PREFACE. Plumes; but if any imagine me a mere Compiler, I shall not be greatly concerned at their Miftake, but fay, with the modeft and excellent Monf. Rollin, "If the Things themselves are good, it fignifies very little "whofe they are *." The Notes are, at the Defire of many Friends, entirely added to my firft Scheme; and when I faw fo many Perfons of Learning and Rank were pleafed to encourage my Undertaking, I thought it would be no unacceptable Expreffion of my Gratitude to them, to infert feveral, which 1 fhould otherwife bave omitted. Some of them feemed abfolutely neceffary, to justify the Verfion, and Paraphrafe, in what might feem moft peculiar in it: Several more refer to the Order, and give my Reafons, for leaving. the general Track, where I have left it; and for not leaving it much oftner, where fome very learned and ingenious Authors have taken a great deal of Pains, (tho' I perfuade myfelf with a very good Intent,) to lead us out of the Way: And as feveral of these are modern Writers, the Remarks are fuch, as do not commonly occur. The rest of the Notes confeft, either of fome Obfervations on the Beauty and Force of various Paffages, which I don't remember to have seen elsewhere; or of References to, and Obfervations upon, confiderable Writers, whether they be, or be not profelled Expofitors of Scripture, who feem in the most Masterly Manner to examine, or to illuftrate and confirm the Senfe I have given. Thefe are generally but very short; because it would have been quite foreign to my Purpofe, and utterly inconfiftent with my Scheme, to have formed them into large Critical Effays: But I hope they may be fome Guide to young Students, who, if they have Libraries at Hand, are in great Danger of being loft in a Wood, where, I am forry to say it, they will find a multitude of prickly and knotty Shrubs, and in Comparison but few pleasant and fruitful Trees. It has appeared to me an Office of real and important Friendship to Gentlemen in this Station of Life, to endeavour to select for them the most valuable Paffages which occur in reading, and to remit them thither, not only for the Nluftration of Scripture, but also for their Direction in ftudying the Evidences and Contents, both of Natural and Revealed Religion. This Fhave done with great Care and Labour in a pretty large Work, which perhaps may be published after my Death, if furviving Friends fhould judge it proper. To that I have generally referred thofe Citations, which relate to Polemical Divinity; and at prefent only add, that with regard to thefe Notes, I have endeavoured to render them eafy and entertaining, even to an English Reader; and for that Purpose bave cautiously excluded Quotations from the learned Languages, even where Que m'importe d'ou il foit, pourvû qu'il fe trouve utile Roll, Man, d'en feign. vel i. pag. 75. A PREFACE. where they might have ferved to illuftrate Cuftoms referred to, or Words to be explained. That Deficiency may be abundantly made up by the Perufal of Elfner, Albert, Bos, Wolfius, Raphelius, Fortuita Sacra, &c. + Books, which I cannot but recommend to my young Friends, as proper not only to afcertain the Senfe of a Variety of Words and Phrafes, which occur in the Apoftolick Writings, but alfo to form them to the most useful Method of studying the Greek Claffics; thofe great Mafters of folid Senfe, elegant Expreffion, juft lively Painting, and mafculine Eloquence, to the· Neglect of which I cannot but afcribe that enervate, diffolute, and puerile Manner of Writing, which is growing fo much on the present Age, and will probably confign fo many of its Productions to Speedy Oblivion. ་ The Improvement of each Section is entirely of a practical Nature, and generally confifts of preffing Exhortations, and devout Meditations, grounded on the general Defign, or on fome particular Paffages, of the Section to which they are annexed. They are all in an Evangelical Strain, and they could not with any Propriety have been otherwife. I am well aware, that this Manner is not much in the prefent Taste, and I think it at once, a fad Inftance, and Caufe, of our Degeneracy, that it is not. If it be neceflary, that I could offer any Apology, it must in short be this: I have with all poffible Attention, and Impartiality, confidered first the general Evidences of the Truth of Chriftianity, and then those of the Inspiration of the New Teftament, which feems to me infeparably connected with the former; and on the whole, am in my Confcience perfuaded of both, and have been confirmed in that Conviction by the most laboured Attempts to overthrow them. It seems a necessary Confequence of this Con viction, (and Fam aftonished it should not be more generally attended to,) that we are with the bumbleft Submiffion of Mind to form our Religious Notions on this Plan, and to give up the most darling Maxims, which will not bear the Teft of it. Ifhould think any impartial Reader must immediately fee, and every judicious Critick be daily more confirmed in it, that the New Teftament teaches us to conceive of Chrift, not as a generous Benefactor only, who baving performed fome Actions of heroic Virtue and Benevolence, is now retired + As fome of the Books mentioned above are not very common among us, it may not be improper to infert their Titles; viz. Jacobi Elfner. Obfervat. Sacra, 2 Vol. 8vo. Traject, ad Rhen. 1720. Lamberti Bos Exercitat. Philolog. Franek. 1700.. Animadverf. Franek. 1715. Obfervat. Mifcell. Leovard. 1731.. Raphelii Annotat. Philol. in Nov. Teft. ex Xénophonte, Polybio, & Herodete cola leta, 3 Tom. Lunen. 1731. Wolfii Cura Philolog. & Critica,, 4to. Hamb. 1725 it PREFACE. retired from all Intercourfe with our World, fo that we have no more to do with him, than to preferve a grateful Remembrance of his Character and Favours; but that he is to be confidered as an ever-living and ever-prefent Friend, with whom we are to maintain a daily Commerce by Faith and Prayer, and from whom we are to derive thofe Supplies of Divine Grace, whereby we may be ftrengthened for the Duties of Life, and ripened for a State of perfect Holiness and Felicity. This is evident, not only from particular Paffages of Scripture, in which he is defcribed as always with his Church, (Mat. xxviii. 20.) as prefent where-ever Two or Three are affembled in his Name, (Mat. xviii. 20.) as upholding all Things by the Word of his Power, (Heb. i. 3.) and as Head over all to his Church; (Eph. i. 22.) but indeed from the whole Scope and Tenor of the New Teftament. Thefe Views are therefore continually to be kept up; and for any to pretend, that this is a round-about Method, (as fome have prefumed to call it,) and that Men may be led to Virtue, the great End of all, by a much plainer and more direct Way, feems to me only a vain and arrogant Attempt to be wifer than GoD himself, which therefore muft in the End appear to be Folly, with whatever Subtlety of Argument may be defended, or with whatever Pomp of Rhetorick it be adorned. The New Teftament is a Book written with the most confummate Knowledge of Human Nature; and tho' there are a thousand latent Beauties in it, which it is the Bufinefs and Glory of true Criticism to place in a ftrong Point of Light, the general Senfe and Defign of it is plain to every boneft Reader, even at the very firft Perufal. It is evidently intended, to bring us to GOD thro' Chrift, in a humble Dependance on the Communications of his fanctifying and quickening Spirit; and to engage us to a Courfe of faithful and univerfal Obedience, chiefly from a grateful Senfe of the Riches of Divine Grace manifefted to us in the Gospel. And tho this Scheme is indeed liable to Abufe, as every Thing elfe is, it appears to me plain in Fact, that it has been, and ftill is, the grand Inftrument of reforming a very degenerate World; and according to the best Obfervations I have been able to make on what has paffed about me, or within my own Breaft, I have found that in Proportion to the Degree, in which this Evangelical Scheme is received and relished, the Intereft of true Virtue and Holiness flourishes, and the Mind is formed to manly Devotion, diffufve Benevolence, fteady Fortitude, and in short, made ready to every good Word and Work. To this, therefore I am determined at all Adven tures to adhere; nor am I at all afhamed or afraid of any Scorn, which I may encounter in fuch a Caufe; and I would earnestly exhort, and intreat, all my Brethren in the Chriftian Miniftry to join with me, as well knowing, to whom we have committed our Souls; and chearfully hoping, that he, by whom we have hitherto, if faithful in our Calling, been fup ported PREFACE. ported and animated, will at length confefs us before the Prefence of his Father, and the holy Angels, in that Day, when it will be found na Difhonour to the greatest and wifeft of the Children of Men, to have lifted themselves under the Banner of the Crofs, and conftantly and affectionately to have kept their Divine Leader in View. I cannot flatter myself fo far, as to imagine that I have fallen into no Miftakes, in a Work of fo great Compafs and Difficulty; but my own Confcience acquits me of having defignedly mifreprefented any fingle Paffage of Scripture, or of having written one Line with a Purpofe of inflaming the Hearts of Chriftians against each other. I should esteem it one of the most aggravated Crimes, to make the Life of the gentle and benevolent Jefus, a Vehicle to convey fuch Poifon. Would to GOD, that all the Party Names, and unfcriptural Phrafes and Forms, which have di vided the Chriftian World, were forgot; and that we might agree to fit down together, as humble loving Disciples, at the Feet of our commonMafter, to hear his Word, to imbibe his Spirit, and to tranfcribe his Life in our own! I hope it is fome Token of fuch growing Candor on one Side, as I am fure it should be an Engagement to cultivate it on the other, that fo many of the Reverend Clergy of the Establishment, as well as other Perfons of Diftinction in it, have favoured this Undertaking with their Encouragement. To them, and all my other Friends, I return my most hearty Thanks; and hall remember, that the Regard they have been pleafed to express to it, obliges me to pursue the Remainder of the Work with the utmoft Care and Application; and earnestly intreat the farther Afiftance of their Prayers, that it may be conducted in a Manner fubfervient to the Honour of the Gospel, and the Edification of the Church. In thefe Volumes I have been defirous to express my Gratitude to the Subfcribers, by Sparing nothing in my Power, which might render the Work acceptable to them, both with respect to its Contents, and its Form.. The Confequence of this is, that it hath fwelled to a Number of Sheets, which by more than a third Part exceeds what I promised in the Propofals; which, tho' at a great Expence, I chofe to permit, rather than E would either fink the Paper and Character beneath the Specimen, or omit fome Remarks in the Notes, which appeared to me of Moment,. and rofe in my Mind while I was tranfcribing them. But I hope this large Addition to what was at firft expected, will excufe my not com plying with the Importunity of fome of my Friends, who have requested, that I would introduce this Work with a Differtation on fuck Points: Jewish Antiquity, as might be ferviceable for the fuller understanding the New Teftament, or with a Difcourfe on its Genuineness, Credi bility, Infpiration, and Ufe. As PREFACE. As to the first of these, (a compendious View of fuch Articles of Jewith Antiquity, as may be a proper Introduction to the critical Study of Scripture,) I do with great Pleasure refer the Generality of Readers, and young Students, to the general Preface to the Pruffian Teftament, published by Meff. L'Enfant and Beaufobre; which Preface was fome Years fince tranflated into English, and fuits the Purpose, better than any Thing I have feen within fo fmall a Compass. As to the latter, I purpose, if GOD permit, when I have finished the Second Volume, to publish with another Edition of my Three Sermons on the Evidences of Christianity, two or three Difcourfes more on the Infpiration of the New Teftament, and on its Ufefulness, especially that of the Evangelical Hiftory; to which I may perhaps add fome farther Directions for the most profitable Manner of reading it. At prefent I shall only add, that daily Experience convinces me more and more, that as a thousand Charms difcover themselves in the Works of Nature, when attentively viewed with Glaffes, which had escaped the naked Eyes fo our Admiration of the Holy Scriptures will rife, in Proportion to the Accuracy, with which they are ftudied. As for thefe Hiftories and Difcourfes of CHRIST, I may Jay of them, with far greater Fuftice, what Simplicius doth of Epictetus, in the Paffage, of which my Motto is a Part, and with which I shall conclude my Preface: "The Words themselves are generally plain and intelligible; "but I have endeavoured thus to unfold them, that my own Heart might "be more deeply impressed with the Spirit and Certainty of them, and that others, who have not themfelves equal Advantage for entering into it, might be guided into their true Interpretation. But if, on the whole, any Reader continue entirely unaffected with them, there is little ProSpect that any Thing will reclaim him till he come to the Tribunal of "the invifible World. *" * Και είσι μεν οι λόγοι σαφείς ο χειρον δε ίσως, κατα το δυνατον διαπτύσειν αύτες. Ο τε γαρ γράφων, συμπαθέτερος τε αμα προς αυτός γενησείαι, και της αληθείας αυτων καλανοπλικώτερος και των φιλομαθων οι προς λογος ασύνηθες εροι, ισως εξεσι τινα χειραγωγίαν εκ της ερμηνείας αυλων Ει δε τις υπο τόλων μη πάχη των λόγων, υπό μονων αν των εν αδο δικαστηρίων υπευθυνθείη Simplic. in Epictet. Proem. Northampton, A TABLE |