tion of the New Testament. It might naturally have been expected, that in a revelation from the Sovereign of all events, the future designs of Providence should be so far intimated, as clearly to evince a more than human foresight, and by consequence a divine origin. It might also have been thought probable, that those prophecies should embrace so extended a series of future occurrences, as to provide for successive confirmations of the revelation, by successive fulfillments of the predictions. And lastly, it might be thought reasonable, that while. such intimations should be sufficiently clear to be explained by the actual event, they should not be so explicit as to gratify curiosity respecting future contingencies; such an anticipation of events being clearly unsuitable to that kind of moral government under which the Author of our nature has placed us. It is conceived that such precisely are the characters of those predictions which are so numerous in the Scriptures. They point to a continued succession of great occurrences; but, in general, with such scattered rays of light, as to furnish few materials for premature speculation. Even to the prophet himself the prospect is probably enveloped in a deep mist, which while he looks intently, seems for a short space to open, and to present before him certain grand objects, whose fleeting appearances he imperfectly catches, but whose connection with, or remoteness from each other, he has not sufficient light to distinguish. These remarks, however, apply most strictly to prophecies of remote events. When nearer occurrences are foretold, whether relating to the Jewish nation, or to the countries in its neighborhood, there is often a surprising clearness, as if in these cases, the intention was to direct conduct for the present, as well as confirm faith by the result. And in a few important instances, even distant futurity is so distinctly contemplated, as to make such predictions a permanent, and to every candid reader, an irrefragable evidence, that a volume so undeniably ancient, and yet so unequivocally predictive, can be no other than divine. Of this last class of prophecies, as most directly interesting, it may not be useless to point out the following striking examples. The denunciation by Moses of what should be the final fate of the Jews, in case of obstinate disobedience.* Isaiah's astonishing picture of the sufferings, death, and subsequent triumph of the Redeemer ;† a prediction upon which every kind of sophistry has been tried in vain. The dream of Nebuchadnezzar, with Daniel's interpretation; a prophecy which contains in it an absolute demonstration of revealed religion. Daniel's own vision of the four empires, and of that divine one which should succeed them. His amazing prophecy of the seventy weeks,|| which, however involved in obscurity as to niceties of chronology, is, in clearness of prediction, a standing miracle; its fulfillment in the death of the Messiah, and the destruction of Jerusalem, being as self-evident as that Cæsar meant to record his own actions in his Commentaries. To these I would add, lastly, that wonderful representation of the papal tyranny in the Apocalypse,** which, however involving some obscure circumstances, is nevertheless so luminous an instance as to preclude the possibility of evasion. The extreme justness of the statement, respecting * Deut. xxviii. + Isaiah liii. Il Daniel ix. + Daniel ii. papal Rome, must force itself on every mind at all acquainted with the usual language of the Old Testament prophets, and with the authentic facts of ecclesiastical history. Among circumstantial prophecies of near events, may be reckoned Jeremiah's prediction of the tak. ing of Babylon* by the king of the Medes, on which the history of the event, as given by Xenophon in the Cyropedia, is the best possible comment. The prophecy of the fall of Tyre, in Ezekiel,† in which there is the most remarkable detail of the matter of ancient commerce that is perhaps to be any where found. But of all such prophecies, that of our Saviour, respecting the destruction of Jerusalem, as given in repeated parables and express denunciations, is most deeply worthy the attention of the Christian reader. A question has been started among scholars respecting the double sense of prophecy; but it seems astonishing to any plain reader of the Bible how it could ever become a matter of doubt. What can be more likely, for instance, than that some present event in which David was interested, perhaps his inauguration, suggested to him the subject of the second psalm? Yet what can be more evident than that he describes a dominion infinitely beyond what can be attributed to any earthly potentate? The fact seems to be, that the Jewish dispensation being, in its most leading parts, a prefiguration of the Christian dispensation; and the most celebrated persons, as well as events, being typical of what was to come, the prophetic spirit could not easily contemplate the type without being carried forward to its completion. And, therefore, in almost every † Ezek. xxvi. and xxvii. * Jer. 1. and li. case of the kind, the more remote object draws the attention of the prophet as if insensibly, from the nearer, the greatness of the one naturally eclipsing the comparative littleness of the other. This occurs in such a number of instances so as to form one of the most prominent characters of prophecy. The Acts of the holy apostles, endowed with the Holy Ghost, and authorized by their Divine Master, come next in order to be read. Nothing can be more interesting and edifying, than the history of their actions;--of the piety, zeal, and courage, with which they preached the glad tidings of salvation ;-and of the various exertions of the wonderful powers conferred on them by the Holy Spirit, for the confirmation of their mission. The character of St Paul, and his miraculous conversion, demand your particular attention: most of the apostles were men of low birth and education; but St. Paul was a Roman citizen; that is, he possessed the privileges annexed to the freedom of the city of Rome, which was considered as a high distinction in those countries that had been conquered by the Romans. He was educated amongst the most learned sect of the Jews, and by one of their principal doctors. He was a man of extraordinary eloquence, as appears not only in his writings, but in several speeches in his own defence, pronounced before governors and courts of justice, when he was called to account for the doctrines he taught. He seems to have been of an uncommon warm temper, and zealous in whatever religion he professed this zeal, before his conversion, showed itself in the most unjustifiable actions, by furiously persecuting the innocent Christians but, though his actions were bad, we may be sure his intentions were good; otherwise we should not have seen a miracle employed to convince him of his mistake, and to bring him into the right way. This example may assure us of the mercy of God towards mistaken consciences, and ought to inspire us with the most enlarged charity and good-will towards those, whose erroneous principles mislead their conduct: instead of resentment and hatred against their persons, we ought only to feel an active wish of assisting them to find the truth, since we know not whether, if convinced, they might not prove, like St. Paul, chosen vessels to promote the honor of God and of true religion. Next follow the EPISTLES; which make a very important part of the New Testament; and you cannot be too much employed in reading them. They contain the most excellent precepts and admonitions, and are of particular use in explaining, more at large, several doctrines of Christianity, which we could not so fully comprehend without them. There are, indeed, in the Epistles of St. Paul, many passages hard to be understood: such in particular, are the first eleven chapters to the Romans; the greater part of his Epistles to the Corinthians and Galatians; and several chapters of that to the Hebrews. Instead of perplexing your. self with these more obscure passages of Scripture, I would wish you to employ your attention chiefly on those that are plain; and to judge of the doctrines taught in the other parts, by comparing them with what you find in these. It is through the neglect of this rule, that many have been led to draw the most absurd doctrines from the Holy Scriptures. Let me particularly recommend to your careful perusal, the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th chapters of the Epistle to the Romans. In the 14th chapter, |