proaching event; he testifies "I knew him not.”— That he had been personally acquainted with Jesus, and had seen something uncommonly excellent in his private character, and had even thought him designed to appear as a public teacher, is highly probable -but he knew him not as the Messiah till it was divinely suggested to him-"Upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the holy spirit.”. This was to be the distinguishing and specific seal of his appointment by God the Father; and I saw," says John, and bare record that this is the Son of God." After a preparatory seclusion of forty days in the wilderness, he returned, in the power of the spirit," into Galilee, and there opened his commission, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." "Anointed with the holy spirit and with power, he went about doing good, and healing all manner of sickness and disease among the people, for God was with him."

We have heard the prophet speaking in the person of Jehovah, let us now listen to him in that of the messenger of the heavenly grace (ch. Ixi. 1.):

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound-to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." "And this day," said the Saviour, while the eyes of all in the synagogue at Nazareth were fastened on him, "is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." "And all bare him witness," gave their full assent to the verifica

tion of the prophecy, “and wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth." But, reeollecting the obscurity of his origin-that they had known him from a child-were acquainted with all his family-that he had been brought up among them as the son of a common mechanic-and prepossessed with a notion that when the Messiah should come none would know from whence, they were offended in him, and with brutal fury even made an attempt upon his life. And thus was fulfilled that which was spoken by the same prophet-"He was despised and rejected of men-we hid, as it were, our faces from him he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

How largely and pre-eminently displayed are the mental endowments of him who was to be the Light of the world!" His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor" the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." (Is. xi. 2, 3, 4.) "Behold my servant shall deal prudently.” (ch. lii. 13.) All these we find amply exemplified in the novelty, beauty and aptitude of his parables, in the excellence and purity of his precepts, and in the air of divine authority with which they were delivered. The multitude were astonished at his doctrine; and even those who came with orders to seize him were disarmed of their vio

lence, and returned confessing, "Never man spake like this man." His prudence was conspicuous in avoiding the snares laid for the purpose of entrapping him in his words. He judged not after the sight of his eyes, neither reproved after the hearing of his ears, for he knew what was in man, and was able to detect and expose bypocrisy under its deepest disguises and most specious appearances. With righteousness did he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth, when he defended the despised, but humble and penitent publican and sinner, from the contemptuous and uncharitable censures of those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. With the breath of his lips he slew the wicked, when he made his enemies condemn themselves out of their own mouths by appeals to their judgment and conscience which they could not evade. How numerous were the instances in which, as it had been foretold, he opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the ears of the deaf, made the lame to leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb to sing! How like a mighty God" did he appear when he arose and rebuked the winds and the waves with that majestic command- Peace-be still-and there was a great calm and the men feared exceedingly, and said one to another, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Intrusted with the exercise of powers so supernatural and irresistible, he never employed them, either for his own aggrandisement, or to retaliate upon those who sought his life to take it away. Far from taking advantage of the popular enthusiasm which the miracle of the loaves had excited in his favour, he❝ departed into a mountain himself alone." When

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an infatuated multitude pressed upon him with the instruments of death in their hands, he repressed their rage with this gentle remonstrance—“ Many good works have I showed you from my Father, for which of those works do ye stone me?" When the Pharisees held a council against him how they might destroy him, he silently withdrew from the place; and though great multitudes followed him, he neither excited them to tumult, nor formed them into an army for his defence, but charged them that they should not make him known;" for, said the prophet, quoted on this occasion by the evangelist," He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets." Not that such a retired conduct was the effect of "failure" or "discouragement," or betrayed any doubt of final success to his cause; but his arms were only those of truth and righteousness and peace, and his trophies the raising up of those who, like the bruised reed," were bowed down, and the kindling, into a bright and lively flame, the half-extinguished taper. Come unto me (such were the followers he wished to gather around him) all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Such was the proclamation of the Prince of Peace, in reference to whom it had been said by the prophet Zechariah (ix. 9.) "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion-shout, O daughter of Jerusalem-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." This was literally fulfilled when

much people took branches of palm trees (the emblem of victory) and went forth to meet him, while he approached in unostentatious state, but before which the proudest exhibitions of worldly pomp and splendour might have hid their diminished heads, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And these things were done, not with any designed reference to the prophecy, nor was it till some time afterwards that the correspondence of the prediction with the event was recollected.

But instead of this triumphant scene, a sad reverse was within a few hours to be exhibited-nay it is probable that the same lips which now sung hosannas, then vociferated, "Crucify him, crucify him." It was expressly revealed to Daniel that Messiah the Prince should be "cut off, though not for himself"-yea, though he had done no violence, neither was deceit in his mouth," he was cut off out of the land of the living." It would be altogether unnecessary minutely to bring into comparison the prospective delineation of our Lord's sufferings, as given in the 53d chapter of Isaiah's prophecy, and their history, as recorded by the evangelists. So accurate and striking is the resemblance, that one would think incredulity itself could scarcely hold out against conviction. If, as Philip did to the Ethiopian eunuch, we were only to begin at this same scripture and preach Jesus, what ingenuous, open, candid mind, could fail of arriving at the same conclusion, or hesitate to say with him, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God!" With astonishment and awe may we contemplate the blindness of the people of Israel, and the thickness of that veil which