come, but the body was of Christ* The legal prophets, in like manner, while they were immediately employed, and perhaps believed themselves to be solely employed, in predicting the occurrences of the

* Coloss. ii. 17. Hence, St. Austin affirms roundly, "That, to such as consider the genius of the revealed system, the Old Testament must appear a continued prophecy of the New."-Vetus Testamentum, recte sentientibus, PROPHETIA est Novi Testamenti [contr. Faustum, l. xv.] and St. Jerome speaks of it as a generally received maxim, "That it is the manner of sacred scripture, to deliver beforehand, the truth of futurity in types"-hunc esse morem scriptura sancta ut futurorum veritatem præmittat, in TYPIS [Hieron. T. iii. 1127. I know, that the ancient fathers, and from them many moderns, have exposed themselves to much and deserved censure, by pursuing this principle too minutely and superstitiously, in their mystical and allegorical comments on the Jewish scriptures. But men of sense will consider, that a principle is not therefore to be rejected, because it has been abused. For instance, that the Passover was instituted with a reference to the sacrifice of Christ, that the paschal Lamb was, in the language of St. Austin, a prophecy, or in that of St. Jerome, a type, of the Lamb of God, will seem highly credible to one who considers the aptness of the correspondence in two related parts of the same system: But, that the famous Law in Deuteronomy, concerning the marriage of a brother's widow, was prophetic, or typical of the duty, incumbent on the ministers of the gospel, to espouse the widowed church of Christ, is certainly much less clear, and will scarcely be admitted even on the authority of St. Austin. Hoc ipsum quod uxorem fratris ad hoc frater jussus est ducere, ut non sibi, sed illi sobolem suscitaret, ejusque vocaret nomine, quod inde nasceretur: quid aliud in figura præmonstrat, nisi quia unusquisque Evangelii prædicator ita debet in Ecclesia laborare, ut defuncto fratri, hoc est Christo, suscitet semen, qui pro nobis mortuus est, et quod suscitatum fuerit, ejus nomen accipiat? Contr. Faustum, 1. 32. St. Austin might, perhaps, say for himself, that he had an example of this practice in the mystical comments of St. Paul: it may be so: but an example followed without warrant in this instance by the learned father, and not improbably ill understood by him.

Jewish state, were at the same time, preluding, as it were, to the person and dispensation of Jesus; the Holy Spirit, which inspired them, bearing out their expression, and enlarging their conceptions, beyond the worth and size of those objects which came directly in their view.

There is nothing in this account of prophecy but what falls in with our best ideas of the divine wisdom; intently prosecuting one entire scheme; and directing the constituent parts of it to the general purpose of his providence, at the same time that each serves to accomplish its own.

This double or secondary sense of prophecy was so far from giving offence to Lord Bacon, that he speaks of it with admiration, as one striking argument of its divinity. In sorting the prophecies of scripture with their events, (a work much desired by this wise author, and intended by this lecture,) we must allow, says he, for that latitude which is agreeable and familiar unto divine prophecies, being of the nature of the Author, with whom a thousand years are but as one day; and therefore they are not fulfilled punctually at once, but have springing and germinant accomplishment throughout many ages, though the height, or fulness of them, may refer to some one age*. But, that we may not mistake or pervert this fine observation of our great philosopher, it may be proper to take notice, that the reason of it holds in such prophecies only as respect the several successive parts of one system; which being intimately connected together, may be supposed to come within the view and contemplation of the same prophecy: whereas, it would be endless, and one sees not on what grounds of reason we are authorized, to look out for the accomplishment of prophecy in any casual, unrelated events of general

* Adv. of Learning, b. ii.

history. The scripture speaks of prophecy, as respecting Jesus, that is, as being one connected scheme of Providence, of which the Jewish dispensation makes a part: so that here we are led to expect that springing and germinant accomplishment, which is mentioned. But had the Jewish law been complete in itself, and totally unrelated to the christian, the general principle that a thousand years are with God but as one day, would no more justify us in extending a Jewish prophecy to christian events, because perhaps it was eminently fulfilled in them, than it would justify us in extending it to any other signally corresponding events whatsoever. It is only when the prophet hath one uniform connected design before him, that we are authorized to use this latitude of interpretation. For then the prophetic spirit naturally runs along the several parts of such design, and unites the remotest events with the nearest; the style of the prophet, in the mean time, so adapting itself to this double pros-> pect, as to paint the near and subordinate event in terms that emphatically represent the distant and more considerable.

So that, with this explanation, nothing can be more just or philosophical than the idea which Lord Bacon suggests of divine prophecy.

(To be continued.)

FOR THE CHRISTIAN's MAGAZINE.

CHURCH OF GOD.

N°. XV.

Officers, &c.

To a critical knowledge of the original_tongues,

a scribe well instructed in the kingdom of God must add an extensive acquaintance with facts necessary for explaining scriptural subjects.

These facts are greatly diversified in their nature, and are to be gathered from various provinces of human research. The more immediately important may be classed under the general heads of historical and physical facts.

To the historical class belong

1. Annals; which record distinguished events, ecclesiastical, civil, political, military, commercial,

&c.

2. The government, resources, and institutions of a country.

3. The biography of famous individuals.

4. Public and private customs and manners.

5. The state of the sciences, of literature, and of the arts.

The physical class comprehends facts relating, 1. To the system of the world

2. To those phenomena, the study of which forms, what is commonly called, Natural Philosophy; and in which the progress will be short and slow without the help of mathematics

3. To natural geography, geology, &c.

4. To the natural history of animals, especially of

man.

The catalogue might easily be enlarged; for there is no department of human knowledge or skill which does not furnish something of value to a good Divine. The design of the foregoing specification is merely to exhibit a summary of things which embrace copious details, and with which an accomplished and well-armed theologian ought to be conversant. An adept in all of them he can hardly become; but such an acquaintance with them as shall enable him to turn their lights in upon obscure parts of the holy writings; and to dissipate the artificial darkness created by the foe, he may and should acquire.

"And can so much human learning-such vo"lumes of history-such long narratives of political "things and political men-so much natural philo

sophy, and astronomy, and geography, and all the

rest of it, be necessary to preach the Gospel of "salvation? Cannot a minister prove from the Bible "that men are lost and perishing, but he must fetch "his argument from the story of kings and kingdoms "whereof not one of his audience in twenty ever "heard the names? Can he not tell them of Jesus "Christ, without telling them of Alexander the "Great, or Mahommed, or Genghis Khan? Can "he not display the grace of God, without the dia"grams of Euclid? nor treat on scriptural symbols, "without an algebraical equation? May not his "doctrine be heavenly, unless he calculate eclipses? "And must he be unable to dig for the hidden trea"sures of wisdom, without plunging into the belly