DISCOURSE II.

LET us proceed to confider the character which

St. Peter gives of prophecy, and the degree of evidence which we may reafonably expect from it. Prophecy is a light shining in a dark place; and we do well to give heed to it until the day dawn. St. Peter's meaning is this; "The time will come, "when the things you hope for fhall be placed in a "clear light, when you fhall fee all your expectations fully juftified in the accomplishment: in the

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mean while, ye do well to attend to prophecy, though but a small glimmering light, and shining "at a distance in a dark place, yet the beft you have, "or can have at prefent." Metaphorical expreffions and fimilitudes ought not to be rigidly and strictly canvaffed: it is fufficient to fee the general import and meaning of them; which in the present cafe is very clear, and amounts to this; That the knowledge God gives us of things future, by the means of prophecy, is but an imperfect obfcure knowledge, nothing to be compared to the clear knowledge that will attend upon the manifestation of the things themselves.

I shall endeavour to confirm this propofition by the authority of Scripture; and to fuggeft fome ob

fervations, which may be of ufe when we are called upon to judge of the nature of prophecy, and the evidence arifing from it.

Whether prophecy be a clear evidence before the completion, or no, is no matter of controverfy; fo far from it, that they who tell us prophecy is the beft argument even for Chriftianity, do not yet think it a clear one. But, without regard to any man's opinion, it will be proper to see what notion the inspired writers themselves had of the word of prophecy.

i. II.

If we look into the firft epiftle of St. Peter, we fhall find that the ancient prophecies, of which he speaks in the text, and which he styles the more fure word of prophecy, were not apprehended or clearly understood by thofe inspired perfons who delivered them; for there he represents them fearching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Chrift which was in them did fignify, when it teftified beforehand the Sufferings of Chrift, and the glory that should follow, To the fame purpose our Saviour fpeaks, Matt. xiii. 17. Many prophets and righteous men have defired to fee thofe things which ye fee, and have not feen them; and to hear thofe things which ye hear, and have not heard them. St. Paul gives the like account of the gift of prophecy under the Gospel difpenfation: We know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part fhall be done away.-Now we fee through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known, 1 Cor. xiii. 9, 10, 12. Now if the prophets and righteous men of old, to whom the word of God came, did not clearly understand the things which

they foretold, but employed themselves in fearching and examining the prophetical teftimonies of the Spirit which was in them; if the prophets of the New Teftament knew only in part, and prophefied only in part, feeing but darkly as through a glafs; it is moft evident that others, in all appearance less qualified than they to understand the determinate sense of the prophecies, could have but a confused and indiftinct notion of the things foretold.

The prophet Daniel, after a very extraordinary vifion, which he reports in his last chapter, immediately adds, I heard, but I understood not: then faid I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he faid, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are clofed up and fealed till the time of the end. The anfwer here given to Daniel is very like the answer which our Saviour gave the Apostles, upon a like inquiry made by them: they afk, Lord, wilt thou at this time reftore again the kingdom to Ifrael? And he faid unto them, It is not for you to know the times or feafons, which the Father hath put in his own power, Acts i. 6, 7. It did belong to them undoubtedly, and to every believing Jew, to give heed to the word of prophecy, according to St. Peter's exhortation in the text; and fince it did not belong to them to know the times and seasons, it is evident the word of prophecy was not intended to give a clear and diftinct light in this cafe.

These laft paffages relate to fuch prophecies especially as feem to defign the times and seasons of God's working. And these predictions being oftentimes delayed in the accomplishment much beyond the expectation of thofe to whom they were deli

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, Hofea xii. 10. Which fimilitudes are elsewhere spoken of as dark Speeches delivered to the prophets in vifions and in dreams, Numb. xii. 6, 8. For this reason the Jews, when they spoke with contempt of their prophets, were ufed to fay, Doth he not peak parables? Ezek. xx. 49. Our Saviour feems to speak of the ancient prophecies under the same character: Know ye not, says

he to his disciples, 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 shining 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 pass, that many of the prophecies, applied by the writers of the Gospel to our Saviour and his actions, are still 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 these questions, we muft obferve, that the obfcurity of prophecy does not arife from hence, that it is a relation or description of fomething future; for it is as easy to speak of things future