rence of his
words is a question difficult to be determined. With regard to
the sixteenth psalm, the apostle Peter tells us that David,
"being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to
him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this
before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was
not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption" (Acts
2:30, 31); whence we infer that in penning this psalm David was
conscious of its higher application to Christ. The spirit of the
New Testament quotations from the psalms indicates that he had a
deeper insight into the prophetic meaning of his words than many
modern expositors are willing to admit. But however this may be,
the Spirit of inspiration had in view the fulfilment of these
psalms in Christ; and his intention, clearly revealed to us in
the New Testament, is our rule of interpretation.

10. Different from the above literal and typical sense, yet closely
related to it in principle, is that of the _progressive fulfilment_ of
prophecy, which has a wide application in the interpretation of those
prophecies which relate to the last days. By the progressive fulfilment
of prophecy is meant, a fulfilment not exhaustively accomplished at one
particular era or crisis in the church's history, but successively from
age to age; a fulfilment repeated, it may be, many times, and ending
only with the final consummation of the Messiah's kingdom. An undeniable
example of such a prophecy is God's message by Isaiah to the covenant
people: "Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not;
and see ye indeed, but perceive not," etc, with the threatened
desolation that should follow (chap. 6:9-13). This prophecy had a true
fulfilment in the ancient Jewish people before the Babylonish captivity.
For their blindness of mind and hardness of heart, they were given over
to the power of Nebuchadnezzar, who wasted their land, destroyed their
city and temple, and carried the remnant of the people into captivity.
But the same prophecy had, in both its parts, a more awful fulfilment in
the generation of Jews who rejected and crucified our Lord, and were
destroyed with their city and temple by the armies of Rome (Matt. 13:14,
15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:39-41; Acts 28:25-27; Rom. 11:8); and
its fulfilment is yet in progress. Joel