The hooked chariot stood,

Unstained with hostile blood;

The trumpet spake not to the armed throng;

And kings sat still with awful eye,

As if they surely knew their sovereign Lord was by."

EXERCISES.

By whom was the government of Judea administered after the death of Nehemiah? For what purpose did Alexander the Great march into Judea? How, and by whom was he met? What did the Jews request of him? Where did he go upon leaving Judea? How far did he push his conquests? Of what did he die? Where? What became of his dominions after his death? Under whose power did the Jews then fall? How were they treated during his reign? By whom was he succeeded? What of his reign? To whom did the Jews submit themselves after they had been greatly persecuted by the Ptolemies? How did he act? By whom was he succeeded? What great efforts did he make to raise money due to the Romans? What became of him? By whom was he succeeded? How did Antiochus Epiphanes act towards Jerusalem? In what manner did Apollonius, his general, take and treat Jerusalem? What effect had these impieties and oppressions upon the Jews? Who was Mattathias? What were some of his exploits? How many sons had he? Which of them took command after his father's death? Mention some of the great and good deeds he did in his reign? What was the end of Antiochus Epiphanes? By whom was he succeeded? By whom was Judas Maccabeus slain? Upon whom then did the command devolve? What of his reign? By whom was he slain? Where? What of Simon? What of John Hyrcanus? By whom was he succeeded? By whom was Aristobulus succeeded? What success had he? How long did he reign? By whom was the government administered after his death? Who next contended for the high-priesthood? By whom was the dispute settled? How did Pompey profane the temple? By whom was it afterwards plundered? Who was then made governor of Judea? By whom was he succeeded? What was the character of his reign? In what manner did he rebuild the temple? How did he treat his own family? What manner of death did he die? How long was that after the birth of our Lord and Saviour? To whom were all the known parts of the world then in subjection? Why was it that Canaan, that good land,-land of promise-was almost constantly the scene of war and bloodshed? What should we learn from all this?

CHAPTER XXII.

A PROPHETICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW

TESTAMENTS.

This chapter will contain a few of the plainest prophecies found in the Old Testament that relate to the person, offices, and glories of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and are ful

filled in the New. The first of these is to be found in Gen. iii. 15, where God said to the serpent, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." For the fulfilment of which, see Gal. iv. 4, and 1 John iii. 8—“ The Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." This, in the language of prophecy, is called "bruising the serpent's head." The next plain prophecy of Christ we have in Gen. xviii. 18, and xxii. 18, where God informs Abraham that in him and in his seed "shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." For the fulfilment of this prophecy, see Gal. iii. 16" Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises madehe saith, To thy seed, which is Christ." The same promise was also given to Isaac, the son of Abraham, Gen. xxvi. 4; and to Jacob, his grandson, Gen. xxviii. 14,-" In thee, and in thy seed, shall all nations be blessed." Jacob, in his dying address to his son Judah, in Gen. xlix. 10, predicted that "The sceptre (or tribe, as the word signifies,) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Shiloh signifies, one that is sent, which is the frequent character of Christ, that he was sent by the Father, John x. 36, &c. (Besides, the Jews themselves own that it signifies the Messiah.)

In Deut. xviii. 15, 18, we find MOSES prophesied concerning Christ, saying, "The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me: unto him shall you hearken." When Stephen the martyr was put to death for the sake of Christ, he applies these words unto him.-Acts vii. 37.

DAVID was the next eminent prophet that spake plainly of Christ. In his book of Psalms, he describes His incarnation, His various offices of prophet, priest, and king. In regard to Christ's coming into the world to preach the truth of God for the salvation of men, it is stated in Ps. xl. 6-8, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened. Then said I, Lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation," &c. The first part of this Psalm is expressly applied to Christ, Heb. x. 5, where, instead of the words, "Mine ears hast thou opened," it is expressed by the apostle, "A body hast thou prepared me;" and then he shews how Christ made himself a perfect and effectual sacrifice, instead of all the imperfect sacrifices under the law.

Christ's triumph, as he entered into Jerusalem, is foretold in

Ps. viii. 2-" Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength," or, perfected praise; for the fulfilment of which see Matt. xxi. 15. His persecution by princes and people is declared in Ps. ii. 1-" Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed." All which was fulfilled when Herod, and Pontius Pilate, and the people, both Jews and Gentiles, all rose up against Jesus, and put him to death.— Acts iv. 26, 27. Christ's sufferings, and the manner of His death, is predicted by David in Ps. xxii. 15, 16, 18—“ They pierced my hands and my feet. They parted my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." All these things were fulfilled when they nailed His hands and feet to a cross, when they cast lots for His garments, and gave Him gall for his meat, and in His thirst they gave Him vinegar to drink.—Matt. xxvii. 34–48; John xix. 23, 24. His resurrection from the dead, Ps. xvi. 10-" For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;" that is, in the state of the dead; "neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." This was fulfilled in Christ at His rising from the dead to life again, before He had lain three complete days.-Acts ii. 31, and xiii. 33-37; 1 Cor. xv. 4. Christ's ascension to heaven, attended with angels, His triumph over the devil, &c., are foretold in Ps. lxviii. 17, 18-" The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the LORD is among them. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive," &c.; for the fulfilment of which see Eph. iv. 8. Also Col. ii. 15-He "spoiled principalities and powers, and triumphed over them." Christ's exaltation to the kingdom of God's right hand, and to the priesthood of intercession, is described Ps. cx. 1, 4—" The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool;" and, "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek;" which expressions are applied to Christ, Matt. xxii. 42, 44; Acts ii. 33, &c. Did our limits permit, there might be many other texts cited from the book of Psalms which are interpreted concerning Jesus Christ, and which are applied to Him in the New Testament; but we proceed to state a few from ISAIAH, who has justly been called the Evangelical or Gospel Prophet, on account of his clearly foretelling the greatest variety of events that relate to Christ.

1. As to His birth: that He should be born of a virgin. Isa. vii. 14—“ A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel;" which was explained and accomplished when the Virgin Mary brought forth her son Jesus,

Matt. i. 20-23. The name Immanuel signifies "God with us."

2. That He should be rejected by the Jews is foretold by Isa. liii, 1-3-" Who hath believed our report ?" &c. But that the Gentiles would receive Him for a Saviour and a King, Isaiah foretells in many places; as chap. xlix. 6, 7-" He shall be a light to the Gentiles, and salvation to the ends of the earth;" and in chap. xlii. 1–6—“ Behold my servant, whom I have chosen," &c., "I have put my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."

3. That Christ shall be full of the Spirit of God, of wisdom, knowledge, piety, justice, and goodness, see Isa. xi. 1, 2, which is applied to the Saviour in John iii. 34" He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." Col. ii. 3-"In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." John i. 32-" The Spirit abode upon him."

4. That He should pronounce terror to the wicked, and peace to the meek and humble, is prophesied Isa. lxi. 1-3-" The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound," &c.; which prophecy our Saviour applies to himself, Luke iv. 18-21.

5. That He should have a forerunner to prepare His way in the wilderness, Isa. xl. 3-" The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God," &c. John the Baptist was his forerunner in the wilderness of Judah, Matt. iii. 1-3.

6. That He should work miracles of healing, Isa. xxxv. 4—

"Behold, your God will come and save you. Then the eyes of

the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." All which was fulfilled by Christ.

7. The sufferings of Christ also, and His meekness and patience under the contempt, reproaches, and persecutions He met with; His death as an atonement for sin; His being numbered with the transgressors; His grave with the rich; His resurrection, exaltation, and intercession, are all so plainly foretold in Isa. liii., and fulfilled in Matt. xxvi., and the following chapters of that gospel, that an atheistical nobleman (one of the Earls of Rochester), when he compared these Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, became a Christian penitent.

JEREMIAH also spake concerning Christ.-See Jer. xxiii. 5, 6,

xxxi., and xxxiii. 14, 15. EZEKIEL, too, spake of Christ under the character of David, who was both a shepherd and a king. Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24-"And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David: and I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them. And I will make with them a covenant of peace." Christ was this great shepherd of the people-John x. 1-16—and king of Israel—John i. 49, “Nathanael answered and said unto him, Thou art the son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”

The prophet DANIEL describes Christ as the "Son of man who came with the clouds of heaven," &c.-Dan. vii. 13, 14. We have already seen in our lesson "Of Daniel and his times," that the angel Gabriel gave to him a remarkable revelation concerning Christ, the Messiah, "That he should finish transgression, make reconciliation for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, be cut off, but not for himself." All which were fulfilled in their proper seasons.

MICAH the prophet plainly foretold the place where Christ should be born:-"Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."-Micah v. 2. Which was fulfilled, when Mary, the mother of Jesus, went up to Bethlehem with Joseph her husband to be taxed there, and "brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger."-Luke ii. 7.

ZECHARIAH, in chap. ix. 9, foretells that Christ should come to Jerusalem as the king of Zion, "meek, and bringing salvation, riding upon a colt the foal of an ass.' For the fulfilment of which, see Matt. xxi. 5.

MALACHI, the last of the prophets, speaks in pretty plain language concerning Christ, in chap. iii. 1-"Behold, I will send my messenger (namely, John the Baptist), and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple." This was fulfilled when "Christ was found in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions,"-Luke ii. 46– and when He reformed and rebuked the evil practices of the priests and people,-Mark xi. 15-18.

The fulfilment of these statements, and many others which relate to the first ADVENT of our Lord and Saviour,—His incarnation, birth, life, miracles, sufferings, death, burial, resurrection and ascension to glory,-leave us no room to doubt the truth of the predictions in Scripture concerning His "COMING the second time without sin unto salvation."