When St. Stephen was brought before the council of the Jews, and was endued with such supernatural wisdom and power, that the inward influence of the Spirit was even reflected upon his countenance, he also adduced this pro phecy of Moses, as affording the fullest confirmation of the divine mission of Christ."

To the believer in revelation, one express assertion in the New Testament, that Christ was the person who fulfilled any prophecy contained in the Old Testament, is, in itself, a sufficient proof. No further certainty can be added to perfect assurance. But when the completion of prophecy is produced as a proof of the divine authority of the books in which it is found, the enquirer may reasonably desire to be satisfied that the alleged correspondence actually exists.

Now the first particular, which the prediction of Moses teaches us to expect in him who should be raised up to fulfil it, is, that he should be a Prophet like unto him. And in the fullest sense in which the terms can be used, Christ Jesus was such a Prophet.

The title of prophet was, sometimes, given to those holy men, who were inspired with wisdom from above, and empowered to declare to the people the will of the Almighty.

P Acts vii. 37.

That Christ was such a teacher sent from God, the whole tenor of his blameless life, the purity of his precepts, their wonderful adaptation to the precise wants, and secret weaknesses which every one must feel in his own heart, and the miracles which he wrought, sufficiently testify. These alone were satisfactory proofs that he was a prophet, in the estimation of those to whom they were first displayed; before they knew, what has since been shewn to the world, the exactness with which all the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in him, and the accuracy with which his own predictions have been accomplished.

Christ takes compassion upon the widow of Nain, whose son is carried out. He speaks, and the dead revives. The conclusion, which the eye-witnesses of this transaction drew, was irresistible. "There came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us." The most illiterate could not fail to reason accurately from such premises. When a man blind from his birth, who received his sight by the will of Christ, was asked what opinion he formed of him that had opened his eyes; his answer immediately was, "He is a prophet."

But those inspired persons are with peculiar

4 Luke vii. 16.

John ix. 17.

propriety denominated prophets, who were gifted with the power of foretelling future

events.

Now the prophecies, delivered by Christ, are unexampled in number and accuracy. Some predictions, which should speedily be fulfilled, were uttered to confirm his disciples' faith. Other prophecies were delivered, which were not to be fulfilled until a later period, but still at such a time, that they who heard the prediction were also the witnesses of its completion. Christ foretold the influence which the obscure fishermen, whom he selected as his Apostles, should exercise, when they had become fishers of men: that they should have power given them to speak with other tongues, and to perform miracles; and should "go forth as witnesses unto him, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth."" He foretold the persecutions of his disciples in general, the very mode of Peter's death: and intimated which of his disciples should survive the destruction of the holy city."

X

But the most remarkable of Christ's prophecies were those which he delivered respecting

e

d

himself. That he should be betrayed by one of his own disciples," denied by another, forsaken by all; that Jerusalem was the place appointed for his death, the Jews the cause, the Gentiles the instruments; that they should mock, and spitefully entreat him, and scourge him, and spit upon him, and crucify him; that the third day he should rise again;' that after his resurrection he should appear to his disciples, in Galilee; that he should again ascend into heaven," and thence send another Comforter to abide with them for ever-all these circumstances, which could be conjectured by no analogy, nor fulfilled by any collusion, were repeatedly declared to his disciples, at first by obscure intimations, and, at the last, in terms the most clear and express.

Other prophets have been illuminated with the Spirit of God. Others have delivered to the world predictions which have been fulfilled in

John vi. 70. xiii. 21; 26. Matt. xxvi. 21. Mark xiv. 20, 42.

a Luke xxii. 31, 32. John xiii. 38.

b Matt. xxvi. 31. John xvi. 32.

e Matt. xvi. 21. xx. 18. Luke xviii. 31.

d Mark viii. 31. x. 33. Ļuke ix. 22.

• Matt. xx. 19. John iii. 14.

Luke xviii. 31...33. Matt. xvii. 22. John ii. 19, 21. x. 17.

Mark x. 34. viii. 31.

Matt. xxvi. 32. Mark xiv. 28.

h John vi. 62. xvi. 28.

John xiv. 16. xvi. 7.

H

distant ages. But a series of declarations so explicit, respecting the very person in whom they were accomplished, often by the instrumentality of hostile agents, is sought for in vain, even in the pages of revelation.

But the similarity, between the prophetic character of Moses and that of Christ, will appear most visibly, by comparing the prophecies which each delivered of the very same event; the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jewish nation.

The prophecy of Christ is not merely an application of the previous prediction of Moses. Circumstances are added which prove it to be an original prophecy., That of Moses is destitute of any marks of time. That of Christ specifies the very generation in which it shall come to pass. The prophecy of Moses was fulfilled in more than one event which happened to the Jews. That of Christ was fulfilled, in its temporal sense, only by one, signal, catastrophe.

The event referred to was future, both with respect to Moses and to Christ. Whether, therefore, Christ intended to allude to the prophecy of Moses or not, his prophetic power was equally apparent. He singled out, from the various vicissitudes to which the people of the Jews were subjected, one specific age, not yet