The CONTENT S. Effay on the prophecies relating to the Meffiah. INTRODUCTION. Of three general principles on which the following reason- Some prophecies not yet fulfilled, no objection,. Doctrinal prophecies contain uncontefted facts about the Some characters are peculiar and fingular taken feparate- Pag. Common characters joined with these add to the evidence, There are innumerable things which cannot be foretold CHA P. I. Of the contents of prophecies concerning one extraordinary perfon, defcribed as the Light of the Gentiles. The enlightening of the Gentile nations by Christ uncontested, Some prophecies about the enlightening of the Gentiles, expressly afcribe that work to one eminent person; others not.-Some of thefe prophecies more general, fhort, and obfcure; others more full, clear, and particular, Of this laft kind are Isaiah xlii. xlix. lii. 13. to liv. lv. 11. I 2 ib. ib. 5 ib. 6 ib. 7 ib. 9 ib. 10 Two Pag. Two things needful to be confidered in treating on these Of the enlightening of the Gentiles by one eminent per- Of his being rejected by the Jews, and the consequences Abfurdity of fuppofing, that the prophet here speaks of the Jewish nation under the notion of an individual Of the perfonal hiftory of that light of the Gentiles, Of doctrinal characters of that perfon, as God's covenant Whatever prophecy fpeaks of one fent of God, who was The figures expreffing the above facts and doctrines, Two remarkable practical inftructions mixed with these things, here and in other prophecies, Ifaiah xlii. Proofs of its being parallel with Ifaiah xlix. Objection about the loftinefs of the eastern style answer- This prophecy parallel to Ifaiah xlix, in fix articles, Ifaiah lii. liii. liv. parallel in the above articles to If. xlii. Ifaiah liii. explains other prophecies about God's covenant Ifaiah lv. Ivi. parallel to the other prophecies already ex- Daniel ii. and vii. Thefe two prophecies fynchronal to Pag. I Of the doctrine of the Prophets concerning the Meffiah, and the harmony between that and the doctrine of the Apoftles. The prophets speak of this doctrine as a mystery, and a mystery to be revealed more fully afterwards, Of objections against confidering the doctrine of the Mef- The prophets teach a distinction of divine perfons, They teach the incarnation of a divine person, Reasonableness of confidering the prophecies on these. The prophecies containing the above doctrine, divided into three forts: 1. Some join divinity and characters of fubordination of office only in general; 2. Others join characters of divinity and incarnation; 3. Others join all the three, characters of divinity, fubordination of of- All these three forts parallel to one another; to prophe- cies which speak of the Lord's coming to the world, and appearing in an extraordinary way; and to the former prophecies about the light of the Gentiles, Of what is neceffary to prove them parallel, viz. charac- Of Pfalm ii. It fpeaks of one who is called, in a fingular manner, The Son of God, Begotten of God; to be ferved and trufted in; trufting in whom is the way to blessed- This prophecy parellel to thofe formerly cited, That one character, A divine perfon incarnate, neceffarily includes all the characters of incomparable glory, and pre-eminence above other men, contained in the pro- What fecondary characters of incomparable glory are con- tained in those formerly cited, as to the offices, and ex- In facts relating to his life and death, and time of his co- The prophecies about a divine person incarnate speak of the times of the enlightening of the Gentiles, Pfalm lxviii. If. ix. xl. and Mal. iii. compared with If. xlv. Of what is in If. xl. and Mal. iii, concerning the Mef- Several minute circumftances in Zech. xi. evidently appli- cable to the history of Judas's treachery, Harmony of the two claffes of prophecies in view, as to fanctification, and other bleffings of God's covenant, The doctrine of eternal bleffednefs connected with the The doctrines of adoption and fanctification, even as ex- plained by the prophets, neceffarily imply, that God's children are intitled to a better inheritance than the prefent life, The doctrine of future bleffednefs is neceffarily implied in many paffages of the Old Teftament, where everlasting continuance is affirmed of the several parts and causes Confirmations of this argument from the doctrine of the prophets, concerning the incarnation and deep humilia- tion of a divine perfon, in order to the falvation of his people, concerning the relations in which he ftands to |