The Glory and Fullness of Jesus Christ: In the Most Remarkable Types, Figures, and Allegories of the Old Testament

by William McEwen

William McEwen (1735-1762) is one of the forgotten writers of the Scottish Church of the 18th century, and one of the great popular exponents of a sound biblical Typology. In his seminal book, Scottish Theology (Edinburgh, Banner of 1974) p. 181), McLeod rates McEwen as one of the best writers from the Secession Church of 1733: "MacEwen of Dundee we name by himself. He was one of the brightest ornaments of the Secession movement. He died at the early age of 28. But he left a book that embalms his memory ... This work deals with the types of Scripture in a vein of fine Evangelical teaching and it is expressed in what was regarded as the classical English of the middle of the 18th century ... And such a high and dry Anglican Churchman as Dean Burgon makes the rather grudging admission that the best book he knew in English on the types was by a Scotsman and a Presbyterian." Table of Foreword by Gordon J. Keddie A Memoir by John Patison Preface (1763) by John Patison Book 1: Typical Persons 1. Christ and Adam compared 2. Noah 3. Melchizedek 4. Isaac 5. Jacob 6. Joseph 7. Moses 8. The Priesthood 9. Joshua 10. Samson 11. David 12. Solomon 13. Jonah Book 2: Typical Things 1. Jacob's Ladder 2. The Burning Bush 3. The Pillar of Cloud and Fire 4. The Manna in the Wilderness 5. The Rock in the Wilderness 6. The Brazen Serpent 7. Thoughts on the Veil of Moses 8. The Sacrifices 9. The Ordinance of the Passover 10. The Ordinance of the Scapegoat 11. The Ordinance of the Red Heifer 12. The Ordinance of the Year of Jubilee 13. The Law of the Leper 14. The Law of the Near Kinsman 15. The Holy Nation of Israel 16. The Victory over the Nations of Canaan 17. The Allegory of Hagar and Sarah Book 3: Typical Places 1. The Cities of Refuge 2. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness 3. The Temple of Solomon 3.1 The Ordinance of the Ark and Mercy Seat 3.2 The Ordinance of the Golden Table 3.3 The Ordinance of the Golden Candlestick 3.4. The Ordinance of the Golden Altar 3.5. The Ordinance of the Brazen Altar 3.6. The Ordinance of the Brazen Laver 3.7. The Ordinance of the Anointing Oil 4. The Land of Canaan 5. The Holy City of Jerusalem, and the Holy Hill of Zion 5.1. The Feast of Tabernacles 5.2. The Fast of Anniversary Atonement 5.3. The Feast of First-fruits and of Pentecost 5.4. The Feast of the New Moon 5.5. The Metaphorical Priesthood of all Christians An Evangelical History The Great Matter and End of Gospel Preaching

Genres: Christian

384 pages, Hardcover

Published June 2, 2022

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly wonderful book on how Christ was revealed in the Old Testament types. William McEwen's volume considers how various people, things, and places were types of the Messiah. Every preacher needs to have this book beside them when preaching on the Old Testament to avoid falling into the trap of treating the Old Testament as if it were a collection of morality tales.

[Alex McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few weeks ago, while browsing the PCPC Bookstore, I noticed "The Glory and Fullness of Jesus Christ." The author’s surname matched my own, and I bought the volume on the half whispered hope that a long lost kinsman had left me a theological time capsule, a providential word from a Presbyterian minister in 1762 for someone hoping to be one in the year of our Lord, 2025. So McEwen joined McEwen on my year with the Puritans.

Thanks to Calvin and the enduring legacy of the “ “Geneva Bible”, we often picture 17th C. divines as architects of colossal systematic theologies. McEwen, however, practices what we now call biblical theology even before the term was really developed. From Genesis to Revelation he hunts every type, shadow, and ceremony for a sighting of the Savior. Christ appears in Eden, Egypt, the wilderness, Canaan, Jerusalem, the exile, everywhere, including the believer’s heart. At times the connections soar; at others they feel like spotting animals in clouds, devotional, though not always exegetically mandatory. Yet the exercise still thrills, Scripture is a single tapestry whose golden thread is Christ.

The book brims with pastoral fire. Each chapter ends with direct address, consolation for the doubting, warning for the apathetic, doxology for the grateful. You cannot read three pages without feeling preached to. McEwen’s favorite title for the church, “the mystical body of Christ,” beats like a drum throughout. The more time I spend in ecclesiology, the clearer it becomes that we are called to a mystical union, not a boardroom. Though McEwen wears a Genevan gown and a Puritan collar, his tone sounds scandalously evangelical.

Lowlights exist. His typological exuberance sometimes overreaches; a hedge is occasionally just a hedge, so let clearer texts set the fence posts. Archaic diction can slow modern readers to concordance speed, words like “vouchsafe,” “superfluity of naughtiness,” and “aspectable” sent me to the dictionary every few pages.

Physically, the volume is a joy to handle. Reformation Heritage Books prints on thick cream stock that welcomes marginalia, with generous margin space for notes. The gorgeous typeface honors the content. If we believe that form should serve substance, this edition succeeds.

McEwen’s relentless refrain is that Christ fills, forgives, and shepherds the worst of us. For congregants who fear they have exhausted divine patience, his pages thunder back, “Impossible.” For preachers tempted to reduce Jesus to an abstract atonement formula, McEwen rehumanizes the Lord, prophet who speaks, priest who bleeds, king who rules, brother who embraces.

So I commend my maybe-(hopeful)-ancestor to you. Read him with Bible open and pen uncapped; sift the daring typology, linger over the marrow of assurance, and let his closing benedictions roll straight into your soul. The truth stands firm two and a half centuries later.

If one sentence can break shackles, this one shattered mine, “None were ever dragged from Jesus Christ, who fled unto Him by faith to return again into condemnation, however atrocious their crimes, however flagrant their guilt.” (p. 204)

Reading McEwen today reminds me that the gospel never grows old. Across several centuries the same Christ still walks dusty roads, still washes weary feet, still meets trembling hearts with wounds that speak pardon. Every sermon, every coffee with a student, every counseling session, every quiet prayer over an anxious soul, depends on that unchanging fullness. If McEwen could see our churches in 2025, our screens, schedules, and splintered attention, he would likely offer the same counsel he presses on every page, “Look to Christ until your fears dissolve and your love ignites.” May his counsel free us from frantic self reliance and anchor us afresh in the One who is the same yesterday and today and forever.

[Vincent Lemieux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not great. Maybe it is the writing style ? Or the fact that it was originally sermons now reduced to notes ? Or maybe because most of the types/antitypes he exposed are either evident, or exaggerated ? Or maybe it's just me and the fact that I was over excited to read this book, and so had too high a expectation ?

Definitely not a must read.

[Matthew Prydden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that William McEwan wrote this when he was 23 is insane! McEwan works through many of the types, figures and allegories of Jesus Christ found in the Old Testament - 47 of them to be exact - and considers each of them in turn briefly. Though brief, however, McEwan expounds in a way that hints at the deeper aspects of the biblical truths, enabling you to see them and follow them for yourself through further meditation and study. Very worth reading through but also is a valuable commentary companion that can used when preaching and teaching on any of these types, figures and allegories of Christ too.

[Timothy Denning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, which goes through Christ in the most remarkable types, figures, and allegories in the Old Testament. Section 1 typical persons, section 2 typical things, section 3 typical places. An evangelical history of Christ and then closes with the great matter and end of gospel preaching, which contains a charge to the minster and the congregation, a fitting and interesting way to conclude.

[Brenden Wentworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of sermons turned into a helpful devotional and seeing Christ in the old testament in various types and shadows!

Can be repetitive at certain points, but also very rich and theologically driven.
The last section in the book about gospel preaching and ministry that’s tied to that theological vision, is alone worth the price of the book and something I’ll be returning to often