PREFACE.

THE Reader shall be detained with very few prefatory remarks. Should it ever be thought advisable to accompany this work with prolegomena to any extent, they will be given with more advantage when the whole of the New Testament shall be finished. At present the author perhaps will best show his judgment by brevity.

Some few explanations however are necessary, as introductory to the work.

The usual collateral transcript of the verses, either from the Greek, the Vulgate Latin, or the authorized English, is not given, because, those books being in every body's hands, it would have uselessly increased the bulk and expence of this publication.

The proposed object is to give the opinions, arguments, and doctrines of the apostle in

such a manner as to be intelligible to plain but thinking men; thinking men-for the arguments of St. Paul are of such a nature as to require in the reader as well as translator close thinking. The proposed object is to supersede entirely to the general and practical reader the necessity of any further theological learning for a beneficial understanding of every part of St. Paul's writings. To accomplish this it is obviously necessary to interweave much illustrative matter. But this perhaps is only to present St. Paul to readers of the present day, in such a manner as he would himself, were he living, choose to be presented; for no writer wishes to be unintelligible. In his Epistles he conformed himself to the correspondents he addressed: had he written principally with a view to us he would undoubtly have added much, and the whole turn of his arguments would have been different.

It is acknowledged, that the attempt to supply in St. Paul, what, with reference to present readers, must be considered a deficiency,

appears, prima facie, to be a daring attempt. But it is a daring in which every commentator or paraphrast more or less participates.

This work aspires, as a Paraphrase, to have as much fidelity as any Translation, and as a Translation, to be as beneficially illustrative as any Commentary or Paraphrase extant: but, like a thousand other aspiring bubbles, the first blast of sound criticism may perhaps annihilate it.

The author confesses his apprehension of the judgment that will be passed upon him, but he is nevertheless far from wishing the invaluable censorship of a critical press to be lulled asleep on his account.

Feeling the awful responsibility of his undertaking, his mind is even relieved by the conviction, that the many errors inseparable from a work of such extent, difficulty, and originality, for it will be found that he has followed in the track of no one, will be effectually neutralized by the vigilance of the press, and the learning of his age and country. The numerous instances in which he differs

from theologians of the highest authority, the most consummate learning, and unimpeachable integrity, make him look forward with anxiety to the corrections of a public justly jealous. of novelty and rashness in religious matters; but his sense of the importance, and probable necessity of such corrections, forbids him even to wish to be spared.

His excuses for putting himself forward in a position so perilous are, first; though in parts he must believe himself to be erroneous, he feels a conviction, not an infallible conviction, that upon the whole he is correct; secondly; he thinks he is doing his duty; for, thirdly; the rationality, the common sense, the nobleness of spirit, the manly wisdom, the clear intelligibility of the religion of Christ, the strict conformity of the teaching of his apostle with right reason, its universal applicability to human nature and practical life, and its neverfailing conformity with sound judgment, will, by this work, be made manifest to every unprejudiced mind.