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and I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto JEHOVAH; for he is good for his mercy endureth for 66 ever. Pf. cxviii. 22-29.

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Zechariah, the prophet, fpeaking of the coming of MESSIAH, hath thefe words, " Rejoice greatly, O "daughter of Zion; fhout, O daughter of Jeru"falem behold THY KING COMETH UNTO "THEE: he is juft, and having falvation; lowly, "and riding upon an afs, and upon a colt the foal of "an afs." Zech. ix. g. When this prophecy was fulfilled, as we read in the 21ft chapter of St. Matthew, the 11th of St. Mark, the 19th of St. Luke, and the 12th of St. John, "the multitudes that went "before, and that followed, cried, faying, Hofanna "to the fon of David! BLESSED IS HE THAT "COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; "Hofanna in the higheft." Matt. xxi. 9. But it was not until Jefus was glorified, that the difciples understood that this was done; that the prophecy of Zechariah, the prophet, might thus be fulfilled: "But when Jefus was glorified, then remembered "they that these things were written of him, and that "they had done these things unto him," John xii. 16. But notwithstanding the multitudes cried out in the language of the 118th Pfalm, "Bleffed is he that "cometh in the name of the Lord;" yet that this was not the full and complete accomplishment of that prophecy, is plain from the words of our bleffed Saviour; for when he had declared the calamities that were ordained to come upon his beloved nation, even in that generation, he faid, "O Jerufalem, "Jerufalem,

Jerufalem, thou that killeft the prophets, and "ftoneft them which are fent unto thee, how often "would I have gathered thy children together, even "as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, ❝and ye would not! Behold, your house is left "unto you defolate. For I fay unto you, ye "SHALL NOT fee me henceforth, till ye fhall "fay, BLESSED IS HE THAT COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD." Matt. xxiii. 37-39.

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We have, therefore, the authority of our bleffed Lord himself, for believing that the 118th Pfalm had only an inchoate accomplishment," when he thus entered into Jerufalem, and "hath yet to receive its "full accomplishment," when he fhall come to the deliverance of Ifrael his people: "Behold he cometh "with clouds; and every eye fhall fee him, and "they alfo which pierced him: and all kindreds "of the earth fhall wail because of him.

"fo, Amen." Rev. i. 7.

Even When he thus cometh

to the deliverance of Ifrael his people, the ftone which the builders refufed will no longer be refused by them, but will break to pieces the iron and the clay, the brass, the filver, and the gold, and become a great mountain, and fill the whole earth, Dan. ii. 35. and that the Levitical priesthood will then be purified and reftored by him, Mal. iii. 3. is alfo evident from this very Pfalm; for when they fhall fay, "Bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the "JEHOVAH," Pf. cxviii. 26. Matt. xxiii. 39. they will" bind the SACRIFICE with cords, even to "the horns of the altar." Pf. cxviii. 27.

The admiffion of the learned bishop is certainly a very candid admiffion, and GREATLY IN FAVOUR OF THE JEWS; their expectation of the coming of MESSIAH to deliver them, is perfectly correct. If they have erred in not feeing that MESSIAH is in the Books of Mofes and the prophets fpoken of as a SUFFERING MESSIAH, before he cometh in his glory, to the restoration of Ifrael his people. If they have in times, long fince paffed, denied their affent to thofe awful truths, concerning their national fufferings and difperfion into all nations, which the event hath proved to have been so ftrictly correct. On the other hand, Christians have erred in denying their affent to thofe prophecies of great confolation, which have been the comfort of Judah and the children of Ifrael his companions, in their long-continued days of adverfity.

That the learned bifhop is correct in this his admiffion, might, I conceive, be also proved from the reference of St. Peter to the Book of Joel, the prophet, A&ts ii. 14-21. He truly declares the gift of the Holy Spirit, in the day of Pentecoft, to be a fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel; but his words do not imply that there would be no further and more extenfive fulfilment of that prophecy; his words are, "this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." It was 66 THE FIRST-FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT;" and is fo called by the apostle Paul, in the 23d verse of the 8th chapter of his Epiftle to the Romans; it was the EARNEST of that greater fulfilment of this

prophecy

prophecy, which will take place in time to come; and it is called "THE EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT," by the fame apostle, 2 Cor. i. 22. and if we turn to the words of the prophet Joel, we fhall be convinced, that great and important as was this gift, the accomplishment of the promife of our bleffed Lord unto his difciples, (John xiv. 16-20, 25, 26. xv. 26. Luke xxiv. 49. Acts i. 8.) yet that it was as it were only the FIRST-FRUITS, the EARNEST of the full and entire fulfilment of this prophecy, which will, in God's due time, be accomplished to the full extent of the words of the holy prophet.

There is a time specified in the words of the prophet; the great event, the full and complete accomplifhment of the prophecy, will take place in those days in which the Lord fhall BRING AGAIN THE CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH AND JERUSALEM; then it is that he will fhew wonders in the heavens. "and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of "fmoke;" then it is that "the fun fhall be turned ❝into darkness, and the moon into blood," even before"the great and terrible day of JEHOVAH Come," in which he will gather all nations, and bring them "down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and plead "with them there for his people, and for his heritage "Ifrael." It is declared by the holy prophet, that it is at that time that he "will pour out his fpirit "upon all flefh," and that the fons and daughters of Ifrael his people "fhall prophecy," and their "old 66 men dream dreams," and their " young men fee ❝vifions ;" and that "upon the fervants, and upon

the

"the handmaids, in thofe days, he will pour out his "fpirit, and whofoever fhall call upon the name of "JEHOVAH, fhall be delivered," becaufein "MOUNT ZION and in JERUSALEM there SHALL "BE deliverance." Joel ii. 28-32. iii. 1, 2.

The fuccefs that attended the promulgation of the Gospel, in the apoftolic age, might be faid to commence upon the day of Pentecoft; for on that day there were added unto the church about 3000 fouls, Acts ii. 41. And ALL the fuccefs that attended the preachers in the apoftolic age, is to be traced to this, even that, in fulfilment of the promise of our bleffed Lord, they were thus "ENDUED WITH "POWER FROM ON HIGH," Luke xxiv. 49. This power from on high, it was whereby those SIGNS were wrought, which were promised by our bleffed Lord: "Thefe figns fhall follow them that "believe: in MY NAME fhall they caft out devils; "they fhall speak with new tongues; they fhall take 66 up ferpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it "shall not hurt them; they fhall lay hands on the "fick, and they shall recover." Mark xvi. 17, 18.

We find no words of LIMITATION annexed to this promise of POWER FROM ON HIGH; it is not faid that this power from on high fhall endure no longer than fuch a given length of time, and that then, BEING NO LONGER NECESSARY, it fhall cease. We Christians of the prefent day, may endeavour to answer the objections of modern philofophers by fuch allegations; but in my opinion it would much better become us to confefs that it proceeds from

OUR