CHAPTER XX. 531 " And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots ; and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and under- standing, and the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." This is fulfilled in John iii. 34. " He-whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God ; for God giveth not the Spirit unto him by measure ;" Col. IL 3. " In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and know- ledge ; John i.' 32: The Spiritabode upon him." ' 5. His" commission for the ministry or preaching the gospel is also described by this prophet; that he should pronounce ter- ror to the wicked, and peace to the meek, and humble, and penitent. Is. xi. 4. " He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, with the breath of his lips he'shall slay the wicked. Is. lxi. 1 -3. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath at-Minted me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he bath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God ; to comfort all that mourn, &c." Which was evidently fulfilled in Jesus Christ, when he published pardon of sin, and everlasting life to those that repent andbelieve in him, and pronounced the punishments of hell upon the impenitent ; and our Saviour particularly ap- plies this prophecy to himself; Luke iv. 18-21. 6. That he shall work miracles of healingwhen he cornea to be a Saviour. Is. xxxv. 4. " Behold your God will come and save you t then the eyes of the blind shalt be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped : then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing." Which was fulfilled when our Saviour wrought these miracles not only on other occasions, but more eminently in the sight of the disci- ples of John the Baptist, who came to learn whether he were the Christ or no ; Mat. xi. 2 -6. And our Saviour provesit by his miracles before their eyes. 7. That he should have a forerunner to prepare his way in the wilderness. Is. xl. 3. " The voice of him that cried' in the wilderness, prepareye the way of the Lord, make strait in the desart a highway for our God : and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." That is, the glory of the Lord shall be made visible to fleshly eyes, by dwell. ingbodily, or in the body of Jesus Christ, when God shall ma- nifest himself in the flesh ; 1 Tim. iii. 16. AndJohn the Bap- tist was his forerunner in thewilderness ofJudah ; Mat. iii. 1 -3.. 8. l'he sufferings of Christ also,' and his meekness and patience tunden the contempt, reproaches, and persecutions he met with ; his death as au atonement for sin, hisbeing numbered among vile sinners ; his burial with the rich; his resurrection,
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