which is in despair on account of Aram and Ephraim. And thus also do Jeremiah (in chap. xxiii. 5, 6), and Ezekiel (in chap. xxxiv. 23) comfort those who are terrified at the aspect of the imperial power, by directing their minds to the coming Redeemer. And if it not infrequently happens that the prophets administer consolation, by pointing to joyous events of an inferior kind in the immediate future; they almost always come back to this as the most important, the condition of all the rest, the centre of all the hopes of salvation. For example, when the existence of the nation is threatened by Assyria, Isaiah first of all predicts the overthrow of Assyria in chap. x. 5-34, and then in chap. xi. points to the complete salvation to be effected in Christ for the people of God, which constitutes the pledge of every inferior communication of blessing. This design of the

Messianic prophecies had respect to the entire nation, and was partially secured, even when they were falsely interpreted, in consequence of a misapprehension of their figurative disguise. For that portion of the nation whose Messianic expectations were for the most part sinfully carnal, was thereby preserved from outward apostasy; and even this was of consequence, since the maintenance of the outward form of the kingdom of God was the primary condition of the coming of Christ, and, in addition to this, the kernel was protected by the shell.

3. The glaring contrast, between the idea of the nation of God, and the form which it actually assumed during the whole of the Old Testament period, would inevitably have given rise to erroneous opinions as to the former, if the fact had not been forcibly impressed upon the minds of the people, by the constantly repeated announcement of the Messiah, that the contrast was only a transient one. In the outward condition of the nation this contrast was especially apparent. The nation of God, which, from the very fact that it was such, was necessarily called to universal dominion, was for many a long and anxious century kept in subjection by the powers of the world. The "kingdom of priests" groaned in utter prostration under the oppression of the heathen. Such a state of things would have been intolerable, if hope had not furnished a counterpoise. From this point of view, for example, Isaiah predicts in chap. ii. 2-4 that the kingdom of God, which is now despised, will be exalted in the

1

days of the Messiah above all the kingdoms of the world, and will become an object of desire even to the proud heathen themselves. From the same point of view Daniel also announces, in chaps. ii. and vii., that the kingdom of Christ will follow the four kingdoms of the world, and bring in the world-wide dominion of the people of God. Haggai, again, in chap. ii. 1—9, points to the completion of the kingdom of God in Christ, as a solace to the people, who have just been awakened to a consciousness of the glaring contrast between the idea and the reality, by the comparative insignificance of the new temple. When Amos has foretold (in chaps. ix., xi., and xii.) the passing away of every kind of glory from Israel and Judah, he passes at once to an announcement of the restoration of the tabernacle of David and the extension of the kingdom of God far beyond the limits of the heathen. The hope that the time would arrive, when the actual condition of the nation of God would be brought into harmony with its primary idea, could never have taken root, unless in the reference to the person of a mediator, at once human and divine, there had been given a pledge of the reality of such a hope, which could not have been realised in any other way;unless, in fact, this exalted person had been placed before the eyes of the people in as distinct a form as possible, and the Logos had, as it were, become a partaker of flesh and blood in this prophetic announcement, even before the period of his incarnation.

At the same time, there was no less ground for anxiety on account of the contrast, between the true idea of the nation of God, and its visible realisation in a moral point of view. Under the Old Testament the nation of God was still, to a great extent, destitute of the gifts which are its essential characteristics, and by which it is distinguished from the world. The righteous and the wicked were also mixed up together, and in most ages the latter had the upper hand. But if this contrast were regarded as permanent, as surely as the commandment, "be ye holy, for I am holy," involved a promise, so surely would the contrast give rise to errors respecting the kingdom of God. In allusion to this, Joel announces that in the times of the Messiah the Lord will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh; Jeremiah speaks of the new covenant, which will be attended by more

abundant provisions of transforming grace; and Ezekiel declares that in future the Lord will take away the heart of stone, and give in its place a heart of flesh. But these hopes would never have acquired their proper consistency, if there had not been set before the mind, in the personal appearance of the Redeemer, a new and hitherto unheard of union between heaven and earth, and between God and man. In this alone could a reasonable basis for such hopes be found. But, along with the inwardlytransforming power, an outwardly-sifting and judicial process must take place, even to remove the existing contrast so far as morality was concerned. It is from this point of view that we are to understand such announcements as that of the Messianic judgment in Zech. v. and xi., and that of the destruction of the city and temple in Dan. ix. Thy people all righteous;" this is a necessary postulate of the kingdom of God, which is sure to be realised in due time, though possibly not till the development is complete. The wheat must eventually be separated from the chaff, and the latter burned up with unquenchable fire.

4. The announcement of a Messiah contained within itself the strongest motives of an ethical description. As the Messianic era was represented as the consummation alike of blessing and of punishment, the contemplation would inevitably act, in the case of the righteous, as a powerful impulse to steadfastness, and in that of the wicked, as an impulse to conversion. We may learn from Micah ii. 12, 13; iv. 1-8; Is. xl. 3-5, and Mal. iii. 19, sqq., in what manner the prophets availed themselves of this announcement, as a motive to repentance.

5. Even under the Old Testament, the gospel, which proclaims the forgiveness of sins through the mercy of God, existed side by side with the law. How greatly then must it have facilitated the acceptance of mercy, in the case of those, in whom the object of the law had been secured, to have the condition of salvation, the coming of Him who was to bear their sins as He has borne our own, placed before their minds in such prophecies as that contained in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah ! That the prophecy did answer its end in this respect is evident, to take a single example, from John the Baptist, who bore witness, on the simple ground of Is. liii., to "the Lamb of God that taketh away

the sin of the world." According to Luke i. 77, forgiveness of sins was the centre of all the hopes of salvation, indulged by the more earnest minds.

6. But the principal design of the Messianic prophecies was to prepare in such a way for the coming of Christ, that, when he should come, he might at once be recognised from a comparison of prophecy with its fulfilment. And the very fact that, notwithstanding this preparation, the greater portion of the people failed to recognise him, is in itself a proof of its necessity. As it was, the only persons who did not receive him, were such as had lost their capacity for an impartial examination of prophecy and history, through their ungodliness of mind. But if there had been no signs at all, the recognition would have been rendered infinitely difficult even to the upright in heart. The importance of the Messianic prophecies from this point of view is attested by New Testament authorities. When John the Baptist says in John i. 20, "I am not the Christ," he points to Jesus as the Christ. As Bengel says, "by thus limiting his speech (1) . he gives a handle to the thought which suggests itself, that the Christ is not far off." He speaks of Him with evident allusion to the prophecies of the Old Testament, as

he, who coming after him was before him" (vers. 27, 30), and with a reference to Is. liii. as "the Lamb of God." Andrew, his disciple, on the strength of what he has heard from him, says to his brother Simon in ver. 41, "we have found the Messiah." It is true that Christ himself teaches, that the first pre-requisite to a recognition of himself is a certain state of mind, which creates a susceptibility for the outward proofs of his divine mission (John vii. 17), and traces the unbelief of the Jews to the fact, that this is not their state of mind (John v. 39-47); see vol. i. p. 99. He represents himself as the promised Messiah, in John iv. 25, 26; Matt. xxvi. 63, 64, and xi. 3 sqq. In Luke xxiv. 25, 26, he reproves the apostles as being "fools and slow of heart," because they do not discern the harmony between prophecy and its fulfilment, which is so conspicuous in his history. In Luke xxiv. 45, he is said to "open their understanding" that they may understand "the prophecies relating to his person," and in this way to strengthen their faith. He sets forth these prophecies in various ways, describing their great importance as

the force by which history is determined, in such words as these, "thus it is written," and "thus it must be;" Luke xxiv. 26, 46, and Matt. xxvi. 54. The importance which he attached to the agreement between prophecy and its fulfilment, as forming part of his credentials, is apparent from the fact that on the occasion of his last entry into Jerusalem, he arranged all the incidents in such a way as to ensure an exact correspondence to the statements of prophecy, Matt. xxi. 1, and John xii. 12—16.1 The first of the Evangelists brings forward proofs at the very outset, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. This was the problem that had first of all to be solved. That Jesus was the Christ was one of the leading topics in the preaching of the apostles (Acts iii. 18, x. 43; 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4; 2 Cor. i. 20). In Acts xxvi. 22, Paul claims to obtain a hearing for his preaching of the gospel, on the ground that he says nothing but what Moses and the prophets have already foretold; and in ver. 27 he expressly asserts that whoever believes the prophets must of necessity believe in Christ as well.

There can be no doubt, therefore, as to the great importance of the Messianic prophecies, so far as the people of the Old Testament were concerned. But the question still remains whether they are of the same importance to the Christian Church. To this question an affirmative reply has been constantly and decidedly given. A passage written by the excellent Pascal may serve to exhibit the attitude which the Church has assumed

towards these prophecies. In his Pensées, (Art. 10, Preuves de chap xvi Jesus Christ par les prophéties), he says, "La plus grande des preuves de Jesus Christ ce sont les prophéties. C'est aussi à

1 According to Delitzsch (die bibl. prophetische Theologie p. 170), the connexion between the two is the opposite of this. He appropriates the words of Augustine, "Christ did not act thus because the prophet had foretold it; but the prophet made the announcement, because this was the way in which Christ would act." That this statement of Augustine's, however, is not applicable to the form, but only to the essence, that is to the fundamental idea contained in the prophecy and expressed in the word, is evident from this, that there were circumstances connected with the affair which were unimportant in themselves, and derived their importance solely from their connexion with the prophecy, such, for example, as the fact of the she-ass being taken as well as the foal. If the attention to individual traits, such, for example, as the riding upon an ass, is to be rejected without hesitation as a reprehensible attempt to "idealise;" what are we to do with such passages as Is. 1. 6, "and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair," cf which no historical fulfilment can be pointed out?