:

18. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." But the objection arises from a misconception of the apostle's meaning. From Abraham divers nations sprang; for he had many sons; but one alone was the child of promise. And in him, Isaac, and his descendants the blessing rested. The promise was not to seeds, not to Abraham's offspring indiscriminately, not to the various lines of the many who called him father; but to that one which combined the spiritual with the carnal bond of relationship to Abraham, the seed of which Christ was to be the representative. St. Paul does not mean Christ individually, but Christ collectively-Christ, it is true, personally first and chiefly, but also his body the church as gathered up in him. Tholuck acknowledges that "the prophecy had a definite posterity in view, namely, a believing posterity; but, had seeds been employed, it would have indicated that all the posterity of Abraham who sprang from him by natural descent were included."

It must be confessed that there are some peculiarities in the mode in which the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews applies Old Testament passages. About one half of his citations are taken from the psalms, and sometimes from such psalms (e.g. xcvii. and cii.) as do not appear to have a Messianic character. We must, however, remember that his object is not so much to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, as to convince those who admitted his Messiahship of the essential dignity of Him in whom they believed. By him God made the worlds-this was acknowledged; and, therefore, it was in point to cite declarations (Psal. cii. 25—27.) which exalted the majesty of the Creator infinitely above the highest created beings. Besides, a future glory of Zion is described (vv. 13, 14.). She was to be re-built in splendour, when the time to favour her was come. She was to be the seat of a more powerful monarchy; and the kings of the earth would admire the chosen city (v. 15.). And who was to be the sovereign there? The next verse (16.) supplies the answer : "When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." It must follow that, when an appearance of the Lord is spoken of, he who should so" appear" could be none other than the King Messiah. The citation of Psal. viii. 4-6. in Heb. ii. 6-8. has been held to involve special difficulty. But surely the psalmist, contemplating with surprise the honour God placed upon a creature whom he had formed out of dust, must have felt that the full significance of the prerogative conferred on him at creation, and debased by the fall, could be realized only by redemption in that ultimate state of honour and dignity which Messiah was to effectuate. "There is a reference to redeemed humanity in association with the Messiahor the Messiah at the head of redeemed humanity. The humanity of Messiah joined to redeemed humanity is a glorious representation of the dignity belonging to man." 3

2

The principle which has been used for the explanation of the See No. 159. pp. 167, 168. Dr. Owen, Expos. of the Hebrews, i. 10-12., urges that, as a redemption of the people (Psal. cii. 13.), a calling of the Gentiles (15, 21, 22.), and the creation of a new people (18.) are predicted, the psalm must necessarily be regarded as Messianic.

2 See No. 135. pp. 161, 162.

Davidson, Sacr. Herm. chap. xi. p. 506.

cases referred to may be advantageously employed in other cases. It is, however, manifestly impossible to pursue here the enquiry into further particulars. And it is the less necessary, as several authors have ably vindicated the New Testament writers from the charge of merely accommodating passages from the Old Testament, which ought not properly to be so employed. To them the student must be referred.']

SECT. III.

OF APOCRYPHAL PASSAGES, SUPPOSED TO BE QUOTED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. — QUOTATIONS FROM PROFANE AUTHORS.

It was a practice of the ancient Hebrew divines not only to cite the Scriptures, as we have seen in the preceding sections, but also to quote histories, facts, and apophthegms or sayings of their early sages, which they had received by oral tradition from the time of Moses, in order to supply some facts not recorded in the Pentateuch. Of this method of quotation we have three supposed instances in the New Testament. The first is 2 Tim. iii. 8.; where we meet with the names of Jannes and Jambres as the two Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses. Schickard and some other learned men are of opinion that St. Paul, being deeply conversant in Jewish literature, derived his knowledge of these names from the Targum or Chaldee paraphrase of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, on Exod. vii. 11. But, as there is reason to believe that this Targum is of too late a date to have been consulted by the apostle, it is most probable that he alluded to an ancient and generally received tradition relative to those men. corroborates the latter conjecture is, that their names are mentioned by some ancient profane writers, as Numenius the Pythagorean2, and Pliny. The Jews affirm that they were princes of Pharaoh's magicians, and that they greatly resisted Moses. Origen, 185-254., informs us that there was extant, in his time, an apocryphal book concerning these magicians, inscribed Jannes et Mambres Liber." The other two instances alluded to are Jude 9.; which cites the story of Michael, the archangel, contending with Satan about the body of Moses, and v. 14. of the same epistle; in which it has been supposed that Jude quoted an apocryphal prophecy of Enoch. But both these instances are borrowed from traditional accounts then received by the Jews, with whom the apostle argues from their own authors and concessions. If, however, it could be proved that the apostle had quoted

What

'See, among others, Fairbairn, The Typology of Scripture (2d edit.), book ii. Append B. vol. i. pp. 382-425., Hermeneutical Manual, part i. sect. v. pp. 88-103., part iii. sect. ii pp. 416-460.; Davidson, Sacred Hermeneutics, chap. xi. pp. 486-506.

2

Apud Origen. contra Celsum, Op. Par. 1733-59, lib. iv. 51., tom. i. p. 543.; and in Eusebius de Præp. Evang. lib. ix. cap. 8.

Pliny, Hist. Nat. lib. xxx. cap. 2.

Surenhusius, Bíẞλos Karaλλayîs, pp. 589, 590.

Tract 35. in Matt. cited by Dr. Whitby on 2 Tim. iii. 8.] In Matt. Comm. Ser., tom. iii. p. 916. Comp. Buxtorf, Lexicon Chaid. Talm. et Rabb., cols. 945, &c.]

See an account of the Apocryphal Book of Enoch the Prophet, in the Bibliog. List, vol. iv. sect. vii.

'Surenhusius, pp. 699-702., has given long extracts from the Jalkut Rubeni, which

a single passage from the apocryphal book of Enoch, such a quotation will no more prove his approbation of the whole book, than Paul's quotations from certain heathen poets prove that apostle's approbation of every part of the compositions to which he referred. On the subject of the supposed apocryphal quotations by Jude, see further, Vol. IV. pp. 620-622.

On On a reference to the passages of the Old Testament, which are cited in the way of illustration by the evangelical writers', it will be observed that by far the greater number of such quotations has been made by St. Paul. But the same great apostle of the Gentiles, becoming all things to all men, and being deeply versed in the works of heathen authors, as well as in the sacred writings, did not confine himself exclusively to the inspired books; and, accordingly, we have three instances in the New Testament of the fine taste and ability with which he cited and applied passages from pagan authors when contending with the Gentiles, or writing to Gentile converts. The first is in Acts xvii. 28.; where he cites part of a verse from the Phænomena of Aratus.

The passage was originally spoken of the heathen deity Jupiter, and is dexterously applied to the true God by Paul, who draws a very strong and conclusive inference from it.

The second instance alluded to is in 1 Cor. xv. 33. ; in which passage the apostle quotes an iambic senarius, which is supposed to have been taken from Menander's lost comedy of Thaïs,

Φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρῆσθ ̓ ὁμιλίαι κακαί:

rendered, in our translation, Evil communications corrupt good manners. The last instance to be noticed under this head is Titus i. 12.; where St. Paul quotes from Epimenides, a Cretan poet, the verse which has already been cited and illustrated in Vol. I. pp. 167, 168.; to which the reader is referred.

[The names Jannes and Jammr are found in the Egyptian Papyri, published in 1844 by the trustees of the British Museum, as translated by the Rev. D. I. Heath.2

Besides the three quotations here mentioned from profane writers, some others have been discovered or imagined. The most remarkable of these, first pointed out by Mr. T. H. Gill, is from Aristotle, Polit. lib. iii. cap. viii., κατὰ δὲ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστι νόμος; which agrees literally with Gal. v. 23., κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος. For a list of all the quotations or coincidences between the New Testament and passages in apocryphal books, ancient Jewish writings, and Greek poets, &c., see Mr. Gough's New Testament Quotations, London, 1855, pp. 276, &c.]

detail the history of Michael's conflicts with the devil. The same author, pp. 708-712., has also referred to many rabbinical writers, who take notice of Enoch's prophecy.

1 See before, pp. 191-194.

2 There is an account of some interesting facts discovered by Mr. Heath in the Journal of Sacred Literature, No. xi., for April, 1854, pp. 254, 255.

209

CHAP. V.

ON HARMONIES OF SCRIPTURES.

Occasion and design of harmonies of the Scriptures.

THE several books of the holy Scriptures, having been written at different times and on different occasions, necessarily treat on a great variety of subjects, historical, doctrinal, moral, and prophetic. The sacred authors also, writing with different designs, have not always related the same events in the same order: some are introduced by anticipation; and others again which occurred first have been placed last. Hence seeming contradictions have arisen, which have been eagerly seized by the adversaries of Christianity, in order to perplex the minds and shake the faith of those who are not able to cope with their sophistries. These contradictions, however, are not real, for they disappear as soon as they are brought to the test of candid examination.

The manifest importance and advantage of comparing the sacred writers with each other, and of reconciling apparent contradictions, have induced many learned men to undertake the compilation of works, which, being designed to show the perfect agreement of all parts of the sacred writings, are commonly termed HARMONIES. A multitude of works of this description have, at different times, been issued from the press; the execution of which has varied according to the different designs of their respective authors. They may, however, be referred to three classes; viz.

1. Works which have for their object the RECONCILING OF APPARENT CONTRADICTIONS in the sacred writings. These, in fact, are a sort of commentaries.

2. HARMONIES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. The design of these is to dispose the historical, poetical, and prophetical books in chronological order, so that they may mutually explain and authenticate one another. Our learned countryman, Dr. Lightfoot, in the year 1647, published a Chronicle or Harmony of the Old Testament; on the basis of which the Rev. Dr. Townsend constructed The Old Testament arranged in Historical and Chronological Order; but he has deviated from, and improved upon, the plan of Lightfoot very materially.

3. HARMONIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT are of two sorts; viz. (1.) Harmonies of the entire New Testament, in which not only are the four Gospels chronologically disposed, but the Epistles are also placed in order of time, and interspersed in the Acts of the Apostles. Dr. Townsend's New Testament arranged in Chronological and Historical Order is the most complete work of this kind in the English language.

(2.) Harmonies of the four Gospels, in which the narratives or memoirs of the four evangelists are digested in their proper chronological order.1

For an account of these the reader may consult Michaelis, Introduction to the New Testament, vol. iii. part i. pp. 31-36., and part ii. pp. 29-49. See also Cycl. of Bibl. Lit. art. Harmonies.

PART II.

ON THE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE. 1

www

BOOK I.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION.

CHAPTER I.

ON THE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE TERMS.

SECTION I.

ON WORDS AND THEIR SIGNIFICATION.

MAN, being formed for society, has received from his Creator the faculty of communicating to his fellow-men, by means of certain signs, the ideas conceived in his mind. Hence, his organs of speech are so constructed, that he is capable of forming certain articulate sounds, expressive of his conceptions; and these, being fitly disposed together, constitute discourse; which, whether it be pronounced or written, must necessarily possess the power of declaring to others what he wishes they should understand.

[The first object of investigation is, naturally, the meaning of terms: the student will then be properly prepared to examine the meaning of words united into sentences or propositions, and thus to arrive at the true sense of the sacred writers. On this principle the following observations and rules will be as far as possible arranged.]

The vehicles, or signs, by which men communicate their thoughts to each other, are termed WORDS: whether these are orally uttered, or described by written characters; the idea, or notion, attached to any word, is its SIGNIFICATION; and the ideas which are expressed by several words connected together—that is, in entire sentences and propositions, and which ideas are produced in the minds of others— are called the SENSE or proper meaning of words. Thus, if a person utter certain words, to which another individual attaches the same idea as the speaker, he is said to understand the latter, or to comprehend the sense of his words. If we transfer this to sacred subjects, we may define the sense of Scripture to be that conception of its meaning, which the Holy Spirit presents to the understanding of

Some

See some valuable remarks on the moral and other qualifications necessary in a good interpreter of Scripture, vol. i. pp. 466-468.; and Davidson, Sacr. Herm. chap. i. of the observations also of Cellérier on this topic are worth consulting, Manuel d'Herméneutique, part. i. pp. 57--71.