should follow."

I.--THE STUDENT, AND
II.--HIS THEME.

I. "The prophets have _enquired and searched diligently_."

The term "prophet" is most properly applied to one who is divinely
instructed as to future events, and divinely inspired to make them known.
In an accommodated sense it is given to the apostles and public teachers
of the primitive Church. And now it is conventionally used to denote a
somewhat less honourable class. "The prophets of our day" are many.
From the positive style they have adopted, you would suppose that the
gift of prescience had come upon them in a far more absolute form than
upon the prophets of old. With more dogmatism and less authority do they
pronounce upon "the times and seasons." Though failure on failure
happens, this seems rather to nerve their confidence; and every
successive mistake is followed by another guess with increased assurance.

1. _Who are the prophets referred to in the text_? They are the men to
whom the term is strictly applicable. We do not forget such names as
Moses and Samuel, and Elijah and Elisha, and others; but their prophecies
are not given with the formality of those distinct books to which perhaps
St. Peter refers. In point of time Jonah comes just with his message of
woe to the city of Nineveh. Amos the herdman and Hosea his contemporary
follow. Then Joel with his thunder, and Isaiah with his evangelism;
Micah with his earnestness; Nahum with his sublimity; and Zephaniah with
his severity, take their place in about equal succession. Jeremiah then
appears with all his weightiness of matter and solemnity of manner.
Habakkuk in briefer form takes up the same subjects. Daniel with great
grandeur of style dwells on the topics of the text. Obadiah stands
between him and Ezekiel as though to make them both more prominent. At a
later period come Haggai and Zechariah; and then Malachi closes the
illustrious train, taking the last pen from the wing of inspiration, or
putting the signet upon the scroll of prophecy. Some of these may be
especially referred to; but we include them all: for "to Him give all the
prophets witness; that in his name whosoever believeth in Him shall have
forgiveness of sins."

(i.) They were _men_; not angels, or belonging to some order of being
superior to ourselves; but they were members with us of the same human
family, and "subject to like passions as we are." They were _sinners_:
born with the old taint of corruption