[264] [“Whenever a general scheme is known to be pursued by a writer, that scheme becomes the true key in the hands of his reader, for unlocking the meaning of particular parts, which would otherwise not be seen clearly to refer to such scheme. The inspired writers had one common and predominant scheme in view, which was to _bear testimony to Jesus_. Whatever passages occur in their writings, which bear an apt and easy resemblance to the history of Jesus, may, or rather must in all reasonable construction, be applied to him.”--HURD on the Proph., p. 117.] [265] [Consult on this point, GULICK, Theologia Prophetica: VITRINGA, Observationes: HENGSTENBURG, Christologia: HORSLEY’S Tracts and Sermons: KING’S Morsels of Criticism: WAUGH’S Dissertations: LYALL’S Propœdia Prophetica.] [266] It appears that Porphyry did nothing worth mentioning in this way. For Jerome on the place says: _Duas posteriores bestias--in uno Macedonum regno ponit_. And as to the ten kings; _Decem reges enumerat, qui fuerunt sævissimi: ipsosque reges non unius ponit regni, verbi gratia, Macedoniæ, Syriæ, Asiæ, et Ægypti; sed de diversis regnis unum efficit regum ordinem_. [“The two latter beasts he places in one of the Macedonian kingdoms.” “He reckons up ten kings who had been excessively cruel and these not kings of one country, as Macedonia, for instance, or Syria, or Asia, or Egypt; but makes up his set of kings out of different kingdoms.”] In this way of interpretation, any thing may be made of any thing. [267] P. 189, &c. [268] John i. 3. [269] Eph. iii. 9. [270] Acts iii. 21. [271] Rev. x. 7. [272] Dan. ii. 44. [273] Dan. vii. 22. [274] Rev. xi. 17, 18; xx. 6. [275] Dan. vii. 27. [276] Chap. ii. iii. &c. [277] Deut. xxviii. 64; xxx. 2, 3: Isa. xlv. 17. [278] Isa. lx. 21: Jer. xxx. 11; xlvi. 28: Amos ix. 14, 15: Jer. xxxi. 36. [279] Isa. viii. 14, 15; xlix. 5; chap. liii.: Mal. i. 10, 11, and chap. iii. [280] Isa. xlix. 6, chap. ii., chap, xi., chap. lvi. 7: Mal. i. 11. To which must be added, the other prophecies of the like kind, several in the New Testament, and very many in the Old; which describe what shall be the completion of the revealed plan of Providence. [281] [See DAVIDSON’S Disc. on Proph.: BLANEY on Daniel’s LXX. Weeks: HURD’S Introd. to the Study of Proph.: JORTIN’S Ser. at Boyle Lect.: FULLER’S Gosp. its own Witness, part ii.: WAUGH’S Diss.: APTHORPE’S Discourses.] [282] P. 250.