,transcriber's note3 ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,small capital text has been replaced with all capitals4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,jesus1 ,,the ,,messiah2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,old ,,testament ,,prophecies ,,fulfilled ,,in ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,scriptures4 ,,by ,a ,,lady4 ,the ,profits will be devoted to ,charitable ,purposes4 ,,london3 ,,published ,,by ,r4 ,b4 ,,seeley ,,and ,w4 ,,burnside2 ,,and ,,sold ,,by ,l4 ,b4 ,,seeley ,,and ,,sons1 ,,fleet-,,street4 ,,mdcccxxviii4 ,,mills1 ,,jowett1 ,,and ,,mills1 ,,printers1 ,,bolt-,,court1 ,,fleet-,,street4 ,,dedication4 ,,to ,,the ,,right ,,rev4 ,,charles ,,richard1 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,winchester4 ,,my ,,lord1 ,i have been induced to solicit the honour of dedicating this little work to your ,lordship from the conviction that its contents are not only consonant with the ,doctrines and ,articles of that ,church of which your ,lordship is so bright an ornament1 but that they are in unison with the truths of ,divine ,revelation1 that perfect standard by which all ,theology and ,morality must be judged4 ,my object in presenting it to the ,public is a wish to render the ,scriptures more familiar to the young3 and while ,i feel grateful for the honour of your ,lordship's sanction1 allow me to express my sincere thanks for the favour you have conferred on one who is1 with the greatest respect1 ,my ,lord1 ,your ,lordship's very obliged ,servant1 ,,the ,,authoress4 ,august #ahth1 #ahbh4 ,,preface4 ,custom demands a preface2 and though the public is generally uninterested in the reasons which influence an author to appear before its tribunal1 yet an introductory notice is usually expected4 ,this little work was the employment of many a retired moment4 ,in turning over the pages of the sacred volume1 the writer was struck with the exact fulfilment in the person of the ,messiah1 as narrated in the ,new ,testament1 of the numerous predictions recorded of him in the ,old4 ,these were collected for her personal gratification2 and as they accumulated1 it occurred1 that what had been some little source of pleasure to her own mind1 might1 by the blessing of ,god1 prove useful to some young persons1 who from circumstances1 are debarred access to1 or are not inclined to read1 works of a more extensive kind4 ,while the writer has no disposition to despise that criticism which1 if impartially administered1 is the best safeguard of the press1 neither would she timidly shrink from investigation2 aware that no partiality of friends can long buoy up an unworthy production4 ,this is not intended as the language of indifference1 but arises from a consciousness of the purity of motive1 and the desire to do good1 which have actuated her2 compared with which1 all other considerations are momentary and unsatisfying4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,page ,i will put enmity between thee and the ,woman1 and between thy seed and her seed2 it shall bruise thy head1 and thou shalt bruise his heel4 7,gen4 iii4 #ae47 #a ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed2 because thou hast obeyed my voice4 7,gen4 xxii4 #ah47 #d ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the sceptre shall not depart from ,judah1 nor a lawgiver from between his feet1 until ,shiloh come2 and unto him shall the gathering of the people be4 7,gen4 xlix4 #aj47 #f ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of ,jesse1 and a branch shall grow out of his roots4 ,and in that day1 there shall be a root of ,jesse1 which shall stand for an ensign of the people2 to it shall the ,gentiles seek3 and his rest shall be glorious4 7,is4 xi4 #a4 #aj47 #h ,,chapter ,v4 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god1--remove the diadem1 and take off the crown1 until he come whose right it is2 and ,i will give it him4 7,ezekiel xxi4 #bf1 #bg47 ,for the children of ,israel shall abide many days without a king1 and without a prince1 and without a sacrifice1 and without an image1 and without an ephod1 and without teraphim4 ,afterwards shall the children of ,israel return1 and seek the ,lord their ,god1 and ,david their king2 and shall fear the ,lord and his goodness in the latter days4 7,hosea iii4 #d1 #e47 #aj ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,lord thy ,god will raise up unto thee a ,prophet from the midst of thee1 of thy brethren1 like unto me2 unto him ye shall hearken4 7,deut4 xviii4 #ae-ai47 #ab ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness1 ,prepare ye the way of the ,lord1 make straight in the desert a highway for our ,god4 7,isaiah xl4 #c47 #ah ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,therefore1 the ,lord himself shall give you a sign2 ,behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son1 and shall call his name ,immanuel4 7,isaiah vii4 #ad47 #bb ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,but thou1 ,bethlehem ,ephratah1 though thou be little among the thousands of ,judah1 yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in ,israel2 whose goings forth have been from of old1 from everlasting4 7,micah v4 #b47 #bg ,,chapter ,x4 ,thus saith the ,lord2 ,a voice was heard in ,ramah1 lamentation and bitter weeping2 ,rahel weeping for her children1 refused to be comforted for her children1 because they were not4 7,jeremiah xxxi4 #ae47 #ca ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,for unto us a child is born1 unto us a son is given3 and the government shall be upon his shoulder3 and his name shall be called ,wonderful1 ,counsellor1 the ,mighty ,god1 the ,everlasting ,father1 the ,prince of ,peace4 7,isaiah ix4 #f1 #g47 #cc ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,and in the days of these kings shall the ,god of heaven set up a kingdom1 which shall never be destroyed3 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people1 but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms1 and it shall stand for ever4 7,daniel ii4 #dd47 #de ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,when ,israel was a child1 then ,i loved him1 and called my son out of ,egypt4 7,hosea xi4 #a47 #di ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,her ,nazarites were purer than snow1 they were whiter than milk1 they were more ruddy in body than rubies1 their polishing was of sapphire3 their visage is blacker than a coal3 they are not known in the streets3 their skin cleaveth to their bones2 it is withered1 it is become like a stick4 7,lamentations iv4 #g1 #h47 #ea ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord ,god is upon me2 because the ,lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek3 he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted1 to proclaim liberty to the captives1 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the ,lord1 and the day of vengeance of our ,god2 to comfort all that mourn4 7,isaiah lxi4 #a1 #b1 #c47 #ec ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,for he shall give his angels charge over thee1 to keep thee in all thy ways4 ,they shall bear thee up in their hands1 lest thou dash thy foot against a stone4 7,psalm xci4 #aa1 #ab47 #eg ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,and ,i will shake all nations1 and the desire of all nations shall come3 and ,i will fill this house with glory1 saith the ,lord of hosts4 ,the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former1 saith the ,lord of hosts3 and in this place will ,i give peace1 saith the ,lord of hosts4 7,haggai ii4 #g4 #i47 #eh ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,and the ,lord1 whom ye seek1 shall suddenly come to his temple1 even the messenger of the covenant1 whom ye delight in3 behold1 he shall come1 saith the ,lord of hosts4 7,mal4 iii4 #a47 #fd ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation1 when at first he lightly afflicted the land of ,zebulun1 and the land of ,naphtali1 and afterwards did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea1 beyond ,jordan1 in ,galilee of the nations4 ,the people that walked in darkness1 have seen a great light3 they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death1 upon them hath the light shined4 7,isaiah ix4 #a1 #b47 #ff ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,rejoice greatly1 ,o daughter of ,zion2 shout1 ,o daughter of ,jerusalem3 behold1 thy ,king cometh unto thee3 he is just1 and having salvation2 lowly1 and riding upon an ass1 and upon a colt the foal of an ass4 7,zech4 ix4 #i47 #fg ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,is this house1 which is called by my name1 become a den of robbers in your eyes8 ,behold1 even ,i have seen it1 saith the ,lord4 7,jeremiah vii4 #aa47 #fi ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies2 that thou mightest still the enemy and avenger4 7,psalm viii4 #b47 #gb ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,i have preached righteousness in the great congregation3 ,i have not refrained my lips1 ,o ,lord1 thou knowest4 7,psalm xl4 #i47 #gd ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,i will open my mouth in a parable3 ,i will utter dark sayings of old4 7,psalm lxxviii4 #b47 #gf ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,he shall feed his flock like a shepherd3 he shall gather the lambs with his arm1 and carry them in his bosom1 and shall gently lead those that are with young4 7,isaiah xl4 #aa47 #gh ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the ,lord3 and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes1 neither reprove after the hearing of his ears4 7,isaiah xi4 #c47 #hj ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,then the eyes of the blind shall be opened1 and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped4 7,isaiah xxxv4 #e47 #hb ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,then shall the lame man leap as an hart1 and the tongue of the dumb sing3 for in the wilderness shall waters break out1 and streams in the desert4 7,is4 xxxv4 #f47 #hh ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,then said ,i1 ,lo1 ,i come3 in the volume of the book it is written of me1 ,i delight to do thy will1 ,o my ,god3 yea1 thy law is within my heart4 7,psalm xl4 #g1 #h47 #ib ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,i am become a stranger unto my brethren1 and an alien unto my mother's children4 7,psalm lxix4 #h47 #ii ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,they also that seek after my life lay snares for me2 and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things1 and imagine deceits all the day long4 7,psalm xxxviii47 #ajb ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,for ,i have heard the slander of many3 fear was on every side3 while they took counsel together against me1 they devised to take away my life4 7,psalm xxxi4 #ac47 #ajd ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,is it nothing to you1 all ye that pass by8 behold1 and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow1 which is done unto me1 wherewith the ,lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger4 7,lamentation i4 #ab47 #ajg ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,yea1 mine own familiar friend1 in whom ,i trusted1 which did eat of my bread1 hath lifted up his heel against me4 7,psalm xli4 #i47 ,and ,i said unto them1 ,if ye think good1 give me my price2 and if not1 forbear4 ,so they weighed for my price1 thirty pieces of silver4 ,and the ,lord said unto me1 ,cast it unto the potter3 a goodly price that ,i was prized at of them4 ,and ,i took the thirty pieces of silver1 and cast them to the potter in the house of the ,lord4 7,zechariah xi4 #ab1 #ac47 #aaa ,,chapter ,,xxxv4 ,when the wicked1 even mine enemies and my foes1 came upon me to eat up my flesh1 they stumbled and fell4 7,psalm xxvii4 #b47 #aae ,,chapter ,,xxxvi4 ,why do the heathen rage1 and the people imagine a vain thing8 ,the kings of the earth set themselves1 and the rulers take counsel together1 against the ,lord1 and against his anointed4 7,psalm ii4 #a1 #b47 #aag ,,chapter ,,xxxvii4 ,false witnesses did rise up2 they laid to my charge things that ,i knew not4 7,psalm xxxv4 #aa47 #aba ,,chapter ,,xxxviii4 ,but ,i1 as a deaf man1 heard not2 and ,i was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth4 ,thus ,i was as a man that heareth not1 and in whose mouth are no reproofs4 7,psalm xxxviii4 #ac1 #ad47 #abe ,,chapter ,,xxxix4 ,my lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore2 and my kinsmen stand afar off4 7,psalm xxxviii4 #aa47 #abg ,,chapter ,,xl4 ,i gave my back to the smiters1 and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair3 ,i hid not my face from shame and spitting4 7,isaiah l4 #f47 #abi ,,chapter ,,xli4 ,he is despised and rejected of men2 a man of sorrows1 and acquainted with grief3 and we hid as it were our faces from him2 he was despised1 and we esteemed him not4 7,isaiah liii4 #c47 ,thus saith the ,lord1 the ,redeemer of ,israel1 and his ,holy ,one1 to him whom man despiseth1 to him whom the nation abhorreth1 to a servant of rulers1 kings shall see and arise1 princes also shall worship1 because of the ,lord that is faithful1 and the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 and he shall choose thee4 7,isaiah xlix4 #g47 #aca ,,chapter ,,xlii4 ,but ,i am a worm1 and no man2 a reproach of men1 and despised of the people4 7,psalm xxii4 #f47 #acd ,,chapter ,,xliii4 ,he was oppressed1 and he was afflicted1 yet he opened not his mouth3 he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter1 and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb1 so he openeth not his mouth4 7,isaiah liii4 #g47 #acg ,,chapter ,,xliv4 ,he was taken from prison and from judgment3 and who shall declare his generation8 for he was cut off out of the land of the living3 for the transgression of my people was he stricken4 7,isaiah liii4 #h47 #aci ,,chapter ,,xlv4 ,for dogs have compassed me3 the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me3 they have pierced my hands and my feet4 7,psalm xxii4 #af47 #ada ,,chapter ,,xlvi4 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8 ,why are thou so far from helping me1 and from the words of my roaring8 7,psalm xxii4 #a47 #ade ,,chapter ,,xlvii4 ,awake1 ,o sword1 against my shepherd1 and against the man that is my fellow1 saith the ,lord of hosts1 smite the shepherd1 and the sheep shall be scattered2 and ,i will turn mine hand upon the little ones4 7,zechariah xiii4 #g47 #adi ,,chapter ,,xlviii4 ,they part my garments among them1 and cast lots upon my vesture4 7,psalm xxii4 #ah47 #aec ,,chapter ,,xlix4 ,they gave me also gall for my meat2 and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink4 7,psalm lxix4 #ba47 #aee ,,chapter ,l4 ,with hypocritical mockers in feasts1 they gnashed upon me with their teeth4 7,psalm xxxv4 #af47 ,all they that see me1 laugh me to scorn2 they shoot out the lip1 they shake the head1 saying1 ,he trusted on the ,lord that he would deliver ,him3 let him deliver him1 seeing he delighted in him4 7,psalm xxii4 #g1 #h47 #aeg ,,chapter ,,li4 ,therefore will ,i divide him a portion with the great1 and he shall divide the spoil with the strong2 because he hath poured out his soul unto death2 and he was numbered with the transgressors2 and he bare the sin of many1 and made intercession for the transgressors4 7,isaiah liii4 #ab47 #aei ,,chapter ,,lii4 ,he keepeth all his bones1 not one of them is broken4 7,psalm xxxiv4 #bj47 #afb ,,chapter ,,liii4 ,and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced4 7,zechariah xii4 #aj47 #afc ,,chapter ,,liv4 ,i clothe the heavens with blackness1 and ,i make sackcloth their covering4 7,isaiah #a4 #c47 #afe ,,chapter ,,lv4 ,and he made his grave with the wicked1 and with the rich in his death2 because he hath done no violence1 neither was any deceit in his mouth4 7,isaiah liii4 #i47 #afh ,,chapter ,,lvi4 ,the days of his youth hast thou shortened3 thou hast covered him with shame4 7,psalm lxxxix4 #de47 #aga ,,chapter ,,lvii4 ,surely he hath borne our griefs1 and carried our sorrows1 yet we did esteem him stricken1 smitten of ,god1 and afflicted4 ,but he was wounded for our transgressions1 he was bruised for our iniquities2 the chastisement of our peace was upon him1 and with his stripes we are healed4 ,all we1 like sheep1 have gone astray2 we have turned every one to his own way1 and the ,lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all4 7,isaiah liii4 #d1 #e1 #f47 #agd ,,chapter ,,lviii4 ,for thou wilt not leave my soul in ,hell1 neither wilt thou suffer thine ,holy ,one to see corruption4 7,psalm xvi4 #i1 #aj47 #ahb ,,chapter ,,lix4 ,thou hast ascended on high1 thou hast led captivity captive3 thou hast received gifts for men2 yea1 for the rebellious also1 that the ,lord ,god might dwell amongst them4 7,psalm lxviii4 #ah47 #aij ,,chapter ,,lx4 ,and it shall come to pass afterward1 that ,i will pour out my spirit upon all flesh2 and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy1 your old men shall dream dreams1 your young men shall see visions3 and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will ,i pour out my spirit4 7,joel ii4 #bh1 #bi47 #aie ,,chapter ,,lxi4 ,and ,i will pour upon the ,house of ,david1 and upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the spirit of grace and of supplications3 and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced1 and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son1 and shall be in bitterness for him1 as one that is in bitterness for his first born4 7,zech4 xii4 #aj47 #bja ,,chapter ,,lxii4 ,the ,lord hath sworn and will not repent1 ,thou art a priest for ever1 after the order of ,melchizedek4 7,psalm cx4 #d47 #baj ,,chapter ,,lxiii4 ,seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city1 to finish the transgression1 and to make an end of sins1 and to make reconciliation for iniquity1 and to bring in everlasting righteousness1 and to seal up the vision and prophecy1 and to anoint the most ,holy4 ,know1 therefore1 and understand1 that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build ,jerusalem1 unto the ,messiah1 the ,prince1 shall be seven weeks1 and three score and two weeks3 the street shall be built again1 and the wall1 even in troublous times4 7,daniel ix4 #bd1 #be47 #bad ,,chapter ,,lxiv4 ,and after three score and two weeks shall ,messiah be cut off1 but not for himself3 and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary2 and the end thereof shall be with a flood1 and unto the end of the war desolations are determined4 7,daniel ix4 #bf47 #bbd ,,chapter ,,lxv4 ,and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week3 and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease1 and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate1 even until the consummation1 and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate4 7,daniel ix4 #bg47 #bbi ,,chapter ,,lxvi4 ,for ,i will gather all nations against ,jerusalem to battle2 and the city shall be taken1 and the houses rifled1 and the women ravished2 and half of the city shall go forth into captivity1 and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city4 7,zechariah xiv4 #b47 #bce ,,chapter ,,lxvii4 ,the ,lord shall bring a nation against thee from far1 from the end of the earth1 as swift as the eagle flieth2 a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand2 a nation of fierce countenance1 which shall not regard the person of the old1 nor show favour to the young4 7,deut4 xxviii4 #di1 #ej47 ,and when he was come near1 he beheld the city1 and wept over it1 saying1 ,if thou hadst known1 even thou1 at least in this thy day1 the things which belong unto thy peace6 but now they are hid from thine eyes4 ,for the days shall come upon thee1 that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee1 and compass thee round1 and keep thee in on every side1 and shall lay thee even with the ground1 and thy children within thee2 and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another2 because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation4 7,luke xix4 #da-dd47 #bdj ,,chapter ,,lxviii4 ,therefore shall ,zion for your sake be plowed as a field1 and ,jerusalem shall become heaps1 and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest4 7,micah iii4 #ab47 #bdc ,,chapter ,,lxix4 ,and he shall be for a sanctuary2 but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of ,israel1 for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of ,jerusalem4 7,isaiah viii4 #ad47 #bdf ,,chapter ,,lxx4 ,and he said1 ,it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of ,jacob1 and to restore the preserved of ,israel3 ,i will also give thee for a light to the ,gentiles1 that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth4 7,isaiah xlix4 #f47 #bef ,,chapter ,,lxxi4 ,the ,,lord said unto my ,lord1 sit thou at my right hand1 until ,i make thine enemies thy footstool4 7,psalm cx4 #a47 #bfj ,,jesus1 ,,the ,,messiah4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,i will put enmity between thee and the ,woman1 and between thy seed and her seed2 it shall bruise thy head1 and thou shalt bruise his heel4--,gen4 iii4 #ae4 ,this is the first intimation we meet with of the promised ,messiah1 and within this one verse is contained1 as in the bud1 the embryo flower1 that goodly plant of renown1#a which the ,lord hath planted1 and not man2 he who is the rose of ,sharon and the valley's lily4#b ,it is an epitome of the whole plan of ,redemption1 and contains truths of the first importance2 we shall do well to consider them in reference to ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,the prophecy declares there shall be enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent4 ,the incarnation and birth of ,jesus have1 by the ,evangelists ,matthew and ,luke1 been so fully stated1 that none but a strongly prejudiced mind can deny that he was the son of ,mary1 then a virgin1 and that ,joseph was only his supposed father1 because he married his mother4#c ,the old serpent1 or as he is frequently called1 ,satan1 discovered his enmity towards ,jesus from his birth2 he stirred up the mind of ,herod to destroy the holy child1 ,jesus1 and thus originated the massacre of the infants of ,bethlehem4 ,though disappointed1 he personally attempted his destruction1 and for forty days and nights did he try the force of his arts to tempt ,jesus to sin4#d ,and1 though foiled1 he again resumed the attack1 and suggested to the minds of the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 priests and people1 to persecute the man who spake as never man spake4 ,it is said he entered into1 i4e4 took full possession of1 the mind of ,judas1#e who betrayed ,jesus1 and also acted as guide to those who took him4 ,was not ,satan the ringleader of those who crucified him1 in whom his ,judges declared1 they could find no fault worthy of death8 ,let us now behold the opposition displayed by ,jesus towards the serpent and his seed4 ,a great part of his life appears to have been spent in casting out and dispossessing devils from the minds and bodies of men2#f and in rebuking and threatening them1 he proved that he came to destroy the power and works of darkness4 ,his was an avowed and constant war1 and the devils knew him as their greatest foe1 and the destroyer of their power4#g ,although the heel1 i4e4 the human nature of ,jesus1 was bruised in the contest1 yet1 by his death1 7in which ,satan for the moment appeared triumphant17 he gave a mortal blow to his power and authority1 by delivering the captives of the mighty1 and the prey of the terrible one4#h ,the cross1 designed to display their scorn and abhorrence1 is become the praise and glory of all the children of ,god1 to whom1 as unto their ,lord and ,master1 the old serpent and his seed continue to manifest the same spirit of enmity and persecution4#i ,did devils confess ,jesus to be the ,son of the most high ,god1 and shall not we acknowledge him to be the seed promised at the fall of man1 and that he is1 at the same time1 ,mary's son1 and the ,son of ,god8#aj ,the prince of the fallen spirits1 the old serpent1 or ,satan1 discovered his enmity to the human race in the garden of ,eden2 the woman was the first whom he deceived by his arts2 but it was ,jesus1 her seed1 who1 in the after ages of the world1 in the garden of ,gethsemane1 bruised the serpent's head1 and at his resurrection1 led captivity captive1 and will eventually consign to utter darkness and perdition1 this foe to ,god and man4#aa #a ,isaiah liii4 #b4 ,ezek4 xxxiv4 #bi4 #b ,cant4 ii4 #a4 #c ,matthew i4 #ah-be4 ,luke i4 #bg4 #cj-ce41 ii4 #e1 #f1 #g4 #d ,matthew iv4 #a-aa4 ,mark i4 #ab1 #ac4 ,luke iv4 #b-ac4 #e ,luke xxii4 #c4 ,john vi4 #gj41 xiii4 #b-bg4 #f ,matthew iv4 #bd41 viii4 #af1 #ah-bc41 ix4 #cb-cd41 x4 #a41 xii4 #bd-bh41 xv4 #bb-bh41 xvi4 #bc41 xvii4 #ad-ai4 ,mark i4 #bc-bg4 #cc1 #cd1 #ci41 iii4 #bb-bg41 v4 #b-ai41 vii4 #be-cj41 viii4 #cc4 ,luke iv4 #cf-da41 vi4 #ah41 vii4 #ba41 viii4 #bg-cf41 ix4 #a1 #ch-db1 #di4 ,john xii4 #ca41 ,acts x4 #ch41 #a ,john1 iii4 #h4 #g ,mark iii4 #aa1 #ab41 v4 #f1 #g4 ,luke iv4 #cc1 #cd1 #da41 viii4 #bh4 #h ,luke xxii4 #ec4 ,john xiv4 #cj4 #i #a ,peter v4 #h4 #aj ,gal4 iv4 #d4 ,col4 i4 #ae41 ii4 #i4 #aa ,matthew xxv4 #da4 ,rom4 xvi4 #bj4 ,col4 ii4 #ae4 ,heb4 ii4 #ad4 #b ,peter ii4 #d4 ,jude vi4 #i4 ,rev4 xii4 #g-ag41 xx4 #a1 #b1 #c4 #aj4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed2 because thou hast obeyed my voice4--,gen4 xxii4 #ah4 ,we now meet with a prophecy of the family from which ,christ1 after the flesh1 should spring4 ,the lineal descent from ,abraham to ,joseph1 the husband of ,mary1 is given us by ,matthew1#ab through forty-two generations2 and ,luke#ac gives the genealogy of ,jesus back to ,adam1 through ,abraham1 in the whole seventy-four generations1 showing at once that the seed promised to ,adam and ,abraham1 is the same1 even ,jesus in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed4#ad ,the reader will discover a difference between the names in the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 which arises from the former being translated from the ,hebrew1 and the latter from the ,greek language4 ,it will also be observed1 that the genealogies given by ,matthew and ,luke differ1 but ,matthew gives the pedigree of ,joseph1 and ,luke that of ,mary4 ,although the supposed father of ,jesus is said by ,luke to be the son of ,heli1 yet ,matthew informs us ,jacob begat ,joseph1#ae who is called the son of ,heli1 only on account of the contract for marriage subsisting between ,joseph and his daughter4 ,this was a custom prevalent with the ,jews1 and these agreements were often made by the parents1 before the parties most interested had ever seen each other1 as was the case with ,isaac and ,rebecca4 ,although ,abraham's posterity have been1 as the sand on the sea shore1 innumerable1 and as a nation have enjoyed exceeding great and precious privileges1 yet all the nations of the earth can never be said to be blessed in them1 unless we take the prophecy in its true light1 as pointing to ,jesus the promised blessing1 whose day of tabernacling on earth1 ,abraham by faith saw afar off1 rejoiced1 and was glad4 #ab ,mat4 i4 #a-ag4 #ac ,luke iii4 #bc-ch4 #ad ,genesis xii4 #c41 xviii4 #ah4 ,psalm lxxii4 #ag4 #ae ,matthew i4 #af4 ,luke iii4 #bc4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the sceptre shall not depart from ,judah1 nor a lawgiver from between his feet1 until ,shiloh come2 and unto him shall the gathering of the people be4--,gen4 xlix4 #aj4 ,the ,holy ,ghost1 by the mouth of the dying patriarch1 ,jacob1 has pointed to the epoch when he1 of whom ,moses and the prophets did write1 should appear4 ,it is worthy our particular attention1 that1 at the period of time when ,jesus came1 ,judea was still governed by a ,jewish king4 ,it is true the power of the royal ,asmonean or ,maccabean race was destroyed1 and ,herod the ,great had ascended the throne of ,israel1 yet the sceptre was not departed from ,judah4 ,herod was an ,idumean1 which nation had1 for nearly two centuries1 been proselytes to ,judaism1 and so incorporated and mingled with the ,jews1 as to be regarded as one people4 ,judea bowed to the ,roman power1 yet ,herod exercised the regal authority1 and was universally acknowledged as the sovereign of ,jewry1 when ,jesus1 the prince of peace1 the king of ,israel1 appeared a babe at ,bethlehem but no sooner was the ,shiloh come1 than the sceptre departed from ,judah4 ,on the death of ,herod1 which happened soon after the birth of ,christ1 ,augustus ,csar divided the kingdom of ,judea between ,archelaus1 ,herod1 and ,philip1 the three sons of ,herod4 ,archelaus succeeded to the half of his father's dominions by the title of tetrarch1 but not of king2 his tyranny and oppression were so great1 that1 in less than ten years1 he was deposed and banished to ,france by the emperor1 who then reduced ,judea to a ,roman province1 and ruled it afterwards by procurators or governors1 who were sent thither and recalled at pleasure2 the taxes were now paid more directly to the ,roman empire1 and gathered by the publicans2 the power of life and death was taken out of the hands of the ,jews1 and placed in those of the ,roman governors4 ,the ,lord1 when he is pleased1 can make the wrath of man to praise him1 and his enemies to minister to his glory4 ,this sentiment we have most strikingly illustrated in the conduct of ,caiaphas1 who1 in the moment he was plotting the destruction of ,jesus1 and thirsting for his blood1 delivered a very remarkable prophecy1#af the exact counterpart of the one we are now considering1 in which he declared ,jesus to be the promised ,shiloh1 who should gather together in one1 all the children of ,god which are scattered abroad1 not the nations of the ,jews only1 but the ,gentiles also4 ,yes1 ,jesus will seek out and bring his people from the mountains whence they are scattered2 in the cloudy and dark day he will bring his sons from afar1 and his daughters from the ends of the earth1 and there shall be one fold under one shepherd1 even the glorious ,shiloh4 #af ,john xi4 #di-eb4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of ,jesse1 and a branch shall grow out of his roots4 ,and in that day1 there shall be a root of ,jesse1 which shall stand for an ensign of the people2 to it shall the ,gentiles seek3 and his rest shall be glorious4--,isaiah xi4 #a4 #aj4 ,the ,jews1 from these prophecies1 expected the ,messiah would spring from the family of ,david1 the son of ,jesse2 and this led them to preserve1 with unusual attention1 the genealogy of his descendants4 ,we have abundant testimony that ,jesus is of the house and lineage of ,david4#ag ,by comparing scripture with scripture1#ah we may venture to affirm1 ,jesus is the glorious branch ,jehovah hath made strong for himself4 ,with regard to his human and divine nature1 he is both ,david's son and ,david's ,lord4 ,he is the root and offspring of ,david1 and the bright and morning star4 ,the ,gentiles shall come to his light1 and kings to the brightness of his rising4 ,he is not only a rod out of the stem of ,jesse1 but he is the tree of life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations1 whose top shall reach unto heaven1 and his branches cover the earth4 ,he is ,jehovah's ensign of mercy displayed to a rebel world1 and both the ,jewish and ,gentile nations are invited to enlist under the banners of the cross4 ,those who seek an inheritance in the kingdom of the true ,david1 if it be agreeable to the charter of ,immanuel's land1 shall find his rest to be glorious4 #ag ,since the destruction of ,jerusalem1 the genealogy of the ,jews is lost2 the tribe or family of ,david cannot be distinguished from that of ,benjamin4 #ah ,psalm cxxxii4 #aa4 ,isaiah ix4 #f1 #g41 lv4 #c1 #d1 #e4 ,jerem4 xxiii4 #e1 #f41 xxxiii4 #ae4 ,zech4 iii4 #h41 vi4 #ab1 #ac4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 remove the diadem and take off the crown1 until he come whose right it is2 and ,i will give it him4--,ezekiel xxi4 #bf1 #bg4 ,for the children of ,israel shall abide many days without a king1 and without a prince1 and without a sacrifice1 and without an image1 and without an ephod1 and without teraphim4 ,afterwards shall the children of ,israel return1 and seek the ,lord their ,god1 and ,david their king2 and shall fear the ,lord and his goodness in the latter days4--,hosea iii4 #d1 #e4 ,the ,jews themselves must confess this prophecy to be in part fulfilled4 ,they are wanderers from their beloved ,canaan1 strangers in a strange land1 scattered over all parts of the globe1 and destitute of all the local privileges which constitute a nation1 although they still retain a distinction of character2 but it only tends to make them a reproach1 and their name a by-word amongst all classes4 ,they dwell alone1 and are not now reckoned amongst the nations of the earth4 ,the insignia of royal dignity are useless to them1 having no king or prince on whom to bestow the crown or diadem4 ,they are deprived of their temple and its services1 and of all the glorious distinctions which marked it from those dedicated to false or unknown ,gods4 ,the latter clause of this prophecy shall as assuredly be fulfilled1 for heaven and earth shall pass away1 sooner than one of the promises of ,god fail to be accomplished4 ,yes1 the children of ,israel shall return1 and seek the ,lord their ,god1 and him of whom ,david was only a type1 even ,king ,jesus1#ai who is of ,david's royal line1 and the government shall be upon his shoulders1 for he is the wonderful counsellor1 the mighty ,god1 the everlasting father1 the prince of peace4 ,hasten1 ,lord6 we would say1 the time when the deliverer shall arise out of ,zion1 and turn away ungodliness from ,jacob4 ,assume the sceptre of thy power1 ,jesus1 thou king of ,zion1 thou ,son of the ,highest6 for the ,lord ,god has given unto thee the throne of thy father1 ,david2 thou shalt reign over the house of ,jacob for ever4 ,of the increase of thy government and peace there shall be no end2 upon the throne of ,david1 and upon his kingdom1 to order it1 and to establish it with judgment and with justice1 from henceforth even for ever4 ,the zeal of the ,lord of hosts will perform this4 #ai ,ezek4 xxi4 #bf1 #bg4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,lord thy ,god will raise up unto thee a ,prophet from the midst of thee1 of thy brethren1 like unto me2 unto him ye shall hearken4--,deut4 xviii4 #ae-ai4 ,this is one of the many precious promises given by ,god to ,israel4 ,moses is a character justly deserving our regard and veneration4 ,the ,jewish nation held him in high estimation1 and almost idolized his memory4 ,perhaps our time may not be misemployed in searching for proofs of the fulfilment of this prophecy1 and in examining the character of one 7even ,jesus7 who declares himself to be not only a prophet like unto ,moses1 but in every respect his superior2 which1 if proved1 will clearly warrant their giving unto ,jesus far greater honour than was even due to ,moses4 ,in drawing a comparison between these illustrious personages1 we observe2 they both sprang from the family of ,jacob or ,israel2 ,moses1 when a child1 was1 for a time1 concealed by his parents from the persecuting ,pharoah2 the child ,jesus also1 was1 by command of ,god the ,father1 taken into ,egypt1 to avoid the tyranny of ,herod3 thus both escaped the destruction executed on all the other male children4 ,moses was raised up from the midst of the people1 from amongst his brethren the children of ,israel2 ,jesus having taken on him our nature1 is not ashamed to call us brethren4 ,moses was a prophet1 called and taught of ,god2 ,jesus is the sent1 the sealed1 the anointed of ,god1 at whose call he came forth4 ,moses saw ,god face to face2 ,jesus lay in the bosom of the ,father4 ,moses wrought miracles by the command and aid of ,god2 ,jesus wrought many miracles in the days of his flesh1 but all in his own name and by his own power4 ,moses was an honoured instrument in bringing ,israel from the bondage of ,egypt2 but ,jesus delivers his people ,israel from worse than ,egyptian taskmasters1 even the bondage of sin and ,satan4 ,moses fasted forty days before he gave the law to ,israel4 ,jesus fasted forty days before he entered on his public ministry4 ,when ,moses wrought miracles in ,egypt1 the magicians were obliged to confess the divine power by which he acted4 ,jesus expelled the evil spirits1 and they acknowledged his almighty power4 ,moses commanded the sea to retire1 and it obeyed his voice4 ,jesus said to the tempestuous winds and sea1 ,peace1 be still6 and instantly there was a great calm4 ,moses cured one leper4#bj ,jesus cured many4 ,moses chose and appointed seventy elders over the people1 on whom ,god bestowed the spirit of prophecy4 ,jesus chose seventy apostles1 whom he endowed with miraculous powers1 and sent forth to teach in the villages4 ,moses chose twelve men1 whom he sent to spy out the land the ,israelites were about to conquer4 ,jesus chose twelve apostles1 and commanded them to go forth and preach the gospel to all the world1 and subject it to his allegiance1 by a more glorious power than that of arms4 ,moses was in danger of being stoned by the rebellious and ungrateful people1 whom he had constantly laboured to benefit4 ,the ,jews also took up stones to stone ,jesus in return for his numerous favours4 ,the relations of ,moses were greatly offended with him for marrying an ,ethiopian woman4#ba ,jesus has espoused the ,gentile church1 to the no small displeasure of the ,jews4 ,when ,moses was the prophet of ,israel1 they were fed with manna from heaven4 ,jesus miraculously fed five thousand and seven thousand persons2 he could say ,i am the living bread which came down from heaven2 if any man eat of this bread1 he shall live for ever2 and the bread that ,i will give is my flesh1 which ,i will give for the life of the world4 ,when ,moses1 by ,god's command1 stretched forth his hand1 darkness covered the land of ,egypt1 which was shortly followed by the awful destruction of its first-born2 when ,jesus was crucified1 darkness covered the land1 which1 not many years after1 was the scene of the most dire calamities4 ,was ,moses a prophet8 and did he not speak of the calamities that would befall the ,jews8 as such1 see ,jesus teaching the people1 and foretelling the time and circumstances of his own decease1 and also the siege and destruction of ,jerusalem4 ,was ,moses as king in ,jeshurun8 ,jesus is not only king in ,zion1 but ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords2 by him kings rule1 and princes decree justice4 ,moses is described as an almost perfect character2 ,jesus as wholly free from the least spot or stain of sin4 ,moses was remarkable for meekness2 ,jesus1 when led as a lamb to the slaughter1 opened not his mouth2 when reviled1 he reviled not again2 when persecuted1 he blessed4 ,moses1 by command of ,god1 gave laws and statutes1 and instituted ordinances in ,israel2 ,jesus instituted the ordinance of the ,lord's ,supper1 and gave laws and commandments to his people4 ,the law given by ,moses tends only to condemnation1 but ,jesus has brought light and immortality to light by his gospel4 ,the law of ,moses was designed as a schoolmaster to bring us to ,christ2 the doctrine of ,jesus is1 ,i am the way1 the truth1 and the life4 ,moses acted as a mediator between ,god and ,israel1 at the giving of the covenant on ,sinai2 ,jesus is the great day's-man1 and the almighty mediator of the new covenant4 ,did ,moses plead for the rebellious ,israelites8 we also hear ,jesus interceding for transgressors1 saying1 ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4 ,moses read the law in the ears of all ,israel2 ,jesus writes his laws upon the hearts of his people1 and his truths in their inward parts4 ,when ,moses descended from ,mount ,sinai1 after holding converse with ,god1 his face shone exceeding bright2 we are told when ,jesus was transfigured on ,mount ,tabor1 his face shone as the sun1 and his raiment was white as the light4 ,did ,moses choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of ,god1 than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season8 ,jesus preferred suffering misery and woe for a time1 rather than his people should endure the everlasting punishment which their sins deserved4 ,did ,moses esteem the reproach of ,christ greater riches than the treasures of ,egypt8 ,jesus considers the odium affixed to his cross1 as a more honourable distinction than the possession of thousands of gold and silver4 ,moses1 as a servant1 was faithful in all his house2 ,jesus could say ,father1 ,i have finished the work thou hast given me to do1 ,i have glorified thee on the earth1 and those thou gavest me1 ,i have kept1 and none of them is lost4 7,see ,john xvii4 #ab7 ,moses was permitted1 from the heights of ,pisgah1 to view the goodly land of promise2 which was but a type of the heavenly rest ,jesus has prepared for those who love him4 ,moses1 as a prophet1 was great in ,israel2 ,jesus is the ,lord ,god of the prophets1 and unto him shall the people hearken2 he will give them the hearing ear and the understanding heart1 and make them willing in the day of his power4 ,every soul that will not hearken unto this prophet1 shall be cut off1 for be it known to all people1 that there is none other name under heaven given amongst men1 whereby we can be saved1 but that of ,jesus1 who is of a truth the prophet that was for to come4 ,it was said1 by way of reproach1 thou art this man's disciple1 but we are ,moses' disciples4 ,let us not consider it a disgrace to own our attachment to him1 who is in every point of view far superior to ,moses1 who was but his servant1 and the creature of his power4 ,where shall we find a person who so closely resembles ,moses1 as ,christ8 ,surely he was the prophet foretold6 ,yet the ,jews rejected him1 and by that rejection prove that ,jesus was he of whom ,moses wrote--for the ,lord has executed the punishment he threatened should befall them1 if they refused to hearken unto this prophet2 thus the ,jews are living monuments of the truth as it is in ,jesus4 ,oh1 may we take warning from their calamities1 and receive the sent1 the sealed1 the anointed of the ,father1 as our prophet1 priest1 and king2 even ,jesus the ,messiah1 the ,christ of ,god6 #bj ,numbers xii4 #ae4 #ba ,numbers xii4 #a4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness1 ,prepare ye the way of the ,lord1 make straight in the desert a highway for our ,god4--,isaiah xl4 #c4 ,the ,prophets ,isaiah and ,malachi#bb were commissioned to inform the church1 that when the period should arrive for the coming of the ,messiah1 a messenger would be sent to announce his near approach4 ,this promise was most strictly fulfilled3 ,jesus1 the ,son of the ,most ,high ,god1 did not visit this our world1 without first directing an herald to proclaim his coming2 even ,john1 who was sent to prepare the way before him4#bc ,this harbinger deserves our attention2 he was no ordinary character4 ,an angel1 even ,gabriel1 posted from heaven to speak of his birth1 and declare he should be filled with the ,holy ,ghost from the first dawn of life4 ,if such distinguishing honour was paid to the messenger1 how great that due to the master6 ,john demands our respect1 on account of the sanctity of his life1 the simplicity of his manners1 and the active zeal and ardent love he manifested in the cause1 and towards the person1 of his ,lord1 and for the integrity and faithfulness exhibited in every part of his conduct towards man4 ,he feared not to reprove sin in whatever class of persons he beheld it1 from the common soldier even to the monarch on the throne4 ,to a character so exemplary as ,john's1 the highest respect and veneration are due2 and the testimony of such a man deserves not to be lightly regarded4 ,john's birth was six months prior to his ,lord's1#bd and being the first who used water-baptism as a divine ordinance1 he was surnamed the ,baptist4 ,he abode in the deserts of ,judea until the day of his showing unto ,israel1 and had never seen his ,lord 7who resided at ,nazareth1 in ,galilee71 until he came to ,jordan for baptism4 ,the testimony he then gave to the person of ,jesus merits observation4 ,he publicly acknowledged him to be the person whose way he was sent to prepare1 and spoke of him as one whose shoe's latchet he was not worthy to unloose4 ,we see ,john1 when surrounded by his own disciples1 point to ,jesus1 and say ,behold the ,lamb of ,god which taketh away the sin of the world1 and this is he of whom ,i said1 after me cometh a man which is preferred before me2 for he was before me4 ,john gave the most decided testimony to the ,godhead of ,jesus1 for he said he would baptise with the ,holy ,ghost1 which is the prerogative only of ,god4 ,what man can1 by any means1 redeem his brother1 or give to ,god a ransom for his soul8 but ,john spake of his ,lord as the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world4 ,yes1 he is the ,lamb slain from the foundation of the world4 ,under the ,mosaic dispensation1 the lamb slain1 as a morning and evening sacrifice1 and on the great day of atonement1 was only a type of this ,lamb of ,god's own providing1 who offered himself up as a sacrifice for the sins of many4 ,when the disciples of ,john appeared displeased at the growing popularity of ,jesus1 their master instantly checked them by saying he must increase1 but ,i must decrease2 he that cometh from heaven is above all4 ,after ,john was cast into prison1 we find him sending two of his disciples to ,jesus1 to inquire if he were the ,christ or not4#be ,having heard the testimony ,john had before given to the person of ,jesus1 we cannot suppose he had any doubts in his own mind as to his being the ,messiah1 but rather that he was fully convinced of the fact himself2 and wishing his disciples to be firmly established in the same faith1 he1 as the most effectual method1 sent them to ,jesus for satisfactory proofs of a truth which he 7,john7 had been continually teaching through the whole course of his ministry4 ,john was a faithful witness in his master's cause1 and to him we are much indebted4 ,but let us not bestow on him the honours due to ,jesus1 who is deservedly preferred before him2 for1 as ,john justly observed1 he was before him4 ,this is strictly true1 for although ,jesus did not take on him our nature until six months after the birth of ,john1 yet1 being ,god as well as man1 his existence is from everlasting to everlasting4 #bb ,mal4 iii4 #a41 iv4 #e4 #bc ,matt4 iii4 #c41 xi4 #b-ae4 ,mark i4 #b-h4 ,luke i4 #e-bf4 #bd ,luke i4 #ci-dd4 #be ,luke vii4 #ah-bh4 ,josephus1 in his history of the ,jews1 speaks of ,john the ,baptist in the highest terms of respect and veneration3 he says he had acquired such credit and authority amongst the people by the holiness of his life1 and his disciples were so numerous1 that ,herod1 dreading a revolt1 confined ,john in the castle of ,macharas1 and afterwards beheaded him1 for no other crime than his honest faithfulness4#bf ,herod's army was soon after totally routed by the troops of ,aretas1 and the ,jews considered it as a mark of ,divine vengeance for his cruel treatment of the ,holy ,baptist4 #bf ,matt4 xiv4 #c-aj4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,therefore1 the ,lord himself shall give you a sign1 behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son1 and shall call his name ,immanuel4--,isaiah vii4 #ad4 ,the portion of scripture now before us is highly interesting1 and demands serious attention4 ,about seven hundred and eight years before the birth of ,jesus1 the prophet ,isaiah was commissioned to tell the church1 a virgin should conceive and bear a son1 and should call his name ,immanuel4 ,for proofs of the fulfilment of this prophecy1 we would refer to ,matthew and ,luke1#bg and request their testimony may be read with the serious attention the subject demands4 ,the unblushing infidel may treat it with scorn and ridicule2 but let not one bearing the name of ,christ1 venture to speak with lightness1 on this so highly momentous an article of the christian faith4 ,we cannot suppose the ,lord1 after giving this promise1 would be unmindful of its accomplishment3 if the birth of ,christ had been the result of natural causes1 there would have been nothing to excite surprise1 nor would it have been a sign1 as the ,lord himself declared it should be4 ,if he had been born after the manner of the children of men1 no doubt he must have partaken of their evil nature4 ,or if his body had been formed of the dust1 as was ,adam's1 how could the promise given at the fall of man1 have been fulfilled8 ,and what relationship would there then have existed between ,christ and his church8 ,but now he is bone of our bone1 and flesh of our flesh4 ,for in the fulness of time1 ,god sent forth his son1 made of a woman1 made under the law1 that he might redeem them which are under the law4 ,lo6 in the volume of the book1 it is written of him1 sacrifice and offerings for sin1 thou wouldest not2 but a body hast thou prepared for him4 ,a body subject to all the infirmities of our nature1 yet wholly free from the sinful principles1 and evil propensities of the human race4 ,his name shall be called ,immanuel1 which1 being interpreted1 is1 ,god with us1 ,god in our nature4#bh ,yes1 the uncreated word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory1 the glory as of the only begotten of the ,father1 full of grace and truth4 ,in him dwelt all the fullness of the ,godhead bodily4 ,the ,socinian may smile with contempt when the ,deity of ,jesus is attested1 but is it not written8 ,behold ye despisers1 and wonder and perish6 ,shall not he that sitteth upon the circle of the heavens1 laugh8--the ,lord shall have them in utter derision4 ,we would candidly confess1 there are mysteries in this doctrine above the powers of a finite mind fully to comprehend4 ,but are we1 for that cause1 to refuse our belief of its truth8 ,we should indeed be reduced to a most distressing dilemma1 if we were to disbelieve every thing we cannot fully comprehend4 ,who can discover or fully explain the nature1 order1 and beauteous economy1 displayed in the animate and inanimate creation8 ,they are so many problems unsolvable by man1 although by the dint of study1 many of the causes and effects by which we are encircled1 have been traced up to their mighty ,author1 and eagle-eyed genius has let in a world of wonders to our view2 yet much1 very much1 both in the heavens1 the earth1 and mighty deep1 remains enwrapt in clouds1 or thick darkness4 ,even in the formation of a blade of grass1 there are operations which man cannot define4 ,we enjoy the genial rays of heaven's bright luminary1 but who can prove to demonstration1 the sources from whence he has derived such a constant supply of matter1 as to furnish our system of worlds1 with light and heat for nearly six thousand years8 ,in short who can discover or fully explain the mysterious link which unites mind to matter8 ,but surely we do not allow ourselves to disbelieve the reality of their existence1 because we cannot enter into the minuti of their nature4 ,if there was nothing revealed1 in the ,new ,testament1 of the nature and person of ,christ1 but what we could fully comprehend1 we should then have some cause to refuse our assent to its truth1 and might confess it to be a cunningly devised fable4 ,but while great is the mystery of godliness1 remember it is ,god manifest in the flesh2 not ,god putting off his ,deity to take the human nature1 but it is the second person in the revealed order of the triune ,jehovah1 who takes our nature into union with his divine person1 and veils his ,godhead beneath the human flesh4 ,thus is ,god and man united in the person of our glorious ,immanuel2 and as if no proof should be wanting of his ,deity1 the angel ,gabriel when directing ,mary to call his name ,jesus1 added3 for he shall save his people from their sins4 ,thus did he give the most decided testimony to his ,godhead1 for who but ,god1 strictly speaking1 can claim a people as his own8 and none but ,god can save them from their sins4 ,in regard to the ,virgin ,mary1 we would cheerfully join in ,gabriel's salutation1 ,hail6 thou highly favoured of the ,lord2 but1 at the same time1 we would beg to observe a nice distinction with reference to ,mary1 who was only one of ,eve's daughters1 and1 though highly honoured of the ,lord in this particular instance1 an honour which never was or can be conferred on another2 yet ,mary's salvation depended on the same foundation as the rest of ,god's children1 and it is plain ,mary viewed it in the same light1 for we hear her saying1 ,my soul doth magnify the ,lord and my spirit doth rejoice in ,god my ,saviour4 ,mary was only a creature1 and consequently it is sinful to offer her adoration1 for it is written thou shalt worship the ,lord thy ,god1 and none other4 ,as to her having any particular interest at the court of heaven1 ,jesus has determined that point1 by saying1 ,woman what have ,i to do with thee1 mine hour is not yet come4 ,it is worthy observation1 that whenever ,jesus spoke of ,mary1 he invariably called her woman1 as if at once to silence all who he knew would in after ages bestow improper honours on the virgin4 ,when one said ,behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without desiring to speak with thee1 ,jesus pointed to his disciples1 and said1 behold my mother and my brethren2 and added1 whosoever shall do the will of my father who is in heaven1 the same is my mother1 and sister1 and brother4 ,whether ,mary had1 or had not children1 after the birth of ,jesus1 is to us a matter of no importance2 all it concerns us is to know she had none before4 #bg ,matt4 i4 #ah-be4 ,luke i4 #bf-ch4 #bh ,col4 ii4 #i4 #a ,cor4 xv4 #dg4 ,rom4 ix4 #e4 #a ,tim4 iii4 #af4 ,john i4 #a41 i4 #ad4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,but thou1 ,bethlehem ,ephratah1 though thou be little among the thousands of ,judah1 yet out of thee shall ,he come forth unto me1 that is to be ruler in ,israel2 whose goings forth have been from of old1 from everlasting4--,micah v4 #b4 ,we find ,boaz 7the husband of ,ruth7 was of ,bethlehem1 a small city belonging to the tribe of ,judah1 situate about five or six miles from ,jerusalem1 and his posterity continued to possess it for some time1 for it was the birth-place of ,david1 the son of ,jesse the ,bethlehemite1 great grandson to ,boaz4 ,this was the city from which1 according to prophecy1 the ,messiah should come4 ,if we examine the records left by the ,evangelists1 we shall find a decree was issued by ,augustus ,csar1 to tax all the people of the ,jews1 and every family was ordered to repair to the cities belonging to their respective tribes4 ,this it was1 which brought the ,virgin ,mary from ,nazareth to ,bethlehem1 she being of the house and lineage of ,david4 ,it is probable the whole family of ,david were cited to assemble for the purpose of being taxed2 it might be with a design to humble and mortify them1 for they had a rightful claim to the throne of ,judah4 ,if this had not been the case1 it is more than probable ,mary1 from her situation1 would have been permitted to remain at ,nazareth4 ,whatever were the motives of the civil authorities1 we have cause to bless our ,god for thus overruling events1 which distinctively considered were oppressive1 but now tend to establish the truth as it is in ,jesus4 ,what else1 humanly speaking1 could have brought ,mary1 a female in the humblest walk of life1 to ,bethlehem8--,if it were not for this circumstance1 we should have wanted this proof of ,jesus being the ,messiah2 for we are told1 he should be born at ,bethlehem1 a city little among the thousands of ,judah4#bi ,although a manger was the best accommodation offered for the royal babe1 yet his birth was not altogether unnoticed1 or passed by1 as an event of little importance2 for lo6 amidst the stillness of the night1 an angelic messenger is sent to announce to ,jewish shepherds1 the arrival of the chief ,shepherd4 ,no sooner are the glad tidings of great joy communicated1 but a multitude of the heavenly hosts1 who had followed with joyful haste1 make the air re-echo with sounds1 sweet as the music of heaven4 ,while charmed with the delightful melody1 and breathless to catch the strain1 we distinctly hear1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good-will towards men4 ,the next object which arrests our attention1 is a company of ,eastern philosophers1 who are come to pay their adorations to the sovereign stranger1 and to welcome his arrival4 ,but who could have directed them to this obscure retreat1 to find the infant ,king8 ,they were led thither1 by a star of peculiar motion1 appointed to direct these eastern sages 7probably ,chaldeans71 to ,israel's ,king4 ,but how ill did his appearance accord with the dignity of his character2 yet notwithstanding the poverty with which he was surrounded1 they worshipped him4 ,for he who was a babe at ,bethlehem1 by the mysterious union of the human nature with the divine person1 is the same whose goings forth have been from of old1 from everlasting4 ,we are told that when he went forth in the acts of creation1 the morning stars sang together1 and all the sons of ,god shouted for joy4 ,what wonder then if they tuned their golden harps afresh1 when he went forth to accomplish redemption's work1 which mystery the angels are represented as desiring to look into4 ,he is also described as a ,ruler not only in the armies of heaven1 and amongst the inhabitants of earth2 but1 in a more near and interesting sense1 does he reign and rule in the hearts of his redeemed4 ,the symbol of his authority is not an iron rod2 no1 he rules them with the sceptre of his love4 ,we would say ,gird on thy sword upon thy thigh1 ,o thou most mighty2 and go forth1 conquering and to conquer2 until every land shall own thy power1 and all the nations of the earth shall call the ,redeemer blessed4 ,may we imitate these eastern sages1 and not feel ashamed to confess our attachment to him1 who once appeared as an infant at ,bethlehem2 for it became him1 in taking our nature1 to assume it from its earliest state1 and in all things to be made like unto his brethren1 sin only excepted4 #bi ,it will be observed the chief priests and scribes1 in quoting this passage 7see ,matt4 ii4 #f47 have not given it correctly1 but have made it bend as much as possible to their ideas of a temporal prince4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 a voice was heard in ,ramah1 lamentation and bitter weeping2 ,rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children1 because they were not4--,jeremiah xxxi4 #ae4 ,it will not be difficult to discover the mourning prophet referred to the murder of the infants of ,bethlehem1 when it is remembered that ,rachel the beloved wife of ,jacob1 was the mother of ,benjamin1 which tribe1 with that of ,judah and the family of ,levi1 after the revolt of the ten tribes1 formed the kingdom of ,judah4 ,we are told the wise men came to ,jerusalem1 to inquire from the ,jews themselves1 at what place their long promised ,king should be born2 and when told ,bethlehem was the honoured spot1 they departed with a charge from ,herod1 then king of ,judah1 to return and bring him tidings1 that he also might go and worship the infant ,king4 ,but his hypocrisy was soon discovered4 ,under pretence1 that the wise men had offered him an insult in not returning to ,jerusalem1 he issued an order1 to destroy all the children in ,bethlehem1 from two years old and under4 ,an order in every point of view1 most cruel1 unjust1 and cowardly1 and which the most hardened wretch must have shuddered to execute4 ,the mind cannot conceive an act of greater barbarity1 than the murder of so many innocent babes1 in order to be sure of one1 even the holy child ,jesus4 ,it does not appear that any of their parents had offended the cowardly tyrant1 whose heart was harder than the nether mill-stone4 ,what wonder if the voice of lamentation and wo was heard1 when the murderer's sword was 7to use the prophet's language7 made drunk with blood1 with the blood of helpless infants1 who were torn from the arms of those who would gladly have shed their own blood in the rescue of their babes2 but the armed ruffian band1 like their master1 were insensible to pity1 and deaf to the cry of mercy4 ,well might ,rachel1 a mother in ,israel1 have wept1 had she witnessed this cruel order executed on the infants of her race6 ,how enviable the lot of those youthful martyrs for the cause of ,christ1 compared to his1 who1 though seated on a throne1 trembled at the name of ,jesus1 even when an infant at ,bethlehem4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,for unto us a child is born1 unto us a son is given3 and the government shall be upon his shoulder3 and his name shall be called ,wonderful1 ,counsellor1 ,the ,mighty ,god1 ,the ,everlasting ,father1 ,the ,prince of ,peace4--,isaiah ix4 #f1 #g4 ,these words1 like numerous other passages in the word of ,god1 are far too sublime to be attached to a mere creature2 at the same time1 they certainly express ideas which cannot be attributed to ,deity4 ,unto us a child is born1 unto us a son is given1 is language improper to be applied to ,godhead1 while the ,mighty ,god1 the ,everlasting ,father1 are titles too ,godlike to belong to humanity4 ,in what light are we to view them1 if not as descriptive of the person of the ,god-man1 ,christ ,jesus8 ,to whom but the ,messiah1 are we to apply this1 and the many expressions of a similar kind1 which we find so profusely scattered through the sacred volume8 ,it is to the wonderful person of the ,messiah1 ,god united to the man ,christ ,jesus1 that we direct our thoughts1 as the glorious object presented to the faith of the patriarchs and ancient ,israel of ,god4 ,to him give all the prophets witness4 ,all the types prefigure him4 ,all the shadows are designed to represent him1 the substance4 ,he is exhibited to our view in a variety of characters1 relations1 and offices2 and is not ,god and man1 united in one complex person1 clearly revealed in this prophecy8 ,let us apply it to ,jesus3--,unto us a child is born1 unto us a son is given4 ,behold him6 a babe at ,bethlehem1 subject to all the wants1 weakness and helplessness connected with a state of infancy and childhood2 such was the holy child ,jesus4 ,unto us a son is given1 who is acknowledged to be of ,david's royal line2 yet this son of humanity1 is also declared to be the only begotten ,son of ,god1 a ,son who is the brightness of his ,father's glory1 and the express image of his person4 ,but this ,son is not given as a ,saviour to fallen angels1 they are passed by1 although possessed of faculties and powers1 far superior to the sons of earth2 ,god so loved the world as to give his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in him1 should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,yes1 ,christ is the gift of ,god1 and the richest1 ,god could bestow2 he parted with the choicest jewel in the treasury of heaven2 and ,god has not such another son to give1 even if the redemption of ten thousand worlds required it4 ,how amazing the love that could prompt even ,god1 to deliver up such a son2 a son1 in whom he declared himself always well pleased2 a son whom all the angels of ,god are commanded to worship2 yet he was given up to shame1 reproach1 and sufferings2 yea1 his ,father became the chief executioner4 ,it pleased the ,father to bruise him1 and put him to shame4 ,well might the prophet exclaim1 ,wonder ,o heaven and be astonished ,o earth6 ,jesus declared that1 as the son of man1 all power in heaven and earth was given to him2 and surely the government ought to be on his shoulders1 for who so fit to manage all1 as he who is the ,wonderful ,counsellor2 he who1 from all eternity1 knew the plans and counsels of ,jehovah1 and with whom he concerted and contrived the creation and redemption of man2 and was it not between the ,father and this ,son1 that the council of peace was settled and established1 and is it not a covenant well ordered in all things#cj and sure1 and does not that part of it published to us in the written word1 proclaim it the work of a ,wonderful ,counsellor8 ,he indeed is wonderful1 both in his person and work3 the wonders of his love are here past finding out2 the wonders of his grace are now unsearchable1 and it is reserved for an eternity to discover all the mysteries in the ,wonderful ,person of the ,god-man1 ,christ ,jesus1 which are here incomprehensible4 #cj ,zech4 vi4 #ac ,are we not told that the child born1 the son given1 is the mighty ,god8 which must surely mean1 that the same divine essence dwells in the ,father and the ,son2 that it is one true and essential ,godhead1 dwelling in the person of the ,father1 ,son1 and ,spirit2 not that they are three ,gods1 but three distinct persons1 constituting one ,godhead8--7,does not the body and spirit form one man87 ,is not the ,son declared equal to the ,father as touching his ,godhead8 ,are not their names more descriptive of the relations they sustain in the scheme of ,redemption1 than indicative of any superiority or inferiority in their essence1 or ,godhead8 ,is it not the second person in the glorious ,trinity1 who has taken the human nature into union with his divine person8 ,and are not ,god and man united in the complex person of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 ,israel's long promised and expected ,messiah8 ,his humanity is fully proved by his birth1 life1 and death2 and his ,deity is fully attested in the strongest language1 for to whom the names1 titles1 attributes1 works and prerogatives of ,god are ascribed1 and declared to belong1 surely1 ,he must be the true ,god2 and we have only to search the record of truth1 and we shall find ascribed to him1 all the distinguishing names and titles of ,god1 as3-- ,jehovah1 or the ,lord1--,isaiah vi4 #a4 #i1 #aj4 ,john xii4 #cg-da4 ,isaiah xlv4 #bd1 #be4 ,rom4 v4 #ah4 #b ,cor4 v4 #ba4 ,psalm lxxxiii4 #ah4 ,isaiah xlii4 #h41 xlv4 #e1 #f4 ,jeremiah xxiii4 #f4 #a ,cor4 i4 #cj4 ,zech4 xi4 #ab1 #ac4 ,math4 xxvii4 #i1 #aj4 ,the true ,god1--,john i4 #b41 xvii4 #c4 #a ,john v4 #bj1 #ba4 ,the ,great and ,mighty ,god1--,deut4 x4 #ag4 ,jer4 xxxii4 #ah1 #ai4 ,isaiah ix4 #f4 ,titus ii4 #ac4 ,the only ,god1--,rom4 xiv4 #i1 #aj1 #aa1 #ab4 ,deut4 iv4 #ce4 #ci4 ,isaiah xlv4 #e4 #ae4 #ah4 #ba-be4 ,the only wise ,god1--,eph4 iii4 #be1 #bf1 #bg4 ,jude #bd1 #be4 ,rom4 xvi4 #bg4 #a ,tim i4 #ag4 ,god blessed for ever1--,rom4 i4 #be4 #b ,cor4 xi4 #ca4 ,rom4 ix4 #e4 ,king of ,kings1 and ,lord of ,lords1--#a ,tim4 vi4 #ad1 #ae1 #af4 ,rev4 xvii4 #ad41 xix4 #ac4 #af4 ,deut4 x4 #ag4 ,the ,lord of ,hosts1--#b ,sam4 vi4 #b41 vii4 #bf4 ,psalm xxiv4 #aj4 ,isaiah i4 #bd41 vi4 #c41 viii4 #ac1 #ad41 xliv4 #f4 ,hosea xii4 #d1 #e4 ,isaiah viii4 #ac1 #ad41 xxviii4 #af4 ,psalm cxviii4 #bb4 ,matt4 xxi4 #db4 #dd4 ,luke xx4 #ag1 #ah4 #a ,peter ii4 #f1 #g1 #h4 ,hosea xii4 #d1 #e4 ,isaiah liv4 #e4 ,rom4 ix4 #cc41 x4 #aa4 ,the ,first and the ,last1--,isaiah xli4 #d41 xliv4 #f41 xlviii4 #aa1 #ab4 ,rev4 i4 #h4 #aa4 #ag1 #ah41 ii4 #h4 ,all the attributes of ,god ascribed to ,christ4 ,omniscience1--#a ,kings viii4 #ci4 ,isaiah xli4 #ba1 #bb1 #bc4 ,jer4 xvii4 #i1 #aj4 ,matt4 xii4 #be4 ,john ii4 #bd1 #be41 xxi4 #ag4 ,rev4 ii4 #bc4 ,omnipresence1--,psalm xxiii4 #d41 cxxxix4 #g-aj4 ,isaiah xli4 #aj41 xliii4 #e4 ,jer4 xxiii4 #bd4 ,matt4 xviii4 #bj41 xxviii4 #bj4 ,eph4 i4 #bc4 ,omnipotence1--,gen4 xvii4 #a41 xxxv4 #aa41 xlviii4 #c4 ,phil4 iii4 #ba4 ,rev4 i4 #h4 ,eternity1--,psalm xlv4 #f41 xc4 #b4 ,isaiah xliv4 #f4 ,heb4 i4 #h41 vii4 #c4 ,rev4 i4 #ah41 ii4 #h4 ,immutability1--,mal4 iii4 #f4 ,heb4 i4 #ab41 xiii4 #h41 i4 #h4 ,divine works ascribed to ,christ4 ,creation of the world1--,gen4 i4 #a4 ,psalm cii4 #be1 #bf1 #bg4 ,isaiah xliv4 #bd4 ,john i4 #a1 #b1 #c4 #aj4 ,col4 i4 #af1 #ag4 ,heb4 i4 #c4 #aj41 iii4 #d4 ,final ,judgment of the world1--,psalm #a4 #f4 ,matt4 xxv4 #ca-df4 ,john v4 #ba1 #bb4 #be4 #bg4 ,rom4 iii4 #f41 xiv4 #aj4 #b ,tim4 iv4 #a4 #b ,cor4 v4 #aj4 ,the ,prerogatives of ,god ascribed to ,christ4 ,to forgive sin1--,isaiah xliii4 #be4 ,matt4 ii4 #e4 #aj4 ,acts vii4 #ei1 #fj4 ,col4 iii4 #ac4 ,to ,baptise with the ,holy ,ghost1--,joel ii4 #bh1 #bi4 ,neh4 ix4 #bj4 ,zech4 xii4 #aj4 ,matt4 iii4 #aa4 ,acts i4 #e41 ii4 #cc4 ,john vii4 #ci41 xvi4 #g4 ,eph4 iv4 #h4 ,the ,kingdom and ,honours of ,god ascribed to ,christ4 ,an everlasting ,kingdom--,psalm xxix4 #aj41 xlv4 #f1 #g4 ,heb4 i4 #h4 ,an universal ,kingdom1--,psalm ciii4 #ai4 ,john xvii4 #aj4 ,acts x4 #cf4 ,rom4 x4 #ab4 ,divine ,worship1--,deut4 vi4 #ac1 #ad1 #ae41 x4 #bj4 ,exod4 xxxiv4 #ad4 ,psalm xlv4 #aa4 ,matt4 iv4 #aj4 ,john v4 #bc41 xiv4 #a41 xx4 #bh4 ,acts vii4 #ei4 ,rom x4 #ac41 xiv4 #aa41 xv4 #ab4 ,rev4 v4 #ac4 ,is not ,god represented in his word1 as highly jealous of his honour1 and has he not solemnly declared1 that he will not give his glory to another8 ,then1 if ,christ is not equal to the ,lord of ,hosts1 whence is it1 that the great ,god does allow1 and sanction1 his distinguishing names1 titles1 attributes and works1 to be ascribed to ,jesus8 ,can we imagine ,god to be unmindful of his own honour1 or so unkind to his creatures1 as to permit those names so descriptive of ,deity1 to be applied to any mere creature1 however superior1 or exalted8 ,has he not pronounced an awful curse on those who worship any but the true ,god8 ,can we suppose the blessed ,god so inattentive to the happiness of his creatures1 as to suffer in his revealed word1 language so strikingly calculated to lead men into a belief of the ,deity of ,jesus1 if in fact he was not ,god8 ,no1 the ,god of ,truth does not trifle thus with the children of men4 ,he has set all the great and fundamental doctrines of the gospel in the fore-ground2 all truths that are essential to be known in order to salvation1 are written as with a sunbeam2 the ,deity of ,jesus1 foremost of the whole1 is so plain1 that he who runs may read1 and the wayfaring man1 though a fool1 cannot err therein4 ,it does not require superior intellectual powers or attainments1 to learn that ,jesus is the ,christ of ,god2 but it does require art and skill in criticism1 to give any other sense to the word of ,god4 ,there are persons1 who deny the ,godhead of ,jesus1 and yet acknowledge him a being of exalted virtue1 and a model of perfection1 worthy of imitation4 ,but do they not1 in robbing him of ,deity1 destroy all his claim to our attention8 in fact do they not make him an impostor and deceiver8 ,do they not1 with the ,jews1 raise the cry of blasphemy against him8 and bring him under the curse and punishment pronounced by the eternal and unchangeable ,jehovah1 against every blasphemer8 ,do we not hear ,jesus saying--,i and my ,father are one1 the ,father dwelleth in me1 and ,i in him1 he that hath seen me1 hath seen the ,father also8 ,and did he not demand all men1 to honour the ,son1 even as they honour the ,father8 ,did he not declare himself equal to the ,father1 and did not the ,jews so understand him1 when they took up stones to stone him1 because he being man1 made himself equal with ,god8 ,yes1 ,jesus proclaimed his ,godhead2 he allowed and encouraged religious worship to be paid him2 in truth1 he claimed all the belief and honours due to ,deity4 ,surely then1 if he is not ,god1 he has forfeited all claim to our regard and veneration1 and appears as a false prophet and teacher2 but the mind shudders at imputing deception there4 ,blessed ,jesus6 may ,i1 with ,thomas1 acknowledge thee1 from a full conviction of thy ,divinity1 to be my ,lord and my ,god4 ,thou hast declared thyself to be the ,son of ,god with power1 by thy resurrection from the dead4 ,hail6 thou ,wonderful ,counsellor1 thou ,mighty ,god1 thou ,everlasting ,father2 thou who didst from eternity engage to be the ,father and head of thy ,church2 thou who art the second ,adam1 the ,lord from heaven2 thou who watchest over thy ,church with more than fatherly care2 who suppliest all their wants1 healest all their diseases1 and who1 in love1 dost chasten every son whom thou receivest1 and wilt at the last great day1 present thyself with them to the ,father1 saying1 ,behold ,i and the children whom thou hast given me4 ,yes1 thou art the everlasting ,father1 the ,prince of ,peace2 and who so calculated to make peace between ,god and man1 as he in whose person they are both united8 ,he has peace to make between heaven and earth4 ,he can know and satisfy the honour of ,god1 for he is ,god2 he can feel the wants and sorrows of man1 for he is bone of our bone1 and flesh of our flesh4 ,when he entered our world1 was there not a proclamation of peace on earth1 and good will to man8 ,yes1 for the ,prince of ,peace was come1 to make peace and reconciliation1 by the blood of his cross4 ,he is a successful ,peace-maker2 he is1 in fact1 the only ,mediator between ,god and man2 nor is he yet weary of his office1 but ever liveth to make intercession for us4 ,hail6 thou ,prince of ,peace4 ,did not this glorious ,mediator love to manifest himself in that character to the ,church1 from the earliest ages of the world8 ,did he not honour many of the patriarchs and prophets with a display of his person8 ,was it not the ,messiah1 who appeared to the ,old ,testament saints8 ,has he not ever been the only visible image of the invisible ,god8 ,are we not told that no man hath seen the ,father1 save the only begotten of the ,father1 who came down from heaven8 ,do we not find an opinion generally prevalent amongst the ancient ,jews1 that no man could see the face of ,god1 and live8 ,moses1 and the assembled multitude at mount ,sinai1 were of this opinion4 ,isaiah exclaimed1 ,wo is me1 ,i am undone1 for ,i have seen the ,king1 the ,lord of hosts4 ,manoah1 ,ezekiel1 ,daniel1 ,amos1 and the other ancient worthies to whom ,god appeared1 were filled with the same awful apprehensions4 ,is it not more than probable1 that ,god1 in the person of the ,father1 has ever been invisible to the inhabitants of earth8 ,would not the true majesty1 and splendour of ,godhead be more than man in his present state could bear8 ,might not the sight of unclouded ,deity destroy a body of flesh8 ,are not all those passages where the great ,god is said to appear and converse with his creatures1 more applicable to the ,god-man1 ,christ ,jesus1 than to the first person of the sacred ,trinity8 ,is it not more becoming him1 who1 in after ages1 was to take on him a body of flesh and blood1 to appear as man1 than that ,god the ,father1 should do so8 ,were not the three men who appeared to ,abraham in the plains of ,mamre1 as he sat at his tent door1 in the heat of the day1 this ,messiah ,god-man1 attended by two angels2 and were not the two angels sent forward to destroy ,sodom1 while the ,lord tarried behind to hear the intercession of ,abraham1 for that devoted city8 ,was not the same glorious personage the man with whom ,jacob wrestled1 when he is said to have had power with ,god and to have prevailed8 ,was he not that ,angel of ,god's presence1 who led the children of ,israel into ,canaan1 of whom ,god said1 beware of him1 and obey his voice1 provoke him not1 for he will not pardon your transgressions2 for my name is in him8 ,did he not also appear to ,joshua1 as ,captain of the ,lord's hosts8 ,did he not in vision appear in the same form to ,ezekiel and ,daniel1 as he afterwards did to ,john1 in the ,isle of ,patmos8 ,and are not all the other passages1 of a similar kind1 equally applicable to the ,christ of ,god8 ,can we not enter into the prophet's meaning1 and set our seal to the glorious truth1 that unto us a ,child is born1 unto us a ,son is given1 and the government shall be upon his shoulder1 and his name shall be called ,wonderful1 ,counsellor1 the ,mighty ,god1 the ,everlasting ,father1 the ,prince of ,peace8 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,and in the days of these kings shall the ,god of heaven set up a kingdom1 which shall never be destroyed3 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people1 but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms1 and it shall stand for ever4--,daniel ii4 #dd4 ,the book of ,daniel contains some very striking prophecies4 ,the chapter from which this is selected1 is not amongst the least interesting4 ,the interpretation given by him to the king of ,babylon's dream1 demands our particular attention4 ,he speaks of four kingdoms1 as represented by the image4#ca ,the first1 or head of gold1 is the ,chaldean monarchy2 which gives way to that figured by the arms of silver1 the kingdoms of ,media and ,persia4 ,this is succeeded by the ,grecian1 represented by the brass4 ,then follows the fourth or iron1 which is the ,roman power1 in the days of whose kings1 shall the ,god of heaven set up a kingdom1 which shall never be destroyed1 c4 c4 ,we will search for proofs of its accomplishment4 ,daniel was an ,israelitish captive at ,babylon1 and when he wrote the first part of his prophetical book1 the kingdom of ,chaldea was first in the scale of nations4 ,in earthly pomp and grandeur it surpassed all other states4 ,the land of ,judea was then in its possession1 and her people1 its captives4 ,its capital1 the mighty ,babylon1 was1 from the solidity of its walls1 the strength of its fortifications1 and its gates of brass1 considered impregnable2 but1 agreeably to scripture prophecy1#cb the city was taken by ,cyrus3 he entered it by the channel of the river ,euphrates1 whose waters he had directed into another course2 and during a night of riotous festivity1 in which the ,babylonians had forgotten to shut their brasen gates1 the city was taken by ,cyrus1 whom the ,lord1 at least one hundred and seventy years before1 named as his servant to destroy the kingdom of ,chaldea for their cruel treatment of his captive ,israel4 ,cyrus1 the conqueror of ,babylon 7who issued a proclamation for the ,jews to return to their beloved ,jerusalem after seventy years captivity7 was heir to the throne of ,persia2 and succeeded to that of ,media1 by virtue of his marriage with the daughter of ,cyaxares 7otherwise ,darius7 his uncle4 ,the kingdoms of ,media and ,persia thus united under ,cyrus 7after the overthrow of ,babylon7 obtained the supremacy of the world1 and preserved that pre-eminence two hundred and six years1 when it was subdued by ,alexander1 styled the great1 whose dissatisfaction amidst the shouts of victory1 and the dazzling accompaniments of power1 strikingly show the fallacy of seeking true happiness from sublunary objects4 ,alexander founded the ,grecian empire1 which continued one hundred and seventy seven years1 when it was compelled to submit to ,rome's conquering legions1 to whom all nations bowed1 and1 by tribute1 acknowledged as their superior4 ,in the days of these kings1 did the ,god of heaven set up a kingdom1 which shall never be destroyed3 yes1 in the reign of ,augustus1 did the mighty ,king ,jesus first openly declare and set up his great spiritual kingdom4 ,its beginning1 to human appearance1 was small and unpromising4 ,yet1 this stone which was cut out without hands1 7i4 e47 without human power or worldly policy1 shall become a great mountain1 and fill the whole earth4 ,it is true1 the ,jewish nation expected the ,messiah to come1 surrounded by all the splendours of eastern magnificence2 that he would deliver them from the ,roman power1 and1 after a reign more glorious than ,solomon's1 establish a kingdom which should remain unshaken till time shall be no more4 ,but1 shall the unchangeable ,jehovah alter his purposes or mould his plans1 to meet the idle fancies or short-sighted schemes of the children of men8 ,no1 the ,messiah has appeared1 not in the style they had anticipated1 but in the manner most agreeable to the mind of infinite ,wisdom4 ,yet1 because he did not assume the gaudy trappings of earthly state1 the ,jews reject him1 and vainly look for another1 although he appeared at the time predicted4 ,the ,roman power is now laid low1 and according to all their prophecies1 the period is passed when he1 of whom ,moses and the prophets did write1 should appear4 ,jesus far exceeds in real excellence1 even their own highly coloured portrait1 for the blessings of his reign extend to ages yet unborn4 ,they expected a temporal king1 but no2 the land of ,canaan1 although the glory of all lands1 was far too insignificant for him to accept as the sphere of his government4 ,he shall sway his kingly sceptre1 not only over ,judea's fruitful land2 but his dominions extend from sea to sea1 and from the river even to the ends of the earth4 ,the mightiest monarchies are often swept away1 as by the besom of destruction1 and all are compelled to submit to the iron hand of time2 yet his1 is an everlasting kingdom1 which cannot be moved by the revolutions of nations1 but shall continue firm and unshaken even amidst the crash of worlds4 ,it was expected the ,messiah would deliver them from the ,roman power2 but mark1 it was said1 his name shall be called ,jesus1 for he shall save his people 7not from their temporal oppressor but7 from their sins4#cc ,surely it must be confessed1 that earth's greatest conqueror1 is far below him who delivers from the bondage of sin and satan1 which is the worst of slavery4 ,yes1 ,jesus saves his people1 the true ,israel of ,god1 from the consequences and power of sin2 from the former1 by bearing the punishment himself1 and from the latter1 by his ,spirit implanted in their hearts4 ,the kingdom shall not be left to other people1 but he will constantly direct and order all its affairs1 and he shall reign and rule for ever4 #ca ,dan4 ii4 #ca-de41 vii4 #a-bg4 #cb ,isaiah xlv4 #a-d4 #cc ,matt4 i4 #ba4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,when ,israel was a child1 then ,i loved him1 and called my son out of ,egypt4--,hosea xi4 #a4 ,we cannot entertain a doubt that this verse alludes to the call of the children of ,israel from ,egypt1 yet we are not to suppose it refers exclusively to that event1 but we are to behold it pointing to ,israel's ,lord4 ,christ is said to be the husband of his ,church1 and they are both called by the name of ,israel2#cd and this verse is only one amongst the many instances which occur in the ,old ,testament4 ,the patriarch ,jacob1 or 7as he was surnamed by ,god7 ,israel1 went with his descendants into ,egypt1 for shelter and sustenance in the days of famine1 but they were afterwards cruelly entreated four hundred years2 from which state of oppression and bondage1 the ,lord called and delivered them4 ,in after ages ,jesus1 ,god's beloved son1 our ,israel1 was taken into ,egypt1 to avoid the persecution of ,herod2 and when that tyrant was dead1 ,god called the holy child ,jesus from that land of heathens1 by the ministration of an angel4 ,in ,egypt1 ,israel was first formed into a church2 and thither did the great head of the ,church also go2 and the ,holy ,ghost1 by the evangelist ,matthew1 has stated1 that it was on purpose to fulfil this prediction4 ,that ,jesus was as much the beloved of the ,father1 when tabernacling here below1 as when he lay in the ,father's bosom1 cannot be doubted2#ce indeed1 all the honours of his mediatorial kingdom1 are the fruits of his humiliation and suffering4 ,we hear him saying1 for this cause doth my ,father love me1 because ,i lay down my life1 that ,i might take it again4 #cd ,isaiah xliv4 #ba41 xlix4 #c4 #ce ,matt4 iii4 #ag4 xvii4 #e4 ,mark i4 #aa41 ix4 #g4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,her ,nazarites were purer than snow1 they were whiter than milk1 they were more ruddy in body than rubies1 their polishing was of sapphire3 ,their visage is blacker than a coal2 they are not known in the streets3 their skin cleaveth to their bones2 it is withered1 it is become like a stick4--,lamentations iv4 #g1 #h4 ,in the ,old ,testament we find a description of the order of the ,nazarites and their laws2 we discover a ,nazarite to be one set apart or separated for the ,lord1 either for a given time1 as in the case of a vow1 or for life1 as ,sampson1 who was a ,nazarite from his birth4#cf ,the order was one of ,israel's glories2 for the ,lord when enumerating some of the many honours conferred by him on the nation1 adds2 and ,i raised up of your young men to be ,nazarites4 ,they were all so many types1 pointing to the one great ,nazarite1 even ,jesus2 whom it will not be difficult to recognise1 under this description4 ,jesus is the true ,nazarite unto ,god1 in the eternal council of peace2 he was set apart to accomplish the ,lord's great work of redemption4#cg ,of him it can truly be said1 he is purer than snow1 and whiter than milk3 he1 and he alone1 is free from the least spot or stain of sin3 being holy1 harmless1 undefiled1 and separate from sinners4 ,the ,church describes her ,lord1 as white and ruddy2 as the altogether lovely and the chiefest among ten thousand4 ,yet when tabernacling here below his visage was so marred more than any man's1 and his form more than the sons of men3 when seen in our streets he had no form1 comeliness1 nor beauty1 that those who saw him should desire him4 ,this lamentation of the prophet was called forth1 by the state of misery and wretchedness1 to which the ,chaldeans had reduced the nation2 yet it had a peculiar reference to him1 who in after ages was known by the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,no doubt his having resided in a town of that name1 was one cause of his having so universally obtained the appellation4 ,we find it used by the band of armed men when they came to apprehend him1 and by the maid-servant in the hall2 ,pilate affixed it to the cross2 the devils used it4 ,it was also used by blind ,bartimeus2 by the apostles1 both before1 and after their ,lord's resurrection2 by the angels at the tomb1 and by ,jesus himself4 ,and by the power of the name of ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 was one lame from his birth made to leap1 arise1 and walk4#ch ,we are told the word is derived from ,natzar1 which signifies a branch2 and is not ,jesus described as the man whose name is the ,branch8 yes1 he is the branch out of ,jesse's root1 whom the ,lord has made strong for himself4 #cf ,numbers vi4 #b1 #c4 #ac4 #ah-ba4 ,judges xiii4 #e #g41 xvi4 #ag4 #cg ,hebrews ix4 #ad4 #b ,tim4 i4 #i4 #ch ,the first who appears to have called our ,lord1 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 was the ,devil in the person of the poor maniac1 and is it not probable that ,satan influenced the minds of men to give him that distinction with a view to deceive them as to the place of his birth2 which was not at ,nazareth1 but at ,bethlehem8 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,the spirit of the ,lord ,god is upon me2 because the ,lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek3 he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted1 to proclaim liberty to the captives1 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the ,lord1 and the day of vengeance of our ,god2 to comfort all that mourn4--,isaiah lxi4 #a1 #b1 #c4 ,this is one of the many descriptions we meet with of the ,messiah1 who is represented as being especially anointed to his office4#ci ,we cannot be at a loss for a satisfactory proof of the fulfilment of this prophecy1 in the person of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,he did not come forth unsent or unanointed4 ,when he publicly entered on the great work of his mission1 he was anointed to the office by the visible outpouring of the ,spirit4 ,we are told1 that immediately after his baptism in the waters of ,jordan1 the heavens were opened1 and the ,spirit of ,god1 as a dove1 descended and lighted upon him2 and a voice was heard from heaven1 saying1 this is my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4 ,thus we hear the ,father bearing testimony to the person of the ,son1 and we see the ,holy ,spirit descending and resting on ,jesus4 ,thus1 did the three persons of the glorious ,trinity1 at one time1 distinctly manifest themselves1 and that at the entrance of ,jesus on his great work4 ,it may be proper to observe that1 as ,god1 he needed not the anointing of the ,spirit1 for in him dwelt all the fullness of the ,godhead bodily4 ,it was the human nature of the ,god-man1 ,christ ,jesus1 that was anointed to the great office of mediator1 which work he had before1 by covenant1 engaged to perform4 ,to him1 the ,spirit was not given in a limited measure2 he is the ,wonderful ,counsellor2 in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge4 ,it would be a recapitulation of a great part of the ,new ,testament1 to shew the exact method in which this prophecy was fulfilled4 ,when the disciples of ,john came to ,jesus1 to inquire if he really was the ,messiah1 he1 as one confirmation of the fact1 told them that to the poor he preached the gospel4 ,yes1 we find ,jesus1 when on earth1 spending a great part of the three years and a half of his public ministry in journeying to the towns and villages1 publishing the glad tidings of great joy1 of which angels were once the honoured messengers1 namely1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good will towards men4 ,the common people1 we are told1 heard him gladly4 ,jesus can1 with much propriety and justice1 proclaim liberty to the captive1 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound2 he can say1 with authority1 deliver him from going down to the pit1 ,i have found a ransom4 ,jesus is also ,king in ,zion1 whose mourners he will never fail to comfort2 they can celebrate their ,lord's mercies in the language of the ,church of old1 ,sing1 ,o heavens1 and be joyful1 ,o earth2 and break forth into singing1 ,o mountains2 for the ,lord hath comforted his people1 and will have mercy upon his afflicted4 ,we cannot find an instance on record of any persons who in their trouble fled to ,jesus when on earth1 but whatever was the nature of their distress1 he always removed it4 ,we also hear him proclaiming the acceptable year of the ,lord1 saying1 ,come now2 even to-day1 if ye will hear my voice2 now is the accepted time1 now is the day of salvation4 ,while he proclaims the year of his redeemed1 he does not neglect to publish the day of vengeance of our ,god4 ,though he delight in words of mercy and of comfort1 he does not shun to declare the whole counsel of ,god4 ,as a faithful monitor1 we repeatedly hear him urging sinners to flee from the wrath to come1 and solemnly warning them of the fearful punishment awaiting those1 who reject the counsel of ,god against their own souls4#dj ,nor did he fail to speak in the strongest language of the miseries which will be the portion of those1 in another world1 who1 in this1 reject and disobey him4 ,when ,jesus read aloud this prophecy in the ,jewish synagogue1 and declared it was that day fulfilled2 we are told all the people bear him witness1 and wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth4 ,every one who reads the history of ,jesus with a candid mind1 must be constrained to acknowledge that through every part of his active and eventful life1 his conduct manifested1 that the ,spirit of the ,lord rested upon him2 that his was the spirit of wisdom and understanding1 the spirit of counsel and of might1 the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the ,lord4 #ci ,psalm xlv4 #g4 #dj ,hebrews x4 #bh4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,for he shall give his angels charge over thee1 to keep thee in all thy ways4 ,they shall bear thee up in their hands1 lest thou dash thy foot against a stone4--,psalm xci4 #aa1 #ab4 ,the psalm from which this is taken1 describes1 in glowing language1 the blessed state of those who have ,god for their refuge2 but we are not to limit the entire application of these verses to the sons of men4 ,we find they have a reference to the ,god-,man1 ,christ ,jesus4 ,at his first entrance on the great work of his mission1 he was for forty days and nights tempted by ,satan1 during which time the devil made use of every artifice to tempt and destroy him4 ,amongst other schemes1 he set ,jesus on a pinnacle of the temple1 and desired him to prove his ,godhead1 by casting himself down from the height2 for he said1 it was written that the angels of ,god had charge concerning him1 and in their hands they were to bear him up1 lest at any time he dash his foot against a stone4 ,jesus gave other proof of his ,deity than ,satan desired3 he told him he should not tempt the ,lord his ,god1 and he also added ,get thee hence ,satan1 for it is written1 thou shalt worship the ,lord thy ,god1 and him only shalt thou serve4 ,it is an undeniable fact that when ,jesus was on earth1 the devils knew his person and publicly acknowledged his ,godhead4 ,yes1 angels and devils own his power2 and shall the sons of earth whom he formed from the dust1 be the last to confess a truth which is acknowledged by all in heaven and hell--by the wisest and best created intelligences1 and by the fallen angels1 who were expelled the heavenly mansions1 and consigned to the lake of fire and brimstone1 for rebelling against the authority of the great ,mediator between ,god and man1#da who was1 in after ages1 known by the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 #da ,daniel xii4 #a4 ,revelations xii4 #g4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,and ,i will shake all nations1 and the desire of all nations shall come3 and ,i will fill this house with glory1 saith the ,lord of hosts4 ,the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former1 saith the ,lord of hosts2 and in this place will ,i give peace1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts4--,haggai ii4 #g1 #i4 ,haggai prophesied at that period of the ,church's history1 when1 after the return from the ,babylonish captivity1 the ,jews built the second temple3 on which occasion1 we are told the young men shouted for joy2 but the old men wept1#db for they had seen the glory of the former house1 in comparison with which1 the second was nothing4 ,but the ,lord commissioned ,haggai to inform them1 for their comfort1 that the glory of the latter house should be greater than of the former4 ,it appears by the descriptions given us of the temple built by ,solomon1 that it surpassed in grandeur and magnificence all other buildings1 which in any age have appeared to astonish and delight the world4 ,it has never been equalled1 either as it respects the grandeur of the design1 or the richness of its internal decorations2 a great part was overlaid with pure gold4 ,but these were not the most glorious distinctions of the former house4 ,it contained the ,ark1 with the mercy seat and cherubim2#dc the ,urim and ,thummim1#dd the spirit of prophecy1#de the holy fire1#df and the ,shechinah1 or ,divine ,presence4#dg ,the ,jews themselves must confess that the second temple was destitute of these five signs1 which so eminently distinguished the first house4 ,we hear nothing of them after the ,babylonish captivity4 ,well might the old men weep1 for ,ichabod 7the glory is departed7 might with much propriety1 have been written on the walls of their newly erected temple4 ,it was afterwards considerably injured during the wars1 but was repaired and beautified by ,herod2 yet none1 when speaking of the splendour of the temple1 can allow it to bear any comparison with the one built by ,solomon3 yet the ,lord hath said1 the glory of the latter house should be greater than of the former2 and ,god is not unmindful of his promises1 nor has he ever neglected to fulfil them4 ,we will therefore endeavour to discover if this has not been accomplished4 ,we observe1 that the ,lord would first shake all nations2 and the desire of all nations should come2 and then would he fill the house with glory4 ,this promise was made shortly after the return of the ,jews from ,babylon2 which kingdom had been shaken to its centre1 as were also in succession the kingdoms of ,persia and ,greece4 ,the thrones and power of their kings had been subverted1 the nations almost annihilated2 and ,rome was the mistress of the world1 when ,jesus1 the desire of all nations1 appeared4 ,perhaps it may be said1 that few nations had even heard of the promised ,messiah1 and still fewer desired his coming4 ,but do not the guilty sigh for pardon1 the captives for liberty1 the oppressed for a deliverer8 does not the debtor need a surety2 the weary and heavy laden rest2 the diseased a physician2 the young a guide2 the aged a support2 the distressed a comforter2 the hungry food2 the thirsty water2 the ignorant an instructor2 and the wanderer shelter8 ,that these things are desired by all people and nations1 none can deny2 but it is in ,christ alone we can find a supply for all our spiritual wants1 and a remedy for these1 and a long list of unmentioned ills4 ,in ,jesus there is a fulness to supply all our need4 ,he has pardon for the guilty1 liberty for the captive2 he is the surety of the debtor1 and the physician of the sin-sick soul2 he will be a guide to youth1 and even to hoar hairs he will be with them2 he is the water of life1 and the bread that cometh down from heaven2 his flesh is meat indeed1 and his blood drink indeed3 he will teach the ignorant wisdom1 and deliver the oppressed2 he calls to him the weary and heavy laden1 promising to give them rest2 he bids the mourner be of good comfort1 for he will give the oil of joy for mourning1 and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness2 and truly he is the refuge of the destitute4 ,in short1 it is only in him1 and from him1 we can find supplies for all our spiritual wants2 with him is life1 light1 liberty1 and joy4 ,surely if all nations did but know him1 all nations would love him too2 for he is justly described by the ,church as the altogether lovely1 and the chiefest amongst ten thousand4 ,the fulfilment of the latter clause of the prophecy1 was literally accomplished when ,jesus 7the second person in the revealed order of the ,trinity71 in our nature1 entered the temple4 ,surely that must be acknowledged a far more glorious distinction1 than the ten thousands of gold and silver which ornamented the former house4 ,yea1 it was a greater honour to have the ,lord of ,hosts1 the ,god of ,israel1 personally teaching in the temple1 than the five signs which constituted the greatest glory of the former house4 ,they were only intended to exhibit to our view a ,god in ,christ4 ,the temple and its contents were but figures of the things signified1 even the ,messiah4 ,the second temple was honoured not with types1 but the person2 not with the shadows of the good things to come1 but the substance1 even ,jesus1 the ,son of the most ,high4 ,at twelve years of age1 ,jesus was found in the temple1 in the midst of the ,doctors of the ,law1 both hearing and asking them questions4 ,often1 in the days of his flesh1 did he visit the temple1 and from within its walls1 did he instruct the people1 and declare his divine mission4 ,to those who deny that ,jesus was the ,messiah1 this promise must for ever remain unfulfilled2 for the second temple never did1 either in its buildings1 or decorations1 surpass1 or even equal the glory of the former4 ,it is now seventeen hundred years since the second temple was destroyed1 and all its stones laid level with the dust4 ,thus are they reduced to the alternative of representing ,god as failing to fulfil his promises2 a sentiment1 it might be supposed1 any man would shudder to advance1 and much less maintain4 ,to those who receive the truth as it is in ,jesus1 there appears a beautiful harmony between the promise1 and the accomplishment2 they can exclaim1 truly did the glory of the latter house exceed that of the former1 for it was honoured with the personal presence of ,jesus1 the ,christ of ,god1 the ,lord of life and glory1 the prince of peace4 ,of whom1 it may be justly observed1 that he is the only source from which true and lasting peace can be expected without the fear of a disappointment2 and this peace is made through the blood of his cross4 #db ,ezra iii4 #ab4 #dc ,exod4 xxv4 #ai4 #bj4 #ba4 #dd ,exod4 xxviii4 #cj4 ,deut4 xxxiii4 #h4 #de #b ,kings xix4 #ad-cg4 #df #b ,chron4 vii4 #a4 #c4 #dg #b ,chron4 vii4 #b4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,and the ,lord1 whom ye seek1 shall suddenly come to his temple1 even the messenger of the covenant1 whom ye delight in3 behold1 he shall come saith the ,lord of ,hosts4--,mal4 iii4 #a4 ,the coming of the ,messiah was anticipated with much impatience and pleasure by the ,jewish nation1 and particularly about the time ,augustus ,csar was ,emperor of ,rome1 in whose reign1 it will be remembered1 ,jesus was born4 ,the period according to ,daniel's ,prophecy being arrived1 the attention of all classes of the people was so excited by his expected advent1 that when ,john came1 all men mused in their hearts1 if he were the ,christ or not4 ,but he disclaimed all pretensions to being the ,messiah1 and pointed to ,jesus as the illustrious person1 whose coming had been so long foretold4 ,we find many instances recorded1 which prove the ,jews to have been on the look out for their long promised deliverer4 ,aged ,simeon waited for the consolation of ,israel3 it had been revealed to him1 by the ,holy ,ghost1 that he should not see death1 before he had seen the ,lord's ,christ3 when the child ,jesus was brought into the temple1 the aged prophet took him up in his arms1 and exclaimed1 with holy joy1 ,lord1 now let thy servant depart in peace1 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation c41 c4 ,anna the prophetess1 also1 spake of him to all that looked for redemption in ,israel4 ,frequently during the life of ,jesus do we hear the people exclaim1--surely this is the prophet that was for to come4 ,we find the ,priests and ,levites1 persons1 it must be supposed1 best acquainted with the writings of the ,old ,testament1 requesting ,jesus to tell them plainly1 if he were the ,christ or not4 ,the ,lord whom they sought1 suddenly came to his temple2 yet when he came to his own nation1 they received him not1 for their minds were darkened by their false notions of a temporal king4 ,this prophecy loudly proclaims the ,godhead of ,jesus1 for to ascribe a temple to any but ,god is idolatry2 a sin most strictly forbidden throughout every part of the word of ,god4 ,jesus is also the ,messenger of the covenant4 ,he publicly proclaimed the nature of the covenant ratified in the ,court of ,heaven1 between the persons of the glorious ,trinity1 even the covenant of redemption1 which is well ordered in all things and sure1 and was concluded ere the hills were made1 or the mountains brought forth2 when this earth was without form1 and void1 and darkness was upon the face of the deep4#dh #dh ,prov4 viii4 #bb-ca4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,nevertheless1 the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation1 when at first he lightly afflicted the land of ,zebulun1 and the land of ,naphtali1 and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea1 beyond ,jordan1 in ,galilee of the nations4 ,the people that walked in darkness1 have seen a great light3 they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death1 upon them hath the light shined4--,isaiah ix4 #a4 #b4 ,from the days of ,malachi1 the last of the prophets1 until the coming of ,john the ,baptist1 a period of four hundred and thirty-six years1 the ,church was in a state of great darkness and apparent desertion4 ,this prophecy was fulfilled when ,jesus resided1 or personally preached in the towns of ,galilee2 then1 the land of ,zabulon1 and the land of ,nephthalim1 by the way of the sea1 beyond ,jordan1 ,galilee of the ,gentiles2 the people which sat in darkness saw a great light2 and of them which sat in the region and shadow of death light sprung up4 ,jesus is the true light1 that lighteneth every man that cometh into the world4 ,he is given to be a light to lighten the ,gentiles and the glory of his people ,israel4 ,to whom we would say1 ,arise1 shine1 for thy light is come1 and the glory of the ,lord is risen upon thee4 ,for through the tender mercy of our ,god1 ,jesus1 the day-spring from on high1 hath visited us1 to give light to them that sit in darkness1 and in the shadow of death1 and to guide our feet in the way of peace4 ,light and immortality are brought to light by the gospel of ,jesus1 who is himself the divine fountain1 or source from whence must emanate all spiritual light4 ,he is the light and the life of man2 he came a light into this world1 that whosoever believeth in him should not abide in darkness4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,rejoice greatly1 ,o daughter of ,zion2 shout1 ,o daughter of ,jerusalem2 behold1 thy ,king cometh unto thee3 he is just1 and having salvation2 lowly1 and riding upon an ass1 and upon a colt the foal of an ass4--,zechariah ix4 #i4 ,we have so striking an accomplishment of this prophecy1 that it is scarcely possible to imagine one can be found1 who is unwilling to point to ,jesus and exclaim1 ,zion behold your ,king4 ,was it ever known that any other king1 except ,jesus1 made such an humble entry into the city of ,jerusalem1 or indeed any city4 ,no1 his was altogether the reverse of such processions4 ,here was no herald to proclaim his approach1 no charger highly caparisoned to convey the ,monarch1 no royal purple or glittering attire to distinguish him from the throng1 or dazzle the unthinking crowds4 ,in himself and attendants1 all was1 to outward appearance1 mean and contemptible4 ,yet the minds of this vast multitude1 were for the moment so struck with the truth of his ,messiah-ship1 that with one simultaneous shout1 they make the air resound with ,hosannas to the ,son of ,david2 blessed is he that cometh in the name of the ,lord2 ,hosanna in the highest4 ,this is not the only instance of their wishing to make him their king4#di ,his disciples were impressed with the common error1 that he would establish a temporal kingdom4 ,after his resurrection we hear them saying1 ,lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to ,israel8 ,but no1 his kingdom is not of this world1 else would his servants have been called on to fight for it4 ,the weapons of their warfare1 are not carnal but spiritual1 and mighty1 through ,god1 to pulling down the strong holds of sin and satan4 ,we do not hear that ,jesus made one visit to the court of monarchy1 but many to the temple4 ,the ,roman authorities viewed him with a jealous eye1 and passed sentence on him for avouching his kingly authority4 ,it is worthy of remark1 that the superscription affixed to his cross1 instead of declaring him an usurper1 did1 in four languages1 proclaim his innocence1 and acknowledge his authority--,jesus of ,nazareth the ,king of the ,jews4 ,yes1 the meek and lowly ,jesus--,jehovah has set as king upon his holy hill of ,zion2 he is ,king of ,kings1 and ,lord of ,lords4 ,he is just1 for behold a ,king shall reign in righteousness4 ,he not only has salvation1 but he is ,jehovah's salvation1 to the ends of the earth4 ,to him every knee shall bow1 and every tongue confess1 that he is ,lord1 to the glory of ,god the ,father4 ,it was a striking display of his ,godhead1 in directing his disciples where to find the colt1 and in overruling the mind of the owner1 to let the animal go only on their saying1 the ,lord hath need of him4 ,yes1 he is the ,lord of the whole earth2 the beasts of the forests are his1 and so are the cattle on a thousand hills4 #di ,john vi4 #ae4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,is this house1 which is called by my name1 become a den of robbers in your eyes8 ,behold1 even ,i have seen it1 saith the ,lord4--,jeremiah vii4 #aa4 ,an attentive reader of the ,new ,testament1 will easily discover the correspondence between these words1 and the circumstance of ,jesus driving the buyers and sellers from the temple2 which action deserves to be carefully considered4 ,it may appear extraordinary1 that persons should have dared to make the temple of ,god the seat of commerce1 for it was still used as the high place for offering the daily sacrifice4 ,but it is probable that1 at the first1 persons were allowed to bring for sale1 into some of the outer courts or inclosures of the temple1 doves1 and those animals the ,jews used for sacrifices2 that persons who resided at a distance1 and could not1 without considerable inconvenience1 bring their sacrifices with them to ,jerusalem1 might always be able to purchase such animals as they wished to offer4#ej ,in after years1 this privilege was abused1 and instead of a sale of animals exclusively for sacrifice1 it became the busy scene of commerce2 and buyers and sellers1 merchants and money-changers1 used it as the great mart for business4 ,thus a place set apart for the worship of the ,most ,high ,god1 was made the general rendezvous of men1 whose only aim1 was to get money1 even though it were at the expense of their religion4 ,such was the disgraceful scene exhibited at the temple in the days of ,jesus1 who1 indignant at the sight1 would not suffer it to pass unreproved4 ,having made a scourge of small cords1 he went into the temple1 and drove before him1 not only1 the herds of cattle1 but the buyers and sellers themselves2 and even overthrew the tables of the money-changers1 and poured out their money4 ,one would imagine the ,man who was able to drive so numerous an assemblage of persons from their long accustomed 7and to many of them lucrative7 seat of trade1 must have been supported by the weight of the civil and military authorities of the state2 but it was quite the contrary3 yea1 even the ,priests who ought to have been most anxious to preserve the sanctity of the place1 were the first to oppose this cleansing of the temple4 ,surely it must be matter of wonder1 how this ,man of ,nazareth could1 unaided by human power1 so easily accomplish a change fraught with danger and difficulty3 but such was the fact1 and there appears but one way to account for the prompt submission of those buyers and sellers2 which is1 that1 ,jesus being both ,god and ,man in one person1 his ,deity was not on this occasion so much concealed beneath the manhood1 but shone forth with such majestic dignity1 that none dared to resist or dispute his authority4 ,all were awed into quiet submission to the command of the ,god-man ,christ ,jesus2 when he said1 take these things hence1 and make not my ,father's house1 an house of merchandise2 it is written1 my house1 shall be called the house of prayer1 but ye have made it a den of thieves4 ,not only his acts1 but his words1 proclaim his ,deity4 ,jesus can with propriety call ,god1 ,father1 for he is his first begotten1 well beloved ,son1 and1 as such1 he has rule over his ,father's house4#ea ,the disciples who were observers of the event1 struck at the display of his ,godhead1 applied to him the words of the psalmist2 ,the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up1 and the reproaches of them that reproached thee1 are fallen upon me4 ,if we except the miracle recorded by ,john1 of the armed men falling to the ground on the reply of ,jesus1 this certainly is one of the greatest miracles he performed in the days of his flesh4 #ej ,deut4 xiv4 #bc-bf4 #ea ,john v4 #bb1 #bc4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength1 because of thine enemies2 that thou mightest still the enemy and avenger4--,psalm viii4 #b4 ,the manner in which this prophecy was fulfilled is very interesting4 ,when ,jesus drave out the buyers and sellers from the temple1 we are told the children shouted hosannas to the ,son of ,david4 ,the ,chief ,priests and ,scribes were filled with indignation to hear even children confess a truth they wished buried in eternal silence2 and1 coming to ,jesus1 they said1 dost thou not hear what these say8 ,but he mildly answered1 ,yea1 have ye never read1 ,out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise8 ,it is more than probable that amongst the persons he had just expelled from the temple1 were the parents of some of these children2 it would not therefore have excited our astonishment so much1 to have found them mocking and reviling the man of ,nazareth1 as it does to hear them shouting hosannas to the ,son of ,david4 ,there were none of those gay distinctions in the person of ,jesus1 which so usually please and delight children2 all was as to outward appearance mean and unattractive2 yet their youthful hearts were filled with love and admiration for the person of the ,man1 so generally treated with contempt2 and they as with one voice shout the praises of this ,son of ,david4 ,ought it not for ever to have put to silence the ,priests and ,scribes1 and all those bitter enemies of ,jesus1 when he gave such clear proofs of his being the ,messiah1 that even these ,jewish children1 could discover him to be the very person their parents1 from the first dawn of reason1 had taught them to expect1 as the long promised deliverer of ,israel1 who should spring from ,david's royal line4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,i have preached righteousness in the great congregation2 ,i have not refrained my lips1 ,o ,lord1 thou knowest4--,psalm xl4 #i4 ,it is said1 to the immortal honour of ,noah1 that he was a preacher of righteousness to the ,old ,world3#eb but as the glory of the latter dispensation far exceeds that of the former1#ec so is its founder greatly distinguished from all the prophets and teachers under the ,jewish economy4 ,we find ,jesus actively engaged in preaching his own gospel1 whenever opportunity offered1 free from the trammels of form1 and the circumscribed rules of human order4 ,we see him in the temple1 and the field2 in the synagogue1 and on a mountain2 in the crowded street1 and the wilderness2 in the house1 and by the sea shore3 at one time to the crowded throng1 and then to the little troop of disciples2 now to learned rabbies and rulers1 and then to a few fishermen of ,galilee2 but in every place and company he was a preacher of righteousness4 ,he did not refrain his lips from fear of man4 ,he did not hesitate to publish doctrines necessary to be known1 because they were of a kind likely to be ungraciously received4 ,he shunned not to proclaim the whole truth2 whether men would hear1 or whether they would forbear4 ,again1 look at him as a preacher of righteousness4 ,all he taught was pure and undefiled as the light of heaven4 ,he did not flatter one vice1 or countenance one folly4 ,he described sin as hateful to ,god1 whether in the priest or people1 the ruler or the ruled4 ,he taught the ,jews1 who rested in the mere letter of the law1 that it is of a spiritual nature1 extending not only to the outward actions1 but to the thoughts and intents of the heart4 ,he inculcated obedience1 not on the narrow principle of self love1 or to gain the praise of man2 but he insisted1 that it can only be acceptable to ,god when springing from a principle of love to ,god and man4 ,he did not instruct his hearers to keep a fair exterior only1 but he went at once to the seat of iniquity1 the human heart2 and declared that the fountain must be first cleansed before the streams can be made pure4 ,again1 we behold him as a preacher of righteousness1 declaring that except our righteousness exceed that of the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven4 ,he taught that we must be clothed with a better righteousness than our tattered rags1 ere we can be allowed to sit down at the marriage supper of the ,lamb1 where all the guests are arrayed in fine linen1 clean and white1 which fine linen is the righteousness of the saints4 ,this wedding garment is provided by the ,lord of the feast1 and is the spotless robe of ,jesus's perfect and complete righteousness4 #eb #b ,peter ii4 #e4 #ec ,heb4 xii4 #ah-bd4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,i will open my mouth in a parable2 ,i will utter dark sayings of old4--,psalm lxxviii4 #b4 ,we hear ,balaam1 the son of ,beor1 from the heights of ,moab1 attended by an idolatrous king and prince1 taking up his parable on the multitudes of ,israel4 ,we also find many of the prophets of the ,lord in the different ages of the ,church1 presenting their ,master's message in the dress of parable4 ,the sweet singer of ,israel is here said to open his mouth in a parable1 and utter dark sayings1 which have been kept secret since the foundation of the world4 ,but we are compelled to pass by this son of ,jesse1 to direct our attention to one who may not unaptly be styled 'the man of parables4' ,jesus so frequently used them in his discourse to the multitude1 that it is said that without a parable spake he not unto them2 and who can read his parables without exclaiming1 surely never man spake like this man4 ,his discourses are adorned with the striking force and luxuriant imagery of the ,east4 ,he made use of the most beautiful language and elegant ideas1 to impress on the mind a knowledge of things which are not seen and spiritual1 by similies drawn from things which are seen and temporal4 ,who can read the affecting representation of the pity and forgiveness ,god manifests towards the ungrateful1 rebellious1 but afterwards penitent sinner1 so forcibly displayed in the parable of the ,prodigal ,son1 without being charmed at the happy simplicity that pervades the whole4 ,unlike the productions of men1 the words of ,jesus1 like the works of creation1 display new beauties on every attentive examination4 ,they lose nothing by a minute inspection--they are not mere empty words3 at every perusal they are increasingly attractive1 and we discover that the most sublime truths are taught1 where1 perhaps1 at the first reading1 we beheld nothing particularly instructive or engaging4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,he shall feed his flock like a shepherd3 he shall gather the lambs with his arm1 and carry them in his bosom1 and shall gently lead those that are with young4--,isaiah xl4 #aa4 ,the ,messiah is here1 and in several other parts of the old ,testament1 held forth to our view under the character of a shepherd4 ,he is called1 ,jehovah's shepherd1 and to his care is committed the safeguard of ,god's flock4 ,he is described as seeking out and delivering his sheep from all places where they have been scattered1 in the cloudy and dark day4 ,he is said to seek that which was lost1 and to bring again that which was driven away2 to bind up that which was broken2 to strengthen that which was sick2 to gather the lambs with his arms1 and carry them in his bosom2 to make them lie down in green pastures1 and lead them forth beside the still waters2 in short1 to him are attributed all the kind offices of a good shepherd4 ,it will not be difficult to recognise ,jesus under this description4 ,on examining the ,new ,testament1 we find in it an exact counterpart of this character4 ,we hear ,jesus describe himself as the true shepherd1 who calleth his sheep by name1 and leadeth them out1 and the sheep follow him1 for they know his voice2 but a stranger will they not follow1 for they know not the voice of strangers2 he knoweth his sheep1 and is known of them1 and they go in and out1 and find pasture4 ,his watchfulness and power are such1 that he will not suffer any1 either by surprise or force1 to pluck them out of his hands2#ed nor will he forsake them in the hour of danger2 he fleeth not1 because he is not an hireling2 and he will eventually collect both the ,gentile and ,jewish flocks together1 that there may be one fold1#ee under one shepherd4 ,nor shall one of the least of the flock be missing2 all his sheep must pass again under the hands of him that telleth them2 even the good shepherd who has laid down his life for the sheep2 and now liveth to watch over1 defend1 guide1 and supply the wants of his flock1 from whom he will withhold no manner of thing that is good4 #ed ,john x4 #bh1 #bi4 #ee ,john x4 #af4 ,certain it is1 this ,chief ,shepherd will punish#ef the unfaithful hirelings who feed themselves1 but not their flocks2 who have not strengthened the diseased1 healed the sick1 neither have bound up that which was broken1 neither brought again that which was driven away1 nor sought that which was lost2 but with force and cruelty have ruled them4 ,therefore1 ,o ye shepherds6 hear the word of the ,lord2 thus saith the ,lord ,god1 ,behold ,i am against the shepherds1 and will require my flock at their hands1 and cause them to cease from feeding the flock2 neither shall they feed themselves any more4 #ef ,ezek4 xxxiv4 #aj4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the ,lord3 and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes1 neither reprove after the hearing of his ears4--,isaiah xi4 #c4 ,the deceptions practised by the human race are many and various4 ,with no other clue to discover the real character of individuals than their professions and conduct1 men are often led to form the most unjust opinions2 and frequent and lamentable are the mistakes that arise4 ,falsehood often lurks beneath the warmest professions2 the guise of friendship is made to conceal the perfidious spirit1 the mask of sincerity is worn by the consummate deceiver1 and man becomes the dread and fear of man4 ,who can look at ,jesus1 without being struck at the nice discrimination of character he discovered in his opinions of the men by whom he was surrounded4 ,he could espy in ,nathaniel an ,israelite in whom there was no guile4 ,he discovered that the ardent zeal and warmth of ,peter's attachment would induce him boldly to suffer death in his ,master's cause1 although the denial of that ,master loudly proclaimed him a faithless coward4 ,he could point out the perfidious ,judas1 fostered by the eleven disciples as a bosom friend4 ,he could detect the hypocrisy and deceit that lay hid beneath the fair profession of the ,scribes and ,pharisees2 he knew their public conduct was not in unison with the hidden man of the heart4 ,he was not blinded by the semblance of virtue2 nothing false passed with him for genuine2 he instantly discovered the counterfeit1 however well executed4 ,nor did the sterling pass by unknown to him1 though its exterior was defaced and unattractive4 ,he could look into the inmost recesses of the human heart1 and discover there the seat of iniquity1 he could behold the monster in his den1 however ingeniously its exterior was adorned by art1 and bring to light the hidden things of darkness4 ,in his opinions there was no error2 in his censures1 no unjust severity--he always judged righteous judgment2 for he judged not after the sight of his eyes1 neither reproved after the hearing of his ears4 ,with righteousness did he judge the poor1 and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth2 righteousness was the girdle of his loins1 and faithfulness the girdle of his reins2 and why8 ,because my thoughts are not as your thoughts1 neither are my ways as your ways1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,then the eyes of the blind shall be opened1 and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped4--,isaiah xxxv4 #e4 ,is it not highly proper1 that those who profess to be intrusted with offices of authority1 should be able to exhibit the credentials of their appointment1 in order to be accredited8 ,the prophet ,isaiah was commissioned to proclaim many of the marks by which the ,messiah should be distinguished4 ,amongst other signs the eyes of the blind were to be opened1 and the ears of the deaf unstopped4 ,jesus of ,nazareth not only declared himself to be that long-promised ,messiah1 but constantly exhibited1 in the most public and open manner1 the credentials of his high official character1 and confirmed his claim to our belief by his numerous miracles4 ,could we inquire of ,bartimeus1 who1 of old1 sat by ,israel's way-side begging1 who was the skilful oculist that restored to his long sightless eyeballs the power of vision2 joyfully would he point to ,jesus the ,son of ,david1 as the gracious benefactor whose almighty word had again caused him to behold the gladsome light of day4 ,might we hold converse with him who had never beheld the cheerful face of man1 whose eyes had rolled in gloom and darkness1 deprived of the sight of nature's beauteous works2 no doubt he would1 with the same undaunted courage he displayed before the ,jewish ,pharisees1 declare that ,jesus of ,nazareth had opened the eyes of one born blind4 ,nor were these the only recipients of his ,divine bounty4 ,by his almighty voice the deaf were made to hear3 the 'ephphatha' of ,jesus could clear the obstructed paths of sound1 and bid new music charm the unfolded ear1 for it was the voice of one whose biddings were enablings4 ,when the disciples of ,john came to inquire of ,jesus if he were the illustrious personage so long promised1 or if they were to look for another1 we are told1 in the same hour ,jesus cured many of their infirmities and plagues1 and of evil spirits1 and unto many that were blind he gave sight1 and requested the disciples of ,john to return1 and tell the things which they had seen and heard2 how that the blind saw1 the lame walked1 the lepers were cleansed1 the deaf heard1 the dead were raised1 and to the poor the gospel was preached4 ,to one so well instructed1 as we may presume ,john to have been in the writings of the ,old ,testament1 he could not wish for more satisfactory evidence to prove that ,jesus was the ,messiah4 ,john bore witness unto the truth1 but ,jesus had greater witness than that of ,john1 the works which the ,father had given him to finish1 the same works which he did1 bore witness of him that the ,father had sent him4 ,that ,jesus wrought miracles his enemies could not deny2 but how absurd they should attribute them to satanic influence4 ,the ,devil is not wont to be a benefactor to our race2 we should not expect to find him lending his power to destroy his own kingdom1 or to benefit the children of men4 ,the miracles of ,jesus were not an useless display of power1 wrought to gratify idle curiosity1 or for sordid or ambitious motives2 they were all designed to promote some honourable or useful purpose1 and were of the most benevolent character1 not unworthy the incarnate ,deity whose pity for his creatures is commensurate with his power4 ,his miracles were numerous and diversified2 they were wrought openly1 and proclaimed publicly2 not confined to one place3 ,jesus went about healing all manner of sickness and disease among the people4 ,the disciples were not the only witnesses to these extraordinary events4 ,jesus was surrounded by great multitudes when he healed the leper4 ,jairus's daughter was raised to life in the presence of her friends and the mourners4 ,the ,pharisees beheld the devil cast out of the dumb man--the whole congregation in the synagogue witnessed the instantaneous cure of the withered hand--four thousand1 and five thousand men not only beheld the miraculous increase of twelve loaves and a few small fishes1 but their bodies were refreshed by the plentiful repast4 ,all the people of ,gennesaret sent to collect the diseased1 so convinced were they of the wondrous cures effected by a touch of the hem of his garment4 ,when in ,galilee1 great multitudes came unto ,jesus1 bringing the lame1 blind1 dumb1 and maimed1 and he healed them all4 ,when the poor father's lunatic son was cured1 multitudes witnessed the fact4 ,jesus was surrounded by crowds when he gave sight to the two blind men4 ,the ,chief ,priest and ,scribes saw the wonderful things he did in the temple--driving out the merchants1 and healing the lame and blind4 ,in the synagogue he cast out an unclean spirit4 ,when the widow of ,nain's son was raised from the dead1 much people of the city were with her4 ,the lawyers and ,pharisees watched ,jesus when he cured the man of the dropsy4 ,many ,jews were present when he called ,lazarus from the grave4 ,jesus was surrounded by his persecutors when he healed the ear of ,malchus4 ,the enemies of ,jesus witnessed his miracles2 they possessed every opportunity that incredulity itself could desire1 of examining the several objects on whom he had displayed his omnipotent power3 this circumstance1 together with the diversity of time and place1 precluded all possibility of deception4 ,peter boldly declared to the men of ,judah1 and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 that ,jesus of ,nazareth was a man approved of ,god among them1 by miracles and wonders and signs which ,god did by him1 in the midst of them1 as they themselves also knew4 ,the intrepid disciple feared no contradiction1 it was a fact too clearly established for any of that age to deny2 and what madness is it for any in a later period to cavil against a truth they possess not a single fact to disprove4 ,the more minutely the ,new ,testament of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ is examined1 the clearer do its marks of divine authenticity appear4 ,the exalted character of the ,man of ,nazareth requires only to be known to ensure admiration4 ,who1 that attentively considers the sketch given of that model of all perfection1 can imagine the history of the ,evangelist to be only a cunningly devised fable8 ,the schools of philosophy1 with all their boasted learning and virtue1 could not conceive any thing half so refined1 or so far exalted above the most elevated of the human race4 ,from whence1 then1 did the beloved physician1 the tax-gatherer1 and the two fishermen1 obtain that beautiful model of holiness1 presented to us in their writings8 ,they must have copied from life--they must have witnessed the living character--those unlearned ,jews could not have invented so correct a likeness of incarnate ,deity4 ,even if they had taken the united virtues of the most eminent saints in the ,old ,testament for their pattern1 it would not bear a comparison with the artless grandeur and majestic simplicity discoverable in this history of the life of ,jesus of ,nazareth2 which1 it should be remembered1 was written at a time when the religion of the ,jews was little more than superstition2 for the law of ,god was made void by the absurd tradition of the fathers4#eg ,yet no trait of false ,judaism is discoverable in the character of ,christ4 ,in short1 the history of the four evangelists is the very reverse of what might reasonably be expected from ignorant men1 who had strongly imbibed their nation's bigotry and superstition4 ,the gospels carry their own evidence1 and prove the men who wrote them not only had the example of ,jesus for their guide1 but that they were divinely inspired4#eh ,they have mixed up none of their own corrupt notions or false ideas1 but presented us with a book which is not unfitting the ,god of ,truth to acknowledge as his own4 #eg ,mark vii4 #i4 #ac4 #eh #b ,tim4 iii4 #af4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,then shall the lame man leap as an hart1 and the tongue of the dumb sing3 for in the wilderness shall waters break out1 and streams in the desert4--,isaiah xxxv4 #f4 ,blessed ,jesus1 we behold thee surrounded by the diseased and wretched4 ,we see thee attend that seat of misery1 the pool of ,bethesda1 whose cloisters oft resounded the plaintive voice of sorrow2 for within its porches were assembled many of the sons and daughters of affliction4 ,amidst the group was one1 who1 for thirty-eight long years1 had sighed over his poor enfeebled limbs1 and who oft had heard the joyful sound of ,bethesda's agitated waters4 ,but1 alas6 this ,angel of ,mercy brought no healing balm for his diseased limbs4 ,oft had he seen a companion in misery hastily rush into the troubled pool2 and beheld their diseased bodies healed by one plunge into those sacred waters4 ,yet his slow1 though anxious steps1 never reached its brink1 until some happier object had possessed its healing properties4 ,his case attracted the kind attention of ,jesus1 to whom1 when questioned1 he tells his tale of wo4 ,but hark6 a voice is heard1 ,arise1 take up thy bed1 and walk4 ,the astonished cripple no longer needs the friendly crutch1 but treads with ease and joy his gladsome path4 ,yes1 beneath the porches of ,bethesda's pool1 the ,godhead of ,jesus darts forth its clear and splendid rays4 ,well might the fame of this wondrous ,physician spread1 and multitudes of the afflicted press to share his favours4 ,behold1 amidst the numbers who throng his door1 a poor paralytic cripple1 borne by four4 ,every effort to force a passage through the dense crowd is fruitless4 ,faith does not easily relinquish its subject1 and the roof is even bared to admit this subject of misery into the immediate presence of the ,healer of diseases4 ,nor were their efforts unsuccessful4 ,one word from him does more than the united skill of all earth's physicians2 and he1 who1 a few moments before1 required a couch to support his palsied frame1 is now seen forcing his passage through the astonished multitude1 triumphantly carrying his own bed4 ,surely it was never so seen before1 even in ,israel1 that land so famed for miracles4 ,jesus not only wrought miracles himself1 but when he sent forth his disciples to preach the everlasting ,gospel1 he gave them authority to work miracles1 in order to prove their commission to be from ,heaven4 ,we behold these fishermen of ,galilee1 in the name#ei of their divine ,lord and ,master1 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 healing all manner of sicknesses1 diseases1 and infirmities2 testifying both to the friends and enemies of the crucified ,jesus1 that ,god was with them1 indeed and of a truth1 so mightily did the word of the ,lord prosper4 ,the blessings of the ,messiah's reign are frequently exhibited to our view under the simile of water4 ,jehovah promises1 when the poor and needy seek water1 and there is none1 and their tongue faileth for thirst1 ,i the ,lord will hear them1 ,i the ,god of ,israel will not forsake them2 but will open rivers in high places1 and fountains in the midst of the valleys4 ,he will make the wilderness a pool of water1 and the dry land springs of water4 ,rivers of water in a thirsty wild1 are not more acceptable to the fainting traveller1 than the salvation of ,jesus is welcome to the convinced sinner2 to such who believe he is precious4 ,the conditions of obtaining it are inscribed by the finger of ,god2 we behold them written in legible characters3 ,ho1 every one that thirsteth1 come ye to the waters1 and he that hath no money1 come ye1 buy1 and eat2 yea1 come1 buy wine and milk without money and without price4 ,ezekiel1 in vision1 beheld this holy water issuing from the temple of ,god4 ,its sovereign efficacy was such1 that whithersoever it flowed1 healing and life attended its course4 ,john in the ,apocalypse1 describes it as the pure river of water of life1 clear as crystal1 proceeding out of the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb2 its banks adorned with continual fruitfulness1 and never-fading verdure4 ,the salvation of ,jesus is also described as a fountain which is opened to the house of ,david1 and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 for sin and uncleanness4 ,may we know its purifying and refreshing qualities3 may we drink deep of the living waters1 which are a well of water springing up unto everlasting life4 ,jesus himself personally invites all that are athirst1 to come unto him and drink4 #ei ,acts iii4 #f4 ,this fountain of life1 is not of recent discovery2 the antedeluvian world beheld it as a small rivulet1 which continued to increase as it flowed down the patriarchal age1 widened under the ,mosaic dispensation1 and became broader and clearer1 as it warbled along the prophetic course1 and now displays itself as the grand and majestic fountain of living waters1 whose streams make glad the city of our ,god4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,then said ,i1 ,lo1 ,i come3 in the volume of the book it is written of me1 ,i delight to do thy will1 ,o my ,god3 yea1 thy law is within my heart4--,psalm xl4 #g1 #h4 ,the psalm from which these words are selected1 was written by ,david1 king of ,israel1 but never can they with justice be applied to him4 ,we dare not venture to imagine he acted agreeably to the will of his ,god1 in the matter of ,uriah the ,hittite2 nor was the law of his ,god ruling in his heart1 when his pride led him to number the children of ,israel4 ,but let us no longer dwell on the crimes and failings of this 7in one sense of the word7 great man2 let us endeavour to discover some other1 to whom it can1 with more justice1 be applied4 ,but1 alas6 if we search to earth's remotest bounds1 we cannot find1 on this our globe1 one to whom it may be applied without deserving the charge of flattery4 ,if permitted to extend our search to the upper and brighter world1 and allowed to inquire of the inhabitants of those realms of bliss1 if they had ever known one of ,adam's race1 when sojourning here below1 of whom it could with truth be said1 his delight was to do the will of his ,god1 yea that the law of his ,god was the constant ruling principle of his heart2#fj struck at our want of discernment1 they would exclaim with holy indignation1 was ,he so long an inhabitant of your world1 and do ye not know him8 ,have ye not read of his life1 of his acts1 of his words1 and ways2 but above all1 have ye not heard the oft told tale of his death8 ,do ye now need to be reminded that the words are a true description of the man ye call ,jesus of ,nazareth8 ,yes1 angels know him1 and glory in their knowledge2 with joy would they tell us1 that1 with all their opportunities of observing his conduct1 they could never discover in him the least imperfection or tendency to sin4#fa ,yes1 it is ,jesus the son of ,david1 and not ,david the son of ,jesse2 who is here speaking1 as other parts of the psalm clearly prove4 ,he alone could say1 without presumption1 ,i delight to do thy will1 ,o my ,god3 yea thy law is within my heart4 ,jesus came from heaven to earth1 to do the will of his ,father who sent him2 even to accomplish the work of redemption1 which is as much the will and pleasure of the ,father1 as it is the delight of the ,son4 ,his zeal was discoverable at twelve years of age1 when he was found in the temple1 and1 to the gentle reproof of ,mary1 answered1 ,wist ye not that ,i must be about my ,father's business2 which he preferred before the refreshments of the body2 yea1 his meat was to do the will of him that sent him1 and to finish the work4 ,what devotedness marked his life6 days of toil in travelling and preaching were often succeeded by whole nights spent in prayer3 the returning sun found him again employed with the same unwearied diligence in the work he had undertaken4 ,we should do well to bear in mind1 that all ,jesus did was voluntary4 ,there was nothing1 but his love to ,god and man1 which led him to engage in the work4 ,there was no compulsion1 no obligation1 it was entirely an act of his own free will2 nor did he enter on the covenant1 ignorant of the difficulties and sufferings connected with the work4 ,he was well acquainted with their nature1 and extent2 he had counted the cost and weighed the price2 and with a clear view of the immense load of sufferings before him1 did he1 with cheerful promptitude1 go forth to the work4 ,we cannot have a more striking exhibition of his zeal1 than in the reply he made to ,peter2 ,jesus had been warning his disciples of the circumstances of the death which awaited him2 but ,peter could not bear the idea of his beloved ,master's exposing himself to so much suffering1 and in the warmth of his attachment1 he exclaimed1 ,be it far from thee1 ,lord3 this shall not be unto thee3 ,but ,jesus said unto ,peter1 ,get thee behind me1 ,satan3 thou art an offence unto me2 for thou savourest not the things that be of ,god1 but those that be of men4 ,is this the language of the man1 who1 when he was reviled1 reviled not again1 and when persecuted1 he blessed8 ,can this be the answer of the meek and lowly ,jesus to a beloved follower1 who only spoke with an intention to prevent his ,lord from suffering8 ,yes1 it is2 but ,peter was little aware of the momentous consequences connected with that death4 ,the advice he gave would1 if followed1 have been a more dire calamity than the world had ever known1 yea1 even worse than the ruin brought upon our race1 when our first parents followed the counsel of that false reasoner ,satan4 ,jesus1 well aware of the immense benefits resulting from his expiatory death1#fb would not allow even a beloved disciple to use one argument against his voluntary sufferings4 ,how different the conduct of ,jesus1 when ,peter denied him6 there was no reproof1 no upbraidings2 but all was love and pity for the weeping servant1 to whom1 after his resurrection1 he gave many kind tokens of his forgiveness4 ,we are told1 when the time approached that ,jesus should be offered up1 he steadfastly set his face to go up to ,jerusalem1 well known as the destined place of his sorrows4 ,we hear him saying1 ,i have a baptism to be baptized with1 and how am ,i straitened until it be accomplished4 ,when ,judas was about to betray him1 ,jesus said1 what thou doest do quickly4 ,his delight to do the will of his ,god1 was most conspicuous when the band of armed men came to apprehend him1 in the garden4 ,he did not attempt to flee1 or endeavour to conceal himself from their pursuit4 ,he did not shrink from the danger even when so near2 for it is said1 ,jesus knowing all things that should come upon him1 went forth to meet them2 and said1 whom seek ye1 and when told ,jesus of ,nazareth1 he said1 ,i am he4 ,there was no evasion1 no reluctance1 but he cheerfully and freely delivered himself into their hands1 and met with promptitude the adversaries he had to encounter4 ,when ,peter1 indignant at the insults offered his ,master1 and anxious for his rescue1 drew his sword in the garden1 and wounded the ,high ,priest's servant1 ,jesus mildly reproved him1 adding1 the cup which my ,father hath given me1 shall ,i not drink it8 ,jesus could have commanded twelve legions of angels to his rescue1 yet he allowed himself to be bound1 scourged1 and crucified as a malefactor4 ,not all the powers of earth and hell combined1 could have destroyed the body of ,jesus1 had he not given himself up a voluntary sacrifice4#fc ,he had power to lay down his life1 but no man had power to take it from him4 ,the human nature of ,jesus1 when united to his divine person1 became in a manner omnipotent3 unless he had freely consented1 he could not have been made the subject of their cruelty1 but for that cause came he into this world4 ,the active and passive obedience of ,jesus has reflected more honour upon ,god1 than the unsinning obedience of men and angels could have done to all eternity4 ,the free and voluntary nature of that obedience adds a beauty and lustre to the whole4 ,then said ,i1 lo1 ,i come3 in the volume of the book it is written of me4 ,moses wrote of ,christ3 the whole of the ,old ,testament 7if we except some of the prophetical parts which relate to the then kingdoms of the earth17 have a reference to the person1 work1 or church of ,christ4 ,the ceremonies1 institutions1 and many of the characters1 of the ,old ,testament1 are shadows1 types1 and figures of ,jesus the ,messiah4 ,even the preceptive parts are not exempt4 ,the great apostle of the ,gentiles speaking of the law1 says it is a schoolmaster1 to bring us to ,christ4 ,when from comparing our heart and conduct by the perfect standard of ,god's law1 we discover our short comings1 the law thus becomes a teacher1 and shows us the necessity of an interest in the salvation of ,jesus4 ,he could truly say1 ,i delight to do thy will1 ,o my ,god3 yea1 thy law is within my heart3 ,how ,i love thy law1 it is my meditation all the day2 in fact1 the law1 which is holy1 just1 and true1 is merely a transcript of his divine mind4 #fj ,psalm xiv4 #a4 ,eccles4 vii4 #bj4 ,rom4 iii4 #ab4 #fa ,john xiv4 #cj4 #fb ,john xiv4 #e4 #fc ,john x4 #ah4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,i am become a stranger unto my brethren1 and an alien unto my mother's children4--,psalm lxix4 #h4 ,ah1 my ,lord1 ,i know this to be thy voice of lamentation1 at the unfeeling conduct of those1 from whom thou oughtest to have received the kindest attentions4 ,thou wast as a stranger unto thy brethren1 and as an alien unto thy mother's children2 for even thy brethren1 and the house of thy father1 even they dealt treacherously with thee4 ,they cried depart hence1 and go into ,judea1 that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest1 for there is no man that doest any thing in secret1 and he himself seeketh to be known openly4 ,if thou do these things1 show thyself to the world4 ,for neither did his brethren believe in him4 ,no sooner did he show himself unto the world1 and multitudes thronged to behold his miracles1 but they cry1 thou art beside thyself4 ,from his chosen friends1 the disciples1 he also experienced much unkindness and ingratitude4 ,during his unparalleled agony in the ,garden1 instead of endeavouring to mitigate1 and sooth his sorrows1 they slept1 as if careless of his woes4 ,he marked their conduct1 and exclaimed1 ,what6 could ye not watch with me one hour8 ,in the time of danger1 all the disciples forsook him and fled4 ,when in ,pilate's hall1 and surrounded by men who thirsted for his blood1 ,peter1 with oaths and curses1 thrice denied his ,lord and ,master1 who heard1 and cast a look of reproof1 mingled with love1 towards his faithless disciple4 ,blessed ,jesus1 how few of the tender charities of life were exercised towards thee1 though thy heart1 cast in nature's purest mould1 was not insensible to the kindlier feelings of that nature4 ,jesus particularly testified his affection towards ,john1 that beloved disciple1 who laid in his bosom4 ,he also discovered the tenderness of his regard towards the three highly favoured subjects of his friendship at ,bethany4 ,the sight of the sorrowing sisters at the tomb of their only and dearly beloved brother1 his friend ,lazarus1 excited the tenderest sympathies of his soul1 and drew tears from the eyes1 and groans from the heart of ,jesus4 ,behold how he loved him1 exclaimed the by-standers4 ,let us not think it beneath the dignity of the eternal ,son of ,god1 to have shared in the sorrows of such a scene2 rather let us rejoice1 that we have an ,high ,priest1 who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities1 and that in all our afflictions he was afflicted4 ,was not this event recorded to encourage us to present all our cares and trials before him4 ,the cry1 ,lord1 he whom thou lovest is sick2 will not1 cannot1 be unnoticed by him who wept at the grave of ,lazarus2 for1 though he has changed his place1 he has not changed his nature4 ,as ,man1 he can still sympathise with his people in all their sorrows and afflictions4 ,as ,god1 he is ever able to extend his all-powerful arm1 and give the wished-for aid4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,they also that seek after my life lay snares for me2 and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things1 and imagine deceits all the day long4--,psalm xxxviii4 #ab4 ,where shall we find the person to whom these words are so applicable1 as to ,jesus4 ,from the manger to the cross1 he was constantly encircled by men who were plotting his destruction4 ,if we trace the line from ,herod1 the ,tetrarch of ,galilee1 to ,pilate1 the ,governor of ,judea1 we find that the enemies of ,jesus were neither few nor weak4 ,we see marshalled against him1 kings1 priests1 and governors2 ,pharisees1 ,scribes1 and ,sadducees2 the learned and the wealthy2 the noble and the peasant2 the ,jewish nation and the ,roman soldiery4 ,no scheme that malice1 iniquity1 or falsehood could devise or suggest1 was suffered to escape2 all were pressed into their service1 and made to bear against him4 ,every stratagem was resorted to1 that they might entangle him in his discourse1 to form an excuse for seizing his person4 ,at one time1 the ,herodians are sent with the question1 ,is it lawful to give tribute to ,csar1 or not8 and though they preface their inquiry with ,master1 we know that thou art true1 and carest for no man1 for thou regardest not the person of men1 but teachest the way of ,god in truth1 yet he discovered their hypocrisy2 and who but must admire the ,godlike wisdom that sparkles in his bold reply8 ,we next behold the ,pharisees approach with cautious step and flattering tongue1 to ask his opinion of the laws enacted by ,moses for divorcement4 ,on the other side1 the ,sadducees appear to present their queries touching the resurrection of the dead4 ,however artfully their plans were laid1 they could not surprise or deceive ,infinite ,wisdom4 ,their next scheme is to present before him a woman guilty of adultery1 hoping1 from the known kindness of his character1 that he would pronounce her pardon1 and then they could accuse him as a violator of the commands of their great lawgiver1 ,moses1 who ordered all persons guilty of such offences to be stoned to death2 but he1 who knew what was in man1 could foil his adversaries1 whilst he pardoned the trembling penitent4 ,let him that is without sin1 first cast a stone at her1 sent home to their conscience1 proved the wisdom and ,almighty power of him with whom they were contending4 ,yet still his enemies spake against him1 and they that laid wait for his soul1 took counsel together4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,for ,i have heard the slander of many2 fear was on every side2 while they took counsel together against me1 they devised to take away my life4--,psalm xxxi4 #ac4 ,it is not infrequent that the envious and the profligate are found speaking in terms of reproach of characters whose public and domestic conduct are a beautiful portrait of all that is honourable1 amiable1 and truly worthy of commendation4 ,yet persons will never be wanting who can truly appreciate and highly esteem the fair edifice of moral excellence1 and bestow the just tribute of respect it deserves4 ,it is possible for men to be so far deceived by personal prejudice1 or swayed by the false opinions of others1 that they not only view with indifference1 but even treat with contempt and scorn1 persons1 to whom the ,searcher of hearts will one day say1 ,well done1 good and faithful servant1 enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord4 ,examples of these facts are not wanting1 but we no where behold so striking an illustration of this truth as in the reception the ,holy ,jesus met with from the men amongst whom he tabernacled4 ,it must be confessed1 that in the most perfect of the human race there are defects and blemishes1 to which even the eye of friendship cannot be blind1 yet in ,jesus there was a freedom from all evil either in principle or practice4 ,he could be weighed in the balance of the sanctuary1 and not found wanting either to ,god or man4 ,his actions1 when measured by the just standard of ,god's law1 are pronounced perfect4 ,yet he1 who was purity itself1 was not exempt from slander1 but was called a gluttonous man1 and a wine bibber2 a friend of publicans and sinners1 an hypocrite1 a man of sedition and strife1 a ,sabbath breaker1 and a violator of all the laws of ,moses4 ,in scorn1 they say1 this fellow1 and that deceiver1 thou art a ,samaritan2 a race of men held by the ,jews in the most sovereign contempt and hatred4 ,by some1 he is accused of disloyal and traitorous conduct toward the rulers of ,jewry2 others pronounced him guilty of blasphemy2 and1 to crown the whole1 they declare him to be a devil2 yea1 ,belzebub1 the chief of devils4 ,blessed ,jesus1 thou didst1 indeed1 hear the slander of many4 ,every action was viewed through a false medium4 ,thy acts of mercy became an occasion of offence1 and called forth the hatred of these self-deceived men1 and thy whole conduct was vilified and spoken of in the harshest terms of disapprobation and scorn4 ,yet those ancient slanderers and persecutors of ,jesus1 were not without their fears4 ,at one time1 lest1 from his growing popularity1 the ,romans should take away their place and nation2 at another time1 the purity of his doctrine becomes the source of disquietude4 ,they all secretly dreaded his power4 ,fear was on every side1 while they took counsel and devised to take away the life of ,jesus4 ,pilate's wife could not forbear expressing her fears2 and ,pilate himself illy concealed the perturbation of his troubled conscience4 ,how insufficient was water to cleanse the polluted hands of that wretched governor1 so deeply stained with the blood of an innocent victim1 sacrificed to his tame compliance2 and1 to seal his awful doom1 he soon after impiously dared imbrue his hands in his own blood1 and rush uncalled into the presence of his offended ,judge4 ,how tremendous the situation of ,pilate when standing before the ,judge of all the earth1 even that ,jesus1 he had unjustly condemned and crucified4 ,how different the scene from that when ,jesus appeared as the despised ,nazarene in ,pilate's hall4 ,the mind shudders at contemplating the awful fate of those who dare to lift their puny arms in rebellion against ,zion's ,king1 and the language of whose hearts till death is1 we will not have this man to reign over us4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,is it nothing to you1 all ye that pass by8 behold1 and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow1 which is done unto me1 wherewith the ,lord hath afflicted me in the days of his fierce anger4--,lamentation i4 #ab4 ,these words are in some degree applicable to the mournful prophet ,jeremiah1 but it will do no violence to consider them as referring to ,jesus1 and to him they apply with tenfold force4 ,let us not pass him by unnoticed1 but let us behold1 and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow1 who1 by way of distinction1 is called the ,man of ,sorrows4 ,we see ,jesus1 attended by three of his disciples1 enter the garden of ,gethsemane2 we behold him withdraw from them about a stone's-throw1 and1 kneeling down1 pour out his soul in prayer to ,god4 ,let us draw nigh to witness the scene1 but let us approach with awe and reverence1 for methinks we are about to tread on hallowed ground4 ,let the frame of our minds be solemn and attentive1 whilst we view a scene so mysterious and sublime4 ,we observe ,jesus on his knees1 begin to be sore amazed and very heavy3 yea1 his soul is exceeding sorrowful1 even unto death2 and in the bitterness of his spirit1 we hear him cry out1 ,father1 if thou be willing1 remove this cup from me2 nevertheless1 not my will1 but thine1 be done4 ,being in an agony1 he prays the more earnestly4 ,thrice we hear him present the same petition4 ,his agony becomes so extreme1 that he sweats great drops of blood1 and so profusely1 that it even falls upon the ground4 ,struck at a sight so mysterious and solemn1 we turn towards the disciples for an explanation2 but lo1 they are fallen into a deep sleep1 although requested by their ,master to watch and pray4 ,desirous to ascertain the cause1 we survey the wondrous scene1 but find no external marks of punishment4 ,true1 the sufferings of the cross he viewed as near1 but they were not yet commenced2 nor can we discover any one afflicting him4 ,the only visible object we perceive is an angel from heaven2 but his was an errand of love1 for he strengthened him4 ,it is therefore quite clear1 that it was from sorrow of soul1 and not pains of body1 ,jesus then suffered4 ,we eagerly inquire what powers could have had such influence over him1 as to occasion so great anguish of spirit8 ,we are told1 the powers of heaven and hell2#fd and we immediately request to be informed1 why the holy1 harmless1 and undefiled ,jesus1 is thus the object of ,god's displeasure1 and the sport of ,satan4 ,we are directed to consult the records of truth for an explanation of the scene4 ,we examine1 and find that ,jesus had voluntarily come forth1 and offered himself as the surety of his people1 having placed himself in their room1 and the curses of the law taken hold upon him1 his soul endured all the horrors of the tremendous load of our guilt imputed to him4 ,would you behold the awful consequences of sin2 then go1 visit ,gethsemane1 and see ,jesus prostrate in the garden4 ,mark the extreme anguish of his spirit4 ,what language is sufficiently strong to express the agonies of his soul in that awful hour1 when the conflict of his mind forced through all the pores of his sacred body a bloody sweat2 not merely a drop or two1 but so copiously as to fall upon the ground1 and that in the open air1 in a night of such extreme cold1 that1 in the crowded hall of the ,high ,priest's palace1 the servants found it necessary to make a fire to warm themselves4 ,we may well tremble and stand amazed at a sight so awful and mysterious as the soul-agonies of the ,god-,man ,christ ,jesus4 ,is it nothing to you1 all ye that pass by8 ,behold1 and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow1 which was done unto him1 wherewith the ,lord afflicted him in the day of his fierce anger4 ,yes1 the hand of ,jehovah was in it1 he then stood up to punish the sins of his people1 in the person of their surety4 ,it was also the hour and power of darkness1 and ,satan then poured forth all his malice1 and exerted all his fury1 to worry and destroy this ,lamb of ,god2 although ,jesus declared1 the prince of this world had nothing in him1 7i4 e47 no corrupt principles or evil passions as materials on which to work2 yet was the soul of ,jesus assaulted by all the malicious artifices of hell4 ,it is more than probable1 that the great adversary overpowered the three disciples with drowsiness1 and caused them to fall into a deep sleep1 in order to keep every source of creature-comfort from ,jesus during this season of conflict and sorrow4 ,in the garden of ,eden1 did ,satan gain his first triumph over apostate man2 but in ,gethsemane's garden1 did ,jesus1 as the representative and surety of man1 give that decisive overthrow to the power of sin and ,satan1 which shook to its centre the throne of that arch-fiend4 #fd ,luke xxii4 #ec4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,yea1 mine own familiar friend1 in whom ,i trusted1 which did eat of my bread1 hath lifted up his heel against me4--,psalm xli4 #i4 ,and ,i said unto them1 if ye think good1 give me my price2 and if not1 forbear4 ,so they weighed for my price1 thirty pieces of silver4 ,and the ,lord said unto me1 cast it unto the potter3 a goodly price that ,i was prized at of them4 ,and ,i took the thirty pieces of silver1 and cast them to the potter in the ,house of the ,lord4--,zechariah xi4 #ab1 #ac4 ,surely every one acquainted with the history of ,jesus1 as connected with that of ,judas1 must acknowledge these remarkable verses to be prophetical of the traitorous conduct of that betrayer of ,christ4 ,they describe the base deeds of one of his followers4 ,it was his own familiar friend1 which did eat of his bread1 that lifted up his heel against him4 ,it was not an open enemy that did him this dishonour2 it was one with whom1 for near three years and a half1 he had daily intercourse2 during which period he had constant opportunities of witnessing the miracles of ,jesus4 ,he heard his divine discourses1 he saw him display his power1 and1 in common with the other disciples1 did he receive the kindest treatment from his ,master1 to whose person ,judas publicly professed himself faithfully attached3 yea1 he was numbered with the apostles1 and obtained a part in their ministry2 but such was his hypocrisy1 that the disciples were not conscious of his real character4 ,to his care they intrusted the slender stock of money--,judas kept the bag4 ,though under the mask of friendship he artfully concealed his perfidious spirit from the eye of man1 yet he could not deceive his ,lord and ,master4 ,jesus well knew1 amongst the twelve whom he had chosen to be his apostles1 one was a devil4#fe ,he knew this serpent1 fostered in his bosom1 would betray him4 ,yet we behold the meek and lowly ,jesus condescending to wash those feet which were so shortly to run on an errand of the basest ingratitude4 ,judas was unmoved by this act of unparalleled humility2 no kindness could soften his heart1 by sin made hard as adamant2 for it appears he instantly arose and1 though night 7a time best suited for such deeds of darkness71 went to the ,chief ,priests1 and said unto them1 if ye think good1 give me my price2 so they weighed him thirty pieces of silver4 ,for that paltry sum did this perfidious monster sell his ,lord and ,master1 and engage to deliver him into the hands of his bitterest enemies2 and then1 to conceal his base and treacherous conduct1 he mingled with his ,master's family1 and even dared to partake with them1 not only of the paschal feast1 but of the ,lord's ,supper1 which was instituted immediately after the celebration of the feast of the passover4 ,so callous was the wretch to every feeling of remorse and pity1 that he could1 unmoved and unrelentingly1 even receive from the hands of the innocent victim of his treachery1 the symbols of the ,lord's bruised body1 and blood-shedding4 ,when ,jesus mildly declared that one of them would betray him1 the faithful disciples1 filled with astonishment and grief at the bare intimation of such an act of perfidy1 each eagerly exclaimed1 ,lord1 is it ,i8 is it ,i8 ,the hardened ,judas could join in the cry1 and with all the effrontery of a child of satan1 appeal for a confirmation of his innocence2 but ,jesus knew his treachery1 though hid beneath the garb of friendship4 ,alas1 wretched ,judas6 how little didst thou enjoy thy ill-gotten wealth6 ,thou hadst scarcely grasped the price of blood1 ere thou didst cast it from thee2 before even the victim of thy treachery was crucified1 thou didst cut short thy race on earth1 and madly rush on the thick bosses of ,jehovah's buckler2 thou didst terminate thy wretched course of sin here1 to enter on thine awful state of everlasting wo4 ,matthew the ,evangelist informs us that ,judas hung himself1 but in the ,acts of the ,apostles we read1 that he fell head-long1 and all his bowels gushed out4 ,these seeming contradictions are easily reconciled1 if we suppose1 which is not improbable1 that he fell from the place whence he hung himself2 and thus a double mark of infamy was affixed to his body4 ,what a remarkable fulfilment of prophecy1 in the purchase of ,aceldama1 that potter's field of blood4 ,indeed1 these verses of ,zechariah look more like the descriptions of a contemporary1 than the predictions of one who lived at least five hundred and eighty years before the events narrated actually took place4 #fe ,john vi4 #gj4 ,by the ,mosaic law1 if a servant was goaded by an ox1 the owner of the ox was to pay the master of that servant thirty pieces of silver3#ff and for that trifling sum it was the blessed ,jesus was basely sold2 he1 whose price is far above rubies1 and to whom all the good things thou canst desire are not to be compared4 ,but1 while we detest the treachery of ,judas1 let us be careful that we do not commit the like act4 ,let us not salute ,jesus with the kiss of profession1 while we are secretly in league with his worst enemy1 sin3 which1 of old1 nailed ,jesus to the cross4 ,no wounds are considered by him so severe1 as those wherewith he is wounded in the house of his friends4#fg #ff ,exodus xxi4 #cd4 #fg ,psalm lv4 #ab4 ,,chapter ,,xxxv4 ,when the wicked1 even mine enemies and my foes1 came upon me to eat up my flesh1 they stumbled and fell4--,psalm xxvii4 #b4 ,the ,psalm from which this verse is selected1 was written by ,david king of ,israel1 when under the teachings of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,david unquestionably proved himself a mighty man of valour2 and by the help of his ,god did he overcome troops of foes2 indeed1 as a warrior1 he is surpassed by none4 ,but still these words are not strictly applicable to ,david2 though he slew many by the sword2 yet we never hear that any of his unwounded enemies fell before him3 and we find but one solitary instance on record1 of a body of armed men falling to the ground1 only on a single word spoken by their adversary4 ,the instance to which we allude1 was an event which occurred in the garden of ,gethsemane1 when a company of men went to apprehend ,jesus4 ,we find a band of ,roman soldiers1 armed as for war1 7sent by the ,chief ,priest17 attended by their officers1 and a large concourse of persons1 who were also provided with weapons1 lanterns1 and torches1 that they might secure ,jesus1 whom we see coming forth to meet them1 unarmed1 and accompanied only by the disciples4 ,with all the dignity of conscious innocence1 we hear him inquiring whom they seek2 when told1 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 he mildly answered1 ,i am2#fh but instead of instantly seizing their prey1 they go backwards1 and fall prostrate on the ground4 ,is this the conduct of ,roman warriors8 ,what was it which so soon relaxed the nerves1 and damped the bravery of a soldiery1 famed for their discipline and valour8 ,it was not threats nor menaces2 it was not promises nor bribes2 nor was it the sight of a company more numerous than themselves4 ,it was none of those causes which usually paralyze the exertions of soldiers4 ,surely then there was an almighty power accompanying the word spoken1 for we find all this dismay and consternation was occasioned only at the simple word of ,jesus4 ,then was that prophecy of ,isaiah accomplished1 who1 when speaking of the ,branch out of ,jesse's ,root1 said1 ,he should smite the earth with the ,rod of his mouth1 and with the breath of his lips should he slay the wicked4 ,truly they had cause for dismay2 for they were contending with none other than the glorious personage1 the ,great ,i ,,am1 who appeared to ,moses at the bush2 and the same power which smote them to the earth1 could1 if he had pleased1 deprive them of life4 ,surely this must be acknowledged to be one of the greatest miracles performed by ,jesus in the days of his flesh1 as it was produced by apparently the slightest exertion of his power4 #fh ,i am4 ,the reader will observe the word ,he is written in italics1 to denote that it was not in the original1 but added by the translators4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvi4 ,why do the heathen rage1 and the people imagine a vain thing8 ,the kings of the earth set themselves1 and the rulers take counsel together1 against the ,lord1 and against his anointed4--,psalm ii4 #a1 #b4 ,the whole of this ,psalm is descriptive of the ,messiah1 and we are not destitute of strong proofs to warrant our applying it to ,jesus4 ,we find persons of different denominations and rank in society1 even kings1 priests1 scribes and pharisees1 ,jews and ,gentiles1 in league to persecute and destroy an innocent individual4 ,of the ,jews we see ,caiaphas the ,high ,priest1 at the head of the ,sanhedrim1 from day to day in consultation on the best and most effectual methods to secure and destroy the victim of their displeasure4 ,of the ,gentile party are ,herod and ,pilate1 deputy kings or governors under ,csar1 assisted by the ,roman soldiers1 seconding and consenting to the plans of the ,jewish rulers and people4 ,we see these men forget their national and personal animosities1 to join in the scheme4 ,yea ,herod and ,pilate1 although at enmity before1 on this occasion lay aside their resentments1 become friends1 and act in unison4 ,but why do these heathens rage1 and against whom do these kings of the earth set themselves1 and wherefore all this consultation and contrivance8 ,is it to secure a powerful tyrant1 the scourge of an oppressed nation8 ,is it to subdue an usurper who has arisen to trample on and overthrow the existing authorities of the state2 or is it to bring to justice a wretch who has violated her laws1 and by his crimes and enormities become the dread and fear of his race8 ,no--but it is against the meek and lowly ,jesus1 who had never refused to pay tribute to whom tribute was due1 who had never attempted to establish a kingdom amongst the princes of the earth2 but when solicited to do so1 had ever checked the proposition1 as his kingdom was not of this world2 he could challenge his bitterest enemies to prove against him any violation of the laws1 either of ,moses or ,csar2 nor did ,jesus attempt to escape from them1 but was daily to be found either in the temple1 or about the city or its suburbs1 attended by a handful of unarmed followers4 ,there is one circumstance which deserves particular attention1 as it tends to show the extreme warmth and rage of his persecutors4 ,the night ,jesus was apprehended1 was the very night the ,jews celebrated the passover3 after which ordinance1 the whole of the people were forbidden to go abroad1 or leave their houses until the morning4#fi ,but so eager were these infuriated people to accomplish their plans1 that in opposition to this ,jewish command1 they go out to seize ,jesus1 whom they take to the palace of the ,high ,priest1 where the scribes and the elders of the people also assemble1 to contrive measures to get ,jesus crucified4 ,it appears more than probable that they sat in council the whole night1 as we leave them late in the evening thus employed1 and very early in the morning we find them still engaged on the same subject4 ,so soon as it is day1 they lead ,jesus to the hall of ,pilate4 ,but why do the heathen rage1 and the people imagine a vain thing8 ,against whom do the kings of the earth set themselves1 and the rulers take counsel together8 ,how sad their mistake1 if they imagined they were only planning the destruction of a poor ,jewish carpenter's son1 when1 in fact1 their schemes were against the ,lord1 and against his anointed4 ,it was not from any lack of evidence1 that they denied ,jesus to be the ,christ of ,god4 ,the language he used on another occasion1 is strictly applicable to them1 and to all those who do not acknowledge ,jesus as the ,god ,messiah4 ,many good works have ,i showed you from the ,father2 for which of those works do you stone me8 if ,i do not the works of my ,father1 believe me not2 but if ,i do1 though ye believe not me1 believe the works1 that ye may know and believe that the ,father is in me1 and ,i in him4 ,the plea of ignorance when the means of better information are in our power1 will only increase our condemnation4 ,we may all peruse the ,holy ,scriptures1 which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in ,christ ,jesus1 for all scripture is given by inspiration of ,god1 and is profitable for doctrine1 for reproof1 for correction1 for instruction in righteousness that the man of ,god may be perfect1 thoroughly furnished unto all good works4 #fi ,exodus xii4 #bb4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvii4 ,false witnesses did rise up3 they laid to my charge things that ,i knew not4--,psalm xxxv4 #aa4 ,where shall we find one more unjustly accused1 than ,jesus4 ,they falsely declare him to be a blasphemer and seducer of the people4 ,his enemies1 in order to give an appearance of justice to their proceedings1 7for they were determined to destroy him7 proceeded to call witnesses against him2 a mock trial ensues before ,caiaphas the ,high ,priest2 but1 though the witnesses are perjured1 their testimony agrees not together4 ,they indeed accuse him of having threatened to destroy their temple and build it again in three days2 but they can prove nothing4 ,it is true1 that ,jesus1 when speaking of his death and resurrection1 said1 destroy this temple1 and after three days ,i will raise it up again4 ,but this he spake of his body1 of which their temple was a type4#gj ,it was the honoured spot1 in which the ,lord met with and blessed his people1 and the body of ,jesus was honoured as the dwelling place or temple of the ,lord of ,glory4 ,god did indeed dwell in an house of clay which1 agreeably to his own prediction1 was laid low1 even to the ground1 and1 after three days1 he raised it up again1 without human aid or art4 ,these words are made the subject of their accusation2 but1 the charge is so childish and ridiculous1 that it deserves to be treated with contempt4 ,it is a little extraordinary1 that they did not bring against him the prophecy he had delivered of the utter ruin which1 before that generation should have passed away1 he had declared the ,romans would bring upon their devoted city and temple4 ,but they cautiously refrain from speaking on that subject1 and proceed to accuse him of blasphemy1 but here again they can prove nothing4 ,caiaphas artfully enough1 adjures the condemned1 by the living ,god1 to tell him plainly1 if he were the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,to which question ,jesus replies1 by boldly declaring his ,godhead1#ga and saying1 that hereafter they should see him coming in the clouds of ,heaven1 as their ,judge4 ,the ,high ,priest then rent his mantle1 and they pronounced him worthy of death4 ,by the law of ,moses1 persons guilty of blasphemy1 were to be stoned to death4 ,the ,jews being a conquered people1 had not the power to inflict so severe a punishment1 they1 therefore1 take ,jesus before the ,roman ,governor1 and vehemently accuse him of perverting the nation1 forbidding to give tribute to ,csar1 saying1 that1 he himself was ,christ a ,king1 and that he stirred up the people1 beginning from ,galilee to ,jerusalem4 ,but how false and unjust the accusation4 ,csar1 throughout his vast dominions1 had not a more honourable or obedient subject1 nor one who by example or precept1 better taught the true interest of the king and nation4 ,he1 indeed1 preached from ,galilee to ,jerusalem1 but not with words of sedition and strife1 for he stirred up the people to practise such a refined and exalted system of ethics1 that those of the far-famed heathen moralists sink into insignificance and contempt1 when their sentiments are compared with the doctrines of morality as taught by ,jesus and his ,apostles4--,love your enemies1 bless them that curse you1 do good to them that hate you1 and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you1 and whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you1 do ye even so to them4 ,he taught the people throughout all ,jewry1 to render unto ,csar the things that are ,csar's1 and unto ,god the things that are ,god's4 ,he even wrought a miracle to furnish the means of paying his own and disciples' tribute money4 ,but we cannot find an instance of his working a miracle to supply his own necessities1 although so poor that he had not where to lay his head4 ,he ever taught the ,jewish nation and his ,apostles1 and through them the world1 to render unto all men their due1 whether of tribute1 custom1 or honour4 ,he enjoined them to submit themselves to the ,powers that be1 and1 to obey the laws of their ,sovereigns and civil ,magistrates so far as they might be in unison with the commands of ,god4 ,although he spoke so freely of the duties of the subject1 he treated the great ones of the earth as men accountable to ,god1 for the talents entrusted to their charge4 ,his ,apostles1 taught by their divine ,lord and ,master1 neither flattered the vices1 nor courted the favours of kings or nobles1 for they were no sycophants4 ,although the doctrine of ,jesus was so pure and ,godlike1 and his life displayed every virtue1 7for in his spirit there was no guile7 and1 is the only one amongst ,adam's race1 who was free from sin1 yet against him was the tongue of the slanderer busy1 and calumny dared to raise her voice4 ,yea false witnesses did rise up and lay to his charge things that he knew not4 #gj ,john ii4 #ai-ba4 #ga ,col4 ii4 #i4 ,,chapter ,,xxxviii4 ,but ,i1 as a deaf man1 heard not2 and ,i was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth4 ,thus1 ,i was as a man that heareth not1 and in whose mouth are no reproofs4 ,psalm xxxviii4 #ac1 #ad4 ,does not the perusal of these words lead the mind back to the palace of ,caiaphas1 and the hall of ,pilate1 when ,jesus appeared there1 surrounded by his blood-thirsty persecutors1 who1 in the bitterness of their malice1 vehemently and unjustly accuse him of crimes his soul abhorred4 ,but1 the meek and lowly ,jesus heard their falsehoods with silent composure4 ,their calumnies aroused no angry passions in his spotless soul4 ,though conscious of the injustice of their proceedings1 he made no remonstrance4 ,even ,pilate marvelled at his silence1 and exclaimed1 hearest thou not how many things these witness against thee8 ,but ,jesus answered not a word4 ,he was as a deaf man who heard not1 or as one that is dumb so he opened not his mouth4 ,yet his silence was not the effect of sullenness1 and1 though innocent of crimes alleged against him1 he deigned not to vindicate his character1 nor did his noble spirit stoop to load with reproach even his bitterest enemies4 ,though reviled1 he reviled not again2 in his mouth there were no reproofs4 ,jesus1 aware of the situation in which he stood as the sinner's surety1 looked beyond the bar of ,pilate1 to the ,tribunal of ,god's ,justice3 for though no sin was in him1 yet1 by imputation1 he was loaded with sin4#gb ,though he was unjustly condemned to death by the ,roman ,governor1 he viewed the sentence gone forth against him in the ,court of ,heaven1 and1 seeing the hand of the ,lord in this matter1 he was dumb1 and opened not his mouth1 because thou1 ,o ,god1 didst it4 ,this is discovered in the reply he made to ,pilate's imperious question1 ,knowest thou not1 that ,i have power to crucify thee1 and have power to release thee8 ,jesus answered1 thou couldest have no power at all against me1 except it were given thee from above4 ,although innocent of the crimes preferred against him1 at ,pilate's bar1 yet1 ,jesus knew that he stood charged before ,god1 with the imputed mass of his people's sins for which he had made himself responsible4 ,is it not to this1 we must attribute the otherwise extraordinary silence ,jesus manifested at the injustice of ,pilate's sentence8 #gb ,isaiah liii4 #f4 ,,chapter ,,xxxix4 ,my lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore1 and my kinsmen stand afar off4--,psalm xxxviii4 #aa4 ,how forcible and just the remark of the wisest of men1 that every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts4 ,but1 in the day of adversity1 how few are treated with kindness and attention by their former acquaintance and professed friends4 ,at one time we see five thousand1 and at another four thousand persons1 partaking of the bounty of ,jesus4 ,afterwards we behold a multitude following him2 but1 he who knew their motives declared it was for the sake of the loaves and fishes4 ,when he was so actively engaged in healing the sick and diseased1 from all parts they crowd around1 and call him ,lord and ,master2 but1 no sooner does the black cloud of adversity lower over the head of this ,benefactor of our race1 than the cringing throng depart2 even his immediate disciples1 who had shared his friendship1 forsook him1 and fled at the very first appearance of danger4 ,so precipitate were they that they stayed not to inquire or consider if mischief was likely to befal them1 by their adherence to their ,master4 ,only anxious for their own safety1 they leave him alone and unprotected1 to struggle with dangers and difficulties4 ,but one disciple is found in the hall of ,judgment1 and even he1 with oaths and curses1 denies any knowledge of the despised ,nazarene4 ,but1 were none found to espouse his cause8 ,did not the recipients of his bounty appear for his rescue8 ,were not those tongues whose powers of articulation ,jesus had restored1 heard to plead for mercy8 ,did not those eyes he had blessed with vision1 with tears supplicate compassion for their benefactor8 ,were not those withered arms he had healed1 upraised to shield from insult the giver of their strength8 ,did not those he had delivered from the power of the grave1 boldly shed their hearts' blood to rescue1 from the arm of cruelty and oppression1 the restorer of their life8 ,no6 ,silent as the grave was every tongue in his defence2 no advocate was heard to plead his cause2 no friendly arm was outstretched to succour or support the oppressed ,saviour2 ,lover and friends stood aloof from his sore1 and his kinsmen stood afar off4 ,,chapter ,,xl4 ,i gave my back to the smiters1 and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair2 ,i hid not my face from shame and spitting4--,isaiah l4 #f4 ,for the fulfilment of this prophecy1 we have only to go back to the hall ,prtorium1 where we behold the blessed ,jesus surrounded by a band of ,roman soldiers1 who treat him with every species of indignity4 ,not content with having scourged him1 7a punishment considered too ignoble to be inflicted on a free born ,roman7#gc they proceed to insult his ,kingly ,office4 ,the purple robe1 the reedy sceptre1 the crown of thorns1 the bended knee1 and the salutation1 ,hail1 ,king of the ,jews1 are all used in mockery4 ,what cruelty1 mixed with insult1 was here2 had sport only been intended1 a crown of reeds had sufficed4 ,but no1 it must be a crown of thorns1 and that not gently placed on his head1 but its sharp points were forcibly struck in4 ,his ,prophetical ,office is next profaned1 by blindfolding and smiting him on the face1 crying1 prophesy who it was that smote thee4 ,they even dare to spit in his face1 which by every people is considered the greatest indignity that can be offered1 but especially so by the ,jewish nation1 amongst whom1 if a father did but spit in his daughter's face1 she was treated as unclean seven days4#gd ,the ,romans were accustomed to present a civic crown1 composed of oak leaves1 to him who had saved the life of a fellow citizen1 but when ,jesus literally laid down his life to save from everlasting death a countless multitude1 whom no man can number1 of the citizens of earth1 no such civic honours were awarded him4 ,when our first parents apostatized from ,god1 the earth was cursed for their sake1 and made to bring forth briars and thorns1 but ,jesus only1 of ,adam's race1 was ever crowned with thorns4 ,what a spectacle for the angels of light to witness6 ,the ,god of glory insulted and mocked by worms of the earth6 ,to behold that sacred face1 before which they were wont to bow with adoration and love1 covered with shame and spitting4 ,but the season of sorrow and of suffering is now past1 and ,jesus1 the ,son of the ,most ,high1 is receiving the just reward of his sufferings and humiliation4#ge ,that head1 torn and lacerated by the rugged thorn1 is now adorned with many crowns1 and that face1 once obscured by shame and spitting1 now shines with refulgent brightness4 #gc ,romans xvi4 #cg4 #gd ,numbers xii4 #ad4 #ge ,isaiah xl4 #aj4 ,,chapter ,,xli4 ,he is despised and rejected of men2 a man of sorrows1 and acquainted with grief2 and we hid1 as it were1 our faces from him2 he was despised1 and we esteemed him not4--,isaiah liii4 #c4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 the ,redeemer of ,israel1 and his ,holy ,one1 to him whom man despiseth1 to him whom the nation abhorreth1 to a servant of rulers1 ,kings shall see and arise1 princes also shall worship1 because of the ,lord that is faithful1 and the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 and he shall choose thee4--,isaiah xlix4 #g4 ,here again1 we are called upon1 to behold ,jesus1 exposed to shame1 reproach1 and sorrow4 ,he was in the world1 and the world was made by him1 yet the world knew him not4 ,he came unto his own1 and his own received him not4 ,though his visit was an errand of mercy1 yet he was treated as the offscouring of all things4 ,he was despised and rejected of men1 himself a man of sorrows1 and acquainted with grief2 and we hid1 as it were1 our faces from him2 he was despised1 and we esteemed him not4 ,away with him2 crucify him1 was the public cry4 ,and to ,pilate's question1 whether of the twain will ye that ,i release unto you1 ,barabbas or ,jesus8 they all1 as with one voice1 instantly exclaim1 not this man1 but ,barabbas4 ,thus1 he who had been cast into prison for sedition and murder1 was released1 and ,jesus rejected4 ,yet it was ,jehovah's ,holy ,one1 the ,redeemer of ,israel1 the ,mighty ,god of ,jacob1 whom man despised1 whom the nation abhorred1 who was as a servant to ,rulers4 ,we may shudder at the indignities offered to the ,son of ,god when he tabernacled on earth1 and the thought may cross the mind1 had ,i been present1 ,i would not have joined in opposing and insulting the meek and lowly ,jesus4 ,good1 my friend1 but allow me affectionately to remind you1 that if you are still at enmity to ,god by wicked works2 if you have not submitted your heart unreservedly to the ,lord1 nor accepted his free offers of pardon and reconciliation1 through the blood and righteousness of ,jesus2 if you are not simply resting by faith on the vicarious sacrifice of ,christ1 as the only propitiation for sin1 and trusting solely to his perfect1 yet imputed1 righteousness1 as the ground of your acceptance with ,god1 you are1 to all intents and purposes1 acting the like part1 or even worse1 than did the ancient rejecters of ,jesus1 for you despise and reject the ,redeemer of ,israel1 amidst the full blaze of gospel light4 ,if he that despised ,moses' law1 died without mercy1 of how much sorer punishment1 suppose ye1 shall he be thought worthy1 who hath trodden under foot the ,son of ,god1 and hath counted the blood of the covenant1 wherewith he was sanctified1 an unholy thing1 and hath done despite unto the ,spirit of grace8 ,we know him that hath said1 ,vengeance belongeth unto me2 ,i will recompense1 saith the ,lord4#gf #gf ,heb4 x4 #bh-cj4 ,but let us not forsake our own mercies1 nor longer despise and reject the ,christ of ,god1 nor lightly esteem that salvation1 to purchase which1 he was content to suffer ignominy and sorrow4 ,let us bow with humility and reverence before the ,redeemer of ,israel4 ,let us bend the willing knee in adoration and gratitude before ,jehovah's ,holy ,one1 of whom thus saith the ,lord1 ,kings shall see and arise2 ,princes also shall worship before him2 the ,gentiles shall come to his light1 and ,kings to the brightness of his rising4 ,nations1 the learned and the rude1 shall bow before the ,mighty ,one of ,jacob1 fall prostrate to his all conquering grace1 and call the ,redeemer blessed4 ,,chapter ,,xlii4 ,but ,i am a worm1 and no man2 a reproach of men1 and despised of the people4--,psalm xxii4 #f4 ,do we not here instantly recognise the language of the despised ,nazarene8 ,and is not the whole ,psalm a striking description of his unparalleled sufferings1 of his unprecedented degradation and humility8 ,he whose will formed the universal law of nature2 he who marshalled the stars1 and called them all by name2 who bid the planets roll1 and the sun to shine2 who gave the orb of day his splendid rays1 and lent the moon her silvery light2 he whose word the congregated waters of the ocean felt and owned1 when he said1 hitherto shalt thou come1 but no further1 and here shall thy proud waves be stayed--he who shared the throne of ,deity1#gg and received the adorations of glorified saints1 of ,cherubim and ,seraphim1 and before whose footstool even ,gabriel bowed and worshipped4#gh ,he whose right it was to reign in ,heaven1 condescended to visit this1 his distant kingdom1 and tabernacle here for a season in the garb of humanity4 ,surely1 if the ,lord of ,heaven and ,earth deigned1 for great and wise purposes1 to enter this lower world1 it was undoubtedly his just right to have appeared in all the majesty and splendour becoming his rank1 and thus to have displayed himself as the glorious ,god4 ,was it not a condescension in the second person of the glorious ,trinity to assume the character and office of ,mediator8 ,but1 how unspeakably great his condescension in taking our nature into union with his ,divine ,person1 even if it had always retained the splendours exhibited to the three disciples on the mount of transfiguration4 ,is there not just reason to believe the human nature to which ,deity was united1 as far exceeded in its native powers and faculties the rest of mankind#gi2 as that the intellectual powers of the justly celebrated ,newton exceeded the mental capacities of an idiot8 ,we behold the ,god-man1 ,christ ,jesus1 voluntarily waiving his just claim to glory1 and appearing1 as the ,prophet described1 without form or comeliness2 for in the eyes of those who saw him there was no beauty that they should desire him4 ,he was exposed to every species of scorn and contempt1 his name a reproach1 himself an outcast1 the sport and ridicule of the ,jewish nation4 ,we discover ,jesus1 as the surety of man1 cheerfully lay aside for a season all his visible and personal glory#hj1 to recompense the injury ,god's manifested glory had sustained by the creature's sin4 ,and as ,adam the creature1 sinned in aspiring to be as ,god#ha1 so ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 in making restitution1 condescended to assume the creature4 ,the satisfaction of ,jesus did not consist merely in his obedience and sufferings1 but also in his abasement and humiliation4 ,he emptied himself1 as it were1 of all personal glory#hb to honour ,god1 who1 in the person of ,god the ,father1 covenanted to maintain and demand the honour and dignity due to ,godhead4#hc ,the apostasy and disobedience of man had reflected dishonour on ,god1 therefore ,jesus submitted to shame and reproach1 and to have his personal glory debased to make reparation4 ,the lower he humbled himself1 the greater honour did he reflect upon ,god1 and the greater was the display of his love to man4 ,when we consider the character of him with whom it is no robbery to be equal with ,god1 and contrast the true dignity of his person1 with his appearance and reception on earth1 we are overwhelmed at the extent of his zeal for his ,father's honour1 and his love for the fallen race of ,adam1 which prompted him to descend from the heights of glory and blessedness to take the lowest rank1 and most humbled situation#hd1 in society1 to raise and exalt his enemies to a participation and share in the glories of his ,heavenly ,kingdom4 ,surely this was compassion like a ,god4 #gg ,psalm cx4 #a4 ,zech4 xiii4 #g4 #gh ,heb4 i4 #f4 #gi ,john vii4 #df4 #hj ,john xvii4 #e4 #ha ,gen4 iii4 #e4 #hb ,phil4 ii4 #g4 #hc ,matt4 v4 #ah4 #hd ,luke xxii4 #bg4 ,,chapter ,,xliii4 ,he was oppressed1 and he was afflicted1 yet he opened not his mouth3 he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter1 and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb1 so he opened not his mouth4--,isaiah liii4 #g4 ,it is scarcely possible not to see that it is ,jesus who is here held forth to our view4 ,who so oppressed and afflicted as he8 ,who so patient under insult and tyrannical cruelty8 ,who so silent under the voice of calumny8 ,what lamb so patient under the hand of the destroyer8 ,he did not resist1 he did not oppose2 yea1 he did not even attempt to vindicate his conduct2 but1 with meekness1 gentleness1 and cheerfulness did he hear1 bear1 and suffer1 all that malice could devise1 or cruelty inflict4 ,although he bore their unjust treatment without murmuring1 yet his was not the tame submission of one insensible of wrong1 or incapable of resistance4#he #he ,matthew xxvi4 #ec4 ,under the law1 the lamb intended as a sacrifice was first taken to the door of the tabernacle1 that the priest might have any opportunity to discover if it was free from blemish2#hf and ,jesus the ,lamb of ,god was not offered as a sacrifice without being first brought bound before the ,high ,priest4 ,but he1 blinded by prejudice and passion1 neglected to perform this part of his office4 ,yet this spotless lamb was not led forth for slaughter1 before his purity had been attested2 and1 though the ,priest refused to do it1 ,herod and ,pilate gave their testimony to the fact1 that in him they could find no fault4 ,he was perfectly free from spot or blemish4 ,he alone is the ,lamb whose sacrifice can benefit either ,jew or ,gentile4 ,it would be easy to shew1 that all other sacrifices were but typical of this ,lamb1 viewed as slain from the foundation of the world2 but1 as it is more connected with type than prophecy1 it would be improper here4 #hf ,leviticus ix4 #c4 #e4 ,,chapter ,,xliv4 ,he was taken from prison and from judgment3 and who shall declare his generation8 for he was cut off out of the land of the living1 for the transgression of my people was he stricken4--,isaiah liii4 #h4 ,here the ,prophet presents us with another sketch1 which so exactly corresponds with many features in the sufferings of ,jesus1 that we cannot well mistake1 if we consider him as the person intended4 ,what supinness do we behold in the cause of truth1 how faint are the exertions to promote the ,glory of ,god1 to whom are we indebted for all spiritual and temporal blessings4 ,surely1 the disciples of ,christ1 in every age1 must blush to compare their want of zeal for their ,master's ,glory1 with the ardour and unwearied perseverance displayed by the adversaries of the ,lord4 ,what exertion and determination of purpose1 is discoverable in the persecutors of ,jesus4 ,if they cannot accomplish their object in one way1 they attempt it in another4 ,if ,annas or ,caiaphas have not the power 7,judea being under the ,roman yoke7 to execute ,jesus1 his enemies1 nothing daunted1 try ,pilate and ,herod1 from whose tribunal1 the innocent sufferer is again conveyed back to the ,judgment ,hall of ,pilate1 and eventually to ,calvary4 ,thus was the blessed ,jesus led bound by his insulting persecutors1 from place to place1 and compelled to walk many a wearisome mile1 surrounded by an incensed rabble1 who thirsted for his blood4 ,he was1 indeed1 taken from prison and from judgment1 but1 who shall declare his generation4 ,we may trace his journeys and count the number of his years on earth2 but1 we cannot name the period of time1 when he first began his existence2 for he existed as ,god1 from everlasting to everlasting4#hg ,we hear the ,jews saying ,as for this fellow1 we know not whence he is4 ,as man1 we see him cut off out of the land of the living4 ,and the ,prophets and ,apostles1 all join in stating1 that it was for the transgressions of his people1 he was stricken4 ,they again and again repeat the same sentiment4 ,we are not left with a solitary proof or two1 on a subject of so much importance2 but it is written as with a sunbeam1 throughout the whole canon of scripture4 ,we should never view the sufferings of ,jesus1 but in connexion with the precious truth1 that it was for the transgression of his people he was stricken4 #hg ,romans xix4 #e4 ,hebrews xiii4 #h4 ,,chapter ,,xlv4 ,for dogs have compassed me2 the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me2 they have pierced my hands and my feet4--,psalm xxii4 #af4 ,we cannot with any degree of consistency1 apply these words to ,david4 ,it is true he was often surrounded by foes1 and encompassed by adversaries2 but1 never were his sorrows and sufferings of the kind here described4 ,by the spirit of ,prophecy1 he spoke of the sufferings of ,jesus1 and to him alone can we with truth apply these words1 or indeed1 the whole ,psalm4 ,we see ,jesus surrounded by men1 who1 for their ungovernable rage1 are not unaptly compared to dogs2 and the assemblies before whom he was brought1 proved by their conduct towards him1 that they were unjust ,rulers4 ,what they called the ,hall of ,judgment1 was1 in this case1 the seat of injustice and oppression4 ,on every side1 did the assemblies of the wicked enclose him2 yea1 they crucified him1 by which act they pierced his hands and his feet4 ,crucifixion was not a ,jewish punishment1 but one used by the ,romans1 and they considered it so disgraceful that it was not allowed to be executed on a ,roman1 however heinous his crimes4 ,it was only slaves1 and persons belonging to the conquered territories of the ,roman ,government1 who were sentenced to a death alike ignominious1#hh painful1 and lingering4 ,it was shameful1 as the condemned always suffered naked2 it was extremely painful1 for they placed the sufferer on the cross when on the ground1 the feet and outstretched arms1 were then nailed to the wood1 which being upraised1 and one end fixed in a hole in the ground1 the sudden jirk occasioned the most excruciating pains to the whole body4 ,and when we consider that the nails were driven through the palms of the hands1 and the soles of the feet1 the most nervous parts of the body1 the mind sickens at the thought1 and is unwilling to dwell longer on so distressing an object2 humanity sends forth a wish that death may speedily relieve the sufferer4 ,but1 as no wound is inflicted on any part of the body absolutely necessary to existence1 the unfortunate sufferer often lingers many an hour in this extreme agony1 before the powers of nature are exhausted and death closes the scene4 #hh ,hebrews xii4 #b4 ,this is but a faint outline of the sufferings of crucifixion1 to which the ,priests and ,rulers sentenced the blessed ,jesus1 whom we see going forth to the place of execution1 carrying his own cross1 and fainting beneath the load4 ,his unfeeling persecutors1 fearing1 lest he should expire by the road1 and thus disappoint them in their cruel design1 lay hold of a ,cyrenian1 named ,simon1 whom they compel to bear the cross to ,calvary1 a spot1 rendered sacred to memory by the sufferings of ,jesus1 who humbled himself unto death1 even the death of the cross4 ,yes1 he who could command a legion of angels to his rescue1 here submitted to a painful and ignominious death4 ,do we hear the ,prophet inquire ,wherefore art thou red in thine apparel1 and thy garments like him that treadeth the wine-vat8 ,jesus replies1 ,i have trodden the wine-press alone2 and of the people there was none with me2 and ,i looked and there was none to help2 and ,i wondered that there was none to uphold3 therefore1 mine own arm brought salvation4 ,whenever we look to the cross of ,jesus1 we should eye him as the surety of his people1 as the just suffering for the unjust1 to bring sinners unto ,god4 ,it was for them he wept1 bled1 groaned1 agonized1 and died4 ,but while ,christ crucified is to the ,jews a stumbling block1 and unto the ,greeks foolishness1 it is unto them that are called1 both ,jews and ,gentiles1 ,christ the power of ,god1 and the wisdom of ,god4 ,jesus1 that he might sanctify the people with his own blood1 suffered without the gate4 ,let us therefore go forth unto him without the camp1 bearing his reproach4 ,jesus suffered a painful1 shameful1 and ignominious death1 to deliver his people from the bitter pains of eternal death4 ,his crucifixion is the procuring cause of their salvation2 for he died that they might live4 ,ought we not to admire and adore the wisdom of our ,god1 who could cause such invaluable good to spring out of what1 distinctly considered1 was an act of such injustice and cruelty4 ,we see the persecutors of ,jesus full of fury and indignation1 executing their cruelties on the innocent object of their abhorrence4 ,but1 at the same time1 we discover1 that by their instrumentality1 the designs of ,god are accomplished4 ,not that their crime is in the least degree lessened4 ,no1 the hatred1 malice1 envy1 injustice1 rage1 and cruelty1 was all their own act and deed1 and the sin and guilt1 consequent on the foul transgression1 is with justice laid to their charge4 ,the moral evil of the act1 is in nowise diminished by the ,lord's overruling it to accomplish his purposes and making it minister to his glory4 ,he can make the wrath of man praise him1 but the remainder of that wrath he will restrain4 ,,chapter ,,xlvi4 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8 ,why art thou so far from helping me1 and from the words of my roaring8--,psalm xxii4 #a4 ,if we would know whose language this is1 we must by faith ascend the hill of ,calvary2 there1 taking our stand at the foot of the cross of ,jesus1 we hear him utter the dolorous cry1 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me4 ,we do not find a word of complaint of the pains and sufferings of his mangled body escape his lips4 ,they are borne in patient silence1 the cruelties inflicted by the puny arm of flesh1 cannot extort a groan or a murmur from the holy sufferer4 ,this mournful exclamation1 was not occasioned by the agonies of his body4 ,he was not incapable of feeling them in their highest extent1 7for his human nature was left to its infirmities1 that he might fully suffer7 but he was so entirely swallowed up with the weight of his ,father's wrath2 that it overwhelmed the sense of bodily pain4 ,here again we are constrained to eye ,jesus in the character of a surety4 ,he had become a surety for rebel man1 and he truly smarted for it4 ,he felt the awful extent of the tremendous debt he had engaged to cancel1 he found the wrath of ,god as an overwhelming flood1 as deep waters in which there was no standing4 ,at that soul-appalling season1 the phials of divine vengeance were poured out1 and he drank of the cup of trembling from the hand of the ,lord2 not a sip merely1 but he drank of it to the very dregs4 ,he felt by bitter experience that ,god's wrath is a consuming fire2 for by it1 his heart was melted like wax1 in the midst of his body4 ,the sorrows of his soul1 were occasioned by the sins of the world imputed to1 and charged upon1 him1 and for which he then endured the wrath of ,god4 ,yes1 in the six hours ,jesus hung upon the cross1 he had to struggle with the sorrows of death and with the fierce anger of ,god2 he was forsaken by his ,father1 and suffered his divine wrath1 which indeed constitutes the tremendous curse4 ,if the thought should arise in the mind1 how that ,infinite ,being who is emphatically described as a ,god of ,love1 could find in his heart to use such severity toward him1 whom he styles his only-begotten1 well-beloved ,son1 he in whom the ,father is always well pleased1 it should be remembered1 that ,god sustains two relations towards ,christ2 the love of a ,father to him as a ,son1 and the claim of a ,judge toward him as a surety4 ,although ,god never expressed so much anger toward ,christ1#hi as when he hung upon the cross1 yet in fact1 he was never so well pleased with him as then4#ij ,yea1 he was more pleased with him1 than he had been displeased by all the sins that creatures have committed or can commit4 ,it is true1 mercy is ,god's delight1 but justice is his sceptre1 whereby he rules1 governs1 and judges the world4 ,his attribute of wisdom1 gives to both their fullest demonstration and accomplishment4 ,the plan of reconciliation1 the scheme of redemption1 by ,jesus2 is ,god's masterpiece3 in which all his attributes meet1 and harmonise4#ia ,if we would know the abhorrence ,god bears toward sin1 then we must look at the cross of ,jesus4 ,there it is ,god has exhibited the greatest manifestation of his hatred toward it1 by his treatment of him who became the sinner's surety4 ,the drowning of the old world1 the destruction of ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 together with the eternal punishment of the miserable inhabitants of the bottomless pit2 never can display ,god's detestation of sin so forcibly1 as the astonishing events which once transpired at ,gethsemane and ,calvary4 ,if ,jesus could not endure to be deprived of the light of ,god's countenance for a few short hours2 then how wretched the state of those who are banished his presence for ever6 ,jesus well knew the blessedness of ,god's favour2 he could bear with composure1 the utmost torments that wanton cruelty could inflict2 but he could not behold in silence1 the angry countenance of his ,father1 or endure to be deprived of the refreshing presence of the ,lord4 ,does not this display the love and compassion of our ,jesus1 in a most endearing point of view1 when we behold him voluntarily submitting1 not only to corporeal punishment1 but also to the curse and wrath of ,god for us1 and for our salvation8 #hi ,zechariah xiii4 #g4 #ij ,john x4 #ag4 #ia ,psalm lxxxv4 #aj4 ,,chapter ,,xlvii4 ,awake1 ,o sword1 against my shepherd1 and against the man that is my fellow1 saith the ,lord of hosts3 smite the shepherd1 and the sheep shall be scattered2 and ,i will turn mine hand upon the little ones4--,zechariah xiii4 #g4 ,this verse1 at the first reading1 may appear involved in difficulty1 but a little attention will enable us to discover to whom it refers4 ,we hear a solemn call for a sword to awake4 ,what sword8 ,surely it can be none other than the sword of divine justice1 which had so long delayed to execute the punishment due to the violators of ,god's righteous law4 ,but against whom is it directed8 ,against fallen and rebellious man8 ,no1 but against my shepherd1 and against the man that is my fellow1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,the next interesting question which arises1 is1 ,who is this ,shepherd8 ,we answer1 ,jesus4 ,in the ,old ,testament1 the ,messiah is often discovered to us1 in the character of a shepherd1 and in the ,new1 we find every description fully realised in the person of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 who is the true ,shepherd of ,israel4 ,but why is the sword called upon to awake against him8 ,this may require a little history1 but is easily answered from the records of divine truth4 ,mankind in the person of ,adam their federal head1 and since1 each individual1 distinctively1 has broken ,god's righteous law1 not only the decalogue delivered to ,moses1 but the law of nature2 man owing all to his bountiful ,creator and ,preserver1 was1 in point of common justice1 bound to render to his ,lord the tribute of his love and gratitude4 ,but who1 amongst the human race1 can venture to stand forth1 and appealing to ,omniscience itself1 affirm1 that he has loved the ,lord his ,god1 with all his mind1 with all his soul1 and with all his strength2 and his neighbour as himself8 ,no1 it is in vain to endeavour to conceal a truth ,god has declared so publicly2 that by the deeds of the law1 no flesh living shall be justified4 ,man having rendered himself amenable to ,god's holy law1 stands exposed to all its awful consequences4 ,but be astonished1 ,o heavens1 and wonder1 ,o earth1 to behold this great1 this good shepherd1 stand forth as the voluntary surety of his flock1 engaging to take all their guilt1 and its punishment1 upon himself4 ,thus becoming responsible1 for all their mighty debt1 having placed himself in their law room1 the sword of divine justice was called upon to execute its tremendous punishment1 7the punishment due to the whole flock7 on the person of their surety shepherd4 ,we would next direct our attention to the words1 ,the man that is my fellow1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts3 and trace their application to ,jesus4 ,for proofs of his humanity1 see him a babe at ,bethlehem2 view him labouring in the occupation of a carpenter2 trace the innumerable instances given in the records of the ,evangelists1 of his humanity2 behold him exposed to all the infirmities of our nature2 see him enduring hunger1 thirst1 weariness1 reproach1 privations1 pain1 sorrow1 and suffering2 yes1 as man he wept1 groaned1 bled1 agonised1 and died4 ,as ,god1 behold him giving sight to the blind1 making the deaf to hear1 the dumb to speak1 and the lame to walk2 cleansing the lepers1 healing the sick1 and all by a word or touch2 yea1 at his command1 the dead again sprang into life1 and devils themselves fled1 or cried out for mercy at his approach4 ,when he issued his mandate1 be it observed1 there was no exertion of physical power2 and if he ever used outward means1 they were such as carried conviction to the mind of every beholder1 that the cure was not the effect of their application1 but an exercise of his power1 who is truly fellow to the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,all the essential attributes of ,god belong to ,jesus3 mark his omniscience in the instance of ,nathaniel1#ib when thou wast under the fig-tree1 ,i saw thee4 ,see him exercise his omnipotence at the lakes of ,tiberias and ,gennesaret1 in the two miraculous draughts of fish2 the one before1 the other after his resurrection4 ,in directing the fish to bring the piece of money2 in walking on the sea3 and the instances also1 of his feeding five thousand persons from five loaves1 and seven thousand from four loaves and a few small fishes1 and it would appear that the fragments left1 exceeded the slender stock at the commencement of the repast4 ,behold his omnipresence in the case of ,lazarus1 whom he declared to be dead although none brought the tidings4 ,indeed the instances are numberless1 in which the unprejudiced mind may discover the deity of ,jesus4 ,it was often manifested in his declaring the thoughts and motives1 not only of his immediate disciples1 but of many who1 under the guise of friendship1 were secretly endeavouring to draw from his lips something which might give them a plea for seizing his person4 ,yes1 ,jesus discovered himself to be the omniscient1 omnipotent1 omnipresent1 heart-searching ,god4 ,although his humanity and deity are so closely united1 yet they are easily to be discovered4 ,see the humanity sleeping1 but behold the ,god arising and rebuking the tempestuous winds and sea1 which knew his voice and instantly obeyed4 ,above all1 behold his body carried from the cross to the sepulchre1 after having paid a debt1 which the whole human race1 through the countless ages of eternity1 were unable to discharge3 but it was fully cancelled by the man who is fellow to the ,lord of ,hosts1 and as such see him bursting the bars of death asunder1 and arising1 the triumphant ,conqueror of death1 hell1 and the grave4 #ib ,john i4 #dg-ej4 ,the latter clause of this prophecy was fulfilled1 when ,jesus was seized and hurried before his unjust judges2 then the shepherd was smitten1 and the sheep scattered1 as those who have no keeper2 for all his disciples forsook him1 and fled4 ,the mighty conflict is now past2 for the sword of divine justice1 which had long slumbered1 awoke2 and1 guided by the arm of ,omnipotence1 was dipped in the heart's blood of ,israel's chief ,shepherd3 the man who is fellow to the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,,chapter ,,xlviii4 ,they part my garments among them1 and cast lots upon my vesture4--,psalm xxii4 #ah4 ,the circumstances attending the disposal of the garments of the crucified ,jesus1 are in themselves trifling and insignificant1 but when viewed in connexion with this prophecy1 it is no longer a matter of little importance4 ,it is equally necessary that the small1 as well as the great and conspicuous parts of prophecy should be fulfilled2 and it is highly satisfactory to trace1 amid the more minute events connected with the life and death of ,jesus1 so striking a correspondence with the ,old ,testament prophecies of the ,messiah4 ,in fact1 if these were wanting1 the whole1 as an evidence1 would be incomplete4 ,how satisfactory is it to find1 in this instance1 the very raiment of ,jesus become a witness for the truth that he is the ,messiah4 ,it was not the disciples1 or friends of ,jesus1 who parted his garments among them1 and cast lots upon his vesture3 but it was the ,roman soldiers1 who1 ignorant of the ,jewish prophecies1 could not be supposed to have divided the garments among them in that particular way1 for the express purpose of fulfilling this prophecy2 which might have been imagined1 had it been the disciples instead of the soldiers4 ,these men1 alike ignorant and unconcerned about the fulfilment of prophecy1 could not even be anxious to possess the garments of ,jesus from their intrinsic worth2 no1 it was only the humble dress of a poor jew3 nor were they led to attach any particular value to the clothes1 from love to its late wearer1 for whom they felt neither affection or respect4 ,it is probable they were severally desirous to possess some part of the apparel1 that they might exhibit it as a trophy that they shared in the destruction of the ,king of the ,jews4 ,,chapter ,,xlix4 ,they gave me also gall for my meat2 and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink4--,psalm lxix4 #ba4 ,it was not unfrequent that cordials or opiates were given the unhappy objects sentenced to crucifixion1 to blunt the severity of their agonies1 and shorten the period of their sufferings4 ,but1 at the crucifixion of ,jesus1 no friendly hand presented the soothing draught4 ,when faint from loss of blood1 and parched by burning fever occasioned by excessive pain1 the dying sufferer exclaimed ,i thirst2 a sponge is conveyed on a reed to his parched lips2 but1 alas6 it is absorbed in a liquid too nauseous1 even for one in his famished state1 to drink4 ,unfeeling wretches6 thus to sport with the sufferings of such a distressed object2 thus to mock the wishes of one in the last agonies of death6 ,when the son of ,jesse1 in the cave of ,adullam1 longed1 and said1 ,o that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of ,bethlehem1 that is by the gate1 three of the mightiest heroes in his valiant little band broke through the opposing ranks of the ,philistine's army1 to fetch the wished-for draught2 but when the ,son of ,god required the refreshment of a little water2 when his tongue1 from very thirst1 clave to the roof of his mouth1 and his strength was dried up as a potsherd1 he was insulted with a mixture of vinegar and gall4 ,but little did the thoughtless multitudes who surrounded the cross of ,jesus imagine1 that he was then drinking to the very dregs1 the wormwood1 and the gall1 of ,jehovah's wrath1 which was far more bitter to his soul1 than their offensive present to his taste4 ,he was then redeeming his church from hell1 that black abode of wo1 whose wretched inhabitants are deprived of a drop of water1 to assuage their tormenting thirst3 and the horrors of the crucifixion were greatly augmented by the darkness that shrouded the scene1 when the meridian sun was enveloped in the gloom of night4 ,blessed ,jesus1 though ,lord of all1 thou wast treated worse than earth's meanest slave4 ,,chapter ,l4 ,with hypocritical mockers in feasts1 they gnashed upon me with their teeth4--,psalm xxxv4 #af4 ,all they that see me1 laugh me to scorn2 they shoot out the lip1 they shake the head1 saying1 ,he trusted on the ,lord that he would deliver him3 let him deliver him1 seeing he delighted in him4--,psalm xxii4 #g1 #h4 ,this prophecy is so exactly in accordance with the event1 that one could readily believe the royal psalmist had stood on ,calvary's mount1 and literally recorded the insulting taunts and ironical reproaches used by the despisers of the suffering ,jesus4 ,the men1 their actions1 and the time1 are exactly described1 and even their insulting language noticed1 with a minuteness that precludes a possibility of mistake4 ,this disgraceful scene occurred at the passover2 at that feast1 when ,israel was commanded to remember her ,lord's mercies1 in delivering her from ,egyptian bondage2 when he slew the strength of ,egypt's land1 even from the first-born of ,pharoah that sat on the throne1 to the first-born of the captive in the dungeon4 ,at that solemn festival1 did those merciless hypocrites discover 7beneath the cloak of pharisaical sanctity7 the rancorous enmity they cherished in their hearts towards virtue in its purest1 loveliest form4 ,but how void of every spark of magnanimity must be the wretch who can sport with the feelings of one writhing in all the agonies of death4 ,how lost to all the kindlier feelings of our nature1 thus to exult over suffering humanity4 ,surely the ,chief ,priests and scribes strangely forgot their station and their pride1 when they could stoop to join the railing throng1 and mingle their voice of mockery and insult with the ,jewish rabble4 ,how little did they intend to honour ,jesus when they insultingly exclaimed1 he saved others1 himself he cannot save4 ,but we admit the fact1 and glory in the truth4 ,he indeed had then cured many a dire disease1 and released some from the very jaws of death3 and in those very hours of sorrow1 he was saving a countless multitude1 out of every kindred1 and tongue1 and people1 and nation1 who must inevitably have perished for ever1 had he not been content to suffer for them4 ,but though he saved others1 himself he would not1 yea1 he could not1 save4 ,his honour was pledged in the council of peace2 he must fulfil the covenants he had engaged to perform4 ,god is not a man1 that he should lie2 neither the son of man1 that he should repent3 hath he said1 and shall he not do it8 or hath he spoken1 and shall he not make it good8 ,sing1 ,o ye ,heavens1 for the ,lord hath done it2 and shout1 ye lower parts of the earth1 for the ,lord hath redeemed ,jacob and glorified himself in ,israel4 ,,chapter ,,li4 ,therefore1 will ,i divide him a portion with the great1 and he shall divide the spoil with the strong2 because he hath poured out his soul unto death2 and he was numbered with the transgressors2 and he bare the sin of many1 and made intercession for the transgressors4--,isaiah liii4 #ab4 ,to whom but ,jesus can we apply this4 ,do we not find him reckoned with ,barabbas1 a traitor and murderer1 and were not two thieves crucified with him1 on either side one1 and ,jesus in the midst8 ,thus we behold him numbered with the transgressors1 and bearing the sin of many4 ,all the ,prophets1 ,evangelists1 ,apostles1 ,martyrs1 with the ,church ,militant1 and the ,church ,triumphant1 proclaim1 as with one voice1 his death as the expiatory sacrifice1 his blood as the propitiation for the sins of his ,church1 and that he suffered1 the just for the unjust1 to bring sinners unto ,god4 ,he died to redeem a countless multitude of the children of earth1 who1 freed from sin and sorrow1 will for ever shout victory1 through the blood of the ,lamb4 ,this is the great leading doctrine of the everlasting ,gospel4 ,this is the sum and substance of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,thanks be unto ,god1 for having given us line upon line1 and precept upon precept1 on this momentous article of the ,christian ,faith4 ,we hear the blessed ,jesus interceding for transgressors4 ,even when on the cross he was not unmindful of his priestly office1 but amid all his personal sorrows and agonies1 he did1 as with his dying breath1 send in a petition to the ,heavenly ,court1 for the pardon of his murderers3 ,father1 forgive them2 for they know not what they do4 ,this ,great ,high ,priest is now sitting at the right hand of the throne of the ,majesty in the ,heavens1 where ,he is able to save them to the uttermost who come unto ,god by him2 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them4 ,the ,god-man ,christ ,jesus1 is now exalted to high and distinguished honours1 on account of his humiliation and sufferings1 and his voluntarily pouring out his soul unto death4#ic ,he had power to lay down his life1 and power to take it again1 but no man had power to take it from him4 ,he laid it down of himself4 ,therefore1 ,god will ,divide him a portion with the great1 and he shall divide the spoil with the strong4 ,the ,man ,jesus1 now sits on the throne of ,deity1 and humanity participates in all the honours paid to the second ,person in the ,glorious ,trinity4 ,as he was openly put to shame on earth1 is it not right that he should here also be publicly rewarded8 ,satan1 who so long had reigned prince of this world1 is now a conquered tyrant1 his empire is weakened1 for ,jesus has spoiled the principalities and powers of darkness2 and he will for one thousand years confine this destroyer of our race1 a captive in the bottomless pit4#id ,in that bright day of millennial glory1 all shall know the ,lord1 and every tongue shall call our ,emmanuel blessed2 and he shall reign a triumphant ,king over earth's remotest bounds4 #ic ,ephesians i4 #bj-bb4 #id ,revelations xx4 #b1 #c4 ,,chapter ,,lii4 ,he keepeth all his bones1 not one of them is broken4--,psalm xxxiv4 #bj4 ,the soldiers 7at the request of the ,jews1 and the command of ,pilate7 go forth to execute their last act of cruelty on ,jesus and his companions1 having broken the legs of the two malefactors1 they approach the body of ,jesus1 but here they pause1 hesitate1 retire1 and leave his bones unbroken4 ,whence this mark of respect1 toward the object of their scorn and abhorrence8 ,why did not those voices1 which a few hours before rent the air with cries of ,crucify him1 crucify him1 now urge the soldiers to commit the same act of violence on the body of the dead1 though despised ,nazarene4 ,to what cause must we attribute this act of forbearance1 on the part of the by-standers as well as soldiers8 ,surely1 to none other than the over-ruling ,providence of ,god4 ,he who has the hearts of all men at his disposal1 watched over the body of ,jesus1 and preserved it from that act of violence1 ,he kept all his bones1 not one of them was broken4 ,how exactly was the prophecy fulfilled6 ,how striking a resemblance does the original bear to the portrait6 ,the ,lamb slain at the ,passover1 was intended to exhibit to ancient ,israel a crucified ,saviour4 ,of that typical ,lamb1 ,jehovah expressly commanded1 ,a bone should not be broken4 ,though the whole of the flesh was to be consumed1 yet not a bone was to be injured4#ie ,does not that solemn ,jewish sacrifice1 point us to ,jesus1 the ,lamb of ,god1 whose blood is able to cleanse from all sin2#if and applied by the ,spirit1 will purge the conscience from dead works1 to serve the living and true ,god4 #ie ,exodus xii4 #df4 #if ,john i4 #bi4 ,,chapter ,,liii4 ,and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced4--,zechariah xii4 #aj4 ,one of the soldiers1 with a spear1 pierced the side of ,jesus1 and forthwith came thereout blood and water4 ,he that saw it bare record1 and his record is true4#ig ,and we know that he saith true1 that ye might believe1 that it is ,jesus of whom the scripture saith1 they ,shall look on him whom they have pierced4 ,there is another and higher use to be made of this circumstance4 ,simple as the fact at first sight may appear1 yet it is the strongest proof of the death of ,jesus4 ,if only blood had issued from the wound1 it would prove comparatively little4 ,but1 water was also seen to flow from the side2 which was either the small quantity of water inclosed in the pericardium1 in which the heart swims1 or else the cruor was almost coagulated and separated from the serum4 ,if it is to be attributed to the latter cause1 it confirms what the evangelist relates2 that ,jesus had been some time dead4 ,but1 if we place it to the former1 it is utterly impossible ,jesus could have survived the wound1 even if given in perfect health4 ,in either case1 it effectually proves his death4 ,not a reasonable doubt can remain to suppose he was taken alive from the cross4 ,may the act of the soldier1 7wanton and cruel as it certainly was17 convince the infidel1 that ,jesus was not taken from the cross before life was quite extinct2 and may he be led to look on him whom he has pierced1 and mourn4 ,blessed ,jesus1 may we often meditate on those awful scenes1 when the rugged thorn pierced thy sacred temples1 the nails thy hands and feet1 the spear thy side1 and the wrath of ,god thy soul4 ,and1 while we eye thee as the just suffering for the unjust1 may we learn to abhor sin1 which is so hateful in the sight of a pure and ,holy ,god1 that the blood of his own well-beloved ,son was shed ere it could be pardoned4 ,is not the view of a suffering ,redeemer calculated to raise the ,christian's confidence1 even in seasons of the deepest affliction8#ih ,may he not fearlessly resign his spiritual and temporal concerns1 his fondest hopes and most anxious cares1 to the guidance and wisdom of him1 who so loved him as to die for him8 ,for if1 when we were enemies1 we were reconciled to ,god by the death of his ,son1 much more1 being reconciled1 we shall be saved by his life4 #ig ,john xix4 #cd1 #ce4 #a ,john v4 #h4 #ih ,romans viii4 #cb4 ,,chapter ,,liv4 ,i clothe the heavens with blackness1 and ,i make sackcloth their covering4--,isaiah l4 #c4 ,isaiah1 or1 as he is generally called1 the ,evangelical ,prophet1 7from his writings referring more frequently to the person and offices of ,christ1 than those of the other prophets17 when speaking of his sufferings declares1 that ,the heavens shall become black as sackcloth of hair4 ,this figurative description was realised at the crucifixion of ,jesus4 ,the sun at mid-day was eclipsed1 darkness covered the land1 from the sixth to the ninth hour1 which1 by our mode of computing time1 was from twelve to three o'clock in the afternoon4 ,the ,jews begin their day at six o'clock in the morning4 ,perhaps it may be thought superstitious weakness1 to imagine an eclipse portended some great event8 ,we reply1 this was not the result of natural causes4 ,it took place on the day the ,jews killed the ,passover1 which festival they were commanded1 and always did observe at the full of the moon2#ii therefore1 it is evident1 the moon's shadow could not then fall on the sun1 for then they were in opposition1 or one hundred and eighty degrees apart2 besides1 a total eclipse of the sun never lasts ten minutes1 yet1 this was a total eclipse from the sixth to the ninth hour1 so that darkness covered1 at least the whole land of ,judea1 for three hours1 which is contrary to the laws given by heaven's great architect1 to these his works4 ,this extraordinary eclipse is noticed in profane history2 ,dionysius1 at ,heliopolis1 in ,egypt1 said of this darkness1 ,aut ,deus natur patitur1 aut mundi machina dissolvitur4--,either the ,god of nature is suffering1 or the machine of the world tumbling into ruin4 ,it was a supernatural event1 and designed to show1 that when ,jesus stood forth as the surety of his people1 he felt all the dread punishment due to them4 ,man1 by his rebellion1 has not only forfeited all spiritual blessings2 but to temporal mercies also he has no claim4 ,when ,jesus1 as our ,head and ,representative1 bore the curse due to our sins1 he was deprived of the cheering rays of heaven's great luminary1 which was but a faint resemblance of the withdrawing of the light of ,god's countenance4#ajj ,behold the awful effects of sin1 although it was only sin imputed to the ,son of ,god4 ,yet1 the lamp of day withdraws his shining1 as if sickening at the sight4 ,unable to behold the astonishing event1 he hides his head1 and shrinks back1 as if unwilling to shed his beams over a scene so tremendously awful4 ,the event might also be designed to show the darkness of the ,mosaic dispensation1 which was then for ever to be done away4 ,it was but a shadow of good things to come2 but light and immortality are brought to light by the gospel4 ,jesus1 the ,son of ,righteousness is arisen1 with healing in his wings2 and darkness1 and its attendant superstition1 shall flee away as the shadows upon the mountain's brow1 on the appearance of the majesty of day in the rosy east4 ,as the sun in the natural world is the source of light and heat1 such is ,jesus to the spiritual world2 he is the ,light of ,life1 and there is not a ray of hope or light to cheer the rugged path of sorrow1 but what must emanate from this ,fountain of ,light2 even amidst seasons of health and prosperity1 all is darkness and gloom within1 unless the soul is enlightened by his all-gladdening beams4 #ii ,exodus xii4 #b4 #f4 #ah4 #ajj ,mark xv4 #cd4 ,,chapter ,,lv4 ,and he made his grave with the wicked1 and with the rich in his death2 because he hath done no violence1 neither was any deceit in his mouth4--,isaiah liii4 #i4 ,it is usual1 amongst many nations1 for the bodies of those who fall by the hand of the public executioner1 not only to be denied the rites of burial1 but to be exposed to marked contempt4 ,though ,jesus made his grave with the wicked1 yet it was also with the rich in his death4 ,crucified at ,golgotha amidst two thieves1 he shall receive an honourable burial4 ,all the ,evangelists have recorded the circumstances of his interment1 and nobly distinguished the name of ,joseph of ,arimathea1 for the marked respect with which he treated the body of the despised ,nazarene4 ,timidity kept him from before publicly acknowledging his attachment to ,jesus2 yet it is remarked1 though a member of the ,sanhedrim he consented#aja not to the deed and counsel of those who condemned the ,lord of life and glory4 ,fully aware of the contempt and scorn affixed to the followers of the crucified ,jesus1 his noble1 disinterested spirit now led him resolutely to face it all2 to rescue1 if possible1 the body from further abuse and dishonour4 ,he went boldly unto ,pilate1 and begged the body4 ,his request is granted1 ,pilate having ascertained from the centurion1 that ,jesus had been some time dead4 ,joseph is now joined by ,nicodemus1 7who at first came to ,jesus by night17 and these two1 high in rank and office1 the one an honourable counsellor1 the other a ruler of the ,jews1 are busily engaged in paying the last sad tribute of respect to the remains of their dear departed ,lord4 ,one having provided an hundred pounds weight of spices to embalm the body after the custom of the ,jews1 and the other supplying the fine linen1 they proceed to deposit the body in the sacred chamber of the tomb4 ,the receptacle of this mighty dead was not the royal mausoleum of ,judah's kings1 but a new sepulchre1 hewn out of a rock1 in ,joseph of ,arimathea's garden4 ,there laid they ,jesus1 where never man before was laid4 ,no funeral pomp or pageantry of state1 that solemn mockery of wo1 adorned his funeral procession4 ,though its attendants were few1 yet the tears of affection and love bedewed his mangled body1 and the voice of lamentation and sorrow reverberate through this solemn vault of death4 ,how was the mighty fallen6 ,that arm1 then motionless in death1 ne'er did a deed of violence2 that tongue1 whose universal law was kindness1 was then silent as the grave2 and that mouth1 in which deceit ne'er found a place1 was closed by the iron hand of death4 ,behold here an ,israelite indeed1 in whose spirit was no guile4 ,surely the grave never before contained such a prisoner4 ,its triumphs were complete1 when ,jesus was brought into the dust of death4 #aja ,luke xxiii4 #ej1 #ea4 ,,chapter ,,lvi4 ,the days of his youth hast thou shortened3 thou hast covered him with shame4 ,selah4--,psalm lxxxix4 #de4 ,blessed ,jesus6 we behold thee cut off in the prime of thy days1 in the meridian of thy strength1 and in the vigour of manhood4 ,thy body was not worn by disease1 nor decrepit by age2 but thy bones were full of marrow1 and thy bow abode in strength1 when1 little more than thirty-three years old1 thou didst cheerfully resign thy body to the cold arms of death6 ,the periods of the incarnation and crucifixion of ,jesus1 are very particularly marked by the sacred historians4 ,his birth was in the year that ,augustus ,csar1 ,emperor of ,rome1 issued his decree for taxing the ,jewish people2 after which event1 he reigned nearly fifteen years1 and was succeeded by ,tiberius1 his adopted son4 ,it was in the fifteenth year of his reign1 that ,jesus1 who was then about thirty years of age1 entered on his public ministry4 ,by the ,mosaic law1 none were allowed to minister in the priest's office1 until thirty1 nor after fifty years old4#ajb ,jesus was not of the tribe of ,levi1 but ,judah2 yet1 as the priesthood centred in him1 it became him1 when fulfilling all righteousness1 to submit to this ,jewish command4 ,from the writings of the ,apostle ,john1 we can pretty clearly determine the public ministry of ,jesus to have been three years and a half1 that ,evangelist having marked in the period four ,passovers 7annual ,jewish festivals72 one was celebrated not long after the baptism of ,jesus1 and two others are also recorded before the one at which ,jesus was crucified2 that memorable one when the days of his youth were shortened1 and he was covered with shame4 ,a noble mind is far more sensible of shame1 and feels it more acutely1 than the body can any corporeal punishment1 however severe4 ,yet ,jesus1 who possessed true nobility of spirit1 was exposed to shame in all its varied forms4 ,his companions were unlearned fishermen1 publicans1 and sinners2 his character was vilified--he was accused of vices and crimes of the most odious nature1 and his very name was a stigma of reproach4 ,at his trial1 he endured shameful indignities4 ,the ,jewish nation even preferred having a traitor and murderer restored to liberty1 rather than ,jesus4 ,he was publicly scourged1 spit upon1 buffeted1 and crucified as a malefactor4 ,the only type of his crucifixion was the brazen serpent1 and amidst all the irrational creation of ,god1 the serpent only is pronounced accursed4#ajc ,the circumstances attending the crucifixion1 were of the most degrading and humiliating nature4 ,jesus suffered naked--his companions were two thieves4 ,the spot was ,golgotha1 a place strewed with the unburied sculls of criminals4 ,nor were these things done in a corner1 but at ,jerusalem1 the chief city of ,jewry4 ,the time chosen was the feast of the ,passover1 when all the ,israelitish males#ajd were wont to repair to the royal city1 and thus became spectators of the shame and dishonour cast upon this despised man of ,nazareth1 who for the joy that was set before him1 endured the cross1 despised the shame1 and is for ever set down at the right hand of the ,majesty on ,high4 #ajb ,numbers iv4 #c4 #ajc ,gen4 iii4 #ad4 ,john iii4 #ad4 #ajd ,exod4 xxiii4 #ag4 ,deut4 xvi4 #af4 ,,chapter ,,lvii4 ,surely he hath borne our griefs1 and carried our sorrows2 yet we did esteem him stricken1 smitten of ,god1 and afflicted4 ,but he was wounded for our transgressions1 he was bruised for our iniquities2 the chastisement of our peace was upon him1 and with his stripes we are healed4 ,all we like sheep have gone astray2 we have turned every one to his own way2 and the ,lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all4--,isaiah liii4 #d1 #e1 #f4 ,i pray thee1 of whom did the ,prophet speak these words8 was the inquiry of an ,eunuch of great authority under ,candace1 ,queen of the ,ethiopians1 when reading this chapter4 ,philip replied by beginning at the same scripture1 and preaching unto him ,jesus4 ,to him alone can we apply the whole chapter4 ,in every part it bears so striking a resemblance1 that it appears more like a history written by a contemporary1 than the prediction of a ,prophet who lived at least seven hundred years before the character described4 ,these verses are more valuable than fine gold--they are the key of knowledge--they open to our view a work of immense wisdom and benefit--they make us acquainted with the counsel and plans of ,jehovah4--,by them1 a circumstance in the moral government of ,god1 which was before dark and mysterious1 is now bright and attractive4--,they shed a glorious light on the person of ,jesus4--,by them we understand why he who was holy1 harmless1 undefiled1 and separate from sinners1 was treated with such contempt and cruelty4 ,we no longer see this part of ,god's moral government1 as through a glass darkly4 ,the veil which is cast around his designs is withdrawn1 and the glorious scheme of redemption bursts forth to our astonished senses1 sparkling with wisdom1 justice1 mercy1 and love4 ,by them1 we are taught that ,jesus suffered1 not for any sin of his own1 but for the sins of his people4 ,the prophet is particular on this point4 ,the life and conduct of ,jesus proved him exempt from all the corrupt principles and evil passions of the children of men4 ,he alone is free from imperfection1 and his character forms the most perfect model of all that is lovely1 amiable1 and exalted4 ,in him was no sin1 and even the unjust judge who delivered him for crucifixion1 was compelled to declare he could find nothing worthy of death against him2 no1 nor yet ,herod1 for he had sent ,jesus to him4 ,no doubt both ,herod and ,pilate examined his conduct with eagle-eyes1 and gladly would have discovered1 if possible1 something which might give them a plea for condemning a man who so publicly declared himself the ,messiah4 ,the ,jews had looked forward to his coming with much pleasure1 for they considered he would deliver them from the ,roman yoke1 under which they then groaned4 ,the slightest shadow of guilt would have been sufficient for the purpose of these partial ,governors1 and it deserves observation1 that ,jesus was brought before them on a charge of perverting the nation1 and forbidding to give tribute to ,csar1 saying that he was ,christ1 a ,king4 ,but they can prove nothing against him1 for the more his character is examined1 the brighter it shines2 and they are compelled to confess1 they can find nothing worthy of death against him4 ,pilate1 from a clear conviction that ,jesus was innocent1 proposes to release him2 but finding that he would draw on himself the malice and hatred of the priests1 like a time-serving judge1 he gave sentence as they desired1 and in the same moment in which he declared he could find no fault in ,jesus1 did he deliver him over for crucifixion4 ,yet ,pilate could not conceal the horrors of an accusing conscience2 sensible of the black injustice of his conduct he took water and washed his hands before the multitude1 saying1 ,i am innocent of the blood of this just person1 see ye to it4 ,the people said1 his blood be on us1 and on our children4 ,in what court of judicature shall we find such another instance8 ,we believe1 in none4 ,never did any one suffer more unjustly than ,jesus1 if viewed as a private person2 but these verses teach us to look upon him as the sinner's surety4 ,man1 from his original corruption and actual transgression1 is justly exposed to the condemnation of the law he has so much dishonoured4 ,all we like sheep have gone astray1 we have forsaken the ,lord's ways1 and turned every one to his own ways4 ,we have all done that which we ought not to have done1 and have left undone that which we ought to have done1 and there is no health in us4 ,we have no just plea why the sentence1 let the wicked be turned into hell1 and all the nations who forget ,god1 be not executed on us4 ,we must lay our hand upon our mouth before the tribunal of ,god1 who is an impartial and righteous ,judge1 for we justly deserve the curses of the broken law to fall on us4 ,the ,divine ,being 7be it spoken with reverence7 cannot1 without injustice to himself1 and dishonour to his law1 7which is holy1 just1 and good17 allow the guilty to go free4 ,man must suffer the punishment consequent on his offences1 or ,god must lay aside his justice1 which is impossible1 for it is an attribute essential to his existence4 ,the debtor must suffer1 unless some one be found to discharge the debt for him4 ,die he1 or justice must2 unless for him ,some other able1 and as willing1 pay ,the rigid satisfaction1 death for death4 ,,paradise ,,lost1 b4 iii4 ,but where shall we find the man who can1 by any means1 redeem his brother1 or give to ,god a ransom for his soul8 ,nowhere2 it is quite impossible for any mere man to deliver his own soul1 and much more the soul of another4 ,an angel1 or all the mighty hosts of angels1 cannot do it2 they are the creatures of ,god's power1 and consequently finite2 and therefore cannot satisfy the justice of ,god1 which is infinite4 ,the mind of man could never have discovered a proper person4 ,human intellect is utterly unable to the task2 it is incapable of soaring to such a height4 ,but though man cannot find a surety1 ,god has pointed one out1 even ,jesus1 his own well-beloved son1 who is the second person in the revealed order of the trinity2 with him it is no robbery to be equal with ,god2 for he is one with the ,father1 as touching his ,godhead4 ,yet this great and glorious ,personage voluntarily engaged to become the surety of his people2 to expiate their guilt by suffering all the punishment due to them for sin4#aje ,in the fulness of time1 this great head of his church left the joys of ,heaven1 and the praises of adoring saints and angels1 to tabernacle on earth4 ,having veiled his glory beneath the human nature1 which he took into union with his divine person1 he came forth to accomplish the work he had1 from the foundation of the world1 covenanted to perform4 ,as the surety1 representative1 and head of his people1 he submitted to endure all the curses of the moral law they had broken4 ,the ,lord having accepted him in their place1 and laid 7by imputation7 their iniquities on him1 he also on him laid their punishment4 ,nor was it a mitigated punishment2 he bore the whole weight of wo due to them4 ,it is true1 he did not go into hell1 which was a part of the sentence denounced on guilty man2 but he was not exempt from the buffeting of ,satan4 ,he was exposed to his malice in the garden2 and when on the cross1 he might be said to be in ,satan's territories2 for he is declared to be the ,prince of the power of the air1 and having shot forth his most fiery darts1 he appears to leave the scene of conflict like a triumphant conqueror1 for his adversary is beheld breathless on the field of battle4 ,jesus needed not to descend into those abodes of wo to feel their sorrows1 for he is heard to exclaim1 that the pains of hell had got hold upon him4 ,it is not the place1 but the extent1 and the kind of suffering1 which constitutes misery2 and ,jesus felt it in a much greater degree1 than even the miserable inhabitants of that wretched place1 where hope never enters4 ,they suffer for themselves as individuals1 but he endured the weight of wo for a multitude so great1 that no man can number them4 ,theirs are the sufferings of creatures1 his was the sufferings of the infinite ,creator2 and this it is which gives such value1 efficacy1 and dignity1 to all he did and suffered4 ,his were the actions of one of ,adam's race1 for it was the children of earth who had rebelled1 and whom he came to redeem2 but what renders it beneficial to man1 is that he is both ,god and man in one person4 ,this union stamps a value upon his work3 ,jesus1 by the dignity of his person1 has made full satisfaction2 yea1 his sufferings have more than compensated for the indignity offered to ,god by sin4 ,it has given a greater honour to ,god's holy law1 than could have been done by the unsinning obedience of men and angels through time and eternity1 for ,jesus perfectly fulfilled all the commands of the moral law1 and by that obedience he exalted1 and made it honourable1 and then suffered the penalty it denounced on the violators of its precepts4 ,all his active and passive obedience was performed as the head of his people1 and for their benefit4 ,surely he hath borne our griefs1 and carried our sorrows3 yet we did esteem him stricken1 smitten of ,god1 and afflicted4 ,but he was wounded for our transgressions2 he was bruised for our iniquities3 the chastisement of our peace was upon him1 and with his stripes we are healed4 ,all we like sheep have gone astray2 we have turned every one to his own way2 and the ,lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all4 ,we must look beyond the ,roman governors1 soldiers1 and the ,jewish priests and people1 to behold sin1 as the great cause of all the buffetings1 wounds1 bruises1 pains1 and sorrows1 of ,jesus4 ,this was the fruitful source of all his wo4 ,would you behold the justice of ,god8 then look at the suffering ,jesus1 and remember that it was not his own1 but imputed1 guilt4 ,would you know the mercy of ,god1 and see a display of his love to man8 then look at ,jesus4 ,let it sink deep into your heart1 and may your soul be influenced by the truth1 that ,god so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten son1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,for ,god can be just1 and yet the justifier of him that believeth in ,jesus4 ,he that believeth in him is not condemned2 but he that believeth not1 is condemned already2 because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten ,son of ,god4 ,for there is none other name under heaven given amongst men1 whereby we must be saved4 ,he that believeth on the ,son1 hath everlasting life3 and he that believeth not the ,son1 shall not see life2 but the wrath of ,god abideth on him4 ,in the work of redemption by ,jesus1 we behold mercy and truth meet together2 righteousness and peace kiss each other4 #aje ,john x4 #ah4 ,,chapter ,,lviii4 ,for thou wilt not leave my soul in ,hell1 neither wilt thou suffer thine ,holy ,one to see corruption4--,psalm xvi4 #i1 #aj4 ,these words are not applicable to ,david1 for after he had served his generation1 he fell asleep1 and his body1 interred in the royal sepulchre of the kings of ,judah1 which was in the city of ,david1 saw corruption4 ,the sentence dust thou art1 and unto dust shalt thou return1 has1 for many a generation1 been accomplished on ,jesse's ,royal ,son4 ,the remains of this mighty monarch cannot now be distinguished from those of earth's meanest slave4 ,they are alike mingled in the dust of death1 and must remain hid from the eye of man until the archangel's trump shall sound1 and the command be given1 ,arise1 ye dead1 and come to judgment4 ,the hell 7in ,hebrew1 scheol7 here alluded to1 cannot be that place of torment1 prepared for the devil and his angels1 from which a soul never did or will escape4 ,when once consigned to that abode of wo1 there is a great gulf fixed1 even the unchangeable decree of ,omnipotence2 a barrier stronger than walls of brass1 and cannot be surmounted1 or destroyed4#ajf ,the word here rendered hell1 7in the ,greek1 hades17 is the same as the ,jews1 before the ,babylonish captivity1 used for the grave1 and is the sense in which it must be here understood4 ,this verse is prophetic of the resurrection of the ,messiah2 which doctrine is taught in many parts of the ,old ,testament1 by type1 figure1 and prophecy2 in the ,new1 we behold it clearly confirmed by the resurrection of ,jesus4 ,the circumstances attending this great event are repeatedly described1 and the evidence clear and conclusive4 ,the witnesses to this important fact are not few2 both enemies and friends unite in giving their testimony to his death and resurrection4 ,the soldiers having taken the dead body of ,jesus from the cross1 his friends deposit it in the tomb4 ,we cannot but stop here1 and admire the overruling hand of ,providence in the more minute circumstances connected with the interment of the body of the ,redeemer4 ,the sepulchre was hewn out of the solid rock4 ,no access could be gained to it but by one opening1 on which a ponderous stone was placed1 a seal set thereon1 and the entrance strictly guarded by ,roman soldiers4 ,but wherefore all this care and attention over the dead body of one crucified at ,golgotha8 ,it is by order of the ,high ,priest and ,pharisees1 who had requested ,pilate to allow them to make the grave sure1 as ,jesus had declared he would rise again after three days4 ,they1 fully convinced of his death1 and disbelieving his divinity1 fear that the disciples should steal the dead body of their ,master1 and declare that he had risen2 and thus the last error would be worse than the first4 ,but we have cause to rejoice that they used so much caution1 for it tends to establish the truth1 and confirm the testimony1 of the disciples4 ,it fully proves the death and burial of ,jesus1 and that the body did not remain in the grave4 ,on the first day of the week1 certain women of the company hasted early to the sepulchre1 to embalm1 after the custom of the east1 the body of their beloved ,master2 but lo1 to their astonishment and grief1 it is gone6 ,they indeed see the place where the ,lord had lain2 for an angel1 by an earthquake1 had rolled away the stone2 at whose appearance the keepers became as dead men2 but to the women1 filled with sorrow and surprise on not finding the body of their ,lord1 this heavenly messenger proclaimed the resurrection of that ,jesus whom they sought4 ,and as they run to tell the disciples1 ,jesus himself met them1 saying1 ,all hail6 and they held him by the feet1 and worshipped him4 ,some of the watch1 also1 went into the city1 and told the ,chief ,priests all that was done2 who1 having assembled a council1 give large sums of money to the soldiers to say1 that the disciples came by night1 and stole him away1 whilst they slept4 ,this report1 though commonly believed amongst the ,jews until this day1 will not bear examination4 ,the more we consider this tale1 the clearer will the fact of the resurrection of ,jesus appear4 ,if the body was indeed stolen1 why are the soldiers allowed to go unpunished for their neglect1 as they say it was stolen whilst they slept4 ,we should not expect to find a ,roman sentinel asleep at his post of duty1 for their military discipline was the most severe in the world4 ,even if the soldiers had fallen asleep whilst watching the entrance of the sepulchre1 it appears impossible for a number of persons to remove so ponderous a stone without considerable noise and bustle1 or to pass among the guards without awaking some of them4 ,but even allowing the body to have been gone whilst they slept1 how could they possibly know1 that it was the disciples who had taken it8 ,but is it at all probable1 that a few timid disciples1 who had fled from their ,master on his first apprehension1 should now dare to go1 in the face of a guard of ,roman soldiers1 justly famed for their courage1 and attempt to steal1 and much more to carry off1 the body6 ,let it be observed1 that though the disciples had hoped ,jesus had been he who would have redeemed ,israel2 yet1 when they saw him laid in the grave1 all their hopes that he was the ,messiah fled1 for the minds of the disciples were strongly tainted by the ,jewish prejudice1 that the ,messiah's would be a temporal kingdom4 ,their dreams of earthly splendour now vanished1 and they were about to return to their occupations in common life2 in fact1 some had done so4 ,is it reasonable to imagine that the others would engage in a plan fraught with danger1 for the sake of obtaining the body of one1 in whom they began to imagine themselves deceived8 ,besides1 what advantage could they hope to gain by such a scheme8 ,what end was it designed to answer8 ,they could not expect to keep the act concealed2 and if discovered1 they were fully convinced it would bring upon them the severest punishment4 ,but if1 as the soldiers proclaimed1 the disciples did steal him away1 why are these handful of fishermen allowed to retain possession8 ,why did not the ,chief ,priest1 at the head of the ,jewish ,sanhedrim1 supported by the ,roman authority1 instantly compel them to surrender the body8 ,why are not these men of ,galilee brought to a judicial tribunal1 examined1 and openly punished1 that the truth of the soldiers' tale may bear even the appearance of fact8 ,surely this neglect is most extraordinary in men who had shown such vigilant care over the body when in the tomb4 ,the more we examine the conduct of the parties1 the more inconsistent does the ,jewish tale appear4 ,it is evident1 the disciples were as ignorant as the rest of the nation1 as to what the resurrection from the dead should mean4 ,jesus had again and again preached the doctrine1 yet they were at the first as backward as his enemies to believe the fact1 and discovered much unbelief on the first tidings of the great event4 ,the incredulity of all of them is a strong presumption1 that as they did not expect ,jesus to rise from the grave1 so neither did they steal the body1 and falsely proclaim their ,master risen4 ,we have a still further confirmation of the fact from the events that followed4 ,in the interval of forty days1 between his resurrection and ascension1 ,jesus appeared to many of his disciples1 and showed himself alive by many infallible proofs2 the women who went early to their ,lord's sepulchre1 were first honoured with the sight of the risen ,redeemer4 ,he afterwards appeared to the two sorrowing disciples as they walked to ,emmaus1 then to the eleven as they sat at meat with the doors closed1 and1 eight days after1 he again appeared to them1 when the incredulous ,thomas exclaimed1 ,my ,lord and my ,god6 ,he also showed himself to the seven disciples who were fishing at the sea of ,tiberius2 after that1 he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once2 and1 though some had fallen asleep1 yet1 when the ,apostle wrote1 the greater part were then alive1 and could testify to the truth of these things4 ,how vain the watch1 the stone1 the seal6 the grave could not contain the prisoner4 ,jesus burst the bands of death1 and arose the triumphant victor4 ,it was necessary that he1 as the ,head and ,representative of his church1 should conquer death and the grave for them4 ,he died that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death1 that is1 the devil4 ,he laid in the grave that he might subdue the power of the grave4 ,he1 as a surety1 became subject unto death as a part of the curse2 but1 having paid the full ransom1 justice demanded his release4 ,having satisfied the demands of the law1 it was right that he should be honourably acquitted4 ,though delivered for our offences1 he must be raised again for our justification4 ,the resurrection proves his atonement was accepted by ,god as fully adequate to all the requirements of justice1 and declares him to be the ,son of ,god with power4 ,it is by reason of the incapacity of the damned in hell1 to take in the full measure of ,god's wrath due to them for their sins1 that their punishment1 though it be eternal1 yet never satisfies2 because they can never endure all as ,christ could1 and did2 theirs is truly less than what ,christ underwent2 and1 therefore1 his punishment ought not in justice to be eternal1 as theirs1 because he could more fully satisfy ,god's wrath in a few hours than they could to all eternity4 ,by his complete satisfaction1 the costly1 inestimable price of redemption is paid1 and the sinner's surety released from all the claims of the ,law and justice4 ,christ is risen from the dead1 and become the first fruits of them that slept4 ,do we not hear him exclaim1 ,thy dead men shall live together2 with my dead body shall they arise4 ,awake and sing1 ye that dwell in the dust4 ,i will ransom them from the power of the grave2 ,i will redeem them from death4 ,o death1 ,i will be thy plagues2 ,o grave1 ,i will be thy destruction4 ,may we not join in happy chorus1 ,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,the sting of death is sin2 and the strength of sin is the law4 ,but1 thanks be to ,god1 which giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 #ajf ,luke xvi4 #bf4 ,,chapter ,,lix4 ,thou hast ascended on high1 thou hast led captivity captive2 thou hast received gifts for men2 yea1 for the rebellious also1 that the ,lord ,god might dwell amongst them4--,psalm lxviii4 #ah4 ,we find amid the records of the ,old ,testament1 very distinguished honour was conferred by ,god on two illustrious personages1 whom he was pleased to exempt from the common lot of humanity1 and admit into the ,celestial ,city1 by a new1 and1 till then1 untrodden path4 ,their way led not across the dark valley of the shadow of death2 they entered ,canaan without passing the banks of ,jordan's stormy waters4 ,god was pleased to translate the bodies of ,enoch and ,elijah to heaven1 without an execution of the sentence dust thou art1 and unto dust shalt thou return4 ,this was assuredly a high mark of favour2 but we are in this verse presented with an event1 in comparison with which1 the cases of ,enoch and ,elijah sink into insignificance4 ,it is a description of the return of a great and mighty conqueror1 who1 surrounded by the trophies of his victories1 appears at court to receive the thanks and rewards his services so well deserve4 ,and who is this mighty conqueror8 ,it is ,jesus6 ,see him surrounded by the little band of faithful followers1 on whom he bestows his parting blessing2 having bidden them an affectionate farewell1 he1 with conscious majesty1 mounts the air1 and soars beyond the eagle's path1 through the vast extent of space4 ,though he goes forth unattended1 it is not long a secret that the victorious ,saviour is on his way to the heavenly kingdom2 for the myriads of spirits1 who are anxiously watching his motions1 no sooner observe that he bends his course toward the ,celestial ,city1 but they instantly proclaim the joyful news to its inhabitants2 who1 with holy impatience1 are all anxious to fly on the wings of love and adoration to meet and welcome this illustrious ,conqueror back to the realms of bliss4 ,wide are thrown the golden gates1 and as they open1 ten thousand voices are heard chaunting in chorus2 ,lift up your heads1 ,o ye gates2 and be ye lift up1 ye everlasting doors2 and the ,king of glory shall come in4 ,who is this ,king of glory8 ,the ,lord1 strong and mighty2 the ,lord1 mighty in battle4 ,lift up your heads1 ,o ye gates2 even lift them up1 ye everlasting doors2 and the ,king of glory shall come in4 ,who is this ,king of glory8 ,the ,lord of ,hosts1 he is the ,king of glory4 ,forth from heaven's portals there issued a goodly band1 singing as they advance to meet and welcome their victorious ,king1 whom they convey in celestial triumph to the presence of the eternal ,father2 seated on his throne of glory1 he receives1 with ineffable delight and joy1 this1 his only-begotten1 always well-beloved1 but now still more endeared ,son1 the ,glorious ,deliverer of the children of men4 ,great was the joy of that illustrious day1 when the eternal ,son of ,god1 entered the city of the new ,jerusalem1 as the victorious ,conqueror of sin1 death1 and hell1 whom he led as captives to adorn his triumph1 for1 having spoiled principalities and powers1 he made a show of them openly1 triumphing over them1 and ascended on high1 leading captivity captive4 ,then the eternal hills resounded to the melodious sound of ten thousand times ten thousand voices1 who sing aloud1 ,worthy is the ,lamb that was slain1 to receive power1 and riches1 and wisdom1 and strength1 and honour1 and glory1 and blessing4 ,then all in heaven said1 ,blessing1 and honour1 and glory1 and power1 be unto him that sitteth upon the throne1 and unto the ,lamb1 for ever1 and ever4 ,the spirits of the redeemed vie with elect angels1 in testifying their love1 reverence1 and gratitude to the ,god of their salvation4 ,they knew1 if the eternal ,son of ,god had not become their surety1 not one of ,adam's race could ever have entered the realms of bliss4#ajg ,but in the eternal council of peace1 he did covenant and promise1 in the fulness of time1 to become a sacrifice1 and ,god who knew him to be faithful1 did1 on the credit of that promise1 save all the ,old ,testament saints4#ajh ,jesus had now fulfilled that engagement2 paid the full price of their redemption2 blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against them1 taking it away by nailing it to his cross4 ,what wonder1 if his return was hailed with rapturous delight2 his presence could not fail of adding fresh joy to the happy spirits of the redeemed in glory4 ,yes6 ,jesus has ascended on high1 he has led captivity captive1 and received gifts for men4 ,it is as the ,god-,man1 it is in his human nature1 that he is said to receive gifts2 for1 as ,god1 all is his in common with the ,father4 ,it is in the office of ,mediator1 that he has all power given him in heaven and on earth4 ,it is as ,god-,man1 that the ,father set him at his right hand1 in the heavenly places2 far above all principality1 and power1 and might1 and dominion1 and every name that is named1 not only in this world1 but also in that which is to come2 and hath put all things under his feet1 and gave him to be the head over all things to the church4 ,he is made the great ,almoner of heaven1 and he disposes of his gifts to the children of earth4 ,he has received freely1 and he gives freely1--witness the showers of ascension gifts1 on the day of ,pentecost4 ,he then1 as the apostle quotes the words1 gave gifts to men1 yea1 to the rebellious also1 that the ,lord ,god might dwell among them4 ,but while we view ,christ as glorified1 let us not fail to connect the scenes of ,gethsemane and ,calvary4 ,the new song in heaven1 to which their golden harps are ever tuned1 is to the praise of him who was slain1 and has redeemed us to ,god by his blood1 out of every kindred1 and tongue1 and people1 and nation2 and has made us unto our ,god kings and priests for ever4 #ajg ,john xiv4 #f4 #ajh ,psalm xl4 #g1 #h4 ,,chapter ,,lx4 ,and it shall come to pass afterward1 that ,i will pour out my spirit upon all flesh2 and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy1 your old men shall dream dreams1 and your young men shall see visions3 and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will ,i pour out my spirit4--,joel ii4 #bh1 #bi4 ,that part of the prophet ,joel from which this verse is selected1 is highly interesting2 and although not strictly prophetical of the person of the ,messiah1 yet it is so closely connected that it cannot be severed without injury to the whole4 ,in fact1 it serves as a test1 whereby we may prove if ,jesus be in truth that ,messiah1 of whom ,moses and the prophets did write4 ,the afterward here noticed1 alludes to the coming of the ,messiah1 after which great day of the ,lord1 the promise here made1 of a glorious outpouring of the spirit1 was to be fulfilled4 ,it will be alike easy and delightful1 to trace its accomplishment4 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 from the earliest ages of the world1 has shed his sacred influences over the church2 but no visible or open display of that divine person1 ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 had ever been made4 ,that great event was reserved until after the ,messiah's appearance2 and1 when that illustrious person had publicly manifested himself to the world1 then was this promise to be fulfilled4 ,jesus declared himself to be the second person1 in the revealed order of the ,holy ,trinity--the eternal ,son of ,god--,christ the ,messiah2 and in such character he promised1 when returned to glory1 to send down the ,holy ,spirit4 ,again and again did ,jesus direct his disciples to expect that event4 ,on the last great day of the feast1 he publicly proclaimed in the temple its near approach1 and promised its fulfilment2 for the ,holy ,ghost was not yet given1 because that ,jesus was not yet glorified4 ,when the faithful disciples were overwhelmed with grief1 on learning from their beloved ,master that he was shortly to leave them1 ,jesus cheered their drooping spirits with the promise of another ,comforter1 even the ,spirit of truth2 whom he would send from the ,father4 ,to reconcile them still more to his departure1 he told them it was expedient for them that he should go away1 for1 if he went not away the ,comforter would not come2 but if he departed1 he would send him unto them4 ,after his resurrection1 ,jesus again taught the disciples to expect this great event1 and on the morning of his ascension he repeated his promise1 adding1 as it would not be many days hence1 they should tarry at ,jerusalem until its accomplishment4 ,after the ascension of ,jesus1 the disciples were so fully persuaded that he was the ,christ of ,god1 that they continued daily assembled together1 waiting for the fulfilment of the great promise made to them by their risen ,lord4 ,it will be remembered1 that all the ,israelitish males were commanded to appear1 three times in the year1 before the ,lord at ,jerusalem1 at the feasts of ,passover1 ,pentecost1 and ,tabernacles4 ,the feast of ,pentecost or weeks1 was celebrated fifty days after the ,passover4 ,it was at the first great ,jewish festival1 the ,passover1 that ,jesus was crucified4 ,he arose from the dead on the third day1 and as forty days intervened between his resurrection and return to glory1 there could be only seven days from his ascension until the feast of ,pentecost4 ,it was on the morning of the ever-memorable day of ,pentecost1 the disciples being all of one accord1 in one place2 that suddenly there came a sound from heaven1 as of a rushing mighty wind1 and filled all the house1 where they were assembled2 and there appeared cloven tongues1 like as of fire1 and sat upon each of them1 and they were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 and began to speak with other tongues1 as the ,spirit gave them utterance4 ,such a miraculous event was soon noised abroad1 and multitudes crowd to learn the fact4 ,as the ,holy ,spirit was graciously pleased to make this open display of his person and godhead1 at one of the great ,jewish festivals1 the number of strangers who usually resorted to ,jerusalem at that season1 either for the purposes of worship or trade1 became witnesses of the miraculous gifts bestowed on those hitherto unlearned1 and many of them unlettered1 ,galilean fishermen4 ,the inhabitants of ,galilee were proverbial for their dulness and stupidity2#aji yet these men were taught1 in an instant of time1 to speak1 with ease and fluency1 languages whose very names1 it is more than probable1 they were an hour before unable to pronounce correctly4 ,an opportunity was instantly offered for the apostles openly to display their extraordinary gifts4 ,amidst the assembled throng were men of sixteen different nations1 to whom these poor fishermen publicly proclaimed1 in their several languages1 or dialects1 the wonderful works of ,god4 ,they needed no interpreter1 in addressing this motley crowd4 ,how preposterous to accuse the apostles of drunkenness6 ,truly1 we should not imagine a state of inebriety the best calculated for acquiring a knowledge of any of the learned languages4 ,we seldom know men1 7however well their heads are furnished17 in a state of intoxication1 speak any thing except it be the language of foolishness4 ,beside1 it was only the third hour of the day1 7nine o'clock7 the time of offering the daily morning sacrifice in the temple1 before which hour the ,jews were forbidden to take any refreshment2 and1 as this was a solemn festival1 no doubt the command was then more strictly observed4 ,how mild1 yet energetic1 the reply of ,peter1 who declared the event to be a fulfilment of the prophecy of ,joel1 accomplished on the return of ,jesus to glory2 when being by the right hand of ,god exalted1 and having received of the ,father the promise of the ,holy ,ghost1 he had shed forth that which they then saw and heard4 ,the appearance of the ,holy ,spirit was sufficient to prove his personality4 ,might not the sound from heaven1 as of a rushing mighty wind1 be designed to show that the operations of ,god the ,holy ,spirit1 are like the unknown and unexplored sources of the air4 ,the wind bloweth where it listeth1 and thou hearest the sound thereof2 but canst not tell whence it cometh1 or whither it goeth3 so is every one that is born of the ,spirit4 ,this was a lesson taught ,nicodemus by ,jesus1 the wisdom and word of ,god4 #aji ,john vii4 #eb4 ,acts ii4 #g4 ,on ,shinar's plains1 the ,lord1 to testify his divine displeasure1 confounded the language of mankind4 ,it was a curse pronounced on ,babel's tower2 but at ,pentecost1 the ,holy ,spirit was pleased to use the diversity of language as a witness of his almighty power and ,godhead2 when he publicly and solemnly ordained the apostles ministers of the everlasting ,gospel1 and endowed them with extraordinary gifts1 as the first ambassadors of ,christ1 sent forth to publish unto all nations the glad tidings of great joy4 ,might we not be tempted1 when viewing the immoral and profane amusements of ,whitsuntide1 to imagine it an annual feast holden to ,venus or ,bacchus2 instead of 7as at first designed7 a solemn festival1 intended to commemorate the visible descent of the ,spirit of ,purity8 ,certainly the general character of the public assemblies1 at that season1 bears a much nearer resemblance to the sports holden in honour of the deified heroes in heathen mythology1 than to the pure and spiritual nature of the ,divine ,person1 whose first public appearance in our world it was wished annually to celebrate4 ,what would the early disciples of ,christ feel1 could they behold the sad perversion of this sacred festival6 ,,chapter ,,lxi4 ,and ,i will pour upon the ,house of ,david1 and upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the ,spirit of grace and of supplications2 and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced1 and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son1 and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first born4--,zech4 xii4 #aj4 ,the ,prophet ,zechariah here presents to our view one of the richest jewels in the treasury of ,god's promises4 ,it sparkles clear and bright amid the records of divine truth4 ,all earth's richest treasures cannot offer an adequate remuneration for the withdrawment of this precious promise4 ,the words deserve our most careful examination4 ,we will therefore consider the person here promising2 the persons to whom the promise is made2 the thing promised2 and search for proofs of its fulfilment4 ,the person here promising is the ,god-,man1 ,christ ,jesus1 for the words are1 ,i will pour1 c4 c41 and they shall look upon me1 whom they have pierced1 and mourn4 ,we never find ,god the ,father using such language as this when speaking of his disobedient creatures4 ,god is justly displeased at man's apostasy4 ,his law is dishonoured1 his works defaced and injured by sin4 ,yet ,god1 as ,god1 cannot be the subject of pain and sorrow1 he is beyond their reach4 ,but if we look at the ,god-,man1 ,christ ,jesus1 we behold his sacred head pierced with a thorny crown1 his hands and feet with nails of iron1 his side with the soldier's spear1 and his soul with the wrath of ,god4 ,he who suffered thus on earth1 did1 as ,god1 make this gracious promise4 ,the persons to whom this promise literally applies1 are the ,jews1 whose restoration as a nation to the divine favour1 will form a prominent feature in the latter-day glories of the ,church4 ,the ,lord has promised to gather together the dispersed in ,judah1 and the outcasts of ,israel4 ,the deliverer shall arise out of ,zion1 and turn away ungodliness from ,jacob4 ,this nation1 who once refused and crucified the ,messiah1 shall1 when partakers of this promised blessing1 look upon him whom they have pierced1 and mourn4 ,this promise is not confined to the ,jews1 but extends to the fallen race of ,adam1 whom our spiritual ,david will make inhabitants of the new ,jerusalem1 which is above1 without regard to their being of ,jewish or ,gentile extraction4#aaj ,he will not consider the trifling distinctions of colour1 language1 or nation1 a barrier of such importance as to preclude their participating in his blessings4 #aaj ,matt4 xxviii4 #ai4 ,acts xi4 #ah41 xiii4 #df1 #dg41 xv4 #c4 ,the thing promised is an abundant outpouring of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,adam1 by his apostasy1 lost the image of ,god stamped upon his soul at his creation4 ,the sentence1 in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die1 was not suffered to go unexecuted4 ,from that hapless hour1 his soul1 the most noble part1 was dead to all spiritual life1 and became the abode of corroding passions and depraved principles4 ,he immediately shrank from holding intercourse with ,god1 and tried to hide himself from the presence of his benefactor4 ,as ,adam begat a son in his own fallen likeness1 all his race partake of the same corrupt nature4 ,we are ignorant of ,god and his ways4 ,we need divine teaching2 we cannot naturally understand the things of ,god1 which are spiritual1 the eye of our understanding being darkened2 ,god is not in all our thoughts2 we are averse to communion with the ,father of ,spirits4 ,we despise his offers of free grace--we prefer to be saved by our own rather than ,god's method--we see no beauty in ,jesus that we should desire him--we dislike to renounce our own1 and trust in his complete righteousness--we consider his commands grievous1 and the language of our soul is1 we will not have this man to reign over us4 ,but we are here told of a sovereign antidote for these deep-seated moral disorders of the soul4 ,here is a gracious promise of an abundant outpouring of the ,holy ,spirit1 whose office it is to convince of sin1 of righteousness1 and of judgment4 ,he convinces the soul1 into which he enters1 of the exceeding sinfulness of sin--that it is the evil thing which ,god hates2 and shows the divine law is spiritual1 extending to the thoughts and intents of the heart4#aaa ,he puts a cry for mercy into the soul1 destroys the natural enmity of the mind against ,god's plan of salvation1 and makes the object of his divine teaching willing and anxious to partake of the ,lord's bounty1 and be a debtor to mercy alone4 ,the ,holy ,spirit teaches of righteousness by convincing that a better righteousness than our own tattered rags is absolutely necessary1 ere we can see the face of ,god with peace4 ,he makes the soul willing to be clothed with the wedding garment of ,jesus' righteousness1 which is the fine linen of the saints4 ,it is indispensable that we be clothed with this livery of the court of ,heaven1 or we shall be denied admission into the mansions of the ,king of ,glory4 ,would we behold the fulfilment of this prophetic promise1 then let us direct our minds back to a survey of the glorious scenes exhibited on the ever memorable day of ,pentecost1 when the ,spirit was1 in so free and copious a manner1 poured out from on high4 ,attend to the sermon ,peter preached on the day of his ordination2 mark its effects on the three thousand of the ,house of ,david1 inhabitants of ,jerusalem's much-famed city4 ,listen to their cry1 ,men and brethren1 what must we do8 ,surely these were none of the stout hearts who dared even to crucify the ,lord of life and glory8 ,the same6 yet how different their tone--how altered their conduct6 ,to what cause can we attribute this astonishing change in the minds of three thousand persons in the same instant of time8 ,surely it was none other than the almighty work of ,god the ,holy ,ghost4 ,it was his influence on the minds of these men which produced the ,spirit of grace and supplication1 and taught them to direct the anxious cry and supplicating look unto him whom they had pierced4 ,was not the anguish of their souls1 under a sense of their sins1 equal to the exquisite sorrow of those who bitterly bewail the death of their first-born8 ,however skilfully ,peter might wield the sword of the ,spirit1 7the word of ,god17 it was none other than the ,god of all grace1 who directed and sent it home with saving power to the hearts and consciences of these ,jerusalem sinners4 ,are not the other triumphs of the ,spirit worthy of regard1 when five thousand are made willing cordially to embrace ,christ crucified8 ,may we not1 by the way1 observe1 that the reception of the ,gospel by such numbers so immediately after the ascension of ,jesus1 proved the truth of the facts recorded by the apostles1 of the life1 death1 resurrection1 and ascension of ,christ8 ,many1 no doubt1 of these early converts of ,christianity1 had been eye-witnesses of several of the events1 and all had an opportunity of discovering the deception1 if there had existed any1 in the apostles' narrative4 ,but no sooner are they persuaded to compare the ,old ,testament prophecies concerning the ,messiah1 with all the circumstances in the history of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 than they anxiously desire to be enlisted under the banners of the cross4 ,unable to resist the force of truth1 they join the persecuted adherents of the crucified ,jesus1 and cast in their lot with his despised followers1 although a sect every where spoken against4 ,when were converts to ,christianity most numerous8 ,was it not when there existed the best possible opportunity of detecting the least imposition or falsehood1 on the part of the writers of the ,new ,testament8 ,let it not be forgotten that those early converts were neither won by the arm of worldly power1 nor bribed by proffered gold4 ,on the contrary1 no sooner did they embrace the ,gospel1 but they were met at the very threshold by ignominy and persecution in every varied and frightful form1 sufficiently terrific to deter all but men really convinced of the truth1 and swayed by its sacred influence4 #aaa ,john xvi4 #g-ad4 ,but we must not confine the accomplishment of this promise entirely to the days of ,pentecost1 although it then assumed a more splendid and attractive appearance1 than it has done in these latter times4 ,yet through each succeeding age1 the ,lord the ,spirit has not been unmindful of his covenant engagements4 ,could we draw aside the veil that separates between us and the holy of holies--could we obtain a glimpse of the inhabitants of the ,new ,jerusalem which is above1 and inquire of the goodly number that surround the throne of ,god and the ,lamb1 ,who was the faithful instructor and guide1 that taught them to walk in the way that led to everlasting life8 they would direct us to the ,lord the ,spirit1 as the almighty guide who pointed out the road1 and taught their wandering feet to tread the strait1 the narrow way1 the only path1 that leads to ,zion's hill4 ,in the ,bible1 that chart of life1 the road is shown with clearness1 and described with accuracy4 ,it is called faith in the finished salvation of ,christ1 and obedience to his commands4 ,the hand which drew this path to glory1 is the very same that painted the splendid canopy of heaven4 ,by this good old way1 all the patriarchs1 prophets1 apostles1 martyrs1 and reformers1 entered the city of the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,their guide and comforter1 through this waste howling wilderness1 was the third person of the ,triune-,jehovah4 ,what countless myriads has this almighty guide led to the mount of ,god1 from the antediluvian worthies1 down to the happy spirit just entered into the joy of its ,lord6 ,like them1 led by the same unerring teacher1 we shall not fail of arriving safely at the mansion of everlasting joy1 for he is the only faithful conductor#aabto the heavenly ,jerusalem2 untaught by him1 none can find the path of life1 but will assuredly stumble on the dark mountains of sin and error1 and run the downward road that leads to hell4 #aab ,psalm cxliii4 #aj4 ,eternal life is the gift of ,god4 ,christ is the way1 the truth1 and the life3 none can come unto ,god1 but by him4 ,the office of the ,holy ,spirit is to instruct the ignorant1 comfort the mourners in ,zion1 and make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light4 ,if ye1 being evil1 know how to give good gifts unto your children1 how much more will your heavenly ,father give the ,holy ,spirit to them that ask him4 ,may we be partakers of that inestimable blessing1 for without his influence on our hearts1 vain will be even the electing love of ,god the ,father--vain the vicarious sacrifice and imputed righteousness of ,christ the ,son--vain to us the plan of salvation2 and vain1 all the promises of the ,gospel4 ,as well for us1 if those glad tidings of great joy1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good-will toward men1 had not reached our ears4 ,unapplied1 the most sovereign remedy is useless1 for then not even ,gilead's balm1 can heal the dire disease4#aac ,christ will prove no ,saviour to us1 unless applied to our individual case4 ,it is the office of the ,holy ,spirit1 to take of the things of ,christ and show them unto us4 ,faith is the hand by which we grasp ,christ crucified4 ,that saving faith1 by which we apprehend the finished salvation of ,jesus1 and make it our own1 is a grace wrought in the heart by the operation of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,far better would it be for the children of men1 if the sun were turned into darkness1 the moon into blood1 and all the stars of heaven withdraw their shining2 than that this glorious promise of the outpouring of the ,spirit1 should be blotted from the book of ,god's remembrance6 #aac ,jeremiah viii4 #bb4 ,may that blessed morning shortly dawn1 when all shall know the ,lord6 ,hasten1 glorious ,immanuel1 that bright day1 when the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge of the ,lord1 as the waters cover the sea4 ,,chapter ,,lxii4 ,the ,lord hath sworn and will not repent1 thou art a priest for ever1 after the order of ,melchizedek4--,psalm cx4 #d4 ,in the ,old ,testament1 we find but little recorded of ,melchizedek1 that venerable priest of the most ,high ,god1 who met and blessed the patriarch ,abraham as he returned victorious from the slaughter of ,chedorlaomer and the confederate kings4 ,but from that little1 we are led to regard him as a person of distinction4 ,to him1 the great father of the faithful and friend of ,god presented the tithes or tenths of the spoil4 ,it is from the prophetical word of the royal ,psalmist1 the ,lord hath sworn and will not repent1 thou art a ,priest for ever1 after the order of ,melchizedek1 that we are taught to view this ancient priest of ,god as a type3 and of whom1 if not of ,christ8 ,paul1 in his epistle to the ,hebrews1#aad speaks largely on the subject2 he proves the fulfilment of the prophecy1 and declares1 that ,christ's priestly office was prefigured in the person of ,melchizedek1 to ,abraham the father of the ,israelitish race4 ,in the same epistle1 we find blended the priesthood of ,aaron1 in order to show the vast superiority of that of ,christ over the other two1 though both instituted by ,god himself4 ,but as we find no prophecy respecting the ,aaronic priesthood1 we make no further reference to that subject1 in order to attend more immediately to the words1 ,the ,lord hath sworn1 and will not repent1 thou art a priest for ever1 after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,was this priest of the most ,high ,god honoured with the title of ,king of ,salem--by interpretation1 ,king of ,righteousness1 and ,king of ,peace8 ,is not ,jesus proclaimed ,king of ,zion2 the ,lord our ,righteousness1 and the ,prince of ,peace8 ,nor are these mere empty titles1 but real characters1 and offices1 sustained by ,him1 who abideth a priest upon his throne for ever4 ,we have no historical account of the parentage or descendants of ,melchizedek2 he is presented to us as without father1 without mother1 without descent1 having neither beginning of days1 nor end of life2 but being made like unto the ,son of ,god1 abideth a priest continually4#aae ,and ,christ's priesthood was not derived by genealogy1 or succession1 he had neither father or mother of the family of ,aaron1 from whom his priesthood could descend4 ,it is evident our ,lord sprang out of ,judah1 of which tribe no man gave attendance at the altar2#aaf neither did ,christ die and leave it to others1 by way of descent1 but was constituted a single priest1 without predecessor or successor4 ,he abideth a priest for ever1 after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,it is impossible for a finite mind to comprehend the eternal sonship of the ,son of ,god1 whom the ,father1 before the foundation of the world1 constituted a priest for ever2 and therefore1 the priesthood of ,melchizedek was instituted to prefigure to us the nature of ,christ's eternal priesthood4 ,the ,lord hath sworn and will not repent1 thou art a priest for ever1 after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,these words deserve particular attention4 ,it is ,god the ,father who swears to ,christ2 no oath of allegiance is required from him who is constituted our ,priest4 ,jehovah1 whose eye pierces through futurity1 knew he would be faithful in his office1 and he freely and unreservedly trusted him to maintain his divine honour and justice1 and accomplish the salvation of sinners4 ,the high-priestly office1 though honourable1 could not add to ,christ's dignity2 but his glorious person did confer honour and dignity upon the sacred office1 for he who is constituted our ,high ,priest1 is fellow to the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,every high priest is ordained1 to offer both gifts and sacrifices1 and great was the sacrifice offered by ,christ3 he offered up himself2 he would borrow nothing1 but was both priest1 sacrifice1 altar1 and temple3 and by that offering1 he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified4 ,and because he continueth ever1 he hath an unchangeable priesthood2 wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost1 that come unto ,god by him1 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them4 ,blessed ,jesus6 thou priest of ,melchizedek's order1 while we would not withhold from thee a portion of all that thou givest us1 let us not rest satisfied1 till we are enabled to present our bodies and souls a reasonable sacrifice1 holy and acceptable unto ,god4 #aad ,hebrews v4 #e-aa41 vii4 #a-bh4 #aae ,hebrews vii4 #c4 #aaf ,hebrews vi4 #bj4 ,,chapter ,,lxiii4 ,seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city1 to finish the transgression1 and to make an end of sins1 and to make reconciliation for iniquity1 and to bring in everlasting righteousness1 and to seal up the vision and prophecy1 and to anoint the most ,holy4 ,know1 therefore1 and understand1 that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build ,jerusalem1 unto the ,messiah1 the ,prince1 shall be seven weeks1 and three score and two weeks3 the street shall be built again1 and the wall1 even in troublous times4--,daniel ix4 #bd1 #be4 ,the harps of ,judah were silent--the disconsolate ,israelites hung them on the willows of ,babylon--no songs of ,zion were heard in that land of captivity1 where1 for seventy long years1 they wore the galling yoke of bondage1 bereft of home and all its blessings--the land of their forefathers in the possession of strangers--,jerusalem in ruins--her palaces consumed--the ,temple destroyed--the spot trodden down by the ,heathen--themselves exposed to the taunts of their conquerors1 and compelled to bow before the idolatrous image of ,chaldean superstition4#aag ,well might ,judah's sons weep by the waters of ,babylon1 whose murmurings recalled to their recollection the stream which gushed from ,horeb's mount4#aah ,the remembrance of past blessings increases the weight of present misery4 ,how changed their state1 and changed to punish their awful rebellions against the ,lord of ,sabaoth6 ,yet the ,god of ,israel was not unmindful of his promise--he cheered their drooping spirits with the assurance of speedy deliverance from their captive state4 ,the prayer of ,daniel entered into the ears of the ,lord of ,hosts--the command was given--swiftly the angel1 even ,gabriel1 flew to reveal his ,lord's decrees unto the mourning prophet--that man greatly beloved of his ,god4 ,daniel was commissioned to foretel the deliverance of the ,jews from ,babylon--the building of ,jerusalem and its walls in troublous times2 and to him1 ,jehovah was graciously pleased to renew the promise of the ,prince1 ,messiah1 whose appearance all the patriarchs and prophets had foretold4 ,the nearer that glorious epoch approached1 the more minutely was it described4 ,the ,lord gave ,daniel to know and understand1 that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build ,jerusalem unto the ,messiah1 the ,prince1 should be seven weeks1 and three score and two weeks4 ,the period here styled weeks1 is generally allowed to be sabbaths of years4 ,this appears to be the sense of the passage1 for the ,jews were accustomed to reckon their time and feasts by weeks or sabbaths4 ,the week of days was from one seventh or sabbath day to another4 ,the week of years was from one seventh or sabbatical year to another2 in the seventh1 or sabbatical year1 they neither sowed their fields nor pruned their vineyards2 it was a sabbath of rest unto the land4#aai ,in the regulation of the year of ,jubilee1 they were commanded to number seven sabbaths of years1 seven times seven years1 and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to thee forty and nine years4#abj ,we therefore only follow the ,mosaic rule1 7to which ,moses' disciples cannot object17 if we consider these seven weeks1 and three score and two weeks1 as seven times sixty-nine1 or four hundred and eighty-three years1 which should be between the going forth of the commandment to restore and build ,jerusalem unto the ,messiah1 the ,prince4 ,there were four distinct decrees or commandments granted by the kings of ,persia1 in favour of the ,jews1 who came under the dominion of that empire by its conquest of ,babylon4 ,this was the epoch of ,daniel's vision4 ,no sooner had ,cyrus obtained possession of ,chaldea1 than he issued a decree allowing the ,jews to quit the land of their captivity1 and repair to ,judea to build the temple of the ,lord4 ,he also restored to them the vessels and treasures which ,nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple built by ,solomon4 ,on the grant of this decree1#aba five hundred and thirty-six years before ,christ1 many of the ,jews returned to their own land1 and laid the foundation of the temple2 but they were hindered in the building of it by their several enemies1 who were supported in their opposition by ,artaxerxes1 the successor of ,cyrus4 ,but when ,darius ,hystaspes ascended the throne of ,persia1 he issued a decree#abb five hundred and nineteen years before ,christ1 forbidding the enemies of the ,jews to interrupt the building of the temple1 and further commanded that materials requisite for the work1 and the animals1 oil1 and wine for the sacrifices1 should be supplied at his 7the king's7 cost4 ,the third decree was granted to ,ezra1 the scribe1 four hundred and sixty-seven years before ,christ1 by ,artaxerxes ,longimanus1 in the seventh year of his reign1 by which he bestowed great favours upon the ,jews1#abc appointing ,ezra ,governor of ,judea4 ,he permitted all the ,jews to return to ,jerusalem1 and commanded his treasurers beyond the river1 to supply ,ezra with such things as he needed for the house of his ,god1 even to an hundred talents of silver1 an hundred measures of wheat1 an hundred baths of wine1 and an hundred baths of oil4 ,the king and his princes presented much silver and gold1 and many vessels1 and ordered that what else might be required for the house of ,god1 should be supplied from the king's treasury4 ,this is not the same ,artaxerxes who listened to the slanderous reports of the enemies of the ,jews1 and stopped the building of their temple2 but ,artaxerxes1 surnamed ,longimanus1 supposed to be the person styled ,ahasuerus1 in the book of ,esther1 whose attachment to his ,israelitish consort may account for the distinguished favours he conferred on the people of her nation4 ,we find the queen was present when ,nehemiah presented his petition1 which was the second decree granted by this monarch1 and was the fourth and last decree1 being granted in the twentieth year of his reign1 and four hundred and fifty-four years before ,christ4#abd ,this was the most efficient decree1 for by it ,jerusalem and its walls were built4 ,the high resolves of the court of ,heaven were revealed2 ,daniel was made to know and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build ,jerusalem1 unto the ,messiah1 the prince1 shall be seven weeks1 and three score and two weeks1 being sixty nine weeks1 or four hundred and eighty-three years4 ,from the last1 or fourth1 decree to the birth of ,christ1 7vide ,rollin1 volume #h1 page #bfe17 is four hundred and fifty-four years1 to which we add twenty-nine years 7the age at about which ,christ entered on his public ministry72#abe these united1 make the exact period of sixty-nine weeks1 or four hundred and eighty-three years4 ,daniel also declares that seventy weeks 7or four hundred and ninety years7 are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city1 to finish the transgression1 and to make an end of sins1 and to make reconciliation for iniquity1 and to bring in everlasting righteousness1 and to seal up the vision and prophecy1 and to anoint the most ,holy4 ,we find between the seventy weeks1 or four hundred and ninety years1 and the sixty-nine weeks1 or four hundred and eighty-three years1 a difference of one week1 or seven years1 which is the week evidently alluded to in the twenty-seventh verse of this chapter1 in which he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week1 c4 ,from the period of ,christ's first entry into the ministry1 and the calling of his apostles1 until his crucifixion1 were three and a half years1 and1 for three and a half years after that event1 his apostles continued to minister amongst the ,jews4 ,this makes a period of seven years1 7or one prophetic week17 in the midst of which the ,messiah was cut off1 and the sacrifice and oblation virtually ceased4 ,the correspondence is exact3 ,jesus1 the ,messiah1 not only entered on his public ministry at the very period pointed out ages before1 but was actually cut off in the midst of the week1 as was expressly foretold4 ,these predictions of the ,prince ,messiah are peculiarly striking4 ,the time for his appearance is marked1 and the particular objects he should effect on his coming1 are described with such minuteness1 as scarcely to admit of the possibility of mistaking his person4 ,the grand features of his mission were so strongly exhibited1 that it was morally impossible the ,messiah should appear and not be recognised4 ,prejudice must have blinded the eye of that mind which does not1 on comparing the whole of the ,new ,testament with this prophecy1 acknowledge ,jesus of ,nazareth to be the ,messiah4 ,it bears the stamp of divine prescience3 none but the omniscient ,god could have given his features with such clearness so many ages before4 ,this portrait of the ,messiah1 which bears so exact a resemblance to ,jesus1 was in the possession of the ,jews1 at least five hundred years before that glorious person was exhibited to the world1 a ,god incarnate4 #aag ,dan4 iii4 #d-ae4 #aah ,numbers xx4 #aa4 #aai ,lev4 xxiii4 #c41 xxv4 #c1 #d4 #abj ,lev4 xxv4 #h4 #aj4 #aba #b ,chron4 xxxvi4 #bb1 #bc4 #abb ,ezra vi4 #g-ab4 #abc ,ezra vii4 #aa-bc4 #abd ,neh4 ii4 #a-h4 #abe ,luke iii4 #bc4 ,jesus declares himself to be the long promised ,messiah--his claim rests on no slight or doubtful evidence--he came at the very precise time it was foretold the ,messiah should appear to the people and the holy city4 ,christ's ministry was among the people of the ,jews--,judea was the land of his nativity--the scene of his labours--the witness of his miracles--he was born at ,bethlehem1 near ,jerusalem1 and crucified just without the gate of the holy city4 ,on ,calvary he finished the transgressions1 and made an end of sin1 and make reconciliation for iniquity4 ,there the ,god-man1 ,christ ,jesus1 offered up his life a ransom for the guilty--there the surety of the ,church paid the full price for her redemption1 and made peace by the blood of his cross--there he suffered the just for the unjust to bring sinners unto ,god4 ,he took away the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us1 taking them out of the way by nailing them to the cross--there he removed the iniquity of the land in one day1 and so completely finished the transgression1 by suffering the punishment due for his people's sins1 that when they are sought for they shall not be found--there he paid the full price of their redemption1 he cancelled the bond1 and made peace and reconciliation with offended justice4 ,he brought in an everlasting righteousness1 and not only suffered the penalty due for their transgressions of ,god's law1 'which is holy1 just1 and good1' but1 as the head of the ,church1 he obeyed all the precepts of the moral law2 which he exalted and made honourable4 ,perfect was the obedience wrought out--complete was the righteousness brought in by the incarnate ,deity1 the ,lord our righteousness1 which is from everlasting to everlasting unto all and upon all that believe1 for there is no difference4 ,amidst the awful gloom on ,calvary's mount1 was heard the cry it is finished6 ,it was the conqueror's shout--victory was achieved--,satan was vanquished--the sting of death was taken away--the power of the grave destroyed--the conflict was over--the ransom paid--the captives of the mighty delivered--the law was honoured--justice satisfied--,god glorified--,heaven opened--man redeemed--and hell vanquished4 ,that was the glorious event which types were intended to exhibit1 and prophets were commissioned to proclaim4 ,the appointed time of the vision was arrived--it had long tarried1 but it was accomplished4 ,the chain of prophecy was complete--the vision was sealed#abf--;and the most holy anointed4 ,the ,god-man1 ,christ ,jesus1 anointed by his ,father king and priest of ,zion1 then exchanged his thorny crown for the royal diadem--then left the sorrows of earth for the glories of his mediatorial throne1 which no enemy can touch--their opposition is vain--he that sitteth upon the circle of the heavens1 will laugh them to scorn4 ,happy are they who have for their king and priest1 him whose kingdom is eternal1 and priesthood unchangeable--who look to the ,redeemer of ,israel as the rock of their salvation1 and crown the most holy1 ,lord of all4 ,happy are the people that are in such a case1 yea1 blessed are the people whose ,god is the ,lord4 #abf ,rev4 xxii4 #ah1 #ai4 ,,chapter ,,lxiv4 ,and after three score and two weeks shall ,messiah be cut off1 but not for himself3 and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary2 and the end thereof shall be with a flood1 and unto the end of the war desolations are determined4--,daniel ix4 #bf4 ,this vision of ,daniel appears involved in considerable obscurity1 by the diversity of time alluded to in the several parts of the prophecy1 and renders it difficult to prove its exact accomplishment4 ,but we hope we have shown in the preceding part1 that it does not militate against the truth as it is in ,jesus1 it rather tends to strengthen the testimony1 by affording an additional opportunity of proving1 from sacred and profane history1 the fulfilment of the great event4 ,the proof of its accomplishment does not rest on the insulated fact1 but is established by a chain of evidence1 derived from the annals of nations4 ,for1 whichever of the decrees we take1 it is clear from ancient chronology1 that the period alluded to is passed1 and the ,messiah did appear not far from the time named by any decree4 ,as we have attempted to prove the fulfilment of the first part of the prophetic vision1 it may not be improper if we now endeavour to show that the remaining part of this interesting prophecy has also been accomplished4 ,after threescore and two weeks shall ,messiah be cut off1 but not for himself3 and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary4 ,secret things belong unto ,god2 but things that are revealed1 to you and your children4 ,we cannot ascertain to a certainty when the seventy-two weeks commence1 but it is evident they terminate at the cutting off of the ,messiah4 ,from the words ,and the end thereof shall be with a flood1 and unto the end of the war desolations are determined1 it appears1 also1 to allude to the destruction of the city1 previous to which event the ,messiah should be cut off4 ,we hope we shall not offer any violence to the words1 if we give them this interpretation4 ,the destruction of ,jerusalem is not the only event alluded to in this interesting prophecy2 there is one of paramount importance to the ruin of ,salem's palaces1 though that involved the fate of ,judah's sons4 ,on the other momentous fact hang the highest interests of ,jew and ,gentile1 bond and free1 past1 present1 and future generations2 not only the happiness of earth1 but much of the glory of heaven1 depends on its accomplishment4 ,without it no sweet song of ,salvation to ,god and the ,lamb1 would have echoed amidst the heavenly hills1 none of the race of ,adam would be seen worshipping before the presence of ,jehovah with the angels of light2 those melodious hymns of redemption1 now chaunted by ten thousand times ten thousand glorified ,saints1 had not been heard but for the vicarious sacrifice of the ,son of ,god1#abg who not only covenanted1 but did actually lay down his life a ransom for sinners4 ,when ,jesus1 the ,christ of ,god1 the ,prince ,messiah1 appeared on earth1 it was not simply to set the children of men an example of piety and virtue2 we ardently admire his glorious example1 and consider his followers bound to imitate the bright pattern he has left them2 yet we dare not believe that that was the only object he designed to accomplish when he visited our world4#abh ,no1 he came as the federal ,head1 the ,representative and ,surety of his people4#abi ,he was cut off from the land of the living1 by a violent and cruel death2 yet not for himself1 not for any sin of his own1#acj nor purposely to set us a pattern of patience and resignation2 but to discharge the debt of sin1 he had covenanted to cancel on man's account4 ,jehovah executed towards him the severest justice1 and permitted his crucifiers to exercise the blackest ingratitude1 and most inhuman cruelty4 ,o ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem1 thou who killest the prophets1 and stonest them that are sent unto thee1 how often would the ,lord have gathered thee under his protecting care as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings1 but ye would not4 ,thy awful doom was sealed when thou didst reject the authority1 and persecute unto death ,jesus the ,messiah1 thy prophet and benefactor1 thy ,god and ,king4 ,the thought of thy approaching misery drew tears from the eyes1 and groans from the heart1 of ,incarnate ,deity2 yet thy children beheld1 with feelings of triumphant scorn1 the sorrows and sufferings their wanton cruelty inflicted on the ,holy ,jesus4 ,but heaven marked the impious deed4#aca ,the blood of ,jesus1 of prophets1 of apostles1 and of martyrs1 called for vengeance on thy guilty land2 the cry was heard1 justice remembered thy black catalogue of crimes1 the ,king of heaven beheld the insult offered to his beloved ,son1 and ,jehovah arose to punish thy rejection of ,jesus the ,messiah1 whom ye would not have to reign over you4 ,the crimes of ,jerusalem were of the blackest and most awful character1 and her punishment was tremendously dreadful4#acb ,the ,israelites1 once the peculiar favourites of ,heaven#acc--nursed in the lap of plenty1 instructed in the oracles of ,god--blessed with the temple of ,jehovah--taught to adore the ,god of truth whom their forefathers worshipped2 this people1 who once had the ,lord for their ,law-giver and ,king1#acd were compelled to bow beneath the oppressive power of arbitrary despots--the law of truth was exchanged for the tyrant's mandate--equity and justice were banished the walls of ,salem1 and despotism1 oppression1 blasphemy1 and pride1 reigned within that devoted1 miserable1 city4 ,anarchy and confusion ruled that senate and sanctuary1 once as gloriously distinguished from the rest of the world by the purity of its government1 as by the richness and elegance of its buildings4 ,jerusalem was devoted to destruction1 and she sunk beneath the accumulated horrors of war1 famine1 fire1 and pestilence4 ,internal faction and a foreign foe reduced that beauteous city and magnificent sanctuary1 to a heap of ruins4 ,the temple fell--not all the commands1 promises1 or threats of ,titus1 could save that splendid edifice from destruction2 the people of the prince1 regardless of their general's orders1 helped to complete the work of desolation2--but prophecy was fulfilled1 ,jerusalem was overwhelmed with the flood of divine vengeance1 and desolation prevailed even unto the end of the war4 #abg ,john xiv4 #f4 #abh ,john xii1 #bg4 #abi #a ,corinthians xv4 #bb4 ,romans v4 #ag-ai4 #acj ,luke xxiii4 #d4 ,isaiah liii4 #e1 #aj4 #aca ,matthew xxiii4 #ce-cg4 #acb ,matthew xxiv4 #ba4 #acc ,deuteronomy iv4 #g4 #acd ,deuteronomy iv4 #e1 #h4 ,,chapter ,,lxv4 ,and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week2 and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease1 and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate1 even until the consummation1 and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate4--,daniel ix4 #bg4 ,some writers consider this verse prophetical of the desolate state of ,jerusalem under ,antiochus ,epiphanes1 that sacrilegious monarch who impiously profaned the sanctuary of the ,god of ,israel4 ,by him the temple was ransacked and despoiled of its holy vessels2 its golden ornaments pulled off2 its hidden treasures seized2 and an unclean animal offered on the altar of burnt-offerings4 ,thus did this impious ,syrian king dare profane the altar and temple dedicated to ,jehovah4 ,neither was this all2 ,jerusalem again felt the force of his horrid cruelty and profaneness2 men1 women1 and children1 were either slain or taken captive2 and the houses and city walls were destroyed4 ,the ,jews were not allowed to offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to the ,god of ,israel--circumcision was forbidden--they were required to profane the ,sabbath1 and eat the flesh of swine1 and other beasts forbidden by their law#ace--the sanctuary dedicated to ,jehovah was called the temple of ,jupiter ,olympius1 and his image set up on the altar--idol temples and altars were erected throughout all their cities--and the ,holy ,scriptures destroyed whenever they were met with--and death was the fate of those who read the word of the ,lord4 ,the most horrid and brutal cruelties were inflicted on such as chose to obey ,god1 rather than this ,syrian monster4 ,jerusalem was overspread by his abominations2 desolation was indeed poured out upon the desolate when ,antiochus ,epiphanes held the blood stained sceptre1 emblem of satanic power4 ,yet1 closely as these circumstances resemble the description given by the prophet's vision1 we cannot think it is the event alluded to in this prophecy4 ,daniel1 in the three preceding verses1 speaks of the ,messiah1 and the final destruction of the city and sanctuary3 by ,antiochus the temple certainly was not destroyed4 ,in the eleventh chapter there appears a striking prophecy of the events which happened in ,jerusalem during the dominion of the ,syrian tyrant1 but we cannot think he is alluded to in any part of the ninth chapter4 ,the first clause of this verse1 ,he shall confirm the covenant with many1 cannot refer to ,antiochus1 but alludes to the same glorious person mentioned in the preceding verses4 ,the latter part of this verse may with propriety be considered as a continuance of the prophecy of ,jerusalem's final destruction1 as it occurred under ,titus4 ,to ,jesus the ,messiah we direct our eyes4 ,the one week1 or the midst of the week1 7seven years half expired17 alludes to the time of his ,public ,ministry1 which was three years and a half2 during which period he declared1 the design of his mission was to confirm the well-ordered covenant of redemption and peace1 which was drawn up in the counsels of eternity--sealed on earth with the blood of the ,incarnate ,god--signed in the presence of ,jehovah1 angels1 men1 and devils--registered in the court of ,heaven--and proclaimed good and valid by the resurrection of ,jesus from the dead1 and the outpouring of the ,holy ,spirit4#acf ,it is true1 the sacrifices and oblations of the temple service did not cease immediately on the death of ,christ1 they were continued some little time after that event2 but they became unnecessary1 they had lost their value1 and were but idle ceremonies and useless rights1 when the thing signified was accomplished4 ,at best1 they were only types of the ,lamb of ,god1 the blood of that one great sacrifice1 which alone cleanseth from all sin4 ,it is not possible for the blood of bulls or goats to take away sin4 ,no1 the sacrifices and ceremonies of the ,mosaic economy were only efficacious so far as ,christ1 the substance1 was viewed through the shadow4#acg ,in less than forty years after the death of ,christ1 the sacrifices and oblations ceased1 for the temple was demolished4 ,a spot so deeply stained with crime1 needed the fire of divine vengeance to consume it from the face of the earth3 it was erected for the worship of the ,god of ,israel1 but was turned into the seat of iniquity and profaneness4 ,the horrid enormities observed in the temple of ,juggernaut scarcely surpassed the impious practices exercised within the ,jewish sanctuary4 ,when ,titus1 the ,roman general1 approached the walls of the city1 it more resembled the court of ,mars and ,bacchus1 than the temple of ,jehovah2 the drunkard's voice--the clash of arms--the shouts of the victor--the cries of the vanquished--and the groans of the dying1 echoed through that magnificent pile2 human blood flowed in its courts1 and sprinkled its altars and its walls4 ,jerusalem was a scene of slaughter2 but it was not a war to support the glorious cause of freedom2 nor were they fighting to repel the foreign foe1 or shedding their blood to defend their beloved homes1 and the still dearer objects of affection1 around which the warm heart clings with fondest thought amidst the scene of danger and of death1 and for whose preservation the weakest arm grows desperate1 and the feeblest mind resolves to conquer or to die4 ,but theirs was no such glorious contest2 no--civil war had reared her hydra head2 the horrid yell of intestine discord rang through ,salem's courts1 and echoed round her walls2 that infernal power bursts the bands of brotherhood1 severs the closest ties1 dissolves the strongest link of union1 and makes the man a monster4 ,the sword of her own sons deluged ,jerusalem with ,jewish blood2 the fire which destroyed her houses was kindled by her own children2 death and destruction reigned through all her palaces2 the city groaned beneath a three-fold faction1 when the ,roman legions approached her walls to complete the horrid scene of slaughter4 ,the temple was the head-quarters of ,eleazar and the ,zealots2 they had in their possession the stores of first fruits and offerings1 and were frequently in a state of intoxication2 but when not drunken with wine1 they thirsted for the blood of their countrymen1 and issued from their strong hold1 to assault ,john and his party1 who lay intrenched in the out-works of the temple4 ,the ruin of ,jerusalem is attributed to the horrid enormities of the ,zealot faction3 surely that was the summit of wickedness1 when the priests sold themselves to work iniquity1 and the temple of the ,lord was the seat of their crimes4 ,that was the overspreading of abomination1 and it continued until the sanctuary was consumed1 and ruin was poured upon the desolators4 ,it was the iniquitous practices of the ,jews1 rather than the ,roman eagle1 which profaned the courts of the ,lord's ,house3 the conquerors did not plant their standard to insult1 but with a wish to preserve1 the temple from total ruin and destruction4 #ace ,leviticus xi4 #b1 #g1 #h4 #acf #a ,timothy iii4 #af4 ,acts ii4 #bd1 #cc4 #acg ,hebrews iv4 #b4 x4 #a-aj1 #bj4 ,,chapter ,,lxvi4 ,for ,i will gather all nations against ,jerusalem to battle2 and the city shall be taken1 and the houses rifled1 and the women ravished2 and half of the city shall go forth into captivity1 and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city4--,zechariah xiv4 #b4 ,imperial ,rome1 to whom the world once bowed1 and whose power could command armies from all nations1 had conquered ,judea1 and received from her the yearly tribute of her subjection3#ach but1 through the oppression of the ,roman governors1 and the madness of the people1 the standard of revolt was planted1 and the ,jews attempted to break their yoke of bondage4 ,the ,roman legions1 inured to war1 and accustomed to the shout of victory1 hastened to subdue the rebellious ,israelites3 they passed from city to city1 and from province to province2 slaughter and death marked their course2 the strife was desperate2 the conflict bloody2 the ,jews fought like men determined to conquer or to die3 two hundred and forty-seven thousand seven hundred were slain before their provinces were subjugated1 and an immense number made prisoners3 amongst whom was ,josephus1 the historian of the war1 who was governor of the two ,galilees1 and who defended them with skill and bravery4 ,the ,romans1 having conquered the provinces1 approached to assault ,jerusalem1 which was then a dreadful scene4 ,the sound of war was heard through all her gates2 regardless of the approaching foe1 the ,jews had turned their arms against each other2 three several factions were busily engaged in the work of slaughter and destruction4 ,eleazar and the ,zealots seized the temple2 ,john of ,gischala and his followers occupied its out-works2 and ,simon1 the son of ,gorias1 possessed the whole of the lower1 and a great part of the upper1 town4 ,jerusalem was built on two hills2 the highest1 on which stood the temple1 was called the upper town1 and the other the lower3 between these lay a valley covered with houses2 the suburbs of the city were extensive1 and encircled by a wall2 two other walls also surrounded ,jerusalem1 the interior one of remarkable strength4 ,neither of the three factious parties had any just claim to supremacy or power1 though all contended for dominion1 and fought for plunder4 ,the ,zealots were the smallest party1 but1 from their situation1 possessed the advantage3 they sallied from their strong holds to attack ,john1 who seized every opportunity of assaulting ,simon2 thus ,john maintained a double war1 and was often obliged to divide his forces1 being attacked by ,eleazar and ,simon at the same time4 ,in these furious contests1 no age or sex was spared2 the slaughter was dreadful4 ,when either party was repelled1 the other set fire to the building1 without any distinction4 ,regardless of their contents1 they consumed granaries and store-houses1 which contained a stock of corn and other necessaries of life1 sufficient to maintain the inhabitants during a siege of many years2 but nearly the whole was burnt1 and this circumstance made way for a calamity more horrid than even war itself4 ,famine soon showed her meagre form1 and all classes felt the dreadful effects of a scarcity of food4 ,such was the miserable state of ,jerusalem when the ,roman general ,titus 7son of the reigning emperor1 ,vespasian17 prepared to attack the city4 ,the sight of a powerful foreign foe at their gates1 with all the artillery of war1 could not quell the factions within2 it is true1 when closely pressed by the ,romans1 the three parties joined to repel the common enemy1 but no sooner had they breathing time1 than the spirit of contention arose1 and they resumed the slaughter of each other3 thus they maintained a fierce contest with the besiegers1 and1 at the same time1 seized every opportunity of destroying each other4 ,the misery of the city was soon beyond precedent1 from the dreadful effects of famine1 the price of provisions became exorbitant1 and1 when no longer offered for sale1 the houses were entered and searched1 and the wretched owners tortured till they confessed where the slender pittance was concealed2 at length the distress became so great1 that persons parted with the whole of their property to obtain a bushel of wheat1 which they eat before it could be baked1 or even ground2 and happy was he who could catch a morsel of meat1 half roasted1 half raw1 from the fire4 ,no kind of cruelty was omitted in search of food3 at length their sufferings were so severe1 that the wretched inhabitants were necessitated to search the vaults and sinks for sustenance1 and even fed on articles too offensive to be named4 ,the ties of nature and humanity were forgotten1 the wife seized the food from her husband1 the child from the parent1 and even the mother from her infant4#aci ,the excruciating pain of famine so far overpowered the tenderest and finest affections in nature1 that a woman1 descended from a rich and respectable family1 even killed1 boiled1 and ate1 her own child1 a son in all the artless and endearing simplicity of infancy6 ,well may the ,british mother tremble at the horrid sound1 and pity the wretched ,israelitish female1 thus sunk below the brute4 ,pestilence now stalked abroad1 for the air was tainted by the dead3 though no less than six hundred thousand dead bodies were carried out of the city during the time ,titus encamped before the walls1 yet there was an incredible number who had no friends to bury them1 and their bodies were enclosed in large buildings1 or laid in heaps in the open air4 ,o ,jerusalem1 thou didst drink at the hand of the ,lord the cup of his fury1 thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling1 and wrung them out even desolation1 destruction1 famine and sword1 thy houses rifled1 thy women ravished by ,jewish ruffians1 and the city at length taken by the ,roman general4 ,titus had again and again offered the ,jews honourable terms of capitulation2 but they rejected all his overtures with proud disdain1 and when his soldiers took the city1 exasperated at the hardships they had endured1 they spared neither sex1 age1 or rank4 ,sword and fire destroyed ,jerusalem and her children1 and closed this horrid war1 in which one million one hundred thousand ,jews were slain1 and ninety-seven thousand made prisoners4 #ach ,luke ii4 #a4 ,matthew xxii4 #ag4 #aci ,deut4 xxviii4 #dh-ei4 ,,chapter ,,lxvii4 ,the ,lord shall bring a nation against thee from far1 from the end of the earth1 as swift as the eagle flieth2 a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand2 a nation of fierce countenance1 which shall not regard the person of the old1 nor show favour to the young4--,deut4 xxviii4 #di1 #ej4 ,and when he was come near1 he beheld the city1 and wept over it1 saying1 if thou hadst known1 even thou1 at least in this thy day1 the things which belong unto thy peace6 but now they are hid from thine eyes4 ,for the days shall come upon thee1 that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee1 and compass thee round1 and keep thee in on every side1 and shall lay thee even with the ground1 and thy children within thee2 and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another2 because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation4--,luke xix4 #da-dd4 ,judea was not conquered by the neighbouring ,asiatic states1 but by the ,roman1 ,europeans of a fierce and warlike countenance1 who knew not the ,jewish language1 and regarded not the persons of the old1 nor showed favour to the young4 ,it will not be difficult to trace the ,roman soldiers in this eloquently descriptive character4 ,no nation excelled them in their military prowess1 or in the rapidity of their conquests4 ,in comparatively a very short period of time1 they extended their empire over all the then civilised part of the globe4 ,the insignia of their legions was not more descriptive of their valour1 than of the unexampled rapidity of their movements4 ,the celebrated motto of ,csar1 ,i came1 ,i saw1 ,i conquered1 was neither of a doubtful1 or boasting1 character4 ,their career was indeed as swift as the eagle flieth4 ,no nation or people did long withstand the fierceness of their attacks1 or the persevering energy of their generals4 ,in their triumphs over their enemies1 they frequently displayed a ferocity happily unknown in modern warfare4 ,the most distinguished of their captives1 without regard to age or sex1 were dragged in triumph1 amidst the shouts of the conquerors1 and the insults of the rabble4 ,often1 when exasperated by the protracted defence of a brave people struggling for their existence1 instead of respecting such patriotic efforts1 they inflicted the most horrid barbarities upon the unresisting and unhappy objects of their vengeance2 and a slaughter1 indiscriminating in its fury1 and dreadful in its results1 marked the blood-stained progress of the licentious soldiery1 who regarded not the person of the old1 nor showed favour to the young4 ,history informs us1 that the ,romans1 under ,titus and ,vespasian1 after a protracted siege1 unparalleled in horror1 and sanguinary beyond example1 at length became masters of this once-favoured spot2 and if we compare the predictions of ,christ with the events which occurred1 and followed at the taking of this devoted city1 we shall be struck with the coincidence of the declaration1 and its awful fulfilment4 ,his foreknowledge of the dreadful calamities which should precede and accompany the destruction of ,jerusalem1 caused our blessed ,saviour1 when he beheld the city1 to weep over it3 and1 surely1 if this once-favoured race had then known the day of its visitation1 the ,lord would have turned from his fierce anger3 but these things were hid from their eyes4 ,having rejected the ,lord of ,glory1 they were given over to judicial blindness1 and the ,lord brought upon them a nation from afar to execute his vengeance4 ,jerusalem was trodden down by the ,gentiles1 and there was great distress upon the land1 and wrath upon the people4 ,the sword and the spear from without1 and famine and pestilence and civil discord within1 were indeed unto them the beginning of sorrows4 ,the predicted day was now come1 when their enemies should cast a trench about them1 and compass them round1 and keep them in on every side4 ,their walls of strength1 their beautiful palaces1 and their magnificent temple1 were laid even with the ground4 ,not one stone was left upon another that was not thrown down2 and all the princes and the nobles1 the ruler and the ruled1 the priest and the people1 and the children within thee1 either fell by the edge of the sword1 or were led away captive into all nations1 for there was great distress in the land1 and wrath upon the people4 ,,chapter ,,lxviii4 ,therefore shall ,zion for your sake be plowed as a field1 and ,jerusalem shall become heaps1 and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest4--,micah iii4 #ab4 ,walk about ,zion1 and go round about her1 tell the towers thereof1 mark ye well her bulwarks1 consider her palaces1 are they still beautiful for situation8 ,is ,jerusalem yet the joy of the whole earth8 ,within her walls peace once reigned1 and prosperity within her palaces4 ,but how changed the spot6 desolation and dismay reign in undisturbed possession1 where elegance and art displayed their richest and most curious productions4 ,jerusalem is fallen--war destroyed her palaces1 and levelled her temple--the fire which consumed that magnificent city was kindled by the hand of civil discord--the desolating element that blazed with awful glare1 amidst the splendid sanctuary1 was first lit by ,jewish hands--and the enfuriated ,roman soldiers applied the torch1 which ultimately destroyed the temple of ,jehovah4 ,the ,jews having burnt the greater part of the galleries around the temple1 and the ,roman soldiers set fire to the remainder1 ,titus commanded his troops to extinguish the flames2 but no sooner were his orders executed than a ,roman soldier threw a fire-brand into the temple1 and the interior was instantly in a blaze2 the flames spread with rapidity1 and not all the commands1 threatenings1 or entreaties1 of the ,roman general1 and his officers1 were effectual to preserve the building4 ,whilst some were endeavouring to check the furious element1 others set fire to several of the door-posts2 the scene was dreadful2 the ,jews were filled with astonishment and horror1 and their conquerors with fury4 ,amidst the crackling of the fire were heard the shouts of the victors1 and the cries of the vanquished2 the shrieks of the wounded1 and the groans of the dying4 ,the ground on every side was strewed with dead2 while the courts flowed with ,jewish blood1 the fire raged above2 the conflagration was awful1 and the massacre dreadful4#adj ,jerusalem and its walls were destroyed1 the temple levelled1 and the ,jews conquered1 in the second year of the reign of ,vespasian1 on the same month and day as ,nebuchadnezzar destroyed the former city and temple4 ,the last temple1 once celebrated for its magnificence1 is now no more4 ,that building which1 by the solidity of its construction1 seemed to defy the mouldering hand of time1 soon became a heap of ruins1 and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest4#ada ,titus1 before he withdrew his troops1 commanded them to reduce the city and temple to a level with the ground1 and they left not one stone upon another1 to mark the spot where the temple stood4 ,so strictly was this order executed1 that the demolished city scarcely appeared to have been the residence of human creatures4 ,only three strong towers remained of the once magnificent ,jerusalem1 and they were left to exhibit to future times the skill and power of the ,roman troops1 in becoming possessed of a place so strongly fortified by nature and art4 ,josephus and other ,jews attribute the unparalleled calamities of their country-men1 and the destruction of the temple1 to the signal vengeance of heaven1 inflicted to punish that deluded people for their cruelty and injustice to ,james the just1 the brother of ,jesus1 who is called ,christ3 but a believer of the ,new ,testament must consider that they were punished for their rejection and crucifixion of ,jesus ,christ himself1 the ,messiah of ,israel1 and ,son of ,god2 it was for that cause ,zion was plowed as a field2 ,jerusalem became a heap of ruins1 and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest4 #adj ,matt4 xxiv4 #ba1 #bb4 #ada ,the walls were composed of the most durable kind of white stone1 of massive size1 each stone being twelve feet high1 eighteen broad1 and thirty-seven and a half in length4 ,,chapter ,,lxix4 ,and he shall be for a sanctuary2 but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of ,israel1 for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of ,jerusalem4--,isaiah viii4 #ad4 ,these words are not prophetical of the person of the ,messiah1 yet they describe1 in striking language1 the effects that would follow his appearance and ministry upon earth4 ,they foretel the opposition and enmity that would arise1 in the minds of the ,jewish nation1 to the ,christ of ,god4 ,if the whole ,israelitish race had gladly hailed ,jesus as their ,messiah1 and if all1 to whom the ,gospel has been proclaimed1 from its first promulgation down to the present hour2 if all these countless multitudes1 had cordially embraced the faith of ,christ1 it could not have proved a more decisive evidence of the truth as it is in ,jesus1 than is afforded by the ,jews in their rejection of ,christ as the ,messiah4 ,thereby the prophecies of ,god are fulfilled concerning him1 who1 though set for a sanctuary1 became a stumbling block1 and rock of offence1 to the house of ,israel1 and a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of ,jerusalem4 ,the ,jews were not a little vain of the glorious pre-eminence their nation once sustained amidst the kingdoms of the world1 on account of the wondrous works1 which the ,lord of ,hosts had wrought for them1 by his mighty hand1 and outstretched arm4 ,their religious distinctions and ceremonies had also tended to feed their pride1 and nourish their haughty contempt1 for the other nations of the earth4 ,their long promised ,messiah was not forgotten by them4 ,in his reign1 their lively imaginations had blended all the splendid conquests and dazzling magnificence of regal power4 ,theirs was a tone of mind but ill-suited to bow before the despised ,man of ,nazareth2 to embrace the commands1 and follow as a master1 one so poor1 that he had not where to lay his head4 ,when we consider the natural pride of the human heart1 as joined with the national pride of the ,jewish people1 we may cease to wonder at their rejection of ,jesus4 ,they could not stoop to acknowledge even the ,son of ,god as their ruler1 when offered to them void of the purple robe and golden sceptre4 ,they could not swear allegiance to ,zion's ,king1 when they saw neither his royal pavilion1 nor marshalled troops4 ,they could not bow before one born in a stable1 though ,angels had descended to proclaim his glorious advent4 ,what wonder1 if the eye by gazing so long and frequently on the dazzling splendour they were wont to attach to the ,messiah's reign1 could not perceive the fainter rays of glory that glimmered around the retired path of the ,man of ,nazareth2 they were offended at the absence of all temporal splendour in his person2 the ,cross of ,christ proved a stumbling block and rock of offence4 ,the ,jews rejected1 as unfit for their-building1 the precious corner stone1 which the ,lord ,god had lain in ,zion1 as a sure foundation4 ,they could not admit the ,carpenter's ,son to be the head of ,god's ,church1 nor acknowledge the ,man1 untaught in the schools of worldly science1 to be the prophet of ,god's people4 ,neither has the offence of the cross yet ceased2 multitudes still despise and reject the ,christ of ,god2 they are ashamed to own allegiance to ,jesus of ,nazareth2 they blush to acknowledge1 as their ,lord and ,master1 him who died upon the accursed tree2 they dislike to be thought one of his real followers1 and hate the humiliating and self-denying commands he enjoins on his disciples4 ,they prefer building their hopes for eternity on the sandy foundation of human merit1 rather than on the blood and righteousness of ,jesus4 ,but if we refuse to rest on ,christ1 that sure foundation ,god has laid in ,zion1 all other grounds of hope will prove a treacherous rest1 from which the floods of divine justice will sweep us to the dark abyss of wo4 ,god has declared that other foundation can no man lay1 than is laid1 which is ,christ ,jesus4 ,yet how little anxiety is evinced on a subject of such immense importance6 ,how few are concerned to build their hopes for eternity1 on ,christ1 the ,rock of ,ages1 that precious corner stone2 that tried stone2 tried by countless myriads of happy saints1 now in glory1 who found him faithful to save from the overwhelming surge4 ,must not he1 who paid the full price of a soul1 know its worth8 and has he not declared1 that it will profit us little to gain the whole world and lose our own soul8 ,one soul is of more real value than this world1 with all its boasted riches and glories4 ,the day is coming when the heavens shall depart as a scroll1 the elements melt with fervent heat1 and this world1 so loved and caressed by its votaries will be utterly consumed by the fire of divine vengeance4 ,but the soul of every individual must exist for ever1 either in eternal happiness or misery4 ,yet how is the method of man's reconciliation with ,god slighted8 ,how is that glorious scheme of redemption1 by the death of ,christ1 despised by the great majority of those to whom it is published4 ,do angels turn from the lofty pursuits and glories of the heavenly world1 to pry into the mysteries of the cross2 and shall man1 for whose benefit it was contrived and accomplished1 remain stupidly insensible to its excellence and glory1 carelessly indifferent whether or not he partake of the blessing8 ,are we not taught in the case of our first parents1 the absolute necessity there is for our knowing and receiving ,christ8 ,was it not on the evening of the same day1 in which they brake through the fence of ,god's command1 that he was graciously pleased to discover to them his plan of reconciliation in the promised seed8 ,and why so soon after their transgression8 but that the knowledge of it was necessary to their salvation4 ,shall that scheme of ,redemption1 which required the depths of divine wisdom to contrive1 and the extent of divine love to execute1 be despised and rejected by man1 as unworthy his acceptance8 ,by man1 that worm of the earth1 that creature of a day1 so insignificant amidst the stupendous works of ,god1 that if he were annihilated1 he would scarcely be missed amid the boundless immensity of space4 ,awful is the state of the ,gentile or the ,jew who hath trodden under foot the ,son of ,god1 and counted the blood of the covenant an unholy thing4 ,the ,jews1 where are they8 or rather1 where are they not8 ,to what part of the world can we turn1 without beholding some of the tribe of ,israel4 ,they dwell in every land1 but have none they can call their own8 ,they have lost their power1 but preserved their national features and manners4 ,wanderers on the face of the globe for nearly eighteen hundred years1 they are not assimilated with any people4 ,what other nation has so long preserved a distinction8 ,where are the ,britons1 ,romans1 ,saxons1 ,normans1 ancient inhabitants of our ,isle8 ,they are all blended in the ,english4 ,the ,jews1 though dwelling in every country1 are still an unmixed people1 yet that very distinction exposes them to persecution and scorn4 ,the dispersion of the ,jews is but a small part of their calamities4 ,the ,hebrews are a despised and persecuted race1 compelled to endure1 without the hope of redress1 indignities the most revolting--barbarities the most cruel--insults the most degrading--losses the most severe4 ,and this not merely from one nation1 but nearly the whole world has wreaked its vengeance on this unhappy people4 ,even the most civilised and polished nations have stooped to load the ,jews with obloquy and scorn2 many and grievous are the disabilities to which they are subject4 ,yes1 ,jehovah has executed his threatened punishment upon this unhappy people1 for their rejection of the ,messiah4 ,he has scattered them among all people from one end of the earth even unto the other4 ,their plagues have been wonderful1 even great plagues1 and of long continuance4 ,they are become an astonishment1 a proverb1 and by-word among all nations4 ,all the prophecies of the ,messiah which we possess1 were handed down to us from the ,jews4 ,the ,hebrew and ,greek versions of the ,old ,testament were in their possession long before the gospel era4 ,its latest prophecy was at least four hundred and thirty years before the angel's shout was heard1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good will toward men4 ,nor do the ,jews attempt to deny that ,jesus of ,nazareth appeared at the time related by the ,evangelists4 ,josephus1 the ,jewish historian1 in his antiquities of that nation1 7book the #ahth17 relates3--,about this period1 7referring to the reign of ,tiberius ,csar17 there arose to notice one ,jesus1 a man of consummate wisdom1 if1 indeed1 he may be deemed a man4 ,he was eminently celebrated for his power of working miracles2 and they who were curious and desirous to learn the truth1 flocked to him in abundance4 ,he was followed by immense numbers of people1 as well ,jews as ,gentiles4 ,this was that ,christ1 whom the princes and great men of our nation accused4 ,he was delivered up to the cross by ,pontius ,pilate2 notwithstanding which1 those who originally adhered to him1 never forsook him4 ,on the third day after his crucifixion he was seen alive1 agreeably to the predictions of several prophets3 he wrought a great number of marvellous acts2 and there remain1 even to this day1 a sect of people who bear the name of ,christians1 who acknowledge this ,christ for their head4 ,this honourable testimony is from an enemy--a ,jew1 whose writings were held in high estimation by his nation4 ,christ came into his own nation1 but they received him not4 ,no evidence1 however bright or clear1 was sufficient to convince men so blinded by prejudice4 ,warned1 invited1 and threatened1 still they persisted in rejecting the ,messiah1 because he did not assume the warrior's sword1 or mount the throne of ,judah4 ,should we not feel more disposed to pity and reclaim1 that insult and oppress1 this deluded people8 ,have they no claim to our gratitude8 ,to them were committed the ,oracles of ,god1 which we now enjoy4 ,the prophets and apostles were all ,jews2 and from them1 according to the flesh1 ,christ came1 who is over all1 ,god blessed for evermore4 ,it is recorded1 by ecclesiastical writers1 that several of ,christ's own disciples and apostles--,simon ,peter1 ,simon ,zelotes1 ,james the son of ,zebedee1 ,joseph of ,arimathea1 ,aristobulus1 and ,st4 ,paul himself1 preached the gospel to this nation4 ,if this1 indeed1 be correct1 their nation has peculiar claims to our regard1 for the services of their ancestors4 ,certainly1 the ,romans were instructed in ,christianity by ,paul and other ,jews2 and1 in the first century1 the ,roman legions1 and the standard of the gospel of ,christ1 were planted on ,albion's coast4 ,the ,jews1 though scattered and persecuted1 are not destroyed2 they are preserved monuments of the divine veracity4 ,o1 may we take warning from their awful fate6 ,because of unbelief they were broken off1 and we stand by faith4 ,let us not be highminded1 but fear2 for if ,god spared not the natural branches1 take heed1 lest he spare not us4 ,behold1 therefore1 the goodness and severity of ,god2 on them which fell1 severity2 but1 towards us1 goodness1 if we continue in his goodness3 otherwise1 we also shall be cut off4 ,it will avail us little to confess ,jesus as the ,messiah1 if we are unconcerned to know and practise the doctrines he has taught4 ,but may we serve the ,lord with fear1 and rejoice with trembling4 ,kiss the ,son1 lest he be angry1 and ye perish from the way1 when his wrath is kindled but a little4 ,blessed are all they that put their trust in him1 for his word is fate2 immutability seals1 and eternity executes1 whatever he decrees4 ,,chapter ,,lxx4 ,and he said1 ,it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of ,jacob1 and to restore the preserved of ,israel3 ,i will also give thee for a light to the ,gentiles1 that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth4--,isaiah xlix4 #f4 ,the descendants of ,abraham1 the friend of ,god1 were treated as the ,lord's peculiar people2 singled out from other nations as the favourites of heaven1 the ,lord was their lawgiver and king4 ,no other nation had ,god so nigh unto them in all things that they called upon him for1 as the people of ,israel4 ,to benefit them1 the laws of nature were reversed1 and nations destroyed4 ,they were employed by ,jehovah to punish the idolatrous people for their crimes4#adb ,they were selected to maintain the knowledge and worship of the true ,god1#adc and to convey his pure and holy law to remote generations4 ,thus favoured and blessed1 the ,jews were accustomed contemptuously to regard all other nations1 as common and unclean2 they could not endure to have one stone thrown down of the partition wall1 which had so long separated them from the ,gentiles4#add ,they proudly enough appropriated to themselves all the blessings connected with the appearance of the ,messiah4 ,but it would be a light thing that ,christ should become ,jehovah's servant1 endure pain and scorn1 merely to raise up the tribes of ,jacob1 and to restore the preserved of ,israel2 that nation which he knew would so long despise and reject him4 ,but ,messiah was given for a light to the ,gentiles1 and ,jehovah's salvation unto the ends of the earth4 ,he has asked1 and received the heathen for his inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession4 ,yea1 all nations shall be blessed in him2 for the root of ,jesse shall stand for an ensign of the people1 and to him shall the ,gentiles seek3 to his glorious rest shall all nations flow4 ,he shall have dominion from sea to sea1 and from the river unto the ends of the earth4 ,they that dwell in the wilderness1 shall bow before him2 and his enemies lick the dust4 ,the kings of ,tarshish and of the ,isles shall bring presents2 the kings of ,sheba and ,seba1 shall offer gifts3 yea1 all kings shall fall down before him1 all nations shall serve him4 ,for he shall deliver the needy when he crieth2 the poor also1 and him that hath no helper4 ,he shall redeem their soul from violence3 and precious shall their blood be in his sight4 ,he shall live1 and to him shall be given of the gold of ,seba3 prayer also shall be made for him continually2 and daily shall he be praised4 ,his name shall endure for ever1 his name shall be continued as long as the sun3 and men shall be blessed in him3 all nations shall call him blessed4 ,blessed be the ,lord ,god1 the ,god of ,israel1 who only doeth wondrous things4 ,yes1 ,christ is ,jehovah's servant1 in whom his soul delights2 he has put his spirit upon him1 he shall bring forth judgment to the ,gentiles2 he has given him for a covenant of the people1 for a light of the ,gentiles4 ,numerous are the prophecies which refer to the call of the heathen world1 and ,jesus who declares himself the ,messiah1 is described in the ,new ,testament as a light to lighten the ,gentiles1 as well as the glory of his people ,israel4 ,he preached himself in the borders of ,zabulon and ,nephthalim1#ade and ,samaria3#adf the parting command he gave his disciples was1 that they should go forth into all the world1 and preach the gospel to every creature4 ,he endowed them with the gift of tongues1 to enable them to preach the unsearchable riches of ,christ to the ,gentiles4 ,and they went forth and preached every where1 the ,lord working with them1 and confirming the word with signs following4 ,the word of the ,lord went forth from ,jerusalem2 it rapidly spread through ,jewry1 ,samaria1 and ,galilee4 ,distant cities soon heard the glad tidings4 ,within thirty years after their ,lord's ascension1 the faithful disciples had preached the doctrines of the gospel at ,csarea1 ,damascus1 ,joppa1 ,antioch1 ,phrygia1 ,galatia1 ,derbe1 ,corinth1 ,iconium1 ,ephesus1 ,macedonia1 ,cyprus1 ,syria1 ,cilicia1 ,athens1 ,alexandria1 at ,rome1 and numerous other places4 #adb ,deuteronomy xviii4 #i1 #ab4 #adc ,isaiah xliii4 #bj1 #ba4 #add ,john iv4 #i4 #ade ,matthew iv4 #ab1 #ac1 #ae1 #af4 #adf ,john iv4 #d4 ,the ,christian faith was contrary to all existing opinions1 religions1 and habits2 and decidedly opposed to the natural propensities of the human heart4 ,its teachers were ,jewish fishermen1 tent-makers1 and tax-gatherers1 poor and illiterate men1#adg unskilled in artifice4 ,they preached not merely amongst men as simple as themselves1 they taught at ,athens and ,rome1 the very seats of learning and philosophy2 they had to contend with men skilled in science1 and were opposed by long-established customs and habits4 ,the disciples had no eloquence to convince1 no power to awe1 no wealth to bribe2 they were opposed by ,jewish pride1 ,grecian philosophy1 and worldly power2 yet the gospel flourished rapidly over all opposition and persecution3 ancient prejudice fell before the religion of ,jesus2 though it offered no worldly recompense to its followers1 yet it spread1 notwithstanding the kings and nobles of the earth set themselves in array against it4 ,the stone cut out without hands is become a great mountain1 and shall fill the whole earth4 ,the standard of the cross has been planted on every land4 ,nations1 barbarous and learned1 have bowed before it2 may it go on conquering and to conquer1 till all nations and people call our ,immanuel blessed4 #adg ,acts iv1 #ac4 ,,chapter ,,lxxi4 ,the ,,lord said unto my ,lord1 ,sit thou at my right hand1 until ,i make thine enemies thy footstool4--,psalm cx4 #a4 ,we here find ,jehovah1 the ,,lord1 in the person of ,god the ,father1 addressing the ,adonai1 my ,lord1 in the person of ,god the ,son1 ,christ ,jesus our ,lord4#adh ,it is he1 and he only1 who shares the throne of ,deity4#adi ,he who tabernacled on earth1 a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs1 is now seated on the right hand of the ,majesty on high4 ,far above all principality1 and power1 and might1 and dominion1 and every name that is named1 not only in this world1 but in that which is to come4 ,to which of the angels said he at any time1 ,sit on my right hand1 until ,i make thine enemies thy footstool8 ,but unto the ,son he saith1 ,thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and ever2 a sceptre of righteousness1 is the sceptre of thy kingdom4 ,this is he that liveth1 and was dead1 and behold he is alive for evermore2 and hath the keys of hell and of death4 ,he is ,alpha and ,omega1 the beginning and the ending1 saith the ,lord1 which is1 and which was1 and which is to come1 the ,almighty2 whom the heaven must receive1 until the times of restitution of all things1 which ,god hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began4 ,the ,,lord said unto my ,lord1 ,sit thou at my right hand1 until ,i make thine enemies thy footstool4 ,for he hath appointed a day1 in the which he will judge the world in righteousness1 by that man whom he hath ordained2 whereof he hath given assurance unto all men1 in that he hath raised him from the dead4 ,for the ,father judgeth no man1 but hath committed all judgment unto the ,son2 that all men should honour the ,son1 even as they honour the ,father4 ,he that honoureth not the ,son1 honoureth not the ,father which hath sent him4 ,but who may abide the day of his coming8 and who shall stand when he appeareth8 ,wo unto them who now dare to raise their puny arm in rebellion against the ,majesty of heaven2 who madly rush on the thick bosses of ,jehovah's buckler2 trample under foot the blood of the ,son of ,god2 and heap unto themselves wrath1 against the day of wrath4 ,christ will not always extend the golden sceptre of mercy1 that sinners may touch and live4 ,the day is coming1 when he will grasp the sword of justice1 and arise to judge the world in righteousness4 ,behold1 he cometh with clouds2 and every eye shall see him1 and they also which pierced him2 and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him4 ,o that men did but know in this their day1 the things that belong unto their peace1 before they are for ever hid from their eyes2 for some shall awake to everlasting life1 and some to shame and everlasting contempt1 but they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament2 and they that turn many to righteousness1 as the stars for ever and ever4 ,ye watchmen on ,zion's walls1 ye ministers of the everlasting gospel1 ,o heal not the wound of the daughter of ,god's people slightly2 say not1 ,peace1 peace1 when there is no peace4 ,cry aloud1 spare not2 lift up thy voice like a trumpet1 and show the people their transgressions1 and the house of ,jacob their sins4 ,shrink not back1 like ,jonah of old1 from delivering your ,master's awful message4 ,be ye faithful to your ,god1 to your conscience1 and to souls4 ,let the sweet accents of mercy be heard1 while ye boldly unfurl the blood-stained banners of the cross4 ,tell of the love and pity of him1 who died that we might live3 ,who suffered1 the just for the unjust2 to bring sinners unto ,god4 ,pray them1 in ,christ's stead1 to be reconciled unto ,god2 and accept of mercy while it may be found4 ,invite1 exhort1 entreat them to flee from the wrath to come1 to lay down the weapons of their rebellion1 and join your royal ,master's cause2 to quit the enemy's camp1 those strong holds of sin and ,satan1 and rally round our ,immanuel's standard4 ,proclaim the unsearchable riches of ,christ1 tell them his yoke is easy1 and his burden light1 that his ways are ways of pleasantness1 and that all his paths are peace8 ,tell them he now waits to be gracious1 but that1 ere long1 the ,lord ,jesus shall be revealed from heaven1 with his mighty angels in flaming fire1 taking vengeance on them that know not ,god1 and that obey not the gospel of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the ,lord1 and from the glory of his power2 when he shall come to be glorified in his saints1 and to be admired in all them that believe4 ,he will swallow up death in victory2 the ,lord ,god will wipe away tears from of all faces2 and the rebuke of his people shall be taken away from off all the earth1 for the ,lord hath spoken it4 ,it shall be said in that day1 ,lo1 this is our ,god2 we have waited for him1 and he will save us3 this is the ,lord2 we have waited for him2 we will be glad1 and rejoice in his salvation4 #adh ,in whatever part of the ,bible the name of the ,,lord is written in capital letters1 it means ,jehovah2 and the name of the ,lord in small letters1 signifies ,adonai4 ,the translators intended to show1 by this method1 that in the original there is a very material difference in the word4 ,by the glorious incommunicable name of ,jehovah 7translated ,,lord in capital letters17 is meant the ,self-existent1 ,independent1 and ,eternal ,being1 the promising and performing ,god4 ,the word ,adonai 7translated ,lord in small letters7 conveys the idea of ,lord or ,ruler1 an ,almighty ,helper or ,supporter1 and is particularly descriptive of the ,mediatorial character of the ,lord ,jesus4 #adi ,zechariah xiii4 #g4 ,,finis4 ,mills1 ,jowett1 and ,mills1 ,bolt-court1 ,fleet-street4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,page #abe3 ,the transcriber has inserted a missing anchor for footnote #ga3 ,col4 ii4 #i4 ,minor typographical errors have been corrected without note4 ,irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed4 ,mismatched quotes are not fixed if it's not sufficiently clear where the missing quote should be placed4 ,the cover for the e,book version of this book was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain4