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to the New has as little binding force for our belief as for our life. A dogma which can be supported only by an appeal to the Old Testament can only maintain its place in Christian dogmatics if it manifestly does not conflict with the letter and spirit of the New, and also stands in close connexion with other propositions derived from the New Testament." 99 1

both Testa

Every distinct portion of Scripture, whether in the Old or the New Testament, must, indeed, be interpreted in har- one and the mony with its own peculiar character, and the historical same spirit in standpoint of each writer must be duly considered. ments. The Old Testament cannot be truly apprehended without always regarding its relation to Israel, to whom it was first intrusted (Rom. iii, 2). And while it is true that "the letter of the Old Testament must be tested by the spirit of the New," it is equally true that, to understand the spirit and import of the New Testament, we are often dependent on both the letter and spirit of the Old. It may be that no important doctrine of the Old Testament is without. confirmation in the Christian Scriptures, but it is also to be remembered that every important doctrine of the New Testament may be found in germ in the Old, and the New Testament writers were all, without exception, Jews or Jewish proselytes, and made use of the Jewish Scriptures as oracles of God.

Hebrew and Ar

yan modes of

A correct view of this whole subject is taken when we regard the Hebrew people as of old divinely chosen to hold Confusion of and teach the principles of true religion. It was not theirs to develop science, philosophy, and art. Other thought. races attended more to these. It was not until the mystery of God, enclosed in the Israelitish worship as the bud, blossomed out in the Gospel, and was given to the Aryan world, that a systematic theology began to be developed. These Gentile peoples had long been trying, by reason and from nature, to solve the mysterious problems of the universe, and when the Gospel revelation came to them, it was eagerly seized by many as a clue to the intricate and perplexing secrets of God and the world. But a failure to apprehend the letter and spirit of the Hebrew records of faith led also to a failure. to understand some of the doctrines of the Gospel, so that, from the apostolic age until now, there has been a conflict of Gnostic and Ebionitish tendencies in Christian thought. It is only as a correct scientific method enables us to distinguish between the true and the false in each of these tendencies that we shall perceive that the revelations of both Testaments are essentially one and inseparable. There can be, therefore, no complete and thorough hermeneutics of

1 Christian Dogmatics, vol. i, p. 18. New York, 1874.

New Testament doctrine without a clear insight into the letter and spirit of the Old.

Practical and

Homiletical use of Scripture.

In the practical and homiletical use of the Scriptures we are also to seek first the true grammatico-historical sense. The life of godliness is nourished by the edifying, comforting, and assuring lessons of divine revelation. They serve also, as we have seen, for reproof and correction. But in this more subjective and practical use of the Bible, words and thoughts may have a wider and more general application than in strict exegesis. Commands and counsels which had their first and only direct reference to those of bygone generations may be equally useful for us. An entire chapter, like that of Rom. xvi, filled with personal salutations for godly men and women now utterly unknown, may furnish many most precious suggestions of brotherly love and holy Christian fellowship. The personal experiences of Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, and Paul exhibit lights and shades from which every devout reader may gather counsel and admonition. Pious feeling may find in such characters and experiences lessons of permanent worth even where a sound exegesis must disallow the typical character of the person or event. In short, every great event, every notable personage or character, whether good or evil, every account of patient suffering, every triumph of virtue, every example of faith and good works, may serve in some way for instruction in righteousness.'

Promises, ad

The promises of divine oversight and care, the hopes and pledges set before the holy men of old, and all exhortations to monitions, and watchfulness and prayer, may have manifold practical warnings. applications to Christians of every age. The same may be said of all the ancient warnings and appeals to escape the coming wrath of God which had primary reference to impending judgments. The carelessness and disobedience of those who lived in the days of Noah are a lively admonition and warning to all men of

1 The Bible constantly presents general principles, absolute commandments, and living examples, but it never applies these principles to human actions as recorded upon its pages. This is left to the enlightened conscience and thoughtful judgment of the reader. It is God's will that we should meditate upon all Scripture, and make ourselves the moral application. The Bible records the pious obedience and simple and singular faith of Noah, but makes no comment upon it; and it relates the story of his shame when overcome by his appetite without a note of warning. Abraham is sometimes called the friend of God, and is styled in Scripture the father of them that believe. His marvellous simplicity of character, and unfaltering trust in God, are fully described in the sacred word, and without note of comment or excuse the stories of his deceit are also written out.-Pierce, The Word of God Opened, p. 77. New York, 1868.

every age who follow worldly things alone, and have no care about their eternal destiny. All the New Testament admonitions to watch and be in constant readiness for the coming of the Lord are capable of a most legitimate practical application to believers now, in reference to the uncertainty of the hour of death. To say, as many modern Chiliasts, that such an application of the admonitions to prepare for the parousia is a perversion of the Scripture teaching, is most futile. The coming of the Lord to a believer at death, in order to transport his redeemed spirit to paradise, is not, to be sure, the parousia which Jesus declared would take place within a generation from his time. But as departure from this life puts an end to probation, and "inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that-judgment" (Heb. ix, 27), every motive which should have led men to prepare and watch for the judgment of the flood, and every exhortation for the contemporaries of Jesus and Paul to watch and be ready for the parousia, serve ever to admonish and warn us and all generations to be prepared for that day and hour when we must pass to eternal judgment of weal or woe. How much more sensible and forcible is this practical exhortation, the point and propriety of which all men must feel, than the visionary appeals of those expositors who would have us believe that we are now, any day and hour, to expect what Jesus said should take place within his own generation!

Pre-millennialists and post-millennialists have fallen into noticeable confusion in attempts to make such commands as "Watch therefore, for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh;" "Therefore, be ye also ready;" "Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour" (Matt. xxiv, 42, 44; xxv, 13), consistent with two thousand years' delay. Brown, indeed, concedes (Christ's Second Coming, p. 20) that "the death of any individual is, to all practical purposes, the coming of Christ to that soul. It is his summons to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. It is to him the close of time, and the opening of an unchanging eternity, as truly as the second advent will be to mankind at large." "There is a perfect analogy," he adds, "between the two classes of events. . . . Still, it is in the way of analogy alone that texts expressive of the one can or ought to be applied to the other. It can never be warranted, and is often dangerous to make that the primary and proper interpretation of a passage which is but a secondary, though it may be a very legitimate, and even irresistible, application of it.” All this is very correct, but Mr. Brown falls into the error of the Chiliasts themselves when he goes on to argue that all the New Testament admonitions and warnings which imply the nearness of

the parousia are consistent with centuries, and even millenniums, of delay. All those warnings and exhortations may be easily shown to have had their primary application and reference to the end of the pre-millennial age (æon), which took place at the fall of the temple and its cultus, and correct interpretation finds their primary and only direct reference to that event. But by way of manifest analogy, and in practical and homiletical use, they have a pertinent and impressive lesson to all generations of men. And it detracts from the force and usefulness of these texts to import into them an imaginary significance which they were never intended to bear. In all our private study of the Scriptures for personal edification we do well to remember that the first and great thing is to lay hold of the real spirit and meaning of the of Scripture to sacred writer. There can be no true application, and correct inter- no profitable taking to ourselves of any lessons of the pretation. Bible, unless we first clearly apprehend their original meaning and reference. To build a moral lesson upon an erroneous interpretation of the language of God's word is a reprehensible procedure. But he who clearly discerns the exact grammatico-historical sense of a passage, is the better qualified to give it any legitimate application which its language and context will allow.

Practical and

homiletical use

be based on

Accordingly, in homiletical discourse, the public teacher is bound to base his applications of the truths and lessons of the divine word upon a correct apprehension of the primary signification of the language which he assumes to expound and enforce. To misinterpret. the sacred writer is to discredit any application one may make of his words. But when, on the other hand, the preacher first shows, by a valid interpretation, that he thoroughly comprehends that which is written, his various allowable accommodations of the writer's words will have the greater force, in whatever practical applications he may give them.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF HERMENEUTICS.

ACOSTA, JOSEPH.-De vera scripturas interpretandi ratione libri tres.

A part of his work entitled De Christo revelato (Rome, 1590, 4to), and published also in the appendix of Menochius' Commentary on the Bible. Paris, 1719, and Venice, 1771.

AIKEN, C. A.-The Citations of the Old Testament in the New. Translated from the German of Tholuck, in Bibliotheca Sacra for July, 1854. ALBER, J. N.—Institutiones Hermeneuticae Scripturae Novi Testamenti. Pestini, 1818. 3 vols. 8vo.

Institutiones Hermeneuticae Scripturae Sacrae Veteris Testamenti. Pestini, 1827. 3 vols. 8vo.

ALEXANDER, ARCHIBALD. — Principle of Design in the Interpretation of
Scripture. Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review for July, 1845.
On Schools and Systems of Interpretation, see same Review for April, 1855.
ANGUS, JOSEPH.-The Bible Handbook. An Introduction to the Study of
Sacred Scripture. Many English and American editions. Revised with
Notes and Index of Scripture texts by F. S. Hoyt. Phila., 1868. 8vo.
Chapters iv-vii of Part First relate to Biblical Hermeneutics.

APTHORP, EAST.-Discourses on Prophecy. London, 1786. 2 vols. 8vo.
The second discourse (vol. i, pp. 49-106) discusses the Canons of Prophecy.
ARIGLER, ALTMAN.-Hermeneutica Biblica generalis usibus academicis ac-
commodata. Vienna, 1813. 8vo. See UNTERKIRCHER.

ARIZZARRA, F. HYACINTHE.-Elementa Sacrae Hermeneuticae, seu Institutiones ad Intelligentiam Sacrarum Scripturarum. Castrinovi Carfagnanæ, 1790. 4to.

ARNOLD, THOMAS.-Sermons chiefly on the Interpretation of Scripture. New edition. London, 1878. 8vo.

The last two sermons of the volume are on the Interpretation of Prophecy, and are accompanied with Notes and Appendices.

AST, F.-Grundlinien der Grammatik, Hermeneutik und Kritik. Landshut, 1808.

8vo.

AYRE, JOHN. See HORNE.

BARROWS, E. P.-A new Introduction to the Study of the Bible. Published by Religious Tract Society. London. 8vo.

Part Fourth of this work is devoted to the Principles of Biblical Interpretation, and contains in clear outline and compact form an excellent presentation of the fundamental principles of Hermeneutics.

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