And this prophecy, as to its exercise, is considered two ways: — First, precisely for the prediction or foretelling things to come ; as the Greek word, and the Latin traduced from thence, do signify. So prophecy is a divine prediction of future things, proceeding from di-
O; di Tou 01OU avSiwffoi 'Pfvivfia'reipc.oi •jmvf^.aTos ayiou, nai ^popyirai lyivofiivoi v'^ ttvrou Tnv Qiou Ifi-rauirfivTi; xai ffo^iffdivrtf lyivovro Btc^l^axToi, xai i'ffmi xa) tixatn. — Thcophil. ad Autolycum. lib. ii.
" Proplictce voces itemque virtutes ad fidcm diviiiitatis cdcbant." — Tertul. Apol. cap. xviii.
Olo uvlfo; Tovro ToiiTv, ?i ^^(piv rivc: xal ^iicu ; >) S-£oj a.v'i^oi, (pa'iv) Ti; av, toZto to yipxs, Ka) yap oh rod /yiivTio); , re iiori, akkoi to cti fiovov I'l^iiv. — Plotill. Enncad. iii. lib. o. VOL. III. ' i)
130 OPERATIONS OF THE HOLT SPIRIT [BOOK IT.
vine revelation. But the Hebrew i^^} , — whence are ^''?^, " a pro- phet," and '^^''2?, " prophecy/' — is not confined unto any such signifi- cation, although predictions from supernatural revelation are con- stantly expressed by it. But in general, secondly, the word signifies no more but to speak out, interpret, and declare the mind or words of another. So God tells Moses that he would " make him a god unto Pharaoh," — one that should deal with him in the name, stead, and power of God ; and " Aaron his brother should be his prophet," Exod. vii. 1, — that is, one that should interpret his meaning and de- clare his words unto Pharaoh, Moses having complained of the defect of his own utterance. So prophets are the " interpreters," the declarers of the word, will, mind, or oracles of God unto others. Such a one is described. Job xxxiii. 23. Hence, those who expounded the Scripture unto the church under the New Testament were called " prophets," and their work " prophecy," Rom. xii. 6, 1 Cor. xiv. 81, 32; and under the Old Testament those that celebrated the praises of God with singing in the temple, according to the institution of David, are said therein to "prophesy," 1 Chron. xxv. 2. And this name, ^^?^, a " pro- phet," was of ancient use ; for so God termed Abraham, Gen. xx. 7. Afterward, in common use, a prophet was called "^^1 and "^.1!^^ " a seer," because of their divine visions (and this was occasioned from those words of God concerning Moses, Num. xii. 6-8 ; and this being the ordinary way of his revealing himself, — namely, by dreams and visions, — prophets in those days, even from the death of Moses, were commonly called seers, which continued in use until the days of Samuel, 1 Sam. ix. 9); and Q'''?''^"^^'''^, "a man of God," 1 Sam. ii. 27; which name Paul gives to the preachers of the gospel, 1 Tim, vi. 11, 2 Tim. iii. 17. And it is not altogether unworthy of observation what Kimchi notes, that the verb ^^^ is most frequently used in the passive conjugation niphal, because it denotes a receiving of that from God by way of revelation which is spoken unto others in a way of prophecy. And as it lies before us as an extraordinary gift of the Holy Ghost, it is neither to be confined to the strict notion of prediction and foretelling, nor to be extended to every true declaration of the mind of God, but only to that which is obtained by immediate revelation. This peculiar gift, therefore, of the Holy Spirit we may a little dis- \ tinctly inquire into ; and two things concei'ning it may be considered : — First, Its general natitre; Secondly, The particular ivays Avhere- by especial revelation was granted unto any. First, For its nature in general, it consisted in inspiration,^ So the apostle speaks of the
J "Sed et hoc notandum ex eo quod dixerat; ut videam quid loquatur, in me ; pro- phetiam visionem et eloquium Dei non extrinsecus ad prophetas fieri, sed intrinsecus et interiori homini respondere. Unde et Zacharias, et augelus inquit, qui loquebatur in me." — Hieron. Comment, in Hab. cap. ii.
CHAP. I.] PEEPAEATORY TO THE NEW CEEATION". 131
prophecies recorded in the Scripture, 2 Tim. iii. 16: "^iomiuaria, divine inspiration, was the original and cause of it. And the acting of the Holy Ghost in communicating his mind imto the prophets was called " inspiration" on a double account : — First, In answer unto his name and nature. The name whereby he is revealed unto us signifieth "breath;" and he is called the "breath of God," whereby his essential relation to the Father and Son, with his eternal natural emanation from them, is expressed. And, therefore, when our Saviour gave him unto his disciples, as a proper instructive emblem of what he gave, he breathed upon them, John xx. 22. So also in the great Avork of the infusion of the reasonable soul into the body of man, it is said, God " breathed into his nostrils the breath of life," Gen. ii. 7. From hence, I say, it is, — namely, from the nature and name of the Holy Spirit, — that his immediate actings on the minds of rnen, in the supernatural communication of divine revelations unto them, is called " inspiration " or inbreathing. And the unclean spirit, counter- feiting his actings, did inspire his worshippers with a preternatural afSatus, by ways suited unto his own filthy vileness. Secondly, This holy work of the Spirit of God, as it is expressed suitably to his name and nature, so the meekness, gentleness, facility where- with he works is intended hereby. He did, as it were, gently and softly breathe into them the knowledge and comprehension of holy things. It is an especial and immediate work, wherein he acts suit- ably unto his nature as a spirit, the spirit or breath of God, and suit- ably unto his peculiar, personal properties of meekness, gentleness, and peace. So his acting is inspiration, whereby he came within the faculties of the souls of men, acting them with a power that was not their own. It is true, when he had thus inspired any with the mind of God, they had no rest, nor could have, unless they declared it in its proper way and season : Jer. xx. 9, " Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name : but his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." But this disturbance was from a moral sense of their duty, and not from any violent agitations of his upon their natures. And whereas sometimes trouble and con- sternation of spirit did befall some of the prophets in and under the revelations they received from him, it was on a double account : — First, Of the dreadful representations of things that were made unto them in visions. Things of great dread and terror were repre- sented unto their fancies and imaginations. Secondly, Of the great- ness and dread of the things themselves revealed, which sometimes were terrible and destructive, Dan. vii. 15, 28, viii. 27; Hab. iii. 16; Isa. xxi. 2-4. But his inspirations were gentle and placid.