"thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which "leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest

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go;" Ifa. xlviii. 16, 17. As Joseph when he revealed himself to his brethren, faid, "Come "near unto me, I am your brother Jofeph, "whom ye fold into Egypt:" So the Saviour fays, Come near unto me, I am your brother Jefus whom ye crucified. I did not conceal this truth from the beginning. I am that perfon who was declared to be the Meffiah, from the first preaching of the gofpel; and though ye formerly rejected me, Jehovah has now fent me with his Spirit to convince you: Thus I speak with the authority of Jehovah : though I became your kinfman Redeemer, I was known to your fathers by the name of the Holy One of Ifrael; and now I am to enter into covenant with you, as your God, to teach you wherein true happiness confifts, to lead you in the way of everlasting life. As the brethren of Jofeph were "troubled at his presence," reflecting on their former unworthy treatment of him, fo the Jews fhall now be filled with terror as well as shame, for their former conduct. It will be natural for them to reflect, that they not only fhed his blood, but likewise said, when a heathen's confcience refiled from the crime, "Let his blood be on us and on our children;" Matth. xxvii. 25. ; imprecating the punishment due

due to the crime, on their pofterity, throughout all generations. To remove that terror, the Saviour further addreffes them: "As for thee "alfo, by the blood of thy covenant I have "fent forth thy prifoners out of the pit where"in is no water. Turn you to the strong hold,

ye prisoners of hope: even to-day do I de"clare, that I will render double unto thee';" Zech. ix. II, 12. As if he had faid, In confequence of my covenant with you, ratified by

the

(1) The address here is not by God the Father to the Mediator, as fome have imagined, but by the Mediator to the Church, for the pronouns are in the feminine gender. That the addrefs is to the Jewish church, at the time of their converfion, is evident from the connection. Zech. ix. 9, as explained in the New Teftament, is applicable to our Saviour's first appearance. The meaning of the emblematical action performed by him, is fhewed, verfe 10. It fignifies that his kingdom fhould be established not by war, but peace. This leads the prophet to mention a circumftance which would appear at firft view improbable, That his kingdom fhould be very extenfive, notwithstanding his renouncing the common means of conqueft. In regard this enlargement of the Meffiah's kingdom takes place at the Millennium, he is from thence led to mention the circumstances that immediately precede that period; as the conversion of the Jews, verfe 11, 12.; the battle of Armageddon, verse 13, 15.; and their refettlement in the land given their fathers, verfe 1,6 17.

the blood fhed on the crofs, that blood which was typified by the facrifices of old, I announce to you forgivenefs, and a deliverance from the pit of deftruction, which your fins deserved; that pit where "the worm dieth not, "and the fire is not quenched;" where a drop of water is not afforded to cool the parched tongue. You have felt the feverity of the blood fhed crying out for vengeance: ye fhall now experience its efficacy pleading for atonement and forgiveness. Turn ye, therefore, to me, with fincere faith, and unfeigned repentance; you fhall find in me a ftrong hold, "a hiding place " from the wind, a covert from the tempeft." Though furrounded with the terrors of deftruction, as prifoners under fentence of death, who have their execution in view, your hope of deliverance, though faint, shall not be disappointed. So far fhall I be from returning on your own heads your unworthy treatment of me, that I folemnly declare, I will beftow at this time, a measure of happiness, double to that your fathers enjoyed in their most flourishing times.-Forgiveness thus announced with authority, fhall be received with faith. Sorrow shall be swallowed up of joy, and the multitude fhall cry out with raptures, "How beautiful 66 upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace;

"that

"that bringeth good tidings of good, that pub"lisheth falvation; that faith to Zion, Thy God

reigneth!" Ifa. lii. 7. That perfon in whom they formerly "faw no beauty," that they fhould defire him, they now fee to be moft beautiful in his perfon; as "being the bright"nefs of his Father's glory, and the exprefs "image of his person;" yea, "The mighty "God,

(1) That the primary and only meaning of this paffage, is to represent the fentiments of the Jews concerning the Saviour, upon their converfion, is evident, lft, From the connection. This chapter, to verse 13. is a continuation of the fubject treated of in the preceding, which we have seen refers to their restoration in the latter days. 2d, It is faid, verfe 6. They fhall know my name; intimating their converfion from a state of ignorance and infidelity. 3d, Seeing an open vision, verse 8.; and the gospel, in confequence of their converfion, propagated to all the ends of the earth, verfe 10.; are circumstances that accompany their last restoration, but by no means applicable to the return from Babylon. 4th, The Apostle Paul applies the text to the first preachers of the gospel, Rom. x. 15. Now the preachers of the gofpel are beautiful, on account of the meffage they carry. We preach not ourselves, but Jefus the Lord. The prophet therefore, in mentioning an individual, must understand the Saviour here reprefented as the Meffenger; because he perfonally carries to the Jews the meffage concerning himself, by which they are convinced and converted.

As drawing

"God, The everlasting Father." the vail of humanity over the glory of the Deity, that his terrors fhould not make them afraid, conformably to the request of their fathers; Exod. xx. 19. They fee him beautiful in those circumftances in which he reveals himfelf to them, on the mountains of Affyria, when they are surrounded with outward calamities, and alarmed with inward terrors of eternal deftruction. They fee his feet once nailed to the cross, his ignominious death fo offenfive to their pride, most beautiful. It is by it "they receive "the atonement." They fee him in his death and fufferings a more glorious conqueror than their fathers expected; that he hath vanquished the hoft of darkness, overcome death, and emancipated millions from the miseries of hell, to fing glad hallelujahs in heaven.

They see his doctrine, though once rejected by them, most beautiful, as fhewing the way of reconciliation betwixt an offended God and guilty finners,-breathing peace to the guilty confcience ;-revealing the greatest good and the trueft happiness of men ;-that happiness which is fuitable to the dignity of their fpiritual nature, and will prove lafting as the ages of eternity. In a word, they fee him beautiful in the declaration he now makes, That he who was the God of their fathers, and the Ruler of