this rate, miracles would cease to be miraculous, they would become common and familiar things; and no longer ftrike the mind with any conviction at all, any more than the ebbing and flowing of the fea, the rifing and fetting of the fun; or any other fuch difplays of the divine power, in the common courfe of providence. Upon the whole, there is no evidence wanting, to leave the believer inexcufable. There is evidence every way fufficient, to fatisfy the mind of an impartial enquirer after truth. And it is impoffible for any man in the world to imagine any means of confirmation in this important truth, fuperior to what is herein fet before you. How unreasonable would it therefore be, to require more evidence in a cafe, wherein we have already as much as we are poffibly capable to receive? That it may be effectual to establish you in the faith, is and fhall be the prayer of, SIR, Yours, &c. LETTER III Wherein an historical Account of the BIRTH, LIFE, PASSION, RESURRECTION, ASCENSION, and future KINGDOM of our bleffed SAVIOUR, is collected from the Prophecies of the Old Testament. SIR, Rejoice to hear from Rejoice to hear from you, that any endeavours of mine have contributed in the least towards your fatisfaction. I am thereby the more encouraged to hope, that your remaining difficulties may eafily be obviated; and particularly, that it will not prove difficult to answer your prefent demand ; to fhew you • how you may certainly know that the prophecies of the Old Testament had a direct reference unto Jefus Chrift.' You may know this by the exact accommodation of the prediction with the event. That this therefore may be fet before you in a proper light, I will endeavour to give you (in the form of an history) a brief representation of our bleffed Saviour, gather'd from the Old Tefta* ment; and leave you to compare this with the narrative of him in the new. If thefe agree, you thereby have a certain difcovery of the divine original of thefe prophecies; fince none but an omniscient mind could poffibly foresee thefe events. And you have likewife the fame certainty, that Jefus Chrift is the predicted Meffiah, and that his miffion is divine, fince what was foretold of the Meffiah in the prophecy, is fulfilled in him. The time of the manifeftation of this glorious perfon, whom I am now to describe, was during the continuance of the Kingdom of Judah, while a fcepter was in the hand, and a lawgiver came from between the feet of that tribe, Gen. xlix. 10. while the fecond temple was yet ftanding, Mal. iii. 1. Hag. ii. 7. juft 450 Chaldee years after the decree went forth to reflore and to build Jerufalem, which was in the twentieth year of Artexerxes Longimanus, king of Perfia, Dan, ix. 25. * This king like wife came into the world, and the God of heaven fet up his everlasting kingdom, at that feafon of the fourth or Roman monarchy, Dan. ii. 44. when there was an end put to the dreadful fhaking of the heavens and the earth, the fea, and the dry land, and indeed of all nations, by the wars of Alexander the Great, the four kingdoms that arose out of his conquefts; and the Romans the conquerors of them all; and when peace was restored to the world, Hag. ii. 6, 7, 9. which hap-. pen'd when Auguftus Cæfar was emperor of Rome, and Herod the Great was king of Judea. As to the pedigree or defcent of our bleffed Saviour, it must be confider'd with respect to the two different natures, that were united in this glorious perfon. For how wonderful foever it may appear to us, the man Chrift Jefus was alfo Immanuel, God with us, Ifa. vii. 14. and that divine Child which was born, and that Son which was given to us (at the time before defcrib * Daniel's feven weeks and threefcore and two weeks, or 483 years, were to terminate at the death of the Meffiah. We must therefore substract from that number, the 33 years of his life; and there remains 450 years to his birth. ed) is the mighty God, and the everlasting Father, as well as the Prince of Peace, Ifa. ix. 6. He is that God, whofe throne is for ever and ever, Pfal. xlv. 6. and though a man, yet fuch a man, as is alfo God's own fellow, Zech. xiii. 7. Now, if we confider his descent, with refpect to his divine perfon, it must neceffarily be, that though he be God the Father's Son, and begotten by him, Pfal. ii. 7. yet his going forth must have been from of old, from everlasting. And it is accordingly true, that the Lord possessed him in the beginning of his way, before his works of old: He was fet up from everlafting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was, Prov. viii. 22, 23. Being thus neceffarily stopt from looking any further than to eternity, and to him that inhabits eternity, in confidering the original of his divine perfon; I proceed to take notice, that in his human nature, he defcended from the loins of Abraham, Gen. xii. of Ifaac, Gen. xxvi. 4. and of Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 14. from the tribe of Judah, Gen. xlix. 10. and from the royal family of David; Pfal. lxxxix. 35, 36. and that in a way furprisingly different from any ordinary human generation, a virgin conceived and brought forth this Son, whofe name is Immanuel, Ifa. vii. 14. and this new thing did God create in the earth, that a woman hath compaffed a man, Jer. xxxi. 22. The place where our bleffed Saviour was born, was Bethlehem Ephratah. This town, though but little among the thousands of Judah, was honoured with being the place out of which he came forth who is the fupreme ruler in Ifrael, Micah v. 2. Here he was born: but this was not the place of his chief and principal refidence ; that was Galilee of the nations. This people who had walked in darkness, faw this great light among them even upon them who had dwelt in the land of the Shadow of death, hath this light fbined, Ifa. ix. 1, 2. The circumftances of his appearing in the world, were low, mean and abased; very different from the expectations men had entertained of the Meffiah; and therefore he was defpifed and rejected of men, they hid their faces from him, he was defpifed, and they esteemed him not, Ila. liii. 3. Nay, many were aftonished at him,. his vifage was fo marred, more than any man; and his form more than the fons of men. Ifa. lii. 14. fo far was his appearance from that glory and majefty, that pomp and fplendor, which was expected in the Meffiah, that he was confidered as a worm and no man, a reproach of men; and defpifed of the people, Pfal. xxii. 6. Even the priefts and rulers themselves, who should have been the builders of the Jewish church, refused this fione, which is become the head of the corner, Pfal. cxviii. 22. And the reafon of this was, that they faw no form nor comeliness, no riches nor honour, no magnificence nor beau ty in him, that they should defire him, Ifa. liii. 2. The characters, in which he appeared in the world, were thofe of a Prophet, Prieft, and King: to each of which, it is proper to speak fomething particularly. The Lord our God did in the person of our bleffed Saviour raise up unto his people a Prophet, like unto Mo. fes, the greatest and most eminent prophet of the Jewifh church: he puts his words into his mouth, that he might Speak unto them, whatsoever he commanded him : and held his people under the ftrongest injunction upon their peril, to hearken to the words, which this prophet should speak in his name, Deut. xviii. 18, 19. And as our Lord Jefus Chrift, was defined by God the Father unto the prophetical office, he chearfully undertook it. Lo, I come, (fays he) in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: Yea, thy law is within my heart, Pfal. xl. 7, 8. And as he chearfully undertook, fo he diligently and faithfully dis. charged this facred and important truft. He as a wonderful Counsellor, Ifa. ix. 6. preached conftantly to the people, and made known the whole mind and will of God to them; and could make this appeal to his heavenly Father, I have preached righteousness in the great congregation, Lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knoweft, I have not hid thy righteoufnefs within my heart. I have declared thy faithfulness and thy falvation. I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great congregation, Pfal. xl. 9. He conftantly preached among the people the bleffed and joy. ful news of a glorious falvation from their fin, guilt, danger and mifery. The Spirit of the Lord God was u pon him, because the Lord had anointed him to preach good. tidings unto the meek, he fent him to bind up the broken hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, and to give unto them beauty for afbes, the oyl of joy for mourning ; and the garment of praife for the Spirit of heaviness, Ifa. lxi. 1, 2, 3. He exercised most tender compaffion to dark, doubting, and tempted fouls. The bruifed reed did he not break; and the fmoaking flax did he not quench, untill he brought forth judgment unto truth,' Ifa. xlii. 3. He ftrengthened the weak hands; and con firmed the feeble knees; and faid unto them of a faint " heart, be strong, fear not.' Ifa. xxxv. 3. He warned the careless and fecure finners of their misery and danger; and proclaimed unto them the day of vengeance of our God, Ifa. lxi. 2. He warned them to be wife, to ferve the Lord with fear; and to kiss the Son, left he Should be angry, and they perish by the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little, Pfal. ii. 10, II, 12. He made the path-way of falvation plain, before the eyes of all thofe, who believe in him, like an high way where the wayfaring men, though fools, could not err, Ifa. xxxv. 8. He confidered his people as his flock; and took care of · them, as a moft watchful and careful fhepherd. He fed his flock like a fhepherd, he gathered his lambs with his arm, he carried them in his bofom, and gently led those that were with young, Ifa. xl. 1 1. I next proceed to give you a view of our Lord Jefus Chrift, as the great High Priest of our profeffion. As fuch, he undertook to make an atonement and expiation for our fins. He bore our griefs, and carried our ⚫ forrows; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, • and with his ftripes we are healed. God laid upon him the iniquity of us all; and he made his foul an ⚫ offering for our fins,' Ifa. liii. 4, 5, 6.10. Thus he finished the tranfgreffion, made an end of fin; and • made reconciliation for iniquity.' Dan. ix. 24. He likewife wrought out a perfect righteousness for finners, |