This was the Captain of the armies of Israel, who was with them for their salvation; and is it not written of Christ that he is the Captain of our salvation, the good shepherd of the sheep, and head of all principality and power?

Again he appeared the same mysterious angel, who is again and again called Jehovah, and sat under an oak in Ophra, and appeared to Gideon and said, "The Lord is with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man; and the Lord looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might, have I not sent thee?"

Some years after, he again appeared to the wife of Manoah, the mother of Sampson, and promised her a son; but Manoah not being present at the time, prayed that he would come again. God heard his prayer, and the angel again visited them, at which time Manoah asked his name, not knowing that he was an angel, but probably thinking him a prophet; but the answer was, "Why askest thou after my name, seeing it is a secret ;" as if he fain would say, I am not yet called Jesus the Christ. But Manoah being directed to offer a sacrifice to God upon the rock which was at hand, at which it is written, the angel did wonderouly, and ascended in the flame of the burnt sacrifice, for it was the angel Jehovah.

Many wonderful manifestations had David, Solomon and Elijah, especially the latter, in the cave of the mountain, when the Lord passed by in an earthquake, and in a strong and mighty wind, which brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord, and in a fire, and next a still small voice, at the sound of which Elijah cover

ed his face in his mantle, for then he knew it was the Lord.

St. John informs us that Isaiah saw Christ's glory and spake of him. "I saw the Lord, says he, sitting upon his throne, high and lifted up; his train filled the temple. The seraphim covering their faces with their wings, and cried one to another, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts."

Thus far we see, that from Abraham as well as before his time, until that very remarkable view of Isaiah, there were many signs of his coming. But we will now pass over subsequent ages, and come nigher to the time when he who was and is the desire of nations, the great antetype of all the old testament types, sacrifices and signs, was to be disclosed to human view in Bethlehem of Judea.

The signs of those times, it appears were very closely observed by the wise men of the east. They no doubt were Jews, or men who possessed a knowledge of Jewish tradition, or else had the Jewish Scriptures, though living a great distance east of Jerusalem.

The fact that Isaiah had foretold the miraculous birth of the Messiah, who should be the offspring of a virgin, and that his name would be called Immanuel, was known to them, and also the information of the angel to Daniel, the prophet, which was given him when he so fervently prayed that God would again restore the captive Jews to their country and beloved city; and it is probable that he at that time also prayed, that the Messiah might then appear for their relief and emancipation from captivity.

But to this prayer the angel Gabriel seems to reply, by saying, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy."-Dan. ix. 24. Which informs, in the most emphatic manner, that the Messiah would not come sooner than seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety years, reckoning each week to be seven years, which was the fact.

Relative to this verse, Dr. Clark states that the seventy weeks here mentioned amount to four hundred and ninety years, and are divided into three distinct periods.

First period embraces from the going forth of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem, which commandment was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus, and given to Ezra, the prophet, and comprehends seven weeks, or forty-nine years, till Jerusalem was repaired, her sacred constitutions and civil establishments again brought into effect by Ezra and Nehemiah.

Second period consists of sixty-two weeks, or four hundred and thirty-four years, and extends from the above mentioned repairs of Jerusalem, till the commencement of the preaching of John the Baptist, which was probably several years before Christ entered on his public ministry.

Third period embraces one week, or seven years, and comprehends all that time in which the Messiah was to confirm the covenant with many, and extends

from the commencement of John the Baptist's preaching till the out-pouring of the holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, which three periods will make seventy weeks, or 490 years.

The propriety of adapting the last week, or seven years, to John the Baptist's preaching, appears from the words of Christ, who says, "The Law was until John with John's ministry and his own, till Pentecost, the new and better covenant was confirmed, which is the last of the seventy weeks, and was fulfilled to the letter.

And that these years were nearly accomplished was undoubtedly known to those Eastern Magi, or wise men, and the place foretold by the prophets of his birth was a subject to which they were no strangers, else why should they seek him at Jerusalem.

And while they were in the way to that City, a meteor or star appeared in the air, not very high from the earth. The appearance of this star, was to those wise men a very joyful coincidence, for it is likely they might then recollect that it was said by Balaam, “1 shall see him but not now, I shall behold him but not nigh; there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall arise out of Israel."-Num. xxiv. 17. This star, therefore, might be thought a symbol of the true star that was to arise out of Jacob. As soon, therefore, as they had come to the city, they inquired for Him who was born king of the Jews, and added, for we have seen his star. Although they were certain that this was the country where he must be born, yet the particular place was to them an object of in

quiry; but of this they could not be informed; for when Herod, at their instigation, had assembled the Sanhedrin to inquire for himself, where this king should be born, they could only tell him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: "And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, art not the leas among the princes; for out of thee shall come a Go vernor that shall rule my people Israel."-Math. ii. 6 Herod, therefore, as soon as he had finished the inqui ry dismissed the Sanhedrin, and privately said to these wise men, "As soon as ye find the young child bring me word that I may worship him."

These wise men having obtained information where that section of the country called Bethlehem was situated, went from the presence of Herod, to seek in that place the particular dwelling of his parents, or house of his abode, which was about six miles from Jerusalem. And while musing and conversing upon the prophecies and signs of his birth, saw suddenly and not very high from the earth, the same meteoric star, which they had seen in the way when coming to Jerusalem. At which sight they greatly rejoiced, and followed its course until it came and stood over the place and humble dwelling of God manifest in the flesh. There is scarcely a doubt but this bright luminous meteor, after standing over the place where the child lay, came and encompassed the head of the infant; else how should these wise men know certainly that this was the very child, the subject of prophesy, and was born a king, to whom they presented gifts. The fact that the Saviour was always represented with a glory