things, it presents to us the same theory of the world that has been exhibiting from the beginning,-the only theory that can light us through the gloom of present evils, and preserve us from the vile delusions with which politicians and philosophers are thus leading the blinded multitudes.

This, among numerous others, is one of the advantages of prophetic study. Many have found it so; they have been set right in their theory of the world. They have learned the difference between God's theory and man's theory. They see God's purpose to prostrate the creature, yet to lay the foundation of future and everlasting elevation. They see His purpose to prove that there is no state of creaturehood so good, that it will not lapse into all evil; and yet that there is no state of creature-hood so evil, that the highest good and holiness may not be educed from it. They enter into God's purpose regarding both the evil and the good. The complicated mechanism of the world is in part made plain, its movements are more fully understood and sympathized with; the glory to be revealed is more fondly wearied for, and the kingdom which cannot be moved anticipated as the only kingdom that can realize the hopes and the pictures which politicians love so well to fashion for themselves, and their dazzled votaries.

ART. III.-HOW SHOULD UNFULFILLED PROPHECY BE

ye

STUDIED?

THE study of unfulfilled prophecy has often been deprecated as useless, or even as productive of positively injurious effects on the mind of the inquirer. The deprecation is scarcely worthy of a moment's notice,-for to encourage us in that study, we have the approbation of the Holy Ghost. Speaking expressly of the prophetic word that relates to the coming of Christ in his kingdom and glory, He says, “Hereunto do well that ye take heed.' These words of the Spirit make us bold not only to disregard the opposition offered by some to the prosecution of our inquiries into revealed futurity, but even to reprove our opponents, as, in this particular, "savouring not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Not a few have spoken of unfulfilled prophecy, as if it were involved in such impenetrable obscurity, that the signification of it could not possibly be ascertained, till, by receiving an actual fulfilment, it had been

transferred to the province of history. The Holy Ghost, on the contrary, speaks of it, as "a light shining in a dark place." He compares the future to a dark place, but prophecy itself to a light, which serves partially to illuminate the 'darkness. Let us, then, only confine our observations and inquiries, as to what will be, within the circle of illumination, which "the sure word of prophecy" sheds around itlet us not carry forward our curious speculations into the surrounding darkness, which not a ray of God-given light penetrates, let us not, through love of theory, or force of prejudice, either shut our eyes to what the light reveals, or deduce from it rash and unwarranted conclusions,-let us combine childlike docility with a sincere desire of ascertaining the mind of God,-let us be careful to distinguish what is imperfectly revealed, and therefore dubious, from what is declared plainly, and therefore certain,-so shall we, by the grace of God, attain to an assured knowledge of the great leading events, with an anticipation, also, though less clear and determinate, of the subordinate and collateral events, which are to precede, to accompany, and to follow the Lord's second coming.

The correct method of prophetic investigation may be resolved into a variety of general rules or principles. These will be subservient to the cause of prophetic interpretation and exegesis. Let the student, however, take care to ascertain that the principles, offered for his recognition, be sound, and likewise that the application of them be made aright. We are bound to repudiate every principle of interpretation, however plausible and well-supported, as in reality unsound, and to refuse every application of a principle, the soundness of which is unquestionable, if it be in any respect opposed to such principles or canons of interpretation, as have received the impress of Divine authority. There are two canons of the latter description, to which we are desirous of calling the special attention of our readers. One of them is established by Divine precedent, or, in other words, by the providence of God, while the other is expressly taught by Him in His

Word.

The first has,-to the great detriment of the Church, because to the marvellous obscuration or mystifying of truth, that, in itself, was simple, and clear, "a light shining in the dark,"-been too generally disregarded by the interpreter of prophetic Scripture. It is this,-that the language of unfulfilled prophecy must be regarded as neither more nor less literal than that of prophecy, which has been already fulfilled.

This principle dissipates a thousand airy dreams, and incoherent mystic spiritualizations, which too long were suffered to evacuate the sacred text of all the Divine thought which it contained, and to fill up the vacuum with the mere thought of man. The neglect of this principle has the effect of converting the word of prophecy, as it were, into an airy element, in which imagination may expatiate freely on the wing; but due attention to it realizes, in the word of prophecy, a rich pabulum for the nourishment of the spiritual understanding, and for the refreshment of Christian hope.

Many things, which were clearly predicted in reference to Christ, seemed to the Jewish mind extremely improbable, and altogether incompatible with other things which were predicted no less clearly regarding Him. They were therefore forced, by means of mystic or parabolical interpretation, into some measure of agreement with Jewish notions of propriety. Even the first disciples of our Lord were so disposed to seek for far-fetched and mystical meanings in His words, that oftentimes what He said, though clear as the light of day, seemed to them too abstruse to be comprehended without further explanation. Let us take an instance,-" He taught His disciples, and said unto them, The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask Him." (Mark ix. 31.) Could language by any possibility be more direct and simple than that in which the Lord here predicts His death and resurrection? The difficulty of understanding the prediction arises exclusively from the seeming incompatibility of the things predicted with the expectations cherished by the Jews regarding the Messiah. The thoughts of God are so widely different from those of man, that man, unwilling to abandon his own thoughts, is, in consequence, unable to understand the thoughts of God, however intelligible the language in which these are expressed. The language must be perverted, tortured, mystified, that it may speak out more in harmony with the dictates of human prejudice, or human wisdom. Divine truth must be forcibly, and by a Procrustes-like operation, accommodated to man's views of rightness and propriety. The literal sense of Scripture must be rejected, because it ill accords with what we deem suitable to the character and dignity of Christ, and a mystical sense must be wrung out, because it agrees better with our system of theology, and our sense of decorum. Instances might be indefinitely multiplied of predictions regarding Christ, a literal interpretation of

which would have shocked and disgusted the generality of the Jewish nation, before Christ appeared, and a literal fulfilment of which, on Christ's appearing, did so shock and disgust them, that they actually rejected Christ to their own everlasting ruin. Let us instance a few such predictions:"They pierced my hands and my feet." "All they that see me laugh me to scorn,-they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver him,-let Him deliver him, seeing he delighted in Him." (Psalm xxii.) "They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." (Psalm lxix.) "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.' (Psalm xli.) "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.' (Zech. ix.) The unlikelihood attaching, in Jewish estimation, to a literal fulfilment of these and a thousand similar predictions, led to a perverse and evasive and mystical method of interpretation,-but, notwithstanding the unlikelihood of it, the fulfilment has been literal. So far as prophecy relates to the humiliation-advent of Christ, not one jot or tittle of it has failed. It has received an accomplishment so exact, and literal, that those are left without excuse, who spiritualize away unfulfilled prophecy into mere abstractions and impersonalities. History tells how prophecy ought to be interpreted. What the mystic interpreters of a former day would regard as a bold personification of oppressed principles, and persecuted truths, history has translated into the incarnation, suffering, and death of the Son of God. In like manner, doubtless, much that is now interpreted as relating to the triumph and universal reign of Christianity, will be translated by history into the glorious advent and manifested kingdom of "our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ." In fulfilling, and so interpreting, His predictions, God has hitherto shown plainly, that "His thoughts are not as man's thoughts, nor his ways as man's ways." God has hitherto interpreted literally what man had interpreted on a very different principle. God has, in the development of His purposes, done hitherto what man, in the pride of his natural understanding, had declared to be impossible,-what man did not expect (though it was clearly predicted), because he judged it unreasonable to expect it. The principle on which God has all along interpreted even what appeared to be the

most improbable predictions of His word, is doubtless the principle on which we ought to interpret all unfulfilled prophecy. But the faithful application of that principle leads to discoveries, which are altogether at variance with the prejudices of a traditional prophetic creed; and afraid, if not horrified, at the contemplation of a future, so different in many ways from that which they have been accustomed to look for, many have fallen back upon a principle of interpretation, which, dissipating, as it does, into thin air, the literalities of the prophetic word, has the effect of carrying away the thoughts of men, in reference to the future, from all agreement with the thoughts of God. That principle extinguishes the light of prophecy, and leaves us in the dark, without anything else than vague conjecture to guide our hopes. When Bunyan is proving against infidel scoffers that the Lord Jesus will come personally in the clouds of heaven, he points to these words of Daniel,—“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Bunyan found here a sure proof of the doctrine that the Lord Jesus would come personally to judge the world; but what he saw good reason for interpreting literally, others, afraid of Millenarianism, have regarded as admitting only of a mystical interpretation. According to them, "One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven," is an expression which does not mean, "One like the Son of man did come with the clouds of heaven;" it only means that judgment was executed by an invisible agency on the Antichristian powers of this world. The prediction refers, they judge, to nothing real, personal, visible, the Advent is invisible, impersonal, and imaginary. It is an event that happens, not a person that comes. If this be interpretation, the Word of God is not written to be understood; "the sure word of prophecy," is not given to shine as a light in a dark place, but to make darkness, doubly dark. Let the passage referred to be interpreted with the same degree of literality which characterizes the interpretation given by God, in His providence, to predictions already accomplished, and the conclusion is inevitable that the Roman Empire, the fourth of the Danielic monarchies, will be destroyed by the Son of man, when He comes again