ia rence ess 32 Fett it pinnae 0 ἧ ᾿ Sop ttes? vias tracey tuta δεν: SUE εἰν εττγεεξι, ΠΣ ΣΟ τὸ tects | brea RY | : ἊΣ ΘΟ ΟΡ ΒΟ ΣΙ 5 ΟΣ ΠΣ ἸΌΝ PRINCETON, N. J. es. BT 1101 .G73 1863 eee Goode, William, 1801-1868. | ig) ee Fulfilled prophecy a proof ae of the truth of revealed Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library | | a | ntl ntips//archive.org/details/tulfiledprop ec00good δε χα are FULFILLED PROPHECY A PROOF OF THE TRUTH REVEALED RELIGION: BEING THE WARBURTONIAN LECTURES FOR 1854--- 1858, WITH Gn Appendiy of sAotes, INCLUDING A FULL INVESTIGATION OF DANIEL’S PROPHECY OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS. BY/ THE VERY REV. W. GOODE, D.D., F.S.A., DEAN OF RIPON. “Tf they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead,’—LUKE xvi. 31. LONDON : HATCHARD AND CO., 187, PICCADILLY. -----ἰ. τα en 1869. ὟΣ | Ἶ i | (LONDON an janet ἥν ‘ PRINTED BY C. F. HODGSON, eS GOUGH SQUARE, FLEET STREET, a ; i PREFACE. eee ceeeeeered THe object of the Warburtonian Lectures, as described by their founder, Bishop Warburton, is,— “'To prove the truth of Revealed Religion in general, and of the Christian in particular, from the completion of the prophecies in the Old and New Testament, which relate to the Christian Church, especially to the apostasy of Papal Rome.” * In the mode of treating the subject which the Author has adopted in the following Lectures, he has perhaps gone beyond the precise limits of that class of prophecies which Bishop Warburton has here pointed out. The prophecies of the Old Testament relating to certain ancient kingdoms and nations were not, perhaps, within the contemplation of Bishop Warburton, when he penned the words above quoted. But their testimony is of so much importance as a proof of the truth of the religion revealed in the Old Testament, and by necessary consequence of that contained in the New, that it 1s almost a necessary supplement to that which Bishop Warburton had more especially in view. Its addition, therefore, * See Hurd’s Life of Warburton, in Warburton’s Works, vol.i. p. 90, lv PREFACE, even if it be considered as not within the precise scope of the Bishop’s design, will probably be consi- dered by the general reader as a pardonable amplifi- cation of it. The postponement of the publication of the Lec- tures to the present time has arisen from causes of which it is unnecessary to trouble the Reader with any particular account. The Author’s removal from London soon after their completion, taking him to a new sphere of labour, where other duties required his attention, and accompanied by circumstances which left him little opportunity for literary labours, the ereater portion of his books being still in the cases in which they were removed, has been, in few words, the reason for the delay. But, during that period, events have happened in the Church which seem to call for works on such subjects. The Author has therefore been induced to prepare the Lectures for the press, and add a few Notes confirmatory of the statements contained in them. The work, as now issued, is not intended for the student, who desires to go into the details of the evidence existing for the fulfilment of the Scriptural prophecies here referred to; but fo give the ordinary reader a general view of the more striking points in that evidence. What is most required by the great mass of readers is, that the leading points in the evidence should be clearly and forcibly brought before them, and neither their attention distracted nor their patience wearied by the minor details. This is all, _PREFACE. ΔῊ indeed, which it seems desirable to aim at in a course of Sermons. And though, under other circumstances, the Author might perhaps have felt inclined to give a larger amount of matter in the shape of Notes, yet, for the general reader, what has been given will probably be found to be sufficient. With one exception, therefore, the Notes are limited to the leading points in the subject treated of. Nothing would have been easier than to have added largely to them. To several of the Sermons, indeed, a volume of Notes might have been appended, giving important de- tails of the evidence adducible on the subject of them. This is especially the case with respect to that on the Church of Rome. But to enter into such details is not the object of the present work. The exception is in the case of the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. This the Author has endeavoured carefully to investigate, and he has attempted to draw out a full proof of the accurate and complete accom- plishment of it in the time and circumstances of our Saviour public appearance as the Messiah, and the events that accompanied it. The study of fulfilled prophecy, as evidence of the Divine origin of the Scriptures, has recently acquired among us much additional importance. A school of divines has lately arisen in the Church of England, the offspring of German Neologians, who have endea- voured to depreciate and explain away the word of prophecy as affording no proof that the prophets were vl PREFACE. enabled to foretell future events. The object of “ Hebrew prophecy,” we are told, is simply to be “a witness to the kingdom of God,” in pointing out “ those deep truths which lie at the heart of Christi- anity, and to trace the growth of such ideas, the belief in a righteous God, and the nearness of man to God, the power of prayer, and the victory of self-sacrificing patience, ever expanding in men’s hearts, until the fulness of time came, and the ideal of the Divine thought was fulfilled in the Son of man.” (Essays and Reviews: Williams’s Essay, p. 70.) The whole volume of prophecy, abounding as it does with the most dis- tinct revelations of the future, extending even to the minute details of the events it predicted, the fulfilment of which isa matter of historic record, is thus reduced to a mere announcement of moral truths. And the very notion of there being anything like foresight of events in the prophecies is ridiculed in such words as these :—“ Why he [ἡ. 6. Baron Bunsen] should add to his moral and metaphysical basis of prophecy a notion of foresight by vision of particulars, or a kind of clairvoyance, though he admits it to be a natural gift consistent with fallibility, is not so easy to explain.” (Lbid.) So that the notion of any foresight of future events in the Prophets, such as a prescient Being could give them, is ridiculed as an absurdity. Whether this arises from a disbelief in the existence ofa prescient Being, or in the fact of his inspiring or holding communication with the prophets, is not PREFACE, Vil stated. As far as appears, the former is as likely as the latter. Indeed, as the prophets clearly profess to speak as inspired by God, and to foretell future events, the conclusion is inevitable, either that they were im- postors, or that prescience is not an attribute of God. And as these writers do not seem to treat the prophets as impostors, the conclusion seems to follow, that they deny to God the attribute of prescience. If, in fact, it is admitted, that there is a prescient Being who foreknows future events, who, in the lan- guage of the prophet, can “declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,” (Is. xlvi. 10,) it is difficult to under- stand, why so great an anxiety should be exhibited to prove, that he has never given to man indications of future events. It is obvious that such prophetical declarations may be made to answer an important pur- pose, not merely by their general effect upon the minds of men, but by the testimony they afford, on their ful- filment, to the character of him who delivered them as a messenger from God, and consequently to the authority of his instructions. And certainly the pro- phets profess to announce future events in the name of God. And St. Peter expressly says, that the Spirit of Christ in the prophets testified in them 4eforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. (1 Pet.1. 11.) Nor does it make the smallest difference, that neither the prophets, nor any that lived before the fulfilment of these prophecies, under- stood the precise way. in which they were to be Vill PREFACE. fulfilled. The question is, Did the announcements which the prophets were commissioned to deliver agree with the events that afterwards happened? ‘This ques- tion must be answered in the affirmative. If there is a prescient God who has revealed His will to man, why should He not have given prophetic intimations of future events even as evidences of His nature and character as God, if for no other purpose. To ridicule the idea of predictive prophecy, then, goes far to prove the existence of erroneous notions of the nature of the Divine Being, tending to Pan- theism or Materialism. Netting aside the fact of the opposition of such a notion to the testimony of Scripture, it shows that, though Scripture may be called a revelation from God, the Divine Being himself is in fact denuded of his attributes. | And, as might be expected, the same ground is taken with respect to miracles as in the case of pre- dictive prophecy. The supposition of any interference with the ordinary course of nature, by a special inter- position of the God of Nature, is repudiated as in- admissible. ; The position, therefore, which these writers have taken 1s, in this point as in others, altogether un- tenable. They must go either forward or backward. They must either proceed to a formal denial of the Divine prescience, and denude the Divine Being of one of his chief attributes, or they must give up their notion of the sanctity of the prophets and withdraw PREFACE, 1X their respect from them. ΤῸ speak respectfully of the prophets, while at the same time they undermine their authority, deny them the power they claim, and more than stultify their words, can only be accounted for on some hypothesis damaging to their reputation for common sense or integrity. And when they have thus disposed of the prophets, including Moses, the whole of Holy Scripture is so linked together, that the rest falls with them. The middle course which some of these authors seem inclined to take, in representing the writers of the Holy Scriptures as having been very clever, worthy, and well meaning men, who, amidst much that is erroneous, have left us much that 1s very beautiful and true as to the character of God and the advantages of morality, and as men who ought to be ranked with the best authors whom the world has seen, 18 obviously untenable, and even ludicrous. Hither they place before us communications coming to them directly and immediately from God, by the special inspiration of His Spirit, for delivery to man, including distinct notices of events that were to happen many years after they predicted them, or they were impostors. ‘There is no intermediate view tenable. The notion that underlies all the reasonings and imaginations of these authors is clearly this—that the world, and all things in it, have been made by some Supreme Power, who at their creation impressed upon them certain laws of being and action, in accordance x PREFACK. with which everything that takes place must neces- sarily happen. Thus, God is excluded from his own world. If His power is exerted in behalf of some of His creatures, who faithfully worship: Him, in sus- pending the laws which ordinarily govern certain inanimate agents, every effort 15 used to explain away the fact, and prove the impossibility of such an inter- ference. If, for the encouragement of His servants, or for the sake of giving mankind evidence that what professes to be a revelation from Him is really such, He enables certain individuals to foretell events that are to happen at a distant period, so that on their ac- complishment the world may see the Divine origin of the revelation that contains them, the idea of foresight of future events in them, communicated to them by God, is ridiculed as an absurdity. In short, according to these authors, God has forsaken the world, and takes no further interest in His creatures. All things proceed according to certain innate laws and _ prin- ciples originally impressed upon them, and the exer- cises neither of Divine power or Divine benevolence are to be further expected upon this earth. How far their notions really differ from Pantheism or Materialism, they will, perhaps, some day explain to us. | To the mind of the Author there is something inex- pressibly painful in the consideration, that amidst all the manifestations and proofs which the Holy Scrip- tures afford us of the way in which the Divine perfec- tions have been actively exercised in behalf of God’s PREFACE. ΧΙ servants since the beginning of the world, the Divine Being should be represented as if he had left the world and all things therein, including the being formed after His own image, to take their course with- out further interposition of His providence in their affairs. That men having no regard for religion, or any love of God and his service, should endeavour to persuade themselves that such is the case, is not surprising. They would be glad to hide themselves from his pre- sence, and that there should be no interference on his part with their course. But that any who profess to have a respect for the Scriptures, and a desire for God’s presence and favour, should thus ignore all that God’s special Providence, by direct interference with the ordi- nary course of nature, has done in times past for His servants, showing the active exercise of His attributes in their behalf, is a phenomenon for which it is diffi- cult to account. It was the great glory of the Jewish nation, that they “Πα God so nigh unto them as the Lord their God was in all that they called upon Him for” (Deut. iv. 7); and it is the great privilege of all His servants to know, that He 15 “gf unto all them that call upon Him.” (Ps.cxlv.18.) But if all things happen just as they would if he was zof nigh unto them, 1ὖ 1s difficult to see what the value of the privi- lege 1s. Still more painful is it when such notions are pro- pagated by those who bear office in the Church of Christ as His ambassadors to the world. And what- ka PREFACE. ever may have been the case with foreign churches, never until recently could such a reproach be cast upon the Church of England. But alas! we can no longer claim an immunity from it. Among those who minis- ter in our Church are to be found men who are thus explaining away the statements and revelations of Holy Scripture, and making them but a fable and a delusion; while others, including one holding even the Episcopal office, boldly deny the authority and credibility of a large portion of those Holy Scriptures from which alone we gather our knowledge of revealed religion, and which must all stand or fall together. What may be the result of this time of trial to our Church, God only knows. How far those upon whom has rested the duty to see, that the law was maintained in such a condition as to reach such offenders, have discharged their obligations in this respect, time will show. In the mean while, the cause of Revealed Religion has received its severest blow in the house of its professed friends. And if the Church of Eng- land cannot purge herself of such a scandal, her fate is sealed and will not long be delayed. God grant that it may not be said hereafter of the Church of England as it was of Tyre, “ Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters.” Whether the present critical position of the Church of England, when a portion of her very citadel is occupied by Romanizers and sceptics,—the represen- tatives of superstition and infidelity, which always accompany one another,—is duly recognized, may well PREFACE. XU be doubted. For there are few symptoms of any earnest efforts being about to be made to avert the perils with which it threatens us. But it can hardly be supposed, that if even the doctrine of the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, on which the Church is founded, may be denied by her ministers, she can long maintain her position. Wide as may be the limits to the faith tolerated in the national Church, even in the case of her ministers, such a license as this would leave her without any ground upon which to rest her claims to the confidence or regard of the people. Outward appearances of prosperity may, to a great extent, be long maintained. Pulpits and platforms all over the land may long utter the accustomed sounds, and dispense orthodox doctrine. But, if doc- trines and practices such as those which are now, alas! rife in all parts of our Church, are allowed to maintain their ground, and take their place among us as consistent with the teaching and usages of the Church of England, such apparent prosperity will be but as the verdure on the branches of a tree of which a worm is at the root. But by this outward pros- perity multitudes are deceived. And while the prin- ciples by the maintenance of which alone the Church can retain her hold on the respect of the people, or in fact keep her ground as a Christian Church, are trodden underfoot within her, and thus the very foundations on which she stands removed from beneath her feet, the number of faithful and pious individuals X1V PREFACE. in her communion is looked upon as indicating her stability as the National Church ; and to their increase alone attention is directed. But, however large may be the number of God’s servants within her fold, some- thing more is needed for her continuance in the posi- tion she has hitherto occupied in this country. If the Church is to become a Babel of discordant sounds as to the very foundations of the Christian faith, and the doctrines on which she rests as a Christian Church, her claims as a Church of Christ are gone. And it will be a serious consideration for those who are adding largely to her possessions and endowments, what is the faith that 1s ultimately to predominate within her, and whether her professed creed is to be merged in, or perhaps exchanged for, Romanism or Pantheism. How the danger is to be met, 1s a question that I leave to the earnest and prayerful consideration of those whose age, learning, experience, and judgment qualify them to give an opinion in such a crisis. By no others, whatever may be the position in which circumstances have placed them in the Church, or the respectability or even popularity with which official duties may be discharged, is the course of events likely to be influ- enced, or the minds of the Public or the Clergy prac- tically guided. W. GOODE. DEANERY, RIPON ; May 21, 1863. TABLE OF CONTENTS. SERMON 1. (Isaiah xlvi. 9, 10.) ΤᾺ ROU ΤΟΣ Le MON. Mare tec enor soy AG ds Nee uniaa teens das edirneate ΤΥ ΣΤΉΛΗΝ On THE PROPHECIES On THE PROPHECIES ΟΝ THE PROPHECIES ON THE PROPHECIES ON THE PROPHECIES SERMON II. (Deut. xxviii. 15.) RESPECTING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ... «εν νον νον 31 SERMON III. . (Ezek. xxv. 1—4.) RUESPROTING «DOM ear eT e e eee ΤΥ AW SERMON IV. (Jerem. li. 6(0—64.) RUSPROTIN GUE LB YLON ΠΝ ΡΝ ΝΣ Gna ole 67 SERMON V. (Isaiah xxiii. 8, 9.) RESPECTING HL VRB ee ink bin vecscasas us cuoemee 85 SERMON VI. (Nahum i. 7—10.) BP RSPROPENGU-OININ EVE cin aia tc ci chs ζει απ reste ΣΝ 102 Xvl CONTENTS. SERMON VII. (Rev. iii. 22.) PAGE ON THE PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA ...... 118 SERMON VIII. (2 Thess. ii. 3—10.) On THE PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE CHURCH OF ROMBE..........cececees 136 SERMON IX. (Acts x. 43.) ON THE PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE MESSIAH, AS TO THEIR GENERAL ΘΑ ΑΗΒ ἡ ΤΥ ΡΠ ΤΠ Hees ΟΕ 153 SERMON X. (John i. 45.) ON THE PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE TIME, PLACE, AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE MeEsstan’s INCARNATION “74: Ve. ee eee ee 170 SERMON XI. (Luke i. 68—70.) ON THE PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSON AND MISSION “OF “THE (MESSIAH) τε eee ey Oe ee ee 192 SERMON XII. (Acts iii. 18.) ON THE PROPHECIES RESPECTING CERTAIN REMARKABLE EVENTS THAT WERE ΤῸ HAPPEN ΤῸ THE ‘MESSIAH 22...) eee 210 APPENDIXBORD NOTES Gy ,..\a¥esssctucse tv cceentye ΡΠ 227 SERMON 1. (Preached at Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, February 5th, 1854.) ISAIAH XLVI. Ὁ 10} “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and 1 will do all my pleasure.” A proor of the truth of the Christian Religion cannot, I feel assured, be required by those who now hear me. Their presence here this day evinces the contrary. For the great object we have in view, when thus assembled, is to offer up our prayers and praises to God, in the name of Jesus Christ, as members of the Christian Church. But it is not without its use, even to sincere Christians, to re-examine occasionally the grounds upon which our faith rests. We are exhorted by an apostle, to be always ready to give an answer to every man that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us. Our own faith also is thus strengthened and confirmed. We derive :satisfaction and comfort, B 4 amidst those trials to our faith by which we are sur- rounded, from a survey of the evidences God has graciously given us, for the truth of that revelation to which we are indebted for all our hopes of future happiness. In this world there is, it must be admitted, much to test the stability of our faith. Judging from the dictates of unassisted reason, we might expect the present state of things to be very different from what we see it to be. The professed object of Christianity, it may be said, was to produce peace on earth and good will amongst men. In the figurative language of prophecy, the wolf was to dwell with the lamb, and the leopard to lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together. (Is. x1. 6.) It claims to be a religion which sanctifies the hearts of its disciples. It was so foreshadowed by prophecy as to lead the world to suppose that 1t would intro- duce a new era of righteousness and happiness, under the reign of one who was to be emphatically the King of righteousness, the Prince of peace, and all nations were to see the salvation of their God. But none of these results have flowed from it. The world is still the scene of strife and contention. Peace is as much a stranger to it as ever. No golden age of universal love and benevolence has been in- troduced by the advent of Christ. Nay, more; the Church of Christ itself is torn with intestine divisions. Its members no longer hold even intercommunion among themselves. Its various portions excommu- nicate one another. | Moreover, among its professed members, we see the 3 same practical corruptions prevailing as disgraced their Pagan forefathers. And instead of there being any evidence of the promise of the coming of a mighty Deliverer having been fulfilled, or being likely to be fulfilled, “411 things continue as they were from the creation of the world.” And so far from the nations having been attracted by the hght diffused by the Redeemer’s advent, even those who bear the Christian name form but a small portion of the inhabitants of the world. These are reflections which at times may pass through the minds of all. | True; when we come to take a zearer view of these difficulties, they will be found utterly destitute of foundation as objections to the truth of the Christian faith. The same Divine word that reveals to us the truths of Christianity, enables us at once to solve all such difficulties. The Divine Founder of Christianity himself forewarned his disciples, ‘Think not that I . am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matth. x. 34.) ‘‘ Light is come into the world, but men love darkness rather than hght, because their deeds are evil:” and hence the intro- duction of an antagonistic principle of holiness stirs up hatred and strife. And though Christianity, when really received into the heart, has a purifying effect, yet not only do the imperfection and evil bias of our nature prevent, ἐμ all cases, the full development of rts power, but many, our Lord tells us, will profess to be His disciples, whom He knows not, and will not recog- nize as such. (Matth. vu. 22, 23.) Nor was the triumph of Christianity to be emmediate. B 2 4 On the contrary, Christianity was to be the object of much persecution. And the series of events that was to take place before its final victory clearly betokened © a long period of previous confiict. They who presume upon their Lord’s delaying His coming, and raise any sceptical argument upon such a foundation, forget, that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” They are themselves a proof of the truth of those declarations they deride, for they were long ago the subject of their predictions. (2 Pet. 11. 3—9.) ‘There is an assigned period of existence, both to individuals, and to the earth on which they dwell; and though the sinner may do evil a hundred times with apparent im- punity, and his days be prolonged, and the earth con- tinue unchanged notwithstanding the wickedness of those that dwell therein, there is a day of doom to both, in which the decreed sentence will be executed, and in which it will be clearly seen, how irrational it © is, that because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men should be fully set in them to do evil. (Heel. viii. 11.) But, beyond these considerations, we have, in the sure evidences on which the truth of Christianity rests, a firm ground on which all such difficulties may be met. And it is well at times for all to contemplate the foundation for their faith which the mercy of God has given us in these more direct testimonies. The evidences for the truth of the Christian religion are of various kinds; and to estimate their united force, we must view them as a whole. One of the most powerful is that of the miracles ὃ wrought by our Lord and his disciples and their early followers. Their reality stands attested by the testi- mony even of his enemies, by whom they were not denied, but attributed to the possession of some potent spell, or even to Satanic agency. Of the evidences by which we find the minds of its most able and learned early converts affected, one of the strongest was, the character of our Lord, and the pure and singularly unearthly nature of the religion Ile taught. ‘The contrast between it and all the religious systems of the heathen world struck their minds in a way of which at the present day we can form but an inadequate conception. The true philo- sopher, in comparing them together, needed no further proof to convince him of the Divine origin of the Christian faith. Nor must we omit to notice the evidence afforded by the sufferings of tts martyrs and confessors. Stand- ing alone, we might no doubt reckon this testimony insufficient as a proof of the Divine origin of the faith for which they suffered. But when we recollect the nature and extent of the persecutions to which the Church of Christ has been subjected, we can hardly fail to recognize, on many occasions, the inter- position of a Divine hand for the support of its afflicted members. — Another still more conclusive testimony is afforded by the success of the Gospel, attaimed through instru- mentality of the weakest kind, against all the enmity and persecution which the powers of earth could enlist against it, and notwithstanding its contrariety to all the inclinations and tendencies of the human heart. But, among all such evidences, that of prophecy 6 claims perhaps the first place. Many of the evidences for Christianity have been counterfeited by the sup- porters of false religions and superstition. Thus, the miracles of Christianity have been imitated in the lying wonders of Paganism and various forms of super- stition. ‘The testimony derived from the constancy and zeal of martyrs has been mimicked by the heroism of the devotees of zdol worship. But the testimony of fulfilled prophecy belongs alone (so far as concerns anything worthy of the name) to the revelation contained in the Holy Scrip- tures. For the ambiguity and obscurity of the heathen oracles are fatal to their claim of a Divine origin. Lhey are evidently nothing more than shrewd guesses into futurity, veiled in language capable of many dif- ferent senses. And if some of them might seem to show knowledge of a superhuman kind, this would not be surprising, when we recollect that many of them are probably due to Satanic agency, and human intercourse with evil spirits. But there is a character of indefiniteness and imperfection stamped upon them all. The prophecies of Scripture, on the contrary, are defi- nite and precise. They relate to events which no fore- sight of any created being could have anticipated. They extend into a remote future, distant many centuries from the period of their utterance. The fulfilment of such prophecies gives evidence of the strongest kind in favour of the Divine origin of the religion with which they are connected. However much the proofs derived from other evi- dences may be weakened by supposed similar demon- strations in favour of other religious systems, the evidence of prophecy cannot be thus contested. Pre- 7 science of the future belongs to God alone. It arises out of those incommunicable attributes of the God- head which can be shared by no created being. As the whole world of zafure, so is the whole course of time, simultaneously present to His observation. He is Omnipresent in all ¢ime equally as in all space. In the sublime language of the inspired prophet, He “inhabits eternity.” (Isa. lvn. 15.) And by this attribute the Godhead stands pre-eminently distin- guished from all created beings. His power may be in a measure communicated to them. His /oving- kindness they may be permitted to copy. His justice they may be allowed to imitate. But His efernal Omnipresence is an attribute which admits of no degrees ; for a partial omnipresence is a contradiction in terms. It belongs, therefore, to Him alone. And it is only where this attribute is found in all its plenitude, that the future can be equally visible with the present. He alone who possesses it can call those things which be zo#, as though they were. Hence, in our text, the power of originating the word of prophecy is put forth as the irrefragable proof, that He who possesses it is the supreme, the only God :—“I am God,” saith Jehovah by the pro- phet, “and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done.” And, in the context, this is the challenge offered to the false gods who had usurped His worship,—‘‘ Who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it mm order for me, since I appointed the ancient people ; and the things that are coming and shall come, let them show unto them.” (Is. xliv.7. See also Is. xl. 22, 23.) 8 The word of prophecy, therefore, can emanate only froma Divine Source; and consequently, when events are predicted many centuries before the period fixed for their accomplishment ,—especially where the pre- dictions include many details, and many circum- stances ofan unlikely character,—if the events happen as predicted, we may certainly conclude, that the pro- phecy came from God, and, therefore, that the reve- lation with which it stands connected is of Divine origin. This testimony to the Divine origin of the religion revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and of the Christian religion in particular, is the prescribed subject of these Lectures. And in what remains of this introductory discourse, I shall limit myself to a few general re- marks on the three following points :— i. The leading subjects of the ancient prophecies. 11. The vastness, and, at the same time, unity and harmony, of those prophecies. 111. The views and expectations with which our inquiries into this subject should be conducted. And having premised these general observations, I purpose, in the remaining Discourses of the Series, to consider more particularly those prophecies of more special importance and striking character, upon which the wezght of the evidence, derived from this source, chiefly rests. Let us consider— I. The leading subjects of the ancient prophecies. The great subject of the word of prophecy is the person and work of Christ. “Τὸ Him give all the prophets witness.” From the earliest of the inspired 9 records, the writings of Moses, down to the last book of the Old Testament, the chief object of the pro- phetic word was, to describe the advent and character of the Saviour of mankind; the nature of His work, and the ultimate triumph of His kingdom over all opposition. The prophetic intimations on these points contained in the books of Moses are, in the comparison, as might be expected, indistinct and obscure. But, as time advanced, the revelations made on the subject became more and more clear and definite, until at length the announcements of Isaiah and the other prophets, though preceding our Lord’s advent by many cen- turies, gave a clear and even detailed account of the circumstances that were to attend and be the conse- quences of that event. And no further evidence is needed, that these prophecies were not written after the event, for the purpose of establishing the claims of Jesus Christ, than the fact, that they have always been in the keeping of his great enemies the Jews. Amongst the circumstances predicted of our Blessed Lord many centuries before his advent are these: that he should be born of a Virgin (Is. vii. 14), and that he should spring from the family of David when reduced to the lowest state (Is. ix. 6, 7, &c.); that he was to be born in Bethlehem (Mic. v. 2); that he was to come before the destruction of the second temple (Hag. 1. 6—9; Mal. in. 1); that he was to appear at a certain particular period, precisely pointed out by Daniel (Dan. ix. 24—27); that his body was not to remain in the grave after death and see corruption (Ps. 10 xvi. 10); and that though he should pour out his soul unto death (Is. li. 12), his kingdom should be an everlasting kingdom (ls. ix. 7, &c.); and the nations of the earth own him as their sovereign (Ps. 11. 8, Ixxit. 11; Dan. vii. 14); that while he should be the “Desire of all nations” (Hag. 11. 7), he should yet be “ despised and rejected of men, the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Is. lini. 3); that he should bind up the broken-hearted, and: proclaim liberty to the captives (Is. lxi. 1); and yet be brought as a lamb to the slaughter (Is. lin. 7); that he should be at the same time the Child born and the Son given, and yet the mighty God and the Prince of peace (Is. ix. 6); that he should be David’s Lord, and yet David’s Son (Ps. exxxu. 1], cx. 1); that his soul should be made an offering for sin, and yet his days be prolonged. (Is. lin. 10.) Thus, the word of prophecy was committed to pre- dictions of the most distinct and definite kind respect- ing the person, character, and work of a great future Deliverer of mankind from the effects of the curse. And if we find, on a careful consideration of these predictions, that they were all exactly fulfilledin Jesus Christ, on what other hypothesis can we account for them, but that which supposes that they emanated from one who could “declare the end from the begin- ning, and from ancient times the things not yet done.” This, therefore, is one and the most important of those classes of prophecies to which I shall have here- after to direct your attention. Another class of prophecies, which will call for Il our consideration, consists of those that relate to events connected with the fate of various ancient king- doms and nations of the earth. Thus, for instance, in the case of the Jews, the promise given to Abraham, that his seed should be as the stars of heaven, and the sand of the sea-shore for multitude, and that his posterity should possess the land of Canaan, was given when he had no child, nor in the ordinary course of nature any expectation of one; and was given many centuries before there was any human probability of its fulfilment. The destiny of the descendants of the several chil- dren of Jacob was foretold by the aged Patriarch, on his death-bed, with exact precision. The predictions of Moses in the 28th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy as to the events that were to befal the Israelites under certain circumstances, are at this day receiving their fulfilment before our own eyes. The destruction of Jerusalem, and the circum- stances attending it, are as exactly described by the Jewish prophets, and by our Lord, as by the historian who gives us an account of them after the event. And the Jews have long been, as their prophet Hosea foretold of them, (Hos. ix. 17,) ‘‘ wanderers among the nations;” though preserved, as no nation has been preserved, in a way that betokens some ulterior purpose yet to be accomplished in them; as other prophecies relating to their future state would lead us to expect. More than a hundred similar instances might be adduced of prophecies relating to the history of the Jews. 12 Other prophecies of this kind relate to some of the great cities and empires of the world. More than one hundred years before the fall of Nineveh, not only was its destruction foretold by Nahum, but the precise mode in which it was to be accomplished, when its inhabitants were in the midst of a drunken revel. And the prophet Zephaniah accurately describes its subsequent state as a place for flocks to le down in, and the cormorant and i bittern to lodge in its desolate ruins. In the case of Babylon, the capital of the world, the precise circumstances of its capture were predicted by Isaiah and Jeremiah, when it was in all its glory. The nations who were to combine against it; the dry- ing up of its river; the capture by a surprise during the time of a feast, when its rulers and captains were in a state of careless security, indulging in all the excesses of a midnight carousal; the state also to which it was to be reduced, as the dwelling-place of wild beasts and owls ;—all these things were foretold in the word of prophecy in express terms; when there was as little prospect of their fulfilment in the case of Babylon, as in that of the city in which I am now speaking. Of Tyre, the famous merchant city of ancient times, we have, in the prophecies uttered during the zenith of its prosperity, a detailed account of the events that were to befal it, in its first destruction, its restoration, its final ruin, and its subsequent state as a barren rock, which should be used only for fishers to spread their nets upon. Similar prophecies equally striking occur, having 13 reference to other cities and countries, many of whose remains to this day bear witness to the truth of the prophetic word in its announcements of their impend- ing doom. 7 The third and last class of prophecies which I pur- pose to notice, consists of those that relate to the post-apostolic period of the Christian Church ; which, though still in the course of fulfilment, have yet re- ceived a partial accomplishment which brings many of them within the subject assigned to these Lectures. Of these, many were uttered by the Old Testament Prophets; but a more important portion, perhaps, is that which proceeded from our Lord and his apostles. Ona future occasion, some of these prophecies will call for a more particular consideration. But at present my purpose is only briefly to point out the chief of them. Let us observe, then, that the gradual progress of Christianity in the world, in the face of all opposition, the various persecutions: with which the Church of Christ was to be afflicted, its successes and reverses, its joys and its trials, its approximation to extinction, and its final and lasting triumph, are all the subject of express prophecies uttered by our Lord and his Apostles. More especially let us remark, as an instance to which, in these Lectures, we are particularly called by their founder to direct our attention, how clearly the apostasy of Papal Rome is pointed out both by St. Paul in his Epistles to the Thessalonians and to Timothy (2 Thess. u1., and 1 Tim. iv. 1—3, &.), and by St. John in the Book of Revelation. | _ 14 This rapid sketch of the more important prophecies contained in the Holy Scriptures may show us the extent of the subject to which our attention is di- rected, and naturally leads to the consideration of— II. The vastness, and at the same time unity and harmony, of the ancient prophecies. In the Holy Scriptures we have a series of prophe- cies extending through a period of more than 4000 years, and relating to a course of events commencing at the very beginning of the world’s history, and terminating only atits close. Within its compass are brought all the most important facts in the history of the human race; so far as they set forth the character of the Divine Government, or affect the interests of God’s worshippers. The poimt of time at which we stand enables us to see the fulfilment of but a portion of those prophecies. Many of them, especially those that relate to that kingdom which our Blessed Lord was to establish in the world, include the events of a long series of years in the midst of which we are living, and will afford warning, instruction, and com- fort to all the successive generations of mankind till time shall be no more. This, evidently, was their ereat object; and therefore we must be careful to recollect that a perfect view of them will not be attainable, until that final consummation of all things, when they shall have reached their complete fulfil- ment. And with all this vastness of extent, there is at the same time wuty and harmony in all of them. There is unity of character in them. We see, in al/, the evidences of one, and that one Τὸ the Divine mind. The same great principles of action (if I may so speak) are apparent throughout them all. There is also unity of object. The final, though long delayed, punishment of sin, the ultimate, though — long looked-for, triumph of God’s servants, are seen in all. And if we inspect them more narrowly, we shall find, with but few, if any, exceptions, that the latter object is the great, though doubtless often indirect, subject of them all. All appear to have more or less reference to the interests of the true faith and worship, either in the punishment of its opponents or the support of its adherents. Whatever particular portion of the prophetic word we may examine, we shall find (speaking generally) that the event of which it speaks forms but one link in a chain of events stretching throughout the whole period of time assigned to the duration of the earth as it now exists. And that chain of events is one in which every link more or less affects the interests of religion and the spread of the Redeemer’s kingdom. For though many circumstances apparently of a merely mundane character are thus noticed, yet they will all be found to have some connection with the history of God’s worshippers, or the progress of His truth in the world. The greatest and most important events of a secular kind are noticed in their relation to this great object; and some which the historian of this world would consider of the highest moment, are almost, if not quite, left out of sight. If the acts of Nebuchadnezzar, or Sennacherib, or Cyrus, or Alexander are foretold in the Book of Prophecy, it is only because, and so far as, they affected the state 16 and circumstances of the servants of God. They were made the instruments of God’s vengeance or mercy upon His professed worshippers, according as the con- duct of His servants called for one or the other. And what might appear to some the most remarkable transactions, of a merely mundane kind, in which they were engaged, are scarcely, if at all, alluded to. The gradual accomplishment of one great scheme of mercy, was evidently the great object in view in the mind of God; and they who spoke of future events, under His inspiration, foretold only what had some connexion with the work of human redemption. ᾿ The rise and fall of empires were of httle account with them, except so far as they stood connected with the interests of religion in the world. True, indeed, the real meaning and purpose of the events of providence are quite beyond the grasp of our feeble intellect. We know not the reason for them. God’s way 15 in the sea, and his path in the deep waters, and his footsteps are not known. What events may happen only by his permession, and what by his express direction, human reason cannot fathom ; and therefore we undertake not to give the reason for events, nor to trace their precise operation and effects beyond what is revealed. But we can see the evident marks of a Divine hand in the course of events, suffi- cient to show us ἐδαΐ superintending agency by which all is directed. Moreover, there 1s wzty in these prophecies with respect to the source from which they profess to be derived. All were uttered by individuals between whom, as a body, there could be no mutual intercom- munication; but all were worshippers of the same God, 17 and professed to derive their inspiration from the same source. And all these various prophecies are connected together and interwoven with each other. We must, therefore, receive the whole as a Divine revelation, or reject the whole as a human fabrication. And if we reject it, we must suppose, that a series of prophecies was uttered at various times, during a period of four thousand years, by men separated from each other by long intervals of time,—prophecies differing from one another in circumstantials, but relating mostly to the same events, and all accomplished in those events,— without any interposition of more than human intel- ligence. Further, there is in all the prophecies of Holy Seripture mutual accordance and harmony. Many and various as were the prophets of the Old Tes- tament, and separated from one another by long periods of time, their testimony forms one harmonious whole. Put together, for mstance, all the prophecies relating to the great future Deliverer whom the nations were led to expect by the ancient prophets, and you will find that, however much their statements may vary in their details, and differ from one another in points not self-contradictory,—showing their complete indepen- dence of one another,—and, whatever might be the interval between the periods at which their authors wrote, all form one harmonious whole—all, however apparently involving impossibilities or absurdities to one who suew not what the Messiah was to be, are ful- filled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. None clash with each other. And the importance of this conside- ration is apparent, when we recollect, that to one who C 18 judged merely from the dictates of natural reason, previous to the wonderful events in which those pro- phecies found their fulfilment, there would appear to be much self-contradiction and absurdity in them. No human intelligence could have conceived the method in which they could be αὐ fulfilled 2 one person. And in this lies the great force of the argument we derive from them. They are not only forcible when considered individually ; but, taken unitedly, they are so entirely beyond the power of man to have devised, that we are unable to attribute them, with any show of reason, to a human source, They could be fulfilled only by circumstances beyond the power of man even to conceive. Whereas the great characteristic of all attempts to deceive mankind by predictions of future events, has been to aim at probabilities, and not to go beyond what the usual course of nature might be expected to bring about. They are such, therefore, when taken as a whole, as man would have carefully abstained from giving utterance to. They would not have been likely to answer the purpose of empostors. I proceed briefly to notice— Thirdly, The wews and expectations with which our inquiries into this subject should be conducted. First, then, we are to recollect, that the evidence derivable from this source 15 of a moral kind, and that all such evidence is open to cavil, where there is a desire to cavil. Men may raise various objections to the reception of anything which is not the object of their senses, or which comes to them on the testimony of others. It may be sazd, that the prophets were all 19 leagued together to deceive mankind in their pretence to inspiration, or that the fulfilment of their predic- tions was the result of accident. And the appeal as to the validity of such objections can only be to the reason of mankind. And the question for the con- sideration of every man is, whether such objections have in them any ground of reason to rest upon. And if they are such as in the common concerns of life we should think it most unreasonable to act upon, we cannot be doubtful what weight to give them in matters affecting our eternal interests. Assertions made con- trary to the manifest dictates of reason, can only be considered as the result of mental weakness or pre- judice. But we must not expect that such objections will cease to be made because they are unreasonable. If reason always prevailed, even in theory, the state of things would be very different from what 1t now is. Reason and argument may refute, but cannot silence, a disputant. If I might be permitted to offer a test wherewith to try the validity of the evidence for such truths, it would be this: that an adequate ground for the re- ception of truth resting on moral evidence is afforded us, when some unreasonable supposition is involved in its rejection, and no insuperable difficulties are in- volved in its reception. And I need hardly add, that, if only an adequate ground is afforded us for belief in the Divine origin of Christianity, the value and im- portance of the blessings it promises make it im- perative upon our reason to embrace it. Again, in estimating the value of the evidence of prophecy for the truth of revealed religion,and Chris- c2 20 tianity in particular, we must remember how greatly the force of the argument is diminished to us by our inability to take a complete survey of the whole word of prophecy. It relates to a series of events which has been in a course of fulfilment nearly from the beginning. And could we view it as a complete whole, we should see that the course of events in this world, from its beginning to its end, forms one har- monious whole; all things tending to work out the purposes of one mind. By contemplating one par- ticular part only, we have as little notion of the whole, or even perhaps of the true nature of that portion we are contemplating, as one who looks at one paragraph of a work of great extent and profundity, the parts of which depend upon and cohere with one another, has of the full meaning of the complete work, or even of the passage to which he has directed his attention. We see one prophecy and another remarkably ful- filled; and so far our faith receives confirmation; but we see only a minute part of a great whole. Our view of it is hike that with which we behold the world of nature—limited and imperfect. In the world of nature we see here and there a mine of some precious metal, or of some other substance of value for the supply of the wants of man. But how little notion can we thus acquire of the vast and boundless trea- sures even of the globe we inhabit! Nevertheless, from the comparatively little we see, we have no hesitation in drawing a conclusion, which reason sanctions, as to the vastness of the treasures which lie hid from our observation. We may with still more justice reason in a similar way as to the con- 21 tents of the Book of Divine Revelation. And the word of God, if investigated and searched into, will be found as abundant in testimonies calculated to confirm our faith, as the world of nature is in trea- sures suited to our wants. And hence we may observe, that in the interpre- tation of the prophetic word, each prophecy must be interpreted as it stands connected with the whole scheme or system of prophetic revelation. We must remember, further, ‘Ae great end of pro- phecy. It was not written to enable those who lived before the period of its fulfilment to know precisely what was about to happen. This was well understood by the ancient prophets; to whom it was revealed, says St. Peter, that xot unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things which, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, they delivered to mankind. (1 Peter 1. 12.) Hence it was veiled in language to a certain extent dark and obscure, but which was exactly applicable to the events that fulfilled it, and became by them clear and plain. It was not ambiguous, or capable of various meanings, like the heathen oracles, so as to be adapted to almost anything that might happen, but had one definite signification, to which the event exactly answered, and thus proved the foreknowledge of it by Him from whom the prophecy emanated. Thus it answered the purpose for which it was given, which was not to enable man to discern the exact course of future events, but that on its fulfilment we might see in it the proofs of a superintending Divine agency in the affairs of men. ΤῸ man the precise knowledge of future events would be anything but a 22 blessing. It would produce a moral paralysis unfit- ting him for action. Prophecy, therefore, is, by the mercy of God, in consideration of our imperfection, clothed in language which, while it shadows forth the future with sufficient plainness for the purpose of warning or encouragement, awaits for its full inter- pretation the event of which it speaks. Moreover, not only is the language of prophecy to a certain extent obscure, but, for the same reason, the prophecies are mostly marked, as time has shown, by two other characteristics, the observance of which is essential to a right understanding of them: I mean, the reference of the same words, in some cases, to more than one event, and the evident close intermixture of predictions that were to be fulfilled at periods of time Jar distant from one another. Many prophecies have their fulfilment in more than one event; the first being a partial fulfilment, bringing, as it were, the first-fruits of the promised blessing or the threatened curse; but subsequent events accomplishing the prophecy in a more full and ample manner. A remarkable instance of this 15 in the prophecy of Joel (1. 28—31), quoted by St. Peter (Acts 11. 17— 21), which the Apostle apples to that outpouring of the Spirit which took place immediately after our Lord’s ascension, but which is universally admitted to have a more special reference to times yet future. A still more indubitable instance of this is in the prophecy of Amos (ix. 11, 12), quoted by St. James (Acts xv. 16, 17) as referring to that conversion of the Gentiles that took place in his time, but which is 23 universally admitted to await a more glorious accom- plishment in times yet future. The birth of Christ of the seed of David, and the acknowledgment of Him by large bodies of the Gentiles as their spiritual Head and King, might well be considered as to a great extent fulfilling the promise of raising up the fallen tabernacle of David. But no doubt can exist, from the terms of the prophecy taken as a whole, that there remains a yet more ful] and complete accom- plishment of it. The prophecy of Balaam (Numb. xxiv. 17 et seq.) is of this kind. This prophecy evidently refers to the Messiah, and yet to a great extent was fulfilled in David. The “Star” and “Sceptre,” and the victories gained by the leader thus designated, no doubt refer specially and principally to the Messiah, and His ulti- mate triumphs. But the prophecy was to a certain extent accomplished in the victories of David over Edom and Moab. As David and his early trials and subsequent conquests and establishment of his king- dom, were types and foreshadowings of the Messiah and the events that were to happen to Him; so, many of the prophecies that referred specially to the latter had a partial fulfilment in the former. Many of the prophecies that relate to the great cities and kingdoms of the earth are ofa similar kind, bearing marks of doth the characteristics just men- tioned. ‘They contain predictions that seem to refer to more than one event, and mix together predictions of events that were to happen at different times far remote from one another. We see this clearly manifested in the case of the 24 Jews, and the fate of their two great capital cities; Jerusalem and Samaria. The prophecies of Moses, as recorded Levit. xxvi. and Deut. xxvill., were par- tially fulfilled by the destruction of J erusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and the captivity of the Jews at Babylon; and a portion of the prophecy in Deut. XXvill., namely, that in their captivity they should “ serve other gods, wood and stone,” (v. 36,) has only, as yet, been accomplished in this primary fulfilment of these prophecies ; for in their present dispersion and captivity they have not become idolaters. But there can be no doubt that the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and their present dispersion and miser- able state, and the desolate condition of their country, form a far more complete and full accomplishment of all the chief denunciations of these prophecies of Moses than any previous events of a similar kind. And the prophet Zechariah (ch. xiv. 2) seems to point to a still future destruction of Jerusalem and the leading of a large portion of its inhabitants into cap- tivity before the period when God will again show favour to His ancient people. And whether at that period they may be again tainted with the sin of idolatry, and worship “the beast and his image,” yet remains to be seen. The language of Ezekiel (xxxvii. 23) seems clearly to show, that at least a portion of the children of Israel who shall ultimately be restored to the land of their forefathers shall be restored from a state of idolatry. So also the prophecies relating to the destruction of Samaria, though they found their primary fulfilment in the judgment executed upon it by the king of 20 Assyria, were not fully accomplished till successive judgments of a similar kind had been inflicted upon it. The Divine judgments are at first but partially poured out, and succeeded by a season of revival giving time and opportunity for repentance. But when judg- ments and mercies have both failed to produce their suitable effect, then the full measure of the threatened judgments falls upon the offender. So in the case of Tyre. There was more than one city bearing this name. But one was the successor of the other. And the prophecies relating to Tyre, referred both to the first and second city of this name, and to various events in their history—the siege and destruction of the first city by Nebuchadnezzar, its re- vival, the partial ruin of the second Tyre by Alexander, its Christian character at a subsequent period, and its eradual extinction asa punishment for its sins and the abuse of its Christian privileges and blessings. And these prophecies are intermingled with each other. The case of Babylon seems to be the same. Clear as is the fulfilment of many of the prophecies respect- ing Babylon and the land of Chaldea, in its several captures and present state of desolation, there are pre- dictions in them respecting a city of this name, and apparently an Assyrian city, closely connected with events yet future, and which therefore have not yet received their full and final accomplishment. (See Is. Xill., xiv.; Jer. l., li.) In short, the case with respect to these prophecies is this. The object of prophecy being, so far to lift the veil from the future as to show the Divine pre- science and the inspiration of the prophet, while the precise time and circumstances of the occurrences that 26 were to take place were left in a certain degree of ob- scurity, events that were to happen in the successive destructions and desolations of various cities and countries at different periods to the end of time, were presented αὐ once to the mind of the prophet, and formed the subject of ove prophecy. The prophecy, therefore, is gradually unfolded as time advances, and the precise time and mode for the fulfilment of its various parts are only ascertained by their accomplish- ment. The great end of prophecy is thus attained, while man is still left in that degree of ignorance as to the future which is so desirable even for his own happiness. Many other predictions of events that were to take place at periods of time far distant from one another, are linked together in such close connection, as to lead an interpreter to suppose, that they refer to events almost contemporaneous. In the compass of a few sentences events are foretold, the fulfilment of which spreads through many ages of the world’s history. There are various prophecies that have had a mani- fest fulfilment of some portions of them that await future events for their complete and full accomplish- ment. The prophecies relating to our Saviour are of this kind. Intermixed with those which have been clearly fulfilled in His life of suffering upon earth, are others which speak of the glories of His kingdom, and the blessings to be bestowed upon the Jews, which evidently remain to be accomplished. Thus, for instance, the prophecy in Zechariah, that the Messiah should come to Jerusalem in an humble condition, “ sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass,” (Zech. ix. 9,) which is expressly referred to by St. Matthew (xxi. 5) and St. John (xii. 15) as fulfilled 27 in the entry of our Lord into Jerusalem in this way, is immediately followed by the announcement, that “His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth,” and by predictions of providential delverances and mercies vouchsafed to the Jewish nation which yet remain to be accomplished. (See remainder of ch. ix. and ch. x.) So again, the prediction of the birth of the Messiah at Bethlehem in the Book of Micah (v. 2) is in the midst of a prophecy which clearly awaits future events for its accomplishment. Prophecy, thus constructed, while it is protected from misapplication for the mere gratification of cu- riosity or that precise anticipation of future events which would act injuriously on the welfare of man- kind, answers various most important purposes. It is a standing and manifest proof to all men, that there is a Being to whom all future events are ac- curately known, and by whom they are ordered, watching, directing, and controlling all things. In the course of its fulfilment, it proves the cer- tainty of the accomplishment both of the threatenings and promises of God. From the execution of the threatened punishments upon guilty states and na- tions men are warned of the sure penalty of trans. gression. From the mercies vouchsafed to the ser- vants of God, and especially in this latter dispensation from the accomplishment of the prophecies relating to the work of human redemption by a Divine Saviour, men are certified of the stability of that hope which rests upon the Divine promises. Thus the great object of prophecy is accomplished. 28 That object appears to have been, so far to unveil the future as to reveal to man ¢he prominent outlines of God’s subsequent providential dealings with man- kind, and especially those events that were to have a decisive influence upon his present position or future hopes as a being destined for translation to another and an eternal world; but at the same time to reveal these things in terms which, until their accomplish- ment, should leave men unacquainted with the precise time and manner in which they were to be fulfilled. It was a task which could be accomplished by none but a mind of perfect prescience and infinite wisdom ; and perhaps the evidence that is to be found for the Divine origin of prophecy in the perfect fore- knowledge of the future which it manifests in those parts that have been accomplished, is hardly stronger than that which is afforded by the nature of tts con- struction. Once more, I must observe, that in considering the mode in which the several prophecies are to be ful- filled, we must make a distinction as to their zatwre. Lhere are some that state facts (ferally ; there are others of an evidently figurative character. Before the accomplishment, 1t may perhaps be difficult pre- cisely to draw the line between the two. Some of the events connected with the person and work of our Lord, for instance, were of such a nature that those who lived before His advent might, with some reason, have supposed the prophecies relating to them to be of a figurative kind, but the event proved them to be literal. But there are other prophecies of a more general nature, such as those descriptive of the state 29 of the Church under the Gospel, which are of wider application, and therefore cannot be expected to have the same evidence of their fulfilment, in any particu- lar events, as the former. Hence arises the diverse interpretation given to some of the prophecies. But the argument for a Divine origin is not affected by this. The clear ful- -filment of the most important of them in certain definite events, united with an adequate fulfilment of the rest in other events, is as much as the most rigid laws of evidence can demand. Lastly, let us remember the responsibility which our possession of the word of prophecy brings upon us. The testimony of prophecy is one in which we see the Divine consideration of man’s infirmity peculiarly manifested. The moral excellence of Christianity, and even the miracles that accompanied its first promulgation, are evidences that seem to be, as it were, zecessary characteristics of such a dispensation ; but a series of prophetic announcements, stretching throughout a long period of time, and involving events eradually to be developed until the final consumma- tion of all things, is a species of evidence such as it could hardly have entered into the mind of man to expect. It is a voluntary exercise of one of the most characteristic and incommunicable attributes of God, for the purpose of affording us a sure resting-place on which to fix our faith. It 15. a testimony, therefore, which makes a special appeal both to our judgment and our hearts. It is the fruit of that Divine com- passion that has sought to give us every motive for belief in a revelation affecting our best and dearest 90 interests. It is an additional assurance, that “ΗΘ willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live;” that “ He hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It adds, therefore, a proportionate weight to the responsibility which rests upon us. 3 91 SERMON II. (Preached at Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, November 26, 1854.) Devt. xxvii. 15. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his com- mandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and over- take thee,’’ Havina, on a former occasion, drawn your attention to the general character of the subject of these Lectures, I now proceed to consider it more in detai/, and inves- tigate its various parts. The subject 15, the proof which fulfilled prophecy affords of the Divine origin of the revelation con- tained in the Holy Scriptures, and particularly of the Christian religion. Permit me, however, to remind you, before I pro- ceed, that as fulfilled prophecy forms but ove of the various evidences we have for the Divine origin of Christianity,—and that if we would have our minds duly impressed with a sense of the strength of those evidences, we must view them as ὦ whole,—so 1s this much more the case with respect to one instance in any of these various departments of evidence. And ct a cr ae 32 one case of fulfilled prophecy out of the hundreds that remain to us, seems hardly more than as one drop in a flowing stream, when compared with the magnitude of the proof as a whole. But, nevertheless, it is by examining in detail the various parts of which the whole is composed, that we shall arrive at a more satisfactory and intelligent conviction of its real weight and value. , And having thus investigated it in its various parts, we shall be better able to appreciate that con- junction of vastness of extent with unity and harmony, that I noticed on a former occasion as characteristic of the ancient prophecies. We shall be enabled, I trust, to see, that though the word of prophecy stretches throughout a period of several thousand years, and was enunciated by men of very different periods and circumstances, and relates to events of very different kinds, there is'a unity of character and object, and a mutual accordance and harmony in them, showing them to have proceeded from the same source. Let me also again remind you, that, in each indi- vidual case, the evidence being of a moral kind, nothing is more easy than to cavil at it ; and that the fact that such cavils are raised affords no argument against the validity of such evidence. That God may have made some communication of His will to man is undeniable. And the fact of such a communication having been made, must, with the great majority of mankind, rest upon moral evidence. The sole question then is, what is the amount of such evidence which ought to satisfy the mind? And the appeal is to reason alone. But it is obvious, that 30 the investigation must be carried on by a mind free from the bias of prejudice, and recollecting the re- sponsibility resting upon it for conducting the inquiry with a desire to ascertain the truth. Tt will be remembered that, on a former occasion, the leading subjects of the prophecies of Holy Scrip- ture were divided into three classes. Ist. Those that relate to the person and work of Christ. 2ndly. Those that relate to the history of various ancient kingdoms and nations of the earth. 3rdly. Those that relate to the Church of Christ during its post-apostolic period. I propose, then, to bring before you, in these Lectures, a few of the more remarkable prophecies that occur under each of these classes; and I shall begin with those that relate to the history of va- rious ancient kingdoms and nations of the earth. Their testimony alone affords abundant proof of the Divine inspiration of the prophets of the Old Testa- ment, and consequently of the Divine origin of the religion they taught, and thus indirectly, through the connexion of the two Dispensations, of the truth also of the Christian Religion. And if I am unable, as doubtless I shall be un- able, to adduce any zew evidences on ἃ subject which has been so often and so thoroughly investi- gated, it 1s nevertheless a duty and a privilege again and again to call to our remembrance, on such occa- sions as these, the proofs which Holy Scripture affords us of the continual interposition of a Divine hand in the affairs of mankind. D 34 Among the prophecies relating to earthly kingdoms and nations, we naturally give the first place to those that relate to the descendants of Abraham. It is the testimony of God himself, that he had chosen them to be, in a peculiar sense, Hs people (Deut. vu. 6, 7, 8) ; and the numerous prophecies of Holy Scripture con- cerning them, if collected together, would form a complete history of all the more important events by which their course has been, and is to be, distin- cuished. My object, therefore, on the present occasion, is to direct your attention to one or two of the more re- markable prophecies respecting the events that were to befal the Hebrew nation and their land, pointing out their fulfilment as recorded in the page of history. And among the multitude that might be adduced, which time prevents me from even noticing, none is more adapted to our purpose than that which was left on record by the great Jewish lawgiver Moses, from which the words of our text are taken. Now, in contemplating the language in which he addresses his nation, after having laid down a code of laws for their observance, we are at once struck with a peculiarity that distinguishes his admonitions from those of all mere earthly Lawgivers. He hesitates not to forewarn them, in the name of God, that the nature of the events that would subsequently befal them depended entirely upon their observance or non- observance of the statutes he had given them. And this warning is given in no mere general terms, such as human foresight might have suggested, but by 35 the announcement of certain particular blessings, and judgments of a definite kind. Thus, among the threatened judgments, we find the following clear intimation of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and the subsequent dis- persion of the Jewish nation over the whole earth ; the state in which they should be during that period ; and, notwithstanding all, their preservation as a distinct people; the Lord (to use the words of Holy Scripture) not making a full end of them, but reserv- ing them, as no other people ever was reserved under such circumstances, for another season of mercy. “The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth ; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not under- stand; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young. ... And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land... . And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege and in the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee. ... The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil towards the husband of her bosom and towards her son and towards her daughter, and towards her young one that cometh out from be- tween her feet, and towards her children which she shall bear; for she shall eat them, for want of all D2 36 things, secretly, in the siege and straitness where- with thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.” (Deut. xxviii. 49—57.) 3 “Ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the Lord shall scatter _ thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other. . . . And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest; but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind. ... . And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, ... and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.” (vv. 63—68.) “And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will Τ abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them.” (Lev. xxvi. 44.) Similar warnings to those of Moses were also abundantly added by succeeding prophets. And the remarkable fact of the preservation of the Jewish people, even in their dispersion among all the nations of the earth, is thus referred to by Jeremiah and Hosea. “1 will make a full end,” it is said in Jere- miah, “ of all the nations whither I have driven thee ; but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure ; yet will I not utterly cut thee off, or leave thee wholly unpunished.” (Jer. xlvi. 28.) “ The chil- dren of Israel,’ says Hosea, “shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterward shall the children 37 of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.” (Hos. 11. 4, 5.) Many similar prophecies might be added to these. Now, in these denunciations we have a clear state- ment that certain definite judgments were, under stated circumstances, to befal the Jewish nation; and the prophecies of Moses were uttered even before the Jews had obtained possession of the promised land, and while they were, in fact, but wanderers in a wilderness, unpossessed of a single foot of ground which they could call their own, and much more than a thousand years from the time when they were to be fulfilled. Have these judgments, then, been inflicted? His- tory records their exact fulfilment. We may observe that several judgments of ἐδ same kind as those here mentioned preceded that full and complete fulfilment of the prophecy, that took place at the last destruction of Jerusalem, and dispersion of the Jewish nation by the Romans. It would seem as if the gracious Providence of God had given many pre- vious warnings as to the real character of the threat- ened judgment, fulfilling it at first but partially, suf- ficiently to show the certainty of His word as well in its threatenings as its promises, but not at once visiting upon them the full penalty for their transgressions. And thus, brethren, he deals with us as individuals ; not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Happy will it be for us, if we learn this lesson from those trials and sufferings that from time to time are permitted to befal us. 38 They are the punishment of sin. But they are not the full threatened punishment. Much more remains for a future period, if sin is persisted in and remains unpardoned. Thus, for instance,—to proceed with our more 1m- mediate subject,—on the invasion of Judea by Nebu- chadnezzar, and on various other occasions, many of the calamities referred to in these prophecies were experienced by the Jews. ‘These prophecies, as I have already observed, refer to more than one event. As they predicted the judgments that were to come upon the Jews in case of their disobedience to the Divine commands, successive periods of rebellion have produced successive fulfilments of them to a greater or less extent. And there are similar prophecies respecting that remarkable people which seem still to await future events for their fulfilment—events which will be a still further proof of the truth of those pro- phetic warnings of the consequences of disobedience given them by their first great lawgiver. (See Mic. iv. 10; Zech. 11. 6,7; xiv. 2.)* But at the time of © the Roman invasion, the prophecies which I have quoted received a full accomplishment. Then the measure of the iniquities of the Jewish nation was full, and the wrath of God came upon them to the full extent of the threatened judgments. And now let us mark how exactly the prophecies relating to them were fulfilled. The nation that was to come against them was to come from far, even from the ends of the earth,— words exactly descriptive of the Roman armies, par- * See note A. in Notes to Sermon ii. in Appendix. 39 ticularly as they were brought from the most distant parts for the invasion of Judea. It was to come “as swift as the eagle flieth ;” or rather, according to the original, ‘as the eagle flieth;” words which, while they well describe the rapidity and vigour of the move- ments of the invading army, are remarkably applicable as descriptive of the Roman standard. It was to be a nation, moreover, whose tongue they should not understand. In the case of former inva- sions which had been made by Eastern nations, the language of the enemy, either from having some affi- nity with their own, or from previous intercourse, was in a measure known to them. But the language of the nations of the West; of which the Roman armies were composed, was entirely unknown among the Jews; no intercourse having existed between the two previous to the invasion of Judea by Pompey. It was to be a nation of fierce countenance; by which the appearance of the Romans of that period might well be distinguished from that of the Orientals whom they had been accustomed to see. Every city was to be taken, and their high and fenced walls levelled with the ground ;—a prophecy which was fulfilled to the letter. The awful circumstances, moreover, which it was predicted should mark the straitness of the siege wherewith they should be distressed, happened pre- cisely as foretold. Circumstances of a very similar character marked the siege of Jerusalem by Nebu- chadnezzar. But the prophecy was more exactly accomplished at the time of which we are speaking. All will recollect the account given by Josephus* of * See Note B. to Sermon ii. in Appendix. eS 40. the way in which the most appalling part of this prophecy was fulfilled to the letter at that time, and over which, therefore, we gladly draw ἃ veil. But the point which it behoves us specially to bear in mind in this history in connexion with our present subject is, that the circumstance was one of so re- volting and unnatural a kind, as almost to forbid be- lief in its possibility. As such it seems to have been regarded by the Jewish historian himself; and in this character it forms a striking proof of the Divine origin of the prophecy. Again, in the prophetic account given af the state of the Jews during their dispersion, do we not see a graphic description of the trials and indignities they had for many ages to undergo, and the complete prostration of mind which was the result? And lastly, is not the accuracy of the prophecy remarkably tested in their wonderful preservation as a distinct people among all the nations in the midst of which they have sojourned? Precisely as it was predicted, a full end has been made of the nations that at various times took them captive, but δον remain to the present day; evidently (we may surely say) preserved for that dispensation of mercy which is predicted for them “in the latter days.” And, though time forbids me to dwell upon the point, I must here remark, that this event, namely, the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent dis- persion and calamities of the Jewish people, formed the subject of prophecy with our Blessed Lord; and His prophetic lamentations over the devoted city and the fate of its inhabitants, are important proofs of His real character. 41] But there is one more point in this remarkable prophecy of Moses which deserves our attention, and that is his prophetic description of the state of the land of which they were about to become possessed, after their expulsion from it for their iniquities. The land which they were about to inherit was at that time pre-eminently fruitful, so as to be called a land flowing with milk and honey. JBut in case of their disobedience, the land itself was to be cursed. And this was the denunciation pronounced against it :— “So that the generation to come of your children, that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it .. . even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers . . . for they went and served other gods and worshipped them .. . and the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book,” &c. (Dent. xxix. 22—28.) And this general denunciation was repeated and amplified by succeeding prophets, so as to embrace even the minute details of the nature of the predicted desolation. For thus do they speak in God’s name :—-“ Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers.” (Is. xxx. 13—15.) “ The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled... the land mourneth and fadeth away.” (Is. xxiv. 1—13.) “I will lay it [¢e. my 42 vineyard] waste .. . ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.” (Is. v. 6, 10.) ‘The whole land shall be desolate.” (Jer. iv. 27.) “I will stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land more desolate than the wilderness towards Diblath, in all their habita- tions.” (Hzek. vi. 14.) And this was to last without imtermission, or, as the prophet Isaiah expresses it, “for ever,’ “τρί the Spirit be poured upon us [2.e., the Jewish people] from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.” (Is. ΧΧΧΙΙ. 14, 15.) : What then has been the state of Syria since the ex- pulsion of the Jewish nation from it? What is the testimony of “the stranger coming from a far land” ἢ Let us hear the words of such a stranger, and that stranger one by whom the testimony of prophecy was either unknown or disbelieved, the infidel traveller Volney. ‘The temples are thrown down, the palaces demolished, the ports filled up, the towns destroyed, and the earth, stripped of inhabitants, seems a dreary burying place.” “From whence,” he exclaims with an ejaculation of astonishment, “ proceed such melan- choly revolutions? For what cause is the fortune of these countries so strikingly changed? Why are so many cities destroyed? Why is not that ancient population reproduced and perpetuated ?”* Such is the involuntary exclamation of “the stranger coming from a far land.” And so remarkable has been the unproductiveness * See Note C. to Sermon ii. in Appendix. 43 of the land, that some sceptical writers have on that ground thrown a doubt upon the testimony of Scrip- ture as to its former fertility.* But to ¢hem we have an abundant answer in the impartial evidence borne to the correctness of the account given of it in Holy Scripture by ancient heathen writers.t They are, therefore, in this, but involuntary witnesses against themselves. Much might be added from the writings of the ancient prophets respecting the judgments that were to fall on the other cities of Judea, and the general state of desolation by which the whole land was to be characterized. But the necessary limits of these Lectures prevent more than this passing allusion to them ; and the subject has been so largely illustrated of late years, that there is less need to enter here into a full discussion of it.t Now it cannot be denied, that human foresight would have been utterly insufficient to enable Moses to utter these predictions. And for this reason, namely, that the things predicted were not in accord- ance with the ordinary course of events. If the Jews were to be overcome and taken captive by their enemies, the probability was, that this would be accomplished by neighbouring nations, not by one that came from the ends of the earth; and that if they were to be expelled from their fruitful land, it would be taken possession of by others and still remain what it had previously been ; and that if they were to be dispersed among all nations, they would * See Note D. to Sermon ii. in Appendix. + See Note E. to Sermon ii. in Appendix. 1 See Note Εἰ, to Sermon 11. in Appendix. 44 share the common fate of others under similar cireum- stances, and not remain a distinct people. But, under the guidance ofa Divine impulse, Moses and the prophets hesitated not to proclaim for them a peculiar destiny, and even to particularize the details of those wonderful events of which they were to be the subjects; and though three thousand years have elapsed since the prophecy of Moses was uttered, successive ages have only added fresh testimonies to its truth, and consequently to its Divine origin. The Jewish nation, and the land they once pos- sessed, remain to this day standing witnesses, pre- sented to the eyes of all men, of the Divine origin of the prophecies of Holy Scripture, and consequently of the revelation with which they stand connected. Let it be remembered, also, that the few prophetic notices thus pointed out might be multiplied more than a hundred fold, and greatly increased in weight by the minuteness and exactness of their details. But enough have been adduced to show the nature and strength of the argument, and to suffice for rational conviction; and that is all which our present object requires. We cannot, however, quit this subject without re- marking how forcible an illustration it affords us of the way in which God deals with nations to whom He has given a knowledge of His will. Their history may not be, and cannot be expected to be, foretold, like that of the Israelites. It pleased God to show to the Jewish nation marks of his special favour, and to single them out from all the nations of the earth as, in a peculiar sense, //is people. And in accordance 45 with this design, he revealed to them beforehand, by His servants the prophets, the whole course of His future dealings with them. But, in this, they form an exception to the other nations of the earth. More- over, such premonitions are less needed by Christian nations. Not only have they the example of the Jewish nation before their eyes, but the declarations of the Holy Scriptures, particularly of the New Testa- ment, are so clear as to the mode in which God deals with mankind, that no special forewarnings as to the fate of particular nations are needed. We have much clearer ight than the Jews had, notwithstanding their possession of the word of pro- phecy. He who is emphatically styled the Light of the world, has given us His instructions, warnings, and promises. We know, that in all cases, sooner or later, national corruption and departure from God will be followed by national judgments, and national apostasy to idol- atrous worship by national ruin. We learn, also, from the history of the Israelites, that, though the final judgment may be long delayed, though many respites may be granted, calamities of a less severe kind being sent as warnings of the fate that awaits the transgressor, the threatened punish- ment of sin is sure. And greatly are the responsi- bilities of mankind increased by the more abundant light and privileges enjoyed by those who live under the Gospel Dispensation. Finally, let us remember, for our own personal warning, that the sins of nations are but the aggre- gate of the sins of the individuals that compose them ; 46 and that the account to which men will be called hereafter is one in which they will be judged, not as members of a particular nation, nor even merely as members of an orthodox Church, but as individuals who have possessed a certain amount of spiritual light and privileges. Let us not, then, after the example of so large a proportion of that people whose history we have just been considering, content ourselves with the xame of God’s true worshippers, and live as if we disowned His authority and despised His laws. let us not fall, after the same example of unbelief. The clear exhibition of Divine love and mercy, made to us in the death of Christ, has placed us in a position of far greater responsibility even than that once occupied by the favoured race of Abraham. The evil of sin, the price paid as an atonement for it, the readiness of God to accept the returning penitent, and the duties to which He calls us as a people redeemed by the blood of His incarnate Son from the curse which sin had brought upon us, are all clearly revealed to us in the Gospel of Christ. And “if he that despised Moses’ law died without mercy, of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, a common thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” “ How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” (Heb. x. 28, 29; li. 3.) 47 SERMON III. (Preached at Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, January 7th, 1855.) Hzex. xxv. 1—4. * Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against mount Serr, and prophesy against it, and say unto it, Thus sath the Lord God ; Behold, O mount Sew, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thow shalt know that I am the Lord.” Amone the prophecies relating to the history of the ancient kingdoms and nations of the earth, those referring to the Jews (some of which formed the sub- ject of our last Discourse) are, as might be expected from the peculiar interferences of God in their behalf, and His selection of them as more especially His own people, far more full and extensive than those relating to any other nation. But there are many others, which, so far as our present subject is concerned, are almost equally instructive. Among these, that which seems to claim the next place is the testimony borne by several of the prophets to the fate of the descen- dants of Esau, the brother of Jacob, and of their country. The earliest prophetic intimation of the fate of the house of Esau fell, as it will be well remembered, 48 from the lips of his aged parent Isaac, after he had unwittingly, but by Divine appointment, given his blessing to Jacob and his descendants. ‘ Behold,” said Isaac, “thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; and by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother ; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.” (Gen. xxvii. 39, 40.) For many centuries there seemed but little pro- bability of the fulfilment of this prophecy, so far at least as it respected Jacob's dominion over δα. And to those who lived during that period, and were cognizant of Isaac’s prophecy, it might seem as if the predictions of the aged patriarch were but idle words, having no foundation but in the excited imagination of their author. Hsau and his posterity shortly became powerful chiefs, possessed of a valuable and fertile country ; while the posterity of Jacob, so far from reigning over them, were for more than two centuries in bondage to the Egyptians,* and for a long period after that time destitute of any political power. But with Him from whom that prophecy originally emanated one day is as a thousand years, and a thou- sand years as one day. When the time for the pros- perity of Jacob's seed had come, though several cen- turies had passed away since the prophecy was uttered, he became, as was predicted, lord over his brethren, and his mother’s sons bowed down to him. (Gen. xxvil. 29.) From the time of David to that of Jehoram, * See Note A. in Notes to Sermon iii. in Appendix. 49 the successor of Jehoshaphat, the land of Edom was altogether under the dominion of the kings of Judah, and governed by a deputy placed there by them. (1 Kings xxii. 47.) But in the time of Jehoram, from whom, on account of his extreme wickedness, God withdrew His protection, Esau, as was here pre- dicted, broke the yoke of Jacob from off his neck. (2 Kings vii. 20—22; 2 Chron. xxi. 8—10.) For the Edomites, having revolted from Jehoram and expelled his deputy, chose a king of their own, and under him recovered their liberty, and were never afterwards subject to the kings of Judah. Long, therefore, as the fulfilment of this prophecy was de- layed, it was ultimately fulfilled to the letter; and the delay shows us, that where no specific period is assigned for the accomplishment of a prophecy, the lapse even of many ages affords no ground for doubt as to its truth; and is in fact, on its fulfilment, an additional proof that 1t emanated from One before whom the whole future 15 spread out to view. From this period no prophetic announcements con- cerning the events that were to happen to the posterity of Hsau occur in the Sacred Writings until after they had again become an independent nation. We then find in several of the prophets clear intimations of the fate that awaited them and their country. Among these the most remarkable are those of Isaiah (xxxiv. 5—17), Jeremiah (xlix. 16—22), Hze- kiel (xxv. 12—14; xxxv. throughout), and Obadiah (throughout). All these prophets predicted the complete destruc- tion of Edom as a nation, and the desolation of their E 50 land, which, according to Jeremiah, was ultimately to be such that no man should abide there, neither any son of man dwell in it. (Jer. xlix.18.) And the judgments denounced against them were said to be more especially the consequence of their conduct to- wards their brethren the Jews. The testimony of Ezekiel is as follows :—After the words of our text, the prophet adds,—“ Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their ini- quity had an end: Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth..... I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” And after some further denunciations, it is added, “Thus saith the Lord God; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate. As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was deso- late, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the Lord.” The prophecy of Obadiah is still more full and particular :— “Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Behold I have made thee small among the heathen; thou art 51. greatly despised. The pride of thine heart hath de- ceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.” And after the addition of further particulars showing the completeness of the desolation, a reason is given for the chastisement, derived from the nature of their conduct towards the house of Jacob; some of the particulars of which are described. “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried-away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day oftheir destruction ; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their cala- mity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their cala- mity; neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape ; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress. For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as E 2 O2 thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy re- ward shall return upon thine own head. .... But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.” (Obad. 1—18. See to the end of the chapter.) The testimony of the other prophets is of a similar kind. Such was the testimony of prophecy respecting the fate of the Hdomites, or (as they were also called) Idumeans, and their country. Let us now observe in what way these predictions were fulfilled. Unfortunately the historical details that remain to us respecting the conduct of the Idu- means, and the events that happened to them, are ofa very scanty nature, so as to render it impossible to compare, with all that completeness and precision that we could desire, the language of prophecy with the circumstances in which the details of the prophetic announcements found their accomplishment. It will be observed, that, in the prophecy of Obadiah particu- larly, certain special incidents in their conduct towards the Jews in the day of their calamity are alluded to. The minuteness of the details to which the prophet descends in describing their standing aloof when strangers carried Jacob away captive, their entering his gate in the day of his calamity and laying hands on his substance, their standing in the crossway to 53 cut off those that escaped, presents us with one of those marvellous pictures of the future which are to be found only in the Book of God, and shows how completely even. the most insignificant future events are present to the Divine mind. But to trace all these details accurately in the cir- cumstances that occurred, would require a more full historic record than we possess. Enough, however, remains of the general features of their history to show that the word of prophecy had its full accom. plishment. It must also be premised—and a remarkable fact it is—that as, in the case of the Jews, the chief prophecies relating to the Jewish nation had a reference to more than one event,—the fist fulfilment being the destruc- tion of their city and temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and their captivity in Babylon; and another fulfilment occurring in a similar but more complete destruction of them by the Romans, and their subsequent disper- sion as exiles and captives over the whole earth; and a still further fulfilment of a portion of them being apparently reserved for times yet future,—so, the pro- phecies relating to the Idumeans seem also to have a reference to several distinct periods of judgment. We must again remark, therefore, in their case, as we had occasion to do in that of the Jews, how the mercy and longsuffering of God are displayed even in the judgments he brings upon the guilty nations of the earth. The full threatened punishment is not inflicted until repeated warnings and visitations have been followed by repeated transgressions, and it has been fully proved that mercy and forbearance only D4 lead to an increased amount of guilt. The degree of guilt resting upon the Jews as a nation at the time of their first overthrow by Nebuchadnezzar, was far less than that which weighed them down atthe period of their destruction by the Romans. For, great as were the national sins in which they were involved at the former period, at the Jatter they were under the guilt of having rejected and crucified the very Saviour and Deliverer to whom their own inspired oracles had taught them to look for salvation. Such is too often the case, as sad experience warns us, not only with nations but with individuals. When the judgments of God are upon us, then we learn righteousness. But when those judgments are re- moved, returning peace and prosperity make men forgetful of the past and heedless of the future, and sin is too often repeated, even with circumstances of aggravation, until the measure of their iniquity is full, and Divine forbearance has reached its extreme limit. The first fulfilment of the prophecies of Ezekiel and Obadiah, and the other prophets, respecting Idumea, took place not long after the final capture and de- struction of Jerusalem by the armies of Nebuchad- nezzar. And in accordance with that character of mercy which distinguishes the Divine dispensations, we find that a distinct warning was given by God to the Edomites, through the prophet Jeremiah, of the consequences that would follow rebellion against the king of Babylon, to whom God had given for a time the nations of the earth. For it appears that after the departure of Nebuchadnezzar out of Judea and 55 Syria, at the end of his second war with the Jews, the kings of the neighbouring nations, and among them the king of Edom, made a league with Zedekiah king of Judah against Nebuchadnezzar, to renounce his authority, and oppose any attempt to bring them under subjection.* Upon which the prophet Jere- miah was commissioned by God to give them this warning :—“ Thus saith the Lord to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, and send them to the king of /dom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to - the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; and command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these Jands into the hand of Nebuchad- nezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom that will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of * See Note B. to Sermon iil. in Appendix. 56 Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.” (Jer. xxvii. 2—8.) | Let us pause for a moment to observe the lesson which this language conveys to us as to God's sovereign disposal of the kingdoms of the earth to whomsoever He pleases. Not only are future events foreknown to Him, but they are the result either of his direct agency or permission. And his prophetic word, delivered by his servant Jeremiah, here an- nounces his will, that all these kingdoms should be subject to Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and his son’s son, and should then pass into other hands; and this warning having been given, judgment is denounced against all those who disobeyed the heavenly in- junction. After this warning, rebellion against Nebu- chadnezzar was rebellion against God. This prophetic announcement was not long in being fulfilled. The first and perhaps the heaviest portion of the visitation fell upon Jerusalem itself, the city being destroyed and the temple burnt, and all the principal inhabitants carried away captive, a few only of the poorer of the people being left to till the land. Two years only had elapsed from this event when the predicted judgments fell upon the other nations of Syria. At that time Nebuchadnezzar returned into Syria and commenced the siege of Tyre, which however, from the peculiar position and strength of the city, occupied his army thirteen years. But, during the same period, his armies, overrunning Syria, executed against the nations who had been 57 forewarned by Jeremiah the judgments with which they had been threatened.* Of the circumstances which attended the subjuga- tion of these nations we are unfortunately destitute of any precise historical details. How far, there- fore, the devastation of the country of Idumea was carried, does not appear; but it is not probable that it was more than a temporary destruction of their strongholds, and perhaps the captivity of some of the principal inhabitants. But to this extent the judg- ment denounced was certainly executed—a fulfilment which, like that which happened to the Jews, was not the full measure of the threatened punishment, but enough to show the source from which the warning came, and the certainty that such announcements will be fulfilled. But it will be observed, that one reason for the judgment inflicted upon the children of Hsau was, their treacherous conduct to Israel in the day of their calamity, alluded to by the prophet Hzekiel, and still more particularly by Obadiah. The want of historical records respecting the events — here alluded to prevents us in a great measure from showing the exact fulfilment of the minor details of the prophecy. But there is one remarkable excep- tion. One part of the charge is,—‘‘ Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway to cut off those of his that did escape.” (Obad. 14.) Now, in the account given, in the first (or, as some call it, second) book of the Maccabees, of the war waged by Judas Maccabeus against the children of Esau in Idumea, after the * See Note C. to Sermon 111. in Appendix. 58 return of the Jews from Babylon (by which, as we shall presently have to observe, another portion of this prophecy was fulfilled), it is said, that he “ re- membered the injury of the children of Bcean [an Idumean chief] who had been a snare and a stum- bling-block unto the people [of Israel] 2 that they lay ἐμ wait for them in the ways.” (2 Maccab. v. 4. Cotton’s translation.) In this incidental notice of the conduct of the Edomites towards Israel, we have a remarkable proof of the precise fulfilment of all the details of this pro- phecy. Further, among the judgments predicted against Idumea, some were to be inflicted by the Jews them- selves on their return to their own land. ‘ Upon mount Zion,” said the prophet Obadiah, “shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them and devour them.” (Obad. 17, 18.) The precise fulfilment of this prediction we find in the recorded acts of the celebrated Jewish leader Judas Maccabeus. The terms used of him by the historian who narrates his exploits remarkably coin- cide with those here used by the prophet. He says of him, that ‘the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were confounded together, and deliverance was made to prosper in his hand ;” and of his conduct towards the enemies of the Jews he says, “he pursued the -wicked, and sought them 59 out, and burnt up those who vexed his people.” (2 Mac- cab. i. 5, 6. Cotton’s translation.) And among those with whom he thus dealt were the children of Esau in Idumea. Jor thus writes the historian who has recorded his acts:—‘ Then Judas fought against the children of Esau, in Idumea, at Acrabattine, be- cause they besieged Israel ; and he gave them a great overthrow, and brought them down, and took their spoils. Also he remembered the injury of the chil- dren of Boean, who had been a snare and a stumbling- block unto the people, in that they lay in wait for them in the ways. And they were shut up by him in the towns, and he encamped against them, and destroyed them utterly, and: durnt the towers of that place with fire, with all those who were therein.” “ After- ward went Judas forth with his brethren, and fought against the children of Esau in the land toward the south, where he smote Hebron and the towns thereof, and pulled down the fortress of it, and burnt the towers thereof round about.” (2 Maccab. v. 3—5 and 65. Cot- ton’s translation.) And thus emphatically did the house of Jacob— delivered and restored to their possesslons—become a fire, and the house of Esau stubble to be consumed by it. But, as in the case of the Jews, there remained a second and more complete fulfilment of these prophecies, to be accomplished in the subsequent history of the domites. The second fulfilment of their predicted cruelty to their brethren the Jews in the time of their calamity we find recorded by Josephus in his account of what 60 took place at Jerusalem not long before its final destruction by the Romans. He there tells us,* that when the Roman armies were almost at the gates of Jerusalem, at the instigation of a wicked faction in the city, 20,000 Idumeans made their way into the city, and committed upon the almost unresisting in- habitants the most fearful barbarities. ‘‘ Nor did the Idumeans,” he says, “spare any body; for as they are naturally a most barbarous and bloody nation, and had been distressed by the tempest, they made use of their weapons against those that had shut the gates against them, and acted in the same manner both to those that supplicated for their lives and to those that fought them, insomuch that they ran through those with their swords who desired them to remem- ber the relation there was between them. ... And now the outer temple was all of it overflowed with blood; and that day as it advanced saw 8500 dead bodies there. And the rage of the Idumeans was not satiated by these slaughters, but they now betook them- selves to the city, and plundered every house, and slew every one they met,’ among whom was the high-priest Ananus. To which account Josephus adds this re- mark :—‘ I should not mistake if I said, that the death of Ananus was the beginning of the destruction of the city, and that from this very day may be dated the overthrow of her wall, and the ruin of her affairs, whereon they saw their high-priest, and the procurer of their preservation, slain in the midst of their city . . . a venerable and a very just man.” He then proceeds to detail further acts of barbarity, and the * See Note 10, to Sermon 111. in Appendix. 61 circumstances attending the continuance of those scenes of pillage and bloodshed which they carried on for several days. ‘Thus, in the prophetic language of Ezekiel, did they ‘‘ shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, iz the time that their iniquity had an end ;” and thus, in the still more expressive language of Obadiah, did they show “violence” to their brother Jacob, “entering into their gate in the day of their calamity, and laying hands on their substance in the day of their calamity.” But, as before, a day of vengeance awaited them. The precise period at which their country was finally devastated, and their stronghold, the city of Petra, reduced to the state in which it has been found by modern travellers, is but a matter of conjecture. But the fact of its state being precisely that) which was assigned to it by the ancient prophecies, is indisput- able, and with this fact only are we concerned. Ona point which is now so well known, through the ac- counts of modern travellers, as the correspondence of the present state of Edom, and the ruins of its capital, with that which was foreshadowed in the prophecies to which 1 have called your attention, I will not now dwell at any length. Suffice it to specify one or two of the more remark- able points in which the correspondence of the two 15 observable. In ancient times Petra was one of the most important cities in the great highway of eastern commerce. Its destruction and desolation have been so complete, that the very existence of the ruins was almost unknown for centuries; and now that the 62 enterprise of modern travellers has succeeded in dis- covering its remains, it still answers only the purpose of attesting the truth of the prophetic record. Though they made their nest in the clefts of the rock, even from thence have they been brought down; and the desolate ruins of their habitations, hewn out of the - solid rock, are left to be the dwelling-place of the - wild beasts. Originally the land of Edom was among the most — fruitful on the face of the earth. The prophecy was, that it should be “a desolation ;” “from generation to generation it shall lie waste,” “I will make thee most desolate.” The account given by travellers is, that such is the appearance of desolation and barren- ness presented by the country, that but for the exist- ence of a few remains here and there of ruined cities and vestiges of the works of man, it would be hardly credible that it could have been at any time the abode of man. “He shall stretch out upon it,” said Isaiah, “the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.” (Is. xxxiv. 11.) A traveller, describing the view from “the western plain,’ says,—“ We had now before us an immense expanse of dreary country entirely covered with black flints, with here and there some hilly chains rising from the plain.’”’* “The cormorant and the bittern,’ said Isaiah, “shall possess it, the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it....1t shall be a habitation of dragons and a court for owls ....the screech owl also shall * See Note E. to Sermon iii.in Appendix. 63 rest there and find for herself a place of rest,” &c. _ (Is. xxxiv. 11—16.) The accounts given by impar- tial travellers, without any reference to these prophe- cies, show that these are precisely the animals by which the place is infested, and with which it swarms. It is said that the Arabs avoid the ruins on account of the enormous scorpions with which they swarm ; and at night the crying of the screech-owl is heard by travellers above the noise of all the rest of the wild animals that make their abode there. But for the way in which the details of this part of the prophecy have been fulfilled, I must refer you to the accounts which have been so abundantly furnished by recent travellers.* Whether there remains a still further and final accomplishment of some of these prophecies in future events, I will not now stop to inquire. Our present subject limits us to a consideration of the past. But it seems not improbable that such may be the case. We have thus taken a brief view, such as time would permit, of some of the leading prophecies relat- ing to the posterity of Hsau, and the way in which they have been fulfilled. It remains only, that we take one retrospective glance at the condition of Idumea when these pro- _phecies were uttered. It was at that time a State possessed of a most fruitful country, teeming with wealth brought by their merchants from all parts of the earth. From its position it 1s said to have formed the emporium of the commerce of the East. Moreover, it was noted as the abode of science and * See Note Εἰ. to Sermon 111. in Appendix. 64 wisdom of all kinds. It is the opinion of Sir Isaac Newton, that it was the nursery of the arts and sciences, and that they were “ propagated from Arabia Petrea into Egypt, Chaldsea, Syria, Asia Minor and EKurope.”* To this fact the word of prophecy thus beautifully alludes ;—‘‘ Is wisdom no more in Teman ? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wis- dom vanished?” (Jer. xlix. 7.) “Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even destroy the wise men out of Kdom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?” (Obad. 8.) It was the abode also of men noted for their valour, “the mighty men of Edom,” as the prophets describe them. (Jer. xlix. 22; Obad. 9.) Its capital city was formed of habitations hewn out of the solid rock, and so situated that it might seem able to defy any hostile assault. And to the spirit engendered by this fancied security the prophetic word thus bears witness :—‘‘ The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?” (Obad. 8.) When it was in the full enjoyment, then, of all these privileges, in the height of its glory, in the pride of its fancied security, then it was that the Divine word went forth against it; then it was, that the denun- ciation came, “ Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord:” then it was, that all those prophetic announcements were made * See Note G. to Sermon iii. in Appendix. 65 which we have just been contemplating; and the proud city, the capital of Kastern commerce, hewn out of the rock, defended by the mightiest warriors, and peopled by the wisest among the nations of the earth, was foredoomed to be from generation to generation a desolate ruin, the abode of dragons and owls, through which no man should pass. Alas! for the pride of human glory, when the wrath of an offended God rests upon it! The question, then, is, on what possible ground we can account for such prophecies having been uttered - against a nation in the full zenith of their prosperity, noted for their wisdom and valour, abounding in wealth, whose capital city might well be thought to be thoroughly impregnable, and still more for the precise and complete fulfilment of those prophecies, but that they emanated from Him who is omnipresent in all fzme as well as in all space, and orders all things after the counsel of His own will. Suffer me, in conclusion, to remind you, how for- cibly our subject teaches us the lesson, that neither the wisdom nor the strength nor the riches of a nation will be of any value to secure its stability, if God’s favour be wanting. And the greater the blessings enjoyed by it, the more severe apparently are the judgments with which its sins are visited. ‘“ When the whole earth rejoiceth,” said God against Edom, “1 will make thee desolate.” Its wisdom, its power, its wealth, had all been misused, and therefore the Divine word went forth against it, and all these instruments of prosperity were at once powerless to avert the threatened doom. Ἶ 66 Nor let: us lose sight of the fact of our own similar position as individuals. We must not so generalize the lesson taught us, that we forget to apply it to our own case. And therefore 1 would close all with the expressive Divine warning, addressed, through the pro- phet Jeremiah, to every individual of mankind,— “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righte- ousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” (Jer. ix. 23, 24.) 67 SERMON IV. (Preached at Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, February 4th, 1855.) JER. LI. 60—64, “90 Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that: are written against Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words; then shalt thou say, O Lord, thow hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in wt, neither man nor beast, but that tt shall be desolate for ever. And wt shall be, when thow hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Huphrates: and thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring wpon her.” Amone the prophecies relating to the ancient king- doms and nations of the earth, into the fulfilment of which we are now inquiring, none are more remark- able than those which concern the far-famed city of Babylon, and the kingdom called by its name. The evidence afforded by the fulfilment of a prophecy to the truth of a revelation with which it is connected, is precisely in proportion to the particularity of its details, the «probability of the events predicted, and the exactness of the fulfilment. In all these respects F 2 68 the prophecies respecting Babylon have a peculiar claim upon our attention. Let us suppose the case of a great city, the capital of a powerful kingdom, fortified with such consummate skill as to be considered impregnable. Let us imagine a prophecy to be delivered as from God, announcing the very zame of its conqueror about a century before his dzrth, as well as the particular circumstances which should lead to and attend the capture of the city, together with various notices of its subsequent history up to the period of its complete ruin and desolation. Let us suppose another prophet, at a distance of seventy years previous to the events predicted, uttering similar premonitions, and fixing the precise period at which the capture was to be accomplished. And then let us conceive the exact accomplishment of all these predicted events precisely as foretold. Could we hesitate for a moment as to the source from which these prophecies emanated? “I am God,” saith Jehovah, “and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done.” (Is. xlvi. 9, 10.) And this prerogative he frequently challenges for his own exclusive possession; as in another passage of the prophet Isaiah, which I will quote from the trans- lation of Bishop Lowth :--- Thus saith Jehovah, the king of Israel; and his Redeemer, Jehovah God of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who is like me, that He should call forth this event, and make it known before- hand, and dispose it for me, from the time that I appointed the people of the destined age? The 69 things that are now coming, and are to come here- after, let them declare unto us. Fear ye not, neither be ye afraid: have I not declared it unto you from the first? Yea, I have foreshown it: and ye are my witnesses.” (Is. xliv. 6—8.) Now, the prophecies relating to Babylon and their accomplishment are exactly such as I have just de- scribed ; as I shall now proceed to show. The kingdom of Babylon took its rise about 747 years previous to the Christian era, and, notwith- standing its wealth and power, lasted only 209 years, when its capital was taken by Cyrus, and it became part of the great Persian Empire founded by that monarch ; and the mighty Babylon by degrees dwindled away to that predicted state of ruin and desolation in which it is now found. In less than forty years from the time of its first establishment, and more than 150 years previous to that of its over- throw, the prophet Isaiah was directed to deliver the following premonitions of the fate that awaited it. The first prediction was a general announcement of its approaching ruin, in which, after giving a summary description of the calamities that should befal the Babylonians, the prophet specifies the nation by whom they were to be first subdued, and the s¢afe to which the city should be wltimately reduced. “Behold I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it... . And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when -God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from genera- 70 tion to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there: neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall he there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures ; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces; and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.” (Is. xiii. 17—22.) In about 150 years from this time an army of Medes and Persians, with their confederates, under the command of the representative of the king of Media, captured Babylon, and put an end to the Baby- lonish empire, after it had lasted little more than two hundred years; so “near to come” was “ her time,” and so little prolonged her days; and from the state to which Babylon was then reduced by the spoliation of the invading army, and by the alteration of the course of the great river Huphrates, which ran through it, it never recovered, but gradually sank into the state described in the prophecy. It was not reduced im- mediately upon its capture to this state. Nor are we thus to understand the words of the prophecy. We have already observed that predictions referring to events far distant from one another are often inter- mixed in the same prophecy. Many years elapsed after its first capture before its state became such as is here described. And in fact it may be doubted whether some parts of this prophecy have ever yet received their full and final accomplishment. Its capture by Cyrus was the commencement of its ruin. But what revivals of its prosperity might be permitted, 71 before its final reduction to that state of desolation from which there was to be no recovery, is not announced. ‘The language of prophecy in such cases is intentionally, and for a wise end, obscure. But enough has been fulfilled to show the source from which the prophecy proceeded. For there are certain remarkable and definite predictions in it which have been fulfilled to the letter. For the prophet proceeds to give certain clear and circumstantial accounts of events that were to happen to the then powerful but foredoomed city. He gives the very zame of the conqueror before whom it was to fall, and the peculiar circumstances attending its capture by him :— | “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him ; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.” (Is. xlv. 1—4.) Thus was Cyrus, long before his birth, marked. out as the appointed instrument for fulfilling God’s designs on the wicked and idolatrous. Babylonians. Before 72 him the Armenians, the Egyptians, the Lydians, and many other powerful nations, were, as it was here prophesied, ‘‘ subdued ;”’ and he was enabled to devote the whole strength of his army to the task of besieging the capital of the Babylonish kingdom; and then took place the fulfilment of the most remarkable part of this prophecy, that he should enter the city through open gates, and that the two-leaved gates of the Royal Palace should be opened before him by kings. Events more wnzlikely to come to pass could hardly be con- ceived. The fulfilment is so well known, that I need not dwell long upon it. Having turned the course of the river Huphrates, which ran through the city, he entered with his army the dry channel of the river on the night when a great festival was being celebrated ; and in consequence of the whole city being given up to revelry, found the gates leading from the river to the city open, and having passed on to the Royal Palace, and slain the guards before the gates, the king, who was feasting within, surrounded by captive kings and princes, and all the nobles of his court, sent some of them to ascertain the cause of the disturbance; who having opened before Cyrus the two-leaved gates, the soldiers of Cyrus rushed in and slew the king and his attendant princes and nobles in the midst of their carousal.* It seems impossible to conceive a prophecy that should enter into more precise particularity of detail than this. It 15 no vague announcement of calamities such as might be hkely to befal any state in the course * See Note A. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. 73 of time, but a specific prediction of circumstances and events which no anticipatory conjectures could have reached. 3 These prophecies of Isaiah were followed, in the course of a few years, by similar predictions from the prophet Jeremiah. In the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, when that city was just about to become the wonder of the whole earth for its extent, its strength, and its wealth, the prophet Jeremiah was commissioned to announce the precise date of its downfal, and to fix for that event a time not far dis- tant. After predicting the victories of Nebuchad- nezzar over all the Hastern nations, including his own people the Jews, and that the kings of Babylon should rule over them for seventy years, he adds the announcement,—“ And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations; and I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it.’ (Jer. xxv. 12, 18.) To the fore-announcement of the name of its con- queror was now added a premonition of the exact period of its fall; and at the time predicted this event took place. From its effects it has never yet re- covered, and the ultimate result was to be “ perpetual desolation,” to the truth of which, even if there should be any temporary revival of it, future ages must be left to bear their witness. But the prophet was instructed to add various par- 74 ticulars relating to the circumstances that should lead to and accompany this event; and a more graphic description of some of the circumstances of the siege than that which is given by the prophet, it would be difficult to find in any history of the event written after it had occurred. The capture was to be effected by means of some stratagem that should take the city by surprise. “I have laid a snare for thee,” said God by the prophet, “and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware; thou art found and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord.” (Jer. 1. 34) “Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed.” (Jer. li. 8.) ‘* How is Sheshach taken, and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised!” (Jer. li. 41.) Had the besieged been aware of the designs of Cyrus, remarks the ancient heathen historian who gives an account of its capture, they might have easily frustrated them, but “the Persians took them by surprise; and from the extent of the city, as the inhabitants themselves affirm, they who lived in the extremities were made prisoners, while those living in the centre of the place, ignorant of this, were dancing and feasting.”’* “ The mighty men of Babylon,” it is added, “have forborne to fight, they have remained in their holds; their might hath failed; they became as women. They have burned her dwelling places; her bars are broken. One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end, and that * See Note B. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. 79 the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.” Ger. li. 30— 32.) T'wo remarkable circumstances at once strike the mind in this account; one, that such celebrated war- riors as must then have been in Babylon should make no effort for the preservation of the city: the other, that the messengers communicating to the king the intelligence of its capture, should run so as to meet one another as men coming from opposite quarters. But so it happened in both respects. It is a matter of history, that the Babylonians, fearing-to meet the forces of Cyrus in the field, after their first discomfiture, shut themselves up in the city ; they “remained in their holds.”* Moreover the forces of Cyrus entering the city at the two opposite extremities, where the bed of the river reached, and where it gutted the wall of the city, the messengers that hastened to the Royal Palace in the centre ran so as to “meet one another” in carry- ing the tidings. The other details were more in accordance with the probabilities of the case, but were all precisely fulfilled. They were to be caught also, the prophet declared, in a drunken revel. “In their heat I will make their feasts’ (or, rather, “1 will supply them with drink ”), “and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and. sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake, saith the Lord. I will bring them down lke lambs to the slaughter.” “And I will make drunk her * See Note C. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. ¥ See Note D. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. Ἷ ᾿ j i} 76 princes and her wise men, her captains and her rulers and her mighty men; and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.” (Jer. li. 39, 40, 57.) “Being a day of festivity amongst them” when the city was taken, the great historian of antiquity tells us, “ the inhabitants were engaged in dancing and merriment.” It was a festival, says another historian, “in which all the Babylonians drank and revelled the whole night.’’* Of the proceedings of that night im the Royal Palace of Babylon, the prophet Daniel, himself a spectator, has given us a more full account. Careless in their fancied security, the king and all his princes and nobles were gathered together in the Palace, to pass the night in revelry. ven the captured vessels of God’s sanctuary had been brought out to serve the purposes of the feast; and as the prophet says, “They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood and of stone.” (Dan. v. 3, 4.) And in the same hour came the handwriting on the wall, announcing to the affrighted monarch his approaching fate; the just punishment, as the prophet reminded him, of his rebellion against God; the God who had revealed himself by such signal manifestations of His power to his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar. “Thou hast hfted up _ thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before thee, . . and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, &c. . . and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not. glorified.’ And thus * See Note HE. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. 3 77 was this whole assembly of the king and his nobles surprised that very. night in this defenceless state ; “ brought down,” as the prophecy graphically expresses it, “like lambs to the slaughter;”—“ one,” as an ancient historian describes it, “holding up something before him, another flying, and another defending himself in whatever way he could ;’*—and left to “sleep a perpetual sleep.” “She hath been proud against the Lord,” adds the prophet, “against the Holy One of Israel. Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord.” ‘Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.” ‘‘ All her slain shall fall in the midst of her.” (Jer. 1. 29, 80; li. 4, 47.) Cyrus, his historian tells us, ‘‘ sent troops of horse- men up and down through the streets, ordering them to kill those that they found abroad.” + And thus all her slain fell in the midst of her; caught in a defenceless state in the midst of the city, and slaughtered, not in battle, but as fugitives ‘thrust through in her streets.” If time permitted, many more instances of the way in which the minute details of these predictions were fulfilled, might easily be adduced. But enough have been mentioned to show the real character of the prophecy, and with this only are we now concerned. But, as we have before had occasion to observe, the prophecies relating to such events are scarcely ever fulfilled in all their parts at the same time. The final * See Note F. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. Τ See Note ἃ. to Sermon iv. in Appendix, 78 judgments of God do not fall upon a nation or city at the period of the frst visitation. The kingdom of Babylon, indeed, was at once brought to an end on the capture of the city by Cyrus, and the city itself was greatly injured, but its walls and gates were left standing. The remaining parts of the prophecy, however, were gradually fulfilled, as time advanced, until its state became one of complete desolation. Thus, the city rebelling against Darius, the successor of Cyrus, Babylon was captured a second time, and then, as the great historian of antiquity tells us, the walls were levelled and the gates taken away.* And thus was that part of the prophecy fulfilled: “The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire.” (Jer. 11. 58.) At various subsequent periods Babylon again became a prey to its enemies. By some it was despoiled of the treasures of its temples, according to the predic- tion, “1 will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he has swallowed up.” By others its idols were taken away, according as it was said, “I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon.” By others its inhabitants were reduced to slavery, as 1t was said, “Take the mill- stones and grind meal.” And thus did it gradually sink into the state in which it is now found, And now, finally, let us briefly inquire what that state is, and we shall find that the word of prophecy has accurately described it. “ Babylon,’ it was prophesied, “shall become heaps.” And it is described as “a vast succession of * See Note H. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. 79 mounds of rubbish.” It was to be “ pools of water ;” and from the occasional overflowing of the Euphrates, the spaces between the mounds, and the excavations made by the Arabs and others in their digging for treasures, have become permanent pools of water. “Wild beasts of the desert” were to “lie there,” and “their houses”’ to be “ full of doleful creatures.” And the mounds under which the ruins of Babylon’s houses and temples he are described as being full of holes, the resort of lions and wild beasts of every kind. _ In short, we need only compare the accounts given by impartial spectators of the scene of desolation which marks the site of this “glory of kingdoms and beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,” with the pro- phetic announcements of the fate that awaited it, to see that its present state has been exactly predicted.* But it must be added, with respect to Babylon, as in the case of Jerusalem, that intermixed with these predictions are others that seem yet to await their full accomplishment. I shall not attempt exactly to draw the line between the predictions that have been clearly accomplished, and those whose fulfilment 1s yet future or contro- verted. But that some of them refer to a future period must, I think, be admitted. Some of the predictions, indeed, respecting the de- struction of Babylon connect it so intimately with the deliverance hereafter to be vouchsafed to the Jewish nation, that 1t has been supposed that a future resto- ration and final destruction yet await it. On this * See Note 1. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. 80 supposition, however, as not within the limits of our present subject, I will say nothing. But it will offer no contradiction to the language of prophecy if there should be a temporary revival of Babylon succeeded by a final overthrow. This would be quite in accord- ance with the character of the word of prophecy, which often gives in a brief and continuous narrative the whole series of events that are to happen to the sub- ject of the prophecy at various periods to the end of time.* And now, in conclusion, let us notice one or two points connected with our present subject, which may bring before us its moral aspect. Why were all these judgments inflicted upon Baby- lon? Among the reasons assigned, these three are prominent: its pride, its sensuality, and its idolatry. (See Is. xlvi. and xlvui.) But there is another, which I notice more especi- ally as showing the Divine superintendence over the affairs of men, and God’s regard for his true wor- shippers, even while his chastisements are upon them, —and that is, its cruelty to the Jews. “I was wroth with my people,” saith God by his prophet Isaiah, “I have polluted my inheritance, and given them into thine hand : thou didst show them no mercy : upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.” (Is. xlvii. 6.) And again, by his prophet Jeremiah,—‘“ The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say ; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. There- fore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will plead thy. * See Note K. to Sermon iv. in Appendix. 8] cause, and take vengeance for;thee.” (Jer. li. 35, 36.) The Babylonians, though employed by God Himself as His instruments for the punishment of the Jewish people for their wickedness, had indulged in cruelties and acts of oppression towards them, for which they themselves were now to suffer. Even in the execution of God’s righteous judgments, it is the duty of man to show mercy to his fellow-man, and not to triumph over and oppress those whom the providence of God may have placed in his power. We here see, that acts of oppression and cruelty, even though their objects may be those who are under God’s penal inflictions, will be visited by Him with proportionate chastisement. And one great object for which Cyrus was upheld and prospered by the Divine hand, was, that he might be the deliverer of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon. ‘“ For Jacob my servant’s sake I have called thee by thy name.” “Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer... . 1 am the Lord that maketh all things, &c., that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy founda- tion shall be laid. . .. I have raised him up in right- eousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Is. xliv. AROS 5. The fulfilment of this purpose by Cyrus 15 a matter of history. And we learn from it, how the mercy and loving-kindness of God are exhibited towards those upon whom His judgments have had a salutary effect ; G 82 as we have reason to suppose was the case with the Jewish captives in Babylon. For, in the prophecy of Jeremiah relating to this event, we find, in the midst of it, the following prediction :—“ In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.” (Jer. 1. 4, 5.) When they were brought to this state of mind, then their deliverance came; then it was that Cyrus, raised up by God for this especial purpose, appeared for the overthrow of their oppressors, and their libe- ration from the yoke of bondage. Unconscious himself of the nature of his mission, or by whose power he was upheld, he fulfilled the counsels of the Divine mind, and carried into effect God’s purposes of mercy towards His people, His true worshippers. How little are even the greatest of mankind often aware of the objects they are unconsciously accom- plishing! And how forcibly does the case of Babylon show us, how, amidst all the contentions of man, the collisions of the mightiest nations on earth, the fall of empires, the struggles for dominion that seem to shake the world, the purposes of God (which are often the /as¢ things which enter into the calculations of the actors in such events) are being silently accomplished—pur- poses of mercy towards His true WOE Ep Ee: of judg- ment towards transgressors. It should also be remarked, how exactly the cha- 83 racter and acts of Cyrus, as given by the heathen his- torian of his life, agree with the Divine record, that though he did not know the true God, yet he was raised up in righteousness, and that his ways were directed by God. The character given of him by this writer shows, that, so far as his knowledge extended, he was pre-eminently distinguished for virtue and plilanthropy. “ He reckoned,” it is said, ‘“ that he himself was to manifest the same exercise of virtue | with those under him]; for he thought it was not possible that one who was not himself what he ought to be, should incite others to great and good actions.” “ He judged that if all his companions were religious, they would be the less inclined to be guilty of anything impious towards each other, or towards him.” “And he thought that he should the better inspire all others with respect and awe, if he himself appeared to pay so great a respect to all, as never to say or do anything shameful.” “He thought like- wise that men would be best induced to practise a command of their passions, if he showed that he him- self was not drawn away by present pleasures from the pursuit of good objects: but that he preferred toil and labour, with a noble object in view, before all delights.”* Hus great characteristics, in short, appear to have been freedom from selfishness, patriotism, self-control, and indifference to wealth; united with vigilant attention to all the duties to which his office called him. And surely the example of this noble heathen speaks a lesson to ws who possess light and knowledge and * See Note L. to Sermon iv. in Appendix, ew 84 privileges so superior to what were enjoyed by him. Redeemed by the blood of God’s own Son, and having flim for our example who was holy, harmless, unde- filed, and separate from sinners, and whom we have covenanted to follow, what a responsibility rests upon us to walk worthy of our high vocation ! And so completely had Cyrus instilled his own in- difference to wealth into the minds of his principal fol- lowers, that we find in their conduct, as recorded by the heathen historians, a striking exemplification of the truth of the prophecy we have cited in one of its most remarkable features, namely, that they should not regardsilver, and as for goldthey should not dehghtin it. The purposes of God are seldom accomplished by weak and incompetent agents. All the successes of Cyrus, though due primarily to the Divine will, were, in their practical accomplishment, the result of the vigilance and ability displayed in the efforts made to obtain them. And nothing can more clearly show than such cases, that even where we have reason to expect the blessing of God upon our efforts, success can only be looked for in connexion with the diligent use of means, and perseverance in the midst of many difficulties and disappointments. For two whole years the army of Cyrus laboured in vain in their attempts to take Babylon. But it must never be forgotten, that what is ac- complished is due to the Divine blessing upon our labours. Even the wrath of man works but the pur- poses of His will. lor “He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabi- tants of the earth, and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou?” (Dan. iv. 35.) OO on SERMON YV. (Preached at Lincoln's Inn Chapel, December 2nd, 1855.) TsaraH xxi. 8, 9. “ Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honowrable of the earth? The Lord of hosts hath pur- posed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.” ProcrEDING with our investigation of the prophe- cies relating to the history of various ancient king- doms and nations of the earth, I have on the present occasion to call your attention to those relating to the far-famed city of Tyre. The words of our text were uttered by the prophet Isaiah at a time when Tyre was one of the most powerful, wealthy, and flourishing cities in the world, and capable of defence to such an extent, that, when besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, it resisted for thirteen years the whole forces of his empire. ‘he prophecy contained in this passage and the subsequent verses, which describes the nature of its fate, and also some points in its subsequent history, was delivered nearly a century and a half before the occurrence of the first event which it predicts, and at a time when the Chal- dean kingdom, which afterwards rose to such a height 86 of greatness under Nebuchadnezzar, was in its earliest infancy, and in subjection to the Assyrians. But to that kingdom was the task distinctly assigned by the prophet of effecting the overthrow of Tyre, as we read in verse 13, which I quote from the more correct translation of Bishop Lowth. “ Behold the land of the Chaldeans: This people was of no account. (The Assyrian founded it for the inhabitants of the desert ; they raised the watch-towers, they set up the palaces thereof) [alluding to the way in which Babylon was first built by a king of Assyria as a settled abode for the Chaldeans, who were then a barbarous people wandering about the country without any fixed habi- tation]. This people [adds the prophet] hath reduced her to a ruin.” . He speaks of the destruction of Tyre at least 130 years before the event, as an accomplished fact, and he specifies the nation by whom the work was to be fulfilled. In the eye of Him who sees all things from the beginning, and calleth those things which be not as though they were, it was as if it had already taken place. And we may here observe, that the destruction of Tyre had been predicted, in general terms, at least seventy years before, by the prophet Amos. ‘* Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, Twill not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: but I will send a fire on the wall of T'yrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.” (Amos i. 9, 10.) These prophecies of Amos and Isaiah were after- 87 wards confirmed and enlarged by the prophets Jere- miah and Ezekiel (Jer. xxv.; Ezek. xxvi.—xxviii.), particularly the latter, at a period nearer the time of the commencement of their fulfilment, but not so near as to take away their prophetical character. The prophecy as delivered by Ezekiel commences thus, according to the translation of Bishop Newcome: —