the first murderer, the terms appropriated to the bodily sense of hearing are applied to the intimation conveyed to the Lord respecting the offence of Cain-"What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." a

Throughout the whole of Scripture, indeed, it is principally in treating of the actions and attributes of God, that figurative terms are introduced in consequence of the imperfection of language. The bodily parts, the affections, and even the passions of animal nature are verbally ascribed to Him, who, as we also know from Holy Scripture, is without parts or passions, for "God is a Spirit."

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The language of Scripture must be the language of man, or it would not be intelligible

to man.

I. In interpreting, then, simply the words used in Scripture, the first difficulty will be to distinguish between those terms which are literal, and those which are figurative.

This difficulty, however, extends to the words only. The terms, whether literal or figurative, do not necessarily involve any ambiguous or hidden meaning.

When it is said that Joab "took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart

a Gen. iv. 10.

b John iv. 24.

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of Absalom, "the sacred writer expresses himself literally. When it is said that "Joab perceived that the king's heart was towards Absalom," the same writer expresses himself figuratively, although by an obvious and scarcely perceptible metaphor. But the meaning intended to be conveyed is in each case clear: and the ambiguity, if any, is only verbal.

II. But there is still another mode in which words are used, which is, with less propriety, sometimes called figurative.

The terms which are used may convey, in addition to their original meaning, another meaning of a nature totally distinct.

This is beautifully exemplified in Scripture by many instances of fable and parable; in which instruction is conveyed by means of a fictitious narrative.

e

Jotham's parable of the trees, which went forth on a time to anoint a king over them, is the earliest example extant of this method. The parable which Nathan delivered to David,' that of the woman of Tekoah, and Ezekiel's parable representing, under the image of two eagles and a vine, the judgment which God would bring upon Jerusalem," are also well

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known instances.

And those of our Saviour

are so simple, varied, and expressive, that, independently of their authority and holiness, they must always be admired as perfect models of this style of composition.

In every parable, in addition to the primary literal sense, there is a secondary spiritual sense. The literal sense expresses the similitude; the spiritual sense conveys the moral instruction. The primary sense is verbally complete in itself. But, in order fully to understand the meaning of the speaker, we must also discover the instruction which these words are intended to convey.

The parable of the sower, for instance, relates in simple terms a series of ordinary occurrences; the sowing of seed, with the progress which it makes in its vegetation under various circumstances. The spiritual meaning, the thing signified, is the growth or falling away of grace in the soul of man.

In the interpretation of parables, the literal sense requires first to be explained: and, in the explanation, terms may probably occur, which will require to be distinguished as respectively literal and figurative. The connection of the spiritual sense with the general purport of the literal sense must then be discovered, either from the explanation which is given in Scrip

ture, from the context, or from a careful consideration of the occasion on which the parable was delivered.

III. But in the Holy Scriptures there occur other passages, for the full understanding of which, it is necessary to introduce principles different from those of mere verbal interpretation.

In all ages of the world, and especially in the earlier stages of society, information of events has been conveyed by expressive actions as well as by words. And although written language is the means by which we now have the Holy Scriptures presented to us, this method, so familiar to the inspired writers, and often the very method in which they were instructed in what they record, has had great influence upon the phraseology of the sacred volume; and occupies a principal part even in the revelations which it has pleased God to make to mankind.

A sign, as well as an articulate sound, may be made the conventional indication of an idea. 'And, when its meaning is once established, its use will be even more expressive, and far more general, than that of language. In the legal transactions of almost all nations, in the transfer of property, in the manumission of slaves, in the administration of an oath, some bodily

action has been chosen to accompany and to ratify the act. As early, at least, as the time of Abraham, he who bound himself by an bathput his hand under the thigh of him

whom he sware. In like manner there were

"actions by which the several passions were expressed. He who had seen Jacob, with his clothes rent and with sackcloth upon his loins, would at once have perceived the affliction of his soul, as well as if he had heard him verbally declare, "I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning.”

By an extension of this method of conveying intelligence, the use of material emblems was introduced, bearing nearly the same relation to sounds that hieroglyphical symbols in writing bear to syllabic or literal characters." 10 It is not necessary for our present purpose to dwell upon the effects which this very curious circumstance has introduced. It has been often noticed, that signs of wall similar nature were actually used in picture-writing: were improved and familiarized and that these images were incorporated into the idiom of the languages spoken by those who used them. The style of the sacred writers is deeply -imbued with materials derived from this source,