The promise to our first parents *, respecting the triumph of the Seed of the woman over the serpent, was general in its expressions, though clear in its application to the Messiah; but in those days, although by it was understood that this Seed should deliver man from the power of death, and their great spiritual enemy, no one for ages knew, how this deliverance was to be accomplished, or who the Deliverer was to be. All that could be gathered from the prediction was, that he was to be born of a woman.

Some ages after, the Holy Spirit further taught mankind, that in the posterity of Abraham, all nations of the earth should be blessed. And thus we are led on from Abraham to Isaac, from Isaac to Jacob, and from Jacob to Judah, from whom it was distinctly foretold that the promised Messiah should proceed. All these predictions are contained in the Book of Genesis; and we are by them taught, that it was God's design that from these first Patriarchs the Saviour of the world should in his human nature descend.

When the Israelites desired to have an earthly king, God commanded that Saul should be anointed, and placed on the throne; but he, having been disobedient to the Most High, was punished by the exclusion of his family; and David, of the

tribe of Judah, was appointed to succeed him, with the promise that his reign should be everlasting; that his kingdom should be without end *.

Thus we see those predictions, which were made to our first parents, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, and to Judah, all centering in the family of David. It only remained, after this, for the Prophets to disclose the person of the Messiah, which we find them continually and fearlessly doing, even after the separation of the Ten Tribes, both in the kingdom of Israel and in that of Judah. These predictions must have been calculated to irritate the people of the kingdom of Israel against their brethren of Judah, as well as against the Prophets themselves; but no dread of the consequences, no fear of man withheld them from fulfilling their sacred duty. Surely when we remember what human nature is; when we feel and acknowledge how weak and uncertain are our best resolutions, we shall be compelled to admit, that had not these men been influenced in an extraordinary manner by the Spirit of God, they never would have had the fortitude to have proceeded as they did. If the predictions which they uttered had been the mere chimera of their own minds, they would not have been so insensible to danger, they would not have conducted themselves so di

* 2 Sam. vii. 12, &c.

rectly like madmen, as to have claimed the honour of a Divine commission, and called themselves the prophets of the most high God, not only by their pretended foreshewing of events braving the anger of the kings of Israel, but impiously calling down the vengeance of Heaven on themselves and their followers, and dying, as under the supposition of their being impostors we must allow that many of them would have done, with a blasphemous lie on their lips; thereby irrevocably placing themselves in the bottomless pit of perdition,

At those periods when the history informs us, that true religion was greatly obscured by the wickedness of the kings of Israel; when we learn that even the throne of Judah appeared shaken to its very foundation, during the reign of the impious king Ahaz, we are taught that the Prophets, in defiance of every opposition, renewed with increased earnestness, and redoubled vigour, not only their denunciations and exhortations, but also the promise of the Messiah. Indeed, their predictions became then much more explicit on that subject, and were accompanied with the announcement of many fresh circumstances. Thus, Isaiah says, "Behold a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel *." And again the same Prophet gives us a very full de

* Isai. vii. 14.

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scription of Him, in whom all the nations of the earth was to be blessed: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this *."

When the time of the captivity drew nearer, the Prophets of those days spoke even yet more clearly of a new covenant, and of the celestial and eternal reign of Messiah, the Son of David. Surely those, who will attentively examine the pages of revelation, will admit, that it is impossible to do other than to acknowledge the Spirit of God uttering with the voice of truth these momentous predictions, thus particularly descriptive of events and circumstances, which at the time appeared so unlikely,so completely in opposition to every human probability.

The Bible also contains innumerable prophecies concerning the revolutions of the Gentile nations, which at first sight appear obscure and difficult to

comprehend; yet many circumstances which are related in profane history, have tended not only to explain but to confirm them. And as some of these predictions have been clearly and entirely fulfilled, all doubt as to the others has vanished from the minds of serious and reasonable people. When the restoration of the Jews shall be accomplished, every difficulty will disperse, and the whole truth will be displayed in perfect brightness. We have shewn, with regard to the predictions respecting the Messiah, that it is the very nature of true prophecy to unfold itself by degrees; none of the prophetic writings are to be fully understood by finite human nature, till their complete fulfilment has divested them of that veil, with which it has pleased Almighty wisdom to overshadow the brilliancy of Divine truth. Some prophecies being yet unfulfilled, do not in any degree weaken the authenticity of the whole Bible. Some being not altogether understood, do not destroy that force of Divine truth with which its pages abound; but the clear, the full, the entire accomplishment of one prediction, is sufficient to establish, by the most powerful demonstration, the authority of every line which it contains. If we once admit that the Spirit of prophecy dictated any part of the sacred volume; if we for a moment allow one of its predictions to have been uttered by the voice of truth, whatever we may afterwards say, however we may