Matt.

Mark

Luke John

XXVII XV XXIII XIX

832 45-46 33-34 44-46

833 46-48 34-36

843 596046 47 53 54 39 - 41

844 60-62 46-.

845 62-65

84665-·

XVI

53-56 41-.

851

4

5

2 3

I

2

THE manner in which the preceding Harmony is to be made ufe of, has already been explained; particularly in the 30th and 64th pages of this volume. In the latter place, St. Luke is the fole narrator; and in the former, the paragraph is to be constructed from the relations of all the four evangelists, who, with fome variety of circumftances and expreffion, have agreed in recording the fame tranfaction.

When the portions of fcripture referred to confift intirely of historical matter, the paragraph drawn up by the student may be full and circumftantial, and at the fame time compreffed into a narrow compass: those portions, which are more of the doctrinal kind, neceffarily require a little dilatation; especially, where the points of doctrine are declared in figurative terms. In fuch cases we must have recourfe to the form of paraphrase, in order that the meaning of the facred writer may be placed in its proper point of view. This part of the student's employment will especially require frequent references to parallel places, and therefore, at first, may appear irkfome; a

little practice however will render it amufing, as well as instructive.

The student is advised to be particularly careful, that he does not adopt the expreffions of thofe authors, whom he may be obliged occafionally to confult. The great

end and aim of the exercise here recommended, is to imprint upon the mind fuch an idea of the actions and difcourfes of our redeemer, and of their most material concomitant circumstances, as may enable the ftudent, from a confideration of the particularities of time, place, and occafion, to form a just and accurate conception of all the gofpel doctrines; a knowledge which cannot be attained, unless the student, deviating from the manner of expreffion which he meets with in the fcripture, or in the commentators upon it, conftructs his paragraphs according to forms of expreffion conceived by himself.

Six of the firft fourteen lines of references in the preceding tables, are inftances wherein the paraphrastical method must be adopted: the following is a fpecimen of the propofed manner of execution, in the doctrinal as

well