INTRODUCTION. Ixix 



who would understand them, and gain a cor- 

 rect idea of his plan in them, should collect 

 and place in one point of view things that 

 in Nature and Scripture are scattered over 

 the whole surface, so that by comparing one 

 part with another they may arrive at a sound 

 conclusion. Hence it happens that, in Scrip- 

 ture, when any truth is first to be brought 

 forward, it is not by directly and fully enun- 

 ciating and defining it, so that he who runs 

 may read and comprehend it, but it is only 

 incidentally alluded to, or some circumstance 

 narrated which, if duly weighed and traced 

 to its legitimate consequences, puts the atten- 

 tive student in possession of it. Such notices 

 are often resumed, and further expanded, in 

 subsequent parts of the sacred volume, and 

 sometimes we are left to collect that an event 

 has happened, or an institution delivered to 

 the patriarchal race, without its being dis- 

 tinctly recorded, from circumstances which 

 necessarily or strongly imply it. In a trial 

 in a court of justice it very commonly happens 

 that no direct proof of an event can be pro- 

 duced, and yet the body of circumstantial 

 evidence is so concatenated and satisfactory 

 as to leave no doubt upon the minds of -the 

 VOL. i. f 



