Ita, si potuero, stylo moderabor meo, ut nec ea, quæ supersint, dicam, nec ea, quæ satis sint, prætermittam.
Augustin. C. D. l. xvii. c. 1.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
WILLIAM, LORD MANSFIELD,
LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF ENGLAND,
AND
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
Sir JOHN EARDLEY WILMOT, Knt.
LATE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE COMMON PLEAS,
TRUSTEES FOR THIS LECTURE,
THE FOLLOWING SERMONS
ARE MOST HUMBLY INSCRIBED
BY THE AUTHOR,
R. HURD.
LINCOLN’S-INN,
MARCH 2, 1772.
EXTRACT
FROM THE
DEED OF TRUST
FOR FOUNDING THIS LECTURE.
An Indenture, bearing date July 21, 1768, sets forth, “That the right reverend William Lord Bishop of Gloucester has transferred the sum of 500l. Bank four per cent. annuities consolidated, to the right honourable William Lord Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice of his Majesty’s Court of King’s Bench, the right honourable Sir John Eardley Wilmot, Lord Chief Justice of his Majesty’s Court of Common Pleas, and the honourable Charles Yorke[1], of Lincoln’s-Inn, in the county of Middlesex, UPON TRUST, for the purpose of founding a Lecture, in the form of a Sermon, To prove the truth of Revealed Religion in general, and of the Christian in particular, from the completion of the Prophecies in the Old and New Testament, which relate to the Christian church, especially to the apostacy of Papal Rome: That, in case of any vacancy in this trust by the decease of any one or more of the above-mentioned Trustees, the place or places shall be filled up, from time to time and as occasion may require, by the surviving Trustees, or Trustee, or by the Executors of the survivor of them: That the Trustees shall appoint the Preacher of Lincoln’s-Inn for the time being, or some other able Divine of the Church of England, to preach this Lecture: That the Lecture shall be preached every year in the Chapel of Lincoln’s-Inn (if the Society give leave[2]) and on the following days, viz. the first Sunday after Michaelmas Term, the Sunday next before and the Sunday next after Hilary Term: That the Lecturer shall not preach the said Lecture longer than for the term of FOUR YEARS, and shall not again be nominated to preach the same: And, when the term of four years is expired, that the said Lecturer shall print and publish, or cause to be printed and published, all the Sermons or Lectures, that shall have been so preached by him.”
CONTENTS
OF
THE FIFTH VOLUME.
| Page | |
| [Sermon I.] False ideas of Prophecy. 2 Peter i. 21. | |
|---|---|
| Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake, as they were moved by the Spirit of God. | 1 |
| [Sermon II.] The true idea of Prophecy. Rev. xix. 10. | |
| The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. | 21 |
| [Sermon III.] Conclusions from the true idea of Prophecy. Rev. xix. 10. | |
| The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. | 44 |
| [Sermon IV.] The general argument from Prophecy. John xiii. 19. | |
| Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe, that I am He. | 74 |
| [Sermon V.] Prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming. Isaiah xlii. 9. | |
| Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth, I tell you of them. | 102 |
| [Sermon VI.] Prophecies concerning Christ’s second coming. Isaiah xlii. 9. | |
| Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth, I tell you of them. | 132 |
| [Sermon VII.] Prophecies concerning Antichrist. 1 Ep. John ii. 18. | |
| —ye have heared that Antichrist shall come. | 171 |
| [Sermon VIII.] Prejudices against the doctrine of Antichrist. 1 Ep. John ii. 18. | |
| —ye have heared that Antichrist shall come. | 205 |
| [Sermon IX.] The Prophetic style considered. Ezekiel xx. 49. | |
| —They say of me, Doth he not speak parables? | 233 |
| [Sermon X.] The style and method of the Apocalypse. Ezekiel xx. 49. | |
| —They say of me, Doth he not speak parables? | 260 |
| [Sermon XI.] Prophetic characters of Antichrist. Luke xii. 56. | |
| —How is it, that ye do not discern this time? | 286 |
| [Sermon XII.] Uses of this Inquiry into the Prophecies—Conclusion. Rev. xxii. 7. | |
| Behold, I come quickly: Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. | 333-352 |
| [Appendix:] | |
| Containing an anonymous Letter to the Author of these Sermons, with his Answer to it. | 363 |
SERMON I.
FALSE IDEAS OF PROPHECY.
2 Peter, i. 21.
Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake, as they were moved by the Spirit of God.
The argument from prophecy, in support of the Christian revelation, would be thought more conclusive, at least would be more distinctly apprehended, if men could be kept from mixing their own prejudices and preconceptions with it.