place of the evidence of sense.

"Blessed are they,"

says he, "that have not seen and yet have believed." For, as the Apostle observes, "We walk by faith and not by sight."

Among the tests by which our blessed Lord's pretensions were more particularly tried, we ought to notice those prophecies which he took and applied directly to himself. Of these there are three which deserve our consideration, as plainly speaking in themselves of the promised Messiah, and as plainly, by our Lord's appropriation of them, pointing him out as the person to whom they allude. These relate to his Character, his Office, and his Dignity.

I. The First, then, is that which relates to his Character as a teacher sent from God. It is as follows. "Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth."

The object of this prophecy was, clearly, to set forth the benignant temper of the person alluded to, his meekness and gentleness, his kindness and compassion, his lenity and forbearance. It is an amiable and engaging character, exhibiting a beautiful personification of that heavenly wisdom "which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be

entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."

Now, if we look at the parallel passage in St. Matthew's Gospel, we shall see the applicableness of this prophecy to Jesus Christ. We read there that the Pharisees, those great sticklers for the letter of the Law, took offence, first at his disciples for gathering a few ears of corn on the Sabbath-day to satisfy their immediate hunger, and then at himself for healing the withered hand of a cripple on the same day, both of which acts were innocent in themselves, and sufficiently justified by the occasion. Our Lord, therefore, vindicates both, showing on the one hand, that David, when pressed by necessity, did not hesitate to eat even of the holy bread of the priests; and on the other, that if men do not scruple to deliver their cattle from misfortune on the Sabbathday, much less should they refuse to help a fellowcreature in his distress. On this the Pharisees, seeing themselves confounded, took counsel to kill him, which led our Lord to withdraw himself from them, but he was followed by great multitudes whom he healed of their infirmities, charging them at the same time not to make him known, that the prophecy of Isaiah, which I have quoted above, might be fulfilled. If, then, he did this, as the Evangelist says, in order that the prophecy might be fulfilled, was it not a direct and specific application of it to himself? Undoubtedly, our blessed Lord meant to show, by the conduct he pursued, that this prophecy was spoken only of himself. And his deportment on this

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occasion was remarkable exemplification of it. Though accused of profane and irreligious actions, which, to a man making high pretensions to sincerity and sanctity, was very offensive, being calculated to weaken his influence, and to hold him up to scorn and contempt, he did "not strive nor cry, neither was his voice heard in the streets;"-he excited no tumults, he made no resistance, he used no violent or unbecoming language. Nay, though his life was sought by his enemies, he betrayed no emotions of anger or resentment. His conduct was characterised throughout by great suavity and meekness, and a total absence of all malice and revenge. Nor was he less considerate in shunning causes of provocation, than in avoiding any acts by which they might be increased. As the jealousy of his enemies was likely to be inflamed by any reports they might hear of his miraculous cures and his popular esteem, he forbade those whom he healed to spread abroad the fame of his works, or otherwise to make him known;-an act of modesty, to which none but a good man, who was conscious of the truth and integrity of his pretensions, would have had recourse. What, indeed, could prompt our blessed Lord to act in this mild and unostentatious manner, so different to the natural feelings and principles of men, but a conviction of the reality of his character as the Messiah, and a persuasion that the proof of this would appear in his exact accordance with the declarations of the Prophet. Would an impostor or an enthusiast have done this? Are meekness and disinterestedness the

virtues they exhibit? either of these shunned popular applause, or sacrificed their own vain-glory to the feelings of their enemies?

When was it ever heard that

Moreover, in his conduct towards the afflicted, the same kindness of disposition was strikingly manifested. "A bruised reed did he not break, and smoking flax did he not quench." He cured, without exception, every one who came to be relieved of his disorders. He forgave freely, fully, and without reserve, all who confessed their sins, and implored forgiveness. His general deportment bore the distinguishing character of benevolence, and rendered him, in the most conspicuous sense, the friend and benefactor of mankind. Imagination cannot conceive a more complete exemplification of every thing that is kind, gentle, merciful, endearing, and forgiving, than his whole life fully demonstrated.

II. Another prophecy, descriptive of the Messiah, which our blessed Lord took and appropriated to himself, is that in which Isaiah describes his Office. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

Jesus happened to be at Nazareth on the Sabbath-day, and as he always made a practice of

attending the public ordinances of religion, he entered the Synagogue there for this purpose. It was the custom of the Jews for some one to read a portion of their Scriptures, and then to discourse upon it to the people; in allusion to which it is said in the Acts, that "Moses and the Prophets are read in the Synagogues every Sabbath-day." Our blessed Lord, it seems, having stood up to read, had the book of the prophet Isaiah delivered to him, and opening it at the passage which I have recited, he read it in the audience of the assembly, and then shutting it again, delivered it back to the minister. The attention of all present was immediately drawn to him. Having sat down he proceeded to say, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." He then went on to discourse at large upon the subject, opening out, no doubt, its extensive signification and important objects, and appropriating it, in an obvious manner, to himself, till all wondered at the gracious words which fell from him, and were at a loss how to reconcile his education with his attainments, the habits of his early life with the wisdom and experience which he then discovered.

Now, this was such an appeal to the sense and observation of mankind, as an impostor would never have presumed to make. It was speaking to facts of which all who heard him were judges, and resting the truth of his pretensions on what they saw and knew. His character was well known, not only in the town where he then was, and in which he had been bred up, but also through all the region of