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Sir, who is this King of Ifrael that is in the midst of us and is mighty, and who declares he will fave, but the word made flesh, that dwelt among us, and came to fave his people from their fins?

ZECHARIAH fpeaks to the fame purpofe. In the fecond Chapter, having mentioned the vengeance that should be taken upon the Babylonians, and other nations, tha had spoiled God's people of old, an emblem of the wrath that will be poured upon the modern Babylon, he defcribes the days of refreshing in the following words, fing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for lo! I come, and dwell in the midft of thee, faith the Lord: (This seems to refer primarily to the coming of Chrift in the flesh.) And many nations fhall be joined to the Lord in that day, (viz. the gentile nations,) and fhall be my people. And I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou fhalt know that the Lord of Hofts hath fent me unto thee. And the Lord fhali inherit Judah, his portion, in the holy land, and fhall chufe Jerufalem again which plainly foretels the converfion of the Jews and their restoration to their own land. And, perhaps, the following words, Be filent all fief before the Lord, for he is raifed up out of his holy habitation, may be intended as an intimation of the converfion of all mankind, their attendance upon the Lord in his ordinances, and their worshipping, him in fpirit and in truth.

MALACHI, alfo, the laft of the Prophets, foretels, and that with great clearnefs, this twofold work of the Meffiah. Having pointed him out as the Lord that fhould come to his Temple, the Meffenger of the Covenant in whom (to be fhortly revealed) the pious Jews delighted, rejoicing, like faithful Abraham, in the fore-fight of his day; he next informs us, what would be the effect of his manifestation in our flefh. But who, fays he, may abide the day of his coming? And who shall fand when he appeareth

appeareth? For he is like refiner's fire, and like fuller's foap, and he shall fit as a refiner and purifier of filver, and by the fpirit of Judgment, as well as fpirit of burning, he shall purify the fons of Levi, and purge them as gold and filver, that they may offer unto the Lord, an offering in righteoufnefs. Then, the times of refreshing fhall fucceed the days of vengeance, and the offering of Judah and Jerufalem, shall be pleafant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in the former years. For while the Lord comes near to Judgment and is a fuift witnefs, against the forcerers, and against the adulterers, and againft falfe fwearers, and against thofe that opprefs the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn away the flranger from his right, and fear not the Lord; they that fear him, fpeak often one to another, and the Lord hearkens and hears, and a book of remembrance is written for thofe that fear the Lord and think upon his name, and they shall be mine faith the Lord, in the day when I make up my Jewels. Then shall ye turn and difcern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that ferveth God, and him that ferveth him not. And he fpeaks more clearly ftill in the next, (the laft) Chapter. He firft defcribes the days of vengeance. Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, and all that do wickedly shall be as ftubble: the day cometh that shall burn them up, and leave them neither root nor branch. He then foretells the days of refrefhing, which fhall fucceed. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteoufnefs arife with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the ftall. And ye shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the foles of your feet, in the day that I shall do this, faith the Lord of Hofts.

Now, Sir, He before whofe face Jehovah's Meffenger, John the Baptift, was fent, and before whom he cried, Prepare ye the way of the Lord:·

make

make his paths ftraight: He who fuddenly comes to his Temple, and, appearing in it as the defire of all nations, gives it a glory, fuch as even Solomon's Temple had not, though befides the fplendour and magnificence of the wonderful fabric, overlaid with filver and gold, it had five signs of the divine prefence, as the Jews themselves have acknowledged, which were wanting in this fecond Temple; viz. the Urim and Thummin, by which the High-Prieft was miraculously inftructed in the will of Gon; the Ark of the Covenant, containing the two Tables of the Law written with the fin ger of God; the fire upon the Altar, which came down from heaven; the Shekinah, or vifible difplay of the divine glory, and the Spirit of Prophecy-He, who is like Refiner's fire and like Fuller's foap, and who fits upon the fouls of men, as a Refiner and purifier of filver, purifying them from all pollution of the flesh and fpirit: He who comes near, hy his fpiritual prefencé, as a fwift witnefs against finners of every defcription, while as the Sun of righteoufnefs he rifes upon those that fear the name of the Lord, with healing in his wings; fo that they go forth and grow up as calves of the ftall: He furely must be something more than a mere man. Leaving you to reflect, Sir, on the contrariety of your doctrine, to that of the Prophets,

I remain, &c.

LETTER

LETTER VI.

The teftimony born bythe Prophets to the God-head of Chrift.

REV. SIR,

HR

WOW could you affert that none of the Prophets gave the Jews any other idea of the Meffiah, than that of a man like themselves, when Ifaiah had given Him names which are above every name, that at the names of our Saviour every knee fhould bow, and every believing Jew fhould confefs that the Meffiah is Lord God om. nipotent? Had you forgotten this prophetic exultation, Unto us the Child is born, unto us the Son is given, and the government fhall be upon his fhoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counfellor, the mighty God, the everlafting Father, the Prince of peace? fai, ix 6.

Your affertion is fo much the more astonishing, as Ifaiah in other places fpeaks of the Meffiah, in terms as magnificent. Take two or three inftances, That Prophet defcribes the Meffiah's Humanity, as a Branch growing out of the roots of Jeffe, as a holy Prince who fhall judge with righteoufnefs, reprove with equity, fmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, flay the wicked with the breath of his lips, and fo perfectly reftore peace in the earth, that they shall not hurt nor deftroy in all his holy mountain, or happy dominions, where even the Gentiles fhall enjoy a glorious reft: For the adverfaries of Judah shall be cut off, and Ephraim shall not envy Judah, nor shall Judah pex Ephraim: and the Lord shall utterly deftroy the tongue of the Egyptian fea. Ifai. xi. 1, &c. After this defcription of the Meffiah, the

Son

Son of God manifefted as Son of David and Jeffe to deftroy the works of the Devil, and to reigh with his antients glorioufly, the Prophet, in the name of the Church, fings, before hand, a fong of thanksgiving to God our Saviour, for thefe mighty atchievements. In that day (fays he) thou halt fay, (The work of redemption is finished) Behold God is my falvation, the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my fong: he is become my falvation. Therefore with joy fhall ye draw water out of the wells of falva tion. Sing unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent things. Cry out, and fhout, thou inhabitant of Sion, for great is the Holy one of Ifrael in the midst of thee. Ifai. xii. 1, &c. It was impoffible for a fpiritual Jew to read this defcription of the Meffiah's peaceful kingdom, without fecing that this Root of Jeffe, this Holy one of Ifrael fo great in the midit of Zion, was the fame wonderful Person, whom the Prophet had just before called the Son given and the mighty God. And our Lord gave the Jews an affurance of it, when he cried on the great day of the feast, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink: And this he did, when they had just been finging (as they did at that feaft) thofe words of Ifaiah, You shall draw with jay water out of the wells of Salvation; plainly inti mating to them, as he had done to the woman of Samaria, that he was the divine spring of our joy, the Holy One of Ifrael in the midst of us, and the Jehovah become our falvation, and fung by Ifaiak.

The fame Prophet, perfonating John the Baptift, and foretelling the coming of the Meffiah, fays, The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, (the way of Jeho vah:) make frait in the defert a high way for ova GOD. Every valley fhall be exalted, and every mountain shall be made low, and the rough places. plain; and the glory of THE LORD fhall be re F

vealed.

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