Arimathea, a rich man and an honourable counsellor, went to Pilate and begged the body of Jefus, which, when Pilate had granted, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out of a rock.

3. Chrift's refurrection from the dead and his afcenfion » up into heaven, were also events foretold in the Old Teftament. His refurrection, Pfal. xvi. 10. For thou wilt not leave my foul in hell; neither wilt thou fuffer thine Holy One to fee corruption. His afcenfion, Pfal xlvii. 5. God: is gone up with a fhout, the Lord with the found of a trumpet. Pfal. Ixviii. 18. Thou haft afcended on high, thou baft led captivity captive: thou haft received gifts for men ; : yea, for the rebellious alfo Let thefe predictions be compared with the accomplishment. In a former discourse, fome notice has been taken of the evidences which we have to prove the certainty of the refurrection. The Evangelift Luke obferves, Acts. i. 3, That he fhewed himself alive after his paffion, by many infallible proofs. One of thefe proofs, and there could fcarcely be a ftronger, Peter mentions in his difcourfe before Cornelius. Acts x. 40,

41. Him God raifed up the third day, and fhewed him openly. Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chofen before of "God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rofe from the dead. His afcenfion up into heaven was also vifible, until a cloud received him out of their fight.

9. The fpreading of the gospel among the Gentiles, their calling in and incorporation into that body from which the bulk of the Jewish nation was to be broken off by unbelief, was alfo an event abundantly foretold in the prophecies of the Old Teftament. An attempt to tranfcribe all the paffages from the ancient prophecies of the Old Testament, which foretell this event, would be both tedious and needlefs Chrift was foretold as the defire of all nations; as one who was to be fet up as an enfign for the nations, to whom the Gentiles were to feek. All the ends of the earth were to be called to look unto him and be faved. As a felection from paffages almoft innumerable, I fhall only mention the three following. Ifa. xlix. 6. It is a light thing that thou should be my fervant to raife up the tribes of Jacob, and to reflore the preferved of If

rael: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayeft be my falvation unto the end of the earth. Chap. liv. I, 2, 3. Sing, O barren, thou that didft not bear; break forth into finging, and cry aloud, thou that did not travail with child: for more are the children of the defolate than the children of the married wife, faith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them ftretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: fpare not, lengthen thy cords, and ftrengthen thy flakes; for thou shalt break forth on thy right hand and on by left; and thy feed fhall inherit the Gentiles, and make. the defolate cities to be inhabited. Chap. Ix. 1, 3. A. rife, fbine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee. And the Gentiles fhall come

to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rifing.

Indeed, a very large proportion of Ifaiah's prophecy, from the fortieth chapter to the end of the book, confilts of a defcription of the glories of Chrift's kingdom among the Gentiles. So plain, fo particular, and circumftantial are fome of thefe prophecies, that they seem rather to refemble an hiftorical account of past events, than a prophecy of things to come. The accomplishment has been every way agreeable to what has been foretold. Chrift has actually come as a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as for falvation to his people Ifrael. After the afcenfion, gospel light was no longer confined to the Jews; the Apostles were commiffioned to publish the glad tidings of falvation to every creature. The spread of the gofpel was extenfive during the lives of the Apoftles, and it became ftill more extended fhortly after. And ever fince that period, the vifible Church has been, and even now is, made up almost wholly of Gentile nations. We trust, however, that the time will come, when the Jews will be again engrafted into their own olive tree, from which they are now broken off by unbelief. I have thus briefly taken a view of some of the most remarkable prophecies of the Old Testament relating to the Methah. and taken notice of their literal fulfilment in Jefus of Nazareth. There are a great variety of prophecies concerning other events befides those which relate immediately to the Meffiah, which have had an exact and a circumftantial accomplishment, and many

relating both to the church and world, which remain to be fulfilled or are now fulfilling. Some of these it is my intention briefly to confider in another difcourfe. This I fhall clofe with two or three reflections.

I. From the brief view that has been taken of the prophecies of fcripture, we may learn that Chrift is the principal fubject of both Teftaments. He is the brightand morning ftar which illuminates the whole circle of revelation. He proclaims himself the light of the world with the greatest propriety; for whatever light of a moral or fpiritual nature, there either is or has been in the world, is derived from him. The light which was enjoyed under either the Patriarchal or Jewish difpenfations was but faint, when compared with the meridian light of the gofpel, yet it was a ray derived from the fame fun of right eoufness, which now, with an increased brightness and Splendour, irradiates the gofpel church. He was both prefigured in the types and foretold by the Prophets. Hẹ is the end of the law, the glory of the gofpel, and he in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen to the believer. Salvation has been always bestowed on the penitent finner in the fame way, i. e. through faith in a Redeemer, either as actually come, or as held up to view in the promise. Hence it is faid of the Old Teftament faints, Thefe all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having feen them afar off, were perfuaded of them and embraced them.

2. Hence we fee a wonderful harmony fubfifting be tween the Old and New Teftaments. They not only agree in one and the fame grand defign, but they mutually confirm and fupport each other. All the evidences of the truth of the one which can be produced are alfo evidences of the truth of the other. If the book which contains the writings of Mofes and the Prophets deferves credit, as a book divinely infpired, the fame evidences will apply to prove the divine inspiration of that book which contains the history and writings of Christ and his poftles. So, on the other hand, all the evidences which go to prove the divine infpiration of the New Teftament. will apply with equal force to the confirmation of the Oid. They must

ftand and fall together. Although thefe feveral portions of scripture were the work of different penmen, who lived in different ages, and under very different economics; by men who could not poffibly have any collufion or connexion together, yet all appear to aim at the fame objects. There is the fame object of faith and worship, the fame fyftem of morals, and the fame source of reft and happiness held up to view in both Teftaments. When, therefore,., we are called to build upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, these are not different, but one and the fame foundation, of which Jefus Chrift is the chief corner ftone. To him gave all the Prophets witness faith the text. Under the New Teftament, we enjoy precisely what the Old Teftament foretold; for Chrift came as it was written of him.

3. Does each of the Teftaments carry within itself car. vincing evidences of a divine original, and do these different portions of facred writ, in addition to the evidences of divinity feparately in each, mutually confirm and fupport each other? then we learn that unbelief, especially under fuch clear light as we enjoy, must be wholly inexcufable. When we contemplate the evidences that Chrift was the. true Meffiah, which were exhibited before the Jewish na tion, during the period in which he tabernacled in flesh, we are apt to be astonished at the unbelief of the Jews. Thefe confifted of his heavenly doctrines and holy example, of the miracles which he wrought, and of the numer ous prophecies which, had they not been blinded by prejudice and unbelief, they must have feen to be exactly fulfilled in him. So clear were thefe evidences as to render their unbelief highly criminal. Had it not been foretold, it might have given fome ground for ftaggering to the faith of others. But under the prefent circumftances of the cafe, even their unbelief exhibits, in the strongest point of light, the evidences of the divine miffion of the Meffiah whom they despise and reject Because they knew not the feriptures, they fulfilled them in condemning him. With. the additional light which we enjoy, our unbelief would be doubly criminal,

Let us then acquaint ourselves with the fcriptures, fearch them daily, and extend our refearches to both Teftaments. The more we fearch, and the more intimate our acquaintance with them is, in the stronger and clearer light will the evidences appear that they are divinely in fpired. Let us fearch them, therefore, as the only fource of that true fpiritual wisdom, the only fountain of that di vine light, which is capable of making us wife to falvation,