PREPARATORY TO TH It was from the Spirit of God alone, that he had all his ability for the discharge of that prophetical office where.. unto he was called. And when God would endow sev- enty elders with a gift of prophecy, he tells Moses that he would take of the Spirit that was upon him, and give unto them for that purpose; that is he would com- municate of the same Spirit unto them as was in him. And where it is said, at any time, that God spake by the prophets, or that the word of God came to them, or God spake to them, it is always intended that this was the immediate work of the Holy Ghost. So says David of himself; the Spirit of the Lord spake by me, or in me; and his word was in any tongue, 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. Hence our apostle, repeating his words, ascribes them directly to the Holy Ghost; Heb. in. 7. « Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, to day ifyou will hear his t< voice;" and chap. iv. 7. Saying in David. So the words which are ascribed unto the Lord of hosts, Isa. vi. 9. are asserted to be the words of the Holy Ghost, Acts. xxviii. 25. He spake to them, or in them, by his holy inspirations; and he spake by them in Isis ef- fectual, infallible guidance of them, to utter, declare, and write what they received from him, without mistake or variation. Sect. 8. And this prophecy, as to its exercise, is considered two ways: First, precisely, for the predic- tion 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 proceed- ing from divine revelation. But the Hebrew sas whence are s'a, a prophet, and naia, prophecy is not confined unto any such signification, although predic- tions from supernatural revelationare constantly expres- sed by it. But, ingeneral, the word signifies no more, but to speak opt, 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; Exotl. 1. that is, one that should interpret his meaning, and declare his words unto Pharaoh, Moses having complained of the defect of his own utterance. So pro- phets are the interpreters, the declarers of the word, will, mind, or oracles of God unto others. Such an one is described, Job, xxxiii. 23. Hence, those who expounded the scripture unto the church under the E NEW CREATIOP. '71 S New Testament were called prophets, and their work prophecy; Rom. xii. 6. 1 Cor. xiv. 3l, 52. And un- der the Old Testament, those that celebrated thepraises of God with singing in the temple, according to the institution of David, are said therein to prophecy; t Chron. xxv. 2. And this name rta, a prophet was of ancient sise; for so God termed Abraham, Gen xx. 7. Afterwards, in common use, a prophet was called nun and qin a seer, because of their divine visions; and this was occasioned from those words of God concerning Moses, Numb. xi. 6. And this being the ordinary way of his revealing himself, namely, by dreams and visions, prophets in thosedays, even from the death of Moses, were commonly called seers; which continued in use until the drays of Samuel, 1 Sans. ix. 9, And o'es os n'a a man of God: 1 Sam. 1. 27; which naine- Paul gives to the preaches of the gospel, 1 'l'im. vi. 11. 2 Tim. iii. 17. And it is not altogether unworthy of observa- tion what Kimchi notes, that the verb rtas is most fre- quently used in the passive conjugation niphal, because it denotes a receiving of that from God by way of reve- lation, which is spoken unto others in a way of pro- phecy. 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 that which is obtained by immediate re- velation. Sect. 9.This peculiar gift, therefore, of the Holy Spirit we may a little distinctly inquire into. And two things concerning it may be considered. (1.) Its gen.. eral nature. (2.) The particular ways whereby especial revelation was granted unto any. First, for its nature, in general, it consisted in inspiration. * So the apos- tle speaks of the prophecies recorded in the scripture, 2 'l'im. iii. -16. 9,o, wvvix. Divine inspiration was the original and cause of it. And the acting of the Holy Ghost, in communicating his mind unto 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 Ile is called Sed et hoc notandum ex eo quod dixerat; ut videam quid toquatu ,' inme; ProphetiamVisionem et Eloquium Dei non extriesecus ad Pro- phe:as fieri, sed intrinsecus et interiori homini respondere. [Jude et Zacharias, et Angelus inquit, qui laquebatur in roe. Mares. Com- mess, in Habak. cap. 2. 113
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