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‘The Bible’ (as the late Mr. Hall admirably observed)—‘being intimately associated in the mind with every-thing dear and valuable, its diction more powerfully excites devotional feelings than any other; and when temperately and soberly used, it imparts an unction to a religious discourse, which nothing else can supply. For devotional impression, we conceive that a very considerable tincture of the language of Scripture, or at least such a colouring as shall reveal an intimate acquaintance with these inimitable models, will generally succeed best.’ Review of Foster’s Essays. Vitringia speaks excellently to the same purport—‘Non in sententiis tan tum et doctrinis, verum etiam in dictis et phrasibus Scripturae S. tantam vim et pondus esse, ut nullum verbum qualecumque aliud ei, in exponendis rebus spiritualibus sive simplicitatis, sive proprietatis et nativa, significationis respectu, comparari queat. Vocabula et dictiones Spiritus S. nudae, et nullis permixtae lenociniis orationis aut exegesios humanae, passim sic afficiunt et illustrant mentem, ut quicquid iis admiscetur, insipidum videatur.’ Method. Homil. Cap. iii. In the same spirit Witsius remarks—‘Res Dei commodius explicari non possent quara verbis Dei. Male putat, quisquis presumit, se accuratius, vel clarius, vel efficacius, vel ad intelligendum aptius Theologian arcane explanaturum, quam iis terminis et phrasibus, quibus post Prophetas Apostoli usi sunt, ab eo dictatis, qui homini os et linguam formavit, qui fingit singulorum corda, et idcirco omnium optime novit, qua ratione cor instrui et moveri debeat.’ De Vero Theologo. Mr. Brown of Haddington, though a man of considerable theological learning, said of himself, God has made me generally preach as if I had never read another book but the Bible. I have essayed to preach Scriptural truths in Scriptural language. Life and Remains, p. 20. Dr. Watts, however, speaks of preachers, who ‘have such a value for elegance, and so nice a taste for what they call polite, that they dare not spoil the cadences of a period to quote a text of Scripture in it.’ Improvement of the Mind, Part II. chap. vi. sect. iii.