ON THE FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY.

(Concluded from page 96.)

WITHOUT dwelling longer on the general fact that we ought to look for the fulfilment of Prophecy to those principles which belong to the human mind, and the various states which certain arrangements and activities of them produce upon it, we will endeavour to illustrate the doctrine by a brief explanation of three distinct Prophecies, in which there is a remarkable difference in their literal construction.

The first which we will notice, is from that class of the Prophecies for which no other than a spiritual fulfilment could ever have been intended. The second is from anothor class of the Divine Predictions, which is so written as, perhaps, to admit of a certain general fulfilment in outward events, but which, from the symbolic language interwoven with the literal narrative, cannot have been its main design; and that, therefore, a spiritual fulfilment must have been the chief purpose of its announce

ment.

The third is from that class of the Prophecies which is commonly regarded to have received an outward fulfilment to the very letter, as to shew that this, even if undeniably true, proves the existence of a spiritual fulfilment, since it is only from the activity of the internal principles of the mind that such visible events could have originated.

The first illustration, then, which we have to notice, is from that class of the Prophecies for which no other than a spiritual fulfilment could ever have been intended.

When Jacob was about to die, we are informed, in the 49th chapter of Genesis, that he delivered a series of prophetic declarations upon his twelve sons. He began by saying, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days;" (Verse 1.) and thereupon he proceeded to predict such things concerning them as, it is manifest, were not intended for literal fulfilment; for the things which are said of Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphthali;—as "That Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backwards;" (17.) that Gad should be depopulated by a troop whom he should overcome at last; (19.) that " Asher's bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties;" (20) and that "Naphthali is a hind let loose; he giveth goodly words,”are such things that it is impossible they should have literally transpired. Moreover, these things, with some others, which are related as prophetic declarations on the tribes, did not befall the sons of Jacob, notwithstanding

he said he would tell them what should come to pass to them in the last days; and, therefore, it is manifest that such predictions could only have been intended for a spiritual fulfilment; and, consequently, that they are not said of the tribes as persons, but of those principles of the mind which each tribe was selected to represent. Similar extraordinary statements are made by the Prophets, which, if merely viewed in their literal aspect, can only be imperfectly understood as to a few things; whereas, when they are considered in their internal, which is their genuine sense, they may be comprehended as to their particulars. From this class of Prophecies, then, we select for our illustration that which Jacob said should befall Dan. "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backwards."

The twelve tribes, amongst whom was planted a shadowy and ceremonious dispensation of religion, were intended to represent and signify all the principles of goodness and truth by which a vital and enlightened Church is to be established and perpetuated. Hence the Lord said of true Christians, in whom the shadowy things of the Israelitish Church are realized, that they should judge the twelve tribes of Israel. This is declared of them, because the true Christian is in possession of those holy principles of goodness and truth which the tribes represented; and hence he is in a state capable of judgment concerning them. As this is the case with the sons of Israel, considered as a whole, it will follow that each particular tribe was representative of some specific principle of the Church denoted by them in the complex. Divine composition regards persons to be significant of principles, because they are the inheritors of principles, and because the quality of persons is determined by the nature of the principles which distinguish them. Therefore, whether the tribes are said to represent principles, or the persons in whom they exist, it amounts to very nearly the same thing; though as the idea of persons is less abstract than that of principles, it is sometimes preferable to consider their representative character in respect to the former.

Now, by Dan are signified all those persons who are acquainted with the truths of the Church, and who regulate their conduct from the laws of truth rather than from the influences of spiritual goodness. Those who are in this state are capable of seeing nice distinctions in the things belonging to the Church, and also of arriving at intellectual conclusions concerning them: hence it is that Dan, as an Hebrew expression, denotes he that judgeth, and also why it is said of him, that he "shall judge his people."

Those who are so far regenerated from the Lord as to be capable of enjoying the intellectual privilege signified by judging the twelve tribes of Israel, have experienced many successive states as to their interiors. They are at first the mere recipients of truth; and afterwards they begin to apply it; and thus, like the people of Dan, do good from truth as a law. But when they are further advanced in the regenerate life, they will do good from good, and for the sake of good; and from this superior state of their religious condition, they will be qualified to perceive what is true.

They, then, who are represented by Dan, are all such as do good, yet not from good, but from truth,—because God has commanded something to be done, and not because there is an internal love towards the things commanded thus they are such as do good to their neighbour, not because they love their neighbour, but because the Church requires it. Now, in this fact, we behold one of the Patriarchs clearly representing to us a distinct state of mind and conduct, by which men are to be distinguished in some portion of their Christian progress; so that the name of the Patriarch, because he represents these things, is peculiarly prophetic.

When it is seen what is the state of those who are represented by Dan, but little difficulty will be experienced in apprehending the reasons why it is said that he "shall be a serpent in the way, an adder in the path;" for inasmuch as such persons are not guided in their conduct by the genuine love of goodness, but are led to it rather by the inferior teachings of truth, it is evident that their spiritual condition must be proportionably low. They are guided in their decisions as to what is good and true, by considerations of an external, and thereby of a sensual nature. They feel that only to be true which they can demonstrate to be so from the testimony of science; and that only to be good which is capable of procuring for them external enjoyments. The external reasoning whereby such persons confirm in themselves what is true, intercepts in them that more internal road by which higher considerations effect their orderly descent; and thus it becomes "a serpent by the way." The sensual delights which influence them in determining what is good, stop up the more intellectual avenues through which holier sensations pass down to man, and thus they become an adder in the path.' But it is added, that he "biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backwards." This is said for the purpose of symbolically describing, still more minutely, what will be the state of those who are treated of. By the horse is denoted their intellectual principle, and by the heel of the horse is expressed its very low and

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corporeal character, and the biting of those heels by the adder is denoted the adherence to it of sensual loves so as to effect its injury ;— thus to induce a belief in fallacies,-fallacies, not so much concerning nature, as with respect to the things of religion and another life; in which case the rider falleth backwards; that is, he recedes from the knowledge and faith of genuine truth.

The reason why the animals mentioned in this prediction signify principles belonging to the mind, is because the interior living things of man are represented by the external things of animated nature: hence, among the ancients, man was considered as a microcosm or little world: and the truth of the significations which have been assigned to them could be abundantly proved by citation from the Scriptures. That the reasonings of the merely external or sensual principle are denoted by the serpent and the adder, which is of the species, may, perhaps, be sufficiently evident when it is recollected that the fall of man is described to have been induced by the reasonings of the serpent; and that the fallacies which are present with those who are in the pursuit of truth without regard to its corresponding goodness, are denoted by the horse in the prediction before us, may appear from many passages wherein the term occurs, particularly from the declaration that "the Lord would cut off the horse from Jerusalem, and smite every horse with blindness."

From these considerations, then, we learn that the predictions of Jacob concerning Dan, were intended as prophetic enunciations for every man, since they point out to him the condition, operation, and consequences arising from the presence of certain principles in his mind, and which attend and influence his conduct, in a distinct stage of the progress of the important work of his regeneration.

Passing, then, from this illustration of the principle which we conceive ought, from the universality of its application and practical utility, to be regarded in the interpretation of Divine Prophecy, we proceed to select another passage for illustration from that class of Divine Predictions which is so written, as, perhaps, to admit of a certain general fulfilment in outward events, but which from the symbolic language interwoven with the literal narrrative, cannot have been its main design.

In the 11th chapter of Daniel are recorded a series of remarkable Prophecies, some of which have exercised the critical sagacity of learned men, in most ages of the Church, in order to find for them a satisfactory solution. They are, however, in general long, and to explain them fully would require a proportionate extent of time and space; for the

sake of brevity, therefore, we select a part of one from the 5th and 6th verses: "The king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and shall have dominion; and his dominion shall be a great dominion. And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement." This Prophecy is generally considered to have received its fulfilment about 190 years after it was written, in those historical events which about that period distinguished Egypt and Syria; those two countries being respectively south and north of the place where it was delivered.

By the king of the south is understoood to be meant Ptolomy Sutor, the king of Egypt; while the strength and dominion which are spoken of are supposed to have been verified in the fact that he had under his government not only Egypt, but Lybia, Cirene, Arabia, Palestine, Cœle Syria, most of the maritime provinces of Lesser Asia, the Island of Cyprus, several islands in the Archipelago, with Licyon, Corinth, and some other cities of Greece.

By the king of the north is understood to be meant Seleucus Nicator, the king of Syria, whose dominions were sufficiently extensive to constitute him a formidable adversary to the Egyptian monarch. The peace which was afterwards effected between those contending countries, by the circumstance of Antiochus Theus, the king of Syria, marrying Berenice, the daughter of Ptolomy Philadelphus, is considered to have been the event referred to by the prophetic language," they shall join themselves together, for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement." Such is the interpretation put upon this portion of the Prophecy by several of the most esteemed commentators and scholars. Now admitting that these were the circumstances referred to by the Prophet, they cannot be allowed to be the only matters that were contemplated by their being written, since that would involve the erroneous idea of their being of no permanent use for the spiritual instruction of man. The facts of the history are very general, and at this day they are too much obscured to be regarded as the certain fulfilment of the Prophecy. Moreover, the narrative is so constructed, as to intimate that the detail of the leading facts of national history was not its principal design. The main purpose of its being written was to reveal certain spiritual phenomena that were to characterize the minds of men.

The Prophecy, in general, treats of the Churches, (or what is the same thing, the dispensations of divine goodness and truth received into