the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Allegory
Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary
or We meet with this word but once in the Bible, namely, (Galatians 4:24) where the apostle, speaking of the history of Sarah and Hagar, calls it an allegory; that is, a figure, or parable. The Old Testament writers were very partial to this way of teaching, in conveying divine truths through the medium of human illustrations; and sometimes by other objects from the world of nature and art. Our almighty Saviour was pleased to adopt a similar manner; and so much so at one time, that we are told, "without a parable spake he not unto the people." (Matthew 13:34) This allegory of Sarah and Hagar, is not only uncommonly beautiful, but most highly interesting. We never can be sufficiently thankful to God the Holy Ghost, for bringing the church acquainted with the blessed truths which were folded up in this patriarchal history. Never would it have entered into the breast of any man alive, untaught of the church's almighty Teacher, that such glorious things were intended by the Lord to be shadowed forth in the children of the bond woman and the children of the free. Let the reader learn from it this most blessed truth, that the Lord hath been preaching all along, and from the first dawn of revelation, the covenant of redemption by his dear Son. Think reader, if it be possible, how JEHOVAH'S mind hath been occupied from all eternity, in bringing in, and revealing the Lord Jesus to his church and people. Well might it be said, as it is said, when Jesus, who had been secretly set up from everlasting the glorious Head of his body the church, was openly to be brought into the world,"Let all the angels of God worship him!" (Hebrews 1:6) It will be a blessed view of this sweet allegory, now so graciously explained to us as it is, by the Holy Ghost himself, if both he that writes and he that reads, when summing up the wonderful account, can say with the apostle, "We are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free." (Galatians 4:31)
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Hawker, Robert D.D. Entry for 'Allegory'. Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance and Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/pmd/a/allegory.html. London. 1828.
