The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-03-01

else and development of this faculty by
the exercise they give it. But their
chief value is IN the fact that they help
the student to use the Bible as its own
interpreter; and thus put our hands. not
into that of a human guide who NAV
lead us astray, but into that of Him who
will guide us with His counsel which is
unerring. But there is Limitation in
almost all concordances which very soon
embarrasses the student who takes them
as guide to the understanding of Scrip
ture.
The analyses, such as Hitchcocks and
Nests, are especially Disappointing.
They endeavor to give the teaching of
scripture on variety of topics, arranging
the very words of the Bible under GER
tam heads. One might say at first sight
OF such book, Here 1 have the whole
teaching of Gods word on all these sub
Jects, but he will find himself grievouslv
mistaken. In order to such an arrange
ment as these analyses endeavor to make
the passages are taken out of the connec-
ton In which they stand in the scrip
lures, and are thus robbed of their full
meaning. Their real force and signif-
canoe are often much more dependent on
their connection than the beauty of a.
jewel on its setting. Besides this, the
same passage often teaches more than
one truth, and could be placed with equal
propriety under quite number of heads.
But this would make the analysis a
library instead of a single volume. Hence
the rule must necessarily be to give the
words OF scripture but once each par
tlcuiar passage falling under some one
head. The result, as 1 suppose almost
all students find, is meagreness and
poverty in very striking and painful
contrast with the rich exuberance of the
Scriptures themselves.
Verbal and alphabetical concordances
like Cruden's are ten-fold more valuable.
But the limit to their usefulness is like
wise painful and embarrassing unless the
student has time to look out in the origi-
nal the words, the trenslations of which
ne finds in the English concordances.
and in the English Bible The difficulty
arises from the fact that a particular
word in the English Bible does not al
ways represent the same word in the
Hebrew or Greek. Consequently, when
one finds word in an English concord
ance represented as occurring in num-
Der of passages of the English Bible, he
cannot tell whether the original word is
the same in all these cases, and cannot
know whether the passages are really
parallel in any sense. For instance take
the word "now," which occurs so fire.
quently in the Bible. This little word
of only three letters has to do the heavy
duty of representing twenty-five words
and combinations Of words in the Hebrew
and Greek Scriptures. Hence, to be sure
of the exact meaning of the word in each
particular passage, the student would
have to undergo the labor Of looking out
each one in the original. I was a good
deal puzzled short time since by this
very word in the passage, "Whom having
not seen, ye love: in whom, though 7aoaO
ye see Him not, etc. could, of course,
understand the significance of the fact
that these disciples loved the Saviour,
though they had not seen Him when He
was on earth, but could not understand
why the fact that they did not see Him
"now, should be referred to, as that was a
matter of course. The difficulty was en-
tirely removed and food of light was
poured on the passage when I found that
this now was the translation not of nam.
the most common word for now, but of n7ti.
A4A" "OAO POlIIo no W Iu6 luGuI6 anu
begets expectancy; and it became plain
that the "now" has the force of yet, and
points to the second advent. By looking
at the context and substituting "yet' for
now, this becomes perfectly plain. They
loved Him, believing and rejoicing in
Him, though they had not seen Him
when He was on earth, and did not yet
see Him coming the second time, with
out sin unto salvation"
The use of Hebrew and Greek concord
ances is, of course, impossible to those who
do not understand these languages, and
their usefulness is limited for those who
do. The difficulty lies in the fact that
when Hebrew or Greek word is found
as occurring in the original, the student
does not know what English word repre-
sents it in our Bible, unless his memory
supplies it, or he takes the trouble to ex-
anime in each case. The book which
my friend gave me is, as many readers
have already surmised, Youngs Ana
lytical Concordance. The name Ana
lytical has doubtless deferred many who
have been disappointed by Vests and
Hitchcock Analyses, from obtaining it.
Let me ssy to all such, that it is Ana
lytical in an entirely different sense from
these. West and Hitchcock make the at