“It was written to a gospel end and must be studied with a gospel spirit” by Stephen Charnock
“The Scriptures of the Old Testament verify the substance of the New, and the New does evidence the authority of the Old: “by the Scriptures of the prophets made known.” (Rom. 16:26)
The Old Testament credits the New, and the New illustrates the Old. The New Testament is a comment upon the prophetic part of the Old.
The Old shows the promises and predictions of God, and the New shows the performance. What was foretold in the Old is fulfilled in the New; the predictions are cleared by the events.
The predictions of the Old are divine, because they are above the reason of man to foreknow; none but an infinite knowledge could foretell them, because none but an infinite wisdom could order all things for the accomplishment of them.
The Christian religion has then the surest foundation, since the Scriptures of the prophets, wherein it is foretold, are of undoubted antiquity and owned by the Jews and many heathens who are and were the great enemies of Christ.
The Old Testament is therefore to be read for the strengthening of our faith.
Our blessed Savior himself draws the streams of his doctrine from the Old Testament; he clears up the promise of eternal life and the doctrine of the resurrection from the words of the covenant, “I am the God of Abraham,” etc. (Matt. 22:32).
And our apostle clears up the doctrine of justification by faith from God’s covenant with Abraham (Rom. 4).
It must be read, and it must be read as it is written: it was written to a gospel end; it must be studied with a gospel spirit.
The Old Testament was written to give credit to the New, when it should be manifested in the world. It must be read by us to give strength to our faith and establish us in the doctrine of Christianity.
How many view it as a bare story, an almanac out of date, and regard it as a dry bone, without sucking from it the evangelical marrow!
Christ is, in Genesis, Abraham’s seed; in David’s Psalms and the Prophets, the Messiah and Redeemer of the world.”
–Stephen Charnock, “On the Wisdom of God,” in The Existence and Attributes of God, ed. Mark Jones, Updated and Unabridged, vol. 1 & 2 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022), 2: 749-750.
