plain, that it seems wonderful how for one moment they could have doubted. Peter was skeptical in relation to the death of Christ, though He had taken pains "to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised again the third day."* Here was plain minute detail, in the statement of events which were literally to transpire; but the things predicted so offended Peter, that he could not believe them; and he carried his skepticism so far, that he even rebuked the Saviour for having thus spoken. The Saviour, however, referred Peter's skepticism to the influence of Satan, and rebuked the devil in his mouth. "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence to me, for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."t In like manner, the two disciples that went to Emmaus, and Thomas, were so skeptical in relation to the resurrection of Christ, that they would not at first believe, even after the prediction had been literally fulfilled. The rebuke and reproach of the Saviour pronounced against the former, "Oh fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken," are enough to show the weakness and absurdity of the objection, against the study of the prophecies, founded on the opinions of great and good men. Deference to such authority may suit papists, and high church ecclesiastics, to be found in different denominations, but it illy becomes those revering His divine authority, who has enjoined it on us all, "Despise not prophesyings; but prove all things, and hold fast that which is good."§ * Matt. 16. 21, 22. † Mark, 8. 33. 2. It is objected again, that while THE STUDY OF THE PROPHECIES ALREADY FULFILLED MAY BE PROPER AND USEFUL, THAT OF THE PROPHECIES UNFULFILLED IS BOTH USELESS AND DANGEROUS. There is a vast amount of, what appears to us, both effrontery and presumption in such an objection. The objection admits, that God has revealed a portion of his will in predictions yet unfulfilled. Who then gave the objector a right to say, that this portion of his revealed will is of no use to us, and dangerous to be studied till fulfilled, and therefore may well be neglected? Paul did not so teach, when, by the dictation of the Holy Ghost, he said "All scripture is profitable for instruction,' nor Peter when he said, that " we do well to take heed" to the "more true word of prophecy," and that the prophets themselves "inquired and searched diligently," and the holy "angels desire to look into" the things predicted.† The objection contradicts explicitly the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, it undervalues and pours contempt upon the experience of a large portion of the church of God for centuries. Did the ancient saints, from the days of Adam down till the coming of Christ, find it useless and dangerous to study unfulfilled prophecy? The time was when all the revelations, which God made of a Saviour, and of the way of salvation, were predictions not yet fulfilled. What, think you, would Seth, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and David, and all the prophets, have thought of such an objection? What, too, would have become of the church of God, and of the entire human race, if this objection had been universally adopted? Hundreds and thousands felt the benefit, yea, found their salva† 1 Pet. 1, 10-12, and 2 Pet. 1, 19. * 2 Tim. 3, 16. tion, through the study of unfulfilled prophecy, and shall we be told, that it is useless and dangerous for us? The objection is just as opposed to the universal experience of the Christian church, as to that of ancient believers. What are the promises given for our support and consolation, but unfulfilled prophecy? Many if not all of the most important promises, which form the foundation of hope, and serve for our encouragement and consolation, are part and parcel of the system of prophecy, and need, to their right understanding, to our knowledge of the use to be made of them, and of our warrant to apply them, that we be somewhat acquainted with that system. It is lamentable to see, the ignorance that prevails on this subject, and how arbitrarily, capriciously, and confusedly, the promises, especially of the Old Testament, are often used and applied by Christians. Ask them for their warrant to apply them to their own case and circumstances, and to show how they intelligently extract their consolation from them, and they are wholly at fault. It is not surprising, that the faith of many should be so weak and sickly, when they neither understand the true import and bearing of many of the most precious promises of the word of God, nor how or upon what warrant they can apply them, and make use of them, for their own encouragement and confirmation. The very first promise of mercy to the guilty race of man, was a prediction, which, even at this day, has not been wholly fulfilled. Multitudes, which comforted the hearts of believers in past ages, and yet are fraught with consolation to Christians, remain unfulfilled. By "these exceeding great and precious promises" do we "become partakers of the divine nature," and find the exciting, purifying and rejoicing influence of the hope of "good things to come""the recompense of reward"-the heavenly glory. How rash and presumptuous, therefore, is it to tell us, that we have no interest in unfulfilled prophecies, and that it is dangerous for us to study them! Who gave the objector a right to draw a line of distinction here, or to say what is a precious promise, and what a useless prediction? It is all precious, and all profitable, which God has revealed for our hope and encouragement, in relation to his church on earth and his kingdom to come. The objection is founded on a very false assumption, viz. an alleged impossibility of understanding, or judging, of a prediction, till the event has proved its meaning. There may be, and indeed are, some predictions so cautiously expressed, and so dependent on others to be previously fulfilled, as to create some difficulty, and require much diligent searching to understand them. But does it therefore follow, that all unfulfilled prophecy is equally difficult to be comprehended, and our study, even of what is obscure, unprofitable and dangerous? The Lord Jesus Christ thought otherwise, and Noah, Abraham, the children of Israel, and the Christians who escaped to Pella during the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman army, found it otherwise. There is something, in the spirit of this objection, which seems to call for a rebuke, as well as a reply. Prejudices against the study of unfulfilled prophecy have been excited by various means, and all said, or preached, or written, on the subject, has been set aside with the invidious and sweeping charge of being mere speculations. "No speculations on prophecy yet unfulfilled have CHARMS for us,"* it has been boldly and publicly asserted, even by Christian editors; and we are gravely told, that the design of God in prophecy was "to assure us of the all-controlling providence of God, from the "beginning to the end," and to attest the truth of doctrines coming from the lips of prophets and apostles, for the instruction of the world." These, indeed, are some of the results which flow from the study of prophecy, but not the leading and primary design of God. Peter says expressly, the word of prophecy, not the events fulfilling the predictions, is a light for us, to supply, in the present darkness of our way, and till the things predicted occur, the place of the things themselves. It is for the support and consolation, the safety and sanctification, of his church that he has given us this light. The design that the Saviour had, in giving his predictions to his disciples, was, that they should "take heed that no man deceive" them.† Paul expressly declares, that he delivered his predictions, that Christians might "comfort one another with these words,"that they should not be in darkness, but having the light, should not "sleep as do others," but "watch" and "be sober" and "edify one another." Peter also declares, that he delivered his predictions to forewarn Christians, and to put them on their guard, so that, while looking for the very things predicted, ye might, says he, "be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless" and not misinterpret the long-suffering of God, but account it salvation. He admits that there were "things hard to be understood" in the prophecies, and especially in * The Boston Recorder for Oct. 22, 1841. † Mat. 24. 4. 1 Thess. 4. 13; 5. 11. |