services have been greatly blessed among The Good Master; or, Light in a Dark a class of people who would never enter any ordinary place of worship.

Saved Now. A True Narrative. Lon- seeking the Saviour. Many of the anecdon Morgan and Chase.

THE RAINBOW:

A Magazine of Christian Literature, with Special Reference to the Rebenled Future of the Church and the World.

OCTOBER 1, 1865.

A

MORE MYSTICISM.*

NXIOUS to do justice to all authors whose publications reach us,

even when we may differ entirely from their opinions, we have copied the full title of this volume, which, our readers will admit, indicates a breadth of field sufficient to task the intellectual energies of any man. We wrote the qualifying term "ordinary" before man, but immediately dashed the pen through it, for the labour undertaken and actually accomplished by Mr. Law, though in our judgment a melancholy waste of time, is something extraordinary. Here is a massive volume of more than 600 pages, royal 8vo., admirably printed, on excellent paper, and dealing with the most profoundly interesting subjects that can possibly engage the thoughts of human or angelic beings, and what does all this labour and expense come to, so far as the instruction of believers, the removal of sceptical objections, and a correct view of Biblical truth are concerned? Nothing; far worse than nothing! We are unfeignedly grieved to pronounce this verdict, but there is no help for it. Gladly should we have hailed this weighty tome as an auxiliary to the small band who have burst the fetters of tradition, and dared to believe that God has spoken in a language which He meant to be understood, but as its weight presses on the wrong scale we must make a present of it to the large army on the other side. We must either speak thus, or keep silence, but the alter

* "Consistent Interpretations of Prophecies relating to the House of Judah; the Church of Christ; the Romish Papacy and its Church; the Greek and RussoGreek Churches; the Great Day of God at Armageddon; the First Resurrection and Millennial Era; the Second Advent and the Day of Judgment; the New Heavens and Earth, &c." By JOSEPH LAW, incumbent of South Hylton, DurhamLondon: William Macintosh, 24, Paternoster-row. 1865.

се

Oct. 1, 1865.

native is a species of critical cowardice to the charge of which no man who is interested in the honour of Revelation should expose himself. Mr. Law, however, can well afford to lose any little benefit that might have resulted from our commendation, for the believers in a Bible of mystery and metaphor, enigma and riddle, are very numerous, and they will accept his labour. Those who hold the opinion that Christ's second coming is after the millennial are also very numerous, and they will welcome his book. And there are, likewise, not a few who think it their Christian duty flatly to contradict the words of inspiration, and they too will find a good deal here to keep them in

countenance.

Oh, this Bible! Like its Lord it is bound and scourged, and as it cannot be crucified it has been put upon the rack and made to utter whatever its inquisitors for the time being desired. But for the principle of immortality that animates it, it must have perished long ago of the wounds it has received in the house of its friends, and the world would have been left in thick darkness, the blind leading the blind, and both falling into the ditch. Conscious that the great doctrine we teach will never be believed so long as a metaphorical, mystical, or spiritual interpretation is put upon the expressions of prophets and apostles concerning the coming and kingdom of Christ, we habitually labour to convince men that such modes of interpretation defeat the very design of prophecy, and leave us in total ignorance regarding the future of the Church and the world. The divine Book calls prophecy "a light," but the school of interpreters to which the author before us belongs have most effectually shorn it of its beams.

Mr. Law's book consists of a preface, an introduction, eight sections, and a concluding summary. "The desire of the writer," he says, "has been to make out a consistent interpretation of the prophecies treating of the same subjects, and thus to educe an harmonious view of the predicted events." This desire was praiseworthy, for unquestionably there are predictions of the same things throughout both Testaments, and a collation and arrangement of them would show the unity of inspiration amidst diversity of ages and dispensations. But it is quite possible to be "consistent" in interpretation whilst the principle of interpretation adopted is utterly fallacious, and thus prophecy, instead of being made clearer has its native brilliance obscured. We have compared several of Mr. Law's interpretations, for example, with the prophecies he is professedly illustrating, and we could make something of the latter, but of the former nothing. When an interpretation reires to be interpreted, it is dismal work indeed. We find in the

e these words: "The author at first shrank from the task of

Oct. 1, 1865.

interpreting the long prophecy in Isa. xxviii.-xxxiv., relating to the Church of the Gentiles." Pity that this diffidence was conquered! "The Church of the Gentiles!" Is it possible that Isaiah has five or six consecutive chapters about the Church of the Gentiles? We turned to these chapters and read them carefully, and then went over Mr. Law's "interpretation" of them. The first verse of chap. xxviii. reads thus: "Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!" Now what does this mean? Why, according to our interpreter, "excessive drunkenness is not alleged against" these people. The charge is figurative. It refers to the democratic infulelity of France at the era of the Revolution! "The crown of pride on the drunkards of Ephraim represents that cap of liberty, worn as a sign of their infidel or atheistic liberty." Paris was the glorious beauty at the head of the fat valleys, and the woe proclaimed against the drunkards of Ephraim was the uplifting of the imperial hand of Napoleon Buonaparte! "He seized on it"--the cap of liberty" with a firm grasp, as one who has a fine taste for figs would seize the early fig, and presently snapped it up." This is a specimen of the entire "interpretation" of these six grand chapters of Isaiah. Our commentator is "consistent" throughout. The character, deeds, and doom of the popes and priests of Rome occupy a far larger space on the parchments of the illustrious prophet than we ever fancied. "The Pope and his church are continually turning up before Mr. Law, and he speaks of them in a style more pungent than courteous; but that is one thing, whilst the intimation that they are figuratively depicted in the pages of the son of Amoz is quite another, which we positively deny.

One more specimen from the long prophecy concerning the “Church of the Gentiles" will suffice. The twenty-ninth chapter opens thus:"Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices." Surely, one would think, there is no room for mysticism or spiritualizing here, everything is so determinate, and so strictly defined; but for the purpose of putting our readers on their guard against all metaphorical whims, we shall quote the "interpretation" of the verse :-"It is agreed among commentators that Ariel is another name for Jerusalem; because Jerusalem was 'the city of David;' but they are at a loss why Jerusalem should be thus designated. The reason why this title and not Jerusalem should be employed here by the prophet will be apparent when we have ascertained what is the city and who is the David here meant, and what is the import of the name 'Ariel.' If we consider that the prediction

Oct. 1, 1865.

relates to what would take place under the Christian dispensation, we shall understand the names to be employed in a representative manner. The namo Jerusalem' was employed prophetically to represent the Christian Church. Hence Ariel,' which is here used for Jerusalem, the city where David had dwelt,' is to be considered as designating the Christian Church. Of that city or church, Christ, of whom King David was a type, is the King and Shepherd. And He, as King and Shepherd of the Church, is expressly spoken of in prophecy under the name of David. (Jer. xxx. 9; Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24; xxxvii. 24.) Thus what is spoken of David in this place of Isaiah is really spoken of Christ, and in reference to the Christian Church. Here Ariel is the Christian Church, the city wherein Christ once dwelt: it is to be identified with Zion in verse 8.

"In the Christian Church, at the period to which the prediction relates, Christ had dwelt. Through the early centuries of its history He had his tabernacle or abode there. But it is not on this account that the Primitive Church is marked out by the peculiar title of 'Ariel.' It is the carly history of the Church that makes that title so emphatically appropriate; for that church afterward became the synagogue of Satan.

"The Hebrew name Ariel is a compound word, and signifies either the lion of God or the hearth of God. In this latter import the hearth means the hearth of the Great Altar, and seems to be put for the altar itself on which the sacrifices were offered. Hence the appropriate application of this title to the early Christian Church, which was before God as the great altar of sacrifice. It was distinguished for the multiplied and severe persecutions through which it had to pass. These multitudes of martyrs were offered up, acceptable sacrifices unto God. This is the light in which St. Paul regarded his own approaching martyrdom. (Phil. ii. 17; 2 Tim. iv. 6.) And what title could so appropriately designate that Church or City, where the Great King ad dwelt, and where such a series of acceptable sacrifices had been offered up, as this of Ariel? Such appears to be the right interpretation of the title in this first verse. But hitherto its right application has puzzled the learned.

"On this city, where David dwelt, even on this great altar of Jehovah, a woe is denounced by the prophet; but this was to take place in a later period of its history, for such seems to be the import of the latter part of the verse: 'Add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.' The former part of this clause looks to the descending progress of years; the latter part to the continuous sacrifices that had been offered up in the course of those years. Thus both clauses of the