rectly by the
course of his providence, men's apprehension of its meaning, though it
may be true as far as it goes, must yet be inadequate. To cite a single
passage from one of the Old Testament prophecies: "It hath pleased the
Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his
soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his
days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." Isa.
53:10. No one will maintain that the Jews before our Lord's advent (all
carnal prejudices aside) could have had that apprehension of its deep
meaning which it is our privilege to enjoy. This meaning was contained
in the promise from the first, but in an undeveloped form. Accordingly
the prophets themselves "inquired and searched diligently" concerning
the import of their utterances and the time of their fulfilment. 1 Pet.
1:11. They who deny the reality of prophetic inspiration are
necessitated, for consistency's sake, to deny also the principle now
laid down. But if revelation be a true communication from God to men, it
is reasonable to believe that it should have contained from the
beginning the germs of mighty events in the distant future, the
realization of which in history should be, in connection with further
revelations from God, its true expositor.

12. _The more obscure declarations of Scripture are to be interpreted
from the clearer._ A single passage of God's word occasionally gives us
a glimpse of some great truth nowhere else referred to in Scripture. Of
this we have a remarkable example in what the apostle says of Christ's
delivering up the kingdom to the Father upon the completion of the work
of redemption. 1 Cor. 15:24-28. But no great truth relating to the way
of salvation through Christ is thus taught obscurely and in some single
passage of Scripture. Every such truth pervades the broad current of
revelation, and shines forth from its pages so clearly that no candid
inquirer can fail to apprehend its true meaning. If, then, we find in
the Bible dark and difficult passages, they must, if interpreted at all,
be explained, not in contradiction with what is clearly and fully
taught, but in harmony with it. This is but saying that, instead of
using what is obscure to darken what is clearly revealed, we should, as
far as possible, illustrate that which is dark by that which is clear.

The Scriptures teach, for example, with abundant clearness, that
Christ is the only fou