every thing that is "hard to be understood," to save themselves the trouble of interpreting it ;should they seek to preserve their hearers from the danger attendant on the Gospel truths, by omitting to "declare to them all the counsel of God."

And, after all, no such security as is sought can ever be found; where there is true coin, there will always be counterfeit in circulation :there is no truth in the world that has not some error very much resembling it: there is no virtue but there is a corresponding vice that apes its appearance: there is no right principle, in Scripture or any where else, that may not by the unlearned be "wrested to their own. destruction." Some will do this with the truths of Scripture, in spite of all our care; but there is this difference; that he who studies and leads others to study the whole word of God, as his inspired servants have left it, have at least good reason to hope, that he and they, may, through God's Spirit, attain truth without error; whereas he who confines himself to a part of the Scriptures, and that too, a part which (it is plain from what has been just said) cannot contain

the whole truth of the Gospel, and who wilfully disregards the teaching of him whose " Gospel was not after man; neither received of man, nor taught, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ;" such an one is sure to be wrong, and to lead others wrong if they are guided by him and he is fully answerable both for his own errors and for theirs he makes the experiment at his own peril; and on his own head must be the inevitable consequence of rejecting an acknowledged revelation of Jesus Christ.

And he must also bear the blame even of the errors into which others may lead his hearers. If they chance to listen to some wild antinomian fanatic, who cites perpetually texts from Paul, which they have never heard differently explained, how can it be expected that they should perceive and avoid the error? They know that Paul's writings are admitted as canonical and inspired; and they have not been taught that his language will bear any other interpretation than what they hear given; and the silence of their own pastor on the subject will have afforded them a presumption that he can suggest no other interpretation. And thus the wolf will

scatter and devour the flock which their shepherd has forsaken.

It is not, however, on the dangers to be apprehended from such a procedure, and the expediency of an opposite course, that I wish principally to dwell. I would rather advert to the principles laid down in the preceding Essay. Supposing we were in any case quite sure that no fanatical sectaries would arise to take advantage of our omission or neglect of this Apostle's writings, should we then be justified in thus guarding against apprehended evils by keeping out of sight the instructions he was commissioned by his Master to deliver ?—in taking such liberties with the Gospel as to modify and fashion it according to our views, and virtually to expunge from the record of God's revelations what we chance to think unnecessary? Have we a right, in short, even to entertain the question concerning expediency, instead of considering simply what is the Truth as declared by

This is the remark, almost verbatim, of an eminent divine (now occupying a high station in the church) in a conversation with the author, on the subject of the present Essay.

divine inspiration, and resolving, at all events, to follow the truth?

§ 3. It is necessary to observe, however, that there is a way of evading the force of all that has been hitherto urged :-a plan which certainly may be, and I fear in some instances has been, resorted to, for nullifying in effect, without professing to oppose, every argument that has been adduced. And it is this: to extol Paul's writings, and exhort men to the diligent study of them; urging at the same time (what no one can deny) the importance of interpreting them rightly; and insisting on a preliminary course of study, without which no one is even to enter on the perusal of them; and then to make this preparation consist in a thorough acquaintance with such a list of books, as even those professionally devoted to theological pursuits cannot be expected to master without the assiduous labour of several years. No plan could be devised more effectual (were it generally adopted) for making Paul's epistles a sealed book to all but about one in ten thousand of the Christian world. For supposing even all the Clergy, nay, even all candidates for ordina

tion, to have gone through this preparatory course of study, the same could not be expected of the laity, except a small portion of the educated classes. And the benefits, whatever they might be, of this preparation, would, after all, be confined to those few who had gone through it. They indeed, if they were careful not even to open these epistles till their minds were sufficiently biassed by a great mass of human commentaries and disquisitions, would doubtless be prepared to understand them very differently from what they would have done on another system; (whether better or worse is not now the question) but they would not after all be qualified to expound this writer to their flocks, nor authorized to recommend the perusal of him; for these would be, by the hypothesis, unfit to enter on the study of his epistles, or to comprehend any exposition of them. And if the principle were consistently followed up, it would soon be remarked that the mass of unlearned Christians are not duly prepared for the thorough comprehension even of the rest of Scripture; so that we should speedily arrive at the very point so earnestly contended for by the Romanists against the