nion of their ancestors in this refpect. They diftinguith Mofes from all other prophets, and the highest degree of inspiration is ftyled by them gradus Mofaicus. The difference between this degree and all others they make to confift in four particulars. 1. Mofes had no dreams nor vifions: 2. He had light from God immediately, without the miniftry or interpofition of angels. 3. His mind was never difturbed or dismayed by the prophetic influence; for God fpake to him as a man speaks to his friend. 4. He could prophefy at all times when he would; whereas others prophefied only at particular times, when the word of God came to them *. Another chief dignity belonging to Mofes, and in which the prophets under the law were not like unto him, is, that he was a lawgiver. No prophet after Mofes was fent with fuch a commiffion during the time of the law; and yet the prophet here foretold was evidently to resemble Mofes in this particular. He was to speak all that God commanded him; and whoever hearkened not to him was to be deftroyed. Mofes had no greater authority than this; nor can any words describe a greater. Befides, there is a circumftance belonging to this prophecy, which ties it down, I think, to this fenfe. Mofes fays, God will raife up unto thee a Prophet like unto me, according to all that thou defiredft of him in Horeb, in the day of the affembly, faying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God; neither let me fee this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord faid unto me, They have well spoken.-1 will raise them up a Pro • See Smith's Select Difcourfes, p. 261. phet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he fhall Speak unto them all that I fhall command him, &c. : It is to be observed, that this request of the people was made at the giving of the law in Horeb: Mofes had often prophefied to them before, and they were not put under any terror by it; but when the law was delivered, and God defcended in fire, and the whole mount quaked greatly, they defired that Mofes might speak to them, and not God, left they should die upon this the promise is given, I will raife them a Prophet like unto thee, and put my words in his mouth. Is it not evident, that this new Prophet was to do that, in a familiar gentle way, which God himself did in the mount, furrounded with majesty and terror? And was not that the giving of the law? To apply this promise to any thing elfe, is making it to have no relation to the request upon which it was granted. The people liked Mofes his ordinary way of prophefying to them fo well, that they defired he might be employed to deliver God's laws to them in the fame manner that he delivered God's other commands the request related therefore merely to the manner of God's giving his law; they were under no uneafiness at his method in conveying prophecies; to them and confequently the promise of God muft relate to the giving of a law to his people, by one to be raised up among themselves; and not merely to a fucceffion of prophets, about which the people were in no distress. Laftly, If we inquire, from hiftorical evidence, after the completion of this prophecy, we fhall find, that it did moft punctually agree to the character of our bleffed Saviour, and not to any other prophet, either before or after him: all the prophets of the Old Teftament faw vifions, and dreamed dreams; all the prophets of the New were in the fame ftate. St. Peter had a vifion, St. John faw vifions, St. Paul had vifions and dreams: but Chrift himself neither faw vifion, nor dreamed a dream, but had intimate and immediate communication with the Father; he was in the Father's bofom; he, and no man elfe, had feen the Father, was one with the Father, and had the fulness of the Godhead in him. Let any man feriously confider this; Mofes and Chrift are the only two, in all the facred history, who had this com. munication with God; the likeness to Mofes is faid directly to lie in this, of seeing God face to face. Can the promise then of raifing a prophet like unto Mofes be poffibly applied to any other perfon than Chrift Jefus? The other part of the parallel needs not to be infifted on; that Chrift was a lawgiver, will be easily admitted on all hands. But the execution of the threat annexed to this prophecy is too remarkable to be paffed over in filence; it has been literally fulfilled upon the whole nation; every man, who confiders the state of the Jews from the rejection of Chrift to this day, muft own, that this part of the prophecy, at least, has been punctually verified. This prophecy, and many others, feem, as I obferved, intended for the Jews principally, to prepare them betimes for the reception of a new Lawgiver, and to intimate to them, that the Mofaic covenant was not to be perpetual. Thus have I gone through the feveral periods of prophecy under the Old Teftament, and endeavoured to fhew the main defign and use of it, opening a way to a fair and impartial confideration of the particular prophecies relating to each period. I conceived it seasonable, at a time when the argument from prophecy was exposed to open ridicule, to fuggeft fome proper obfervations on the fubject, for the affiftance of serious minds disposed to confider; to throw in one mite, as an offering to the love of Chrift and his Gofpel, in which I hope to live and to die. |