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ON

TYPICAL AND ALLEGORICAL

EXPLANATIONS OF SCRIPTURE.

1

IT might be expected, that, when God had deter

mined to send his Son into the world, there would be a train and concatenation of circumstances preparatory to his coming-that the History, which declared that he was to come, should exhibit many persons and things, which should form a grand preparation for the event, though not so many as an absurd fancy might imagine.

There is a certain class of persons, who wish to rid themselves of the Types. Sykes insists that even the Brazen Serpent is called in by our Lord by way of illustration only, and not as a designed type. Robinson, of Cambridge, when he began to verge toward Socinianism, began to ridicule the types and to find matter of sport in the pomegranates and the bells of the High Priest's garment. At all events, the subject should not be treated with levity and irreverence: it deserves serious reflection..

With respect to the expediency of employing the types much in the pulpit, that is another question. I seldom employ them. I am jealous for

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Truth and its Sanctions. The Old Dispensation was à Typical Dispensation: but the New is a dispensation unrolled. When speaking of the Typical Dispensation, we must admire a master, like St. Paul. But to us, modesty becomes a duty in treating such subjects in our ministry. Remember, “This is none other but the house of God! and this is the gate of heaven! How dreadful if I lead thousands with nonsense!-if I lose the opportunity of impressing solid truths!—if I waste their precious time!".

A Minister should say to himself: I would labour to cut off occasions of objecting to the Truth. I would labour to grapple with men's consciences. I would shew them that there is no strange twist in our view of religion. I must avoid as much as possible, having my judgment called in question: many watch for this, and will avail themselves of any advantage. Some who hear me, are thus continually seeking excuses for not listening to the warnings and invitations of the word: they are endeavouring to get out of our reach; but I would hold them fast with such passages as, “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul!”

Many men labour to make the Bible THEIR Bible. This is one way of getting its yoke off their necks. The MEANING, however, of the Bible, is the Bible. If I preach, then, on Imputed Righteousness, for instance, why should I preach from the skies pour down righteousness, and then

anathematize men for not believing the doctrine, when it is not declared in the passage, and there are hundreds of places so expressly to the point?

Most of the folly on this subject of allegorical interpretation, has arisen from a want of holy awe on the mind. An evil fashion may lead some men into it; and so far, the case is somewhat extenuated. We should ever remember, however, that it is a very different thing to allegorize the New Dispensation from allegorizing the Old: the New is a Dispensation of substance and realities.

When a careless young man, I remember to have felt alarms in my conscience from some preachers; while others, from this method of treating their subjects, let me off easily. I heard the man as a weak allegorizer: I despised him as a foolish preacher: till I met with some plain, simple, solid man who seized and urged the obvious meaning. I shall, therefore, carry to my grave a deep conviction of the danger of entering far into typical and allegorical interpretations.

Accommodation of Scripture, if sober, will give variety. The Apostles do this so far as to shew that it may have its use and advantage. It should, however, never be taken as a ground-work, but employed only in the way of allusion. I may use the passage There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, by way of allusion to Christ; but I cannot employ it as the ground-work of a discourse on him.

ON THE

DIVERSITY OF CHARACTER

IN

CHRISTIANS,

AND ON

CORRECTING THE DEFECTS IN OUR CHARACTER,

IN

DISCOVERING AND COUNTERACTING THE DEFECTS OF OUR OWN CHARACTER, it is of chief importance that we really intend to ascertain the truth.

The INTENTION is extremely defective in us all. The man, who thinks he has such honest intention, yet has it very imperfectly. He says

"Touch me: but touch me like a Gentleman. Do not intrude on the delicacies of society. The real meaning of which is, that he has no intention of hearing the truth from you. A man, who has a wound to be healed, comes to the surgeon with such an intention to get it healed, that if he suspected his skill or his fidelity he would seek another.

Intention, or a man's really desiring to know the truth concerning himself, would produce

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ATTENTION. He would soon find, that there is little close business in a man, who does not withdraw from the world.

He will begin with self-suspicion. "Perhaps I am such or such a man. I see defects in all my friends, and I must be a madman not to suppose that I also have mine. I see defects in my friends, which they not only do not themselves see; but they will not suffer others to shew these defects to them. I must, therefore, take it for granted that I am a more foolish and pragmatical fellow than I can conceive."

If he begin thus, then he will be willing to proceed a step further: "Let me try if I cannot reach these defects." I have found out myself by seeing my picture in another man. I would choose men of my own constitution: other men would give me no proper picture of myself. In such men, I can see actions to be ridiculous.or absurd, when I could not have seen them to be so in myself. We may learn some features of our portrait from enemies: an enemy gives a hard feature probably, but it is often a truer likeness than can be obtained from a friend. What with your friend's tenderness for you, and your own tenderness for yourself, you cannot get at the true feature. We should, moreover, encourage our friends. You cannot, in one case in ten, go to a man on a business of this nature, without offending him. He will allege such and such

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