That which ancient forerunners did in the natural world, John the Baptist was to do in the moral world. 'The Jewish church was a desert country to which John the Baptist was sent (Matt. iii. 1-4.), to announce the coming of the Messiah. It was at that time destitute of all religious cultivation, and of the spirit and practice of piety; and John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord by preaching the doctrine of repentance. The desert is therefore to be considered as a proper emblem of the rude state of the Jewish church, which was the true wilderness meant by the prophet, and in which John was to prepare the way of the promised Messiah.'* But in what sense is Jesus a forerunner? The connection in which the passage stands will, to some extent, inform us. The apostle had just introduced the immutability of God, the firmness of his promise, and the hope inspired by the gospel. He then illustrates this hope by an anchor. He then carries the mind within the veil,' and points to Jesus, as our great Forerunner. The whole is striking and full of interest. We are then to follow Jesus, or else the name here given is without meaning; for in ancient times the company always followed the forerunner. 6 *Bishop Lowth on Isaiah xl. 3. vol. ii. pp. 252-254. A practice, similar to that above described, is. recorded by the chaplain to Sir Thomas Roe, ambassador to the Mogul court in the reigns of James I. and Charles I.; who says (p. 128.) that, making a progress with the ambassador and emperor, they came to a wilderness "where (by a very great company sent before us, to make those passages and places fit for us) a WAY WAS CUT OUT AND MADE EVEN, broad enough for our convenient passage." See similar instances in Dr. Clarke's Travels, vol. viii. p. 277. 8vo. Mr. Forbes's Oriental Memoirs, vol. ii. p. 450, and Mr. Ward's View of the History, &c. of the Hindoos, vol. iii. p. 132.' The very word forerunner signifies an earnest of something to follow. How blissful the thought then that Jesus has passed through the tomb, and that in that blessed country where he is gone we shall all ultimately arrive! The way is prepared, not merely made possible, but certain. For as the forerunner did not go till it was certain the monarch or his company would follow, so Jesus did not leave the earth for heaven, till it was made certain that the human race would ultimately follow him to an everlasting world of peace and joy. XXXII. FOUNDATION. 'For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.' 1 Cor. iii. 11. THIS word occurs in the singular fifty-three times; in the plural thirty-two; but this passage is the only instance where it is directly applied to the Saviour of the world. There are, however, other terms evidently designed to convey the same meaning; such as corner stone,' 'precious stone,' 'head of the corner.' We need not dwell on a term where the meaning is so evident. It is sufficient to observe, that as no building can stand without a foundation, neither can Christianity without Jesus as its support. There are several particulars connected with this appellation which we will place before the reader in their proper order, and then make an application of the whole to the subject of our title. I. A foundation must be prepared. II. Every thing must be removed that stands in the way. III. It must be proportioned to the building. IV. It must be laid before the building can be erected. V. There cannot be more than one foundation. VI. A foundation is laid with an intention to raise a superstructure. All these particulars will be found to apply to Christ, and our object now will be to take a brief view of each.. I. A foundation must be prepared. Many passages go to show that God had prepared Jesus for his work before he came. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.'* 'Behold my servant whom I uphold; mine elect in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.'. 'Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.'‡ II. Every thing must be removed that stands in the way. From the moment of the origin of sin, intimations were made of the coming of Jesus. The great and glorious day was revealed to patriarchs and prophets. Just before the entrance of the Saviour upon our earth, a forerunner came to prepare the way by preaching repentance to the Jewish church. Every thing then was in a rude state. The people were sunk in moral degradation. When Jesus appeared, Jehovah laid the foundation of that church. which is to stand forever, surviving the revolutions of time and the ruins of empires. III. The foundation must be proportioned to the building. Two things are essential to a good foundation; the first is to bear, the second is to endure. That Jesus is well qualified for both, is evident from the prediction of the prophet: His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, + Ib. xlii. 1. + 1 Pet. i. 20. Isa. xxviii. 16. The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.'* Speaking to John, our Lord says, 'I am he that liveth and was dead and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.'† 'We may safely,' says one, 'venture the weight of our eternal all upon this rock; it will stand forever, without giving way under the heaviest pressure, without being broken by the most violent shock. Let thousands, let millions, with all the mountainous weight of guilt upon them, build upon this foundation, and they shall never be moved.' That this foundation is able to endure, as well as to bear, is evident from the whole tenor of Scripture. Some,' says the Apostle, concerning the truth, have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his.' 'He that believeth on him shall not be confounded.' 'Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.' This stone can never moulder away. Parian marble, and even the flinty rocks, decay; the firm foundations, the stately columns, the majestic buildings of Nineveh, Babylon, and Persepolis, and all the magnificent structures of antiquity, though formed of the most durable, stone, and promising immortality, are now shattered into ten thousand fragments, or lying in ruinous heaps. But here is a foundation that now stands as firm under Adam, Abel, and Abraham, as at the first moment they ventured their dependence upon it.' IV. The foundation must be laid before the build *Isa. ix. 6. † Rev. i. 18. || Heb. xiii. 8. 2 Tim. ii. 19. |