cannot always be ascertained, c. it is often indefinite and Toλúrnuos, d. the writer himself often recedes from it. Yet it is always to be joined with other means of ascertaining the sense.

4. It is important to remark, that there is a certain common sense, or mode of thinking, feeling, judging, and speaking, which belongs to every community, and which may be learned from the character and mental habits of the people. It is evident that the knowledge of this kind of common sentiment of a people, must throw great light upon the meaning of their expressions.-See,

Turrettin de Interpretatione Scripturæ Sacræ, p. 249. and below, chap. 6.

5. The context is either continued or interrupted; the former is immediate, or more or less remote.

In the immediatè context, is to be considered, a. the mutual relation of subject and attribute, and in considering this point it must be observed whether the expression be figurative or not, b. the connexion between epithets and the words to which they are applied, c. the relation of the cases, d. the use of the prepositions, conjunctions, and other particles, e. the definitions added by the author, f. the opposition of the different members of the sentence.

The less remote context, is the series and relation of several united propositions. This connexion is perceived by the use of the conjunctions. In many discourses, however, the several propositions are disconnected.

The more remote context is the connexion of all the several parts of the passage-which is perceived, from the character, the subjects, and sentences, and from the mode in which the connexion is effected.

On the interrupted context, see the following chapter. We must be careful not to be deceived, by the present interpunction, or division into greater or lesser sections.

K

This subject, however, belongs more properly to criticism—See,

Abresch. Spec. Anim. in Ep. ad Hebr. III, p. 398.

The helps hitherto enumerated, have reference to the grammatical sense.

6. The sense in which particular expressions are to be understood, is very often decided by the design, of the author in the whole book, or in any particular portion of it. This design is more or less clearly indicated by the author himself, or it may be gathered from the occasion of his writing, from history, or from a careful examination of the books or passages themselves. The design, however, cannot always be determined with equal clearness.

7. The nature of the subject and opinions or ideas, frequently indicates, that a certain sense may, and often that it must, be attributed to the words of the author. And the logical connexion of his propositions also serves to shew in what way he wishes to be understood.

In examining the nature of the subject and ideas, with the view of determining the sense, it is to be observed, whether the passage under examination is expressed in popular or in philosophical language. The connexion of the several parts of a discourse, or of an entire work, is not always as strict as in the present regular and systematic method of writing. Frequently nothing more than probability as to the connexion can be attained.

These remarks belong to the logical sense.

8. The sense in which an author's words are to be taken, may often be learned, from the history of the time. and place in which he lived and wrote, from the opinions, studies, manners, customs, and mode of teaching, then prevalent; from the occasion on which he wrote, from the character of those to whom his writings were addressed, from the historical events of his age, and from similar

sources.

Turrettin de Interpretatione SS. p. 371.

Keil Prog. quoted above, and Bauer. Herm. 97.

The interpreter, therefore, should be well acquainted with, and frequently consult,

a. The civil history of the Jews and Romans of that period, and also geography and chronology.

b. The manners and customs of the Jews, and other Oriental nations, (archæology, derived from pure and ancient sources.)

F. Stosch Compendium archæologiæ œconomica N. T., Lips. 1799. 8. c. The various sects which existed among the Jews, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.

Stauedlin. Gesch. d. Sittenl. Jesu I, p. 420. ss. 570.

E. Bengel Bemerkungen über den Versuch das Christ. aus dem Essaismus abzuleiten.

D. Flatt Magazin f. Chr. Dogm. VII, p. 4.

The Samaritans.

Bruns über die Samariten.

Stauedlin. Beitr. z. Philos. Gesch. d. Rel. I, p. 78. ss.

The Sabæins, that is, the disciples of John.

T. III.

Michaelis Introd. II, 1140. ss.

Norberg Comm. de rel. et lingua Sabæorum in Commentatt. Soc. Gött.

Walch de Sabæis ib. T. IV.-Bruns über die Johannis Christen nach Abraham Echellensis, in Paulus Memor. III, 51. ss.

Th. C. Tychsen über die Religions Schriften der Sabier oder Johannischristen.

Stauedlin. Beytr. II, 289. ss. III, 1. ss. V, 208. ss. 236. ss.

Augusti Introd. ad vers. epp. catholicarum Part, I. 1801.

d. The opinions, laws, philosophy and expectations of the Jews, arising out of their religion and their peculiar circumstances. The requisite information upon these subjects, is to be obtained from the apocryphal writings of the Jews and Christians, from Philo, Josephus, the late Jewish writers, and from our own Sacred Scriptures.

J. E. C. Schmidt Bibl. für Kritik und Exeg. des N. Test. und älteste Christengesch. I. Band, 1787, II, B.

Beyträge zur histor. Interpretation des N. Test. aus den damals herrschenden Zeitbegriffen. von Otmar dem zweyten, Henke Neues Mag. III, 201. ss. IV. 23. ss.

On the books whence the opinions, and forms of expression, prevalent during the age in which our Saviour appeared, and in that part of the world, may be most advantageously learned-see,

Gurlitt Spec. II. Animadverss. in auct. vett. p. 22.

e. The method adopted by the Jewish doctors, in their instructions.

Gu. Chr. G. Weise diss. de more domini acceptos a magistris Judd. loquendi ac disserendi modos sapienter emendandi, Vit. 1792, and in the Commentt. Theoll. edd. a Velthusen, &c. V, p. 117. ss.

f. The natural history of Palestine and the adjacent countries..

J. W. Drasdo Pr. de justa rerum naturæ scientia sanctioris disciplinæ cultoribus utilissima, Vit. 1788.

A. Fr. Michaelis d. de studio hist. nat. præstantissimo theol. tractandæ discendæque adjumento. Vit. 1790.

Cph. Fr. Jacobi d. de physica, sacrorum librorum interpretationis administra, Hal. 1746. 4.

g. Those circumstances of a historical character, which relate to the book we wish to examine. As for example; its author; the person who is introduced as speaking (Rom. VII); what his character and circumstances were, and what his state of mind, as exhibited in the passage under consideration; with what design, upon what occasion, at what time, in what place, and with what feelings the author wrote; what person he sustained, his own, or that of others; (Rom. VII, 7. ss.) to whom, he wrote or spake. As to this last point, we must not place much confidence in the subscriptions at the close of many of the epistles, but must appeal to better authority, and especially to the indications to be observed in the book itself.

Baumgarten. Unterricht, 3. Hauptst. von den. histor. Umständen Sect.

36. ss.

Chr. Theoph. Zeizeri Epist. ad Maur. Gu. Schelsier, Zwiecav. 1782. -Jr. Fr. Reuss resp. Plank d. theol. de canone hermen. quo scripturam per scripturam interpretari jubemur. Tub. 1774. 4.

For the

Thus much belongs to the means of determining the historical sense. All the means, however, which have been here enumerated, are to be united, to discover the true sense of a passage, and this sense is one. allegorical sense should be referred, to the grammatical, the mystical, (if such a sense be admitted) to the historical, the moral or practical to the explanation rather than the interpretation of the true sense.

1. Negative rules.

a. No sense should be admitted, which is plainly at variance with the usus loquendi.

b. A sense, inconsistent with the nature of the subject cannot be correct.

c. A frigid sense, or one foreign to the design of the author, should be rejected.

d. A sense, which contradicts the series of the discourse, is not to be attributed to the words.

2. Positive rules.

a. The sense, which is indicated by all the sources of information already pointed out, or by the greater part of them, is alone correct.

b. The sense, which is supported by parallel passages, is to be preferred to every other.

III. Particular care will be requisite, in determining the sense, in those cases in which more than usual copiousness or brevity is employed. In either case, however, it will be of great assistance, to observe with diligence, the familiar and customary phraseology of the author. Although there may be considerable obscurity, yet that sense, which ap