many ages, proclaimed the coming of a Saviour; of him who was "to rule the people of Israel'; of him "in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed";" of him who, at various times, was called "the seed of the woman 3 99 "the offspring of Abraham," "the Shiloh of Judah "," "the branch of Jesse ";" of him whose name was to be called, "the Lord our righteousness";" of him, "of the increase of whose government and peace there was to be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it, with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever." The coming of this great Personage the prophets, in various ways, and at various times, had foretold; his name pervaded all their writings, and, in a direct, or in an indirect manner, he is alluded to in almost every page of their scriptures. The Jews 1 Micah v. 2. 5 Gen. xlix. 10. 7 Jer. xxiii. 6. 2 Gen. xii. 3. 6 Isa. xi. 1. 8 Isa. ix. 7. looked for him as a temporal monarch, and, biassed by their prejudices, had, even in their thoughts, arrayed him with all the external pomp which belongs to that exalted station. And that, in one respect at least, he might not fall short of their expectations, it was not only foretold that he should come, but that, also, a messenger should precede him, to prepare his way. The same voice of prophecy which had made known the one, proclaimed the other also. The same volume which had announced the glad tidings of salvation in an approaching Saviour, declared also, that one should go before him to make ready his way, and to smooth his path. "Behold," says the Prophet, "I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me1" In another part of the prophetic writings, the employment of this messenger is more distinctly expressed. "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 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. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" Lastly, the name of that prophet, in whose spirit, and in whose power, this forerunner of the Lord should come, was also expressly revealed. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I 1 Isa. xl. 1. come and smite the earth with a curse 1." Such were the prophecies vouchsafed, on this subject, to the Jews. They were not only told to expect a Prince and a Saviour, but they were also informed that he should be attended by this royal accompaniment; and that a messenger should be sent before him to announce his approach. The opening of the New Testament is a complete fulfilment of this promise, for every one of the Evangelists, ere he proceeds to relate the events of the life of our blessed Lord, tells us something of the messenger who preceded him. St. Matthew, having spoken of the infancy of the holy Jesus, before entering upon an account of any of his actions, begins to tell us of the preaching of his forerunner. "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that is spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." St. Mark, even in a more explicit manner, commences his Gospel by entering directly into this subject. "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God, as it is written in the prophets, behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins 2." The opening of the Gospel of St. Luke, even before he says any thing at all respecting our blessed Lord, contains a very minute account of the parentage, birth, and infancy of John the Baptist; which shews how important a personage he considered this messenger to be, when he, as it were, identified his history with that of Jesus Christ. And 1 Matt. iii. 1. 2 Mark i. 1. |