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It was foretold of him that he should be a greatS ERM. prophet and teacher, Deut. xviii. 15. "A prophet "fhall the LORD your God raise up unto you, like "unto me." Ifai. Ixi. 1. "The Spirit of the LORD "is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor," &c. Ezek. xxxiv. 23. "And I will fet up one fhepherd over them, "and he shall feed them, even my fervant David; "he fhall feed them, and he shall be their fhep

herd." And chap. xxxvii. ver. 24. "And Da"vid my fervant fhall be king over them, and they "all shall have one fhepherd: they fhall alfo walk "in my judgments, and obferve my ftatutes, and "do them." And this was eminently fulfilled in that he foretold feveral future contingents; as his own crucifixion, Peter's denial of him, the destruction of Hierufalem, the rifing of falfe Chrifts, and falfe prophets, (which I fhall particularly confider hereafter) the defcending of the holy Ghoft, and the admirable fuccefs of the gofpel in the world; in that he preached fo pure and perfect a doctrine to the world, and with fo much authority; a doctrine fo excellent and reasonable, fo fuitable to the neceffities, and agreeable to the reason of mankind; a doctrine which tendeth fo much to the perfecting of human nature, and to the peace and happiness of human fociety, above any other institution in the world.

It was foretold that he fhould do many and great miracles, and fuch as fhould be beneficial to men, Ifai. xxxv. 5, 6. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be "opened, and the ears of the deaf fhall be unstopped. "Then fhall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb fing." And was not all this

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SER M. eminently accomplished in JESUS CHRIST? What greater, or more public, or more frequent and numerous, or more beneficial miracles, can almost be imagined, than CHRIST did? So that we may say to the Jews, as fome of them did to the Pharifees in our SAVIOUR's time; you talk of a Meffias to come; yet when he is come, will he do greater works than this man hath done ?"

It was foretold of him that the people should receive him with joy and triumph, when “he came "riding upon an afs to Hierufalem," Zech. ix. 9. which we find fulfilled Matth. xxi.

It was prophefied that he fhould "fuffer many things, and be rejected, and despised of men,' Pfal. xxii. 6. "But I am a worm, and no man; a "reproach of men, and defpifed of the people." Ifai. liii. 3. "He is defpifed and rejected of men, a "man of forrows, and acquainted with grief: and "we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was "defpifed, and we efteemed him not."

Which we find fulfilled all along in the hiftory of the gofpel.

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was

It was prophefied that he fhould be "fold for thirty pieces of filver." Zech. xi. 12. which we find fulfilled, Matth. xxvii. 9. That when he who the shepherd was fmitten, the fheep should be "fcattered," Zech. xiii. 7. which was accomplished, Matth. xxvii. 56. "All the difciples forfook him, and fled." That he fhould be fcourged, and buffeted, and fpit upon," Ifai. 1, 6. I gave my "back to the fmiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from fhame and fpitting," which you find punctually accomplished Matth xxvii.

It was foretold that he should die a violent death, S ERM.

Ifa. liii. 8. He was cut off out of the land of the

living." Dan. ix. 26. "Meffias the prince hall "be cut off." That he fhould undergo all these fufferings with the greatest patience, Ifai. liii. 7.

He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet he "opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb "to the flaughter; and as a fheep before her shearers "is dumb, fo he oppened not his mouth." That he fhould fuffer all these things "not for himself, "but for finners." Ifai. liii. 5. "He was wounded "for our tranfgreffions, he was bruised for our ini"quities; the chaftifement of our peace was upon him, and with his ftripes we are healed.”

And, ver. 6. The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity "of us all." And ver. 8. For the tranfgreffion "of my people he was ftricken." And ver. 10. "His foul was made an offering for fin." for fin." ver. 12. "He bare the fins of many." And Dan. ix. 26. it is faid the Meffias" fhould be cut off, but "not for himfelf."

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It was foretold, that "his hands and feet fhould "be pierced," Pfal. xxii. 16. "he fhould be num"bered with the tranfgreffors," Ifai. liii. 12. And accordingly he was condemned as a malefactor, to fuffer with malefactors, being "crucified between "two thieves."

It was foretold that he should have " gall and vinegar given him to drink," Pfal. lxix. 22. that he fhould be derided in the midft of his fufferings, Pfal. xxii. 7, 8. " All they that fee me,

laugh me to fcorn; they fhoot out the lip, they "shake the head, faying, He trusted on the LORD, "that he would deliver him: let him deliver him,

SERM. fecing he delighted in him." And this was most CCXXXV. punctually accomplished Matt. xxvii. 39, 43. “ And

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they that paffed by, reviled him, wagging their heads, and faying, He trufted in Gop, let him deliver him now, if he will have him,"

It was foretold that he fhould cry out under his fufferings, Pfal. xxii. 1. "My God, my God, why "haft thou forfaken me? why art thou fo far from

helping me, and from the words of my roaring?" That he fhould pray for his wicked perfecutors, Ifai. liii. 12. that he made interceffion for the tranf"greffors:" and fo he did moft affectionately, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That they fhould "caft lots for his garment," Pfal. xxii. 18. All, or most of which predictions were by the ancient Jews understood of the Meffias, and were exactly fulfilled in JESUS CHRIST, as appears fully out of the hiftory of the gofpel.

And then for the circumftances of his burial, It was foretold that he fhould "make his grave with the rich," Ifai. liii. 9. which was accom: plished in that he was put into Jofeph of Arimathea's Own tomb.

His refurrection was foretold to be "after three days," Hofea vi. 24. as feveral of the Rabbies understood that place; however that he should rife again, may be plainly argued from those texts, where is is faid, that his kingdom fhall have no end;" and Ifai. liii. 10. where it is faid, that after his death, "he fhall fee his feed, and prolong his days:" and that the pleasure of the LORD fhall profper

in his hand." But moft exprefly, Pfal. xvi. 10.

Thou wilt not leave my foul in hell, neither

wilt thou fuffer thine holy one to fee corrup"tion."

"

And his fitting at the right-hand of GoD," which fuppofeth his ascension into heaven, Pfal. cx. I. "Sit thou at my right-hand, until I make thine "enemies thy footstool."

The wonderful fuccefs of the gofpel, and the universal spreading of it through the world, was foretold Gen. xii. 3. "In thee fhall all the nations of "the earth be bleffed;" which implies, that the bleffing of the gospel, which the Meffias brought to the world, fhould be universally diffused. Gen. xlix. 10. "To him fhall the gathering of the people be.” Pfal. ii. 8. GOD promiseth there, to "give CHRIST "the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost

parts of the earth for his poffeffion." Befides feveral other places of the pfalms and prophets, too many to be reckoned up.

Now the accomplishment of all these prophecies happened in their days who faw our SAVIOUR, and converfed with him: fo that they were capable of receiving full fatisfaction concerning his divine authority, and that he was a perfon fent of God to teach the world, and affure them, that he was the Meffias foretold and prophefied of in the books of the old teftament, which being by them received as of divine infpiration, did confequently affure them that he was from God.

II. The fecond way whereby we may be fatisfied concerning the divine authority of a perfon, is by the teftimony of an immediate voice from heaven: and this teftimony CHRIST had twice given to him; the first publicly before a great affembly of people at John's baptifin, which was juft before he began

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