Is he not also our Shiloh, gathering unto himself an universal church, having made peace by the blood of his cross? Is he not, again, the prophet like unto Moses-a living oracle, the constant authorized expounder of God's will during his whole ministry-resembling Moses in the fulness of his communications with God, the magnitude of the revelation made to him, and the institution of a religion founded on this revelation?e

Is he not the redeemer referred to by Job, who was to stand in the latter day upon the earth?

If we come to the Psalms, what is there so great, what so spiritual and exalted foretold of the Messiah, which our Jesus has not fulfilled, and does not fulfil?

If we plunge into the evangelical riches of Isaiah, what is there, even in his extended and mysterious prophecies, which our Lord has not fully accomplished? Did he not preach the acceptable year of the Lord? Have not the Gentiles come to his light, and kings to the brightness of his rising? Has not the Spirit rested upon him? Has he not, and does he not, bring forth judgment to the Gentiles? Is he not a covenant for the people, a light for the Gentiles? Does he not say, by all the ministrations of his gospel, Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth? Has he not founded his universal church, upon the footing of his sacrifice-of being wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities? In a word, is he not, as it was predicted he should be, the Redeemer, the Mediator, the Teacher, the Intercessor, the Deliverer, the mighty Saviour of men?

What did Jeremiah foretel of the new covenant, or Ezekiel of the effusion of the Holy Ghost, or Joel of the gifts of grace, which our Emmanuel did not bestow?

Do not, I ask, sincere Christians behold in him all these spiritual attributes, and derive from him all the blessings of his divine offices and directions? I know that irreligious persons cannot enter into these particulars. These I refer to the preceding proofs of the Messiahship of Christ. But for others, I have a right to appeal to those spiritual

(e) Davison.

blessings which the prophecies declare to flow from the advent of the Saviour. I ask, Is he not their shepherd, their friend, their brother, their prophet, their master, their ruler, their king, their high priest, their head, their all and in all?

I. If such, then, be the palpable fulfilment of the predictions of the Messiah in the present kingdom of our Lord

-if such be the broad and manifest events themselves, such the number and independence of the prophets who foretold them, such the accumulation of the spirit of prophecy attending their accomplishment, and such the exalted spiritual offices exercised by him in every age; let us FALL PROSTRATE IN HUMILIATION AND FAITH AT THE FEET of the Saviour, and acknowledge in him the fulfilment of the divine predictions; acknowledge in him the overwhelming demonstration of superhuman prescience and power; acknowledge in him the accomplishment of prophecy, and the establishment of the divine authority of the religion which he introduced.

II. If you ask for A CONTRAST to all this plain interpretation of prophecy in the person of Christ, and to all these offices of grace discharged by him, look to the subterfuges of the Jews in evading the application of their own sacred word to our blessed Lord; and to the false Christs by whom they have been so often deceived. See their ancient doctors admitting all the chief predictions to belong to the Messiah, and the modern ones denying such an use. Hear them prohibiting the reading of the prediction of our Lord's passion in Isaiah; and denouncing a curse on those who compute the years of Daniel. Examine,, if your patience can endure the trial, the childish follies which they produce as explanations of our noblest evangelical oracles. And when this part of the contrast has raised and set forth the brightness of the sacred predictions as unequivocally accomplished in Jesus our Lord; then turn to the false Christs who in different ages have arisen to delude and destroy those who refused Jesus as their true Messiah. Remember, the very time when these wretched impostors began to appear, marked out that the fulness of the predicted period was come, and proclaimed with a loud voice,

that the weeks of Daniel were run out, and that the Messiah had actually appeared. Before this period, no pretender arose. After the rejection of our Lord, crowds of the basest false prophets obtained attention. This we shall have to notice in the next part of this lecture. But I observe the fact here, that the contrast, by its deep gloom, may serve to set forth the genuine characters of truth and grace which mark every step of our Redeemer's life, every part of his miraculous works, and every word that proceeded out of his mouth. Like all the other branches of the evidences of the gospel, truth stands out boldly and alone. There is nothing second or similar to it. It is unequalled and unmixed. It meets the sincere inquirer, and commends itself to his reason, his conscience, all the affections of his soul.

III. Let us make the only true use of this part of our subject, by IMPLORING OF OUR LORD THE SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS which he is dispensing. Let us not stop in acknowledging the accomplishment of predictions, and confessing our belief in the mission of our Lord Christ, Let us rely upon him as our Saviour, let us seek pardon and reconciliation at his hands, let us beseech him to be our Teacher, our Master, our Intercessor, not only by the general instructions of his word and his ministers, but by the special communications of his grace, by his merciful answers to our prayers, by the influence of his Holy Spirit upon our hearts, by his supplies of power and wisdom under temptation, and his mighty succour in the seasons of difficulty. Thus shall we understand all the fulness of his name and offices. Thus shall we know him as our King and our Lord. Thus shall we look forward with joy to his second coming to judge the world, assured that he will then most completely fulfil all the import of his spiritual titles and functions, and receive us to himself, that where he is, there we may be also.

f

LECTURE X.

THE FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY.

PART II.

HAVING shown the most exact and surprising accomplishment of prophecy in the person and kingdom of our Lord, we come now, as we proposed, to consider the fulfilment of it in events which relate to the Jewish and Christian Church.

In doing this, we shall direct your attention to the DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY AND POLITY OF THE JEWS, and their dispersion throughout the world-to VARIOUS CITIES. NATIONS, AND EMPIRES Connected at different times with the Jewish and Christian church-to the APOSTACIES of the latter days and to the future conversion of the world, and the FINAL TRIUMPH of holiness and truth-in other words, to the history of mankind, as connected with the designs of redemption, from the earliest ages of the world to the present day-a series of accomplishments answering in extent and magnificence to all that scheme of prophecy which we reviewed in a former lecture.

I. We call your attention to our Lord's prophecy of THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY AND POLITY OF THE JEWS, AND THE DISPERSION of that favored people.

This prediction is the most memorable in the whole scriptures, next to the prophecies which we have been con

sidering, relative to the immediate person and mission of the Messiah.

1. The manner of our Lord's introducing the prophecy is the most striking imaginable. As he was going out of the temple, his disciples began, quite accidentally, as we speak, to show him how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts; and one of them, smitten it should appear with unusual admiration, exclaimed, Master, see what manner of stones, and what buildings are here. To this remark our Lord immediately, and without premeditation, as one in whom the fulness of the prophetical spirit dwelt, replied, See ye not all these great buildings? Verily I say unto you, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Thus pointing out at once, in a single sentence, without the least preparation, circumlocution, or hesitation, the most prominent feature in the whole calamity, and one by which the truth of his predictions might be submitted in after ages to the examination of every human being. Yet no fact could be more improbable at the time. The Jews were in perfect peace; they enjoyed the protection, as they were under the authority, of the Roman empire, then in the height of its power. Had any reverse occurred, the Romans made their boast of preserving the monuments of the arts.

Dur

The temple of which Jesus thus speaks, was the glory of the Jewish nation, and the admiration of the world. ing forty-six years had Herod been engaged in rebuilding it; employing upon it one hundred and sixty-three thousand. three hundred workmen. Its area was seven hundred and fifty square feet. The height of the tower on the south front was above eight hundred feet from the valley from which it was reared. The amazing size of the stones, of the finest white marble, some of them of the magnitude of sixty-five feet in length, eight in height, with a width of ten feet, added incomparably to its splendor. The front of the sacred edifice was entirely covered with sheets of gold, which at the first rising of the sun, reflected so great a

(a) Matt. xxiv. 1, 2; Mark xiii. 1, 2, Luke xxi. 6.