ling principles seemed to pervade his views
in framing the testament; and in all cases of obscurity and doubt, in
every thing approaching an appearance of inconsistency, we should refer
to that paramount principle as our test and guide. We should not for a
moment {16} suffer ourselves to be tempted to seek for ambiguous
expressions, which ingenuity might interpret so as to countenance our
departure from the general drift of our parent's will, in cases where it
was at variance with our own inclination, and where we could have wished
that he had made another disposition of his property, or given to us a
different direction, or trusted us with larger discretion. Moreover, in
any points of difficulty, we should apply for assistance, in solving our
doubts, to such persons as were most likely to have the power of judging
correctly, and whose judgment would be least biassed by partiality and
prejudice;--not to those whose credit was staked on the maintenance of
those principles which best accorded with our own inclination.
Especially if in either case some strong feeling should have been raised
and spread abroad on any point, we should seek the judgment and counsel
of those who had been familiar with the testator's intentions, or with
the views of the covenanting party, before such points had become matter
of discussion.

Now only let us act upon these principles in the interpretation of THAT
COVENANT in which the Almighty has vouchsafed to make Himself one of the
contracting parties, and man, the creature of his hand, is the other:
only let us act on these principles in the interpretation of THAT
TESTAMENT of which the Saviour of the world is the Testator; and with
God's blessing on our labours (a blessing never denied to sincere prayer
and faithful exertions) we need not fear the result. Any other principle
of interpretation will only confirm us in our prejudices, and involve us
more inextricably in error. {17}

* * * * *

SECTION II.--DIRECT EVIDENCE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

The first step in our proposed inquiry is to ascertain what evidence on
the doctrine and practice of the Invocation of Saints and Angels can be
fairly drawn from the revealed word of God in the Old Testament.

Now, let us suppose that a person of a cultivated and enlightened mind,
and of a sound and clear judgment, but hitherto a stranger to
revelation, were required to study the ancient Scriptures with the
single