Technical terms1 occur throughout this work, such as Aniliy- Of Apodioxis, Asyndeton, 'iv dia duoTv, Epiphonema, Epitasis, Eiliopoeia, Ilypallage, Litotes, Mimesis, Oxymoron, Ploce, Ilpo- Sipa.'Triia, xai 'E-TrftepuKsla, Prosopopoeia, Sejugatio, Zeugma, etc. : in which cases, the reader must be warned, not to pass by with out consideration an annotation, reduced to a compendious form by technical terms, but more useful than he supposes : as for example that on John x. 27, 28. Especial advantage, however, is obtained from a consideration of the oratio concisa, or semidu- plex derived from the Hebrew style, and the yjac^og, which is of the greatest service in explaining the economy of the whole epistle to the Hebrews. The Index contains examples of both figures. It would have taken too much space to have expressed such things in every instance by a periphrasis. Those, therefore, who are at fault with any figure, must seek for its meaning else where. The Annotations are written either in the person of the author (i.e. of him, whose words are contained in the text), or in that of the commentator.
Where there is any difficulty, I am sufficiently diffuse : for the most part, however, I am brief, because the subject is fre quently plain and easy, especially in narratives, — because I usually introduce observations illustrative of many passages, not in every passage to which they apply, but in the first which occurs, — because I have already treated elsewhere of many things, which it was unnecessary to repeat here (See Sections
1 I have endeavoured to get rid of them wherever I could do so consis tently with conciseness and accuracy, as they often serve only to encumber the text, and would, I fear, remind the general reader of the Bourgeois Gentilhomme's astonishment at finding that he had been all his life speaking prose.
A full explanation of all the technical terms which occur in the course of the work is given in the Appendix to the last volume.— (I. B.)
THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. cs
viii., xix.j xxi.), — because many things, which relate to the division, connection, and punctuation of the Text, may be discovered by merely looking at the Text itself, or my revision of it (See Sect. xi.), — because those things, which regard the Analysis of each book, are clearly set forth in the tables prefixed to them, and cannot be easily repeated in the notes (See Sect, xiii.), — because I usually declare the simple truth, without a labyrinth of many opinions (See Sect, xvii.), — because many things are compressed into small compass by the aid of technical terms (See Sect. xxiv.). Hence it comes to pass, that this volume, though intended to illustrate the whole of the New Testament, is small in size, and less in weight, than many commentaries on single books of the New Testament. I have not thought it necessary to subjoin Practical applications, " usus" as they are termed, to each chapter ; for he who submits himself to the constraining influence of Divine Love in the search after Divine Truth, imbibes froir, the Divine Words, when he has once perceived their meaning, all things profitable for salvation, without labour, and without stimulus. They, however, who read rightly, that is to say, so as carefully to weigh all things, and are simply occupied with the Text, instead of being led away from it, will find some assistance, we trust, from this work, in arriving at the full meaning of Scripture, and more especially with regard to those matters, which we have spoken of in sect. iv. Nor will the Indexes at the end of the work be without their use. I will not add more, either in commendation, or excuse of my work. I will only make this one request to you, Reader ; — if you should ever meet with an exegetical commentary on the whole New Testament, or any part of it, beside which our GNOMON appears to you superfluous, compare the two works together on a single portion or chapter, e.g. Matthew xxiv. ; Acts xiii. ; Romans xii. ; Hebrews xii. ; 1 Peter iii. ; or Revelation x. ; and then, and not till then, form your judgment. I must mention in this place Philip David Burk,1 who has not only greatly assisted me, both