MOSES AND CHRIST COMPARED IN THEIR PROPHETICAL OFFICE.
Acts iii. 22, 23- Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
THERE are innumerable beauties in the Holy Scriptures, which escape the notice of the superficial observer, but which, when discovered, abundantly compensate all the labour that can attend the minut- est investigation. Critics have bestowed much pains in searching out the beauties of heathen authors, and have often given them credit for excellencies, that were neither designed, nor discovered, by the authors themselves. But we need never be afraid of ascribing too much to him, who delivered to us the sacred oracles. If time would permit, we might point out a great variety of passages that would illustrate this remark. But that before us, may stand as a specimen of the rest. Peter had exhorted the Jews to believe in Christ, that their sins might be blotted out by his blood. The Jews imagined, that a compliance with this exhortation would be a defection from Moses. Peter therefore obviated this objection by an appeal to the writings of Moses ; and shewed them, that Moses himself, not only foretold the advent of this new prophet, but enjoined an unreserved obedience to him under the severest penalties. Thus he turned their regard for Moses into an argument in support of that very doctrine, which for the sake of Moses they were inclined to reject. His words naturally lead us to set before you,
I. The character of Christ —
The words of the text are twice mentioned in Dcut. xviii. and twice mentioned in the Acts of the