and fee, if there be any forrow like unto my forrow! A LTHOUGH the fcriptures of the Old Teftament, the law of Moses, the Pfalms, and the prophecies *, bear an harmonious teftimony to MESSIAH; it is not neceffary to suppose, that every single paffage, has an immediate and direct relation to him. A method of expofition has frequently obtained, of a fanciful and allegorical cast, under the pretext of fpiritualizing the word of God. Ingenious men, and fometimes, men, not very ingenious, have endeavoured to discover types * Luke xxiv. 44. Dd 3 and Should any of you hear the Mefiah performed again, then and there, if not before, may God imprefs upon your heart the fenfe of this pailage. Then you will understand, that the fufferings of the Son of God, are, by no means, a proper fubject for the amusement of a vacant hour. SER and mysteries, in the plainest historical parts, where we have no fufficient evidence, that the Holy Spirit intended to teach them. And, upon very flight grounds, a proof, has been attempted, of the great doctrines of the gofpel, which may be proved, much more fafely and folidly, from the paffages of fcripture, in which they are, plainly and exprefsly, revealed. But, by taking this course, instead of throwing real light upon the places they have,in this manner, attempted to explain; they have perplexed their hearers and readers, and led them to queftion, whether there be any fixed and determinate fenfe of fcripture, that may be fully depended upon? It is true, when we have the authority of an infpired expofitor to lead us, we may follow him without fear; but this will not warrant us to ftrike out a path for ourfelves, and truft to our conjectures, where we have not fuch an infallible guide. The epiftle to the Hebrews, is a key, to explain to us many paffages, in a higher sense, than, perhaps, we should have otherwife understood them. But it is beft for us to keep within fafe bounds, and to propofe our Own fentiments, when not fupported by New Teftament authority, with great modefty; left left we should incur the cenfure of being wise, above what is written. I may, without fcruple, affirm, that the hiftory of Sarah and Hagar, is an allegory referring to the two covenants, because the apostle Paul * has affirmed it before me, but if I attempted to spiritualize the history of Leah and Rachel, likewise, you would not be bound to believe me, without proof. I may preach the gofpel of Chrift, from a text which mentions the manna, or the brafen ferpent †, because, our Lord has expounded these things, as typical of himself. But I must not be confident that every refemblance, which I think I can trace, is the true fenfe of the place; because, I may imagine many resemblances and types, which the fcripture does not authorize. There is, however, a useful way of preaching, by accommodation, that is, when the literal fenfe is firft clearly stated, to apply the paffage, not directly to prove a doctrine, as if really contained in it, but only to illustrate the doctrine, exprefsly taught in other parts of the fcripture. Thus, for inftance, if the question of Jonadab to Amnon ‡, were chofen *Gal. iv. 24. t John iii. 14. John vi. 31, 35 Dd 4 for |