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allegory demands, when used in the place of a metaphor. Speaking of Tyre under the image of a Ship, he says, Thy Rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the Seas*. But suppose the Ode to be both historical and allegorical, and that, under his immediate concern for his Friends, he conveyed his more distant apprehensions for the Republic; and then there appears so much ease, and art, and dignity, in every period, as make us justly esteem it the most finished composition of Antiquity.

What is it then which makes the double sense so ridiculous and absurd in, Hi motus animorum, &c. and so noble and rational in, O Navis referent, &c. but this, That, in the latter case, the subject of the two senses had a close connexion in the INTERESTS OF THE WRITER; in the former, none at all? Now that which makes two senses reasonable, does, at the same time, always make them intelligible and obvious. But if this be true, then a double sense in Prophecies must be both reasonable and intelligible: For I think no Believer will deny that there was the closest connexion between the Jewish and Christian systems, in the Dispensations of the Holy Spirit. This will shew us, with what know- ledge of his subject the late Lord Bolingbroke was endowed, when he endeavoured to discredit Types and Figures by this wise observation, "That Scripture Types "and Figures have NO MORE RELATION TO the things "said to be typified, than to any thing that passes now "in France t."

3. His next argument runs thus-" If GOD is dis"posed to reveal to mankind any truths-he must conવ vey them in such a manner that they may be under"stood-if he speaks to men, he must condescend to "their infirmities and capacities-Now if he were to "contrive a Proposition in such a manner that the "same Proposition should relate to several events; the Chap. xxvii. ver. 26.

+ Works, vol. iii. p. 306.
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consequence would be, that as often as events happened "which agreed to any Proposition, so often would the "Revelation be accomplished. But this would only serve to increase the confusion of men's minds, and "never to clear up any Prophecy: No man could say "what was intended by the Spirit of GoD: And if MANY events were intended, it would be the same thing as if No event was intended at all,” p. 226.

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I all along suspected he was talking against what he did not understand. He proposed to prove the absurdity of a double or secondary sense (p. 221) of Prophecies; and now he tells us of MANY senses; and endeavours to shew. how this would make Prophecy useless. But sure he should have known, what the very phrase itself intimates, that no prophetic proposition is pretended to have more than Two senses: And farther, that the subject of each is, supposed to relate to two connected and successive Dispensations: which is so far from creating any confusion in men's minds, or making a Prophecy useless, that it cannot but strengthen and confirm our belief of, and give double evidence to, the divinity of the Prediction. the contrary, he appears to think that what orthodox Divines mean by a second sense, is the same with what the Scotch Prophets mean by a second sight; the seeing one thing after another as long as the imagination will hold out.

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4. His last argument is" Nor is it any ground for "such a supposition, that the Prophets being FULL OF THE IDEAS of the Messiah, and his glorious kingdom,

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MADE USE OF IMAGES taken from thence, to express "the points upon which they had occasion to speak, "From whencesoever they took their ideas, yet when they 66 spoke of present facts, it was present facts only that were to be understood. Common language, and the figures of it, and the manner of expression; the metaphors, the hyperboles, and all the usual forms of speech, are to be considered: And if the occasions of the

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"expression are taken from a future state, yet still the Proposition is to be interpreted of that one thing to "which it is particularly applied." p. 227.

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Orthodox Divines have supported the reasonableness and probability of double senses by this material Observation, that the inspired Writers were full of the ideas of the Christian Dispensation. That is, there being a close relation between the Christian and the Jewish, of which the Christian was the completion, whenever the Prophets spoke of any of the remarkable fortunes of the one, they interwove with it those of the other. A truth, which no man could be so hardy to deny, who believes, 1. That there is that relation between the two Religions; and, 2. That these inspired men were let into the nature and future fortunes of both. See now in what manner our Author represents this observation. It is no ground, says he, for a double sense, that the Prophets were full of the ideas of a Messiah and his glorious kingdom, and made use of images taken from thence; [that is, that they ennobled their style by their habitual contemplation of magnificent ideas.] For (continues he) whencesoever they took their ideas, when they spoke of present facts, present facts alone were to be understood. Common language and the figures of it, &c.- Without doubt, from such a fulness of ideas, as only raised and ennobled their style, it could be no more concluded that they meant future facts, when they speak of present, than that Virgil, because he was full of the magnificent ideas of the Roman grandeur, where he says, Priami Imperium— Divum Domus, Ilium, & Ingens gloria Teucrorum, meant Rome as well as Troy. But what is all this to the purpose? Orthodox Divines talk of a fulness of ideas arising from the Holy Spirit's revealing the mutual dependency and future fortunes of the two Dispensations; and revealing them for the information, solace, and support of the Christian Church: And Dr. Sykes talks of a fulness of ideas got nobody knows how, and used nobody

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knows why, to raise (I think he says) their style and ennoble their images. Let him give some good account of this representation, and then we may be able to determine, if it be worth the trouble, whether he here put the change upon himself or his readers. To all this Dr. Sykes replies, "It was no answer, to shew that "there are allegories and allegorical interpretations, "for these were never by me denied." Exam. p. 363. Why does he tell us of his never denying allegories, when he is called upon for denying secondary senses? Does he take these things to be different? If he does, his answer is nothing to the purpose, for he is only charged, in express words, with denying secondary senses. Does he take them to be the same? He must then allow secondary senses; and so give up the question; that is, retract the passages here quoted from him. He is reduced to this dilemma, either to acknowledge that he first writ, or that he now answers, to no purpose *.

From hence, to the end of the chapter, he goes on to examine particular texts urged against his opinion; with which I have at present nothing to do: first, because the proper subject of this section is the general nature only of types and double senses: and secondly, because what room I have to spare, on this head, is for a much welcomer Guest, whom I am now returning to, the original author of these profound reasonings, Mr. COLLINS himself.

II.

We have shewn that types and secondary senses are rational, logical, and scholastic modes of information: that they were expedient and highly useful under the Jewish Economy: and that they are indeed to be found in the Institutes of the Law and the Prophets. But now it will be objected, "that, as far as relates to the Jewish Economy, a double sense may be allowed; because the future affairs of that Dispensation may be well supposed

* See note [BB] at the end of this Book.

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to occupy the thoughts of the Prophet; but it is unreasonable to make one of the senses relate to a different and remote Dispensation, never surely in his thoughts. For the books of the Old Testament (Mr. Collins tells us) seem the most plain of all ancient writings, and wherein there appears not the least trace of a Typical or Allegorical intention in the Authors, or in any other Jews of their time * "

I reply, that was it even as our adversaries suggest, that all the Prophecies, which, we say, relate to JESUS, relate to him only in a secondary sense; and that there were no other intimations of the New Dispensation but what such Prophecies convey; it would not follow that such sense was false or groundless. And this I have clearly shewn in the account of their nature, original, and use. Thus much I confess, that without miracles, in confirmation of such sense, some of them would with difficulty be proved to have it; because we have shewn, that a commodious and designed obscurity attends both their nature and their use. But then, This let me add, and these Pretenders to superior reason would do well to consider it, that the authority of divine Wisdom as rationally forces the assent to a determined meaning of an obscure and doubtful Proposition, as any other kind of logical evidence whatsoever.

But this which is here put, is by no means the case. For we say, 1. That some of the Prophecies relate to JESUS in a primary sense. 2. That besides these, there are in the prophetic Writings the most clear and certain intimations of the Gospel Economy, which are alone sufficient to ascertain the reality of the secondary.

I. That SOME Prophecies relate to the MESSIAH in a primary sense, hath been invincibly proved by many learned men before me: I shall mention therefore but ONE; and that, only because Mr. Collins hath made some remarks upon it, which will afford occasion for a * Grounds, p. 82, t See note [CC] at the end of this Book.

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