manner recommends itself to the attention of those who make theology their study, who are desirous thoroughly to understand the books of their faith, and to explain them to others in their literal signification, as preparatory to the consideration of the sense contained, whether spiritual or allegorical, or whatever sense it may be besides the primary one; and who would vindicate them from the attacks of enemies, who assail them by those very weapons which can best be wielded in their defence. The verbal and critical interpretation may doubtless be, and has often been, perverted to the worst of purposes; but the arguments which are supplied by the abuse of it, however shallow and unfounded they may be in reality, can only be refuted by the knowledge and right application of its principles; and as long as such arguments stand unrefuted, they cannot fail to startle those who are unprepared to meet them. It is frequently easier to point out an apparent blemish, or to start a plausible objection, from which the most dangerous con sequences may be drawn to deceive the unwary, than it is to wipe away the stain or to counteract the unfairness of artful reasoning. Much unquestionably has been done in the critical department of theology in later times; and, in truth, all that is essentially necessary to elucidate the literal sense of the sacred records, or to support their authenticity and integrity by arguments dependent upon criticism, so as even to convince the gainsayers, has already been done, and done successfully. But it is necessary, that what has been done, or at least the essential part of it, should be known, and constantly renovated; and, it may be added, it is scarcely less necessary, that the theologian of the present day should endeavour to carry the knowledge he has received from his predecessors to still greater perfection in which endeavour, from the nature of knowledge in general, and the collective progressiveness of the human mind, he may in some degree be successful, without having any reason for disparaging their merit, or aggrandizing his own. : It is not sufficient to say, if any new theories, or old ones under new forms, should be broached, which are dangerous to any part of the system of Christianity, that these have been long since refuted it is necessary, that there should be those at all times, who are able not only to renew the arguments that have been applied before, but to supply others of their own, adapted to every error and to every modification of error which may present itself. Assuredly the state of the verbal and critical interpretation is not yet so perfect, as not to admit of improvement; and the occasions which call forth the assistance which it alone can furnish have of late not been unfrequent. Without the knowledge of its genuine sources, we should not be provided with a ready refutation of theories, like a recent one, which asserts that the Greek text of the New Testament is nothing more than an indifferent version from a Latin original. Without such knowledge we should have no effectual security against the violence that may be done to the sacred text by secta rians of different denominations, who would pervert or adapt its words to their own purposes, of which a Unitarian has recently given us an example. The verbal and critical interpretation of the New Testament, though not so fully developed as it afterwards was, proved the palladium of the Reformation, for which it had prepared the way by exposing the errors of the Romanists: the same, it is reasonable to hope, if it is founded upon sound principles, and conducted with that justness of sense which shall avoid the extremes of imagining too much and admitting too little, will still prove the detector of error, the guide to truth, and the safeguard of Protestant orthodoxy. SERMON V. Preached at Christ Church, Feb. 6, 1825. 2 TIMOTHY ii. 15. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. THAT the true sense and doctrine of the New Testament may be obtained from any authorized translation in such a manner as sufficiently to answer all the purposes of theological discussion, is an opinion which hardly any of those who have directed their attention to this subject could at the present day be found to defend. It is scarcely necessary, therefore, even to allude to the possibility of such supposition before those, who would, if the supposition were well founded, be constrained to set aside as useless much that they have long and |