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Contradictions.—The sceptre till the Messiah,—without king or prince.
The eternal law,—changed.
The eternal covenant,—a new covenant.
Good laws,—bad precepts. Ezekiel.
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Types.—When the word of God, which is really true, is false literally, it is true spiritually. Sede a dextris meis:[1] this is false literally, therefore it is true spiritually.
In these expressions, God is spoken of after the manner of men; and this means nothing else but that the intention which men have in giving a seat at their right hand, God will have also. It is then an indication of the intention of God, not of His manner of carrying it out.
Thus when it is said, “God has received the odour of your incense, and will in recompense give you a rich land,” that is equivalent to saying that the same intention which a man would have, who, pleased with your perfumes, should in recompense give you a rich land, God will have towards you, because you have had towards [Him] the same intention as a man has towards him, to whom he presents perfumes. So iratus est, a “jealous God,” &c. For, the things of God being inexpressible, they cannot be spoken of otherwise, and the Church makes use of them even to-day: Quia confortavit seras, &c.[2]
It is not allowable to attribute to Scripture the meaning which it has not revealed to us that it has. Thus, to say that the closed mem[3] of Isaiah signifies six hundred, has not been revealed. It might be said that the final tsadé and the he deficientes may signify mysteries. But it is not allowable to say so, and still less to say this is the way of the philosopher's stone. But we say that the literal meaning is not the true meaning, because the prophets have themselves said so.
