to the salvation and redemption of mankind in the several ages of the world, and by a comparison of all the parts, may discern that Christ was indeed the end of the law, and of all promises made to the fathers: that all the deliverances given by God to his people were but shadows, and as it were an earnest of the great deliverance he intended to give by his Son : that all the ceremonials of the law were representations of the substance of the gospel that the Aaronical sacrifices and priesthood were figures of better things to come. But these inquiries do not stand in the rank of things to be necessarily proved to every believer; they do not enter into the principles of the doctrine of Christ,' as the Apostle to the Hebrews expressly tells us ; but belong to those who go on to perfection;' which distinetion given by the Apostle in the fifth and sixth chapters to the Hebrews, is well worth considering, as being a key to open the true use of all typical and allegorical applications of Scripture.

SUMMARY OF DISCOURSE III.

To enable ourselves to judge of prophecy, we must inquire to what end it was given. It cannot be maintained that we have any right to the knowlege of things future; we can make no demand on the wisdom, or goodness, or justice of God for any degree of it; whenever therefore we have any, we must ascribe it to some special reasons of Providence, which reasons alone can limit it: for if we have from prophecy so much light as fully answers the end of giving it, what reason can we have to complain for want of more? We come therefore to the only proper consideration: what end did the wisdom of God propose by the ancient prophecies, and how has it been served by them? What the writer understands by prophecy explained.

It cannot be supposed that God has delivered prophecies only to satisfy curiosity, or afford amusement to the world: there must be some end intended worthy of the Author; and what end can be conceived worthy of God, but the promotion of virtue and religion, and the general peace and happiness of mankind?

It is true, it may be said, that these things belong indeed to God; but what has prophecy to do with them? God can govern the world without letting us into his secrets; and as for virtue, religion, and our happiness, he has given us a plain law to walk by, in the result of that reason and knowlege with which he has endowed us. Prophecy can never contradict or overrule this light; nor can we suppose that we came so imperfect from our Maker's hands as to be in constant want of an admonisher.

We may allow the original state of human nature to be as perfect and complete as the objector can require.

But what if the case be altered? how will matters then stand? Since man was created a moral agent, with freedom of will, it was possible for him to fall, and consequently, possibly he may have fallen. Suppose this to be the case, and then say, from natural religion, what must such sinners do? Repent, perhaps; for it is agreeable to the goodness of God to accept repentance, and to restore offenders to his favor. The inefficacy of mere repentance fully shown. When you prove to sinners the excellency of natural religion, you only show them how justly they may expect to be punished for their iniquity; a sad truth, which wants no such confirmation: whether God will ever pardon and restore them never can be learned from that source.

Should God think fit to be reconciled to sinners, natural religion would again become the rule of their future trial and obedience; but their hopes must flow from another spring; from the promise of God alone, that is, from the word of prophecy; for which reason prophecy must ever be an essential part of such a sinner's religion. And this reasoning agrees with the most ancient and authentic account of the beginning of prophecy in the world.

During the time of man's innocence there were frequent communications between God and him, but not the least hint of any word of prophecy delivered to him: the hopes of natural religion were then alive and vigorous; it wanted no other assistance, and therefore it had no other.

But when the case was altered by the fall of our first parents, when natural religion had no longer any sure hopes or comfort, but left them to the fearful expectation of God's judgment, then came in the word of prophecy; not in opposition to natural religion, but in support of it, and to convey new hopes

to man.

The prophecy then given, being the foundation of all that have been since, deserves particular consideration.

Previous observations on the historical narration of the fall, showing that the commonly received interpretation is the true one. If we interpret the words of Moses with the same equity as we use towards any other ancient writer, this plain fact undeniably arises from the history, that man was tempted and disobeyed God, and forfeited all title to happiness and to life itself; that God judged him, and the deceiver likewise under the form of a serpent. No more than this is required for considering the prophecy before us, which is part of the sentence passed on the deceiver: I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel: Gen. iii. 15.

Christian writers apply this to our blessed Saviour, emphatically styled here the seed of the woman, who came in the fulness of time to bruise the serpent's head by destroying the works of the Devil, and restoring those who were held under the bondage of sin. Objections are made to this interpretation by those who look no farther than to the third chapter of Genesis. To understand it rightly, we must go back to that state and condition of things which was at the time of the delivery of this prophecy, and consider (if haply we may discover it) what God intended to discover, and what our first parents may be supposed to have understood by it.

It is shown from that state of things, that the primary inten-` tion of this prophecy must have been to comfort and support them under their awful and severe judgment; and that this was necessary to the state of the world, and of religion, which could not have been upheld without the communication of some such hopes. They must necessarily have understood the prophecy either according to the literal meaning of the words, or according to such as the whole transaction, of which they are a part, requires. The absurdity of understanding it in the

literal sense pointed out. The meaning which all the circumstances of the transaction indicated is next shown.

The application which we are to make of this instance considered.

This prophecy was to our first parents very obscure; it was but a light shining in a dark place; and all they could conclude from it was, that their case was not desperate; that some remedy and deliverance would in time appear; but when, or where, or by what means, they could not understand: yet if it was a foundation for religion and confidence in God, after their fall, it fully answered the necessity of their case, and manifested to them all that God intended to make manifest. It is indeed obscure, but it is obscure in those points which God did not intend to explain at that time, and which were not necessary to be known.

But if this prophecy was obscure to our first parents, how is it that we pretend to discover so much more, and to see in it Christ, the mystery of his birth, his sufferings, and his final triumph over the powers of darkness?

Known unto God are all his works from the beginning; and whatever light he thought fit to give to our first parents, or to their children in after times, he must have always known the methods by which he would restore mankind; and therefore all notices given by him of his intended salvation must correspond to the great event, whenever the fulness of time shall make it manifest. But no reason can be given why God should at any time clearly open the secrets of his providence to men; though there is a necessary reason to be given, why all such notices as he thinks fit to give should exactly answer, in due time, to the completion of the great design. The argument from prophecy therefore is not to be formed thus, All the ancient prophecies have expressly pointed out and characterised Jesus Christ: but it must be formed in this manner :- -All the notices which God gave to the fathers of his intended salvation are perfectly