executed upon them: "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."-Deut. xviii. 18, 19.

"He that

This threatening is still in force. believeth not, shall be damned."* The words are of universal extent: "WHOSOEVER will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him." Oh! that infidels may hear and tremble.

HAGGAI, who by the command of God exhorted the Jews, after their return from the captivity, to finish the rebuilding of the Temple, which had been interrupted for several years, foretold its peculiar glory above the Temple of Solomon.

This might appear strange when we read that, "Many of the priests and Levites, and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice."+ But the Prophet, speaking in the name of the Lord, explains his meaning:

"I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with

glory, saith the Lord of hosts." "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts."-ii. 7, 9. Heb. xii. 26-29.

This was fulfilled, when our Lord said to the Jews: "I say unto you, that in this place is one greater than the temple."-Matt. xii. 6.

"Behold, a greater than Solomon is here."-Matt. xii. 42.

ZECHARIAH, who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel, speaks of Christ, in unison with Isaiah,

and Jeremiah, as the Branch:

"Behold, I will bring forth my servant, THE BRANCH."-iii. 8.

"Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH: and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: even he shall build the temple of the Lord; .and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."-vi. 12, 13. See Luke i. 78, where day-spring is rendered branch. Marg. reading. -Eph. ii. 20-22.

told:

The entrance of Christ into Jerusalem is fore

66

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."-ix. 9. Matt. xxi. 1-7.

"He shall speak peace unto the heathen; and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth."-ix. 10. Mark xvi. 15.

The very sum is mentioned for which Judas betrayed the Saviour; as also the manner in which it should be disposed of:

"I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord."-xi. 12, 13. Matt. xxvi. 1416., xxvii. 3-10.; Acts i. 16-19.

The nature of our Lord's death is predicted:

"I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall

be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.”—xii. 10. John xix. 37.; Rev.

i. 7. "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."-xiii. 7. Mark xiv. 27.

' The saving benefits of the death of Christ are foretold:

"In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness."-xiii. 1. Heb. ix. 14.; 1 Pet. i. 19.; Rev. i. 5.

The universal spread of genuine religion is mercifully revealed:

"In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem, and in Judah, shall be Holiness unto the Lord of hosts."-xiv. 20, 21. 1 Pet. i. 15, 16., ii. 9.

The last of the Prophets is MALACHI, who prophesied respecting the glorious Advent of Christ, about four hundred years before his appearance in the flesh, and which closes the sacred volume of the Old Testament:

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver ;......that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." iii. 1-3. Matt. iii. 11, 12.; Mark i. 1, 2.

As by the Prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist was foretold as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness," Isa. xl. 3.; Mark i. 3.; so, by Malachi, he is

predicted under the character of Elijah: “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 come and smite the earth with a curse."-iv. 5, 6.

This prophetic declaration, the angel mentioned to Zacharias the father of John.-Luke i. 13-17. And our Lord also applied this prophecy to John the Baptist.-Matt. xi. 14.

How delightfully precious is this closing promise of the manifestation of Christ: "Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."-iv. 2. Eph. v. 14.

Oh! thou adorable Redeemer, how blessed are they who fear thy name; who believe with the heart unto righteousness; who love thee above all created things! How precious is thy holy word. Enable me, rightly to understand its truths, to practice its precepts, to delight in its promises, to study its prophecies, that my faith in thee may be confirmed, and strengthened, to resist the attacks of the infidel, the raillery of the profane, the machinations of Satan, the deceitfulness of sin, the allurements of the world, the fear of man, the corruption of my heart.

How wonderful are the revelations vouchsafed to thine ancient church, respecting thy nature and person, thy offices and miracles, thy life and doctrine, thy sufferings and death, thy resurrection and ascension, thy exaltation and glorification. In the Prophecies, as in a glass, I behold thy power and grace. Like the radii of a circle, they all meet in thee, the glorious centre. May I, by faith, ever behold thee as God manifest in the flesh, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. May I ever receive thee as the one Mediator between God and man, as the Repairer of the breach, the sinner's Refuge, Atonement, Righteousness, and Hope of glory.Lord give me a contrite, believing, loving, obedient,

thankful heart. Pour down upon me, in mercy, thy new covenant blessings. Enlarge the borders of thy kingdom, till thou art known, and loved, and obeyed in every region and under every clime, wherever there is a human creature to hear the glad tidings of thy grace. Let thy word run and be glorified, by the conversion of the world unto Thee!

"Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,

who only doeth wondrous things.

And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and amen.”*

Ye sacred heralds of eternal peace,

Lift up your voice, proclaim the Saviour near;
O let your sweet employment never cease,

The drooping heart with gladsome news to cheer,
To guide the trembling soul to Jesus Christ.

Young Christian, see, the harvest fields are white,
But where, alas! are labourers to be found?
Can you refrain from tears at such a sight,
When thousands perish in their sins around?
O seek to lead them to the Saviour Christ.

Thou faithful herald of a Saviour's love,

Thy feet, on mountains, beautiful appear;
Where'er thou tread'st, like Eden's sacred grove,
The dreary wastes a smiling aspect wear,
The Gentiles turn with joy to Jesus Christ.

Burning with love, the faithful man of God,
Strong in his faith,-despising grief and shame,
Smiles at the power of persecution's rod,
Unfurls the banners in a Saviour's name,
And breaks the idol at the Cross of Christ.

O sacred war! behold the captive sings,

In willing bonds to thy all-conquering might;
Thou Victor of the world, and all its kings,
Enrob'd in glory's everlasting light,

Each soul shall know that THOU alone art Christ.

* Psa. lxxii. 18, 19.