should descend, and the place of his birth, were thus fulfilled in Christ, so were the numerous and minute predictions concerning his life, character, offices, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension, accomplished in Jesus. He is represented as a partaker of the nature of man, and as possessing, at the same time, equality with God; as being born into the world, and as existing from everlasting. "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth, even for ever." His ministry was to be characterized by works of power and benevolence: "The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; the lame man shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing "—a description of the days of the Messiah to which our Lord refers as verified in regard to himself: "Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised."

32. Five hundred years before the event, his entrance into Jerusalem, and the circumstances which should attend it, are celebrated by the prophet Zechariah: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass." To see how exactly this prediction was verified in Christ, we have only to read the account given by the evangelist of his entrance into Jerusalem. "And they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon: as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.-And as they went, they spread their

clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." To show that this prediction did not produce its own accomplishment, the evangelist John relates, that "these things understood not his disciples at the first; but that when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done those things unto him."

33. The Messiah is represented by the prophets as distinguished by his purity, meekness, gentleness, and unostentatious kindness and benevolence. He was to be a righteous person; and to be possessed of every virtue in the highest degree. In these respects he was to be far superior to the sons of men. "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.-Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. He hath done no violence, neither was there any deceit in his lips. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street." In how perfect a manner was this representation of the Messiah verified in Christ. Such was his wisdom, that he spake as never man spake; his compassion, that he went about continually doing good; his purity, that no one could charge him with sin; his humility, that he performed the most stupendous miracles with studied simplicity and unostentation; his peaceable disposition, that when the people would have made him their king, he withdrew into retirement; and his meekness, that he was

led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

34. But while possessing these extraordinary excellencies, the Messiah is represented by the prophets as poor and despised, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; as rejected by his own people, and at length condemned to death. "He shall grow up before the Lord as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form or comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he smitten to death." How exactly were these predictions fulfilled in Him who, when he came to his own, was not received by them; who, while the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, had not where to lay his head; and who, after he had long endured the contradiction of sinners, humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross!

35. But in connexion with this deep humiliation, prophecy represented the Messiah as a victorious conqueror, who should rise from the dead, triumph over death, the grave, and all his enemies, and ascend to heaven in glory and majesty. "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is

fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.-Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men ; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them." The perfect fulfilment of these predictions in the resurrection, ascension, and glorification of Christ, is obvious and striking.

36. Thus does it appear that Christ, in his character, offices, and salvation, was the subject of prophecy from the earliest dawn of divine revelation through the successive ages of the world, until it was at length manifested to the aged Simeon, that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Prophecy became clearer and clearer as this period approached; and described with the minuteness and particularity of historical narration, the life, ministry, redemption, and reign of the Messiah. How vast and magnificent is the prophetic scheme which is thus developed! How wonderful that it should receive its accomplishment in a way that opposed the fondest wishes and hopes of the very people with whom was deposited the sacred book in which this divine scheme is revealed! How wonderful that it should have been fulfilled by the agency of men who were following out their own prejudices and passions; and who, in killing the Prince of life, and crucifying the Lord of glory, verified the long series of predictions which were written in Moses and in all the prophets concerning him! "The stone

which the builders rejected is become the head stone of This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in

the corner. our eyes."

37. Were we to restrict our attention, in considering the prophecies that refer to the Redeemer, to the fiftythird chapter of Isaiah, the exact fulfilment of its various particulars is amply sufficient to establish the truth of Christianity. The Jews have attempted to evade the difficulties in which the consideration of this chapter has involved them; they have argued, that the prophecy did not relate to one man, but to one people, the Jews, who have been smitten of God for their sins. But the words of the prophet in this chapter,-" He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken,"-are decisive in showing the absurdity of this interpretation.

This remarkable prophecy has not only silenced the Jews, but has been the means of converting unbelievers to the faith of the gospel. The case of the Earl of Rochester, who lived the life of a libertine and atheist, but who died the death" of a penitent Christian," is well known. The perusal of this chapter, the consideration of its interesting contents, and of their complete fulfilment, operated, through the divine blessing, in leading him to believe on Him who was wounded for his transgressions, and bruised for his iniquities, and by whose stripes he was healed.

CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE DOUBLE SENSE OF PROPHECY.

1. BESIDES the direct prophecies of the Old Testament, which were originally intended to apply to Christ alone, there are many predictions which have a double sense or