ESSAY V.

On the general Application of Prophecy.

I spoke, in the second of these papers, concerning two modes of applying prophecy; the one strict and literal, the other more free. The latter topic is carried on in the third essay, which discusses the subject of quotations from the Old Testament in the New; and with the same topic I now purpose to proceed, having digressed for a moment in the fourth, to advocate the hereditary right of the Jew.

Now on this subject, of the free, general, I might almost say universal, application of prophecy, perhaps I have some views to advance which may be thought peculiar: and these views, if the Lord will, I purpose hereafter to illustrate, by applying them to particular passages of Scripture. I therefore beg leave to premise, that I am not so fixed in them, but that I am willing to be set right, if in error; and that if in any thing they are found less edifying in their tendency, I have no objection to re-consider them. We do not speak with the same decision respecting unfulfilled prophecy, as concerning doctrines; and we may observe that Scott himself, decided as he is in doctrinal points, occasionally assumes quite a different tone, and speaks as one balancing opinions, when he comes to comment upon the Apocalypse.

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My views, then, are somewhat connected with that which I take of a much-agitated text: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Pet. i. 20). The meaning of which, it strikes me, may be, that no prophecy ought to be so interpreted, as to be tied, or restricted in its application, to any particular time and occurrence; and so as to be cut off and separated from other times and from other occurrences, which may also afford a fulfilment of it. If we so tie it up, it becomes of private interpretation or solution: but no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." And, moreover, we ought, as the Apostle here says, to know this first: that is, this principle is fundamental, and the first that we ought to know, in order to understand how to apply and interpret prophecy in a proper manner. It will be observed, however, that my views do not stand or fall with my interpretation of this particular text; and that even if the interpretation be wrong, and can be used only to illustrate, they will still be the same, inasmuch as they have not been derived from any single text, but have gradually formed themselves in the course of many years' study of the Bible.

I allege, then, a general application in prophecy, to the

affairs of the world, and much more to the affairs of the church. The reason why I allege this is, because in the reading of the Scripture I see it. Yet the Scripture is written before, and therefore by no means loses, by this general application, that which is essential to prophecy.—This Book is no other than the word of God. We see in it an application to existing things. Surely then this application was intended; and surely, if it was, we are BOUND so to apply it.

But let me say all. Human events have common characteristics and therefore prophecy, though spoken with an especial reference to things future, may also have application to things existing when it was spoken, and to things past. In this view, prophecy may be regarded as the grand revelation from above, of the true character of all human events: the Zaphnath-paaneah, the revealer of secrets: which teaches us to know the true nature of every sublunary circumstance and occurrence; and to estimate and judge of men and things on earth, as they are judged of and estimated in heaven. The particular reference of the prophecy, may, I say, be future; so that its character, as prophecy, shall be fully maintained. But its general reference may be to the present, and to the past, as well as to the future. In fact, two references of prophecy are distinctly specified in the Apocalypse, at the beginning of the Book. First we have the particular reference to the future; "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass" (ch. i. 1): then the more general reference, to past and present, as well as future; "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" (ver. 19). Such, in the more extended and enlarged view of it, is prophecy: a discovery of things which have been, of things which are, and of things which shall be: a revelation given to us from above, upon that most certain principle, though it seems a contradiction. to say so, that, in order to judge aright, we require to have things seen revealed to us, as well as things unseen a divine sentence upon all that is done in the world; a heavenly view of objects below, as distinct from, and opposed to, the earthly view; the judgment of God upon all things, past, present, and future; the Holy Ghost speaking to us by the prophet, and telling us how HE will have us to estimate them.

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On this view of the subject, and to this extent, all Scripture may be regarded as prophetical." Indeed it may; and so I delight to view it. All Scripture will then have a general application. And not only this; but all Scripture was intended to have this general application "Whatsoever things were written

aforetime were written for our learning." How invaluable this Divine comment on passing events, which comes down to all the particulars of our own case, yea, to all the inward history of our own hearts: this sentence of God upon all occurrences, as they come on and pass, so that we may know how to view, how to meet, and how to handle them: this standing rule of judgment, by which we learn how we ought to think of every person, every event, and every thing! Nor, in acquiring the habit of thus viewing all Scripture as prophetical, are we without the best scriptural authority. For many passages of the Old Testament are quoted as prophetical in the New, which we might never have guessed to have been prophetical, had we seen them in the Old Testament alone, without knowing of such quotation; but which we now clearly see to be so. They so fit in, and adapt themselves to the New-Testament Person or transaction, on application being made, as to shew self-evidently, and with great power of conviction, that they were written before, through Divine prescience and pre-ordinance, in order that they might be so applied and therefore, if this be so with a part of Scripture, why may it not be with the rest? and, in particular, why need we doubt that it is so, in whatever cases we discern the application?

According to these views, it will be clear also, that one prophetic Scripture may have more than one fulfilment. Therefore, when it is said in the New Testament, that then, on a certain occasion, such or such a prophecy was "fulfilled," we are not always to understand that it was fulfilled and done with; but rather, that this was a fulfilment of the prophecy, not precluding other fulfilments, previous, or to come. Thus, when our Lord was teaching his disciples that other men had laboured, but that they entered into their labours, he said, "Herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth." It was true in that particular case, but it is also true in many others. Thus our Lord applies a passage of Isaiah to the people of Palestine, as being fulfilled in them: "In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias," &c. (Matt. xiii. 14, 15): and St. Paul applies it, many years after, to the Jews at Rome, in whom it was equally fulfilled (Acts xxviii. 25-27.) We may make the same remark concerning direct prophecies. For instance, that of Joel ("I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh," &c.); of which we have a fulfilment, some fulfilment, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended (Acts ii. 16-21): yet not surely the only fulfilment; for, taking the whole of the passage cited, we look for its complete accomplishment as yet to come. What can be more unreasonable than to say of such passages

in the Prophets, that, once accomplished, they are done with? What can be more lame with regard to the Jews, than to say, because we see some partial fulfilment of the promises of their restoration, that therefore no more complete fulfilment awaits them hereafter? Objectors imagine, that if they can prove the fulfilment of a prophecy, they get rid of it. But by no means: it may have been fulfilled, and yet stand over, to be fulfilled again or its fulfilment may have commenced, and yet stand over to be accomplished.

Our Lord is spoken of in the Old Testament, as one who should open the eyes of the blind. He did so literally: he did so spiritually, while present on earth: he does so now by his Holy Spirit, while absent in heaven: and he will do so, we trust, more wonderfully, on the complete establishment of his kingdom. Here, then, are four fulfilments. Yet which of them interferes with the other?

Many things prophetically spoken of Christ under the type of Solomon, had a partial or inferior fulfilment in Solomon himself; but not so as to set aside, or to stand in the way of, the more complete fulfilment in Christ. See, for instance, the seventy-second Psalm.

Or take the messages to the seven churches, in the second and third chapters of the Revelations. That these messages were, in their primary meaning, intended for the churches to which they are addressed by name, seems evident. But many reasons might be assigned, for giving them also a spiritual application: for instance, the admonition so often recurring, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Thus the warnings are made general: add to which, that unless such a general meaning be intended, the Lord Jesus is represented in the first chapter, only as being the spiritual head of the seven churches of Asia; not of the church at large. We may apply the admonitions in these messages, then, to any church, so far as we see in it the circumstances to which the admonitions are addressed: we may apply them to the same church at different times: we may apply them to different departments of a church at the same time. In doing so, we shall be only applying them where they are intended to apply; and, so applied, they will be truly prophecies.

In the English version of the cxith Psalm, we find this clause: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." In the ixth chapter of the Book of Proverbs we find the same. In each instance the clause has a parallel line. The former couplet runs thus:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

A good understanding have all they that do his commandments." The latter, thus:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy Ones is understanding." Thus the second line is parallel, or corresponds to the first, in each instance and other parallel lines might be imagined, producing other couplets; the first line being the same in each. Now this will serve to illustrate what may be termed the parallelism of prophecy. The first line, or prediction, may be the same in each case, while the fulfilments, or second lines, shall be various; and each of these second lines shall correspond with the first, though no two of them be identical.

By one other text I am yet desirous to confirm these views. The Pharisees begin by asking the Lord, WHEN the kingdom of God should come (Luke xvii. 20): he answers, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation." This, however, is not the passage on which I at present wish to dwell. They afterwards ask him, "WHERE, Lord?" And he then answers, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." That is, the Lord foretels a certain state of things, and certain accompanying circumstances. They ask him, Where? wishing, in a manner, to locate the prediction, to tie it to a certain spot. But no. Wherever the state of things is such, the accompanying circumstances shall there be found. Wherever the body is, thither the eagles will be sure to assemble: as, addressing Job, he says, speaking of the same bird, "Where the slain are, there is she." In the xxiv th chapter of St. Matthew, we find nearly the same words as in St. Luke. Whatever then, in this chapter, belongs to the destruction of Jerusalem, let it be given to Jerusalem: whatever to the Lord's coming and to the end of the world, let it be referred to these events. But in whatever degree we discover an application to other circumstances, let us, without taking any thing away from the two former subjects, apply it accordingly, without fear; remembering that, in so doing, we are not distorting or forcing the prediction, but following the obvious leading of those words of our Lord above cited.

According to these views, also, we may safely apply any single prophecy, or portion of a prophecy, wherever we see its application, without being obliged to shew the application of the context. We make the application so far as it is evident, and we do not wish to press it further. For example: In the prophecy against Babylon, in the fiftieth and fifty-first chapters of Jeremiah, I discern a clear application to the church of