"Is it a small thing for you to weary men,
But will ye weary my God also?

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

What, not the second Adam, Mamma?

Immanuel was the name of the second Adam. It means, "God with us;" so that whan Immanuel was

born, Immanuel was in flesh as his temple.

"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,

The 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."

Now, my love, the Jews were ready to give credence to this proclamation of the prophet; because it promised them peace for ever, and the mighty God to be their everlasting Father, and to establish the throne of David, and the kingdom of Israel for ever. They figured to themselves, that Immanuel would descend from heaven in all his glory, and sit upon their throne, and be called the King of the Jews;

and they had the uncharitable feeling to suppose, that he would sweep with his mighty power, the rest of the nations from the earth. But the prophet subsequently told them another story, that he was to be born in obscurity, be despised and hated. This they would not believe nor understand, because it did not suit the malignity and pride of their hearts. But, my love, Immanuel was born of a poor obscure virgin, who was espoused to a poor carpenter; so that when he appeared, the Jews hated, and despised, and rejected him, because of his poverty. The prophet thus pathetically paints the sufferings of the Son of God.

"He hath no form nor comeliness;

And when we shall see him,

There is no beauty that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of men,

A man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from him.

He was despised, and we esteemed him not."

And did the world thus treat the Son of God, Mamma?

It did indeed, my child; and such is its treatment of all who are poor and gentle : indeed, it despises meakness as meanness; gentleness as idiotism; forbearance as want of courage; longsuffering, as contemptible; overcoming evil for good, as the con

duct of a fool. Indeed, my child, if a young man at this day were to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit enforced by the commandments of God, even his best friend might challenge to meet him in what is termed a duel, that is, to fire at each other, to take each other's life, to satisfy wounded pride and honour; and if the young man obeyed the laws of God before the laws of man, he would be expelled the society of this poor sinful world. What a true exposition is this, my love, of the ways of God, and of the ways of the world, to show how incompatible they are with each other!

And what would become of them, Mamma, if either were shot?

Why, my love, they would depart into the hor rors of eternal destruction, for daring God in such an awful violation of his commandments.

And, Mamma, what did Immanuel, because of this cruel treatment?

The prophet continues to describe what his conduct would be.

"Surely he has borne our griefs,

And carried our sorrows:

Yet we did esteem him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities:

The chastisement of our peace was upon him,
And with his stripes are we healed."

O, Mamma, how dreadful! Why did he bear our sorrows, our griefs, our just chastisement, Mamma ?

All this he did, my child, for this wicked world, to deliver it from the power of Satan. But had not our merciful God thus suffered for us, we must have borne that death which was the sentence of Adam and his family, whose we are: but thus, my child by His stripes we are healed.

And, my dear Mamma, did the Son of God bear it patiently?

The prophet thus described his patience.
"The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

Yet he opened not his mouth."

O how gracious, Mamma! How God must have loved such a dear Son!

He was, indeed, my child, God's beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased. But you shall hear, my

child:

"He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter:
And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
So he opened not his mouth."

This shows, my dear child, why the sacrifice of the lamb, in the ceremonial law, was typical of this glorious Immanuel, because of its gentleness, being more gentle and obedient than all the animals on earth.

"He was taken from prison and judgment:
And who shall declare his generation?

For he was cut off out of the land of the living.
For the transgressions of my people was he stricken.
And he made his grave with the wicked,

And with the rich in his death.

Because he had done no violence,

Neither was any deceit in his mouth."

You perceive, my dear child, that, like Joseph, he was imprisoned, and unjustly accused; and they crucified him. Thus was he stricken for our transgressions. He even permitted himself to be placed in the same grave as corruption; so much was the heart of God given to our redemption, in which there is no difference between the poorest beggar and the greatest king. The prophet continues:

"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Lin;

He hath put him to grief:

When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin."

For this did he suffer, my child. Thus he did offer up his precious soul, my love, for the souls of the world.

And did the prophet, Mamma, mention what this great sacrifice would effect?

Yes, my child, he says:

"He shall see his seed;

He shall prolong his days,

And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."