(1.) God revealed Christ then to come to the Old Testament church, by promises and prophecies; to the end, that though they were not, at that time, to behold him, as manifested in the flesh, they might take a view of him by faith, and hereby he might be rendered the object of their desire and expectation, that when he came, it might be no unlooked-for event, but the accomplishment of those promises and predictions that related thereunto: thus God told Abraham, not only that he should be blessed with a numerous off-spring, but that, _in his seed_, that is, in the Messiah, who should descend from him, _all the nations of the earth should he blessed_; he likewise says to Israel, by Moses, _The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet, from among thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken_, Deut. xviii. 15. and, in following ages, there were promises and predictions, that gave farther light, concerning the person and offices, the sufferings and glory of the Messiah, as it is said, _To him give all the prophets witness_, Acts x. 43. And the prophet Isaiah is so express, in the account he gives of this matter, that he is styled, by some, the evangelical prophet; what he says, concerning him, is so particular, as though it had been an history of what was past, rather than a prophecy of what was to come; accordingly he foretells, that he should _be born_, or _given_, as a public blessing to the world, and describes him not only as having _the government upon his shoulder_, but as having the perfections of the divine nature, which discover him fit for that important trust, when he styles him, _Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace_, Isa. ix. 6. And, as he speaks of his birth, so he intimates, that he should be _born of a virgin_; chap. vii. 14. and he describes him, in chap. liii. as condescending to bear our sins, as standing in our room and stead, designing hereby to make atonement for them; he speaks of him, as _brought like a lamb to the slaughter_, and _cut off out of the land of the living, making his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death_, and after this, that _he should prolong his days_, and that the consequence hereof should be glorious to himself, and of the highest advantage to his people: and he describes him elsewhere, chap. lxiii. 1, &c. in a most elegant manner as one triumphing over conquered enemies; _travelling_, or pursuing his victories, _in the greatness of his strength_, and making it appear that he is _mighty to save_.