His name fhall be called Wonderful. His generation has been moft faithfully traced and published both by Matthew and Luke; one of which is expressly styled, "The Book of the Generation of Jefus Chrift." Matt. i. 1. Luke iii. 23. And yet his generation never was, nor can be, declared either by men or angels. "He was taken from prifon and from judgment, and who fhall declare his generation?" Ifa. liii. 8. His name fhall be called Wonderful. "Wisdom crieth without; fhe uttereth her voice in the streets; fhe crieth in the chief places of the concourfe, in the openings of the gates: in the city fhe uttereth her words, faying, How long, ye fimple ones, will ye love fimplicity? and the fcorners delight in their fcorning, and fools hate knowledge?" Prov. i. 20-22. Wifdom is here defcribed as crying, as crying without, and as uttering her voice even in the ftreets; yet" He thall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the ftreet.” Ifa. xlii. 2. And, though many in the great day will "begin to fay, We have eaten and drunk in thy prefence, and thou haft taught in our streets; he fhall fay, I tell you, I know you not whence you are: depart from me all ye workers of iniquity." Luke xiii. 26, 27. And no wonder; for, although he might have taught in their streets, yet they never heard heard his voice there; this is witneffed by the fcriptures of truth. His name fhall be called Wonderful. "The thing that hath been, is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which fhall be done and there is no new thing under the fun. Is there any thing whereof it may be faid, See, this is new?" Eccl. i. 9, 10. Yet fure I am that there is fomething new to be found. "How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman fhall compafs a man." Jer. xxxi. 22. This was a new thing promifed to the antediluvian world-" The feed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." It is called " a new thing" in the prophetic age; and was a new thing in the latter days, for a virgin conceived, and a virgin brought forth a fon; and this new thing was done under the fun, and muft for ever remain a thing new, for it never fhall be antiquated. His name fhall be called Wonderful. He was feen as the Son of man by Daniel, and his tremendous appearance was that of the Judge of quick and dead. "I beheld till the thrones were caft down, and the Ancient of days did fit, whose garment was white as fnow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool." Dan. vii. 9, 13. His white hair denotes his gravity and great age, age, which the hoary head always proclaims; but he was not born till four hundred years after that vifion. His name fhall be called Wonderful. He was feen by Adam and Eve, by Abraham and Sarah; by Lot, by Mofes, by Jofhua, and Balaam; by Gideon, Manoah and his wife; by thousands in his lifetime, and by five hundred brethren at once after his death; and yet no man hath feen him, nor can fee him-and this the fcriptures aver: "Keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jefus Chrift: which in his times he fhall fhew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath feen, nor can fee: to whom be honour and power everlafting. Amen." 1 Tim. vi. 14-16. His name fhall be called Wonderful. He was the richest that ever appeared in this world; there was not one thing that was not put under him, for he was the "heir of all things," Heb. i. 2; and yet" the poor and needy man," Pfal. cix. 16. So poor that he lived all his lifetime upon charity, and has been supported by alms almoft eighteen hundred years; and is fuch an admirer of the liberality of his benefactors, 4 that that he declares that even a cup of cold water fhall never pafs unnoticed nor unrewarded by him. His name fhall be called Wonderful. He performed the greateft exploits that ever were performed in his weakeft ftate, and by his weakeft part; for he was crucified through 'weakness." 2 Cor. xiii. 4. He took" the handwriting that was against us out of the way, nailing it to his crofs; and, having fpoiled principalities and powers, he made a fhew of them openly, triumphing over them in it," or in himfelf. His name fhall be called Wonderful. He fought the grcateft battle, fingle-handed, that ever was fought in this world, or that ever will be fought. And, though he was the firft and the only one that fell by the fword in the field of action, yet, by his own fall, he conquered all the enemies that he ever had, or ever will have, whether in earth or in hell. His name fhall be called Wonderful. He is wonderful alfo in his family, which confifts of new-born babes, little children, young men, and fathers: and yet there is neither a babe nor a little child in it. "There fhall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not not filled his days: for the child, fhall die an hundred years old, but the finner being an hundred years old fhall be accurfed." Ifa. lxv. 20. His name fhall be called Wonderful. I fhall fend, my dear friends, no more of thefe feeming difcords at this time, but leave you to bring them into harmony, and fubfcribe myself, Yours to ferve in Chrift Jefus, END OF THE RIDDLE. W. II. S.S. |