ess and rebellion of the people, and
their perpetual relapses into idolatry, with the mighty conflict thus
inaugurated between the pure monotheism of the theocracy, and the
polytheism and image-worship of the surrounding heathen nations--a
conflict which lasted through many ages, which enlisted on both sides
the great and mighty men of the world, and which resulted in the
complete triumph of the Mosaic law, at least so far as its outward form
was concerned, thus preparing the way for the advent of that great
Prophet in whom the theocracy had its end and its fulfilment.

2. How fully the divine authority of these books is recognized by Christ
and his apostles, every reader of the New Testament understands. It is
not necessary to establish this point by the quotation of particular
passages. Though the writers of the _historical_ books which follow the
Pentateuch are for the most part unknown, the books themselves are put
in the New Testament on the same basis as the Pentateuch. To those who
deny Christ, the Mosaic economy, with the history that follows, is a
mystery; for when they read it "the veil is upon their heart." But to
those who receive Christ as the Son of God, and the New Testament as
containing a true record of his heavenly mission, Moses and the
historical books that follow are luminous with divine wisdom and glory,
for they contain the record of the way in which God prepared the world
for the manifestation of his Son Jesus Christ.

3. The Old Testament contains a body of writings which are not
historical; neither are they prophetical, in the restricted sense of the
term, although some of them contain prophecy. The enumeration of these
books, prominent among which are Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, with an
account of their contents and the place which each of them holds in the
plan of revelation, belongs to the Introduction to the Old Testament. It
is sufficient to say here, that they are precious offshoots of the
Mosaic economy, that they contain rich and varied treasures of divine
truth for the instruction and encouragement of God's people in all ages,
and that they are, as a whole, recognized in the New Testament as part
of God's revelation to men. The book of Psalms, in particular, is
perpetually quoted by the writers of the New Testament as containing
prophecies which had their fulfilment in Jesus of Nazareth.

4. The prophetical books--according to our classification, the Jews
having a different arrangemen