for there was nothing which the daughters of Israel so ardently desired, as to become the mother of the Messiah. Yet they all anticipated that blessed event through the natural order of things, and regarded marriage as the holy instrument by which it was to be accomplished.

Jesus, therefore, being born of a pure Virgin, in a manner entirely distinct from all other men, fulfilled the prediction of Isaiah, and proved to the world that he was that holy Seed which was to be born of God. By this extraordinary birth he united the divine and the human natures in him, and was in this respect also what no other man could possibly be.

IV. A Fourth prophecy to be noticed for its palpable accomplishment in Jesus, is in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah; a chapter full of interesting particulars relative to the history of the Messiah. It is there written, "He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."

Now, what man, be his object what it may, will voluntarily and designedly expose himself to scorn and contempt, to distress and misery, unless it be from religious considerations, and out of regard to the glory of God? Nothing human can tempt a man to do so. It must be something which has a reference to far higher principles, and to nobler ends. There was every imaginable reason why our blessed Lord should wish to stand well with the people. His cause His cause was not likely to be advanced

by rendering himself an object of suspicion and hatred, nor his character to be respected by humiliation and distress. Mankind are too apt to dwell on external appearances,-too ready to be affected by pomp and circumstance, to yield a ready homage to those who are destitute of such attractions. Sound policy, therefore, suggested that our blessed Lord should strive to conciliate the affections of men, and by every endeavour in his power, to render himself attractive and engaging. What could be gained by a contrary course? Would any man of prudence and discretion arm the popular feeling against him, when he had to seek an interest among the people as the only means of securing their support in the furtherance of the scheme he had in view? We may be sure that when Jesus came forth, as the avowed servant of God, to propose a new religion to the world, the truth of which was to rest on the evidence of his own words and actions, he would be most scrupulously alive to the particulars of his character, so as to render it as pure and unobjectionable as possible. Accordingly, we find him, on all occasions, not merely abstaining from violence and wickedness, but from every approach to what might give just offence; mild in his address, amiable in his manners, gentle in his disposition, condescending, affable, and generous towards all. His virtues shine forth with divine lustre, and his whole deportment evinces a heavenly serenity of temper. Suspected, vilified, and traduced, he seemed like one

scious of the malice of his enemies. Nothing came

Yet

from his lips which could be construed into a personal regard for his character, farther than as that character might bear upon the interests of his mission. There never was, either before or since, so unexceptionable, so interesting, so unassuming and engaging a man. It was evidently, therefore, no fault of his; it formed no part of the plan of his ministry; it was most foreign to all his objects, that he should be despised and rejected of men. such was the fact. If we compare the words of Isaiah with the history of this benevolent person, they were completely verified in him. The bitterest enemy of the Jews could scarcely have been treated with greater indignity, or more oppression. Every kind of insult was, one way or other, heaped upon him, and that which to a generous mind is most painful, even his acts of benevolence and pity were ascribed to improper motives, or attributed to a diabolical influence.

What, then, can more clearly establish the connection between the prophecy of Isaiah and the history of Jesus than this single circumstance, that he had every motive in the world to make himself popular and beloved, and did every thing in his power, consistent with an upright mind, to ingratiate himself with the people, yet his life is a standing evidence of the bitterness with which he was hated, and his death a lasting proof of the length to which that hatred was carried. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not."

V. The Last prophecy I shall adduce is that of David, which relates to the resurrection of the Messiah. "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Now, this was a very extraordinary prediction, and placed the object of it in circumstances different to all other men. Christ was to be born of the seed of David, and consequently was to have a human body, yet in the prophecy before us it was distinctly stated, that his soul should not be left with separate spirits so long after his death as to allow time for his body to become putrid, plainly implying, that although he should die like other men, yet he should soon be raised to life again. That this prophecy could not relate to David, is shown by the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul from the established fact, that David was dead long ago, and still rested in the grave, whereas the person of whom he spake was not to see corruption. The Jews themselves admitted that the expected Messiah should never die. When, therefore, our Lord alluded to his death upon the cross, they were surprised at him, as if the very notion of mortality was incompatible with the qualifications of the Messiah, and they said, "We have heard out of the Law that Christ abideth for ever; and how sayest thou, The Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" The perpetuity of Messiah's reign had been announced in various particulars in their Scriptures, and especially in the Book of Psalms, where it was written of him, "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Mel

chizedec." The Jews, therefore, considered this incorruptible property as a distinctive quality of Christ, by which he would be different from all other sons of men, and consequently become known by it.

If, then, Jesus of Nazareth died upon the cross, as was intimated of the Messiah in the prediction under our review, and yet his body was not left in the grave, nor saw corruption, but was raised again the third day, of which there is abundant testimony, it clearly follows that he was the person of whom David spake. This is a prophecy, which, in its own kind, is wholly inapplicable to any one but the Christ. He, therefore, who fulfilled it was that remarkable person.

We see, then, what a chain of evidence the predictions of the Old Testament concerning Christ, afford to the truth of the pretensions of Jesus. Well might St. Peter say, "To him give all the Prophets witness." The Psalmist declares his royal extraction; Micah specifies the place of his nativity; Isaiah announces his descent from a Virgin, and the singular features which should distinguish his character; and David describes his incorruption, and his consequent triumph over death and the grave. All these are links so strong and binding, so characteristic and singular, as to render it morally impossible for any one to counterfeit the Messiah. No impostor could adapt himself to an office thus graphically described, and no one could be designated by God to it, without being publicly known and clearly recognised.