DISCOURSE II.

LET us proceed to consider the character which St. Peter gives of prophecy, and the degree of evidence which we may reasonably expect from it. Prophecy is a light shining in a dark place, and we do well to give heed to it until the day dawn.' St. Peter's meaning is this: the time will come when the things ye hope for shall be placed in a clear light, when you shall see all your expectations fully justified in the accomplishment; in the meanwhile ye do well to attend to prophecy, though but a small glimmering light, and shining at a distance in a dark place, yet the best you have, or can have at present.' Metaphorical expressions and similitudes ought not to be rigidly and strictly canvassed; it is sufficient to see the general import and meaning of them; which in the present case is very clear, and amounts to this, that the knowlege God gives us of things future by the means of prophecy is but an imperfect obscure knowlege, nothing to be compared to the clear knowlege that will attend on the manifestation of the things themselves.

I shall endeavor to confirm this proposition by the authority of Scripture, and to suggest some observations which may be of use when we are called on to judge of the nature of prophecy, and the evidence arising from it.

Whether prophecy be a clear evidence before the completion or no, is no matter of controversy; so far from it, that they who tell us prophecy is the best argument even for Christianity, do not yet think it a clear one. But without regard to any man's opinion, it will be proper to see what notion the inspired writers themselves had of the word of prophecy.

If we look into the first Epistle of St. Peter, we shall find that the ancient prophecies, of which he speaks in the text, and which he styles the 'more sure word of prophecy,' were not

apprehended or clearly understood by those inspired persons who delivered them; for there he represents them 'searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow :' i. 11. To the same purpose our Saviour speaks, Matt. xiii. 17. Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.' St. Paul gives the like account of the gift of prophecy under the gospel dispensation : We know in part, and we prophecy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. Now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known:' 1 Cor. xiii. 9. 10. 12. Now if the prophets and righteous men of old, to whom the word of God came, did not clearly understand the things which they foretold, but employed themselves in searching and examining the prophetical testimonies of the Spirit which was in them; if the prophets of the New Testament knew only in part, and prophesied only in part, seeing but darkly as through a glass; it is most evident that others, in all appearance less qualified than they to understand the determinate sense of the prophecies, could have but a confused and indistinct notion of the things foretold.

The prophet Daniel, after a very extraordinary vision, which he reports in his last chapter, immediately adds, I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.' The answer here given to Daniel is very like the answer which our Saviour gave the Apostles, on a like inquiry made by them: they ask, 'Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father hath put in his own power:' Acts i. 6. 7. It did belong to them undoubtedly and to every believing Jew, to give heed to the word of prophecy' according to St. Peter's exhortation in the, text; and since it did not belong to them to know the times

and seasons, it is evident the word of prophecy was not intended to give a clear and distinct light in this case.

These last passages relate to such prophecies especially as seem to design the times and seasons of God's working; and these predictions being oftentimes delayed in the accomplishment much beyond the expectation of those to whom they were delivered, it brought the prophets and their predictions frequently into contempt, and gave the people occasion to harden themselves against the fears and apprehensions of the evils threatened. Hence came the reproach on the prophets taken notice of by Ezekiel: The vision that he seeth is for many days to come; and he prophesieth of the times that are far off: xii. 27. which speech grew up into a proverb: What is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?' ver. 22. The case is very much the same in regard to other prophecies. Whoever looks into the prophetical writings will find that they are generally penned in a very exalted style, full of bold figures describing the judgment or the mercies of God; representing spiritual blessings under the images of temporal prosperity, and oftentimes such images as cannot possibly admit of a literal interpretation. In which case, though we may see the general intent and meaning, and find sufficient ground for hope and fear from the scope of the prophecy, yet we can with no certainty fix the precise and determinate manner in which the words are to be fulfilled.

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Prophecy is, by the author of prophecy, thus described: I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets:' Hosea xii. 10. Which similitudes are elsewhere spoken of as dark speeches' delivered to the prophets in visions and in dreams: Numb. xii. 6. 8. For this reason the Jews, when they spoke with contempt of their prophets, were used to say, 'Doth he not speak parables?' Ezek. xx. 49. Our Saviour seems to speak of the ancient prophecies under the same character: 'Know ye not,' says he to his disciples, this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?' Mark iv. 13. That is, if ye understand not this plain parable of the sower, how will ye understand all the ancient prophecies relating to the gospel, which are much harder parables?

These passages are sufficient to prove that prophecy was never intended to be a very distinct evidence; and to show St. Peter's meaning in comparing the word of prophecy to a light shining in a dark place, and in making this evidence so much inferior to the evidence we are to receive, when the fulness of time comes for the manifestation of God's promises.

But allowing this to be the case of prophecy at the time of delivery, are we not however to expect to find the prophecy clear and distinct, and exactly corresponding to the event, whenever the event comes into existence? and consequently, is it not absurd, after an event is come to pass, to apply any ancient prophecies to it, that do not manifestly, to the eyes of common sense, appear to belong to it? These questions being admitted, another will be asked: how comes it to pass that many of the prophecies, applied by the writers of the gospel to our Saviour and his actions, are still dark and obscure; and so far from belonging evidently to him and him only, that it requires much learning and sagacity to show even now the connexion between some prophecies and the events?

In answer to these questions, we must observe that the obscurity of prophecy does not arise from hence, that it is a relation or description of something future; for it is as easy to speak of things future plainly and intelligibly, as it is of things past or present. The same language serves in both cases with little variation. He who says the river will overflow its banks next year, speaks as plainly as he who says it did overflow its banks last year. It is not therefore of the nature of prophecy to be obscure, for it may easily be made, when he who gives it thinks fit, as plain as history.

On the other side, a figurative and dark description of a future event will be figurative and dark still when the event happens, and consequently will have all the obscurity of a figurative dark description as well after as before the event. The prophet Isaiah describes the peace of Christ's kingdom in the following manner: The wolf 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 :' xi. 6. Nobody, I suppose, (some modern Jews excepted,) ever understood this literally; nor can it now be

literally applied to the state of the gospel. It was and is capable of different interpretations: it may mean temporal peace, and that either public of kingdoms and nations, or private among the professors of the gospel it may prefigure an internal and spiritual peace, the tranquillity of mind which sets a man at peace with God, himself, and the world. But whatever the true meaning is, this prophecy, expounded by the rules of language only, does no more obtrude one determinate sense on the mind since the coming of Christ, than it did before. But then we say, the state of the gospel was very properly prefigured in this description, and is as properly prefigured by an hundred more of the like kind; and since they all agree in a fair application to the state of the gospel, we strongly conclude that the gospel state was the thing foretold under these and many other like expressions. So that the argument from prophecy for the truth of the gospel does not rest on this, that the event has necessarily limited and ascertained the particular sense and meaning of every prophecy; but in this, that every prophecy has in a proper sense been completed by the coming of Christ. It is absurd therefore to expect clear and evident conviction from every single prophecy applied to Christ; the evidence must arise from a view and comparison of all together.

Prophecies are not all of one kind, or of equal clearness: the most literal prophecies relating to Christ were not always at the time of the delivery the plainest; for many of these relating to the most surprising and wonderful events under the gospel, wanted not the veil or cover of figurative language; for being plainly foretold, they could hardly, for the seeming incredibility of the things themselves, be received and admitted in their true literal meaning. A virgin shall conceive a son' was a proposition which seemed to want some other interpretation than a literal one, which was inconsistent with all experience of the world; and therefore probably this prophecy was not understood by the ancient Jews, as importing a miraculous conception. The event has not made this prophecy clearer than it was before; the language of it was as well understood in the prophet's time as now; but common sense led every man to understand it in a sense agreeable to nature and experience: but the event has showed us that the plain literal sense, however in