passions. Vain is the expectation to arrive at truth without His gracious guidance, or to be fed with the rich viands of heaven from the table of our own poverty. I am quite persuaded, that we shall never be penetrated with an abiding sense of the wisdom of thus putting ourselves directly under the tuition of God, until we receive his Spirit in answer to prayer. Do we supplicate at the footstool of mercy? the mind is enlightened, and the honest determination formed. Do we cease to pray? the soul is covered with the sable curtain of unbelief; it loses the attributes of honesty and humility; the motives are complex and corrupt.

Where then is the student of Scripture, who habitually searches the sacred volume with a sincere and steady desire to know the will of the Most High? Such an one is truly illuminated. To him, the paltry motives of petty theologians are unknown. He searches, not to defend a favourite system, or to woo the perishing praise of men by ingenious opinions, but to discover the solemn and sublime truths unfolded by God for the salvation of men. His heart is touched with the torch of heaven; and it requires no prophetic vision to foresee, that he will succeed in his researches. He will be infallibly guided into the way of truth, righteousness, and peace. The word of God will become plainer as he reads, obscurities gradually vanishing from its surface before the strength of heavenly principle. The great mountain will become a plain. Things inexplicable to the tortuous mind will develop themselves to the eye of enlightened faith and earnest expectation. Humble submission to the teaching of Heaven will usher the dominion and dignity of truth into the soul. Such are the results of the attitude of mind to which I would seek to call attention. Those who wish to be good interpreters must obtain it. The Holy Spirit is willing to bestow it, in answer to prayer; and present duty urges to ask its bestowment. Perhaps some cherish the secret wish, that the result of their inquiries may tend to the upholding of a system, or the honour of a creed; and are even uneasy lest fundamental investigations shake the theological structure they have been wont to admire. But such possess not the moral frame recommended by sanctified reason. They long like Israel after the flesh-pots of Egypt. We want every student to banish these unworthy conceptions, and to become the sincere follower of Jesus. Come and learn of me, is His invitation to all-thus shall ye find rest to your souls. Approach with reverential awe and prayerful spirit. Expect that your doubts will

dissolve in the clear light of His countenance ;-that the promise of rest will be fulfilled in deliverance from perplexity. Were this moral preparation contemplated in its preeminent desirableness, and humbly sought by every professed interpreter, the creeds of churches would exhibit fewer diversities.

But some are desirous to know the will of God, and averse to obey it. They approve of it in theory, but not in practice. They survey it as a beautiful portrait which cannot exert a permanent influence on the conduct, or infuse into the bosom a vigorous current. Now the interpreter must be persuaded in his own mind to follow the will of Jehovah, as far as he discovers it in the Scriptures. Knowledge without piety is not sufficient. Let there be a combination of both.. To stop short with the former, is to disobey the commandment of God, and to exclude the soul from the element of its own safety. "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God." Consistent walking with God has a mighty influence on the religious faith. How many set out with atheism in their lives, and become infidel in their opinions, deriving fuel from practical ungodliness to feed the unholy flame that burns up every sound principle! It is no uncommon thing to witness extensive knowledge without corresponding practice, as though we were designed to be creatures of dry intellect- beings devoid of practical energy or devoted holiness. But the Bible brings us into contact with holy men, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. To understand their language, we must be holy ourselves; else we may be ready to exclaim, Ye bring strange things to our ears, - a new doctrine, which we cannot understand. What communion of soul can the selfish sinner have with the sacred writers ? To understand the poet's creations, we must be imbued with a poetic taste, and enter into the very conceptions of the man of genius whose productions we admire. So is it with other studies. To comprehend or relish the profound speculations of the mental philosopher, we must imbibe a kindred spirit of investigation, and go with ardour to the examination of his works. And thus too with the sacred interpreter. He comes into the society of holy men and high themes. He ascends into a region of hallowed purity, where eternal truth reigns. How then can such companionship be suited to the apprehension of him who cherishes. no sincere determination to follow the leadings of perfect good

* John vii. 17.

ness? He cannot hope to be initiated into the full sense of the Scriptures, if his heart be not open to receive the lessons of supreme wisdom; and if the spirit of obedience be absent. A current of holy feeling pervades the Bible; and holy in the bosom must be the current of feeling which commingles with it. Between the genius of the Bible and the ungodly man there is no cementing element. He is amazed at the strangeness and frequent repulsiveness of the precepts he meets with. He perceives not their meaning, because he does not heartily love it. Just as in nature two bodies repel each other; so does the mental element of ungodliness shrink back from the spiritual revelations of heaven, refusing to sympathise with their quickening power. But the determination of the godly to act according to the ascertained meaning of the divine will, is with them a habitual purpose. As they believe, so do they live and move. Their consistent, conscientious desire is, to submit in all things to the dictates of divine revelation.

This is the great secret of the success of many interpreters who are not furnished with much learning, viz. a steady determination to receive doctrines as principles intimately connected with their well-being. On the contrary, it is not difficult to account for the failure of some, who heap together stores of erudition, whilst they are neglectful of the necessity of entire conformity to the standard of righteousness. They who never possessed a treasure cannot estimate its value aright. Men without spiritual relish for the things that are written, cannot open up to others beauties unperceived by themselves.

The mind tinges language with its own colours. If, therefore, it be corrupted by vicious habits, or pernicious dogmas, the purity of revelation is tarnished. When systems of philosophy are the standard by which it measures the word of God; or when reason alone decides in matters of faith, it is easy to perceive that the consequences will be detrimental to the meaning of Scripture. A distorted mind imparts ambiguity to diction where no obscurity exists; or disputes about the signification of words which an ingenuous mind sees in the light of its own simplicity. All hunting after ingenious novelties or recondite meanings, discovers a spirit corrupted by the artificial employments of life, by the metaphysical subtleties of scholastic theology, or by a fancied superiority seeking to display its own acumen. It has often been a subject of surprise, that conflicting opinions should be founded

on the same words, and derived from the same passage. Men not deficient in judgment or slow in perception take opposite views of paragraphs not obscure in themselves. But were the moral qualification to which we have adverted sufficiently insisted on, the wonder should soon abate. When reflecting indeed on the promise," and they shall be all taught of God," we may well marvel that Christians disagree so widely in their expositions of Scripture, and consequently in their notions respecting faith and duty. But such diversities arise because the promise is not realised. We are shut up to the conviction that prayer is mightily overlooked; else the great Teacher of the church would produce greater similarity in the sentiments of brethren. We refer not to such persons as are virtually under the power of Satan, and whose eyes the god of this world has blinded; but to the true professors of Christianity translated into the kingdom of light. Perhaps even they depend too much on their own fancies, in proportion to their want of earnest importunity in supplicating the Spirit's guidance. Holy humility is an effectual preparation for learning many a lesson as to the meaning of the word, which all the aids of human learning, and all the commentaries of men could not avail to impart. Every right-hearted student will probably admit, that many painful researches might have sooner and successfully terminated, had he relied with simpler faith on God himself, and banished the selfishness which stood in the way of his true seeking. Were the old man more crucified, the promise" and they shall be all taught of God" would have greater effect.

Such is the moral furniture which it behoves the interpreter to bring to the Bible. It includes belief in a divine revelation, humility, candour, simplicity, teachableness, and purity, with habitual prayer to the Spirit, from whom proceed all holy desires. These attributes and acts are implied in "a singleness of desire to know the mind of God, with a sincere and steady determination to obey it ;" and whoever agrees to the description is so far well equipped for exegetical labour. It is of much importance that the heart should be cultivated equally with the understanding; that it should be taught to feel aright, and to enter into the full experience of the operations which sacred writ describes as taking place in the world of thought within. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."

We are disposed to attribute the miserable character of the

German interpretation to the neglect of divine teaching, and an undue confidence in human wisdom. Too seldom dreaming of spiritual illumination, or looking up to God for his gracious assistance, they set about the task of sacred exegesis as they would undertake to ascertain the meaning of a heathen author. With their apparatus of grammars and lexicons, they come to the Bible as to Homer or Herodotus; believing that they have nothing to do except to use the same appliances. But thus an essential element in the interpreter's success is overlooked. They are loaded with a cumbrous burden that cannot, with all its value, lead to satisfactory results apart from a higher treasure. Accordingly, we see admirable investigations of single words and phrases produced by a kind of mechanical process from the grammar and lexicon, or from the ulterior sources to which these works themselves are indebted; but the soul and spirit of the sacred writings is unapprehended. A habit of analytical investigation—a love of novelty or of ingenuity, gives birth to speculations highly refined; whilst there is no comprehensive survey of the pages of revelation on which the mind of the believer can dwell with delight. What avails it, that the interpreter is so richly furnished with the results of learning as to enumerate the varying opinions of writers, and point out their defects, if he be unable to infuse life into the one meaning intended by the Holy Spirit? The mind of the German delights to feed as it were on husks, neglecting the nutritious and abundant aliment of the Father of spirits. It loves to trace out analogies, but rests not on the Source who alone can impart a sanctified perception of the connexion and symmetry of revelation. He devotes his labours to the petty peculiarities that afford no solid nutriment to the hungry soul of the sinner. We fear that he prays not heartily for that divine teaching which may enable him to apply his varied learning with success, by seizing upon the force of living truth. His heart has not been warmed to feel the fervour of divine love, or his pride humbled to seat him low at the Redeemer's feet. Else why do not expressions of gratitude and praise to the great Author of revelation occasionally burst forth with utterances of profound humility in view of the deep things of God? What invaluable furniture is given to the interpreter, when he receives a spirit of submission to the authoritative teaching of Jehovah! Speak of external helps to him who believes in the omnipotence of intellect; or of inward resources to him whose mind is stored with