.II. The expression, as I have shewn, is so pre- SERMON cise as to leave no reasonable doubt of its meaning. Yet it may further serve to justify The former appears to be the sense, for the following reasons. - 1. The point asserted, is, "That the Angel, who had delivered this illustrious prophecy, was the fellow-servant of John, and not of John only, but of those who have the testimony of Jesus." The proof is for the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus -i. e. the end of prophecy is to bear testimony, or, to do honour, to Jesus; therefore, I, says the Angel, who am endowed with this prophetic spirit, am but employed, as thou art; who, in thy character of Apostle or Evangelist, hast received the same general commission, namely, to bear testimony, or to do honour, to Jesus. See Acts x. 42. We are, therefore, fellow-servants, or joint labourers in the same cause. All this is clear and well-reasoned. But, now, take the words—the testimony of Jesus-in the sense of-the testimony given by Jesus and how does the Angel's having the spirit of prophecy, prove him to be a fellow-servant of John? for the reason assigned will then stand thus— for the spirit of prophecy is the testimony which Jesus gives of himself. The inference is, that the Angel was a true prophet. Again: how is the Angel proved, in this way, to be the fellow-servant of those who have the testimony of Jesus? Why, thus; the Angel had the spirit of prophecy, and prophecy was the gift of Christ; therefore he was the fellow-servant of those, who had the same gift, i. e. who were prophets. Without doubt. But why so strange a way of proving so plain a point? It had been enough to say I am a prophet, as others are. Still, what was this to St. John? who, in this place, is not sustaining the cha 11. SERMON this interpretation, if we reflect, how exactly it agrees with all that the Jewish prophets were understood to intend, and what Jesus racter of a prophet; for the worship he was inclined to pay the Angel was on account of the Angel's being, what himself was not, a prophet. Turn it which way you will, the reasoning is frivolous, or inconsequent. I conclude therefore, that not this, but the other interpretation gives the true sense of -the testimony of Jesus. 2. To speak of prophecy under the idea of a testimony to, or concerning Jesus, is conforming to the true scriptural idea of that gift. Thus we are told that - to him [i. e. to Jesus] give all the prophets witness — τέτω πάνιες προφῆται explupeo, Acts x. 43. Prophecy, therefore, being the thing here spoken of, is rightly called the testimony, or witness to, or concerning Jesus. 3. Lastly, the construction is fully justified, 1. by observing that the genitive case [as here 'Inc] is frequently used in scripture, not actively, but passively. See a variety of instances in Mede, p. 626, where he explains Sidanzdías daspovíwy: And 2. by referring the reader to the following passage of St. Paul, where the very expression of the text is so used — μὴ ἦν ἐπαισχυνθῆς τὸ μαρτύριον το Κυpa clearly, be not ashamed of bearing testimony to our Lord, 2 Tim. i. 8. --and to Rev, i. 9. where the Apostle tells us, he was in the isle of Patmos- διὰ τὸν λόγον το Θεῦ, καὶ διὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησῦ Χριστ on account of his having been faithful in preaching the word of God, and in bearing testimony to Jesus Christ—and still more plainly, if possible, and indubitably, by referring him to Rev. xii 17. where, speaking of the Dragon, he says, he went in wrath to make war on those, which keep the commandments - II. himself and his apostles assert was intended, SERMON by their predictions. It were endless to enumerate all the prophecies of the Old Testament, which have been supposed to point at Jesus: and the controversy concerning the application of some prophecies to him may be thought difficult. But it is very certain that the Jews, before the coming of Christ, gave this construction to their scriptures: they even looked beyond the letter of their sacred books, and conceived the testimony of the Messiah to be the soul and end of the commandment. The spirit of prophecy was so firmly believed to intend that testimony, that the expectation was general of some such person, as Jesus, to appear among them, and at the very time in which he made τηρένιων of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ-TV Inper τὰς ἐντολὰς τῷ Θε8, καὶ ἐχόντων τὴν μαρτυρίαν τῷ Ἰησᾶ Χρισέ: for these objects of the Dragon's fury are properly, THE WIT NESSES, those faithful servants of truth, who suffered for the courageous and persevering testimony, they gave, in evil times, to Jesus Christ, and to his pure religion. On the whole, there cannot be the least doubt of the The ex interpretation here given of this famous text. pression fairly admits this interpretation; and (what the true critic will regard most) the scope of the place, or pertinence of the reasoning, addressed to St. John, admits no other. II. SERMON his appearance. This, I say, is an undoubted fact, what account soever may be given of it; and so far evinces that the principle, delivered in the text, corresponds entirely to the idea which the fathers entertained of the prophetic spirit. Next, Jesus himself appeals to the spirit of prophecy, as bearing witness to his person and dispensation. Search the Scriptures, says he to the Jews, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Med. Two things are observable in these words. 1. If the Jews thought they had eternal life in their scriptures, they must needs have understood them in a spiritual sense; for the letter of them taught no such thing: and I know not what other spiritual sense, that should lead them to the expectation of eternal life, they could put on their scriptures, but that prophetic, or typical sense, which respected the Messiah. 2. Jesus here expressly asserts, that their scriptures testified of him. How generally they did so, he explained at large in that remarkable conversation with two of his disciples, after his resurrection, when, beginning at Moses and ALL the prophets, he expounded d John v. 39. unto them in ALL the scriptures the things con- SERMON cerning himself e. The Apostles of Jesus are frequent and large in the same appeal to the spirit of prophecy." Those things, says St. Peter to the Jews, which God had shewed by the mouth of ALL his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. And, again, after quoting the authority of Moses, Yea, and ALL the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. St. Paul seems to have composed some entire epistles, with a view of shewing that Christ was prefigured in the Law itself, and that He was, in truth, the substance of the whole Jewish dispensation. So thoroughly, according to him, did the spirit of prophecy pervade that system, and so clearly did it bear testimony to Jesus! Whence, in his apology before Agrippa, we find him asserting of the whole Christian doctrine, that he said none g Acts iii. 24. See also Acts x. 43. 1 Pet. i. 10. h See especially the Epistles to the Hebrews, and Galatians. u. |