Farther Advices Relating to Exposition
Nothing will be of more importance to fit you for this work than copying into your interleaved Bible and Testament useful remarks, interpretations and criticisms that you meet with in the course of your reading, con* versations or own reflections. — Clarke’s Bible with notes, and Wbtstjein*s New Testament are preferable to all others for this pose.
2. Let free family exposition be part of your daily work. In this, labour at practical improvement chiefly, not neglecting, however,
pfoper hints of criticism. This will give you an opportunity of saying many suitable things that will come with more power to the mind, than things much more accurate read from Henrt and others; — it will also diversify family worship agreeably; — and, if you sing, take care to chose something suitable to what you have read.
3. Have a private meeting once a week for exposition; — at these meetings, enlarge chiefly on the roost devotional parts of scriptures, in an experimental way. Indulge your private meditations on these occasions freely, — and perhaps very useful hints may arise while you are speaking. — When you have finished an exposition in the family or vestry, if convenient you may, at least’sometiraes, retire for a few minutes, review your memorandums, and add any thing remarkable that has occurred to your thoughts.
§ 4. When you intend to expound any scripture the next Sabbath, review it the preceding Monday morning, and endeavour to keep it oflen in your mind in the week, and at a proper time peruse it attentively with these views, viz.
^5. 1. To observe the original force of every word, and to make as perfect a translation as you caU, for which the original and versions must be consulted.
6. 2. To observe the particular improvement of which it is capable. — And here let your inferences be often drawn from the con nectioH of scripture.^-This will furnish rich materials commonly omitted by those who attend merely to the words themseWes. — LqI these suffice for general directions.
7. 1 shall now give some more particular directions:
1. Select the most useful passages of scripsture. — Begin with the epistles, as they will give you an opportunity of saying many evangelical and useful things. — Go over the harmony of the Evangelists and the Acts. — Omit the Rev* elation, except some few chapters and sections — Select passages from the history of the Old Testament; Mosaic laws and the prophets; — but take the whole book of Psalms, Job, Prov* erbs and. Ecclesiastes.
§ 8. 3. Give a clear view of the connection in a few -Words, but do not attempt to lead your hearers into all the niceties of it, whch very few with the great<gst pains will be able clearly to understand, and 3tiU fewer to remem* her.
9. 3. When great difficulties ocur, do not state them too largely, but rather suggest wh«t may furnish jndicious hearers with the best answers to them, and often inculcate tlioae prtfieiples which will furnish general replies; as, God’s judgments are unsearchable; — some parts and doctrines of scripture are inexplica* ble and mysterious ;-many quotaticns from the Old Testament are only allusions ;-«-and that the actions of persons under an immediate divine commission, are not to be estimated by the common rules of human actions, &o. § 10* 4 When the sense of the text is dubi«
Lect. Id.] EXPOSITION., 99
ous, do not distract the people with many interpretations, but rather propose one or two of the roost probable, waving the rest. 11. 5. Aim in all at practical improvement — Labour to shew the sptrt of the wiiter, and for that purpose keep in jour own mind and that of your people, the character of the author and the particular circumsiancts in which he wrote.
% 12. 6. When you correct our version, do it modestly; and never attempt any unnecessary corrections, nor many various readings, if they do not appear indeed important.
13. 7. Endeavour to make your exposition pleasant; to do this avoid dry criticism, and mention such circumstances of history as tend to illustrate it. Henry and Hall will furnish you with a rich variety of matter; and the comparison of other scriptures will suggest much more.
§ 14. 8. Do not rtad your expositions, but freely talk them over, after having well studied them.
& 15. 9. Conclude them with a prayer, in which the most considerable scriptures and thoughts of your exposition should be introduced in a devotional way.