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That these few hints may call the attention of Christians to this important subject, is the sincere wish of CHRISTIANA.

THE TRUE METHOD OF STUDYING THE BIBLE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN.

SIR, I KNOW not how I could more usefully occupy one or two of your pages, than by a notice of an edition of the Bible which has lately issued from the Oxford press. As to externals, it is handsomely executed; it contains an excellent selection of marginal references, its size is not inconvenient for the pocket, and its price is so low as eight shillings. These are its principal features, and they require only to be known to make it the pocket companion of every sincere student of the word of God.

The Bible may be studied in two ways,-either by the help of commentaries, or by a collation and comparison of its different parts. The former method, while it has advantages which ought to be appreciated, is liable to many objections. It is too expensive to be generally useful among the poorer classes of society, and it is in the humbler walks of life that we find the majority of our most careful readers of the sacred page. Besides, from the comparatively little attention which it is possible for voluminous expositors to afford to any particular text, their remarks are frequently the effusions of the moment, and not the result of degree and patient examination. Accordingly, when we betake ourselves to commentaries for an explanation of some difficult passage, we are not unfrequently driven about from folio to folio until, after being told again and again what we knew before, while the information we are in quest of seems carefully concealed, we give up the search in fatigue and disappointment. Nor is this all. It is the avowed object of some expositors, and the practice of the majority, to quote the conflicting sentiments of their predecessors, and then to leave the reader to make his choice. Now to say nothing of the cold indifference about the true meaning of Scripture which this not unfrequently implies, it is suffi ciently condemned by the fact, that it defeats its own object. It may be useful to those who wish to be acquainted with the opinions of different writers, but it bewilders the

simple inquirer after truth. Instead of establishing his belief in the true sense of the text, it goes far to establish a belief that the text has no sense whatever.

The other method of studying Scripture is liable to none of these objections. By the edition of the Bible under notice, it has been rendered cheap and convenient. And it is as satisfactory as it is easy of access. Search the folios of human expositors, and you will be involved in uncertainty, and taught to doubt rather than to believe; refer to parallel texts, and in them you have the comment of a divine expositor, simple, clear infallible. Here is the ground on which the Christian feels himself secure. Here is the foundation on which alone he thinks it safe to build.

There is a strong tendency in man to read and study any thing but the pure word of God. This, indeed, may appear strange to some of your readers. Surely, it may be said, "when Jehovah speaks from heaven, the earth is all attention. When light breaks forth from the eternal throne, surely man will not shut his eyes. When the pearl of great price has been thrown down from God, surely we will not refuse to stoop and lift it." These are plausible reflections, but they are founded on a total ignorance of human nature. Notwithstanding the paramount claims of the Scriptures to our most diligent and patient research, the fact is, that there is scarcely a book in the world we are so reluctant to peruse. Now this re.. luctance, it is much to be feared, is cherished by the first method of studying the Bible, whereas by the second it is beat down, if not eradicated.

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Has it ever occurred to you, that the two ways of investigating the book of Revelation, are analogous to the two principal ways which have been employed in investigating the book of nature? Formerly philosophy consisted chiefly of comments on the various detached phenomena around us and within us. In modern times, however, these phenomena have been brought together, compared, and classified according to their common qualities. The former method, I need scarcely say, was found totally unsuccessful, and therefore it was relinquished; whereas the latter has been eminently useful in enlarging the boundaries of human knowledge, and contributing to the comforts and conveniences of life. The conclusion is obvious. If we would bring the experience of ages in the

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study of natural science to bear upon the study of spiritual science, we must not examine the Bible solely by the help of comments on its detached and isolated parts; but we must bring these parts together, and draw from the comparison those lessons which may be suggested for the regulation of our faith and practice. If the only successful way of investigating the book of nature is to compare natural things with natural, surely it is reasonable to conclude, that the only successful way of investigating the book of Revelation is to compare spiritual things with spiritual."

There is another advantage connected with this method of studying the Bible, which ought not to be overlooked. In teaching a child, the only way of overcoming his carelessness and aversion, is to get his reasoning powers called into exercise. Make him think and judge at every step of his progress, and you will have less cause to complain of idleness or sloth. His task, from being a toil, will be changed into a pleasure, and his tuition will become agreeable both to himself and to his teacher. And what are we all but learners? Let us therefore apply to the instruction of ourselves the same principles, which we would find it necessary to apply in the instruction of others. If we convert our study of the Bible, if study it could be called, into a mere exercise of memory, we will find the task heavy and irksome;-it is impossible, according to the established laws of our nature, that it could be otherwise; but if we employ our judgments and our reasoning faculties, this, by God's blessing, will become most interesting and pleasant. In this point of view, the plan of searching the Scriptures, by the help of marginal references, is entitled to a most decided preference.

Hoping that this communication may be the means of turning the attention of some of your readers to the true method of enriching themselves with sacred truth, and to an edition of the Bible which will assist them in the adoption of this method, I am, &c. &c.

M.

EXPLANATION OF THEIR PRINCIPLES, BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

As some parts of the plan of education committed to the commissioners, to be by them carried into effect, have, as

it appears, been misunderstood, the commissioners beg to submit the sense in which they have understood and acted upon the instructions given in the letter of the Chief Secretary for Ireland.

I. In giving a controul to individual members of the Board over books to be used in the particular religious instruction of different denominations of pupils, the Board do not understand that it was the intention of his Majesty's Government, either to claim for themselves, or to vest in the commissioners any controul over the use of the sacred Scriptures, or over the standards of the Established Churches of England or of Scotland, or of the Roman Catholic Church, but only over books composed by private authors; and that the controul over these is required merely for the purpose of checking the introduction of hooks of injurious tendency.

II. The Board do not understand that it is imperative upon them to edit all books used in the schools receiving grants from them, but that they are at liberty to sanction such books as may previously be in use in schools, in behalf of which applications are made, or such as may be preferred by the local patrons and conductors of schools, provided that they find nothing objectionable in them. Under this view of the duty assigned to them, they require a list of the books used in schools which they are requested to aid, ond have already sanctioned the school-books issued by the Kildare-place Society; and also, after certain alterations, the books issued by the Catholic Book Society. The Board have never conceived that it would be expedient to render the use of any particular book or books absolutely imperative.

III. The Board understand that the control over teachers of schools is vested primarily in their local patrons and conductors; and that the power required by Government to be conceded to the Board, of fining and dismissing teachers, is to be exercised only in the case of such local patrons and conductors, after receiving grants, seeking to protect teachers in violating the rules of the Board, or retaining teachers found on trial to be incompetent.

IV. The Board understand that they are to require a permanent submission to its regulations only in those cases in which grants have been made towards the erection of school-houses to be vested in trustees according to the direction of Government; and that in school-houses receiving occasional or annual grants, such as salaries for the teachers, &c. they are to require submission to their regulations during the period for which grants' are made.

V. By encouraging the pastors of different denominations to give religious instruction to the children of their respective flocks, the Board understand merely affording to such pastors facility of access to the pupils at the time specified, and not employing and remunerating them: and they understand that the parents and guardians of the children are to determine to what denomination they respectively belong-the Board taking no cognizance of the matter.

VI.-The Board understand that the times for religious instruction are to be determined by the local patrons and conductors of schools; the power vested in the Board on that subject being merely to see that at least one day in the week is set apart for the purpose. They also understand, that the religious instruction given may or may not be in the

sehool-room, the choice of the place being left to the pastors of the children; but that liberty is to be secured to them to assemble the children of their respective flocks in the school room, if they see fit.

VII.-The Board understand that they are not, in ordinary cases, to exercise any control over the use of the school-rooms on Sundays; that control being left to the local conductors of the schools; but that if any use be made of them, tending to contention, on a well-founded complaint between adverse parties, it is competent for the Board to interfere, for the purpose of remedying the evil.

The foregoing we take to be the strongest effort the Board can make to varnish over the defects and deformities of their system. By some such document they, or their patrons, deceived the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; by a similar statement we were betrayed into the hope announced in our last Number; and now, having tried their hand and proved their partial success in gulling the public mind, they seemed determined to persevere, in hopes of a complete victory over the Bible system of education. We pity, from our hearts, the men who are tied down to drudge in this system of deception. We like to call things by their right names; and therefore there are some parts in the foregoing documents that we must denominate either cunning evasions or downright untruths. For instance, in paragraph 1st, when we are told that they did not "understand the intentions of Government, &c. This must, at best, be an evasion, and a miserable one too; for what know we, or can we know, about intentions?-We know the words of Mr. Stanley's letters; and we know that they contained no exceptions whatever; but gave to the Board "complete control over all books" of religious instruction. We are not possessed of that penetrative faculty which enables us to know, that when Mr. Stanley says "complete control," he means no controlor that when he says all books of religious instruction, he really means This attainment in philology seems reserved for the Board, who seem certainly determined to instruct the public in a new meaning for words, the very opposite of that authorized by Walker's Dictionary. We hate special pleading wherever it appears. If the Board think Mr. Stanley was wrong, let them honestly tell us so; and let them not affix meanings to his words that they know in their consciences his words will not

none.

bear.

Paragragh 5th is another example of special violation of common language. The Board tell us what they understand by "encouraging" different religious teachers; and if we can believe them, they understand by it no encouragement. Now this is most dishonest. It is nothing to us what they please to understand by it; the question is-what does it mean? Ah! we may be told-what about a bad word, if it have a good meaning? Our answer is-we would have a good word and a good meaning. We would have no equivocations; no forced and unnatural meanings, which words will not bear. Again we tell the Board they cannot elude us by a false definition. We challenge and defy them to produce one example of legitimate English, in which "encourage" signifies merely to "afford facilities" for doing any thing. If they produce the example, we will bow to their definitions; but until they do so, we shall hold them guilty of a public sin against all philological authority. If they expect to escape, let them not make the attempt by a false definition of terms, but in honest confession of error.

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