and his saints established on a lasting foundation. The most splendid descriptions are given of the glory of the Church in the last days, under the figure of the New Jerusalem, the Lamb's wife, which is represented as descending from heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The river and the tree of life are also described in the most gorgeous colours. A blessing is promised to all who do the commandments of the Lord. An invitation is given to every one who will, to drink of the water of life, (the word of God,) and a curse is pronounced on all who add to, or take from the words of the book of this prophecy: and the whole concludes by invoking upon all, "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ."

The above is a short, and very imperfect view of the connections subsisting between the different parts of the Sacred Scriptures-connections so close and intimate, that no one part can be properly understood apart, and disjoined from the rest. Like the robe for which the Roman soldiers cast lots, we must never attempt to rend it. We must take it as it is-as a whole: but in this respect we are more favoured than they, that every believer may appropriate the whole of it, in all its richness and sufficiency to himself; and his doing so does not in the least prevent its proving equally rich and efficacious to the whole number of the faithful throughout the world to the end of time.

THE INCARNATION.

us."

Seven hundred years before the birth of our Saviour, it was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel, God with This prophecy was always understood by the Jews to relate to the Messiah, and to intimate that he should be born of a virgin; and, accordingly—in the fulness of time-Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, was born of a virgin in the city of Bethlehem of Judea.

But this is only a part of the prophecy. The remaining, and the most important part intimated, that the Son, who should be thus born of a virgin, was to possess all the characters of the divine nature. He was to be called, (that is, he was to be,) "God dwelling among men."

These were prophecies of the most important nature, and on the evidence of their fulfilment must

depend the whole claims of the Christian religion to our belief and acceptance. It was peculiarly necessary, therefore, that the proofs of that fulfilment should be perfectly clear, that there should be no mistake or dubiety respecting any part of the evidence.

On consulting the Sacred Record, we find the evidence in support of these facts of the fullest and most satisfactory nature. No part of the sacred narrative is vouched by a more undoubted body of testimony; nor is any species of testimony awanting which it is possible to adduce in support of any fact whatever.

The prophecy is twofold; and the evidence of its fulfilment is also twofold. The evidence which proves the virginity of the mother, proves at the same time the divinity of the Son.

We have elsewhere stated, that the narrative given by St. Luke of the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Mary, commonly called the Annunciation, could only have been derived from Mary herself, as no other human being was cognizant of what occurred upon that occasion. Keeping this in view, let us consider the narrative itself, which is at once simple, natural, and circumstantial.

"And in the sixth month," (that is, the sixth month after the vision of Zacharias and the conception of Elisabeth,) "the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

"To a virgin espoused to a man, whose name was

Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

"And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.

"And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

"And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favour with God.

"And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.

"And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

We may easily conceive the tumult of various feelings which would be raised in the bosom of Mary at this announcement by the angel. The very appearance of the heavenly visitant would naturally produce awe and astonishment, which would be increased by the unusual nature of his salutation; and, accordingly, we are told "she was troubled at his saying." But the latter part of his communication— importing no less than that she was chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah-must have raised these feelings to their highest pitch, and excited at

once emotions of joy, hope, fear, and wonder, in a degree that could hardly ever have been experienced by any other human being.

The next words uttered by Mary bring the whole circumstances clearly into view, and afford at once an insight into what was passing in her mind, and a proof of the purity and simplicity of her character. "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man ?"

These words would never have been recorded if they had not been uttered; and assuming that they were uttered, they lead irresistibly to the conviction, that Mary was truly described in the preceding verses, and that she was really a pure and unspotted virgin. Nothing could be more natural than the words, the fact being so. Had it been otherwise-had Mary been conscious in this particular of the smallest stain-she durst as soon have swallowed poison, or plunged into the midst of a fiery furnace, as have uttered them in the presence where she now stood. It would, on such a supposition, have been a lie-a lie not to man, but to God:-and she could have expected nothing but to be struck dead, as Sapphira was, with the lie upon her lips.

But Mary was unconscious of blame, or of falsehood. She had merely given utterance to her thoughts in the simplicity of her heart. She probably reflected on the peculiar situation in which