That thick darkness overspread the church after the irruptions of the
northern barbarians, and the desolations which they occasioned in the
Roman empire, is known and acknowledged. Those conquerors professed
the religion of the conquered; but corrupted and spoiled it. Like the
new settlers in the kingdom of Ephraim, they feared the Lord and
served their own gods. In those corruptions antichristian error and
domination originated. The tyranny of opinion became terrible, and
long held human minds enslaved. Few had sentiments of their own. The
orders of the vatican were received as the mandates of heaven. But at
last some discerning and intrepid mortals arose who saw the absurdity
and impiety of the reigning superstition, and dared to disclose them
to a wondering world! Among those bold reformers, LUTHER, CALVIN, and
a few contemporary worthies, hold a distinguished rank. Greatly is the
church indebted to them for the light which they diffused, and the
reformation which they effected. But still the light was imperfect.
Dark shades remained. This particularly appeared in the dogmatism and
bigotry of these same reformers, who often prohibited further
inquiries, or emendations! They had differed from Rome, but no body
must differ from them! As though the infallibility which they denied
to another, had been transferred to themselves!
Too many others, and in more enlightened times, have discovered a
strand measure of the same spirit.....a spirit which hath damped
inquiry and prevented improvement.
Hence, probably, the silence of some expositors on difficult
scriptures, and the sameness observable in some others. For the
complaint of the poet is not without reason,
"That commentators each dark passage shun, and hold their farthing
candle to the fun."
And the sameness which we see in several writers is probably dictated
by fear of singularity, and of incurring the charge of heresy. Minds
are different. When a dozen expositors interpret a difficult text
alike, they must, for some reason, have borrowed from one another.
The writer of the following pages claims no superiority to others,
either in genius or learning; but he claims a right to judge for
himself in matters of faith, and sense of scripture, and presumes to
exercise it--calling no man master. He hath found the original
scriptures, compared with the different translations, to be the best
exposition. To these he early had recourse, and in this way formed an
opinion of the meaning of sundry difficult passages in the volume of
truth. But comparing them afterwards with several expositions,
perceived their meaning to have been mistaken, either by those
writers, or by himself. As they did not convince him that his
constructions were erroneous, he now offers them to the public--Not as
certainly devoid of error--He knows himself to be fallible--but as the
result of some attention; and as that which he conceives their most
probable meaning.
On the prayer of Moses to be blotted out of God's book--the wish of
Paul to be accused from Christ, and the prevalence of infidelity
before the coming of the Son of Man, he published a summary of his
views, some years ago. By the advice of several respected literary
friends, they are now corrected, enlarged and inserted. On the last of
these he wrote A.D. 1785. Subsequent events tend to confirm him in the
sentiments then entertained. Expositors generally consider the prayer
of Moses and the wish of St. Paul to stand related as expressions of
the same temper, and argue from the one to the other. The author
conceives them perfectly foreign to each other, and totally mistaken
by every expositor he hath consulted; as also several of the other
scriptures on which he hath written.
A hint dropped, some years ago, in conversation, by a respected
father,* gave an opening to the writer, relative to one+ of the
following subjects, and occasioned his writing upon it. For the rest,
he is conscious of having borrowed from no writer, except a few
quotations, which are credited in their places. He doth not flatter
himself that his co constructions of scripture will be universally
received. Nor hath he a desire to dictate to others, or a wish that
his own views only should see the light. The press is open to those
who are otherwise minded. The author will read with pleasure, the
different constructions of the candid and ingenuous. But should
strictures of another description appear, they will be viewed with
indifference, and treated with neglect.
* Rev. Dr. Cogswell, of Windham + On 2 Samuel xii. 13.