ed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. We find dispersed throughout the whole of the historical records of these books, a number of such prophecies as 1 have here described. The authors tell us, that they were divinely inspired to write them. As far as they refer to past circumstances, so far they have, according to the prediction, been most minutely fulfilled. This exact agreement, therefore, between the prediction and the event, which, with the argument derived from it, I have particularly enlarged upon in the following section, is a satisfactory and convincing confirmation of the truth of the assertion of these writers, and a sufficient warrant for us to receive and acknowledge the undoubted divine authority of the Scriptures in which these prophecies are contained. SECTION 1. View of the Prophecies recorded in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. The prophecies contained in the Bible, which, with their variety and fulfilment, are the subjects to be considered in the present section, may be divided into three classes. 1st. Those which have already been fulfilled. 2d. Those which are progressively fulfilling in the present day; and, 3d. Those which yet remain to be fulfilled in future ages of the world. In considering, therefore, the weight of evidence which arises from these prophecies, I shall discuss them according to the order here specified, beginning, 1st. With those that have already been fulfilled. The principal prophecies recorded in the Old Testament, and which have already been fulfilled, refer to the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. These prophecies, although they were written many years before his incarnation, are so clear, that they cannot be misunderstood; and so numerous, that were the whole of them collected and put together in due order, we should find them to contain a full and correct history of the principal events connected with his life, sufferings, and death. When impostors assume a prophetie character, their predictions are usually delivered in a general and an ambiguous manner: such, however, is not the case with the prophecies recorded in the Bible. They are minute and circumstantial, and, by entering as they do into particulars, have become tangible. Their veracity is thereby laid open to investigation, and with comparative ease they can be applied to the various events to which they respectively relate. It is not, however, requisite that the enquiring reader should be satisfied with a mere assertion on this point in order, therefore, to convince him of the truth of my observation, I shall proceed to present to his view a short compendium of the Old Testament prophecies which refer to the Saviour; and in doing this, I purpose to begin with those which refer to his incarnation, and shall afterwards endeavour to bring forward in their proper places such as relate to his life, ministry, sufferings, and death. In order, also to make the subject explicit, and more easily to be comprehended, I shall state the number of years that each prophecy was written before the events referred to took place; and shew, in parallel lines, the fulfilment of these prophetic predictions in the history of the Redeemer's life, by directing the reader's attention to the several circumstances to which they relate, as they are left on record by the writers of the New Testament. The following Prophecies refer to his Incarnation. Gen. iii. 15, written 4004 years before his incarnation. In Deut. xviii. 15, written 1450 years before the incarnation, He is promised as "the seed of the woman which should bruise the serpent's head." He is promised as the antitype of Moses, and the great Prophet of Israel: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee In Isa. xi. 1, written 740 years previous to his birth; In Isa. ix. 6, 7, written 740 years before he assumed human nature; of thy brethren like unto me: unto him ye shall hearken. He is called, in reference to his lineage, the rod of the stem of Jesse, and the branchwhich should spring out of his roots and in the following verses, his character, and the peaceful fruits of righteousness by which his reign would be distinguished, are circumstantially described; to which account I refer the reader, as it is too long for insertion here. We have the following descriptive account of the dignity of his character and the glory of his kingdom: "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 hencefortheven for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. In Isa. vii. 14, written 740 years before he appeared in the world, we are told that he would be born of a virgin. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." In Micah v. 2, written 720 years antecedent to his birth, Bethlehem, a small city in the land of Judea, is stated to be the place where this event, so intimately connected with the welfare of mankind, would occur. In Zec. ix. 9, written 510 years previous to his appearance in the flesh, the manner of his triumphal entrance into Jersusalem is recorded. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem n; behold, thy king cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. In Matt. chap. i. from the 18th to the 25th verse, we are informed, that this prediction was literally fulfilled: and this history of his birth is confirmed by the testimony of the other evangelists, especially by Luke, who has particularly enlarged upon this interesting event in the 1st and 2d chap. of his Gospel. In the 2d chap. of Matthew, the fulfilment of this prophecy is recorded, with a detailed account of the various circumstances which took place at that city, when by his birth there this prediction received its accomplishment. In Matt. xxi. Mark xi. and Luke xix. we have three distinct and circumstantial accounts of the event referred to in this prophetic declaration, with a description of the conduct of the people, and the joyful manner in which they received him on that occasion. A very great multitude, we are told,Matt. xxi. 8, spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way and the multi tudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying, Hosannah to the Son of David; blessed is he that cóméth in the name of the Lord Hosannah in the highest. In reviewing these prophecies, comparing them with the event referred to, and contemplating the universal and literal manner in which they were accomplished, the mind cannot fail to be struck with the strong evidence which is derived from them in support of the truth of divine revelation. I shall now pass on from these to notice various other passages, in which the most minute circumstances connected with the Redeemer's sufferings and death are clearly pointed out: and if we severally compare them with the events to which they refer, as recorded in the evangelists, we shall find that they were all fulfilled with a degree of exactness which demonstratively proves that the authors were not putting their own thoughts or conceptions to paper when they wrote, but that they wrote, according to the testimony which they have given us, under a divine influence; and were evidently guided by Him to whom are known all his works from the beginning. In Isa. liii. 7. written 706 years before his incarnation, his silence before his enemies and accusers is predicted. "As a sheep," it is said, "before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." In Mark xv, 3, 4, 5, we are told, that when the priests of the Jews accused him before Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, he answered them nothing. "And Pilate asked him, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answer |