going empires; its difmiffion into ten kingdoms; its not being fubdued by any other, as the three foregoing were; the rife of the Mahometan religion, and Saracenic empire; the limited continuance of this empire; and the rife and progrefs of the empire of the Turks. To thefe we may add the tranfactions that paffed between the contemporary kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, prophefied of in the eleventh chapter of Daniel. For, fince thefe prophecies reach down to the times of Antiochus Epiphanes, and the beginning fubjection of thefe kingdoms to the Roman power, they cannot but have been delivered prior to the events, as may appear both from the confideration of the Septuagint tranflation of the book of Daniel, and the extinction of the biblical Hebrew as a living language before that time, even though the book of Daniel should not be confidered as a genuine book; for which fufpicion there is, however, no foundation. Laftly, we may remark, that thefe, and indeed all the other prophecies, have the fame marks of genuineneís as the reft of the Scriptures, or as any other books; that they cannot be feparated from the context without the utmost violence; fo that, if this be allowed to be genuine, those muft alfo; that hiftory and chronology were in fo uncertain a ftate in ancient times, that the prophecies concerning foreign countries could not have been adapted to the facts, even after they had happened, with fo much exactnefs as modern inquirers have fhewn the Scripture prophecies to be, by a learned nation, and much lefs by the Jews, who were remarkably ignorant of what paffed in foreign countries; and that those prophecies, which are delivered in the manner of dream and vifion, have a very ftrong internal evidence for their genuineness, 'taken from the nature of dreams, as this is explained in the foregoing part of this work. I proceed, in the fecond place, to fhew how the prophecies that relate to the political ftate of the Jews, prove the divine authority of the Scriptures. And here, paffing by many prophecies of inferior note and of a fubordinate nature, we may confine ourfelves to the promife, or prophecy, of the land of Canaan, given to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob; to the prophecies concerning the captivity of the ten tribes, and the Babylonifh captivity of the two tribes, with their return after feventy years; and to thofe concerning the much greater captivity and defolation predicted to fall upon thofe chofen people in the xxviiith chapter of Deuteronomy, in various places of the prophecies, and by Christ and his apoftles in the New Teftament. There was no natural probability, at the time when these prophecies were delivered, that any of these events fhould happen in the manner in which they were predicted, and have accordingly happened; but, in fome, the utmoft improbability: fo that it muft appear to every candid intelligent inquirer, that nothing lefs than fupernatural knowledge could have enabled thofe who delivered thefe predictions, to make them. The divine authority, therefore, of the books which contain these predictions is unquestionable, provided we allow them to be genuine. Now, befides the forementioned evidences of this, these prophecies have fome peculiar ones attending them. Thus the mere deparVOL. V. E ture ture of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, in order to go to the land of Ca naan, and carrying Jofeph's bones with them, plainly imply that the promife of this land had been given to their ancestors. Thus alfo the prophecies relating to the captivities of Ifrael and Judah, and to their reftorations, make fo large a part of the old prophets, that, if they be not genuine, the whole books must be forged; and the genuineness of those in the New Teftament cannot but be allowed by all. I come now, in the third place, to fpeak of the types and prophecies that relate to Chrift, the time of his appearance, his offices, birth, life, death, refurrection, and afcenfion. Many of these are applied to him by himself, and by the authors of the books of the New Teftament; but there are alfo many others, whose discovery and application are left to the fagacity and industry of Chriftians in all ages. This feems to be a field of great extent, and the evidence arifing from it of an increasing nature. It is probable that the Chriftians of the first ages were acquainted with fo many more circumftances relating to the life, death, &c. of Chrift, as on this account to be able to apply a larger number of types and prophecies to him than we can. But then this may perhaps be compenfated to us by the daily opening of the Scriptures, and our growing knowledge in the typical and prophetical nature of them. What is already difcovered of this kind seems no ways poffible to be accounted for, but from the fuppofition that God, by his power and foreknowledge, fo or dered the actions, hiftory, ceremonies, &c. of the Patriarchs and Jews, and the language of the prophets, as to make them correfpond with Chrift, his offices, actions, and fufferings. If any doubt of this, let him attempt to apply the types and prophecies to any other perfon. I will just mention four claffes, into which thefe types and prophecies may be diftinguifhed, and under each of them a few remarkable inftances. There are then, First, prophecies which evidently relate to Chrift, and either to him alone, or to others in an inferior degree only. Such are that of Jacob, concerning Shiloh; of Mofes, concerning a great prophet and lawgiver that should come after him; of Isaiah, in his fifty-fecond and fifty-third chapters; of Daniel, concerning the Meffiah; many in almost all the prophets concerning a great prince, a prince of the hqufe of David, &c. who should make a new covenant with his people, &c. &c. Secondly, typical circumftances in the lives of eminent persons, as of Ifaac, Jofeph, Joshua, David, Solomon, Jonah; and in the common history of the Jewish people, as its being called out of Egypt. Thirdly, typical ceremonies in the Jewish worship, as their facrifices in general, thofe of the paffover and day of expiation in particular, &c. To this head we may also refer the typical nature of the high-priesthood, and of the offices of king, prieft, and prophet, amongst the Jews, &c. Fourthly, the apparently incidental mention of many circumtances in thefe things, which yet agree fo exactly, and in a way fo much much above chance, with Chrift, as to make it evident that they were originally intended to be applied to him. The not breaking a bone of the pafchal lamb; the mention of renting the garment, and cafting lots upon the vefture, by David; of offering gall and vinegar; of looking on him whom they had pierced; of the third day upon numerous occafions, &c. are circumftances of this kind. Now, thefe types and prophecies afford nearly the same evidence, whether we confider the books of the Old Testament as genuine, or no; for no one calls in question their being extant as we now have them, fmall immaterial variations excepted, before the time of Chrift's appearance. Many of them do indeed require the common hiftory of the New Teftament to be allowed as true. But there are fome, thofe, for inftance, which relate to the humiliation and death of Chrift, and the spirituality of his office, the proofs of whofe accomplishment are fufficiently evident to the whole world, even independently of this. The fourth branch of the prophetical evidences are those which relate to the Chriftian church. Here the three following particulars deferve attentive confideration. Firft, the predictions concerning a new and pure religion, which was to be fet up by the coming of the promised Meffiah. Secondly, a great and general corruption of this religion, which was to follow in after-times. Thirdly, the recovery of the Chriftian church from this corruption, by great tribulations; and the final establishment of true and pure religion, called "the kingdom of righteousness, of the faints, the new "Jerufalem," &c. The predictions of the first and third kinds abound every where in the old Prophets, in the difcourfes of Chrift, and in the writings of the Apoftles. Those of the fecond kind are chiefly remarkable in Daniel, the Revelation, and the Epiftles of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. John, and St. Jude. In how furprising a manner the events of the firft and fecond kind have anfwered to the predictions, cannot be unknown to any inquifitive serious perfón, in any Chriftian country. At the fame time it is evident, that the predictions of these things could have no foundation in probable conjectures when they were given. The events of the third class have not yet received their accomplishment; but there have been for fome centuries paft, and are ftill, perpetual advances and preparations made for them; and it now seems unreasonable to doubt of the natural probability of their accomplishment, unless we doubt at the fame time of the truth of the religion itself. If it be true, it muft, upon more diligent and impartial examination, both purify itself, and overcome all oppofition. And it is remarkably agreeable to the tenor of Providence in other things, that that accomplishment of prophecy, which will hereafter evidence the truth of the Chriftian religion in the moft illuftrious manner, fhould be effected by prefent evidences of a lefs illuftrious nature. E 2 Let Let me add here, that many of the Pfalms are peculiarly applicable to the restoration and converfion of the Jews, and to the final prevalence of the eftablishment of the Chriftian church; i. e. to the events of the third clafs. PROP. XVI. THE DEGREE OF OBSCURITY WHICH IS FOUND IN THE PROPHECIES OF THE SCRIPTURES, IS NOT SO GREAT AS TO INVALIDATE THE FOREGOING EVIDENCES FOR THEIR DIVINE AUTHORITY; BUT, ON THE CONTRARY, IS ITSELF AN INDIRECT TESTIMONY IN THEIR FAVOUR. IN order to prove this propofition, I obferve, Firft, That there are a fufficient number of prophecies, whofe interpretation is certain, clear, and precife, to fhew that their agreement with the events predicted is far above the powers of chance, or human forefight. But for the proof of this point, which takes in a great compafs of literature, I muft refer to the authors who have treated it in detail. And, as thofe who have examined this point with accuracy and impartiality, do, as I prefume, univerfally agree to the pofition here laid down; fo those who have not done fo, can have no pretence for afferting the contrary; this being an hiftorical matter which is to be determined as others of a like kind, viz. by the hiftorical evidences. The reader may, however, form fome judgment in the grofs, even from the few inftances which are alledged under the laft propofition. Secondly, That even in the types and prophecies where interpreters differ from each other, the differences are often fo inconfiderable, and the agreements fo general, or elfe the prophecy fo fuited to the feveral events to which it is applied by different interpreters, as to exclude both chance and human forefight, i. e. to infer a divine communication. This point requires alfo a careful and candid examination, and then, I think, cannot but be determined in the affirmative; efpecially when the very great number of types and prophecies is taken into confideration. Fitnefs in numerous inftances is always an evidence of defign; this is a method of reafoning allowed, explicitly or implicitly, by all. And though the fitness may not be perfectly evident or precife in all, yet, if it be general, and the inftances very numerous, the evidence of defign arifing from it, may amount to any degree, and fall fhort of certainty by an imperceptible difference only. And indeed it is upon thefe principles alone, that we prove the divine power, knowledge, and goodnefs, from the harmonies and mutual fitneffes of vifible things, and from final caufes, inafmuch as thefe harmonies and fitneffes are precifely made out only in a few inftances, if compared to thofe in which we fee no more than general harmonies, with particular fubordinate difficulties, and apparent incongrui ties. That the reader may fee, in a ftronger light, how fully the fitneffes, confidered in the two foregoing paragraphs, exclude chance, and and infer defign, let him try to apply the types and prophecies of the four claffes before mentioned to other perfons and events befides those to which Chriftian interpreters have applied them; and especially let him confider the types and prophecies relating to Chrift. If defign be excluded, thefe ought to be equally, or nearly fo, applicable to other perfons and events; which yet, I think, no ferious confiderate perfon can affirm. Now, if chance be once excluded, and the neceffity of having recourfe to defign admitted, we fhall be inftantly compelled to acknowledge a contrivance greater than human, from the long distances of time intervening between the prophecy and the event, with other fuch-like reasons. Thirdly, I obferve that thofe types and prophecies whofe interpretation is fo obfcure, that interpreters have not been able to difcover any probable application, cannot any ways invalidate the evidence arifing from the reft. They are analogous to thofe parts of the works of nature, whose uses, and fubferviency to the reft, are not yet underftood. And as no one calls in queftion the evidences of defign, which appear in many parts of the human body, because the ufes of others are not yet known; fo the interpretations of prophecy, which are clearly or probably made out, remain the fame evidence of defign, notwithstanding that unfurmountable difficulties may hitherto attend many other parts of the prophetic writings. Fourthly, It is predicted in the prophecies, that in the latter times great multitudes will be converted to the Chriftian faith; whereas those who preach or prophefy, during the greatest apostasy, shall be able to do this only in an obfcure, imperfect manner, and convert but few. Now the past and prefent obfcurity of prophecy agrees remarkably with this prediction; and the opening which is already. made, fince the revival of letters, in applying the prophecies to the events, feems to prefage, that the latter times are now approaching; and that, by the more full difcovery of the true meaning of the prophetic writings, and of their aptnefs to fignify the events predicted, there will be fuch an acceffion of evidence to the divine authority of the Scriptures, as none but the wilfully ignorant, the profligate, and the obdurate, can withstand. It is therefore a confirmation of the prophetic writings, that, by the obfcurity of one part of them, a way fhould be prepared for affecting that glorious converfion of all nations, which is predicted in others, in the time and manner in which it is predicted, PROP. XVII. IT IS NO OBJECTION TO THE FOREGOING EVIDENCES TAKEN FROM FOR the foregoing evidences all reft upon this foundation, viz. that there is an aptnefs in the types and prophecies to prefigure the events, E 3 greater 1 |
