This passage, therefore, or as it is styled, prophecy, of Hosea, is said by learned men among Christians to be mystically, or allegorically, applied, in order to render Matthew's application of it, just; and they say all other methods of some learned men to solve the difficulty arising from Matthew's citation of this passage, have proved unsuccessful.
Again, Matthew says, (ch.

ii.) "Jesus came, and dwelt at Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 'he shall be called a Nazarene;'" but as this passage does not occur in the Old Testament at all, we are precluded from ascertaining whether it be literal, mystical, or allegorical.
Jesus says of John the Baptist, (Mat.xi.

14) "This is Elias that was for to come," wherein he is supposed to refer to these words of Malachi, (ch.iv.

4) "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord," which, according to their literal, and obvious sense, are a prophecy, that Elijah or Elias was to come in person (which we know from the New Testament, as well as elsewhere, was the constant expectation of the Jews.) Besides, this Elijah was to come "before the great and terrible day of the Lord," which has not yet arrived; and, therefore, this prophecy of Malachi, referred to by the evangelist, was certainly not literally, but only mystically, fulfilled in John the Baptist.
Again, Jesus (Mat.

xiii.) cites the prophecy of Isaiah (Is.vi.