The figurative character of so large a part of the inspired Word every one must have more or less realized. How much of what our Lord said was in parable,-parable, often left without direct interpretation too! Yet they are given as things to be known, and known assuredly:"Do ye not know this parable?" He asked once of His disciples; "and how then will ye know all parables?"

And when we take up even the historical part of Scripture, how here also we find the at first sight simple record of actual events pregnant with deeper meaning. After speaking of Israel's passage through the Red Sea, of the manna, of the water from the rock, and other things, the apostle writes," Now, all these things happened unto them for types (margin); and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." But if these things happened for types, how many more? What hinders but that all inspired history should have this character? The absence of any direct interpretation would not preclude this thought of it any more than it would of the parables just mentioned, or of the symbols of the book of Revelation.

It will confirm this greatly when we find, what is a most important thing to understand, that as each book of Scripture has its own special line of truth, with which all its details are in perfect harmony, so the historical books, interpreted thus, conform in the most beautiful manner to this rule. Each book gives a connected series of related types; nay, the whole series of books themselves form in this way a series of related and progressive truths. It supposes, of course, some acquaintance with these truths to trace the connection; but to those who are able, it is conclusive.

The same proof, however, in lesser measure, every single type has:it is in reality the consistency of truth,-of all truth:and the apostle, as he admonishes with a type the carnal Corinthians, with a type reproves the foolish Galatians. Truth, in whatever manner spoken, is its own authority:"By manifestation of the truth," says the same apostle, "commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."

The importance of this practical teaching must be commensurate with the place it has in Scripture. Wonderful it is to think how God has fashioned the events of ages that they might speak to us now of the precious things that are our portion ! How evidently, in fact, do they set before us the truths of which they speak! How they present them, as it were, before our eyes, in so many shapes, and with so many harmonies! How they fix themselves in our memories,-" the words of the wise," which "are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one Shepherd"!

No doubt, in the interpretation of the types, as of all the figurative language of Scripture, there is danger of mere imagination acting as interpreter, yet not so much more than in the case of other parts as we are apt to think. Every where we have to dread and watch against imagination in the things of God. What havoc has it made with all the truths of God's blessed Word! Here, as elsewhere, we need to be taught of the Spirit, and the spiritual man will discern all things:we cannot escape from the necessity of being spiritual. Here too we have the literal Scriptures to interpret the figurative:it is a safe rule that types are not to be made to teach truths, but to illustrate, confirm, and impress what is elsewhere taught.

There is, in fact, more danger of their falling into contempt through a loose, wrong, and careless use of them, than of their being abused to establish error. It is the possession of truth which gives the key to the understanding of them; and once understood, their beauty, fitness, and power will give them their lodgment in the souls of those for whom the things they speak of have precious-ness. But for this, they must, as all other scripture must, have ascertained and certain, not doubtful significance. This must be, not merely like truth, but truth itself-the very truth designed by the Holy Spirit to be enforced by them.

And, as connected with this, let me say that I dare not use a saying current with some, that "no parable goes upon all-fours." It is a proverb quite easily taken by many to justify any slipshod and inconsistent interpretation, and, moreover, does not sufficiently honor the divine Word. If it be even for man a folly to use a halting figure of speech, how much more for God! and here an element of uncertainty quite incalculable would enter into all interpretation, to disturb all fixed knowledge forever.

Let us now try to read a type or two, that we may see how far definite they are; and for this purpose it will evidently be best to take up some that are more or less in question among the class of readers for whom especially I at this moment write. As I have already said, we must know the truth to which the type refers before we can expect to understand this. Thank God, there are many who have learned the blessed truth of the believer's death and resurrection with Christ, and of his being seated with Him in the heavenly places. Such will be able to look with us at the first type of which I would speak now.

The Red Sea, is it a figure of death with Christ, as in Romans, or only of Christ's death for tire believer? and, as connected with this, is Pharaoh a type of Satan, or of sin in the flesh?

Now, Egypt is the recognized figure of our natural condition in a world away from God; and the Red Sea is its limit, as death is of the natural state:to pass out of the world, in some sense or other, we must die. Israel, then, pass through the sea, a way being made for them through it by the hand of God, in response to the uplifted rod of Moses-the shepherd-rod by which all through the desert they were guided:an east wind is the instrument used of God for their deliverance.

There can be no question, then, one would think, that if the Red Sea be the figure of death, the people are actually brought through death, not experience its power, but pass it in triumph by the mighty power of God; surely this is the way in which we as believers have passed through with Christ. It is thus that we can say that we are dead with Him. That shepherd-rod reminds us of the good Shepherd of the sheep; the east wind through the night, of how His sorrow accomplished our deliverance. The type is most exact and striking in every respect.

But if the Red Sea represent our death with Christ, we are never said to be dead to Satan, but to sin and law:both these should some way find their representatives in the type, if it is to be the full setting forth of those wondrous truths.

Is Pharaoh, then, sin, or Satan? Satan is the prince of this world, clearly; and thus far the correspondence would be exact enough; but on the other hand, the apostle's language in the epistle to the Romans, the very epistle in which this line of truth is taken up, gives us another thought, which brings before us just what we were seeking:"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should no more serve sin." How plainly the Red-Sea deliverance seems brought out in its inner meaning in this language of the apostle! Israel's service to Pharaoh ceased indeed forever at the sea; and if we want still more precisely the image of Pharaoh, we shall find it in the expression that he uses as to sin reigning unto death (chap. 5:21; 6:6.).

Notice, in this way, how the plagues that fall, upon Pharaoh get their true significance. It is with the sin within us that God is dealing; and thus He humbles our proud hearts, and although sin remains within us, his dominion is destroyed; we are delivered from the law of sin and death.

We find also, I doubt not, in the scene before us the picture of deliverance from the law; for what else but law is figured by that "Migdol" ? which, as its name imports, is a strong tower- a watch-tower in the enemy's country. It was there, pent up between Migdol and the sea, that Pharaoh came upon them; and those who have been through the experience, and only those, know how, " when the commandment came, sin revived, and" they "died;" but how in meeting death thus they found it, by Christ's death, only the pathway out from under the dominion of sin for evermore.

The truth depicted in Exodus corresponds, therefore, in every respect, to the truth in Romans. The passage of the Jordan we shall find, on the other hand, connecting with that line of things which Colossians and Ephesians present to us. Here alone we have resurrection with Christ, and with this line of things it is, and not with Romans, that Scripture connects the triumph over Satan. Thus in Colossians 2:15,-" Having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it;" and in Ephesians 4:8,-"When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." The Scripture order and connection is important, as all else is in it. And this throws light upon the further question whether Amalek, Israel's foe in the wilderness, is Satan or the flesh. I believe that it is the lust of the flesh, as the foe in Canaan is the devil-the spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. Thus in each case our contest is with an enemy already defeated; and very sweet is the encouragement of this.

Let me conclude with saying once more that the types may be as definitely known as any other part of Scripture, and that it is only as thus known that they can manifest the power which is really theirs.