1.] and Christian Watchfulness. LIBRAR UN13 It is, doubtless, no easy matter thus to give ourselves to the study of Prophecy, with such attention as to discern clearly the "signs of the times," and yet keeping ourselves free from any presumptuous determining of the times themselves. Undoubtedly, it were easier far to close the volume at once, and escape the danger of the abuse by practically denying the use. But this, on other subjects of thought and action, would be accounted no rational proceeding; much less, then, assuredly on this; independently even of its tendency to deprive us altogether of the blessing which, as we have seen, is expressly promised to such inquiry. And, looking back to different periods of the Church's history, we find, in fact, that however men may have been misled, or have had their hopes too highly raised, or their imaginations unduly excited, by the approach of eras which it was supposed had been marked out in Prophecy for Christ's coming and the end of the world; still it may be asserted generally, that the minds of men have rarely been thus stirred and awakened, save at times when God's judgments were, indeed, in a more than ordinary manner, abroad in the earth, and great events were unfolding whether for good or for evil. And if, in modern times, speculation on prophetic dates has been, in many cases, too precise and positive; and if this or that conjuncture, which has been fixed upon for the fulfilment of such and such predictions, has passed by, and nothing has appeared; it were our wisdom not to allow the spirit of indifference or unbelief to cast, on that account, any thing like contempt upon the study of God's most holy word because of man's weakness or folly; not at least till it be seen and proved that the hand of God has not meanwhile been signally, though in 14 Interpretation of [LECT. silence, moving on events towards their consummation, and by the very spirit of inquiry concerning them which He has awakened in the minds of His servants, been preparing them to recognize the accomplishment, when at length, in His appointed time, it shall really come. 6 We must proceed, however, to notice another danger which besets the interpretation of Prophecy, viz. that of following our own imagination in expounding its symbolic language, instead of deriving from the deep and accurate study of Scripture itself the clue which it supplies to its own meaning. For it will be found, upon an attentive examination, that there is a wonderful uniformity in the symbols and figures employed in sacred Prophecy, and that great light is thrown upon its hidden import by a diligent "comparing of spiritual things with spiritual "." Especially important is this rule of interpretation as regards the concluding volume of Divine revelation, which in a very remarkable manner adopts and embodies the language of the Old Testament prophets, particularly Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. For, indeed, we find the Apocalypse continually bringing before us again the scenery of those earlier visions, with the images and objects which had been there described, as if resuming what they had broken off, or exhibiting events which were to correspond closely with those of that earlier dispensation to which they had immediately ministered. And thus are we reminded at every step that "no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation";" that sacred Prophecy is indeed one great system, ex 6 1 Cor. ii. 13. Vide Preface to Woodhouse's Translation, &c. 1805, and “Anno tations on the Apocalypse," 1828. Vide Note, Appendix. 7 2 Pet. i. 20. 1.] Symbolic Language. 15 tending through a vast range of time, from the beginning to the consummation of all things, and yet, throughout its whole course, at perfect unity with itself, and bearing upon it, too plainly to be mistaken, the marks of one Divine Author. And, accordingly, if we would indeed discover its real meaning, and not impose upon it fancies of our own, we must so familiarize ourselves with its general manner of expression, as to obtain a kind of acquired perception, what or what manner of events and persons "the Spirit of Christ" in His prophetic word "did signify." We shall otherwise be in continual danger of giving to prophetic imagery a sense derived from the arbitrary associations of a merely human imagination, beyond, or at variance with, those which, it may be found, perhaps, are uniformly attached in Scripture to the particular symbol or metaphor with which we are concerned. And it requires but little experience of interpretations of Prophecy to be convinced, how easily, when some special period of history, some favourite subject of speculation, has taken possession of the mind, it finds in every page and line the clear reflection of the object that haunts it; giving perhaps to minute events and transient circumstances a prominence, which, on a more enlarged view of Revelation and its disclosures, would at once appear to be inconsistent with the scale and magnitude of its visions. And the same deep and familiar acquaintance with the language of holy Scripture is necessary, in order to the determination of a question which will in every page be arising, in what degree the expressions which we find used in Prophecy are figurative 1 Pet. i. 11. 16 Spiritual or Literal Interpretation. [LECT. and symbolical, and how far they are to be interpreted literally. Upon this point also there has of late years been a considerable reaction of opinion. From a spiritualizing system of interpretation which was extensively popular, and which applied every thing in Scripture Prophecy to the individual circumstances of the Christian life, the tide has, to a great extent, turned in favour of the most strict adherence to the letter; and the expectation, grounded thereon, of a visible fulfilment of promises which had been generally regarded as accomplished in the spiritual blessings bestowed in the Christian Church. The predictions in regard to which, in particular, the literal interpretation has of late years been most strenuously contended for, are those which refer to the restoration of the Jewish people, and to the personal reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years. It has also been strongly maintained, with much force of learning and argument, in regard to the prophetic periods which had commonly been interpreted by modern expositors on the hypothesis that, in "prophetic" language, a day stands for a year. In both instances, in support of the literal interpretation is pleaded the consent of ancient interpreters; though, indeed, of the writers who in the present day maintain the literal sense in the former instance, it is to be observed that some absolutely reject, while others adopt and strongly maintain, it in the latter. These questions I mention at present only as examples to show, how necessary is a diligent and careful study of the language of prophetic Scripture generally, if we would hope to obtain any thing like a satisfactory result to our investigations. For while, with that great master of theological wisdom, our own learned and judicious 1.] Aid from Christian Antiquity. 17 Hooker, we must "hold it for a most infallible rule in expositions of sacred Scripture, that, where a literal construction will stand, the farthest from the letter is commonly the worst," we must at the same time admit, and in perfect consistency with the principle thus laid down,-that there is in the word of God a spiritual meaning which is only "spiritually discerned1;" that under temporal images He is pleased to shadow out things spiritual; and that, while we adhere faithfully to the letter, we must seek by spiritual discernment to attain to the mind of the Spirit which is revealed under it". And here, from speaking of the deep and wide study of prophetic Scripture as the best interpreter of its own peculiar language, I would go on to observe, in reference to that which, next to Scripture itself, is, on the principles of our Church, confessedly the safest guide to its interpretation,-I mean, the consent of Christian Antiquity,-that we can scarcely expect, in regard to Prophecy, to derive the same assistance from this source as on other points, such as the fundamental articles of the Christian Faith, to which, as handed down from one to another, the Fathers of the first centuries bear absolutely conclusive and incontrovertible witness. On matters of unfulfilled Prophecy we should hardly expect to find the same universal and public tradition; and thus some room would be left for individual opinion or conjecture to fill up the broad and general outline. The disclosures made to the first disciples had been by word of mouth; and there were reasons, it would appear, which made it ex 9 Eccles. Pol. v. 59, 2. 1 1 Cor. ii. 14. 2 Comp. Woodhouse, sup. cit. Vid. Note, Appendix. C |