from the doctrine of the prophets, concerning the chief intermediate caufes of falvation; and particularly concerning the incarnation of a divine perfon, and his humiliation and fufferings, in order to the falvation of his people; which confirms the highest meaning of the prophetic expreffions about the everlasting continuance of that falvation; seeing, if it confifted only in the benefits of a momentary life, whether fpiritual or temporal, the effect in that cafe would bear no proportion to the greatnefs of the caufe. And indeed many of the strongest proofs of the point in view, may be drawn from the joint confideration of the principal prophetic inftructions concerning the Meffiah; as particularly concerning the divine glory of his perfon, confidered in his higheft capacity; his myfterious condefcenfion in his incarnation and fufferings; the relations he stands in to his people, as their father, their husband, their representative, which is implied in his fubftitution in their room in his fufferings; his refurrection, his afcenfion to the right hand of God, Pf.cx. and his living there for ever, Pf. xxi. xxii. lxxii. ; his being a high prieft there for his people for ever; his incomprehenfible love to them fo clearly demonftrated by his fufferings for them; his continued interceffion, manifefting the continuance of the fame love that appeared in his oblation, on which his interceffion is founded; all these things proving his eternal complacency in his people's happinefs; of which it is faid, that when he fees it, he fees the travail of his foul, and is fatisfied.. Nothing can be more inconfiftent with fuch myfterious mercy and love, than to fuppofe, that the objects of it fhould be for ever cut off in a little time, one after another, by annihilation.

Various other confirmations of the point in view may be gathered from the inftructions of the Old Teftament, concerning the vanity of the enjoyments of this life; the impreffions the ancient fer

vants of God had of it; and their confidering their present ftate in this world as a ftate of pilgrimage, Gen. xlvii. 9. Pf. cxix. Nor can any thing be more just than the reasonings in the epiftle to the Hebrews on this head, Heb. xi.

CHA P. III.

A collection of the chief prophetic characters of the Meffiah; and general principles founding the chief reasonings from those characters.

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N confidering the prophecies concerning the Meffiah according to the order of time in which the events foretold happened, for fhortening and ftrengthening the proofs, that the prophecies to be adduced are meant of the Meffiah, it is ufeful to collect, in one view, the chief characters of the perfon, and of the times of the Meffiah, and of the prophetic style concerning him, fo far as thefe characters have been proved by paffages already explained; and to clafs them under fome general articles, to which proper references may be made in fubfequent reafonings.

I. As to historical characters, it has been proved, that the Meffiah was to defcend of the houfe of David; that he was to be born, and to refide, in Judea, during the fubfiftence of the Jewish polity and temple, in the time of the fourth or Roman empire; that he was to live in a low ftation of life, to undergo great fufferings, and to be cut off by a violent death; that he was to enlighten the Gentile nations in the knowledge of the true God; and that though he was to be the light of the Gentiles, he would be rejected by the prevailing party among the Jews;

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who, after rejecting him, would be dispersed by an entire diffolution of their civil polity.

II. As to doctrinal characters, it was proved, that, according to the prophets, the Meffiah would be as a divine perfon coming into the world, in a fingular manner, condefcending to a fubordinate office; a divine perfon incarnate; the univerfal, the chief, the perpetual prophet, priest and king, of God's people, in all ages and nations; particularly, that he would purchafe and procure redemption from fin by his facrifice and interceffion; that thus he would be, in a fingular and peculiar manner, the cause and author of the bleffings of God's covenant and falvation; the fountain of fpiritual light, life, healing, righteoufnefs, peace, and holinefs, incomparably fitted for his undertaking by the Spirit of God; and that all characters of incomparable glory, dignity, and exaltation, above all mere creatures, are both exprefsly appropriated to him, and connected with the primary characters which defcribe his perfon and offices.

III. As to the names and titles given him, it was proved, that he is oftener than once called by the name of David; a name that never belonged to any temporal prince in Ifrael after the Son of Jeffe; that he is fometimes called by the name of the Branch; that the titles of, The Son of God, The Son of Man, The Prince of Peace, and The Meflenger of the Covenant, are appropriated to him in a peculiar

manner.

IV. As to characters of the times of the Meffiah, they are fuitable to thofe of the Mefliah himself, being defcribed as the times of the enlightening of the Gentiles, and of the defolation of the unbelieving and impenitent Jews; the time of the coming of the Lord in a fingular manner to the world and to his people; the time when there would be a fountain opened to take away fin; when God's church hould be exalted to higher degrees of fpiritual privileges,

vileges, of light, peace, holiness, and joy; when God's righteoufnefs and falvation fhould be revealed, or more clearly manifefted, and the light of his glory arife and fhine on Zion; when glad tidings fhould be published to Zion, and fpread from Zion to other places; and when fuch things fhould be done, as should make the day of the Meffiah both a day of fingular confolation and joy to God's people, and at the fame time an awful or terrible day of righteous judgements against the incorrigible adverfaries of his kingdom, particularly the abettors of Heathenish idolatry and Jewish infidelity.

V. As to the most diftinguishing characters of the prophetic style on the fubject in view, it was proved, that it is ufual with the prophets, in fpeaking of it, to break forth into very fingular exclamations, calling on the feveral parts of the univerfe, particularly on Zion, and fometimes on the wildernefs and the ifles, to rejoice and fing; to exprefs great revolutions that God was to bring about in the ftate of the world, and of the church, as to mens most important concerns, namely thofe of religion, by metaphors borrowed from the moft extraordinary conceivable changes on visible things, and particularly to exprefs the removal of great obftacles by levelling mountains; as alfo to exprefs the Meffiah's work, his qualifications for it, and his benefits, by metaphors borrowed from the office of fhepherds, the fword and bow of conquerors, the beauty and benign influence of the light, and the various neceffaries and valuable comforts of life, and pouring down of waters to fructify the ground. It is alfo obfervable, that the prophets fometimes fpeak of the Meffiah as a perfon whom they fuppofe to be made known to God's people formerly, by characters proper to make him the object of their fingular delight and defire.

It is useful alfo, for abridging and strengthening the reasonings in view, drawn from thefe and the

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like characters, to join together fome general principles, on which thefe reafonings are founded, and to which it will be needful to make frequent references.

I. As was obferved in the introduction, a prophecy is proved to be meant of Chrift, if it agree to him truly and peculiarly, and if the thing foretold could not be forefeen in a natural way. Thefe things concurring, at once prove the divine infpiration of a prophecy, and the truth of the Chriftian interpretation of it; which complex conclufion is the fcope of the reafonings in view.

II. When a prophecy contains a character of the Meffiah, (or, in general, of an extraordinary perfon to come), that is abfolutely fingular and distinguishing, and is at the fame time an uncontested fact, applicable to the hiftory of Jefus Chrift, this of itfelf makes a proof of the conclufion in view, if the fact be a thing above human forefight. A charocter is abfolutely fingular and diftinguifhing, not only when it is of fuch a nature that it cannot, but when it is certain in fact that it does not, agree to any more perfons or events than one. Thus, for inftance, the converfion of Heathen nations, (as diftinguished from that of particular profelytes), by a light from Judea, is an event of that kini; that it is not impoiliole in the nature of the thing but it might happen in different ages, but it is certain in fact, that it happened only in the ages after Chrift's coming. On the other hand, that eminent characta fo often mentioned, the beginner, or firft and principal founder of the kingdom of God, or of the worship of the true God among the Gentiles, is a character abfolutely fingular in the ftricteft fenfe; it is not poffible it thould agree to many: and of this kind are feveral of the doctrinal characters of the Mefliah above mentioned.

III. Though doctrinal prophecies are not direct proofs against unbelievers, of the truth of the doc