The text fupplies the only just account of fuch a phænomenon: and the spirit of God, methinks, calls aloud to us, in the language of his fon-Thefe things have I told you before they come, that when they come to pass, ye may believe, that I am HE.

SER

SERMON V.

Prophecies concerning Chrift's

FIRST COMING.

ISAIAH xlii, 9.

Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they Spring forth, I tell you of them.

TH

HE preceding difcourfes were defigned, to open the general idea of prophecy; and to enforce the general argument from it, in proof of our holy Religion.

The way being thus far cleared, we now advance a step farther, and take a nearer view of THE PROPHECIES THEMSELVES.

These

Thefe prophecies may be confidered' under two heads. They either refpect, the perfon and character and office of the Meffiah; or, the fate and fortunes of that kingdom, which he came to establish in the world.

Divines call the former of thefe, Prophe cies of his FIRST COMING: and the other; Prophecies of his SECOND. Only, it may be proper to obferve, That the second advent of the Meffiah is not, like the first, confined to one fingle and precife period, but is gradual and fucceffive. This dif tinction is founded in the reafon of the thing. He could only come, in person, at one limited time. He comes, in his power and his providence, through all ages of the church. His firft coming was then over, when he expired on the crofs. His Jecond, commenced with his refurrection, and will continue to the end of the world. So that this last coming of Jefus is to be understood of his fpiritual kingdom; which is not one act of fovereignty, exerted at

once ;

once; but a state or conftitution of government, fubfifting through a long tract of time, unfolding itself by juft degrees, and coming, as oft, as the conductor of it thinks fit to interpose by any fignal acts of his administration. And in this fenfe, we are directed to pray, that his kingdom, though long fince fet up, may come; that is, may advance through all its stages, till it ar rive at that full state of glory, in which it shall shine out in the great day, as it is called, the day of judgment.

It will be feen, as we advance in the prefent inquiry, to what ufe this diftinction ferves.

The former fet of prophecies are prefumed to have had their completion, in the hiftory of Jefus; The latter fet, have had, or are to find, their accomplishment, in the hiftory of his Religion; and of THESE only, it is the purpose of this Lecture to speak.

But though the prophecies of Christ's first coming (fo largely and accurately confidered

fidered by many great writers) be not the immediate fubject of our inquiry, yet they must not be wholly overlooked by us. It will contribute very much to rectify and enlarge our ideas of the divine conduct, in this whole difpenfation of prophecy, and to make way for that conviction, which the prophecies of Chrift's fecond coming were intended to give, if we stop a while to contemplate the method and economy of that prophetic fyftem, by which the first advent of the Meffiah was announced and prepared.

It is affumed, as a first principle on this fubject, That Jefus was the ultimate end and object of all the prophecies [a]: which beginning from the foundation of the world [b], were, afterwards, occafionally delivered through many ages; till at length this great purpose was profecuted more intently, by a continued and closely-compacted chain of prophecy; as we fee, first, in the patriarchal hiftory, but, chiefly, in the history [a] Serm. II. [6] 'A' ai@vos, Luke i. 70.

of