to the leading many of his children, who are now slumbering in respect to his approach, to arise and trim their lamps, "and to stand with their loins girt and their lights burning, and themselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh they may open unto him immediately. BLESSED are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching!" (Luke xii.)

Believe me to be, my dear Christian Friend and Brother in the Lord, yours affectionately in the faith and hope of Christ's speedy appearing,

Retford, October, 1836.

J. W. BROOKS.

ON PROPHECY.

CHAPTER I.

ON THE USE AND IMPORTANCE OF PROPHECY.

It excites a painful feeling in the writer of this volume, when he reflects, that circumstances render it necessary, that a work on Prophecy, intended more especially for the use of Christian readers, needs to be commenced with arguments on the importance and advantage of taking heed thereto. One would suppose it were enough for any who acknowledge the Bible to be a revelation from JEHOVAH, merely to remind them of the Apostle's declaration-"ALL Scripture is profitable;" and that then, without caring for the obloquy cast upon the study, and the seeming obscurity in which prophecy is involved, they would, like Mary, "diligently keep" all these sayings of the Spirit, "and ponder them in their hearts." Such, however, is the prejudice and misapprehension which Satan has contrived to raise up against this portion of the word of God, that, like those who in the early ages pleaded for Christianity itself, we must now adopt the tone and language of apologists.

1. It must surely be regarded as a most alarming symptom, connected with the signs of these alarming times, that professors of serious religion should require to have the practical use of any portion of SCRIPTURE demonstrated to them, before they will give it serious attention; if they will even do it then. For is it not affronting to the Deity to suppose, that he would reveal any thing to his church not calculated to edify it, or which individual members of it may wilfully neglect, without serious detriment to their souls? Let us only imagine, that the Lord were now personally to manifest himself in an assembly of Christians, and were to converse with them on those things revealed in the prophets: should we not be inclined to conclude of that man, who should make light of his discourse

because he got upon the subject of prophecy, or who should even betray, by indifference or inattention, that he took not a lively interest in it, that he was an unbeliever, and had not had the love of God shed abroad in his heart by that Holy Ghost who spake by the prophets? Now we might, possibly, be wrong in concluding to so great an extent as this; for marvellous indeed is the power of prejudice even in good men: but we could not avoid concluding of such a one, that he was under the influence of some strange delusion, and was obnoxious to the rebuke of being "slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken." The application must be obvious, to those at least who acknowledge the written word to be equally the word of God, as if he were now visible on earth declaring it.*

2. It may, however, be probably objected by some, that they do not question the authority and profitableness of all Scripture in the general; but they conceive prophecy to be comparatively of less importance and less profitable than other doctrines, which they therefore deem it better chiefly to regard. From the present circumstances of the church of Christ, there is a something which appears plausible in this objection; but it will be found, nevertheless, upon examination, opposed to that practical deference and subjection to the word of God, which the believer must avow it to be his duty to yield, and therefore mischievous in principle. Those who have any experimental acquaintance with divine things must be aware how impossible it is, in the first place, for any man to judge of the practical tendency of a doctrine, until he has first heartily embraced it, or experienced somewhat of its power. Till then, he either regards it with indifference, or is decidedly opposed to it, as dangerous and liable to abuse. Many conceive the doctrine of justification by faith without the preferable course is to keep it in the back ground, and the works of the law to be unfavourable to holiness, and that to insist on moral duties. Many imagine further, that to preach the need of the Holy Spirit's aid, for every good thought, and word, and work, is calculated to paralyze human

*As a proof that we might be wrong in concluding altogether against the piety of such, note the prejudice and unbelief exhibited in regard to truths of fundamental importance, by men whose election of God we cannot question. The necessity for the death of Jesus was not understood by any of his disciples before the event; and Peter in particular, is rebuked, as speaking after Satan, and not of God, in this matter (Matt. xiv. 23). Thomas was wonderfully sceptical, in regard to the resurrection from the dead. All the disciples, even after the outpouring of the Spirit, were prejudiced in some measure against the calling of the Gentiles; whilst numbers of sincere persons had their minds warped in regard to the important doctrine of justification by faith. These things ought at least to make us slow to judge our brethren.

exertion, and to weaken the motives to personal diligence. And how much greater a number cannot conceive of the doctrine of election, "that it doth, in godly persons, greatly establish and confirm the faith of eternal salvation, and fervently kindle their love towards God."* To admit the propriety, therefore, of ministers judging for themselves what is comparatively important in the case of prophecy, is to admit the principle in every other case; whereas numbers of those who have been disposed to think this in regard to prophecy, would contend, in the instances just enumerated, that it is a minister's duty "to declare the whole counsel of God."

There are circumstances, however, which appear not only to render the question of the practical utility and comparative importance of prophecy in a measure capable of demonstration; but which even seem to bespeak its superior importance. First, may be instanced, the comparative bulk of the prophetic scriptures: for if we regard the number of books directly prophetical, together with the copious prophetical passages in other books, especially the Psalms, the declared typical character of much scripture history, (1 Cor. x. 11.) of the ceremonial law, of the tabernacle service, (Epistle to Hebrews, passim,) all which, as they were adumbrations of things to come, partook of a prophetical complexion; the natural and unprejudiced conclusion would be, that the subject is of very great importance. Secondly, we may notice, that as the prophets, under the Mosaical dispensation, interwove with their instructions continual warnings and admonitions of future events; so, under the New Testamet dispensation, the incidental reference to the future is of continual occurrence; and there is really no doctrine in the New Testament supported by so many independent passages practically applying it, as may be adduced from the gospels and epistles in behalf of those views, which form the great sum and substance of prophetical truth;† and perhaps there is no better mode of estimating the practical tendency of a doctrine, than by a reference to the frequency with which the Holy Ghost has himself practically applied it. Intimately connected with this latter circumstance is the manner in which we find, from the scriptures, the church has actually been sustained, in the midst of fiery trials, by the hope derived from prophecy: which is indeed one very important use and intent of it. For example: the whole cloud of witnesses, mentioned in Heb. xi., who at various periods bore testimony to the truth, were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might

* See Article xvii. of the Church of England.

+ See this point proved at large, with the practical proofs adduced, in the Investigator, or Monthly Expositor on Prophecy, vol. i. pages 21, 67, and 237.

obtain a better resurrection; which hope both animated and supported them, (Heb. xi. 10, 14, 16, 39.) And the hope derived from prophecy of things to come sustained the primitive Christians, and likewise the Reformers, in some of their severest trials both of body and mind.

3. But there is another plausible objection must now be met. For it is by some conceded, that fulfilled prophecy may be useful: it is not only unfulfilled prophecy they consider dangerous, and its study to be consequently avoided. The intelligent reader will at once perceive, that even this dogma would still divert us from the cordial reception and serious consideration of a portion of God's word: but not only so, it betrays a great want of acquaintance with the intent and use of prophecy. For the believer derives but little advantage from fulfilled prophecy, so far as he is himself personally concerned. Its chief use to him is a weapon against the infidel and sceptic: and it has proved mighty in this respect (particularly of late in the hands of Mr. Keith*) as an evidence of the truth of Christianity. The believer wants not this evidence to convince him: it will afford him, indeed, an exalted notion of the prescience of that God whom he already adores; and it is further useful to assist him to a right apprehension of that which is un-fulfilled, and to increase his confidence in its accomplishment; but he is more concerned to keep his eye continually fixed upon the latter, on the right understanding of which does the correctness of his views in regard to the expectations and destinies of the church entirely depend. Thus the apostles appealed continually to the fulfilled prophecies, to convince those who were not persuaded that Jesus was the Christ; but the attention of believers in him is constantly directed to the hope of his coming again in glory, and to the circumstances which are to precede and accompany that event.

But let us suppose an ingenuous inquirer were induced implicitly to adopt the notion, that it were unsafe to give heed to other than fulfilled prophecy; in what perplexity would he find himself immediately involved! For how is he, in the first place, to ascertain what is fulfilled and what unfulfilled, without studying both?t Prophecies containing warnings must, according to this system, not be studiously considered until the danger be overpast in regard to which the warning is given; whereby the purport and use of such prophecies would be manifestly frustrated. And unless the mind were become

* See the Evidence of Prophecy, by the Rev. A. Keith.

+ The absurdity is the more apparent in the present day, when a race of interpreters is springing up, (as the Rev. S. R. Maitland, the Rev. W. Burgh, &c.) who argue of many large portions of prophecy, supposed by the majority of commentators to be fulfilled, that they are yet unaccomplished.