avTvi^ OTrri^, ^gusi to yXvxu xon to xirixpoy ; jowj Suvaraj, aSeXfpOi /xou, (ryx>) sXaiaf -croojcrai, >j af^TrsXos o-uxa; owTcof ouds[jiiu "^YiyYi aXvxov xai yXvxv '^oifidOLi utan^. My brethren, be not many teachers ; Knowing that we shall receive greater condemnation ; For, in many things we all trip : If any one trip not in word, he is a perfect man ; Able to bridle also the whole body : Behold, the bridles of horses, We put into their mouths. To make them obedient to us. And we bring about the whole body : Behold, also, the ships which are so great, ' And driven by furious winds, Are brought about by a very small helm, Whithersoever the force of the pilot listeth. Thus, also, the tongue is a little member, yet worketh mightily ; Behold, a little fire how vast. a forest it enkindleth ; And the tongue is a fire, A world of iniquity : So is the tongue placed among our members ; Defihng the whole body ; Both enflaming the wheel of nature And [itself] enflamed from hell. For, every nature, both of wild-beasts and birds ; both of serpents and sea-monsters. Is subdued, and hath been subdued, by the nature of man ; SECT. XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. Tj^ But the tongue of men no one can subdue ; An irrestrainable evil, full of death-bearing poison : By it, bless we God, even the Father ; And by it curse we men, Who were made after the image of God ; From the same mouth, proceedeth a blessing and a curse ,* These things, my brethren, ought not so to be : Doth a fountain, from the same opening, send forth the sweet and the bitter ? Can a fig-tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a vine figs ? So can no fountain yield salt-water, and firesh. S. James^ iii. 1 — 12. This extract is a fair specimen of S. James's gene- ral manner, both of thought and expression. It combines the plainest and most practical good sense, with the most vivid and poetical conception : the imagery various and luxuriant ; the sentiments chastised and sober. His images, in truth, are so many analogical arguments -, and if, at the first view, we are disposed to recreate ourselves with the poet, we soon feel, that we must exert our hardier powers, to keep pace with the logician. In my observa- tions on this passage, I propose, 1. to examine the probable origin and progress of the apostle's train of thought : 2. to exhibit his nice observ- ance of Hebrew parallelism ; and in the course, and through the means, of that exhibition, to de- fend the sacred text against the unwarrantable liberties of certain commentators : and 3. to illus- trate the sense, but especially the poetical images, of the sacred penman, by similar examples from T ^ ^6 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XIV. other writers, both poetical and prosaic, both sa- cred and profane. 1. The topics of this passage are so various, and, at first sight, so apparently unconnected, not to say incongruous, that it may be thought a rash undertaking, to explore the writer's train of thought, and to investigate the probable source, and the orderly progress, of his ideas. Yet, in a brief space, I hope to offer some considerations, which may, perhaps, not be accounted either unnatural, or unreasonable ; and which may throw some new light on the subject. In one word, then, I would resolve S. James's choice of topics, into the as- sociation of ideas. He begins with two lines, which, though form- ing a constructive parallelism, do not, either in their subject-matter, or expression, rise above the simplest and least ornamented prose : My brethren, be not many teachers ; Knowing that we shall receive greater condemnation : the next line, however, has one figurative phrase, which, though abundantly plain and unambitious, may, by an allowable solution of metaphor, be called the associative germ of all the magnificent, and all the beautiful imagery, that afterwards springs up beneath the apostle's hand : For, in many things we all trip : the term here employed, S. James does not at once relinquish j it occurs in the next line : If any one trip not in word, he is a perfect man : SECT. XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 277 the notion of tripping, naturally induces the notion of the means by which tripping is usually prevented, or obviated ; namely, the use of a bridle : this ac- cordingly is introduced in the next line : Able to bridle also the whole body : hence the transition was obvious, and almost inevi- table, to the management by the bridle, of fiery steeds ; which is most skilfully brought to bear on the main subject, by the happy introduction of the mouths, and of the whole body, in the next quatrain : Behold, the bridles of horses, We put into their mouths. To make them obedient to us, And we biing about the whole body : the transition from travelling by land, to travelling hy sea, from the notion of a horse, to the notion of a ship, is most natural and easy : in moral illus- tration, these two images are frequently united ; and, in the present instance, bringing about a horse by turning the bridle, bears so close a resemblance to bringing about a ship by turning the helm, that S. James expresses both actions by the same verb ; Behold, also, the ships which are so great. And driven by furious winds, Are brought about by the smallest helm, Whithersoever the force of the pilot listeth : the smallness of the instrument now becomes the associative link : T 3 278 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XIV. Thus, also, the tongue is a little member^ yet worketh mightily : This antithesis between diminutive size and mighty power, suggests the notion of a spark of fire ; thd smallest of visible agents, yet productive of effects the most widely-wasting and terrific : Behold, a little fire, how vast a forest it enkindleth : the image of fire, thus elicited, is immediately applied to the tongue ; while the image of vast- ness naturally induces a mention of the world : And the tongue is a fire ; A world of iniquity : The operation of fire on a forest, leads the mind to the fact of its having been designedly placed there, in order to produce this tremendous effect : hence the apostle is drawn to regard the location of the tongue in the human body ; fire is placed in a wood by the incendiary, in order to consume the whole : in like manner, though with a very different design, the tongue is placed among the members of the human frame : intended by our Maker to be the incentive and instrument of all goodness, it becomes, by human malice, the cor- rupter of the whole body : So is the tongue placed among our members ; Defiling the whole body : this collateral notion having been expressed, the previous ideas of a fire, and the world, are again resumed : the tongue is a fire ; Enflaming the wheel of nature ; SECT* XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 279 it is also a world ; Itself enflamed from hell. Other associations now arise: the consideration of the world, and of the wheel of nature, or gener- ation, would naturally lead a contemplative mind to expatiate over the vast scene of nature, animate and inanimate: and such appears to have been the mental movement of S. James : in the next stanza he introduces the whole brute creation, whether dwelling upon the earth, or beneath it j in the air, or in the waters of the sea : For every nature, both of wild beasts and birds ; both of serpents and sea-monsters. Is subdued, and hath been subdued, by the nature of man: But the tongue of men no one can subdue ; An irrestrainable evil, full of death-bearing poison : The deep moral contrast of the last lines, most inartificially arising from the progress of the sub- ject, induces a still profounder moral in the next stanza; in which, moreover, the ideas of the world, and of the ill effects of the tongue upon it, are not lost sight of: the animal, or brute creation, bad been just brought forward; now, God, the maker of all, and man, his last best work, and living image, are no less practically than mag- nificently introduced : By it bless we God, even the Father ; And by it curse we men, Who were made in the likeness of God : From the same mouth, proceedeth a blessing and a curse, These things, my brethren, ought not to be so. T 4 280 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XIV. That blessing and cursing should proceed from the same mouth, is clearly unnatural : the apostle, therefore, proceeds to prove, by analogies of na- ture, that " these things ought not to be so." His analogies, however, are so derived, as to com- plete his picture of the world ; he draws our atten- tion to the department of inanimate nature ; and, that every part of this visible creation may con- tribute to the illustration of his subject, the foun- tains stand forth as representatives of unorganised matter ; and various kinds of trees, as represent- atives, at once, of organic bodies, and of vegetable life : Doth a fountain, from the same opening, send forth die sweet and the bitter ? Can a fig-tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a vine figs ? So can no fountain yield salt-water, and fresh. These all, if I mistake not, are primarily the fruits of association ; he, however, who attentively, and with competent powers, shall examine the structure of this noble piece of writing, must feel, that the associations are of no ordinary kind ; that they are the progressive thoughts of a mind, at once most deeply reflective, and most richly stored: a mind, habituated to the examination and controul of its own movements ; well acquainted with the minds and hearts of other men ; famihar with the works of nature, and usages of life ; and by no means deficient in familiarity with the treasures of human literature. The natural associations of thought, are the best criteria of mental cultivation : for, on occa- SECT. XIV.] SACBED LITERATURE. 281 sion, and of set purpose, the empty may prepare them- selves ; but thoughts will not flow freely, except from a full fountain. The associations of an uncultivated, or ill-cultivated mind, are always inconsequential ; those, on the contrary, of a mind well stored, and well disciplined, will be commonly found consecutive, and to the purpose. Lord Kaimes, if I rightly recollect, has happily illus- trated inconsequential talk, from the trivial, uncon- catenated associations of Dame Quickly : I would venture to produce the passage now under con- sideration, as an evidence, at once most brilliant and satisfactory, that the easy flow of a great mind, when concentrated on a great subject, will be found at least as logically just, as it may be poeti- cally beautiful. 2. The second object which I proposed to my- self, in observing upon this passage, was, to exhibit S. James's nice observance of Hebrew parallelism \ and in the course, and through the means, of that exhibition, to defend the sacred text against the unwarrantable liberties of certain commentators. Throughout the greater part of these twelve verses, the paralleUsms are beautiful and striking : but, so obvious and unembarrassed, that observa- tions upon them are needless : the fifth and sixth verses, however, have occasioned much trouble to interpreters, and more, probably, to the readers of their interpretations. And, as I conceive that va- luable light may be thrown on these disputed clauses, from the doctrine of parallelism, I shall ad- 282 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XIV. dress myself to this task ; in the first place, briefly noticing the opinions of leading commentators* The chief difficulty has been thought to lie in the following couplet : And the tongue is a fire ; A world of iniquity. Several commentators would alter the received text. Grotius, Dr. Hammond, and D.D. Morus, Augusti, and De Wette, prefer the reading of the Syriac Version, namely. And the tongue is a fire, And the world of iniquity is like a forest : as though the original of the clause had been : that is, " the tongue is a fire, and this wicked world the forest which it consumes.*' A clear and very plausible sense, it cannot be denied. But, as Professor Pott, in his Excursics on this passage, has well observed, it is scarcely credible, that, if this were the genuine reading, copyists could, without a single exception that has reached us, have de- parted from it ; and, by the omission of 6a>j, have rendered a clear passage obscure. I will add, that the Syriac reading, however easy and natural it may seem on a superficial view, does by no means so well accord with the Hebrew parallelism, as the SECT. XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 283 reading of our received text : a fact which I hope presently to establish. M. Le Clerc, dissatisfied with the Syriac Version^ unceremoniously dismisses the entire clause, xcn ^ yXcoa-crcc ^vg, b xo(riJiOs tjj? aSixjaj, aS a marginal gloSS, which, by the oscitancy of transcribers had crept into the text ; as an interpolation at once tauto- logous and incoherent, loading the composition and embarrassing the sense. M. Le Clerc has been followed by MM. Hottinger and Eichorn ; the former of whom, thus ingeniously accounts for the origin of the supposed gloss ; taking to his assist- ance the vxri of the Syriac Version : " A transcriber " was desirous to illustrate the words, behold^ a *« little sparki ^oXiyov 'c^v^'] how great a forest RXix>)v " ux»)y] it enJdndleth ; thus the tongue, ^c, : for the " purpose of illustration, he accordingly in- " serted in the margin the following notes ; ^ y\ai(r' ** )j aSixia? uXrj : indicating that " the tongue is a little spark, by which the world " of iniquity, like a great forest, is set on fire. " These explanatory words, with the casual omis- " sion of uA>), in the course of time, found their way <* from the margin to the text." I shall merely observe, that all this ingenuity may be set aside by the single word, — conjecture : there is not the shadow of authority to countenance the suppo- sition ; and without the authority, if not of MSS. at least of Versions, or of early commentators, such hypotheses cannot be admitted : were they, in- deed, admitted, farewell to the integrity of Sacred Scripture. ^S4i SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XIV, Other interpreters defend the received text. The learned Carpzov would retain the Greek as it now stands ; but renders the passage, " And " the tongue is a fire, enflaming the whole world " with iniquity :" a rendering so hard, so forced, and so inconsistent with the original, that it can by no means be received. M. Herder, relying upon a very ambiguous pas- sage of Hesychius, considers xoo-joto? to be synony- mous with r^aTjjyoj, as though it had been said, " The tongue is a fire ; the prime leader of *< all iniquity :'* — a sense unauthorised by the usage of any good Greek writers ; and unsanc- tioned by a single example from, what has been termed, the Greek of the Synagogue. MM. H. Stephens, Wetstein, Eisner, Semler, Storr, Wakefield, and others, understand by 6 xo(r[j:,o§ T>j? ot,h)cias9 " the ornament, or varnish of iniquity ;" making the worse appear the better reason." Had this, however, been the apostle's meaning, he surely must have written 6 xoo-/t>jr>j?, the varnisher : but, in truth, this meaning would altogether, and unac- countably, break the continuous chain of thought, which binds together the whole context. Dr. Benson simply, and properly, understands by xoo-jxoj uhxius, " a great mass of iniquity :" as we say in English, " a sea of troubles ; an ocean of de- " lights :'* and Milton, " a world of woe ; an uni- " verse of death." Neither Dr. B. however, nor any commentator that I have yet seen, appears fully and satisfactorily to have explained the orderly connection of the passage. SECT. XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 285 Professor Pott makes an attempt, ingenious, I admit, but not successful : he takes xai >} yxwo-cnj wu^, for a more general application of the preceding clause, oXiyov 'STvg y)XiX>)V uX*)V avaTrre*, tO the tongUC : and, (viewing 6 Koo-fx^og t»3j cc5) -cr^OTrsTcoj ra [xsi^ovoc 'uyqoa-ooTTsiu -r^sgi- ^aXKzG-^oLi, AIAA2KAA0T, ^ (piXo<70(pov, rj ev v>3» xu^sgvr]TOV, >j ev -CToXet up^ovTOs. xaKXiov yaq, ev utpeijOtsvo; -crgocrcoTrco eu5ox} ev VTrsge- ^ovTi ao-p^rjju-ovetv, aTroXsiTroixsvov tyis a^iocg uvtov. xoh xaXXiov, 'UToii^uycoyov agifov eivcn, rj AIAA2KA/V0N zutsXyi' koli oix-ovoixov ;^^>](7rov >j agyovxoL fxox^yigov. Comment, in Epictet, c. xxxvii. p. 468. edit. Schweigh. " We should " engage, not in that pursuit, which is abstractedly " best, but, in the best of those pursuits, which *' are proportioned to our powers : for no advan- " tage can result from disproportion ed undertak- " ings. Therefore, we should not rashly take " upon ourselves the higher parts in the drama " of life; those, for example, of teacher, or *« philosopher, or commander in a ship, or go- " vernor in a city. For it is more honourable *< to act an under-part well, mastering that part, " and rising above it, than to fail in the perform- " ance of a higher character, and sink beneath " its just level. It is better to be an excellent SECT. XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 291 ** pedagogue, than an incomplete teacher ; to be " a thrifty steward, than a profligate governor." In this passage, the SiSao-xaXo? or teacher, ranks as much above the pedagogue, as an archon or governor ranks above a stexmrd. The ttonUycayo^ is an in- structor of children; the Uokt^c^ko; a teacher of men. And, in conformity with this distinction, the latter term is always used, throughout the New Testament, in a high sense. If any one trip not in word.^ Zeno said, " that " it was better to trip with the feet, than with the tongue:" xgnTTOv sivoti roig 'UToa-iv oXkt^siv, y) tyi yxcorrrj. Diog. Laert. vii. ^6. p. 381. ed. Meibom. Eustathius also, cites it as a received proverb, ** that it is more tolerable to stumble with the " feet than with the tongue; for, in the former " case, we may rise : but a slip of the tongue " frequently casts men down, beyond the possi- " bility of recovery." In Odyss. 0. 300. 48. Jam- blichus says, that "Pythagoras enjoined silence, " as the best training to universal sobriety; be- " cause it is the most difficult branch of self- " discipline, to govern the tongue." De Vit. Pythag. p. 162. edit. Kuster. To bridle the xvhole body.'} x^^'^^^y^yw^^- The moral application of this word was familiar to S. James : thus ch. i. v. 26. ^^yj xAAiNArnrnN t>jv yAcoo-o-av uvTou : « not bridling his own tongue." Nor is a similar use of the term unusual among the later Lrreek writers : rug h rm rihmv ogs^sig XAAlNAPriPOTSHS. Lucian. Tyrannic. Oper. tom. ii. p. 143. edit. u 2 S92 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XIV. Hemsterh. ^^ Bridling the appetencies of pleasure." broLv Bxotsroi ru)v Ttu^cav xAAiNAmrH. Id. de Saltat. torn, ii.' p. 306. " When it bridles each of the passions." xAAiNArnroTMENON uTTo rms (pu(7|a£v Toyj Ittttouj, — we bridle horses i?i : but he judiciously preferred the longer phrase, tmv Ittttoov tqvs -xauvmc, si; Tot fOjotara ^aAAo/xsv, for the doublc purpose, of refer- ring to the mouth, and of fully bringing out the notion of a very small implement ; a notion this latter, here conveyed by ^a^^'vo?^ a bit ; and paral- leled in the next verse, by Trri^uXiov sxaxis-ov, the smallest helm. Philo Judaeus has nearly the same expression : — ^uy^iKcoTUTOV ?«Jov Itttto; qahvi; ayeron XAAI- Nn0Ei2. De Opific. Mund. p. 19. " That most " spirited animal, the horse, when bridled, is easily " led." Sophocles, yet more strongly in point : SMIKPil XAAINH 5' Oilo, TOV§ ^VlXOV[J.SVOUg iTTTTOyj KCCTUgTV^eVTOC;, Antigone, 1. 484. The most fiery steed Bv a small curb oft govern'd have I known. Potter, Pricaaus conjectures, that S. James may have borrowed both this equestrian illustration, and the succeeding nautical one, from an epistle attributed to Plato ; however this may be, it is certainly curious, that both metaphors are combined, and SECT. XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE, 293 both applied to the government of the tongue, by the (jreek writer : Yjvisng xa* fidfiyi tous Ittttovs Bv^wof^ev xcti mvTiX\a)ix.s^a, ttv} jxev rots 'V'Oi? rrjv voluv sKTrsTcta-avrsg, ttyj h ayjcvgciig XAAINA2ANTE2 xara^y^o/^ev. outco xy^s^vvjreov t»]v yXoJTTav, u^toxs, tty} [/.ev TOig Xoyoig OTrXii^ovTsg, ttyj h (TictiTrri KUTsvm^ovTsg. '' We direct horses with reins, and " whip ; and we navigate, sometimes letting the " ship drive with expanded sails, sometimes, on " the contrary, hridliiig and weighing it down " with anchors : thus it is, my friend, that we are " to govern the tongue; now arming it with <* words, now composing it to rest in silence." Plutarch has a similar combination : rgoTTog ecr^* 6 Trst^cav tov KzyovTag^ ov Xoyog* xai TgoTTOg {xsv ovv kui Koyog- ri rgoTrog S}T>5j, Old T*$ ^viop^oj, xa-^aTrsg iTOV. agiiaros t>)v Trguf/^vav €^wv, fj(,STu(psgsi pcchcag rijSg xaxsKre to j, HoM. //.A. 155, As when fierce flames some antient forest seize From side to side in flakes the various wind Rolls them, and to the roots devoured, the trunks Fall prostrate, under fury of the fire. CowpER, Nam ssepe incautis pastoribus excidit ignis, Qui furtim pingui primum sub cortice tectus, Robora comprendit, frondesque elapsus in altas, Ingentem coelo sonitum dedit ; inde secutus Per ramos victor, perque alta cacumina regnat, Et totum involvit flammis nemus, et ruit atram Ad coelum picea crassus cahgine nubem. ViRG. Georg, ii. 303. For sparkling fire, from hinds' unwary hands Is often scatter'd o'er their unctuous rinds. And after, spread abroad by raging winds : For first, the smouldering flame the trunk receives, Ascending thence, it crackles in the leaves ; At length, victorious to the top aspires, Involving all the wood in smoky fires. Dryden. OToXXav T opsi ':ffug s^ hog (TTre^jOoaTOf sv^ogov aVfcoo-sv vXuv. Find. PyM. iii. 66, 298 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XIV. Fire from a single spark that springs, High on the mountain top destruction flings, O'er the vast wood. One other passage I will adduce, in which, not the image only, but the application of it, affords an ex- act coincidence with the words of S. James : ^iKgov yoig ex, Xai^TrTvigos iSaiov AeTraj zxgYi3|u,aTwv To the faithful, belongeth the whole world of wealth ; But to the unfaithful, not even a mite. Eiiflaming the wheel of nature.'] rov rqoxov rr^s yeve- (j-swj. For the different interpretations of this phrase, I would refer to the third Excursus of Professor Pott. Many passages have been pro- duced for its illustration : the general meaning is clearly ** the whole course and rotation of human " society, Jrom generation to generation." The most remarkable citations of interpreters are the following : 6 wjtsqoLVTO^ KUnKo^ T>jj yevecTsw^ : SiwpHc. in Epictet. p. 94. " The endless circle of gene- " ration." And: rgo^os ocgfj^dTog yotg bicx.j Anacreon, Od. iv. 7. Like the chariot's rapid wheel, Swiftly rolls our life away. To which may be added : Properat cursu Vita citato, volucrique die Rota praecipitis vertitur anni. Seneca, Here. Fur. 178. With hurried course, life speeds away ; Wing'd are the moments of each day : Rolls the vast wheel with reckless haste. Of years no more to be replaced. The following passage of Plato has not been cited by any commentator; yet I think it may help to illustrate S. James : s^wTojjxevo* tov sx tyis vw nEPi*opA2 SECT. XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 301 xa» rENE2En2 ^U(TiKsoL xoti 'ctoXitikov. PlatO, Polit. p. ^74. edit. SeiT. torn, ii* " Seeking the pattern of a " king and politician, from the existing circle " and GENERATION." For every nature^ both of wild beasts, §']y>] ftag-iyoj Troiei (xoXoiTras* TrArjyy) h yXa>cr(r>3? (Tvyy.Kam o^a. : 'K(i\\(i\ eTTsa-av ev 5-oi/.a.ri \LCLya\ga.c,' xon ou^' (hg 01 TrsTTTWXOTSj dice yXuxKTUV : {xuKtxgiog 6 (TXSTracrdsij cctt uvtyis' 6$ ov hviX^sv ev too ^'Jjxco uuty,s : 6g ouK hKycva-s tov ^vyov ccvTYig* xat ev T015 ha-fJioig ctvTYig ovx. sh^Yj : 6 yocg tpyog aurrjj, fyyog (ridrigovg' Kui 01 Seo-jxoi avTYic, dsG-y.oi ^uXxsoi : ^avarog 7rov>)§oj, 6 ^avctTog uutt^^" X.OH Xy(riTeA>3J jaaXAov 6 «S>jf auT>)? : SECT. XIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 303 ou (XYj xgotTYia-vi svas^ooy 01 xaraXsiTTOvrgj Kygtov Sfj^TrscrovvTUi eig oivtyiv' xoii sv avTOig sxxotYi(reTcn, x«i ov [ji,vi jority of copies; it is a departure from verbal repetition; and to depart from verbal repetition is not the common error of copyists. And finally, X 4 312 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XV. the mistake of a few transcribers, arising from a natural expectation to find ysveo-^a* repeated, be- comes an additional reason why we should look for special significancy in the substituted verb sivui, which disappoints that expectation. 6y 6 Kvgiog Iyj(TOV$ ctvoiXcoGsiy too Trvsu/xar* g-ofx.uTog ctVTOV xat }cuTugyYia-6ij rri eTr^paveta rr;? Tragoucriac uvtov. Whom the Lord Jesus will waste away, with the breath of his mouth ; And will utterly destroy, with the bright appearance of his coming. 2 Tkess, ii. 8. The first words, 6v 6 Kvgiog Iria-ovc, are common to both lines ; amXcocrst implies no more, in this place, than gradual decay ; xarccgyriG-ei denotes total exteV' mmation : while, in terror and magnificence, no less than in the effects assigned, the breath of his mouthy must yield to the bright appeara7ice of his coming. The first line seems to announce the ordi- nary diffusion, gradually to be effected, of Chris- tian truth : the second, to foretell the extraordinary manifestation of the victorious Messiah, suddenly, and overwhelmingly, to take place in the last days. Ka^ocgKTOtTS ^sigccc, ui^agTooXor xui ayvKTocTs xug^ici;, ^i^v^oi. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners ; And purify your hearts, ye double-minded. S. James, iv. 8. ' xu^ugia-uTe, here, relates to outxvard cleansirig ; uyvia-are, to ifiward purification : x^^^^h ^^ outward actio?is J Kughuc, to iuward principles : ocy.agTw\ok, SECT. XV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 313 persons determinately engaged in sin ; ^^^ux^iy persons in whom conscience is awakened, wavering between tendencies to good and evil, e^g^ifoire rug Kocg^iag uixoov, cij sv Yjfj^sgu crjTe* 7rogsv£(r^s Se iJiccXXov Trgog ra Trgo^otTU tcc uttoXcjoXotu oixov To the way of the Gentiles go not off; And to a city of the Samaritans, go not in ; But proceed rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. S. Matt, X. 5, 6. This is a gradation in the scale of national and religious proximity : the Gentiles, the Samaritans, Israel, In the remaining terms, there is a corre- spondent progress: the wai/, or road to foreign countries ; a city of tlie Samaritans ; the Jiouse of Israel, a phrase conveying the notion of home : go not off, — go not from Palestine, towards other nations ; go not in to a city of the Samaritans ; though, in your progresses between Judea and Galilee, you must pass by the walls of many Sama- ritan cities: but, however great your fatigue, 314 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XV. and want of refreshment, proceed rather, not merely to the house of Israel, but to the lost sheep of that house. Thus, by a beautiful gradation, the apostles are brought from the indefiniteness of a road leading to countries remote from their own, and people differing from themselves in habits, in language, and in faith, to the homefelt, individual, and endearing relationship of their own country- men •, children of the same covenant of promise, and additionally recommended to their tender compassion, as morally lost. aqoLi TO. sx T>3$ Qi%iaL^ (XUTOV : agon Tcc IfxctTicc uvtov. He that is on the house-top, let him not come down ; To take the things from his house ; And he that is in the field, let him not turn back, To take his upper garments. 5. Matt. xxiv. 17, 18. The reading of our received text is a^a* ti sk rrj? oiKius, " to take any thing from his house, ta, how- ever, is the reading of the best MSS., Versions, and Fathers ; and is adopted by Mill, Wetstein, Griesbach, &c. In order properly to understand this passage, we must keep in view the construc- tion of houses among the Jews : they were com- monly flat-roofed, and had stairs on the outside, by which persons might ascend and descend, with- out coming into the house. In the eastern walled cities, these flat-roofed houses usually formed con- tinued terraces, from one end of the city to the SECT. XV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 315 Other, which terminated at the city-gates. Our Lord's injunction, therefore, is, — he who is walk- ing on the house-top, let him not come down to remove his property from his house ; let him, on the contrary, pursue his course along the terrace, and escape through the gate of the city as fast as he can. The gradation in the sense is manifest : the man on the house-top was not to come down, and carry away his household-goods and property ; a work of time and difficulty : the man at work in the field, was not so much as to turn behind him for the upper garment, which he had but just laid aside, in order to facilitate his labour ; a lively image of increasing, nay, of instant danger. xcti ou i^r] kvgYi(rov(TiV avTOV : xtxi (psv^sTcci «7r* auTMV 6 ^uvuTog. Men shall seek death ; And shall by no means find it : They shall desire to die; And death will flee from them. Rev Ax, 6. In this example, I have followed Griesbach's text: the gradation speaks for itself: the personification of death is magnificent ; the more so, from its un- expectedness and brevity. OLVOO^SV efl, KUTU^UIVQV CCTTQ TOV TTOCTgOS TMV (pOOTOOV, v Hug w ovK evi TTugoiXkccyyi, >j rgowi^s «7ro(7X>«cr]xa, 316 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XV. Every good giving, and every perfect gift Is from above, descending from the Father of lights, With whom is no parallax, neither tropical shadow. S. James, i. 1 7. If we suppose, with Bishop Bull, (Harm. Apostol. p. 101, 102.) that the apostle was here controvert- ing that astrological fatalism of the Pharisees, which ascribed all human prosperity and virtue to the influence of the heavenly bodies, the un- questionably astronomical phraseology of this re- markable passage will be at once accounted for. As if he had said : " mh haanasge, wander not " in your imagination, like those planets which you " ignorantly constitute the arbiters of human " destiny : every good giving, and every perfect « gift, is, not from the starry heavens, but, from " above, from the highest or third heaven, from " the heaven of heavens ; descending, not as you *< weakly suppose, from the sun or stars, but from ** God himself, the Father and Fabricator of them " all ; with whom is nothing analogous to those op- ** tical delusions, those periodical observations, " and those vicissitudes of seasons, which are at- " tendant on the seeming course qf the sun, both " annual and diurnal." Each line, it will be noted, contains within itself a marked gradation : 1. ha-is, a givi?ig, is less complete than dco^Yijxu, a gift or donation ; as uyu^Yi, good, is inferior to tsXsiov, perfect: 2. From above, is at once a less definite, and less elevated origination, than Jrom the Father qf lights : 3, The sun's parallax;, or the difference between his place„. SECT. XV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 31J as viewed from the centre and surface of the earth, is a mere trifle, compared with his tropical shadow ; when, for example, in our winter, he has declined to the southern tropic ; a declination, by which our days are considerably shortened, and we suffer a great diminution both of liglit and heat. Respecting the difference between doa-i^ and Swgrj^a, Wolfius refers to Mercurialis, de Arte Gymnastica, i. 14; to Petr. Faber, and to Jac. Lydius ; Agonist. Sacr. cap. 34. p. 123. ; also to Amelius, tom. ii. p. 214 : all of whom sup- port a distinction in the terms. Dr. Hammond on Philippians, iii. 12. may be consulted, together with Poole, Synops. in loc. Respecting the astronomical terms, I need only say, that several of the most learned and judicious commentators are agreed upon their scientific meaning. See particularly Wetstein. It must be added, that, not merely the thoughts, but the sounds of the original, are, in a high degree, poetical : the first line, it has been often observed, is a pure hexameter. Since writing the above, I recollected a severe stricture in one of Dr. Campbell's prehminary dissertations; on turning to which, I find the following words : « I once met with a criticism, ** I do not remember where, on a passage in the ' " Epistle of James, in which God is called the " Father of lights, ^a^ ^ oux sv, '^c^uXXuyr^, >j r^o^r^, ** a,ro(rxia(r^^. The Critic profoundly supposes, that " the sacred penman, though writing to the Chris- - tian converts of the dispersed Jews, amongst " whom there were certainly not many noble, or 318 SACRED LITERATURE, [SECT. XV. " rich, or learned, addressed them in the language ^' of astronomy; and therefore renders ^ugaxxayri *' parallaa:, and t^ottij tropic. If this be to trans- <« late very literally, it is also to translate very « absurdly." Diss. xii. p. 386. Not quite so ab- surdly as the learned Professor imagined: for, if the terms be not astronomical, what is their meaning? How, for example, as Mr. Wakefield has acutely asked, shall we understand or explain the phrase, a shadow of turiiing ? But, if there were not several rich, and well-born, among the Christian converts of the dispersion, how is it, that, in this very epistle, S. James so frequently, and so pungently, addresses himself to the rich, — to those who were engaged in the most extended commercial speculations ; to those who were bril- liant and perishable as the flower of the grass; to those who entered the place of Christian wor- ship, wearing gold rings and splendid robes ? But even supposing, what the facts do not authorise us to suppose, that there were neither rich nor noble converts among the readers of this epistle, it would seem a strange conclusion, that there- fore, none of those readers could comprehend one or two astronomical phrases. In the truly re- spectable society over which Dr. Campbell so worthily presided, there must have been abundant examples to prove, if proof were not superfluous, that humble birth, and scanty fortune, were no insuperable obstacles to the attainment of scientific information. Respecting the learning of those whom S. James addressed, I am not indeed pre- SECT. XV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 319 pared to speak with confidence: it probably was very far from extensive. But, from the general complexion of his epistle, I think it was not writ- ten^ and I AM SURE it was not adapted, to the vulgar and illiterate. And besides, much learn- ing was by no means necessary, toward under- standing one or two terms in astronomy ; under- standing them, I mean, in a popular way, as an Englishman of no remarkable information under- stands the terms eclipse or coineL It must also be considered, that the Jews, like other people of the East, were fond of astronomy ; that they accurately studied the prognostics of weather, af- forded by the state of the atmosphere, and heaven- ly bodies ; and that, if Bishop Bull's opinion be founded, (and it seems extremely probable,) this passage was directed against professed astronomers and astrologists, who could not fail to understand allusions of a nature far more profoundly scientific. OTi Tov y]\iOV uvTOU avureXXsi siri '^^ovYjgoug kui uya^ov;- xoti ^g£%si sTTi dixonouc Kdi uyoc^ovg. For he maketh his sun arise on the bad and good ; And raineth on the just and unjust. S, Matt. V. 45. The first of these lines contains the higher cha- racter, the second a lower character, of good and evil ; TTovYigog, badf wicked, is more than uhxog, un- just : the former is positive ; the latter only nega- tive : again ; uyoi^og, good, is superior to d^Konoc, Just: the latter is no better than strict law re- quires him to be ; the former follows the kind 320 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XV. and benevolent dictates, of a kind and benevolent nature : Quis legem det amantibus ? Major lex amor est sibi. The other terms have a similar gradation : the degrees of divine bounty are adjusted according- to the degrees of the recipients, whether in the scale of good or evil. God is said to make his sun arise on the higher class, whether in virtue or in vice ; the evil and the good ; the Sioiy whose influence brings the fruits of the earth to full ma- turity ; HIS SUN, by way of eminence, his best natural gift. But on the just and unjust, the lower class in virtue and in vice, it is said that God raineth, not that he ** sendeth his rain ;" intimat- ing thereby, that rain, though a lo^i^ ayu^ri, is not a dco^Yiixct rsxsiov : accordingly we see, that rain pro- motes indeed the earlier processes of vegetation, but never brings the fruits of the earth to their perfection. The four terms, " bad, good, just, unjust," it will be observed, are distributed in the way of epanodos ; the unamiable and undeserving are mentioned first and last, for the purpose, at the commencement, of making, and at the close, of sustaining, the paramount impression, that he whom we are both enjoined and encouraged to imitate, is kind and beneficent even to the unworthy. Wetstein has accumulated similar passages, both from oriental and classical writers. I shall give but two : *^ Be like the trees," says a quaint, yet beau- tiful Persic epigram, <^ which impart their shade and SECT. XV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 321 <* their fruits to every traveller ; to those even, who " assail them with sticks and stones.'* And Seneca : ** If thou wouldst imitate the gods, bestow benefits " even upon the ungrateful : for the sun rises " upon the wicked ; and the seas are open to " pirates." — " Gratitude is not shewn to me : what " shall I do ? Act like the gods, — the most " excellent examples thou canst follow, — who " begin, by heaping favours on the ignorant ; who " persevere, in heaping them on the ungrateful." De Benef. iv. S6. vii. 31. If any one is desirous to see this topic very beautifully expanded, I would venture to recommend to his perusal the treatise of S. Cyprian, " De Bono Patientiae j" especially p. 447-8. tom. ii. edit. Oberthiir. VTTsg yug tov uyu^ou tu^x ri; xcti toX[j,cc a.'KO^ixvsiv, Now, scarcely for a just man would a person die ; Though for the good man, perhaps a person might even dare to die. Rom, V. 7. From the individual complexion of these lines, examined without reference to the context, it might be safely concluded, that an ascending gra- dation was intended by S. Paul. The very particles mark this : if^oXi^, scarcely^ implies a degree of im- probability almost amounting to absolute negation : Ta;)^a, perhaps, not only does not approach denial, but affirms a low degree of probability ; which probability receives a kind of heightening from the additional words, might even dare : in one case, the notion of dying is at once dismissed, as pretty Y 3^2 SACRED LITERATURE. ][SECT. XV. much out of the question ; in the other case, it is so paused upon, as to intimate that it mai/ take place; and a note is accordingly made, of the heroic resolution necessary toward such self-devo- tion. It may also be not improbably supposed, that the article, omitted before Sjxatou, and inserted before uya^ovy cannot be insignificant : a just man-y THE good man. The subordinate terms thus indica- tive of progress, more may be rationally expected from the two principal terms of the couplet. We have, accordingly, seen in the last example, that ctyet^og riscs abovc hxciioc : and it may be added, that according to some of the most eminent, and least fanciful critics, these words are antithetically con- trasted, as differing both in kind, and in degree : the one, belonging to a nobler system of morals, than the other. To avoid prolixity, I shall con- tent myself with citing a single passage from the philological annotations of Raphel : " Luculenta " est illorum interpretatio, qui virum bonum a " viro justo ita distinguunt, ut Justus sit, qui tan- " tum nihil contra leges scriptas facit, sed suum " cuique tribuit, nocet nemini : bo7ius autem, qui ** facit etiam ea, quae legibus sancita non sunt ; et, ** quae sibi retinere salvo jure posset, ea aliis tri- " buit, et, quibus potest prodest omnibus." This distinction Raphel establishes effectually, by strik- ing passages from Xenophon and Cicero. It may be just mentioned, in passing, that the rabbinical writers had similar distinctions; see Godwyn, Jewish Antiq. i. 9. Schoettgen, Hor. Hebr. in SECT. XV. ] SACRED LITERATURE. 3^3 loc. Dr. Doddridge and Koppe, in loc : also Gata- ker. Adv. Misc. ap. Op. Crit. torn. ii. p. 316, 317- But, when we refer to the context, the question is placed beyond all reasonable doubt. The apos- tle's object there is, to illustrate the exceeding love of Christ, by a contrasted analogy, derived from human feelings. " Look around you in the world ; — where will you find a person ready to die for a just man ? Is it more than a remote probability, a mere perhaps, that you will find a person with magnanimity to die, even for that rare character, THE GOOD MAN ? But uot such was the love of Christ : he died for those who not only were not GOOD, who were not even just -, for the weak, and the ungodly 5 for simiers, and for enemies." Such is the general scope of the context : and let it be ob- served, that the passage is constructed with no common regularity and skill. In verse 6, we have a pair of terms, one manifestly rising above the other, descriptive of man's fallen condition ; ua-^svcjov^ morally tsoeak^ aa-s^Mv, 7iot godly, negatively wicked: in verses 8 and 10, the corrupted state of man is expressed by another pair of terms, one, also, rising above the other; a/jta^rcyAwv, sinners, positively wicked ; ^x^qoi, enemies, determined foes, in warfare against God and goodness : so, in Demosth. de Co- rona, 'STUiJi.uTOVYjgos civ^gooTTOg, xoci ^soig e^^gog, NoW, aS I have already remarked, the apostle's argument is enforced by a contrasted analogy : therefore, by the rules of ordinary composition, and much more by the laws of Hebraic parallelism, as there is climax in each pair of terms to which the words Y 2 B^4f SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT, XV. hiKctiog and ayoc^o? are opposed, there must also be a gradation in the words hxonog and uyu^og themselves. It is worthy of observation, that St. Paul's three degrees of wickedness (for aa-^smv amounts only to weakness,) accurately correspond with the three de- grees enumerated in the first Psalm ; see Section III. The reader may compare the terms of the apostle, with those of the psalmist : V. Bom. I. Psalm, Sept, Vers, €i(rs^otiv ...... uo'sSoov. afjiotgrooKoov .... a.[jt,agTCJDXoov. !%^§°' Aojjxcov. Aq. p^Xeuarwv. In these two series, the first two terms of each are identically the same : the remaining pair of terms differ in sound, but correspond in sense ; enemies, in the one place, answering to the pestilent, or scorners, in the other. Respecting the interpretation of this passage, commentators have needlessly involved themselves, and their readers, in much perplexity. Those who wish for the most condensed, and most intelligible view of the conflicting opinions, will find it in the ** Curae Philologicae" of Wolfius. Four modes of evading what has appeared the difficulty of the case, may be cursorily noticed. 1. Tanaquil Faber and Bochart would dismiss the words vvsg yug TOO aya^ov ru^a. ti$ xui roXfxu «7ro^a- vsiv, as a marginal gloss. For this monstrous liberty, there is not the slightest authority of MSS., or Versions. It has been exposed, with equal severity and justice, by Mosheim, in his Dissert. SECT. XV.] SACRED LITERATURE, 325 Sacr. p. 321. ed. 4to. 1733.; and more fully in his Cogitat. in var. loc. Nov. Test. I. ix. 218, 2. Some few commentators adopt the reading of the Syriac, which, for 8j$ a^*o? dici- " tur ; unde explicandum esse arbitror locum diffi- " cillimum Rom. v. 7« {j^^^^s yotg vTrsg dixaiou (aSixoy Syr. " Erp.) Tig wKo^oLvsnai vix moi'tem quis pro reo ac " sonte sustineat." This, surely, is strange lexicography : huaioi means a^^of, u^ios means worthy : ^lian says things are hxonuy that is a^)d»3 cerai y/x-ti/. Judge not, that ye be not judged ; For, with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged ; And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. S, Matt. vii. 1, 2. xa< 'V7go5-eQr}(rsTcti V[xtv toij axououcnv. Take heed how ye hear ; For, with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you ; And more shall be given unto you that hear. 6'. Mark, iv. 24. 332 SACRED LITERATURE, [SECT. XV. IxsTgov xctXov, zreTTisa-fxevov, xoti (rs(ra\su[ji,svov, xon V7regex^vvo[xsvov, dcjoG-Qva-iv sig tov xoXttov vy^cov TOO yug avTU) [/.STgco w [/,STgetTS, avTiiJ(,STgi^^i^(rsTcn n^Liv, Give, and it shall be given unto you ; Good measure, Pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, Shall they give into your bosom ; For, with the same measure that ye mete with, it shall be measured to you again. S. Luke, vi. SS. In these three passages, on three several occasions, our Lord uses the same proverbial aphorism, ev w lusrgvi iMsrgsirs. x. t. A. With a beautiful variation in each instance; nicely adapted to the subject- matter of which he is treating. In S. Matthew, the retribution is punitive; no more, therefore, than simple retribution is, in that case, intimated. In S. Mark, the retribution is a retribution of reward ; therefore, an overplus is promised ; more shall be given unto you. In S. Luke, the over- plus is superabundant ; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over ; and, in this last case, the act rewarded is one of beneficence to others, while, in S. Mark, it is one of wise and virtuous consideration for ourselves. In thus discriminating, it is probable that our Lord had respect, not only to the feelings of human nature at large, but more particularly to the no- tions currently received among his own country- men. The Jews were in the habit of distinguish- ing between the measure of retribution, the mea^ SECT. XV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 333 sure qfhenignity, and the measure of superabundance. See Schoettgen on S. Luke, vi. 38. p. 273. Meus- chen on S. Matt. vii. 2. p. 72« and on S.Luke, vi. 38. p. 129. Wetstein on S. Luke, vi. 38. and Vorstius de Adagiis Nov. Test, c.viii. p. 518 — 522. ap. Rhenferd. de Styl. Nov. Test. : all of whom bring illustrative passages from rabbinical writers. Wol- fius on S. Luke, vi. 38. may be consulted with advantage : but particularly Glass, Phil. Sacr. pp. 1864. 1971. ed. 4to. 1725, which, in the present instance, as in many others, will be found far more satisfactory than Dathe's Abridgment, " hisce temporibus accommodata." On the reading of S. Matt. vii. 2. ]u.£Tg>3^y)o-sT«i for avTi/xsT§»)dy](rsTa», I havc spokeu in Sect. IX., near the commencement. From S. Mark, iv. 24. Griesbach, unwarrant- ably as I conceive, drops the words xa* 'UT^o^i^fitysTon viLiv Toij axououo-jv. The judgment of Grotius should here be weighed : " Lectionis hujus veritatem de- " fendunt antiqui codices, et veteres metaphrastae, " a quorum consensu, ut saepius monui, non est " temere recedendum." The force of the Pro- verb, as applied by our Lord in this place, has been happily expressed by Euthymius : ev w ju-st^w " With what measure ye mete attention, with the <« same shall knowledge be measured unto you.'* Reichard, in his Latin Version of the New Tes- tament, supplies the same sense : " Quam enim (in " attendendo veluti) mensuram adhibueritis, eadem " (in cognoscendo) vobis continget." 3S4f SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XV. In St. Luke, vi. 38* the words are most accu- rately appropriate : 'STS7risa-[/.evov,pressed doxrni as mth the feet, relates to solid substances ; o-eo-aXeyjtAsvov, shaken together, to granulated substances, corn, meal, &c. ; vTrsgsKx^vofxsvov, running over, to fluids. On the sin- gular elegance and beauty of this passage, the learned Casaubon observes at some length, in his notes on Theophrastus, p. 175. Hesiod uses language nearly similar ; and has been applauded for it by Cicero ; Brut. 4 : with the words of the Ascraean, the present section shall be closed : eu ju,ev fLSTgsio-^at '^agu ysiTOVog, so S* WTTodovvctt, avTCti Tco [JiSTgw, xui Xco'iov, ams 8yy>jai, E^y. x«i yjjtx,. 346. The loan well-measured from thy neighbours store, In payment measure well ; if able, measure more. 835 SECTION XVI. In tlie fourth section of these observations it was intimated, that, when I should have proceeded some way in the examination of New Testament parallehsms, I would resume the subject of the epanodos. That engagement 1 am now about to fulfil. The Epanodos is literally a going back ; speak- ing first to the second of two subjects proposed ; or, if the subjects be more than two, resuming them precisely in the inverted order ; speaking first to the last, and last to the first. The rationale of this artifice in composition, I ventured to explain in the following words : " Two pair of terms or ** propositions, containing two important, but not '* equally important notions, are to be so distri- " buted, as to bring out the sense in the strongest " and most impressive manner : now, this result " will be best attained, by commencing, and con- " eluding, with the notion to which prominence is " to be given ; and by placing in the centre the " less important notion, or that, which, from the " scope of the argument, is to be kept subordi- " nate." * And the justice of this explanation was, I trust, sufficiently established by examples of epanodos, derived both from the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and from the best classical writers. * See page 60. 836 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XVI. In the course of the intermediate pages, addi- tional specimens of epanodos have incidentally occurred : it remains to bring before the reader further specimens, exclusively from the New Tes- tament, which, I am hopeful, by the united force of juxtaposition, and mutual relationship, may at once throw light upon each other, and satisfactorily illustrate the nature, the value, and the importance in Scriptural interpretation, of a technical arrange- ment, which has not hitherto been investigated as it deserves ; and from the future investigation of which, no trivial benefits may be expected. )j yaq Tov svu fno'i^asi, >cixi rov ersgov ayot7rri(rei' VI evos * uv^s^sToci, kui tov ersgov xuTU(pgovvia-ei : ov dwacr^e 0sco dovXsvsiv x«i [j^aixcova. No man can serve two masters : For, either he will hate the one, and love the other; Or he will adhere to the one, and neglect the other : Ye cannot serve God and mammon. S. Matt. vi. 24. In this quatrain at large, there is a clear epanodos: in the first line, the impossibility is, in general terms, asserted, of serving two masters ; that is, two masters of opposite tempers, issuing opposite commands : in the fourth line, this impossibility is re-asserted, and brought personally home to the secular part of our Lord's hearers, by the speci- fication of the two incompatible masters, God and MAMMON. These two assertions, as the leading * On the omission of the article before ^vos, see Bishop Mid- dleton, in loc. SECT. XVI. J SACRED LITERATURE. 387 members of the passage, are placed first and last ; while, in the centre, are subordinately given the moral proofs by which the main propositions are established. But the two central members are so disposed, as to exhibit an epanodos yet more beau- tiful and striking. In a divided service, the dispo- sitions and conduct of the servant, towards the oppo- site powers who claim his obedience, are distribut- able into two classes; each class containing two degrees : on the one side love^ or at least, adher- ence ; on the other side, hatred^ or at least, neglect Now, since it was our Lord's purpose, to establish the great moral truth, that every attempt to reconcile the service of opposing masters, must terminate in disap- pointment, the question is, by what arrangement of the four existing terms, may the utmost promi- nence be given to that truth ? The answer is ob- vious : let hatred be placed first, and neglect last, and let love and adherence be relegated to the centre : the consequence will be, that the first im- pression made, and the last left, must be inevit- ably of a disagreeable nature ; strongly enforcing the conclusion, that such a service cannot be any other than most irksome and most fruitless bondage. And such, precisely, is the distribu- tion of the passage, as given by S. Matthew. Let, on the contrary, either the clauses of the lines in question, or the lines themselves, be trans- posed, and the reader will at once perceive how entirely the point and energy of the statement are destroyed : 338 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XVI. For either he will love the one, and hate the other ; Or he will neglect the one, and adhere to the other : or thus : For either he will adhere to the one, and neglect the other ; Or he will hate the one, and love the other : In both cases, the notions of love and adherence, the one at the commencement, and the other at the close, would make, and would leave, an im- pression of an agreeable nature ; out of character and keeping with the scope of our Lord's argu- ment. Vorstius (Philol. Sacr. par. i. p. V23,) takes the words ayuTToiv and uvtsx^o-^oii to be precisely equiva- lent: this, however, is by no means the case, fxiorsiv and ctyuTTuv are words expressive of inward dispo- sitions ; avTs^scr^aj and xaTa(pgov£iy, of outward Con- duct. See Raphel, in loc. and Schleusner, Lexicon. voce xoLTOK^govew, |tt»j Score TO ocyiov toij xuct** fj^Ylh ^uXyits Tovg [jiugyugiTug vfji^uiv sfji^TrgoG-^sv tcov ^oigoov |X>j7roT£ xaTaTraryjcrwcnv uvtov^ sv toi$ 'ttoo-iv uvtoov Give not that which is holy to the dogs ; Neither cast your pearls before the swine ; Lest they trample them under their feet ,* And turn about and rend you. 5. Matt, vii. 6. The relation of the first line to the fourth, and that of the second to the third, have been noticed by almost all the commentators. A minor circum- stance, is not altogether undeserving of attention : SECT. XVI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 339 the equal lengths, in the original, of each related pair of lines ; the first and fourth lines being short, the second and third lines long. The sense of the passage becomes perfectly clear, on thus adjusting the parallelism : Give not that which is holy to the dogs ; Lest they turn about and rend you : Neither cast your pearls before the swine, Lest they trample them under their feet. Castalio, without any transposition, by availing himself of the Latin idiom, has accurately preserved the sense : Ne date rem sacram canibus ; Neve margaritas vestras porcis apparite : Ne HI eos pedibus conculcent ; Illi versi lacerent vos : A rendering followed in the English Version of 1729: " Lest these trample them under foot, and THOSE turn upon you, and rend you." The metri- cal version of Juvencus is to the same effect : Ne canibus sanctum dederitis ; neve velitis Turpiter immundis jactare monilia porcis ; Namque ilia in coeno pedibus subjecta jacebuntj- Conversique canes vasto vos vulnere rumpent. The more dangerous act of imprudence, with its fatal result, is placed first and last, so as to make, and to leave, the deepest practical impression. To cast pearls before swine, is to place the pure and elevated morality of the gospel, before sensual and besotted wretches, who have z 2 340 SACHED LITERATURE. [sECT. XVI. „ . . . nor ear, nor soul, to comprehend The sublime notion, and high mystery, but will assuredly trample them in the mire. To give that which is holy {the sacrifice^ as some translate it) to the dogs, is to produce the deep truths of Christianity, the rx ^a^>j rou Qsovy before the malignant and profane ; who will not fail to add injury to neglect ; who will not only hate the doctrine, but persecute the teacher. In either case, an indiscreet and over-profluent zeal, may do serious mischief to the cause of goodness : but in the latter case, the injury will fall with heightened severity, both on religion, and religion's injudicious friends. The warning, therefore, against the dogs, is emphatically placed at the commencement and the close. ilov^ sya) aTTOfsXAco yjitaj w$ t^qo^uru, ev /xecrw Xuxcov KUi ax.sga.iOi coj ai Trsgisspai, Behold, I send you forth as sheep, In the midst of wolves; Be ye therefore prudent as the serpents ; And harmless as the doves. S.Matt. X. 16. «< Here," says Bishop Middleton, " we have ci? " TTgo^ara, but chg oi opi§, [and ws ai Tre^jfs^ai.] It IS " not without reason, that even this apparently '* minute distinction is observed. All sheep are " not supposed to be in the midst of wolves : but " all serpents are assumed to be prudent, [and all " doves to be harmless.]" Doctr. of Gr. Art. in loc. SECT. XVI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 3'J,I The first two lines are thus resolvable into two propositions : I send you forth as sheep ; I send you forth in the midst of wolves : These propositions are taken up severally in the inverted order ; and, were the passage reduced to an alternate quatrain, it might stand as follows : I send you forth as sheep; Be ye, therefore, harmless as the doves : I send you forth in the midst of wolves : Be ye, therefore, prudent as the serpents. The innocence of the dove is necessary to maintain your character as sheep : the prudence of the ser- pent is necessary to guard you against your fero- cious adversaries. The order of the text, how- ever, is incomparably preferable. A striking con- trast is obtained, by bringing the sheep into imme- diate contact with the wolves ; it is a graphical picture of the condition of the first Christians. And there is a beautiful propriety in placing j^r^^ and last, the sheep, and the doves. Innocence, or harmlessness, is essential to the Christian character : prudence, especially that prudence which guards against the machinations of wicked men, however desirable, is not essential ; without it, men may be Christians in all integrity and purity of heart. The essentials then, designated under the resemblance which all true disciples of our Lord must bear to the most innocent of animals, are made emphatic by their position : while the adventitious danger, and the adventitious safe-guard, the ravening z 3 342 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XVI. wolves, and the serpentine prudence, are placed obscurely in the centre. It has been judiciously and elegantly remarked by Dr. A. Clarke, that there is a beauty in this saying of our Lord, which has not been often noticed. The serpent is prudent to excess, being full of cunning : Gen. iii. 1. 2 Cor. xi. 3. — and the dove is simple, even to stupidity : Hosea, vii. 2. But our Divine Instructor corrects the cunning of the serpent by the simplicity of the dove ; and the stupidity of the dove, by the prudence of the serpent. xa< ci7roTO[xio(.v 0eou* STTl [XBV TOV^ TrecTOVTaj, Ci'n70T0[JHCK,V Behold therefore the gentleness, And the severity of God ; Towards those indeed who have fallen, severity ; But towards thee, gentleness. Rom. xi. 22. Gentleness at the beginning ; at the close gentle- ness : this epanodos speaks for itself Tr]V 8]V e»j TOV Ku^iov Yifxoov Iijcrouv XpifOV. Earnestly testifying, both to the Jews, and to the Greeks, Repentance toward God : And faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts, XX. 21. that is, resolving the first line into its component members, and then reducing the passage to an alternate quatrain : SECT. XVI.] SACREiy LITERATURE. 343 Earnestly testifying to the Jews, Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ : And earnestly testifying to the Greeks, Repentance toward God. The apostle's ministry was two-fold ; among the Jews, and among the Greeks : each branch of that ministry is here characterised, by that department of instruction, which S. Paul was, in the first in- stance, obliged to enter upon, with each class of his Catechumens. To the Gentiles, he primarily testified, repentance toward that one Almighty God, from whom they had wandered : to the Jews, who already acknowledged and adored that one Almighty God, he primarily testified, the additional necessity of Christian faith. The form of epano- dos, gives due prominence to that faith in Christ, which was the ultimate aim of his ministry : and keeps in due subordination, those truths of natural religion, which were chiefly introductive. This division must be restricted to S. Paul's initiatory labours among Jews and Greeks ; for, it is certain, that, when occasion required, he preach- ed repentance to the former ; and, when they were sufficiently prepared, he preached Christianity to the latter. sv TOO ovofx/xTi Toy Kvgiou Iyi^oOj xoti sv TO) -crvsu/AaTi tqv ©sou >)jm,cov. But ye are sanctified ; But ye are justified ; By the name of the Lord Jesus ; And by the spirit of our God. 1 Cor. vi. 11. z 4 34-4 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XVI. " After the general head of washingy^* says Dr. Hammond, " which contains the two subsequent, " sanctifying and justifying, the mention of our " Lord Jesus Christ, which is first named, belongs « to the latter, that o^ justification ; and the spirit " of our God, to that of sanctifying.'* Works, vol. iii. p. 8^. The apostle, it will be observed, begins with the last attained grace of Sanctification, and ends with the perfective energy of " the Spirit of our God ;" T>;v %agjj Tou -crveujE^aTOj ay]v ^v *' sysig SIS tzravraj rov^ ccyiovg, kui rriv ts7if]v " otyaTDjv, thy faith and love, &c. which was most " probably the original reading, as faith refers to " the Lord Jesus Christ, and love, to all the saints, " &c." It may be observed, in passing, that this reading is supported only by two uncial MSS. and five in the smaller character, of Griesbach \ by SECT. XVI,] SACRED LITERATURE. 3^9 one later MS. of Matthai ; and by the Syr. Arm. Ciar. Germ. Ambrst. — Authorities quite insufficient to overpower the weight of external evidence for the received text, not to speak of that internal evidence, which I have been endeavouring to un- fold ; especially when we consider the tendency of copyists and versionists to exchange what would seem to them a harshness in the original, for an easier, and, as they might think, a better reading. Several of our translators, among the rest, Drs. Heylin and Doddridge, and Messrs. Wesley and Wakefield, have thought proper to change S. Paul's order : a liberty quite inadmissible. The original ought, in all such cases, to be faithfully repre- sented in the text ; any needful elucidation may be annexed in the margin. Such liberties, how- ever, in the view of the last-mentioned gentleman, are mere trifles. In a note on another verse of this very epistle, he has the following words : <« I " have followed my inclination here, in Amlicisi?io^ " the peculiar phraseology of the original ; and " would gladly have followed it on many other " occasions, if prejudice could have borne it: but " too many still look with pious admiration on unin- " TELLiGiBLE OBSCURITY.'' Let the reader judcre between S. Paul and Mr. Gilbert Wakefield ! ! I shall only add, that individual scholars, when translating either separate books of Scripture, or the whole sacred volume, are too apt to depart needlessly from the language of our authorised Version : such persons would do well to consider deeply the words of a learned, sound, and most 350 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XVI. accomplished critic : " The general fidelity of our " English translation has been never questioned, " and its style is incomparably superior to any « thing which might be expected from the finical <« and perverted taste of our own age. It is sim- " pie; it is harmonious ; it is energetic; and, which " is of no small importance, use has made it fa- " miliar, and time has rendered it sacred." Bp. Middleton on the Gr. Article, p. 328. X^ifO^ OS 'cja.gaysvoy.evoc ag-^is^sug tmv fLsWovTctiv oiyx^a)V, hoc h TQV i^tov oiiiJ^uTOs, sicrrjX^gv sipaTraf, eis TOL ayid, cuooviuv y^vrgooaiv sOgocf/^svoc. But Christ being come, an high-priest of the future good things, Through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, Not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, Neither through the blood of goats and calves, But, through his own blood, hath entered once for all, Into the holy place, having acquired for us an eternal redemption. Hebr\ix. 11, 12. In this passage, the leading features are the pre- sence of our great High Priest, and his entrance into the holy place, with an eternal ransom of his own acquisition : these, accordingly, occupy the first line and the last : next in importance, are the tabernacle wherein this high-priest officiated, and the blood which he sacrificially shed; his own blood, the tabernacle of his human nature ; these occupy the second line and the fourth : last in SECT. XVI.^ SACRED LITERATURE. 351 consideration are, the tabernacle made with hands in the temple, and the sacrificial victims there typically slain ; the blood of goats and calves ; these are negatively introduced in the two central lines of the stanza. On a passage so important, it were impracticable suitably to enlarge, in a book almost exclusively philological. But I have no doubt, that the principles of Hebrew poetry may be suc- cessfully applied, both to the doctrinal, and practical elucidation, of the whole context ; and indeed, of various passages in this most weighty epistle. In these two verses the epanodos is indisputable. It has been partially noticed by Dr. Hammond ; Comm. on S. Matth. vii. 6. rovTO 8s, noiVMVoi roov ovTMg uvufgs(po[jt.5Voov ysvri^svTss : xa< yotg roig h(r[xoig [uott crvvsTroc^Yia-oiTs, xoLi T*jv «^7ray>)v tcov viroig^ovTcov v[ji,oov fXiTot ^a^«; Trgocr- sSgJacT'&e. Partly, indeed, being made a public spectacle, both by reproaches and afflictions ; And partly having become partakers with those who were so treated ; For ye sympathized even with my bonds ; And the spoiling of your goods ye did receive with joy. Hebr, x. S3, 34. The Apostle is here desirous, effectually to remind the Hebrew Christians, with how great personal magnanimity they had, in former times of perse- cution, risen superior to their own personal afflic- tions and deprivations ; and with this, his leading object, he commences, and concludes, in the first 85^ SACRED LITERATURE. [|SECT. XVI. line, and the fourth. A subordinate circumstance remained : their sympathy, namely, with S. Paul in his imprisonment. This he was constrained by gratitude to mention, while delicacy induced him to mention it in the least obtrusive manner ; to insulate, as it were, his own sufferings, within the sufferings of his Christian brethren. The pa- rallelism, it will be observed, in this central couplet, might have been made more apparently striking, had it been written : X.OH ytxg to] sv tw Sw^oj tw sttixvoo aurow, ©(psiXsf fxoogoi Koti Tuipkor Ti yotg fosi^ov, to Sw^ov, . Y) TO ■&U(rj ixroiijDjj, ovTog eoMsv ctv^gt xaravooyvTi to 'sr^oa-otiTrov t>jj yevsascas uvrov sv zGOTtrovi- xuTSVOYiGS yuq kctVTOV, xai aTTsArjAu^Sj xai eu^su)^ sttsXcc^sto OTroiOj r)v : 6 Be tsru^aKv^us eij voju-ov rsXsiov tov t^s sXeu^egiaj, xa» 'uruqcx,- ovTOS, ouxaxgoaT>)j STriXYia-fxovi^g ysvofjisvo^, aXXu 'sro h^ti^§ sgyov, * The Paronomasia here is striking ; but inexpressible in our language: aKpearat \oyov — -irupaXoyi^o/xtvoi : perverting the word itself into a moral opiate. SECT. XVI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 359 But, be ye doers of the word ; And not hearers only, deceiving yourselves : For, if any one be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, He is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass ; For he hath beheld himself, and hath gone away ; And hath instantly forgotten what manner of man he was: But he who looketh earnestly into the perfect law of liberty, and abideth, This man, being no forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This man shall be happy in his deed. 5. James^ i. 22 — 25. The force of this epanodos is manifest : the profit- able doers of the word, are placed first and last ; the fruitless hearers, are kept in the two central stations. 'orcoX>j(raTe ra VTrctg^ovroc vi^oov, xon Sore s\sYj[ji,Qa-vvYiv $vi(ruvgov ccvsxXsmTOV ev roig ovgocvois" OTTOU xXsTTTrj^ ovK eyyi^Ei, oyre (r>3$ 8*a(pdei^£i : OTCOU yuq SfiV 6 ^Ylj Seurega (pvXuxYi, ■ KOLi SUV ev r>j rgirvi (pyXaxv) sA^yj, xai lug>j ovtod, [Jl,CiXUQlOl SKTIV 0< S(iuX0» SXSiVOI. or* Si rj^s* 0 oixoSs(r7roT>jj -croia JjgcK. 6 xXhtttvjj s^p^sra/, eygtiyogyiG'sv ocv, KUi ovk uv a.;v vfXiv ^u(ri\eiuv uiro xotTU- ^oXYig XOG-[JI,OV, T0T6 egst xai rois s^ su(tivv[ji.MV* tsjogsvea^s utt si^ou 6^ KurYigaiJt,svoi, sig TO "urvg to umviov, to r^Toiiuu(rit,zyoy to) Iiu^oXm, kui tois uyysXois uutov. Then shall the King say to those on his right hand ; Come ye blessed of my Father, Inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the founda- tion of the world. Then shall he say to those also on the left hand ; Depart from me ye cursed, Into that everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. S.Matt.xxv, 34. 41. In verse 34, where the righteous are addressed, THE KING is expressly mentioned as addressing them J and so again in v. 40. 'o basiaets, the king : 364" ^ SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT XVII. throughout the sentence, on the contrary, pro- nounced on the wicked, this appellation seems to be carefuUly avoided ; in verse 41, we have simply TOTS e^s/, then shall he say ; and, in verse 45, tots u'SToxgi^Yia-sTcti, then slioll lie make answer. In the case of the good, we have Ss^jwv attot, his right hand: in the case of the wicked, indefinitely, g^ eucovu/xcov, the left hand. In the case of the righteous, suxo- yriijism TOT DATPos MOT, ^e Messed OF MY FATHER : in the case of the wicked, merely ye cursed ; the ever-blessed name, introduced, as it were, to heighten the happiness of the good, is not allowed to mingle with the malediction of the bad. In the case of the righteous, it is said xXYigovo[XYia-oLTs, inherit ; no equivalent term is used toward the wicked : the force of this word has been well expressed by S. Chrysostom, on the place : ovx. sitts xuSsts, uKKo. xXYiqOVOlUY^fTOLTS, wg OlKSiU, (L§ ISTCCTgCJOOCf (hg V[Jl,STSqotf chg UjU.IV am^sv oi^siXofxsm : " He Said not receive, but hiherit ; " as domestic property, as paternal, as your own, ** as due to you from above.'' And lastly, in the case of the righteous, we have t»]v yjTOi/xao-jotsvvjv 'tmin ^ao-iXeiav Ano KATAB0AH2 K02M0T: thc Mngdom prepared FOR YOU, FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD : in the case of the wicked, to otu^ to aiooviov, to rfroiii^aa' jtxevov Tn AiABOAn, KAi T0I2 AFrEAois ATTOT, that cvcrlasting JtrCy prepared for the devil and his angels : a kingdom specially prepared for the righteous, and that from the foundation of the world : a fire prepared, not for wicked men, but for the devil and his angels, and without mention being made of a preparationyrom the beginning of the world ; per- SECT. XVII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 365 haps in order to indicate the more forcibly, that the future sufferings of the wicked are wrought ^r themselves, bi/ themselves; and not inflicted in consequence of any supra-lapsarian decree. I must here quote the words of a learned writer, which presented themselves to me, after I had committed the last clause to paper. «' Ignis ^ternus pr^pa- " ratus est, non hominum generi, sed diabolis. " Nam ad vindicandos homines ab interritu missus " est Filius Dei, assumens non angelos, sed semen " Abrah^. Quotquot igitur ex genere humano " pereunt, sibi, non Deo, causam rejectionis et " damnationis adscribanf Strigelius =*, Hypom- nemat. p. 99. The language of S. Chrysostom is yet more fully to the present purpose. '57o^=u=<7^= UTT S[XOU 01 X«T>3^a^£V0<.] OVX £Tl VTTO TOV 'STUTgOS' OV ycig OLUTOS avTovs xctTYigoio-uTOy uKXct ra omsiot sgyu ore sXeys, hvrs hi evXoyYju^svoi, x\Yjgovo[/.Yi(Tar£ tyjv ^uq-iXziolv, sirriyoLys, t>)v yjroi- fj,ocjj xo(riJ.ov' irsqi 8s tou otw^oj oujcen, uWct TO >3TO)? iS]Toj sttoiyiosv uutov : (p^ovcjo Se hct^oXou ^oivurog g«(r>)X^ev ejj rov xoa-fx^ov 'TTsigu^ovG-i h auTov, 6< rrig exsivov /xs^jSoj ovrej. God made not death ; Nor is he deUghted at the destruction of the hving : He created man for incorruption ; And an image of his own immortality He made him : But, by envy of the Devil, death came into the world ; And they provoke it, who are of his party. Wisdom, i. 14. ii. 23, 24. 6j h ^sXcov 6 &sog svhi^ota-^oti Tr)v o^y»)V, xai yvoog^o■ocl to ^vvoctov uvtou, YlvsyKsv sv 'SToA.Xrj fjixxgo^vfux, (TKsvr) ogyvi^ xaT»jgr»(rj«-eva etj aTrcoXsiav ; xai IvoL yvM^KTS rov 'StKovtov tijj SoJ>jj oivtov, STTi (TicsvYi sKsou^, oc 'srgoYiTOi[ji,oij^T»o-/x£va sig cuttcoKsiuv, qui " suam sibi perniciem contrahunt accipiendum enim <* xaT»)^Ti(rjtxeva vocc media, S. reciproca, ut Actor* " xiii. 48.'' Rosenmiiller, in loc. So the English translation of 17^9, ** that had been working out their own destruction." If xaT>3^Tio-]W,eva be taken as the passive voice, it means " fitted by their own wickedness," or perhaps, with Wolfius, we may properly understand several concurrent causes ; " Man himself, the devil, the world, bad example, " inveterate habits, &c." I cannot forbear extracting part of a note from the excellent Dr. Doddridge : *' Every attentive " reader will, I doubt not, infer for himself the ** great difference of phrase, in which they who are <^ vessels of "wrath, and they who are vessels of " mercy y are spoken of: it being said simply of " the former, that they v^eref tied for destruction ; " but of the latter, that God prepared them for <* glory, A distinction of so great importance, * The above recommendation may safely be extended to the Commentary at large of S. Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Romans. " Veteres, prcesertim Chrysostomus, multum de " Paulino spiritu trahens, plerumque hujus Epistolae sensus " satis bene sunt assecuti: novi scriptores, magnam lucem polli' " citiy plus caliginis intulere." Grotius, Intr. ad Annot. in Epist. ad Rom. Is it not to be feared, that, during the lapse of two centuries, far more has appeared to confirm, than to contradict, the last-cited words of this illustrious scholar ? SECT. XVII.] , SACRED LITERATURE. 369 " that I heartily wish we may ever keep it in " view, to guard us against errors on the right " hand, or on the left.'* Famil. Expos, in loc. Respecting the phrases xarvj^rio-jxsva e»^ aTrcoXs/av, and a 'crgoYiToifji.occrsv 61$ 8of)jv, I would obscrvc, that they are more than simply antithetical: preserv- ation, or deliverance, would have been a sufficient counterpoise for destruction: but the predisposi- tions of God are infinitely bountiful ; he prepares FOR GLORY. VTocg o§ av Oja-oXoyrjcvj sv 6[xoi, sfj^Trgoo'^sv toov av^gooTrctiv, aai 6 viog rov uv^gooTroo o{ji,o\o'yr](rsi sv aurco, sfLTrgoo'^sv toov ayysXMV tou &eov : ■ 6 Se ccgvv}(roe.fxsvo$ (j.s, svmttiov tmv otv^gcoTroov, cnragvYi^Y^a-sTOLi, svcaTriov roov uyysKviv tou 0sou. Every one who will acknowledge me, before men, Him will the Son of Man also acknowledge, before the angels of God : But he who will disown me, in the face of men. Shall be disowned, in the face of the angels of God. S, Luke, xii. 8, 9. In the case of the undaunted confessor, our Lord says. Him will the son of man confess, or acknow^ ledge : but, in the case of the dastardly apostate, he says not, him will the Son of Man disown ; the phrase is softened into, he shall he disowned ; and studiously softened ; for the variation injures that parallelism of members in the second and fourth lines, which, in the first and third lines, is com- plete. In two parallel places, this euphemism is not ob- served y but sufficient reasons may be assigned : B B S70 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XVII. -mas ouv 6s'i$ oixoXoyritrsi sv sjo-oi, sfjiJirgoa-^ev tcov otv^guiTrcov, 6fx.oXoyvi) jxe xcn Toug ei^ovg Xoyoug, ev T>) yeveot rauTr) ftoip^aXiSi xui (X(j^otgToi>\co* xa» 6 uiog Tou av^gMTTOv e7^txla^^vv^1^a'eTu^ olvtov, OTOLV 6X^»j ev T»j 8o^>j TOU 'STOfTgo^ auTOv, /xsTa Tcov ccyyeXcav TWV OCyiOQV, SECT. XVII.] SACRED LITERATURE. S7I For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, In this adulterous and sinful generation ; Of him also will the Son of Man be ashamed, When he shall come in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. S. Mark, viii. 38. In this passage, it will be noted, there is no favour- able side ; no antithesis between joyful recognition on the one hand, and indignant abrenunciation on the other. Here, therefore, is no room for euphe- mis7n : unmitigated severity is the character of the whole paragraph ; and most justly ; for, let the occasion be considered : scandalised at the pre- dicted sufferings of his Lord and Master, sufferings predicted by that Master and Lord himself, the apostle S. Peter had just incurred the sharpest rebuke on record in the gospels : get thee behind ME, SATAN ! * For the good of the surrounding hearers, the impression of these words was not to be weakened ; and besides, that Jesus of whom some were ashamed, was to assert his own proper majesty as Judge of the world; and, in the strongest possible contrast with an adulterous and sinful generation, his own immediate presence was to be foreshown, as Lord of the great hanhftpis in * I am strongly inclined to think, that, while pronouncing this rebuke, our Lord may have had in view the subsequent fall of S. Peter. Certain it is, that, on the present occasion, there came out indications of the very same weakness, and false shame, which afterward led the apostle to deny his Lord. And it is not unlikely, that when, after that denial, Christ looked upon Peter, this very address may have flashed upon his self- convicted mind. B B £ 372 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XVII. the last day, in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. With one other example, I will close this topic, and this Section : y.ai TiXTOU(ra /Soravijv eu^srov exeivoij h* ovj xa< yeco^sTai, ftsraXa/t^ave* zvXoyiag wko tou Ssov, exfspova-u 8s uxuv^ug xaj rgi^oKoug, aSoxjjaoj, xcti xuTagu^ syyvs, y)j TO reXoj s that though ex^s^oyo-a be sometimes applied to fruc- tification in a good sense, its meaning here is deter- mined, by the antithetical form of the passage, and by the force of the adversative particle ae. Mr. Wakefield, in v. 7, has this rendering ; " the " rain that is often Jailing on it Jrom God;" as though the original were sgx^i^^vov airo row 0eoy : he adds also the following modest note : " so I ven- " ture to dispose of the phrase from mere conjee- " turey because the passage is unintelligible and " absurd without it : see Acts, xiv. 17. Zech. " X. 1. Silva Critica, sect, cli." From Acts, xiv. 17. and Zech. x. 1. we learn, what no reasonable theist can doubt, that God sends rain and showers from heaven : from the cited section of the Silva Critica, I can collect nothing to the purpose ; there is, indeed, Mr. Wakefield's confident assertion that the text is dislocated, together with his bold effort to replace the joints : his reading is, " y»] yag " ^ -STioyca Tov £7r' aiiT>3v taeoXKciKis sg^ofj^svov vstov utto tou ** 0eoy, xai TJXTOutra /Soravyjv sv^arov, sxsivois, St* ov$ xcn ysoog" ** ysiTcti, iisTOL\oi.iJ,^ani suXoyiag. Terra enim, quse bibit " pluviam sagpe in illam descendentem a Deo, et " congruas herbas pariens, participat laudem agri- " colarum." The praise of the husbandmen ! — And is this all ? Surely that man is to be pitied, who accounts it unintelligible and absurd to say, that fertile ground partakes of the divine blessing ; and who can resort to such gratuitous tortuosities, S74f SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XVII* in order to evade the natural, simple, and beautiful sense of the inspired penman. I cannot refuse myself the pleasure of here inserting the very appli- cable warning of a scholar far superior to Mr. Wakefield. ** Qui talia in auctoribus profanis pe- " riclitari vellet, omnium sibihs exciperetur, nedum " talia tentare licet in sacriSy uhi critica exercenda " sobria et modesta, ut a superstitione quidem " libera, sic tarn en multo magis a temeritate.'* Valckenaer, Schol. in N. T. tom» il. p. 360. 375 SECTION XVIIL It sometimes happens in the parallelisms of the New Testament, that a precept is delivered, an assertion made, or a principle laid down, co-ordi- nate reasons for which are independently assigned ; without any repetition of the common antecedent, and without any other indication of continued re- ference to the original proposition, than the repeated insertion of some causative particle ; a fap, for in- stance, or a 'oTi, a for, or a because. This peculiarity of construction has not altoge- ther escaped the notice of commentators ; but I am not aware that it has ever been closely exa- mined, or systematically exemplified. A few in- stances of it, therefore, drawn together and ob- served upon, may, I trust, be of some use to those students, who are desirous, in reading Scripture, to trace with accuracy the connexions and dependen- cies of the sacred text. I will place my examples in the order of the books from whence they are taken ; as the most convenient for reference : and I will bring several examples from the Sermon on the Mount ; as most familiar to readers of every description. Muxagioi sfs, OTOiv ovsiIktcoo-iv v[x,u§ xai ^Kti^coa-f xon siTTCtio-i Trav ttovij^ov pyjja,« xu^' Vficov, ^svhfisvoi, evsxev sfAOV i OTI 6 IJ,K7^0$ UjXCOV 7rO>\,U5 SV TO/J OUPdVOlS* OVTOD TAP shw^CCV TOU$ -ST^O^lJTa^ TOUf WgO UjOtWV I Ji B 4f 376 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XVIII. Happy are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute ; And, on my account, shall speak all manner of evil against you, falsifying : Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : For great is your reward in heaven ; For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you: S. Matt. v. II, 12. Here two co-ordinate reasons are assigned, why our Lord's persecuted disciples should rejoice: 1. they shall obtain a great reward in heaven: 2. they are assimilated to the prophets. The refer- ence to a common antecedent is, in this place, too clear to be overlooked : it could never be sup- posed, that the resemblance in point of suffering, between the disciples and the prophets, was assigned as the cause why the former should obtain a great reward : therefore I do not recollect any diversity of opinion among the commentators, respecting the construction of this passage. ^«a>)v FAP Xeyco yju,»v UTTO rov vojxoo, ews av -cravTa yev>)Tai : £1 ^ ectv ow AycT)) fjtiav tcov svtoXcov tovtcov gXap^jfajv, xa» ^, 8<5a^*j ouTu) Tovg av^gooTTOug, eXap^ifOj xX>)-&))(rsToci sv t>) ^ctj, .y'-\ i: buTO§ ixsya$ xXr;d>]<7eTaj ev rr) §c«riX£<« tcov ouguvMV I Xsyw rAP UjtAiv OTi eav |x>j 7r6gi(r} ujttwv, TrXeiov >j TCOV ygajitjutaTscov, xa» 3 sccms to refer to ^\ri§cjo.v(rui, simplTj to dissolve ox break, the least part of the law : here, the descending scale in crime, is the ascending scale in morals. On the contrary, when proving that he is come, t^M'^ 380 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XVIII. goo(rui, io fulfil, he instructs his disciples, not merely that their righteousness must be full, it must abound, or overflow, 'crs^io-o-eucrr) : virtue being here the subject, there is an ascending scale, not only in morals, but in words : the anticlimax: in the one place, and the climax in the other, are alike ex- pressive of ethical advancement. «r^O(rsyp^Ojaevoi 8s, jxvj §aTToXoy>3(r>jTg, (ha-Trsg 6» e^vixoi* (^OKOV(Tl FAP OTl £V T)] TffOXvXoyiCX. UVTWV 6l(r«X0U(r'^)J<70VTar o<5s FAP 0 'SXUTT^g viucov wv x^stetv e^sTe, TSTgo Tov vf/i,as uityio-ui avrov ovTUis ovv 'STpo(rev^s3 ovv ju,6g)Ts, XsyovTsg, ■cravTa TAP tuvtoi ru e9v>) s^n^^Tei* oiSs FAP 0 'CTOiTvig v(j,oov 6 ovqex,yio§, OTl %^>J^eT'£ TOVrcliV OCTTUVTOOV, Be not, therefore, anxious, saying. What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or how shall we be clothed ? For, after all these things do the Gentiles seek; For your heavenly Father knoweth. That ye have need of all these things. S. Matt, VI, 31, 32. Here again, the precept against worldly solicitude is supported by two reasons: 1. this solicitude is heathenish ; S. it is needless. 'OTI zyXocTsiu Yj CTuX)j, xa» svgv^cogog y) b^o$, y} WTTuyooa-ot sig xai 'UToWoi sitnv bi SKreg^Ofji^tvot 8< ayrij^* [«ira»Ag) Yj 'utuXyj xoci, Ts^kijjt^ix^svYi Yj oh^j >) a7r«you(r« eig ^ooyjv, xai oXiyoi sia-iv 6t eugiarxovTsg ayryjv. Enter in through the strait gate : For wide is the gate, and broad the way, which leadeth to destruction ; And many there be, who go in thereat : For strait is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth to life ; And few there be, who find it. ^i:^q90n S, Matt, vil 13, 14;^ This passage has been involved in mucli needless 38^ SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XVIII. difficulty. The clause, " For strait is the gate, &c.," apparently refers to the clause immediately preceding, as its antecedent; and hence, com- mentators have been variously perplexed in their efforts to ascertain the precise connexion and de- pendence. Some would translate the second 'oti, BUT; others, assuredly; a third, and very nu- merous class, would adopt the various reading ti s-evyj ri otux>), HOW stvait IS the gate, and how narrow is the way ! Tliis variation is favoured by Theo- phylact, Euthymius, Grotius, Simon, Campbell, Griesbach, Kuinoel, and several others; also by our English translators, in their marginal reading. Many of the Fathers, one apparently copying the other, say that the particle ti is here expressive of wonder or admiration : but surely an exclamation in this place, would ill accord, either with the didactic gravity of the subject, or, with the dignity of the divine instructor. Eisner judiciously rejects the various reading, but fails to explain the passage. Bengel, too, rejects the ti, but understands the second on to mean but ; as do Keuchenius, and Schleusner, under his tenth signification of 'oti. Wells, ap. Bowyer's Conj., translates and explains the passage properly, as, it would seem, Beza and Piscator had done long before him. All difficulty is removed, by resorting to the principle of a double reference to a common ante- cedent* Two co-ordinate reasons are assigned, why we should enter in through the strait gate : 1. a negative reason ; the wide gate is the way, not to life, but to destruction : 2. a positive reason ; SECT. XVIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 3S3 the strait gate is the way to life. * The passage, accordingly, may be thus reduced to a six-lined stanza : Enter in through the strait gate ; For wide is the gate, and broad the way, which leadeth to destruction ; And many there be, who go in thereat : Enter in through the strait gate ; For strait is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth to life ; And few there be, who find it. To each reason, a powerful corroboration is an- nexed. The wide gate is frequented by multi- tudes ; we should be heedful, therefore, lest we be drawn into the vortex : the strait gate not only is not frequented by multitudes, it h found only by a few ; since, therefore, it is freely and plainly dis- closed to us, we ought thankfully to use our privilege, and enter in. The strict parallelism of members is here happily infringed, for the pur- pose of giving additional force to the antithesis : xa» o\^'yol sktiv 6i svgKncovTsg awTvjv : And many there be, who go in thereat ; And few there be, who find it : Strict parallelism, and antithetical equiponderance, would, in the second of these lines, have been * Since writing the above sentence, I was gratified to find myself anticipated, almost literally, by the learned Walaeus ; his words are : " Sic enim duplex causa datur, cur per angustam " portam sit intrandum : una, quia lata porta ducit ad interi- " turn ; altera, quia angusta porta ducit ad vitam aeternam. 384 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XVIII. satisfied with the simple repetition of 6i sia-sgxoMvoi hi" ocuTYig: but the truth of things, and the deep moral to be inculcated, both demanded, and ob- tained, the very significant substitution of 6i hgia-Kov- Tss avnjv. I shall only add, that the origin of the various reading ti may be accounted for, either by the accidental omission of a single letter ; or, more probably, from the officiousness of some copyist, who presumed to alter, what he did not under- stand. ^ksTTSTS fXYi Tig vfji^otg s^oii 6 c zyj.\ ?ca<&' YifLsgccv a.vuyKY]v, (h(r7reg bi ug^ngeigf 'sygoTsgov visrsg tcov iSiwv oifxagTioov ^V(nx§ a.va(psgsiv sTtsna TMV rov Xotov TOVTO TAP STTOiYidsv s^ccTTU^ kuvTOV uvsveyKoc;' 0 vofjiog FAP av^gooTTOvg xa^ifi^arsv ag^isgsig^ zyovTag aa-^svstoiv, 6 Koyog Ss rrjf ogxooixoa-iug TYjg y^ercc rov vofjiov, viov ei§ tqv uictivix. TeT£Kew)fxsvov, Who hath not daily necessity, like the high-priests. First, for his own sins to offer sacrifice, Then, for the sins of the people: For this [latter] he did once for all, when he offered up himself: For the law constituted men who have infirmity, high- ^ priests; ^ But the word of that oath, which is beyond the law, [con- stituted] the Son, perfected for evermore. Hebrews, vii. 27, 28. The division of the proposition in this passage is clear and explicit : 1. Our great High-priest is under no necessity of offering daily sacrifice for his own sins ; ^. He is under no necessity of offering daily sacrifice for the sins of the people : the two- c c 386 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XVIII, fold proof, of this two-fold assertion, is divided also with much distinctness, into two clauses; each commencing with the causative particle tap : the proofs, however, are arranged in the inverted order, so as to form an epanodosi the second assertion is first proved ; He needs not offer daily for the sins of the people ; For this he did once for all, when he offered up himself: The first assertion is then proved ; He needs not offer daily for his own sins : For he is not, like the legal high-priests, a man with sinful infirmity; But, in virtue of the covenant, is the sinless Son per- fected for evermore. The non-necessity of offering for his own sins, is Jirst asserted, and last proved, in order to give pro- minence to the grand distinction between him, and the legal high-priests : he did, once for all, offer sacrifice for the sins of the people : he never did, NEVER could, and never will, offer sacrifice for his own sins; because he is, and was, and shall be, everlastingly perfect, and free from sin, TtB^L'^OV TO ^gSTTdVOV (TOV, XUl ^S^ICTOV 'oTi £^>)^avdyj 6 ^sgia-fji^os t>)j y>]j. Put forth thy sickle and reap ; For the season of reaping is come ; For the harvest of the earth is ripe. Hev. xiv. 15. In the printed copies, )^ y>3j» OTI ev rrj (pagixuxsioc (tov S7rXoiVYi^Yj(rotv TravTU to. e^vrj. And the light of a lamp, shall be seen in thee no more ; And the voice of the bride-groom and bride, shall be heard in thee no more : For thy merchants were great ones of the earth ; For by thy sorceries were deceived all the nations. Bev. xviii. 23. Yj a-MTYjgia, xui r) Zo^ot, xui yj tiix^yi, xcti Y) ^vvcci/,i§, KvgiM Tco 0SOO Y}fji.u}v : 'OTI ciXYi^ivoti Kui hxonai on xgKysig avTOV 'OTI sxgivs TYjV 'rarogvYjv tyjv jxey«A>jv. The salvation, and the glory, and the honour, And the power, be unto the Lord our God : For true and righteous are his judgments ; For he hath judged the great harlot. c c 2 Jtev. xix. 1, 2. 388 SECTION XIX. In a former Section, there occurred a specimen, (Rom. X. 13 — 18.) four lines of which, much resem- ble a logical sorites ; the predicate of each preced- ing line, becoming the subject of the line next in order. In the place referred to, (Sect. VIII. p. 1^5.) I gave examples of this mode of construction, from the prophetic poetry of the Old Testament : a few additional examples must now be produced, from the books of the New. [XYi'jroTe KoiTua-ugrj as 'crgog tov JcgiTviv •KCtl 6 X^tT>)J (TS 'SSCLqa^a) TW 'UTqUKTOgi' Kcti 6 'STga.XToop cs /3aA>j sig r^jv (puAax>)i/. Lest he drag thee before the judge ; And the judge hand thee over to the officer ; And the officer cast thee into prison. S. Luke, xii. 58. £1/ otUTco i^cavi >)V* Xai Yj t^MYl YjV TO (poos TODV CtV^goOTTOOV XOH TO ]V SECT. XIX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 389 Tribulation worketh patience ; And patience, probation ; And probation, hope, And hope maketh not ashamed. Rom. V. 3 — 5. 6vg 'urgosyvco, xcci 'STgoMgias, ous Se 'T^rgooogias, tovtov§ x«i s)caAeo-6* xai bvg sxcx.\e(rs, rovrovg kui edixuiooa-ev* ovg ds edi}tcnaij yvcticsi, tyiv Byagareiay ev 8e TYj syKgciTSiOi, t>jv U7rojaov>3V ev 8s Tij u7rojxov>), rrjv sv) svjy TaTreivowtnv t»jj 8ouX>3j uvtov* i5ou yug, WKO Tou vvv [/.axagiovcTi fxs 7roc(rc(.i oci yzvztxi : Itx gTTOiJjo-s \).0i fjisyciXsiu 0 ^vvuTo;' KUi ccyiov TO ovoi^cc avTOv : xai TO eXs(/§ (XVTov sig ysvscig ysveoov, Toig (po^ovfj^evoig avTOV : iTTOiYjas KgdTOs sv ^g&.^iovi uvtov disa-KogTrKTsv V7rsgYi(pavovs ^lavoict xocg^ia^ uvTcav : y.ai u'\fui(Ts TUTTSivov^ : -sreivcovraj evsTrXricrsv aya^oov . xaj -srAouToyvraj g^aTrefsiAev xsvoug : ocvTsXu^sTO la-guYik tov -sraiSoj ocvtov (xa^ojj eXaX)j(r£ 'urgo^ tov; 'syocTsgug rjiJLoovj TOU A^goiufx, xai too (nzsgixuTi uvtov sig tov ctioovct. AND MARY SAID I My soul doth magnify the Lord ; And my spirit hath exulted in God my Saviour : For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden ; For behold, from henceforth all generations will call me blessed ; For great things hath the Powerful One done for me ; And holy is his name ; SECT. XX.] SACRED LITERATURE. SQS And his mercy is from generation to generation, Over them who fear him : He hath wrought strength with his arm ; He hath scattered the supercilious in the imagination of their heart : He hath cast down potentates from their thrones ; And hath exalted the lowly : The hungry he hath filled with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away: He hath succoured Israel his servant; In remembrance of mercy, (As he promised our Fathers) To Abraham, and to his seed for ever. ' S, Luke, i. 46 — 55. This beautiful hymn is formed after the model of the song of Hannah ; which, for the convenience of comparison, it may not be improper to annex, reduced to its hemistichal form : AND HANNAH PRAYED AND SAID: My heart hath rejoiced in Jehovah ; My horn is exalted in Jehovah : My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation : There is none holy as Jehovah ; For there is none beside Thee; And no rock like our God : Multiply not your boasting, proudly, proudly; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth : For a God of knowledge is Jehovah ; And by him actions are weighed : The bows of the mighty are broken; And the tottering are girt with strength : The full have hired themselves out for bread; And the hungry cease for ever : The barren hath borne seven ; And the mother of many children is enfeebled: 394" SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XX. Jehovah killeth, and maketh aUve ; He bringeth down to Hades, and lifteth up : Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich ; He maketh to fall, he also exalteth : He raiseth up from the dust the poor man ; From the dunghill he exalteth the beggar ; To make him sit with nobles ; And to make him inherit the throne of glory : For to Jehovah belong the pillars of the earth ; And he hath set the world upon them : The feet of his saints he will keep ; And the wicked in darkness shall be silent ; For by strength shall no man prevail : The adversaries of Jehovah shall be crushed ; Upon them from the heavens will he thunder : Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth ; And he will give strength unto his king ; And he will exalt the horn of his Messiah. 1 Sainuel, ii. 1 — 10. Nothing could be more natural, than that the Virgin Mary, in giving vent to her own personal feelings, on the unexpected honour which had been announced to her, should have had recourse to the similar expression, of similar feelings, on a similar occasion, recorded in the words of her predecessor Hannah. This pious woman, after a long period of barrenness, embittered by the taunts of an insulting rival, as a recompense for her sorrow of heart, her tears, her prayers, her vows, and silent ejaculations, had just become the joyful mother of a man-child; whom, by a solemn obligation, she had given to the Lord ; and in whom, by the spirit of prophecy, she fore- saw the future administrator of the Jewish polity, SECT. XX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 395 and deliverer of the Jewish people. Full of grati- tude for this mercy, what her heart conceived, she uttered with her tongue: and, under such circumstances, it is not wonderful, that her whole train of thought, and turn of expression, should exhibit certain peculiarities, undiscoverable in any of those previously recorded poems, which we find in the books of Moses and of Joshua, and in the book of Judges. Those compositions are grand, indeed, and elevated, and worthy of that inspiration which produced them; but they have not that tenderness of spirit, that personality of devotion, and that eucharistic anticipation of good things to come, which characterise the Hymn of Hannah. * These features, it must be acknow- ledged, are abundantly prominent in the later Hebrew poetry ; more especially in the book of Psalms; but, in those productions, they are fea- tures differently modified ; the complexion, if we may so speak, and the cast of countenance, bear no sisterly resemblance to the complexion and countenance of the Song of Hannah. Not one of the Psalms was written to celebrate the actual birth of an infant ; not one of them was written by a female. These hints might be readily ex- panded : but enough has been said to indicate the happy fitness, with which the blessed Virgin * It would seem to have been a special appointment of Pro- vidence, that Samuel, the founder of the schools of the pro- phets, and the first regular institutor of prophetic poetr}^ was the son of a prophetess and poetess. Is it not probable, that he both inherited, and imbibed, from such a parent, some por- tion of that spirit with which he was so eminently gifted ? 396 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XX. selected, or rather was guided by the Holy Spirit to select, a model for her song of praise and adoration. But the model is by no means copied with ser- vility : each production has its own distinctive cha- racter. The song of Hannah expresses the feelings of Hannah ; the song of the Virgin, the feehngs of the Virgin : the former clearly belongs to the Jewish dispensation, in an early stage of it ; the latter, no less evidently, bears the impress of later, and of happier times ; its personal, its national, and its religious sentiments, are all chastened by that mild and gentle spirit, which we might expect to animate the mother of the meek and blessed Jesus. The song of Hannah, though uttered under full prophetic inspiration, is largely expressive of her own personal feelings : her pious joy, her conscious exaltation by the late happy event, her enlarge- ment of utterance over her enemies, doubtless con- taining an implied reference to those former sor- rowful prayers, when her lips moved, but her tongue was not heard, — all are connected with a sense of triumph over her imgenerous rival Peninnah ; to this triumph, she continually recurs : Multiply not your boasting, proudly, proudly ; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth : — The bows of the mighty are broken ; And the tottering are girt with strength : The Ml have hired themselves out for bread ; And the hungry cease for ever : The barren hath borne seven ; And the mother of many children is enfeebled : — these are but a part of her allusions to the victory SECT. XX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 39? obtained over her adversary; and, after making every allowance, that, according to the dispensa- tion under which she lived, her piety was not merely conscientious, but profound, we cannot but feel, that her exultation partook largely of a spirit far beneath that, which enjoins the love of our enemies, and which forbids personal exultation over a fallen foe. Again, when passing from her own immediate concerns, to those of her country, as connected with the child now born, she is not led to dwell upon the peaceful glories of his priestly and prophetic rule, but on his future triumphs over the Philistine armies ; — and, perhaps, looking beyond him, to celebrate, by anticipation, the triumphs of the warrior David : nor even, when she foretells the coming of a greater than David, the king, the MESSIAH, does she view him in his character of PRINCE OF PEACE, but as an avenging tutelary God, arising to crush the adversaries of his Church and people. That such should have been her personal emo- tions, such her prophetic foresight, and such her mode of giving utterance to the one and to the other, was doubtless wisely ordered by that Good Spirit, who dealeth out his gifts with most gracious adaptation to times and places ; to the exigencies of each existing period ; and to the more extended interests of all succeeding generations. But, if the song of Hannah be closely examined, with reference even to these brief remarks, I apprehend it will appear unquestionable, that previous sufferings had not thoroughly subdued her temper ; that she had 398 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XX, not yet been enabled, like some later worthies, who rose above their age and dispensation, to sup- press the workings of a retaliative spirit ; and that, in some particulars, a marked contrast may be anti- cipated between her language, and the language of the meek and lowly Virgin. That language we are now briefly to examine : and, if I mistake not, we shall find it every where breathing mildness, gentleness, and beatific quiet. After a calm, though fervent expression of holy joy, the first movement of her mind is, gratefully to acknowledge God's consideration of her low estate, and approval of her lowly spirit. Hannah had, in the fulness of her triumph, proclaimed the exaltation of her horn, that is, the accession of strength and power, consequent upon the birth of that son who had been granted to her prayers : that piety mingled with her triumph, I most cheer- fully admit ; she refers the blessing to its proper source ; it is in Jehovah, that Jier horn is exalted : but the striking difference is, that Hannah dwells on her aggrandisement, while the Virgin thinks upon the lowliness of her condition. Again ; the mother of Samuel rejoices that " her mouth is en- larged over her enemies j" how different the feelings of the mother of our Lord ! It does not appear from sacred history, that she had a7i7/ enemies ; and who, indeed, could be at enmity with such a gentle spirit? Happy, therefore, within herself, she contemplates the happiness to be diffused through all countries, and perpetuated throughout all ages, by the approaching birth of SECT, XX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 399 her holy child Jesus ; and she feels delight in the conviction, that the people of succeeding times will for ever sympathise in her rejoicing : For behold, from henceforth all generations will call me blessed. From the great things done for herself, she ascends to the holiness, or, as it means in this place, the benignity of God ; and to that mercy, inexhaustibly treasured up, and bountifully poured forth, from age to age, on those who fear and love the gracious Giver. A topic then succeeds, appa- rently of a different character, the celebration, namely, of God's dispersion and discomfiture of those who had arrogantly imagined vain things. But this celebration does not, as in the case of Hannah, partake, in the least degree, of personal resentment ; the flame is purely kindled in the sanctuary ; it is an aspiration of admiring grati- tude for the great event about to be accomplished : — the birth of the long-expected Messiah is at hand : — but how is he to be born ? of what parentage? in what circumstances of life? witli what prospects of future greatness ? — of parentage, in circumstances, with prospects, all eminently fitted to crush and confound the supercilious pride of those who expected in the Messiah a mighty Prince, encompassed with external grandeur, graced with titles upon earth, accredited by signs from heaven, and gifted with authority and power to restore the splendour of their nation, and esta- blish its dominion over all the earth : — and be- 400 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XX. hold, — the carpenter's Son ! With such an event in prospect, well might the Virgin exclaim : He hath shewed strength with his arm ; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts ! This thought would naturally call forth a train of affecting associations. Depressed in worldly con- sequence and estimation, she was still the lineal descendant of a royal race, whose glory had been long prostrate in the dust : and could she but revolve in her mind the dethronement of this race ? And could she avoid contemplating the contrast afforded, by her own miraculous elevation ? Their kingly honours are extinct 5 but she, a neglected and forgotten daughter of the house and lineage of David, is chosen to be mother of that Son of David, of whose dominion there shall be no endy whose throne endureth for ever and ever ! How naturally, therefore, does she speak, with mingled gratitude, and awe, and almost melancholy joyful- ness ? — He hath cast down potentates from their thrones ; And hath exalted the lowly : — tliis exaltation of the lowly she still dwells upon : she contrasts it with the rejection of those other branches of the house of David, who, from wealth, power, and connexions, might have thought them- selves qualified, if not entitled, to be parents or progenitors of sicch a Messiah, as they were looking for : The hungry he hath filled with good things ; And the rich he hath sent empty away ; SECT. XX.] SACRED LITERATURE. 401 The contemplation of Messiah's birth would natu- rally induce a course of pious reflection, concern- ing the mercy thus vouchsafed, and respecting the oft-repeated promise of a great deliverer. And here, if any seed of vanity, any spark of self- exalting pride, had, by any means, lain dormant in the Virgin's mind, it must have inevitably ex- panded, and exploded; especially as fuel was amply provided in the last prophetic words of Hannah's hymn : And he will give strength unto his King ; And he will exalt the horn of his Messiah : How tempting the opportunity to blazon forth the titles of this long-predicted potentate ; to proclaim herself the parent of this king ; the mother of this great Messiah! But not such was the spirit of the Virgin. Her hymn concludes, as it com- menced and proceeded, with words characteristi- cally modest and simple ; but, from their very sim- plicity and modesty, peculiarly dignified and im- pressive : He hath succoured Israel his servant, In remembrance of mercy, (As he promised our fathers) To Abraham and to his seed for ever. On the technical niceties and beauties of the Virgin's hymn, I have little to say ; on the clas- sical illustrations of it, nothing : for the latter, I refer to the commentators ; the former must be sufficiently obvious to attentive readers ; and none, probably, but attentive readers, will have accom- panied me thus far. D D 402 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XX. The climax in the first two Unes, I have already noticed ; Section XV. page 310. The following quatrain is a fine example of epanodos : He hath cast down potentates from their thrones ; . And hath exalted the lowly : The hungry he hath filled with good things ; And the rich, he hath sent empty away. Let this now, be compared with an epanodos quoted from Hesiod ; Sect. IV. note (7.) p. 172« With ease he lifts the low, the haughty bends ; The lofty levels, and the poor befriends. In Hesiod, the elevation of the poor and undis- tinguished, is placed first and last, to make, and to leave, a cheerful impression of the divine benig- nity. In the Virgin's song, the exaltation of the lowly, and the feeding of the hungry, are placed in the centre : they relate to her own case ; and therefore, with characteristic modesty, she assigns to those particulars the least prominent situation. 403 SECTION XXI. In the last section I endeavoured, by a tolerably close analysis, to illustrate the position of Bishop Cleaver, that, in the song of the Blessed Virgin, the considerations are chiefly personal. Accord- ing to the same judicious Prelate, in the hymn of Zacharias, the great object is the salvation of the Jews. Now, this personal character of the Virgin's hymn, was promoted, as we have lately seen, by reference to a personal model, in the beautiful song of Hannah. And, on similar prin- ciples, we might expect to find the national character of Zacharias' hymn, sustained by approxi- mation to a national model. But a proper national model is not to be sought in any single compo- sition : we must rather look to a series of compo- sitions, the productions of different writers, in different times, but all of the same nation, and partaking of a common literary character. And, to what series of this description can we, in the present instance, look with greater propriety or probability, than to the book of Psalms, which has somewhere been happily and not unjustly termed, the Liturgy of the Jewish people ? It will accord- ingly be found, on close examination, that the hymn of Zacharias, not only in its general air, but in the particular form of its construction, ap- D D 2 404 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XXI. proaches nearly to the prevalent manner of the Psalms. That prevalent manner has been accu- rately described by Bishop Horsley : " A very " great, I believe tJiefar greater fart^ are a sort of " dramatic ode, consisting of dialogues between " persons sustaining certain characters. In these <* dialogue-psalms, the persons are frequently the " Psalmist himself, or the chorus of priests and " Levites, or the leader of the Levitical band, open- <* ing the ode with a proem declarative of the " subject, and very often closing the whole with a " solemn admonition drawn from what the other " persons say." Preface to The book of Psalms, translated fy^om the Hebrew, p. xv. The dramatic or dialogue form, which thus pervades the book of Psalms, admits of considerable variety : its leading characteristic, however, is, an alternate succession of parts, adapted to the purpose of alternate recita- tion, by two semi-choruses in the Jewish worship. With this character of composition, Zacharias must have been familiar, both as a pious and literate Jew, much conversant with the devotional lyric poetry of his country, and as an officiating priest, accustomed to bear his part in the choral service of the tem- ple. And it appears to me, that the true meaning, and even the grammatical construction, of this hymn cannot be satisfactorily elucidated, without resorting to the conclusion, that it was composed in that alternate form, so familiar to his mind, and so deeply associated in his heart with all his most cheerful, and most sacred recollections. I suppose, therefore, that the hymn of Zacharias opens with SECT. XXI,} SACRED LITERATURE, 405- a proem or grand chorus, declaratory of its gene- ral subject, contained in the first line; and then, immediately subdivides itself into two semi- choruses, resembling those distributed between the officiating Priests and Levites in the temple service. I further suppose, that each part or semi-chorus forms in itself a distinct continuous sense, incom* miscible with the sense of the alternate or re- sponsive strains of the other part or semichorus : insomuch, that by reading the whole ode as one undivided poem, neither the meaning nor the grammar of it can be rightly comprehended: while, by uniting the scattered parts of each semi-chorus taken separately from the other, so as to form two distinct consecutive divisions of the poem, the sense of each, will be distinctly apparent, and the grammatical construction of the whole, will be freed from every embarrassment. Nor, should it be omitted, that such alternations of sense are fre- quent in Hebrew poetry : and the attentive reader cannot fail to recollect, that exemplifications of this particular construction, on a smaller scale in- deed, but still undeniable exemplifications, have been adduced in the present work. I will now produce the hymn, distributed on the principles just laid down ; and I shall then endeavour to establish, by suitable observations, the propriety and advantage of this distribution. S. Luke, i. 67—79. DD 3 406 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XXI. CHORUS. ETAOrHTOS KYPI02 'O 0EO2 TOY 12PAHA: 1. SEMI-CHORUS. hi e7reo-X£\|/«T0 [rov kaov avrov'] 2. SEMI-CHORUS* 1. SEMI-CHORUS. SV TO) OmcO Sa^i§5 TOV 'C^Ukdo^ aUTOU' 2. SEMI-CHORUS* xadcoj sXuKriG-s dux fOjaaTO? toov UyitA^^ Toov cut: uicavog 'uxqo(pY(TOiv aurov 1. SEMI-CHORUS. xai SK %£igoj 'sravTcoy rcov ju-io-ouvroov ^jt^aj : 2. SEMI-CHORUS. 'n70J>5(rat sA^o^ ju-sra rwv 'uyuTsguiv rifxcav, ogKOV bv ooixoas "crgos u^gotoc^ rov TSTctTsgu YJiJicov^ TOV dovvui vjfxiv, u(po^oo^, BK ^s^gog Tcov s^^goov pV(J-^SVTCCS, Xctrgsusiv avrca, ev ocrioTrjTJ, xcn Sixatocruvij, svooTTiov avTOV, 'cyoKTug Tot§ rifJi^sgag tv)? ^ooyis ^fxcavi 1. SEMI-CHORUS. xai cry, -crajSiOv, 'STgQ(pr\rr\g url/ifou xX>3<&>jo->]' TrgoirogsuoYi yag Trgo TrgodMntou Kugtou, hroiiuufTon b^QDs uvtov : 2. SEMI-CHORUS. Toy douvui yvcaa-iv (rooTrigiug tod Kavi aurou, ev a(p£(rct u[^cigTioov uvtodv : 1. SEMI-CHORUS. Sia d'n'ka.yyyat. eXsovg &sou Y^i^oiv, SV big £7re(rx£\[/aT0 r)|xaj avaroAvj s^ uxf/oyj, STTi^avai TO3T«>v uvtou, 'KOiYltTOLi sXsog [J^£TOC TMV TTUTSgMV YjfJiUJV, ogxov bv oDiJi.o<7S irgog u^gciotfji, tov nuTsga Y)f/.oov* SECT. XXI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 409 TQV hvvui Yifjiiv, a(pQ^co5, ex %e<§oj twv ep^^^gwv puo-^evraj, Aar^sysiv uvtm, sv 6(noTi^Ti xui diKuioavvri, evwTTiov auTOV, ttoktocs tus i^fjisgots rvis ^oyr;^ tj/x-wv : Tov dovvoci yvctiaiv ty^s crooTT^giu^ too "koLOi txvTov, 6V a3(re Xut^coctjv tco Xaco uvtov. The nrst of these branches is, at intervals, pursued by the first semi-chorus ; the second of these branches is, with like intervals, pursued by the second semi- chorus ; and, as I hope immediately to shew, the separate portions of each semi-chorus, when united, form a distinct, and most instructive sense, without break or interruption. The topic given to the first semi-chorus by the Divine Visitation, extends no further, as I conceive, than the commencement of the Christian system ; the Epiphany of our blessed Lord. The horn of salvation is raised, that is, a Prince and Saviour comes into the world ; the nature of that salvation * " oTt e7re(TKei|/aTo.l Nimirum rov Kaov, quod Iiic repetendum ex membro sequent! ; cui similia loquendi genera reperies, Prov. xxxi. 30. Genes, xxi. 1. 2.24'. et alibi." Grotius. SECT. XXI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 411 is next intimated, under the very general character of deliverance from enemies; the herald or pre- cursor is then introduced, to prepare the Saviour's way ; and lastly, that tender mercy is celebrated, which has just begun to dawn on a benighted world. The entire substance of this semi-chorus, it will be observed, is initiatory or introductive. The subject of the second semi-chorus, afforded by the Divinely -effected Redemption^ is far wider in its range ; extending beyond the bare commence- ment, to the practical fruits, of Christian salvation. The whole succession of the prophets, from the beginning, that is, from the first promise made in the garden of Eden, is brought before our view : Abraham, the father of the faithful, is next intro- duced as a party in the gracious covenant of promise : that covenant is then progressively opened out, as implying, deliverance from guilty terror, establishment in piety and goodness, knowledge of the oeconomy of redemption, and a safe guidance into the way of everlasting peace. As, in the former semi-chorus, all was but initiatory and introduc- tive ; so, in this latter semi-chorus, there is an orderly progress towards perfection. In the one, the clos- ing words leave us at the terminus a qico, at the point where our Lord, upon his first coming, found the Jewish people ; sitting in darkness^ and the shadoxv of death : in the other, the very first words indicate a fulness of effect ; e7ro<>3o-e >.vTgooj^)(rs. Goth, ver- sion. Some commentators quoted, but not named, by Wolfius. in apposition with Kspag arcor-^piag, verse 70, being enclosed in a pa- renthesis. Euthymius, Romberg, Camerarius, Bengel, Bp. Pierce, Dr. Campbell, Noesselt, Fischer, Griesbach, Kuinoel. And as a possible, but not the best way, Lightfoot, and Rosenmiiller. This is the government afforded by the proposed alternate distribution. V. 73. OpKOV.'] Governed of, eXotXYias. Read, Zegerus, Grotius. OpKOV being put for opxov, and re- ceiving the accusative form from the subsequent relative 6v. Eu- thymius, Lightfoot, Eisner, Ben- gel, Stark, Krumbholz, Koecher, Valckenaer, Kuinoel. Governed of, tov dowon. Pistophilus, Stockius, Mai'kland, ap. Bawyer, Conj. opxou, Theophylact, Beza, Vitringa, Bp. Pierce. xafi' OpKOV, Camerarius, Schmidt, Bos, Honl- berg, Wolfius, Palairet, Black- wall, Georgius, Rosenmiiller. in apposition with sXsog. This way I do not recollect to have seen pro- posed by any of the commenta- tors : it is, however, supplied by the easy resolution of an alter- nate quatrain, as exhibited in the above distribution of this Hymn. Governed of, ^oiYjo-ai, SECT. XXI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 415 Such are the difficulties presented only by two words : as to the difficulties of the passage at large, I shall cite the opinions of one or two distinguished critics. " This hymn appears to have been spoken in " Hebrew, not in Chaldee, the vernacular idiom ; *' for the Jews still used Hebrew in their prayers : " Its not having been composed in the mother " tongue, may explain why the periods are so un- " rounded, consisting of many short clauses forci- *' BLY brought together.'' Michaelis. Anmerk, quoted by Bp. Middleton in loc. When the learned Professor speaks of " clauses forcibly ** brought together," he means, so brought toge- ther, as to give a forced construction, to occasion a harshness in the composition. " The Hebrew idiom and phrases of this hymn " appear to have occasioned inaccuracies in the " Greek, and exercised the acumen of the critics.'* Ellesly's Annotations. " It is evident to any one who inspects the Greek, " that this hymn is deficient as to the full sense of ** it, from verse 71, to verse 75." Whitby, Annotat. I w^ill now only request the reader to examine with attention, the two distinct semi-choruses into which I have divided this hymn ; and to pronounce, whether, in the grammar or construction of them, after this distribution, there remains the slightest difficulty; whether the clauses are forcibly brouglit together; whether there are any inaccuracies in the Greek; and whether there is the least defi- ciency in the sense. If, on all these questions, tlie 416 SACHED LITERATURE. [sECT. XXI. decision be, as I think it must be, favourable, the conchision naturally follows, that the proposed mode of distribution, which thus solves all appa- rent difficulties, cannot be remote from the truth of things. The novelty of this arrangement may possibly startle some readers. But, on the other hand, it should be considered, that the perplexities of commentators have arisen from their universal adoption (whatever may have been their minor differences) of one common course. Their at- tempts at explanation have, without exception, proceeded on the principles of Greek philology. But, as Dr. Campbell properly observes, this Scrip- ture song " is expressed in the oriental poetic idiom, resembling the Psalms." Now, the effort could not be more extravagant, or less successful, to adjust the metres of an jEschylean chorus by the rules of Hebrew parallelism, than to account for the obscurities of a Hebrew ode, on classical principles, or by the mere grammatical idiom of the Greek language. My attempt, on the con- trary, has been, to arrange this hymn according to certain acknowledged peculiarities of the Hebrew- lyric poetry ; and the consequence seems to be, that, in virtue of this arrangement, combinations of words which baffled the skill of the ablest scholars, appear, in no respect, to transgress tlie just prin- ciples of good grammar, good composition, or good sense. I should not have omitted noticing, that, by the proposed arrangement, the impropriety is avoided, SECT. XXI.] SACRED LITERATURE. 417 of attributing to S. John Baptist an office, which seems to be the incommunicable privilege of Christ himself; that of " giving knowledge of salvation " to his people by the remission of their sins." On comparing the hymn of Zacharias with the song of the Virgin, it is remarkable, that, where the latter ends, the former begins ; with the testi- mony of prophetic Scripture : that, while the Vir- gin, from native humility, makes no express mention, either of the power of her Son, or of his descent, through herself, from the royal house of David, that power and descent are clearly and pointedly asserted by Zacharias : and, lastly, that the progress of the subject in importance and dig- nity is indisputably certain ; the last, and highest theme of the Virgin, is a statement couched in the most general terms, that God " hath suc- ** coured Israel." How beautifully, how practi- cally, and with what elevation both of sentiment and language, that general notion of succour is ex- panded, and advanced upon, by Zacharias, we have already seen. But the subject rises yet higher, in the song of the venerable Symeon ; which I pro- pose to consider in the following section. E K 418 SECTION XXIL Ihe song of Symeon rises above the two preced- ing, in importance, dignity, and interest. He does not, like the Virgin, confine himself to the expres- sion of personal feeling : he does not, like Zacharias, exclusively celebrate the salvation of a single people: but, while his individual feeling is profound, and the expression of it, even at this day, is most affecting ; while " the consolation of Israel" had been his hope through life, and the arrival of that consolation is the signal for his peaceful dissolution, — the largeness of his mind and heart embraces all the world : and Gentiles and Jews, the be- nighted nations and the chosen people, are, in his view, but one united family of the redeemed : he sees, with a prophetic glance, the standard of salvation raised before the face of all people ; he beholds, by anticipation, the meridian splendour of that luminary, which is to be " a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of God's people Israel." We have seen, that the personal character of the Virgin's hymn, was promoted by reference to a per- sonal model ; and the national character of Zacharias' hymn, sustained by approximation to a national model : now, it is at least equally remarkable, that the evangelical and catholic spirit of Symeon, de- SECT. XXII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 419 rives appropriate matter, and suitable expressions, from the evangelical and catholic prophet Isaiah. The universality of Christ's gospel, is the joyful theme of the expiring saint ; the universality of Christ's gospel, is, if we may so speak, the favourite prediction of the exulting prophet. It, therefore, seems extremely probable, that, both from conge- niality of mind, and through the guidance of all- seeing wisdom, the venerable Symeon, while waiting for the advent of that Messiah, whom his aged eyes were to behold, had made Isaiah the compa- nion of his secret meditations ; and certain it is, that meet fruits of such companionship are visible in the language of his dying song. That song we may now proceed to examine. KAI ETA0rH2E TON ©EON, KAI EinE; VVV OtTTOXVSig TOV douXOV (TOU, SsO-TTOTa, KUToe, TO prifJ'Ct arou, ev sigYiVYj* OTi eidov 6i o^^oiXiJ.01 [Lorj to (TcjDTYjgiov ) ejj to ogos* xa< xu^ktuvtos ayrou, 'UTQoa-Yik^ov avTcti 01 |xa^>3T«* uurow xut, avoi^ug ro s-o[/.cc uutqv, g8/5ao-xey olvtovs, Asywv : fj^axciPioi 6i 'CTTCti^ot rco '^VcVfj^ari* on aurcDV Sfjv y; €a<^^Kelx Tcov ougavcav : ^uxaqm hi luzv^omr^' on avTOi 'UTagctKXYi^Y}(TOvrcn : fiaxotgioi hi 'STgusis' hn uvtoi x\Yigovo[J,ri(rov(Ti tyjv yYiv : ixoixotpioi hi 'CTsiVMVTsg xui 8<\I/wvTsj T»3V ^iKctioa-uvrjV' on avToi ^ogroccr^YlGrovrixi : l^oLxccpiOi hi sXsYiix,ovs5' OTi uVTQi eAsyj^jjo-ovTaj : fji,axupioi hi xa^ugot t>] xagdicc on uvroi tov Seov o^ovtui : fxoixotpioi hi sig-^voTTOior oti avTOi vioi Gsov xAvj^vjo-ovTat : fjLcixotpioi hi h'^iMyfJ.svoi evsxsv ^ixuioa-uvYis' oti avrwv eg-iv yj ^a- (TiXsioL Toov ovgoivoov : fjLuxagiOi sTs, hrav om^io-cjixriv vixotg xoa diM^ai(ri, xixi siTTMO-i tsciv 'STOvrigov pT^fJi'Cc xu^' xjiucav, ^{/eu8o]U.evo^, IveXfv =luoii : yuigzTs xcti uyocWKxcr^e' OTi 0 y^icr^og vfj^oov 'sroXvg ev TOig ovgccvoig- ouTcti yocg s^ioo^av Tovg 'urgo^pi^Tu;, Toug -ergo y]W,cov. v[x.sis sg-s TO uXug rv)? yv]j : €ctv 8e TO ccKug {/.ooguv^fi, sv Tivi uXia-^Yi, XUi XdTUTrClTSKr^Ul UTTO TCOV UV^gCJ^TTCtiV : SECT. XXIIT.J SACRED LITERATURE. 431 ouSe ■KUiQucTi Xuyyoy, kch ri^eoi(riv uurov vtto tqv f/^ohov ; ooTUi X«jU,vI/aT«; to )XdoV KOiTOcXVCrUi TOV VOlJt,OV, >) TOWJ 'aTgO(^YlTOt^' OVK r]\^ov xciTccKuaai, aXKoc -z^XYigoocrui : afj^riv yug KzyM vfj^iv Iwj (XV 'UTugsX^Yj 6 ouguvo^ xai ^ yvj, iwra Iv >] jotia Tcsgcucc on ixr} 'uyagsX^Yj, UTTO rov vo[j.ov, soog av -sravra ysvvjraj : 6; e«v ovv KudY] li^ioLV rcov svroXwv rovrcav roov eXap^jfcov, x«» Si5a^r) ouroo rovg av^gooTTOvg, sXcf^ifo; xXYi^Yicrsroti sv rrj ^acriXsja twv ou^avwv : 6g S* av -croiv^cry), acn ^iSa^rj, ouTOj li,syj ^a.(nXeicx. rctiv ovgccvoov, Xeycf) yotg vfMv on eotv fjorj 'STsgia-asua-Yj y] diKaiO(TVVY] u^otcyv, 'StXsiov roiv ygoty,iJ.cirsMV i] (pag3 eio-£A^>)Te e<^ tvjv ^oc(riXsiotv rwv ovguvcov, rjxoua-ars on epps^r] roig otg^aioig ov (povsvasig' 6j S'av j, svo^og Bfoii T>5 xgiGsr 6g 8* av e<7r>] rco aSsAtpco auroy, pcx.Kci, evo^og B^oLi rco (rvvsdgia)' zvoyog sg-cii sig t»)v yeevvuv rou 'Z^ugog. socv ovv 'STgo(T(^BgYig ro toogov arov etti tyjv ^U(ncifYigiQv, xax£i n^vvjcrdvyj or* 6 aSsAcpo^ (Toy sp^et r» xara o^oy a3< tw x^it>]- xa< 0 x^TTjj erg ©-a^aSco t«> uttvj^sti;' xai e*f ^uA«x>jv ^Xij-^i^oj : ajxTjv ^ey«) eroi, oy /xrj e^sX^rig sxej-^ev, Icof av aTToScoj rov ea-^ctTOV xo5g«VT>]V. i^xoucaTS 6t< spps^Yi rois etg^uioig, tyco 8e Xsyc/o ufnv, hn TTus 0 ^XsTTc/ov yvvuixoL 7rgo$ to £7r<-&Ujx>jo-aj auT*)^, YjSs eixoi^ev(rev aurrjv sv t>3 xa^8j oXov TO o-caix,o(. ^X>j^>j etj yeevvav : xai 6» ^ Ssjia j e»j yzevvav* on 6; «v aTToXucTT] ttjv yyvaixa uvtou, hoTcii uvTYi uTrog-oiariov : tyco 8e A.6ya> UjttJV, OTl OS OLV WJTOKVdYi TTJV yVVUiliU ailTOU, Tra^sxTOj Aoyou Trogvejaj, ^OiSi ClUTYlV {J^Ol^atT^OH* xui 6; euv aTroXeXu/jtfvyjv ya/xijaij, /xoip^arau TraXiv rixova-ctTs, on f^g«^>} Totj a^;^aio*f, OOX (WlOgXYl) o/xo3' uyoLTrfiasii tov 7rXi^(7iov (tov, xon ju,i(r*jcre<5 tov s^^gov (tov : syoD 8c Xsyu) vj/^iVj ayaTTUTe Tovg s^^govg UjO-cov suXoysiTs TOvg xdToigoofxsvco^ v^ag- xixXctig TTOisiTs TOig [xia-Qua-iv v[xa.g' xdi 7rgo(Tso^sa-^s vTTsg toov s7rr)g=cit^ovTuiv vfj^cn; xui hooxovToav v[j,cig : o'TTCtig ysvyi(r^s viOi tov TruTgog v[tMV tov sv ovgotvoiCy OTl TOV YjXiov (XVTOV dVCiTsXXsi STTi TTOVYjgovg xon ayci^ovg^ xui ^gsx^i sTTi ^ixotiovg xui uhxovg : sav yug ayo(.'nyi(T-ffrs Tovg ayoLTrMVTOLg viJt^ag, tivol [xkt^ov ovyj, xon 61 TsXoovoti to uvto Tzoiovtri ; [.^X^"^^ » xai SUV uar7rcia'Yi(T^s Tovg a.d5X(povg vfx,oov fxovov^ ti irsoKKrov oup^j xui 6» z^viKOi bvTCJO 7roiov(Tiv ; [ttoisits ; F F 434 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XXIII. cha-TTsg 6 'sruTi^g viJ^oov, 6 sv Toig ovgavoig rsXeioj sg-*, sfj^'TTPoa'^sv Tcav uv^gaiTTMV zrgog to ^sa-^i^va* uvTOig* 'UTxga, TOO TiruTgi vfj^oov, too sv Toig ovgavoig. OTOLV OVV 'UTOiYjg sKsrifj,oa-vvY}v, ^tl (ruXTTia-Yig sixTrgoa-^sv (ron, (h(j7tsg bi vnoKgiTcii -srojoiKny, ev Taig G-vvayooyuig, x«* sv TUig pufji^uig, OTToog do^a(r^oo(riV vtto toov uv^gvmoov a[xi^v, Ksyvi vjxiv, wnsyovdi tov jn3 yvooToo Yi ugig-sgu (tov, Ti t^Toisi rj Se^ia (tov, OTTOog Yi arov yj s>5 ^ccTloXoy^(rv}ls, (h(Ti:sg hi s^vitcoi' dcxov(n yug oti sv t>5 'uroXvXoyicx. uvtoov £j(raxoycr3>jo"ovr«r ju,^ ovv bi^oioi^YiTs avTOig- OiSs yug 0 t^rccTYig vf/^oov (hv %^e»av s%eTe, 'srgo TOV vfj^ag uiIyic-ui uvtov ovToog ovv 'STgoasv^scr^s vfxeig : SECT. XXIir.] SACRED LITERATURE. 435 nATEP 'HMnN 'O EN T0I2 OYPANOI2, 'AriA20HTn TO ONOMA 20Y, EAOETn 'H BA2IAEIA 20T, TENHOHTn TO 0EAHMA 20T, 'n5 EN OYPANn, KAI EHI TH2 THS. TON APTON 'HMnN TON EHIOTSION, A02 'HMIN 2HMEPON- KAI A4>E2 'HMIN TA 0EIAHMATA 'HMHN, 'nS KAI 'HMEI2 A'JIEMEN T0I2 0*EIAETAI2 'HMHN' KAI MH EISENEPKHS 'HMA2 EI2 HEIPASMON, AAAA 'PT2AI 'HMA2 AHO TOY nONHPOY. AMHN. say yaq a(p>)Ts tq\c, uv^^ooTroig rot T^ugaTrlooi^UT/x uvloov, ai^Yicrsi xai ufj^iv 6 'oroiTYig vfj^oov 6 ovgaviog : eotv ds ]U.)j a(p>jrs to 15 av^gcoTrois ra 'UJixqcuitlMiLaru ctvTcov, ovh 6 'UTUTYjg i>[jt.cjov a^yjcrei ra 'UTugot7:looy,uTU vij^mv» oTCiV §£ vyjfsuyjis, /XT) yjvecT^c, (haTreg (n UTroKgilai, o-xv^gotiiror a<^ccvi^ova-i yctg rot, 'orgodcarccc avloov, OTTcof (pavajcnv xoij av^goDTzoig VYigsvovrsg* afxi^v Ksycti vfxiv, on WKsyovcri tov ju-icr^-ov aurcav : cru ds, vi^g-evoov, aAsivf/at g-qu ty}V x.s(potKviv, xai TQ 'urgocrooTTOv (tou vi^cn, OTTOOg fJ^ri CpuVYig TOJJ UV^goOTTOlS VYlfSVCOV, aWoL Tcti '^alpi G-OD, rco sv roo xgvTrloo, XUl 6 'STUTYig (TOV, 6 (^KSTTOOV SV TOO xguTrlcOy ciTiro^axrei (toi ev tco ^avsgcjo, ju,>j ^Yi(Tavgi^£Ts viJiiv ^r)(Tccvgovg stti tyj^ yvig, OTTOV (TriS KCil ^gM), 6\0V TO j yap TOV Iva fj^KTYiasi, xoti tov hegov ayuTTYiasr 1) svo^ av^s^elai, xoti tov hsgou xalacppovrjcei* ov dwao'^s 0sot) ^ouXsvsiv, xon IXOifJ^WVOt. dlOt TQVTO, XsyC/0 VfllV, firj jtxepijtAvals t>] ^v^yj Ujotwv, ti (puyYiTS. * fiYi^s TM (T(/)if.arn, Ti sv8y]5 -crAeiov gg-i T)j? Tpo(prii ; xa« TO cru)[xcii tov sv^vfxulog ; ejtx^As^/a?? e»5 Ta 'srslsiva tov ovgotvov, 0T« ot> o-7rsi§ou(nv, ouSs ^«^<^oucriv, ouSs (Twayovcnv sig airo^r^xoL^, xai 0 TXTCiiYig v[xu)v 6 ovguviog Tgs} So^v) avTOVy 'STsgis^uKslo (hg h tovIwv. n Ss TOV "/ogiov TOV ay gov ^ j^e7£ tovImv uttuvImv ^>JTSj7£ ds STpwloV TYIV ^Oi(n\slCiV TOD QsOUj xoci TYjV 8»x«iocryvy)v ctulou, f/,ri ouv f/,£pi[xvYia-Yi}6 eig t^v uugiov ij yug civpiov /xs^j^avvjcrei t« saulrjr txgxelov tyi r)fji,egcx. vj koikix oivlrig. jw,*} xgivele, Ivcc iJi.Y) xgi^vils' ev M yoLg xgi(j.c{Ji xgivels, xpi^YiT£ TO ayiov tois xvcrr fXYih ^uhYJls Tag (x^oigyocgiTus v^j^viV eiJ.Trgoa-^sv tmv x^^§^^' fx,i^7role K(xlci7rotloia-oo(nv auTOvg sv tois 'cjoctjv ayrcov x«< s-gocipsvlsg pi^^co(riv vfji^ag, uiTsHsj xoLi ^o^Yi(rsla.i vfji^iv ^YITS ils, KUl sugYiasTS' KgousTS, icon uvoiyY^j Tig sg-iv s^ vi^oov, ccv^gooTTog, bg eocv uilYiorYi b oiog ixvtou agTOV, [XY] Ajdov e7ri5wj$ : tuTrcaXsiuv OTi rev>j Y} OTuXrj, xai TS^KifxixsvYj y) oSoj, yj a7ruyov(rcc eig t»]V xai oAiyoj ejcriv bi svgicDcovTEs uvtyiv C^corjv tffgocre^els Se, aTro twv vJ/suSoTrgoi^yjIcov, hiring sgyovlui 'urgog vfj^ccg ev svlufxujv, VI WTTO rgi^oXcov (tvko, ; 6u1w -crav SsvSgov uya^ov xugirovg xuXovg 'croisr TO Ss (TctTrgov ^svdgov Tcagirovg 'ujovfigovg 'uroizi : ou tvvciiai SsvSgov uya^ov xug^ovg 'Z!70VY)govg 'uroieiv ouSe SsvS^ov (TUTtgov KotgTrovg xuXovg 'sroieiv 'srav hv^gov |x>j OTOioyv xagrrov xaXov, sKKOTrlslai, Kcti Big 'urvg ^uXXsl oci : ugays, utto tmv xag»7rcov avlcav, sir lyvooasa-^e uvlovg, 01) 'UTctg b Xeyoov i^-oi, Kvgis, Krjgis, si] rjiJ^sgu, Kvgis, KvgiSy ov too (TM ovoy^uli 'urgosi^Yilsva-ufLsv ; xut TOO (TOO ovo[ji,cili hctifj^ovicc s^s^uKofJ^sv ; xcti Tco (TO) ovoi^uli lmciii.sig 'UJoKKag £7roi>]]v CTslgav : xai sTrvsva-civ 6* avsmi, xon 'UTgoasTrsa-ov tyj oixioe. sKsivr,' KOLi ouK sTTscrs* TS'&sftgA.ico?© yug STTJ T>]v "STslgav. KUi trraj 5 axoucov jxoy roy^ \oyovg TOvJovg^ kui /a>) -ctojwv aulovg, OjXOJodrjcreTai avSgj jxcogo;, Ofif a)xo5o/x*3cr£ tvjv OiXiav au7oy sTrt t»)v uij!,[j,ov : >C«I KOtls^Yl Y} ^go^Yj, Kcn S7rvsv(rccv 6t avsi^oi, xa< '5rgoo"sxo\I/av r*) ojxja sxeivrj* xai £7r6(rs' xat vjv >) 'Ojloia-ig ccvlYig fj^syuXri' KOLi sysvelo, oli a-vnlsXsasv 6 Ivia-ovg roug Koyovg Touhvg, e^eTrXvjo-- g|oy(nav sp^cov, xat owx co^ bi ygoti^i/^oilsig' S. Matthew, iv. 25. v. vi. vii. And great multitudes followed him, from Galilee, and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and beyond the Jordan: and seeing the multitudes, he went up to the mountain district : and when he had sat down, his disciples came near to him ; and having opened his mouth, he taught them ; saying : Happy the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven : Happy the mourners ; for they shall be comforted : Happy the meek ; for they shall inherit the earth : Happy the hungering and thirsting after righteousness ; for they shall be filled : Happy the merciful ; for they shall obtain mercy : Happy the pure in heart ; for they shall see God : Happy the peace-makei's ; for they shall be called the sons of God : F F 4 440 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XXIII. Happy the persecuted on account of righteousness ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven : Happy are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute; And, on my account, shall speak all manner of evil against you, falsifying : Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : For great is your reward in heaven ; For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth : But, if the salt have become insipid, wherewith shall it be salted ? It is good for nothing thenceforth, except to be cast out; And to be down-trodden under foot of men : Ye are the light of the world : A city cannot be concealed, situated on a mountain ; Nor do they light a lamp, and place it under the bushel ; But upon the lamp -stand, and it shineth to all in the house. So let your light shine before men, That they may see your good works, And glorify your Father who is in heaven. Think not that I am come to dissolve the law or the prophets ; I am come, not to dissolve, but to fulfil : For verily I say unto you : Till heaven and earth pass away, One jot or one tittle shall by no means pass away. From the law, till all things be effected : Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, Shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven : But whosoever will do and teach them. The same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. SECr. XXIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 411 For I say unto you : That, except your righteousness abound, More than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, Ye shall by no means enter into the kingdom of hea- [ven. Ye have heard that it was said to the antients, Thou shalt not kill ; And whosoever shall kill, Shall be liable to the judgment : But I say unto you : Whosoever is angry with his brother causelessly. Shall be liable to the judgment ; And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca^ Shall be liable to the Sanhedrim ; And whosoever shall say, Moreh, Shall be liable to hell-fire. If therefore, thou bring thy gift to the altar, And there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee ; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go ; First be reconciled to thy brother ; And then come, and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, While thou art on the way with him ; Lest the adversary deliver thee to the judge ; And the judge deliver thee to the officer ; And thou be cast into prison : Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, Till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Ye have heard that it was said to the antients, Thou shalt not commit adultery : But I say unto you. Whosoever looketh on a married woman to desire her. Hath already committed adultery with her in his heart: But, if thy right eye offend thee, 442 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XXIII. Pluck it out, and cast it from thee ; For it is expedient for thee, that one of thy members perish ; And that thy whole body be not cast into hell : And, if thy right-hand offend thee. Cut it off, and cast it from thee : For it is expedient for thee, that one of thy members perish ; And that thy whole body be not cast into hell. It hath been said, Whosoever will divorce his wife. Let him give her a writ of separation : But I say unto you : Whosoever shall divorce his wife. Except on account of whoredom, Maketh her commit adultery : And whosoever marrieth a divorced woman, Committeth adultery. Again : ye have heard that it was said to the antients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself. But shalt perform to the Lord thine oatlis : But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; Neither by the heaven ; For it is the throne of God ; Nor by the earth ; For it is his footstool : Nor by Jerusalem ; For it is the city of the great king : Nor by thine own head shalt thou swear ; For thou canst not make one hair white or black : But let your word be, yea, yea ; nay, nay ; For whatsoever exceedeth these, is from the evil one. Ye have heard that it was said, • An eye for an eye ; And a tooth for a tooth ; SECT. XXIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 443 But I say unto you, resist not the injurious person : But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, Turn to him also the other ; And to him that will sue thee at law for thy coat, Give up also thy cloak : And whosoever shall impress thee for one mile. Go along with him twain : To him that asketh of thee, give ; And him that would borrow from thee, turn not away. Ye have heard that it was said. Thou shalt love thy neighbour. And shalt hate thine enemy : But I say unto you. Love your enemies ; Bless them who curse you ; Do good to them who hate you ; And pray for them, who despitefully use you, and per- secute you ; That ye may be sons of your Father, who is in heaven ; For he maketh his sun arise on the bad and good ; And raineth on the just and unjust : For, if ye love them who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same ? And if ye salute only your brethren, what do ye extra- ordinary ? Do not even the Gentiles thus ? Be ye, therefore, perfect. Even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect. Take heed that ye practise not your righteousness, Before men, in order to be viewed with admiration by them : Otherwise ye have no reward, From your Father, who is in heaven. When, therefore, thou givest alms, Sound not a trumpet before thee, 444* SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XXIIT. As the hypocrites do, In the synagogues, and in the streets, That they may have glory from men ; Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward : But, when thou givest alms. Let not thy left hand know, What thy right hand doeth ; That thine alms may be in secrecy ; And thy Father, who seeth in secrecy. Himself will reward thee in publicity. And when thou prayest. Thou shalt not be as the hypocrites. Who love, in the synagogues, And in the corners of the streets. Standing to pray. That they may be seen by men ; Verily I say unto you, they have their reward : But thou, when thou prayest, Enter into thy closet. And having closed thy door, Pray to thy Father, who is in secrecy ; And thy Father, who is in secrecy, Will reward thee in publicity. But, when ye pray, use not babbling repetitions like the heathen ; For they think, that by their much speaking they shall Be not, therefore, like unto them : [be heard ; For your heavenly Father knoweth of what things ye Before ye ask him ; [have need, After this manner, therefore, pray ye : Our Father, who art in heaven, Thy name be hallowed ; Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, As IN heaven, so upon the earth : SECT. XXIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 445 The bread sufficient for us, Give to us this day ; And forgive us our debts, As we also forgive our debtors ; And bring us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one : Amen. For, if ye forgive men their offences ; Your heavenly Father also v^^ill forgive you : But if ye forgive not men their offences ; Neither will your heavenly Father forgive your offences. Moreover, when ye fast. Be not, like the hypocrites, of a gloomy countenance ; For they disfigure their faces. That they may appear fasters unto men ; Verily I say unto you, they have their reward : But thou, when fasting, anoint thy head, And wash thy face. That thou mayest not appear a faster unto men. But unto thy Father who is in secrecy; And thy Father, who is in secrecy ; Will reward thee in publicity. Treasure not for yourselves treasures on the earth ; Where moth and rust consumeth ; And where thieves dig through, and steal : But treasure for yourselves treasures in heaven ; Where neither moth nor rust consumeth ; And where thieves do not dig through and steal : For, wheresoever yoiu* treasure is, There will also be your heart. The lamp of the body is the eye : If, therefore thine eye be sound, Thy whole body will be luminous ; But if thine eye be distempered. Thy whole body will be dark : If, then, the light that is in thee, be darkness, How great the darkness ! 446 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XXIII. No man can serve two masters ; For either he will hate the one, and love the other ; Or he will adhere to the one, and neglect the other ; Ye cannot serve God and mammon ; Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life what ye shall eat ; Nor for your body, wherewith ye shall be clothed ; Is not life a greater gift than food ; And the body than clothing ? Look at the birds of the air ; For they sow not, neither do they reap ; Nor do they gather into barns. And your heavenly Father feedeth them ; Are not ye much better than they ? Which of you by anxiety can add, To his stature one cubit ? And why are ye anxious about clothing ? — Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; They toil not, neither do they spin ; And yet I say unto you. That not even Solomon in all his glory. Was arrayed like one of these : If then, the grass of the field. Which to day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, God thus clothe, Will he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ? Be not, therefore, anxious saying. What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed ? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek ; For your heavenly Father knoweth. That ye have need of all these things : But seek ye first the kingdom of God, And his righteousness, And all these things shall be superadded to you. SECT. XXIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 44? Be not, therefore, anxious about the morrow ; For the morrow will be anxious about its own concerns ; Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Judge not, that ye be not judged ; For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged ; And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. And why beholdest thou the mote in thy brother's eye. But considerest not the beam in thine own eye ? Or how canst thou say to thy brother. Hold ! I will take the mote out of thine eye ; — And lo ! the beam in thine own eye ? — Hypocrite ! Take first the beam out of thine own eye ; And then wilt thou see clearly to take the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy to the dogs ; Neither cast your pearls before the swine ; Lest they trample them under their feet ; And turn about, and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given unto you ; Seek, and ye shall find ; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you : For every one who asketh, receiveth ; And every one who seeketh, findeth ; And to every one who knocketh, it shall be opened : For what one man is there amongst you. Who, if his son ask for a loaf, Will give him a stone ? Or, if he ask a fish, Will give him a serpent ? If ye, then, being evil. Know how to give good gifts to your children ; How much more will your Father who is in heaven, Give good things to those who ask him ? Whatsoever things, therefore, ye would that men should do unto you, 448 SACRED LtTERATURE. [SECT. XXIII. Do ye also in like manner unto them; For this is the law and the prophets. Enter in through the straight gate, For wide is the gate, and broad the way, which leadeth to destruction ; And many there be, who go in thereat : For straight is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth to life. And few there be, who find it. Beware of false prophets, Who come to you in the clothing of sheep. But inwardly are ravening wolves : — By their fruits ye shall thoroughly know them : Do men gather from thorns the grape. Or from thistles the fig ? Thus, every sound tree beareth good fruit ; But every corrupt tree beareth evil fruit : A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit ; Nor a corrupt tree bear good fruit ; Every tree not bearing good fruit. Is hewn down, and cast into the fire : By their fruits, therefore, ye shall thoroughly know them. Not every one who saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; But he who doeth the will of my Father, who is in Many will say unto me in that day, [heaven : Lord, Lord, have we not in thy name prophesied ? And in thy name, expelled daemons ? And in thy name performed many wonderful works ? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you ; Depart from me ; Ye workers of iniquity ! Whosoever, therefore, heareth these my words, and doeth them, I will liken him to a prudent man, SECT. XXIII.] SACRED LITERATURE. 449 Who built his house upon the rock : And the rain descended, And the floods came, And the winds blew. And fell upon that house ; And it fell not : for it was founded upon the rock. And every one hearing these my words, and doing them Shall be likened to a foolish man ; [not, Who built his house upon the sand : And the rain descended. And the floods came. And the winds blew, And struck upon that house; And it fell : and the fall thereof was great ! And it came to pass, that, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the multitudes were astonished at his manner of teaching : for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes, G G 450 SECTION XXIV. My next and last specimen is of a different cha- racter from the preceding. All commentators have observed the striking resemblance between portions of the Apocalypse, considerable both in number and extent, and the prophetic books of the Old Testament: and, since the days of Bishop Lowth^ some have, though slightly, adverted to the poetical imagery and structure of those re- sembling portions. The student who wishes rightly to apprehend, and to appreciate, the language of this last and most mysterious book of the sacred canon, will do well to compare attentively the se- veral correspondent passages, of it, and of the pro- phets ; a comparison in which he will be materially assisted, by the marginal references, of a good quarto Bible, or of Gerard Von Maestricht's Greek Testament. And, if he wish to institute the comparison yet more satisfactorily, he will reduce for himself the odes and songs of the Apocalypse to a versicular arrangement ; and then compare the parallel passages of the prophets ; consulting the metrically arranged versions, of Bishop Lowth, Archbishop Newcome, and Dr. Blayney. By way of contribution to this pursuit, I propose giving a poetical distribution of the celebrated eighteenth chapter j the Epinicion, or Song of Triumph, on the SECT. XXIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 451 downfal of the mystical Babylon : before entering on which, however, I cannot deny myself the gra- tification of extracting two passages from the learned Sir J. D. Michaelis ; a writer, whose un- warrantable and well-refuted prejudices against the canonical authority of the Apocalypse, did by no means render him insensible to the magnificence of its subject, the sublimity of its conceptions, or the matchless power of its language. ** The harshest Hebraisms, which extend even to " grammatical errors in the government of cases, ** are the distinguishing marks of the book of Re- " velation : but they are accompanied with tokens " of genius, and poetical enthusiasm, of which " every reader must be sensible, who has taste and *' feeling ; there is no translation of it, which is " not read with pleasure, even in the days of *' childhood ; and the very faults of grammar are ** so happily placed, as to produce an agreeable " effect." Introd. to New Test. vol. i. part i. p. 111. " The language of the Apocalypse is both beautl- ** ful and subhme, is affecting and animating : and " this, not only in the original, but in every, even *' the worst translation of it. Who can read, if he " reads without prejudice, the following address of " Jesus to John sinking to the ground through ** fear, and not be affected by the greatness of the " thoughts and the expressions ? — Fear not, I am " thejirst and tJie last : I am he that was dead, but ** now liveth : behold I am alive for evermore^ <* Amen : and have the keys of hell and of death, G G ^ 452 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XXIV* " The Apocalypse has something in it which " enchants, and insensibly inspires the reader with *Mhe sublime spirit o£ the author. When future " blessedness is promised, or the new Jerusalem " is described, a man must be devoid of feeling " who is not affected : and when the author de- " nounces judgment to the wicked, and represents *' the smoke of their torment ascending up for " ever and ever before the throne of God and his " angels, one must be either prejudiced before one " reads, or one cannot read without terror. A " great part of the imagery is borrowed from the " ancient prophets : but the imitation is, for the " most part, more sublime and more magnificent " than the original ; which is particularly true of " what is taken from Ezekiel.*' Introd. vol. iv. p. 533. Revelation, xviii. xix. 1 — 3. xai fj.sla. Tuuld, eiSov ctWov * uyysXov xctTctSoiivovlot ex tou ovgoi- UVTQV, xai exgafev ev Kryyi, J5 'CTogvsioig uvtyis -sreTrcoxe -sravla Td e^VYi' x«i 01 ^ao-iXeij -nj? yvjg jxer uvlvig eTrogveycrav * Here, and in a few other places, where I vary from the re- ceived text, the reader may consult the critical editions of Mill, Bengel, Wetstein^ and Griesbach. SECT. XXIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 4^53 £7rXoyT>](rav. xat Yixovj(r»jTe ratj otfj^ughocis uvlris, xai £X Twv 'urXviyuiV etvlris ivct ]U.>j Xa^r)1s : OTi £XoXX>jd>3(rav ayrr]? ai afjioi^lion a^gi tov ovquvou, XUl SlJl.VYIlJl,OVSV(T£V 6 GsOS TO. CidlXr}[Jl,OcloC OCUTV}^. aTToSoTS aynj, wg koh uvtyi uTrs^ooKS* xai SiTrXeocrals uvIyj 8j7rX«, x)v xcti xo'^fovlai si: uvtyj, 6i ^U(j-iXsis rvis yv^s, bi ]X£T aurris 'Tjrogvsva-ctVTSs, xui g-gY^vix- (Tuvrss, oTav |3X£7rco(ri tov xuttvov tyj^ 'srvgoocrsM^ aulYi^* xai [j^uxgo^sv £s-r^xoT£^j S)« fiu^uKcov yi 'GTo\ig r) KT^ugot.* 6t» y^ioL (hga yiX^sv yj xgia-ig g'Ou. xcu 01 sfj.Trogoi t>)j yyjj xXcuova-i xcn 'arsv^ouj evgYiGsig uvtu, 01 Sfj^TTogoi TOVTCtiv, 6t 7rAowT>j(ravTej utt* uvTvig, ciTTQ fjt,ccxgo^sV s-»)crovTa«, diu tov , xai Xi^w tiju^jw, xui fj^agyctgiTUis' OTi [/.id (hga, i^griixM^Yi 6 TO)J, XsyovTss : Tis bfj^Oicx. T)) TToXffi T>j [XsyctXri ; xai e^txXov ^ovv sttj raj xs(pu\us aVTOov, xon zxgaXfiv xXuiovt&c, xui 'jtbv^ovvts^, AeyovTs^ : ovuiy ovuii Yj itoKi^ Tfi fieyuXri* sv r} ETTkovTYia-uv TTuvTsg bi s^ovTsg TU TTXoiu SV T>) ^uXu3T>J5 UVTl^i' OTI iJ,iu wgu >jg>jjM,W'&>3« su(pguivov STT avTY} ovguvs, XUI bi ayioi, xui bi aTrofoAoi, xai o< Trgofr^rui, 6t» sxgivev 6 0eoj to xgi^u vfxoov gj aynjf. x«» >)gev lif uyysXos icrp^ogoj Aj^ov )v^aX«(r(r«v, Aeywv : SECT. XXIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 455 ov jot>) huqs^fi err fwv ou jOMfj axou(r'^>j ev ) vvy^fiov xui vvfxi^Yis ou ju-r) axoucr^*) ev croi en : ort 6» ejX7rogo< (TOU rjcrav 6i jO-eyir^vef t>3j yvjr or* ev T»} (pagixocKSicc aou eTrXuvrj^T^a-av Truvra. tcc e^vr) : xat ev uuTYi oufxcx. 'STgo(pr]Toov xctt ayjwv luge^vj, xa< TravTcov rcov £(T(po(.'Y[X£Voov sin t>)$ y>)j. xai, ju-gra touutol, yikouo-ch wg (pwvrjv o;5^Xoy ttoXXou ^eyaA>)V ev Tco QugotvoO) XsyovTog : uXXYiXouiw Yl (TODTi^giCi, KUi r) 8o0«, xaj yj TJ|xy;, xai ») Suvajxjj, Ku^ico too Qsco rjfxaiv oTi ctXYi^ivai xoci Bixaiai oti xgiasig uutow 6t» ejcgivs t>)V "Kogv^v ttjv \hsyciXt\v, >jT*j efpS'etge t>]V yyjv ev t>) Trogvejot auTvjj* xai e^eSjx>)(r6 to aijxa tcov SouXcov uutou ex t>jj xei^oj auTijj. xa» Seyregov ei^vjxav : aAXy)A&uVa' xa* 0 xuTTVog ccUTYig uvu^xivsi e<$ tou$ atcova^ tojv aiwvwv. Revelation, xviii. xix. 1 — 3. And, after these things, I saw another angel descending from heaven, having great power : and the earth was en- lightened with his glory : and he cried mightily with a loud voice; saying: She is fallen ! She is fallen ! Babylon the great ! And is become the habitation of daemons ; And the hold of every impure spirit ; And the cage of eveiy impure and hateful bird : G G 4 456 SACRED LITERATURE. [sECT. XXIV, For in the wine of the wrath of her whoredom hath she pledged all the nations ; And the kings of the earth, have with her committed whoredom ; And the merchants of the earth, from the excess of her wanton luxury have waxed rich. And I heard another voice from heaven, sajdng ; Come out of her my people ; That ye be not partakers in her sins ; And of her plagues that ye may not receive : For her sins have reached up to heaven ; And God hath remembered her iniquities : Repay to her, as she also hath repaid ; And double to her double, according to her worksr; In the cup which she hath mingled, mingle to her double ; As much as she hath glorified herself, and played the luxurious wanton. So much give to her, torment and sorrow : For, in her heart she saith : " I sit a queen ; " And a widow am not I ; " And sorrow I shall not see :" — Therefore, in one day shall come her plague&; Death, and mourning, and famine : And with fire shall she be consumed ; For strong is the Lord God, who hath passed sentence upon her. Then shall bewail her, and smite the breast for her, The kings of the earth, who have committed whoredom with her, and lived in wanton luxury ; When they shall see the smoke of her burning ; Standing afar off, because of the fear of her torment; Saying : " Wo ! Wo ! the great city ! " Babylon, the strong city ! " In one hour thy judgment is come !" SECT. XXIV. 3 SACRED LITERATURE. 457 And the merchants of the earth, shall weep and mourn over her ; For their merchandise no man buyeth any more : Merchandise of gold and silver ; And of precious stones and pearls : And of iine linen and purple ; And of silk, and scarlet : A^jd every odorous wood, and every vessel of ivory ; And every vessel of most precious wood ; And of brass, and iron, and marble : And cinnamon, and amomum ; And perfumes, and myrrh, and incense : And wine, and oil; And fine flour, and wheat : And cattle, and sheep ; And of horses, and chariots, and slaves : And the souls of mjen : — And the autumnal fruits of thy souFs desire, are gone from thee ; And all delicacies and splendours, have vanished from thee ; And never shalt thou find them any more ! The merchants of these things, who were enriched by her, Shall stand afar off* because of the fear of her torment ; Weeping and mourning ; Saying : " Wo ! Wo ! the great city I " She who was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet ; " And was decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls ! " For in one hour is brought to desolation this so great wealth !" And every ship-master, and every supercargo, And mariners, and all who labour on the sea. Stood afar off", and cried aloud. When they saw the smoke of her burning ; 458 SACRED LITERATURE. [SECT. XXIV. Saying : " What city, like the great city !'* And they cast dust upon their heads ; And cried aloud, weeping, and mourning ; Saying: " Wo ! Wo ! the great city ! " WTierein all who had ships upon the sea waxed rich, " By her costliness : " For in one hour hath she been made desolate !" Rejoice over her thou Heaven ! And ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets ! For God hath, for her crimes against you, passed sen- tence upon her ! And a mighty angel took up a stone like a huge millstone, and cast it into the sea ; saying : " Thus with violence shall be thrown down Babylon the great city, and shall be found no more ; *' And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and flute- players, and trumpeters, shall be heard in thee no more ; " And any artificer of any ingenious art, shall be found in thee no more ; " And the sound of a millstone, shall be heard in thee no more; " And the light of a lamp, shall be seen in thee no more; " And the voice of bridegroom and bride, shall be heard in thee no more ; " For thy merchants were great ones of the earth ; " For by thy sorceries were deceived all the nations : " And in her the blood of prophets and saints hath been found ; " And of all those who were slain upon the earth." And, after these things, I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying : " Hallelujah ! " The salvation, and the glory, and the honour, SECT. XXIV.] SACRED LITERATURE. 459 " And the power, be unto the Lord our God ! " For true and righteous are his judgments ; " For he hath judged the great harlot, " Who corrupted the earth with her whoredom : " And he hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand." And, a second time, they said : " Hallelujah !" And her smoke ascendeth for ever and ever ! .,,,., ,T.?- oa * c Q2 .-.. oa i^S »..,,. a .nx INDEX OF TEXTS. Page Genesis. xxU. 1, 2, 24. 410 xlix. 10 15. 30 Exodus. XV. 1—21 ». 10 XX. 7 37 Leviticus. xix. 13 263 Deuteronomy. xxiv. 14, 15. 263 xxviii. 11 122 xxxii. 25 « 30 ■ 42 29. 55 Judges. V. 4, 19, 20 266, 7 1 Samuel. ii. 1—10 393—8 2 Samuel. vii. 6 250 Job. iii. 4 « 28 V. 9 118 xi. 7, 8 ibid. xxiii. 18 •.... 120 xxvi. 5 28 Page xxxvi.22, 23 118,119 xli.2 120 Psalms. i. 1 41. 324 -2, 3 45 -6 218 ii. 1,2 135 xix. 7—10 26 XX. 7, 8 25 xxi. 1, 2 24 — 12 36 xxiv. 3, 4 40 xxxii. 9 242 xxxvi. 6 118 xxxvii. 1, 2 28 xxxix. 1 292 1—3 299 xlv. 6, 7 139 Ixxvii. 1,2, 16 27 Ixxiv. 5, 7 55 xcv. 2 50 ciii. 11, 12 29 civ. 1 50 cvii. 38 37 cxii. 1 24 — 9 122 — 10 28 cxviii. 22, 23 127 cxxiii. 15, 16 53 cxxxv. 15 — 18 57 cxl. 3 302 cxliv. 5, 6 27 cxlviii. 7— 18 26 462 INDEX OF TEXTS. Page Proverbs. iii. 9 24< — 11,12 110—13 X. 1 25 7 ib. xvii. 6 299 xviii.21 302 xxiii. 15, 16 53 xxix. 26 25 xxxi. 30 410 ECCLESIASTES. X. 1. 302 Song of Solomon. i. 5 378 Isaiah. viii.23. ix. 1 104—109 ix. 18 208 x. 16—19 296 XV. 3 378 xxvii. 12, 13 54 xxxiv. 6 30 xxxvii. 16—20. 142 xl. 13—15 119 xlii. 6 420 — 7 50 xliii. 16 ib. xliv. 26 31 xlvi. 13 420 xlix. 6—9 ib. 1. 10 31, 32 li. 1.4.7 46 Iii. 7 125, 126 Iv. 6 4-6 — 6, 7 24. 37 — 10 122 Ivi. 57 114 Ix. 1—3 421—426 Ixv, 21, 22 27 Jeremiah. xxiii. 18 119 xxxi. 15 101—104 Page Ezekiel. i. 27 54 XX. 47 296 Daniel. vii. 26 152 HOSEA. iii. 21, 22 125 X. 12 122 xiv. 9 31 Joel. ii. 52 125 iii. 13 154 MiCAH. V. 2 98—100 vii. 6 131, 132 Zechariah. ix. 9 126 X. 1 373 Malachi. iii. 5 263 Wisdom. i. 14 367 ii. 23, 24 ib. vi. 12—16 85 Ecclesiasticus. xix. 13—16 84,85 xxviii. 17—23 303 TOBIT. viii. 15—18 85,86 xii. 7—10 86, 87 1 Maccabees. ii. 7—13 87,88 S. Matthew. 11. 6. ..«•.*..*•••.*«•••••••.• 98—100 INDEX OF TEXTS. 463 Page ii 18 lOl— 104. iii. 11, 12 168 iv. 15, 16 105—109 — 16 88 — 25. V. vi. vii 429—449 V. 3 158 — 3—10 94 — 11, 12 375, 376 — 13—15 156—159 — 17—20 376—380 — 42 143 — 45 319—321 _ 46—48 206—208 vi. 3, 4, 6, 17, 18.... 160— 167 — 7—9 380 — 19—21 212 _ 24 336—338 — 25 94 — 31—32 381 _33 47 vii .1, 2 331—334 — 2 143, 144 — 6 93. 338—340 — 13, 14 381—384 — 16 306 — 16—20 195—197 — 21—23 231,232 — 24 363 — 24—27 213—223 viii. 20 149 X. 5, 6 313 — 16 340—342 — 32, 33 370 — 34—39 131, 132 — 40—42 233—238 xi. 16—19 238—244 — 28,29 208—211 xii. 33 149 — 35 145, 146 — 36, 37 168, 169 — 39—42 176—191 xiii. 17 235 XV. 3—6 244—248 — 9 385 — 11 146 xvi. 1 190 — 2, 3 201—204 — 19 149 xviii. 6 235 Page XX. 25—27 94 — 25—28 223—231 — 26, 27 310 xxi. 5 126 — 42—44 127—130 xxiii. 4 211 16—22 355—358 xxiv. 7, 8 197—199 17, 18 314, 315 XXV. 34, 41 363—367 40 167. 363. -— 45 364 S. Mark. iv. 22 162 — 24 331—334 — 39 174, 175 vii. 7 385 — 12 247 viii. 12 203 — 38 371 ix. 42 235 xi. 17 114—117 xii. 12 192 S. Luke. i. 13— 17 95 - 30—33 ib. - 35 94 - 42—45 95 - 46 95 -46, 47 143.310 - 46—55 392—402 - 52, 53 94 - 67—79 403—417 ii. 28—32 418—428 vi. 20 158 - 38 331—334 -45 145 - 47—49 221—222 viii. 17 162 xi. 29—32 177—191 xii. 4, 5 205 •— 8, 9 369 - 22, 23 169 - 24 200 - 25 224 - 33—40 359—362 464 INDEX OF TEXTS. Page xii. 43 14<4> — 47, 48 204, 205 — 54 202 — 56. 203 — 58 388 xiv. 10. 167-168 xvi. 9—13 249—250 xvii. 2 235 xviii. 13 257 S. John. i. 4, 5 388 iii. 20, 21 147 — 36 150, 151 V. 19—23 « 171 — 29 147, 148 vii. 10 162 xi. 9, 10 193—195 XV. 10 169 Acts. ii. 1—3 299 iii. 14, 15 264 iv. 24—30 133—142 vii. 5 264 xiv. 17 373 XX. 21 342, 343 xxii, 21, 22 .' 427 Romans. ii. 28, 29 162. 199,200 V. 3—5 388, 389 — 7 321-328 viii. 29, 30 389 ix. 22, 23 367—369 X. 13—18 124—127. 388 xi. 22 342 — 24. 26 48 — 33—35 117—121 1 Corinthians. i. 18—27 187—191 ii. 11. 170 — 20 ,.... 385 iii. 1 235 — 7, 8 170 Yi. 11. ......'. 343,344 Page xii. 26 172—174 xiii. 13 347 xiv. 25 162 XV. 9 353 — 21, 22 170 — 47—49 204 2 Corinthians. ii. 15, 16 344, 345 iv. 9 352 ix. 6 144 — 9, 10 121—123 Galatians. vi. 8 144 Ephesians. i. 15 345,346 iv. 13 235 — 18 192 V. 14 149, 150 COLOSSIANS. i.4 345,346 ii. 8 384,385 1 Thessalonians. V. 7,8 199 2 Thessalonians. ii.8 151—153.312. Philemon. 5 345—349 Hebrews. iv.l5 354 vi. 7,8 372—374 vii. 27, 28 385, 386 ix. 11, 12 350,351 X. 33, 34 351—354 xi. 9 250 31 233 xii. 5, 6."!.'.'!.'!.'.V.'.V*i69— 113 S. James. i. 9, 10 148 INDEX OF TEXTS. 465 Page i. 15 389 -17 316—319 -22—25 358,359 ii. 25 233 iii. 1—12 273—308 iv. 6—10 250—257 — 8 148.312 V. 1—6 257—268 -5 313 2 S. Peter. i. 5— 7 389 1 S. John. ii. 12—14 235 - 15—17 268—272 'i\.6 169 S. JUDE. 11 Revelation. Page 153 ix. 6 315 xiv. 15 386, 387 xiv.l5— 18 153—155 XV. 4 387 xviii. xix. 1—3 452—459 xviii. 23 387 xix. 1,2 387 XX. 13 148 xxi. 23 426 xxii. 5 426 11 329—331 To the above passages, I must add one, not cited in the Text of this work ; Them that honour me, I will honour ; And they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Sam, ii. 30. This fine example of Ewphemism has been just pointed out to me by a friend. The proper place for its insertion, would have been the Seventeenth Section ; to which I beg the reader may refer it. H H INDEX OF NAMES, Abarbanel, p. 14. Aben Ezra, 42. Addison, 294. iElian, 236. 326. iEsop, 240. -^schylus, 95. 242. 261. Albert!, 108. 307. Alexander Aphrod. 292. Amelius, 317. Ammon, 94. 95. Anacreon, 300. 390. Anton, 13. Antoninus Florent. 107. Antoninus Marcus, 272. Arias Montanus, 64. Aristotle, 295. Artemidorus, 293. Asarias, 14. Augusti, 282. Augustine, Saint, 40. 90. 172. B. Bacon, Lord, 59. 67. Barnes, 242. Bauer, 13. 22. 32. Beausobre, 235. Bedford, 12. Bellermann, 13. Bengel, 70. 107. 109. 121. 132. 145.148.153.154.161.202. 206. 219. 224. 330. 355. 358. 363. 382.387.414.452. Benson, 271.284.348. Bentley, 265. Bernard, Saint, 211. Beza, 112.113. 325.414. Biel, 51. Birch, 146. Blackwall, 348. 414. Blair, 100. Blayney, 82.84.450. Bochart, 178.324. Boeder, 93, 94. Boerhaave, 45. Bomare, 179. Bos, 73.134.240.307.414. Boswell, 8. Bowyer, 142. 235. 240. 250. 382. 414, Boyle, Robert, 39. Bretschneider, 51. Broome, 71. Buddeus, 14. Bull, Bp. 316. 319. Burk, 358. Butler, 94. Buxtorf, 10. 14. C. Cajetan, 107. Calmet, 12. Calovius, 11. Calvin, 113. Camerarius, 414. Camero, 248. Campbell, Dr. G. 91. 93. 94. 145.156,157.162.174.193, 194. 214—217. 224. 225. 226. 248. 250. 311. 317— 319. 382. 414. Cappel, J. 111. Cappel, L. 11.248. Carpzov, 14. 284. H H 2 468 INDEX OF NAMES. Casaubon, 146. 334. Castalio, 214.339. Chandler, 152. Chrysostom, S. 159. 163. 166. 173. 203. 208. 364. 365. 367. Churton, 181. 184. Cicero, 101. 322. 334. Clarius, 248. Clarke, Dr. A. 95. 242. Clarke, Dr. S. 134. Cleanthes, 272. Cleaver, Bishop, 391.392.403. Clerc, Le, 12, 283. 286. Clinias, 271. Colinaeus, 355. Cowper, 61.293.297. Croius, 10. Cyprian, S. 99. 321. D. Dacier, 12. Danhauer, 11. Dathe, 37. 42. 49. 64. 104. 110. 333. DeDieu, 10. Demetrius Phalereus, 61. Demosthenes, 323. Desvoeux, 83. Diodorus Siculus, 73. 260. Diogenes Laertius, 291. Doddridge, 129. 142. 150. 233. 248. 307. 323. 349. 368. Drusius, 107. Dryden, 197.297. E. Ebertus, 10. Edwards, 12. Eichorn, 283. Eisner, 248. 284. 307. 373.382. 414. Empereur, Const. L', 10. Epictetus, 40.305. Erasmus, 161. 212. 414. Ernesti, 91. 93. 94. 95. 126. 127. Euripides, 242.298. Eusebius, 9, 10. Eustathius, 291. Euthymius, 56, 159.194.218. 219.333.361.382.414. F. Faber, 45. 317. 324. Fabricius, 10. 91. 93. Farrer, 94. Fecht, 91. Fell, 99. Fischer, 414. Fleuri, 12. Forster, 101. Fourmont, 12. Francis, 261. Franck, 193. Gale, 271. Garofalo, 12. Gataker, 42. 43. 272. 323. 325 Gebhardi, 11. Genebrard, 41. Georgius, 414. \ Gerard, 22. Gerard Von Maestricht, 450. Glass, 32. 37. 41. 333. Godwyn, 322. Gomar, 10. 12. Grabe, 182. Green, 30. Gregory, Dr. G. 5. 21. 49. Gregory Nyssen, S. 10. Greve, 13. Griesbach, 121. 132. 144, 145. 146. 151. 153. 161. 206. 224. 267. 268. 314. 315. 330. 333. 348. 353. 355. 366. 382. 387. 414. 452. Grosier, 179, 180. Grotius, 107. 111. 194. 235. 239. 240. 241. 248. 271. 282. 305. 333. 368. 372. 382. 410. 414. 420. Guarini, 12, H. Hales, 22. 94. Hallett, 111. 193. INDEX OP NAMES, 469 Hammond, 70. 133. 282. 317. 344. 351. 356. Handel, 21. Hardt, Van der, 9. 11. Hare, Bp. 12. 14. 16. Harmer, 74. 112. Heinsius, 10.^ Hemsterhuis, 74. 292. Herder, 13. 22. 284. Herodotus, 240. Hesiod, 72. 334. 402. Hesychius, 284. Heumann, 12. 150. 180. Heylin, 349. Homberg, 414. Homer, 61. 70, 71. 293. 297. Hoogeveen, 134. Horace, 69. 261. 287. Home, 23, 94. 331. Horsley, Bp. 64.83. 139. 140. 182. 302. 404. Hottinger, 283. I.' J. Jamblichus, 291. Jansenius, 107. Jerome, S. 10. 99. 100. 305. 325. Johnson, Dr. S. 7. 8. 255. 294. 327. Jones, Sir W. 13. Josephus, 10. 117. 236. 261. 264. Isidore, Hisp. S. 10. Isocrates, 301. 308. Junius, 42. Justin Martyr, S. 99. 304. 305. Juvenal, 73. Juvencus, 339. K. Kaimes, Lord, 281. Kennicott, 66, 182. Kent, 21. Keuchenius, 382. Knapp, 45. KnatchbuII, 193. 194. Koecher, 235. 248. 414. Koppe, 323. 325. Krebs, 116. Krumbholz, 414. Kuinoel, 88. 202. 206. 382. 414. Kuster, 291. Kypke, 202. 260. Lampe, 147. Lamy, 129. Leisner, 134. 240.^ Libanius, 326. Lightfoot, 108. 129. 133. 414. Limb or ch. 141. Lowth, Bp. 2. 3. 5. 9. 12. 13 14. 15. 16—21. 22. 23. 27. 32. 34—38. 43. 48. 49. 50. 53. 55. 82. 83. 84. 96. 104. 125. 142. 182. 309. 378. 421. 422. 429. 450. Lucian, 73. 291. 292. Lucretius, 220. 295. Lydius, 317. Lyra, de, 107. M. Macknight, 111. 170. 240. 259. 304. 353. Macarius, S. 344. Maius, 11. Maltby, 91. Markland, 141. 414. 423.424. Masclef, 12. Masius, 10. 248. Matthai, 144. 146. 218. 349, Maximus Tyrius, 305. Mede, 104. 105. 106. Meibomius, 11. Melchior Adam, 365. Menander, 260. 302. Mercurialis, 317. Meuschen, 333. Michaelis, 13. 14. 15. 43. 91. 93. 94. 100. 150. 451. 452. Middleton, Bp. 132. 146. 156. 170.176.196.198.214.221. 265. 336. 340. 350. 352. Mill, 121. 153. 161. 206. 314. 348. 366. 386. 452. 470 INDEX OF NAMES, Milton, 195. 234. 255. 256. 257. 284. Moller, 41. Morus, 282. Mosheim. 91. 306- 324. 325. Muis de, 41. Munthe, 73. N. Nash, 180. Newcome, Abp. 35. 50. 66. 82. 450. Niebuhr, 74. Noesselt, 414. O. Oberthur, 99. 321. Oecumenius, 298. Olearius, 233. Origen, 10. 99. 162. Owen, Dr. H. 97. 100. 142. 250. Owen, Dr. J. 111. P. Palairet, 108. 414. Parkhurst, 29. 328. Pearson, Bp. 255. Petalossi, 180. Petrseus, 10. Pfeiffer, 10. Philo Judaeus, 10. 271. 292. 304. Photius, 218. Pierce, Bp. 414. Pindar, 95. 202. 297. Pistophilus, 414. Plato, 292. 300. 301. Pliny, 202. Plutarch, 68. 293, 294. 298. 305. Pococke, 99. Poole, 41. 248. 317- Pope, 71. Pott, 254. 259. 282. 285. 298. 300. Potter, 242. 292. Pricaeus, 271. 292. Psalmanazar, 12. Pythagoras, 291. Quintilian, 61. Quintus Curtius, 260. R. Raphel, 91. 108. 146. 202. 307. 322. 338. Reatinus, 10. Reichard, 333. Rhenferd, 333. Richter, 14. Rosenmiiller, 14. 49. 104. 150. 158. 206. 224. 368. 414. Sallust, 73. Saubert, 193. Scaliger, Joseph, 9, 10. Schachius, 12. Schleusner, 51. 95. 153. 224. 254. 255. 325—328. 330. 338. 382. Schmidt, 13. 107.414. SchoefFer, 241. Schoettgen, 14. 88. 162. 221. 233. 235. 271. 299. 322. 325. 333. Schultens, 120. Semler, 284. 286. Seneca, Philos. 33. 305, 306. 321. Seneca, Tragic. 241. 300 Simon, 12. 100. 203. 382. Simplicius, 290. 300. Sophocles, 292. Southey, 197. Spanheim, 108. « Spencer, 99. Spenser, Edm. 72. Spohn, 51. 153. 325. Stark, 414. Stephens, H. 284. Stobaus, 272. 302. Stock, Bp. 104. Stockius, 414. Storr, 150. 240. 284. Strabo, 260. Strigelius, 365. INDEX OF NAMES. 471 Surenhusius, 97. 100. 108. Ill Sykes, 111. Tertullian, 99. Theodoret, 42. 294. Theodotion, 152. Theognis, 71. Theophylact, 362. 382. 414. Thompson, 220. Thucydides, 73. Till, Sal. Van, 11. Todd, 255, 327. Townson, 115. 175. 180. 181. 204. U. V. Valckenaer, 128.142.354.355. 373. 374. 414. Vatablus, 10. Ugolini, 12. Viccars, 41. Victor, Cap. 107. Virgil, 68. 294. 297. Vitringa, 9. 104.414. 426. Vorstius, 88. 333. 338. W. Wakefield, 70. 94. 183. 193. 208. 318. 349. 373. 374. Walaeus, 383. Wassenbergh, 127. 128. 129. 348. Weisius, 14. 16. Wells, 382. Wesley, 349. Weston, 235. 240. Wetstein, 116. 146. 153. 161. 162. 202. 221. 248. 271. 284. 298.314. 317. 320. 333. 387. 452. Whitby, 161. Wolfius, 150. 180. 240. 248. 298. 307. 317. 324. 330. 333. 368. 414. X. Xenophon, 322. Z. Zegerus, 248. 414. Zeno, 291. Zentgravius, 11. Zoroaster, 205. While this Index is in the press, I rejoice to find my own opinion of two names that do it honour, confirmed by the judgment of a most illustrious scholar: with whose words I most willingly, and, I trust, not unsuitably, conclude the pre- sent volume. " Uti enim inter oratores Graecos, non Christi- " anos, civili virtute commendanda nemo honestate antecellit " IsocRAT«M : ita Chrysostomus post Christum et Apostolos, " de virtute Christiana dicens, neminem inter Christianos " Graecos, ne dicam inter Latinos, gravitate superiorem aut " similem habet."— Christ. Frid. Matthaei. Proleg. in Joann. Chrysostom. Horn. IV. Select, p. xxvii. THE END. l*iinted by A. and R. Spottiswoode, Printers- Street; London. Date Due BS537 .J44 Sacred literature; comprising a review Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 1 1012 00011 3847 '.V-