of the word of God falls into its proper place. That which belongs exclusively to the Jews, that which regards the Gentiles, and that which is common to them both, are distinguished. There is no fear, that the Gentiles will be robbed by giving Judah her portion, neither will there be any desire that she should have all the curses and we all the blessings; for it will be seen, that the more liberally we treat the Jews, the more shall we enrich ourselves. I only hint, however, at this benefit, as it will be fully considered in the next Lecture.

I therefore to a third reason, namely, that pass a knowledge of the prophetic Scriptures is among the best means of obtaining just and glorious views of the character of God, of the person and work of our blessed Saviour, and of the principles and practice upon which the happiness of man is founded. For it should always be borne in mind, that the prophets held two offices. The one was that of preachers to the people: hence we find the apostle Paul frequently using the word prophesying in the sense of preaching.* The other was that to which the term prophesying is usually applied; namely, the foretelling future events. These offices were united in the prophets with the

* See 1 Corinthians xiv.

greatest wisdom. For the object nearest to their hearts was, as that of the preachers ever should be, to benefit the persons they addressed, "to turn the sinner from the error of his way," "to strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees," and to build up the established believers in their most holy faith.

For the attainment of this object, the display of the character of God, the making known the person and work of Messiah, and declaring the great truths of religion, were essentially necessary. The strictly prophetic word, or the delivering of the messages containing blessings upon the righteous, and judgments upon the impenitent, were only aids to their ministry,-enforcements of those principles and that practice which they desired their hearers to follow. True it is that after ages received the advantages of their prophecies, "when the Spirit of Christ which was in them testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that shall follow," but not from their direct prophecies only, but likewise from their animated discourses. So much is this the case that if we would lay our hands upon those parts of the Holy Scriptures which most clearly make known to us the character of God, and those principles which are the glory of our religion, we must turn either to the writings of the Old Testament pro

phets, or to those predictions which our Lord himself delivered when upon earth, or which after his ascension he made known to his servants the apostles.

Again: an accurate knowledge of the prophetic Scriptures is important for this further reason, that in a peculiarly striking manner they afford instruction upon those truths which enter into the every-day concerns of life, namely, God's moral government, and his providential ordering of all events, so that "not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his permission;" but as our Lord says, "even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."*

For the attentive reader of the prophetic Scriptures will not only see that the great affairs of nations are under the divine controul, but that these great affairs very frequently owed their birth to some very minute circumstances; such is the case in the history of Joseph, in the writings of Jeremiah, and in the life of our blessed Lord. They will find also that these minute incidents were thus providentially ordered, for the accomplishment of the prophetic word. Need I say, my beloved brethren, that this is an unspeakable benefit-next to the free forgiveness of our sins

*Luke xii. -

through the merits of our blessed Saviour, and the renewing and sanctifying our nature by the gift of the Holy Ghost-there is no truth that tends so much to calm the mind, to sooth the spirits, to remove anxiety as to the future, to render the soul patient in tribulation, and resigned to the divine will in the most distressing bereavements, as a firm belief in God's providence. "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" was our blessed Saviour's reply to Peter when that disciple drew his sword to defend his divine Master; "the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away," were the submissive words which the patriarch Job uttered when informed of his many and grievous afflictions.

I notice but one more reason to shew the importance of an accurate knowledge of the prophetic Scriptures; that its tendency is to promote that holy and happy frame of mind, which the great apostle so strongly enforces in his Epistle to the Colossians. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." For the diligent student, tracing

*Colossians iii. 1-3.

C

the continually widening stream of prophecy, as it flows through the various dispensations of the patriarchal, the Jewish, the Gentile, and that glorious economy which is yet to come, beholds, from first to last, one great design.

In the three first chapters of the Bible he sees the germ of that plan, which, in the three last, becomes as a widely spreading tree, under which the whole family of God may lodge. Or rather, in the prophetic promise to our first parents, he beholds the first link of the chain of God's abundant grace and mercy let down to Paradise, to raise the hopes of fallen man; whilst the closing portion of the prophetic roll exhibited to St. John, so confirms, strengthens, and establishes this blessed hope, that all the intermediate dealings of God resemble, if it be allowable to make the comparison, the work of some skilful artist, who adds another and another wheel to his machine, but who, having the whole model in his eye, adapts each particular part to the furtherance of his first design. He considers himself therefore but "as a stranger and a sojourner upon earth;" "he is looking for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." He views time as important principally as connected with eternity. He desires to be one with Christ; to be so united to him by a living faith, that "he may stand in