nating from the free grace of God. They will perceive the great design gradually displayed to mankind by direct prophecy, by types and prefigurations, all originally preparing the world for the Saviour, who was ushered in with such a pomp of witnesses, and now bearing continued testimony to the reality of his mission and the truth of his doctrines.

The object, then, of the ensuing Lectures will be, to point out the connection between typical interpretation and the general interpretation of the Holy Scriptures—to shew the proper use which may be made of this branch of sacred criticism, the degree of certainty which may be expected to result from such an enquiry: the dangers which flow from its abusethe rules by which any investigation of this nature should be conducted and afterwards to arrange, and examine in detail, the more prominent historical types which the Scriptures contain.

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P Lect. II.

9 Lect. III.

r Lect. IV.

S Lect. V.-XIX.

LECTURE II.

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THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE INTERPRETATION

OF SCRIPTURE GENERALLY, AND THAT OF

THE HISTORICAL TYPES.

IF

MATT. XXIV. 15.

Whoso readeth let him understand.

F a revelation of the Divine will is to be made to the world, and to be delivered down from age to age, some method must be invented or adopted, by which the ideas formed in one mind may be accurately communicated to another.

It has pleased the Almighty to make use of written language for that purpose.

The selection of this medium of intercourse presupposes a language already existing, possessing terms to which a definite meaning is affixed, and these united according to established rules; and also that the human writers had received, either by language or by some other means, a knowledge of the facts or doctrines which they transmit.

In order then to understand the Scriptures, we must attend to the circumstances which have had the greatest influence in modifying language: and this will lead us to observe the different methods of interpretation, and their mutual dependence.

Whatever may have been the origin of language; whether the gift of utterance and the knowledge of what was spoken were originally implanted in our first parents by their Creator, or the faculty were speedily acquired by the use of those noble endowments of mature intellect, with which man was blessed when he proceeded from the hands of God, created in His own image, after His likeness: the power of communicating its sentiments by speech was, doubtless, one of the earliest acquirements of the human mind.

But we have no reason to imagine that language was either imparted or acquired, at first, in a state of greater advancement than was necessary for the limited intercourse of the earliest ages of society.

The original progenitors of the human race had few natural wants, and no artificial desires. Every impression made by the senses was clear and definite. Every instant opened some source of enquiry before unnoticed: and the attractions of all were enhanced by the graces which

B

novelty imparts to objects otherwise indiffer

ent.

Ideas, therefore, derived from objects of sense would naturally be the first to which a name was affixed; and their most simple relations the first which were expressed.

Soon, however, the invisible operations of the mind within itself, the incomprehensible spiritual nature of God, and of the soul, which man could not but perceive within him, would require to be discussed.

In order to effect this, a comparison would be made in the mind, between the ideas, of which the senses alone could convey no notion, and those, of which the notion was already acquired by the senses, and fixed by a word. Thus terms, originally applicable to the outward senses, would be diverted from their first meaning, and applied to that which was conceived to bear some relation to it. Hence there would soon be introduced a variety of figurative terms.

In proportion to the simplicity, and it may be said to the poverty, of the language, would be the relative number of terms which had thus acquired an adventitious sense. What had been begun almost from necessity would be continued by habit or by choice. And as the powers of language were cultivated, men

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of ardent imaginations would discover beauties in these figurative expressions. They would find themselves and their hearers animated by the sensible images presented to their minds : and soon learn to cultivate as an art modes of expression, which were rather to be avoided, if possible, as conveying inadequate, if not erroneous, conceptions:

The further cultivation of language would probably tend to diminish the use of figurative terms. Or, what is practically the same, they would cease to be considered figurative. Metaphorical words would by degrees become familiar in their remote meaning; and at last cease definitely to excite in the mind the primary idea derived from the senses.

Experience appears to justify these conclusions. Whenever it has been possible to make observations upon men in the rudest state of society, their language has been found thus to abound in figurative terms.

We need not then be surprized that, in the recorded account of the events which occurred in the first ages after the creation of the human race, we should find instances of the greatest boldness of verbal imagery; especially when there is occasion to describe the things which belong unto God. In the very sentence which the Almighty pronounced upon

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