PREFACE

That thick darkness overspread the church after the irruptions of the
northern barbarians, and the desolations which they occasioned in the
Roman empire, is known and acknowledged. Those conquerors professed
the religion of the conquered; but corrupted and spoiled it. Like the
new settlers in the kingdom of Ephraim, they feared the Lord and
served their own gods. In those corruptions antichristian error and
domination originated. The tyranny of opinion became terrible, and
long held human minds enslaved. Few had sentiments of their own. The
orders of the vatican were received as the mandates of heaven. But at
last some discerning and intrepid mortals arose who saw the absurdity
and impiety of the reigning superstition, and dared to disclose them
to a wondering world! Among those bold reformers, LUTHER, CALVIN, and
a few contemporary worthies, hold a distinguished rank. Greatly is the
church indebted to them for the light which they diffused, and the
reformation which they effected. But still the light was imperfect.
Dark shades remained. This particularly appeared in the dogmatism and
bigotry of these same reformers, who often prohibited further
inquiries, or emendations! They had differed from Rome, but no body
must differ from them! As though the infallibility which they denied
to another, had been transferred to themselves!

Too many others, and in more enlightened times, have discovered a
strand measure of the same spirit.....a spirit which hath damped
inquiry and prevented improvement.

Hence, probably, the silence of some expositors on difficult
scriptures, and the sameness observable in some others. For the
complaint of the poet is not without reason,