Page images
PDF
EPUB

circumstances. In our Bibles, however, they stand before us all in one series; and, unhappily, the division of the text into chapters and verses, has been made with a lamentable disregard of propriety. It not unfrequently happens, that one prophecy is cut up into several pieces, while others are grouped together in the same chapter. It is necessary, therefore, to ascertain the commencement and termination of every distinct portion, and to connect it with the events from which it took its rise.

[ocr errors]

Thirdly.. WE MUST USE ALL THE

MEANS THAT ARE PROPER, IN ORDER TO
SECURE THE JUST INTERPRETATION
OF
THE WORDS AND SENTENCES WHICH THE
PROPHETS EMPLOYED.

This rule is, indeed, of the highest obligation in regard to every part of the divine word. God has given a revelation of his will, and it is surely our first duty to understand that revelation, in the sense really intended by its author. This is the "MIND OF THE SPIRIT," and if we take up any thing else in its stead, we deprive ourselves of the benefits it is intended to confer. While this rule is, therefore, of necessity, for every part of the Bible, it cannot but have its important application to prophecy. Here, indeed, if possible, it is of more importance than elsewhere, for, if we commit errors in the interpretation of the words themselves, all subsequent labour, talent, and ingenuity, be they never so great, will be thrown away; and we shall resemble a man who, in setting out upon a journey, takes the wrong road-the more diligent he is, the farther does he proceed from the proper point. Therefore, our first duty is to acquire a correct understanding of the words and terms used by the holy prophets, and then proceed to the combinations of words into sentences and paragraphs. Here we need an acquaintance with the idioms of the language in general, and the nature of the expressions peculiar to each writer, or which characterized the particular time in which he lived; and, in short, whatever comes under the head of the just construction of language. On the application of these rules, the true sense of each expression, and the continuity of sense in each paragraph, must be faithfully decided.

Fourthly.-WE MUST SEPARATE THE

MATTER WHICH IS ACTUAL PROPHECY
FROM ALL OTHER MATTER INTERWOVEN
WITH IT.

In the book of the prophets there is

much which is not prophecy. We find relations of events, and remarks upon them at considerable length; descriptions of persons and their conduct; much moral and religious teaching; exhortations and arguments against sin, and in favour of holiness; and many expressions of prayer and praise, poured out of the fulness of sanctified hearts. It has been already remarked, that the promises and threatenings of a general kind, which constitute the sanctions of the moral government of God, are not to be considered as belonging to prophecy. Of all these things, then, actual prophecy is to be cleared. This must be done with great care, avoiding precipitancy, and in the exercise of an enlightened and sober judgment. We shall thus find that a great part of these writings is not prophetic. But it is important that we never forget, that the portions which are not so, are equally of divine inspiration and authority; and, generally, of still greater utility to the church of God at large, since they comprise those sentiments which are of the first and most immediate importance for awakening, comforting, edifying, and supporting the minds of men; that is, answering the immediate purposes of per

sonal faith and obedience.

Fifthly.-WE MUST PAY PARTICULAR

ATTENTION TO THE FACT, THAT PROPHECY
IS GENERALLY WRITTEN IN THE HIGHEST
STYLE OF POETRY, CLOTHED WITH THE
MOST VIVED IMAGERY AND THE BOLDEST
FIGURES.

The necessary consequence of this is, that future events are described, not in the proper and simple terms of ordinary life, but in metaphors of great boldness and vehemence, borrowed from the most sublime features of nature, or from the history and common life of the people to whom they were predicted. I will mention two or three examples, for the sake of shewing the necessity of stripping the language of all figures and imagery, in order to arrive at its simple meaning.

[ocr errors]

Afflictions are to be described, and thus the style of prophecy describes them :— Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water spouts: all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me,"-Ps. xlii. 7. "Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof,"-Ps. xlvi. 2, 3; When deliverance from calamities is to be

described, we find such language as this: "Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place: his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail-stones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters, &c."-Ps. xviii. When national judgments are predicted, which JEHOVAH in his righteousness would inflict on wicked people, who resisted the evidence, and rejected the messages of the prophets, we have such language as this:-"I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it," &c.-Jer. iv. 23, &c. "For the stars of heaven, and the constellations thereof, shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of Hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger:" -Is. xiii. 10, 13. "And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll:

and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as the falling fig from the fig-tree."-Is. xxxiv.

4. "The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining."-Joel ii. 10. "And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood." -ver. 30, 31. These are but specimens out of innumerable passages, in which such imagery is used to signify the revolutions of states and nations, and calamities falling upon men, in consequence of their sins.

On the other hand, the state of peace and social felicity which was to be introduced by the gospel of Christ, is described in such language as the following: "And the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den," Isa. xi. 6-8. The felicity of the times of the gospel, and the influence of that gospel, is thus represented: "The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle-tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign, that shall not be cut off," Isa. lv. 12, 13.

All these, and innumerable other passages, introduce the most sublime and picturesque poetical imagery, to describe the moral and social state of mankind. They have often been interpreted in a literal manner, especially where they occur in the Apocalypse; and the consequence cannot but be the production of the most wild theories, and the destruction of all sobriety of Bible interpretation.

Sixthly.-A SUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE

MUST BE TREASURED UP IN THE MIND OF THE HISTORY OF THE NATIONS REFERRED TO.

The necessity of this has, I hope, appeared in what has been said. Such knowledge we must obtain by the study of the Old Testament historical books, and

1

of the prophets themselves. For want of it, some persons are constantly making pernicious mistakes, applying passages, which ages ago have had their fulfilment, to spiritual objects, to doctrines of the gospel, the experience of believers, the history of the Christian Church, and even the present state and future destines of modern nations. Were there not eminent examples of this extraordinary folly given to us, it could hardly be supposed possible for any men to be guilty of it. I shall mention two passages by way of caution on the present occasion. In Isa. xvi. 1, we read, "Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion." Persons have been found who, taking the words without examining the connexion, have taken for granted that the lamb is the Saviour, the atonement for the sins of men, and that this is an exhortation to make known the knowledge of Christ, and send the doctrine of his propitiation to persons in all stations, exhorting them to receive the atonement. Whereas, had they but taken the pains to look into the facts of the case, they would have found it to be part of a denunciation of the wrath of God against the Moabite nation, which lay on the frontier of Judea, and that they are exhorted, in the way of ironical taunt, to seek protection from the people whom they had insulted, and bereaved, and treated with the greatest indignity. They are reminded, that in a former age one of their kings had been rendered subject to Israel, and had settled with the conqueror to pay a certain tribute of a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with the wool," 2 Kings, iii. 4. And then the prophet, taunting them with their danger, and reminding them of the insults they had subsequently heaped upon Israel, says, “Send now, and ask the protection of this despicable people; send ye the lamb, the accustomed tribute-throw yourselves upon their generosity, that they may save you from the ruin which now menaces you." This is undoubtedly the real meaning of the words. In Isaiah xxxiii. 7. it is said, that "the ambassadors of peace should weep bitterly;" which has been taken as a declaration of the feeling of grief and distress which ministers of the gospel experience, when they contemplate their want of success. But it has nothing to do with such a state of things or with persons. It was simply a prediction of what, in violation of his promise, Senna

cherib would do to Judah. After having received subsidies of Hezekiah, he broke the covenant, and marched his army into the land with a view to ravage it from one end to the other. In this state of things, Hezekiah sent ambassadors to placate the wicked king; but Sennacherib was deaf to all entreaty, and behaved in the most contumelious and haughty manner, which occasioned the ambassadors of peace to weep bitterly.

Such examples might be multiplied without end; but it is unnecessary. It may be asked, however, "Are we not permitted to accommodate such passages to our own purpose?" I venture, with all diffidence, to reply, by saying, that we are not at liberty to do so, except we take care so to mark and discriminate such accommodations as never to lead our hearers into a mistake. I imagine that there is only one ground on which it is lawful to make such accommodations; namely, where the case thus brought before us, is one which illustrates some general principle in the providential or spiritual government of God. We may then take the principle, and apply it to another case which falls within its range. Thus, Isa. xxxiii. 14, "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites: who amongst us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" This is the language of that traitorous faction which existed in the reign of Hezekiah, and paralyzed his efforts for a reform; and when the judgments of God are described as falling upon them as "devouring fire," then these wicked men - - their traitorous correspondence being discovered, and the overthrow of their friends being effected-are represented as being full of remorse and despair. From this we may draw the general doctrine, that if, under these circumstances, wicked men had so much reason for fear, what ought traitors against God to fear? and how ought they to be filled with apprehension? But the prophet goes on to reply to the question: "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppression, that shaketh his hands from withholding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; bread shall be given him, his waters shall be sure," &c. ver.

15-19. The faithful servant of God shall be safe, when His judgments fall in devouring ruin on the ungodly. Thus is illustrated a general principle. Another example of this kind, is in ch. i. 18. After having drawn a picture of the extreme wickedness of the king, the princes, and the magistrates of the Jewish nation, the prophet exhorts them to a change of conduct, and adds, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Here we may argue thus:-If these corrupt judges, upon their returning to the exercise of equity and mercy, and the fulfilling of the duties of their station, would have been delivered from the impending ruin, we may then infer, that the vilest sinners, if they return and repent, and cordially embrace the offers of mercy in Christ, will find deliverance from guilt and misery.

I mention these cases for the sake of shewing that we are never under the necessity, and should never yield to the desire, of misinterpreting any part of God's word; and that if we wish to apply striking and forcible passages, we should not sacrifice the original meaning. We should first make this clear, and then, if it give us a principle of greater extent, we should thus apply it.

Seventhly.-IT IS NECESSARY TO AC

QUIRE A CORRECT ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE SYMBOLICAL IMAGERY USED; ITS NATURE, SOURCES, EXTENT, AND MEANING.

For example. By the sun, moon, and stars, are meant kings, princes, rulers, and magistrates; by the earth and the world, the general mass of the population. Revolutions and convulsions are represented by eclipses of the heavenly bodies, and calamities coming upon them. Rocks and mountains represent established kingdoms, of long duration and great strength. Cedars and other tenants of the forest, symbolize the higher orders of society; the smaller and underwood, the mass of the people. Now,' a knowledge of these things is absolutely necessary; it is the vocabulary of prophecy, and if we have not a just acquaintance with it, we shall make serious mistakes.

These symbols are generally derived from natural sources, having a significancy in themselves adapted to their object; but some few there are which appear to have been derived from the hieroglyphics of the Persians and the Egyptians.

With regard to this branch of knowledge, there are three sources of information, generally accessible. The one is, "A Summary View and Explanation of the Writings of the Prophets," by Dr. John Smith, of Cambleton; the second, an "Index of the Symbolical Language of Scripture," in one of the volumes of Mr. Hartwell Horne's Introduction; and the third, a section on the symbolical language of prophecy, in a very excellent little work, just published by our esteemed brother, the Rev. John Leifchild, of Bristol, "A Help to the Private and Domestic Reading of the Holy Scriptures."

Eighthly.-DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF

THE SAME PROPHET, OR DIFFERENT PROPHETS, SHOULD BE BROUGHT TOGETHER; THEIR AGREEMENT OR DISAGREEMENT BE NOTED; AND THE INTERPRETATION BE ADJUSTED BY THE MUTUAL ILLUSTRATION OF THE WHOLE.

The predictions of Isaiah and Jeremiah concerning different nations; of Jeremiah and Ezekiel concerning the captivity and restoration of the Jews; and of Haggai and Zechariah relative to their state after the return from Babylon, should be diligently compared. Such of the prophets as supply any predictions concerning Christ, the blessings of his kingdom, subjects, and reign, should be diligently collated, that from the comparison of testimony, we may collect the rays of prophetic light into one focus.

Ninthly. WE OUGHT NOT TO JUDGE of

THE IMPORTANCE OF ANY SUBJECT OF PROPHECY FROM ITS BREVITY OR COPIOUSNESS, OR THE SPACE IT OCCUPIES IN THE PROPHETIC WRITINGS.

The mere fact of length or extent is not necessarily connected with importance. Many facts were at the time of great consequence, and therefore occupy a very large space in the page of Scripture. But those circumstances and nations to which they refer, have long ago ceased to exist, and the nations, and predictions, and events, have become matters of mere history. They are now therefore valuable for the lessons they contain, and the useful deductions to be drawn from them; but they are not of importance comparable to the short fragments referring to the Messiah and his great work. So with respect to that which does refer to the Messiah, those which respect his kingdom's extension, and the happiness of his subjects, are much more copious than those which respect his humiliation and

J

death. It was more suitable to the immediate designs of prophecy, and the circumstances of the persons to whom it was originally addressed, to dwell copiously upon "the glories that should follow," than upon the awful scenes which were to precede.

Tenthly.-WE SHOULD SEEK TO AC

QUIRE A JUST CONCEPTION OF THE DESIGNS
OF PROPHECY.

These I conceive to have been various; and we shall greatly err if we imagine it had but one object. It had probably many. Two or three may be noticed.

his own person. He said, "All things must be fulfilled which are written in the law, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me.' He commanded his hearers to search the scriptures, and said. "Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me," John v. 46.

3. To be a grand evidence of the reality of Divine Revelation. On this topic, however, I need not say a word, after the reference I have made to a former discourse.

4. To counsel the people of God under all afflictions, with assurances of the future prosperity of the cause of God among men. How did Abraham look through the long vista of centuries, and rejoice to see the day of Christ? How animating must have been the predictions of Isaiah to believers living in his time, in their affliction, at witnessing the distress of their country! Among other passages, how delightfully do chapters xlix. liv. and lx. exhibit that glorious future age, in which righteousness, love, and happiness, as the fruit of the Spirit during the Messiah's reign, should flourish in the world! And if we make a just application of such promises in our

1. It was one of the first, original, and most important intentions of the system of prophecy, to afford a decisive proof of the existence, perfections, and government of the only true God. The various deliverances afforded to the Israelites were the subject of prophetic discourse, and in fact, this formed the basis of the Mosaic economy, which was chaterized by a miraculous providence, securing blessings to the obedient; and now that the Jews have rebelled against their God, they are visited by the judgments denounced by Moses, in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy. To judge properly of the importance of prophe-day, it will cheer and animate the miniscy in this respect, we must place our selves in the circumstances of the ancient Israelites. A little nation, placed in the midst of others, of a powerful and luxurious character, so that they were under constant temptations to doubt whether they should not pay their homage to the gods of those nations. It became therefore, a matter of the greatest importance to fortify their minds against those temptations to idolatry, arising from doubts as to whether Jehovah were more than the God of their own country. In the fortyfourth and other chapters of Isaiah, predictions will be found which were uttered as proofs that Jehovah was the unrivalled and only God.

2. To point out decisively particular persons as the accredited messengers of God. For example. Samuel, in his very youthful days, was accredited as the messenger of God:-"The Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground," 1 Sam. iii. 19. So when the angel announced the birth of Jesus, he referred to those ancient prophecies which described the character and offices of the Messiah. So Christ himself made his repeated and decisive appeals to the holy Prophets, as fulfilling their predictions in

ters and people of God in their efforts to promote the kingdom of Christ.

5. The great design of prophecy was to bear testimony to the adorable Redeemer and Saviour of the world. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit"-the very soul-" of prophecy." The entire system of prophecy began and ended with the Messiah. To him the first glimpse of prophecy bare witness, and with him Malachi closes the canon of prophecy. So likewise the whole bearing of the New Testament prophecy is to glorify Christ, the Lord of all, who hath sent his angel to testify these things in the churches." It is all subordinate to this, and derives its importance from it. The birth, work, kingdom, and glory of Christ are the grand objects to which the Prophets refer.

Eleventhly.-WE MUST HAVE SAFE CRI

TERIA FOR THE APPLICATION OF PRO-
PHECY, IN EVERY INSTANCE.

Misapplications of prophecy are very common, and do much injury to religion. The only safe criteria for the application of prophecy appears to me to be these.

1. The strict investigation of the meaning.

2. The authority of Christ and his servants in the New Testament. This au

« PreviousContinue »