260 LECTURES AND ESSAYS [1870- 



problem for the whole significance of the Old Testament 

 in the Christian Church. What are the new things brought 

 in by Christ, and in what relation do they stand to the 

 things of the Old Dispensation ? 



I propose to examine some of the more current views 

 on this head ; but before beginning to do so, I premise 

 one or two general remarks. 



i. The question now before us is not a mere question 

 of exegesis. The problem of exegesis is to determine by 

 means of the written word the precise mind of the writer, 

 or the precise meaning which he desired his words to 

 convey. And it is manifestly one thing to ask how the 

 prophet conceived, and how he sought to make his hearers 

 conceive of the future glory, and quite another thing to 

 ask how far the highest conception possible under an 

 imperfect dispensation can be precisely reproduced in 

 Christ. We must look at this point more closely ; for 

 much confusion has arisen from neglect of it. In fact, 

 the precise question of exegesis with regard to prophecy 

 is often not very sharply conceived. In dealing with 

 inspired writings, a certain ambiguity appears to attach 

 to the expressions &quot; mind of the writer,&quot; &quot; meaning 

 which he desired to convey.&quot; For who is in this case the 

 writer ? Is it the mind of the prophet, or the mind of 

 the Spirit that is meant ? Did perhaps the Spirit mean 

 more than the prophet himself understood ? And, again, 

 was there precisely one meaning to be conveyed ? Might 

 not the words have various senses addressed to different 

 ages, so that to us the meaning may be deeper than 

 to the prophet s first hearers ? These are quite usual 

 suppositions. And they seem to give to the exegetical 

 question of prophecy such a breadth that it must come 

 to take in the whole question which we are now discussing. 

 For the Spirit, it is said, must have meant the prophecy 

 in the sense of its final fulfilment, and we, as Christians, 

 may by fair exegesis bring more out of the passage than 

 was designed to be conveyed to the first hearers or even 



