Page images
PDF
EPUB

glory, faith the Lord of hofts. The filver is mine, and the gold is mine. The glory of this latter boufe fall be greater than that of the former; and in this place will I give peace, faith the Lord of hofts.

This prophecy limits the coming of Chrift, whofe prefence made the second temple more truly glorious than that of Solomon, to fome time before the deftruction of Jerufalem by the Romans, when that temple was levelled with the ground.

But the time in which the Meffiah fhould make his appearance was most distinctly foretold by the prophet Daniel, who limited it to feventy weeks after the decree of the kings of Perfia to rebuild Jerufalem, ix. 24. &c. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the tranfgreffion, and to make an end of fins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to feal up the vision, and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know, therefore, and understand;

that

that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Meffiah the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threefcore and two weeks; the Streets fhall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Though there are feveral methods of computing thefe feventy weeks (every day of which is agreed to ftand for a year) yet it is plain, that, according to any of them, that term must have expired about the time of Chrift. Accordingly we find that there was, in fact, about that time, a general expectation among the Jews, and through all the Eaft; of the appearance of fome great prince, and reformer of religion.

That fome perfon would be fent to prepare the way for the Meffiah, feems to have been foretold with fufficient clearnefs, in the following prophecies. We also see in them, that he was to resemble the prophet Elias; and it appears, that such a perfon was expected by the Jews about the fame time.

Ifaiah xl. 3. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make ftraight in the defert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill fhall be made low, and the crooked shall be made firaight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord fhall be revealed, and all flesh fhall See it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath Spoken it.

This prophecy immediately follows another, concerning the captivity of the Jews by the Babylonians, and is introduced by the following animated confolation, which was, no doubt, written under a profpect of the happy ftate of things which was to be introduced by the Meffiah, v. I, 2. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, faith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerufalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her fins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, &c.

Mal.

Mal. iii. 1, &c. Behold, I will fend my meffenger, and he fhall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye feek shall fuddenly came to his temple: even the meffenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in behold, he shall come, faith the Lord of bofs, iv. 2. Unto you that fear my name fhall the fun of righteoufness arife, with healing in his wings, &c. v. 5, 6. Behold, I will fend you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, left I come and finite the earth with a curse.

These are but a fmall part of the prophecies which pretty plainly refer to Chrift in the Old Teftament; and though fome of them, I doubt not, are to have a much more complete accomplishment than they have hitherto received, yet fo many of the particulars are already fulfilled, as abundantly prove, that thofe prophets wrote by divine infpiration; no other than God being able to defcribe fo diftant an event with fuch exactness. Thefe prophecies ought certainly to excite our clofcft attention to a VOL. I. character

Ff

character fo diftinguished before hand, and rendered fo confpicuous, as we may fay even before he made his appearance in the world; and it fhould concur with other proofs, to ftrengthen our faith in the divine miffion of Chrift, and the divinity of his religion.

SECTION III.

Prophecies in the New Teftament.

TH

HE fame spirit of prophecy which attended every stage of the Jewish difpenfation, has no less distinguished the Chriftian, which is to be confidered as the continuation, and completion of the fame general scheme.

The intire overthrow of the Jewish nation, and the complete destruction of Jerufalem and the temple, with many remarkable circumstances preceding and attending them, were exprefsly foretold by Christ. So diftinct was his fore-knowledge of the

great

« PreviousContinue »