THE

ORIGINAL PROMISE FURTHER

UNFOLDED

BY THE

PROPHET ISAIAH.

LECTURE VI.

THE ORIGINAL PROMISE FURTHER UNFOLDED

BY THE PROPHET ISAIAH.

BY THE REV. JOHN ELLISON BATES, M.A.

CURATE OF ST. BRIDE'S LIVERPOOL.

ISAIAH vii. 14.

The Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

ISAIAH ix. 6, 7.

Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and
the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his
name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince
of Peace. Of the increase of his government
and
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne
of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and
to establish it with judgment and with justice,
from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this.

"THE path of the just," says the wise man, "is
as a shining light, shining more and more unto

perfect day."* Such was the Such was the progress of the pro

66

of

phetic announcements, which prepared the way The Holy One and The Just❞—the promised Messiah.

In the foregoing Lectures we have heard how the first day-spring from on high visited a world of darkness and despair; how, amidst the gloom of sin, a gleam of golden light appeared,"The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." As time advanced the light shone brighter; one distinguished family was selected to be the depositary of the promise-"To Abraham and his seed were the promises made;" and not only made, but in a measure explained; for in his beloved Isaac, whom in a figure he received from the dead, the patriarch" rejoiced to see Messiah's day, he saw it, and was glad." But brighter still shone the fair harbinger of approaching day, when unto David the Lord was pleased to swear, that "of the fruit of his body would He set upon his throne"-"That his seed should endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before God."

Thus far has the promise of the Messiah been traced in the preceding Lectures. Our present subject is, "The original promise further unfolded by the Prophet Isaiah."-And it may be

* Prov. iv. 18.

treated in one of two modes, which may be termed the Analytical, or the Expository. We may either analyse the whole Book of the Prophet Isaiah, and gather here and there such predictions as unfold the original promise; or we may take some one particular prophecy, and upon it offer such an exposition as may tend to illustrate the subject before us. If the analytical mode were adopted, we might select such passages as would exhibit the promised seed, under the threefold character of the Prophet, the Priest, and the King,-offices which, the Jews had learned from the earlier Scriptures, Messiah would fulfil. The Prophet,* like unto Moses-the Priest,† after the order of Melchisedec-the King, to sit upon the throne of David. For instance, we might show how Messiah is exhibited as a Prophet, in the 61st chapter of the Book, where it is written, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek." Or in the 53d chapter, as a Priest, offering up the sacrifice of himself, "the Lamb led to the slaughter," and "making intercession for the transgressors." Or in the 11th chapter, as a King, "the Rod out of the stem of Jesse," the royal "Branch growing out of his

* Deut. xviii. 15.

2 Sam. vii. 16; Ps. lxxxix. 36.

+ Ps. cx. 4.