to adore the depths of divine wisdom, and to long for that hour, when "all that is imperfect shall be done away; when we shall no more see in part, but shall "know even as we are known," 1 Cor. xiii.

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II. I proceed to the second thing proposed, To show how the Scriptures testify of Christ. In general, it may be said, that he is the main design and subject, both of the whole Scripture, and of each particular book. This will be easily allowed of the New Testament, but is not so obvious with regard to several parts of the Old I hope therefore it will not be unacceptable to those who love the word of God, if I consider this point something at large, and help them to discover the Lord Jesus Christ in almost every page of the Bible. This will be a new inducement to them to search the Scriptures, when they shall perceive that many passages which they were accustomed to read with indifference, as hardly able to discern any wisdom or meaning in them, do directly testify of Christ.

What is expressed in the Old Testament (for of this I am now to speak) concerning Christ, may be reduced to three heads; prophecies, types, and ceremonies. To open and trace these in their proper extent, would require volumes; but it is only a hint of each that the bounds of our present meeting will permit me to offer.

The first glimmering of light which dawned upon a lost world was that promise (for I consider the promises as a branch of prophecy) which God (who, in the midst of "judgement remembers mercy") made to the woman, that "her seed should bruise the serpent's head," Gen. iii. This was absolute and general, giving hopes of a recovery, but no information of person, time, or place; but the path of "this just one was as the light which "shineth more and more to the perfect day," Prov. iv. In the time of Noah, the hope and desire of all nations

was restrained to the line of Shem, Gen. ix. and afterwards more expressly to the family of Abraham; when this divided into two branches, God, to show that his purpose is of himself, and that he will do as pleaseth him with his own, set aside the elder, and confirmed to Jacob, the younger, "that in his seed all the families "of the earth should be blessed," Gen. xxviii. Jacob had twelve sons, which made a still more explicit restriction necessary: accordingly the Patriarch, before his death, declared this high privilege of perpetuating the line of the Messiah, was fixed in the tribe of Judah, Gen. xlix. and the time of his advent was obscurely marked out, by the promise, "that the sceptre should "not depart from Judah till the Shiloh come." The last personal limitation was to David, 1 Chron. xvii. that of his family God would raise up the King, who should reign for ever, and over all. Succeeding prophets gradually foretold the time, place, and circumstances of his birth, the actions of his life, the tenour of his doctrine, the success he met with, and the cause, design, and manner of his sufferings and death; in short, to almost every thing that we read in the Gospel, we may annex the observation that the evangelists have made upon a few instances (in order, as it may be presumed, to direct us in searching out the rest), "then was fulfilled that "which was spoken by the prophets." From them we learn, that the Messiah should be born of a virgin, in Bethlehem of Judah, four hundred and ninety years after the commandment given to rebuild Jerusalem; that he should begin his ministry in Galilee; that he should be despised and rejected of men, betrayed by one of his disciples, sold for thirty pieces of silver, with which money the Potter's field should be afterwards purchased; "that he should be cut off, but not for

"himself;" and that his death should be followed by the sudden and total ruin of the Jewish government. To compare these promises and prophecies among themselves, and with their exact accomplishment recorded in the New Testament, this alone would engage us in a close and profitable search into the Scriptures, and would afford us the most convincing proofs of their divine original and excellence.

The types of Christ in the Old Testament may be considered as twofold, personal and relative: the former describing, under the veil of history, his character and offices as considered in himself; the latter teaching, under a variety of metaphors, the advantages those who believe in him should receive from him. Thus Adam, Enoch, Melchizedec, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Samson, David, Solomon, and others, were, in different respects, types or figures of Christ. Some more immediately represented his person; others prefigured his humiliation; others referred to his exaltation, dominion, and glory. So, in the latter sense, the ark of Noah, the rainbow, the manna, the brazen serpent, the cities of refuge, were so many emblems pointing out the nature, necessity, means, and security of that salvation which the Messiah was to establish for his people. Nor are these fanciful allusions of our own making, but warranted and taught in Scripture, and easily proved from thence, would time permit; for indeed there is not one of these persons or things which I have named, but would furnish matter for a long discourse, if closely considered in this view, as typical of the promised Redeemer.

The like may be said of the Levitical ceremonies. The law of Moses is, in this sense, a happy schoolmaster to lead us unto Christ, Gal, iii. and it may be

proved beyond contradiction, that in these the Gospel was preached of old to all those Israelites indeed, whose hearts were right with God, and whose understandings were enlightened by his Spirit. The ark of the covenant, the mercy-seat, the tabernacle, the incense, the altar, the offerings, the high priest with his ornaments and garments, the laws relating to the leprosy, the Nazarite, and the redemption of lands;-all these, and many more which I have not time to mention, had a deep and important meaning beyond their outward appearance; each, in their place, pointed to "the Lamb "of God who was to take away the sins of the world,” John, i., derived their efficacy from him, and received their full accomplishment in him.

Thus the Old and New Testament do mutually illustrate each other; nor can either be well understood singly. The Old Testament, in histories, types, prophecies, and ceremonies, strongly delineate Him who, in the fulness of time, was to come into the world to effect a reconciliation between God and man. The New Testament shows, that all these characters and circumstances were actually fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth; that it was he of whom "Moses in the law and "the prophets did write;" and that we are not to look for another.

We read in Genesis, chap. xxi. that Abraham had two sons; Isaac, the child of the promise, the son of his old age, by his wife Sarah; and Ishmael, born some years before, of Hagar, the handmaid and servant of Sarah; that the latter, with his mother, were cast qut of the family: the occasion some would think trivial, the anger and jealousy of Sarah, because Ishmael had mocked her son. But when it was grievous to Abraham to put them away upon so slight a ground, God

himself interposed, and commanded him to comply with her desire. Had we heard no more of this, it is likely we should have considered it as a piece of familyhistory, of no very great importance but to those who were immediately concerned in it. We should, perhaps, have wondered to find so much said upon such a subject, in a book which we profess to believe was written by divine inspiration; we should probably have presumed to arraign the divine wisdom, in descending to particulars, in which, according to our views of the fitness of things, we could discern nothing either interesting or instructive. To guard us from these rash mistakes, to explain the true meaning of this particular transaction, and at the same time to furnish us with a key for understanding many passages of the like nature, in which human wisdom can discover neither beauty nor benefit; it has pleased God to favour us with an infallible exposition of the whole matter. Not for the sake of Abraham, or Isaac, or Ishmael, or Hagar, was this recorded; much less merely to gratify our curiosity. No: "These things," saith the apostle Paul, "are an allegory; for these are the two covenants; the

one from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, "which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in 66 Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, "and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem " which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all. -Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children "of promise. But as then he that was born after the "flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless, what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bond-woman and her son: "for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with "the son of the free-woman. So then, brethren, we