vered, it brought the prophets and their predictions frequently into contempt; and gave the people occafion to harden themselves against the fears and apprehenfions of the evils threatened. Hence came the reproach upon the prophets, taken notice of by Ezekiel, The vifion that he feeth is for many days to come; and he prophefieth 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 Ifrael, faying, The days are prolonged, and every vifion faileth, 22. The cafe is very much the fame 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 defcribing the judgments or the mercies of God; reprefenting fpiritual bleffings under the images of temporal profperity, and oftentimes fuch images as cannot poffibly admit of a literal interpretation. In which cafe, though we may see the general intent and meaning, and find fufficient ground for hope and fear from the scope of the prophecy, yet we can with no certainty fix the precife and determinate manner, in which the words are to be fulfilled.

Prophecy is, by the Author of prophecy, thus defcribed: I have multiplied vifions, and ufed fimilitudes by the miniftry of the prophets, Hosea xii. 10. Which fimilitudes are elsewhere fpoken of as dark Speeches delivered to the prophets in vifions and in dreams, Numb. xii. 6, 8. For this reason the Jews, when they fpoke 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 difciples, this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? Mark iv. 13; that is, if ye understand not this plain parable of the fower, how will ye understand all the ancient prophecies relating to the Gospel, which are much harder parables?

These paffages are fufficient to prove, that prophecy was never intended to be a very distinct evidence; and to fhew St. Peter's meaning in comparing the word of prophecy to a light fhining in a dark place, and in making this evidence fo much inferior to the evidence we are to receive, when the fulness of time comes for the manifeftation of God's promifes.

But, allowing this to be the cafe of prophecy at the time of delivery, are we not however to expect to find the prophecy clear and diftinct, and exactly correfponding to the event, whenever the event comes into existence? and confequently, is it not abfurd, after an event is come to pass, to apply any ancient prophecies to it, that do not manifeftly, to the eyes of common fenfe, appear to belong to it? These questions being admitted, another will be afked: How comes it to pafs, that many of the prophecies, applied by the writers of the Gospel to our Saviour and his actions, are ftill dark and obfcure; and fo far from belonging evidently to him, and him only, that it requires much learning and fagacity to fhew even now the connection between fome prophecies and the events?

In answer to thefe queftions, we muft obferve, that the obscurity of prophecy does not arise from hence, that it is a relation or defcription of fomething future; for it is as eafy to fpeak of things future

plainly and intelligibly, as it is of things paft or prefent. The fame language ferves in both cafes, with little variation. He who fays the river will overflow its banks next year, speaks as plainly as he who says it did overflow its banks laft 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 fide, a figurative and dark defcription of a future event will be figurative and dark still when the event happens; and confequently will have all the obscurity of a figurative dark description, as well after as before the event. The prophet Ifaiah describes the peace of Chrift's kingdom in the following manner: The wolf fhall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard fhall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child fhall lead them, xi. 6. No body, I fuppose, (fome modern Jews excepted,) ever understood this literally; nor can it now be literally applied to the state of the Gofpel; 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 profeffors of the Gospel. It may prefigure an internal and spiritual peace, the tranquillity of mind which fets 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 upon the mind fince the coming of Christ, than it did before. But then we fay, the state of the Gospel was very properly prefigured in this defcription, and is as properly prefigured by an hun

dred more of the like kind; and fince they all agree in a fair application to the state of the Gofpel, we ftrongly conclude, that the Gospel ftate was the thing foretold under these and many other like expreffions. So that the argument from prophecy for the truth of the Gospel does not reft upon this, that the event has neceffarily limited and afcertained the particular fenfe and meaning of every prophecy; but in this, that every prophecy has, in a proper fenfe, been completed by the coming of Chrift. It is abfurd therefore to expect clear and evident conviction from every fingle prophecy applied to Chrift; the evidence muft arife from a view and comparison of all together.

Prophecies are not all of one kind, or of equal clearness the moft literal prophecies relating to Christ were not always at the time of the delivery the plaineft; for many of these relating to the most furprising and wonderful events under the Gospel, wanted not the veil or cover of figurative language; for, being plainly foretold, they could hardly, for the feeming incredibility of the things themselves, be received and admitted in their true literal meaning, A virgin fhall conceive a Son, was a propofition which feemed to want fome other interpretation than a literal one, which was inconfiftent 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 fenfe led every man to understand it in a fenfe agreeable to nature and

experience but the event has fhewed us, that the plain literal sense, however inconfiftent with the experience of nature, is the true fenfe. In like manner the prophecies, from which the refurrection of Chrift is inferred, were obfcure and dark from a feeming inconfiftency between the feveral parts of them. It is foretold, that Chrift fhould be defpifed and rejected of men, a man of forrow and affliction; that his affliction should pursue him even to the grave: and it is alfo foretold, that, notwithstanding these sufferings, and a wretched death, he fhould prolong his days, and have an everlasting kingdom, and fee the work of the Lord profper in his hands. These prophecies are not at all plainer now than they were in the beginning: but the plain sense appeared at that time loaded with contradictions; here was one born to mifery and affiction, and yet he was the heir of an everlasting kingdom: he was condemned, executed, laid in the grave, and, after all this, he was to prolong his days, and see the work of the Lord profper in his hands. The refurrection of Chrift reconciled all thefe difficulties and feeming inconfiftencies; and we now readily admit these prophecies in their plain literal fense; which was a very plain sense before, though a very hard one to be imagined or believed.

You may observe then, that the most literal prophecies have received the greatest confirmation, and the moft light, from the event. For the difficulty in this cafe not lying in the darkness or obfcurity of the expreffion, but in the feeming impoffibility of the thing foretold, fuch feeming impoffibility the event fully cleared: but no event can make a figurative or metaphorical expreffion to be a plain or a