SECTION II.

THE SUBJECT CONTINUED.

OF THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY.

THE gospel history is, in many particulars, an

accomplishment of certain prophecies, preferved as facred by the Jews themselves, and committed to writing several hundred years before our Saviour was born. That prophecy is poffible, must be admitted by all who admit the poffibility of other miracles, that is, by all who acknowledge the power and omniscience of the Deity. And that, in former times, and previously to the last and great manifeftation of divine truth, prophecy and other miracles might have been expedient or neceffary, though now they are fo no longer, it would be very prefumptious to deny.

In the hiftory of the Old Teftament it appears, that, from the earlieft ages, an expectation had prevailed, among the Jews and their forefathers, that an extraordinary person, called by some of the prophets the MESSIAH, that is the ANOINTED,

or the CHRIST, would at one time or other appear on earth, and bring about a very important change in the condition of the Jews, and of all other nations. The ancient prophecies that seem to relate to this Perfon, when taken feparately, may to a superficial view appear to have lefs fignificancy, than Chriftians afcribe to them. But he, who compares them together, and obferves, how they refer to, and illuftrate, and often imitate the language, and fometimes copy the words, of one another, will be ftruck with their confiftency and connection; and aftonifhed to find fo many of them, notwithstanding the variety, and apparent incongruity of the circumftances foretold, so exactly fulfilled in the history of the birth, life, death, and religion of Jefus of Nazareth.

SOON after the fall, it was foretold, of this Great Perfon*, that he fhould be in a peculiar fense the son of a woman; that from the malignity of the devil he should be a sufferer, but that he fhould bring destruction on that evil spirit. Two thousand years after, it was foretold to Abraham, that this perfon fhould be of the pofterity of Ifaac, and a blessing to all nations; and it was afterwards predicted, that he should be of the tribe of Judah and family of David, and be born of a * Genefis iii. 15. Gerard's Sermons, 4, 5, 6.

virgin in the town of Bethlehem. It was foretold by the patriarch Ifrael, that till he fhould come the Jewish government fhould not be fubverted; and by the prophet Daniel the exact time of his death is foretold, as Mr. Ferguson has proved in the most fatisfactory manner. It was foretold, that this Meffiah, this triumphant prince and Saviour, fhould die a violent death, as a malefactor, not for any fin of his own, but for the fins of mankind; and that soon after his death the city and temple of Jerufalem would be destroyed; but, notwithstanding this ignominious death, it was foretold, that his dominion fhould be over all nations, and without end, that he should speak peace to the heathen, and introduce a new difpenfation of things, tending to, and terminating in peace and happiness eternal.

IT was foretold, that he fhould preach good tidings to the poor, and perform many miracles for the alleviation of human infirmity; particularly, that he should give fight to the blind, fpeech to the dumb, hearing to the deaf, and the perfect ufe of their limbs to the lame. It was foretold, that he fhould be fold for thirty pieces of filver, and that with the money a potter's field fhould be bought; that he fhould be fcourged, buffeted, and fpit upon; that he should be meek and filent before his accufers; that his hands and feet fhould

be pierced, and that his bones fhould not be broken; that gall and vinegar, fhould be offered him to drink; that lots fhould be caft for his garments; that he fhould be buried in a rich man's fepulchre; and that he fhould rife again without feeing corruption. How far these dictions were verified in Jefus, no perfon needs be informed who has read the New Testament. And in him alone they were verified, and in na other man that ever appeared on the earth.

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BUT are all these predictions applied with equal plainness by the prophets to the Meffiah? They are not some are more explicit and pofitive, others only infinuated. And if we had no other evidence of the truth of our religion, I grant that this would not be fo decifive as it is. But, when we take a general view of the Old and New Teftaments, and observe, that the one is, as it were, a completion of the other; and that the revelations recorded in both, though confifting of many parts, and delivered by different authors, and in different ages, have the fame tendency, and the most perfect unity of defign:--when we reflect, that these prophecies would mean nothing if they were not fulfilled in Jefus, but that, as fulfilled in him, they have a most important meaning; and that the prophets, who uttered them, predicted several other things that

have come to pass, particularly concerning Tyre and Egypt, Cyrus and Babylon, and the ftate of the Jews after their difperfion by the Romans-and, which is ftill more to the prefent purpose, when we find our Saviour and his apostles, whofe veracity and fupernatural knowledge we can prove by other evidence, appealing to these prophecies, and thereby juftifying their doctrine and conduct, and thereby often filencing and converting Jews, who had ftudied the prophets, and acknowledged their authenticity :-in a word, when we join this to the other proofs of our religion, we become fenfible, that the argument from prophecy has a force in it, which cannot fail to make a ftrong impreffion on every candid and confiderate mind. But let not the adversary triumph, though to him this argument fhould not appear fatisfactory: for the truth of our religion might be proved, though we were to omit this part of the evidence. Yet this has its ufe, in confirming the faith of the inquifitive Christian and this has been fingularly useful, in the converfion of the modern infidel, as well as of the ancient Jew. See Bishop Burnet's account of the death of the Earl of Rochefter.

THE better fort of the ancient philofophers admitted, that certain offices of good-will were due to all men. But univerfal benevolence, or a de