by his gracious presence, a marriage solemnity. Let us turn our thoughts to that intimate and everlasting union, which will be constituted between Christ, and the faithful members of his Church; and which the sacred writers so beautifully describe, in figures, drawn from the marriage union.

"The marriage of the Lamb is come," said the holy Apostle, beholding the consummation of all things, "and the bride hath made herself ready ." When the glorified Redeemer comes, to translate his Church to a state of triumph in Heaven, he will receive her into the most intimate union with him. He will dispense to her faithful members, his protection, his favour, his everlasting love. Blessed are they who shall be found worthy to enter in, and to celebrate, in the hymns of Heaven, this joyful festival. What will be the sentence on him who attempts to appear at this holy feast, destitute of the wedding garment of righteousness and truth?" Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness." What will be the sentence on those, who, though bidden, would not come?"They shall not taste of my supper." Blessed Saviour! where shall they find felicity when banished from thee!

The holy supper is the emblem and the pledge of this everlasting festival of love. Here the Re

¡ Rev. xix. 7.

j Matt. xxii. 13.

k Luke xiv. 24.

deemer receives us into intimate union with him. Here he feasts us with every spiritual blessing, with pardon, with grace, with the joys of his everlasting favour. Here he gives us, under significant emblems, the spiritual food of his body and blood, by which we are nourished and supported unto everlasting life. Blessed are they, who in humility, penitence, and faith, celebrate that holy supper, by which they are spiritually united to their Redeemer, and prepared for the everlasting festival of love in his heavenly kingdom!

SERMON XIII.

MESSIAH, A SPIRITUAL KING.

[THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY.]

PSALM lxxii. 1.

Give the King thy judgments, O God.

THE Scriptures of the Old and New Testament set forth, by express predictions, the character and kingdom of that blessed Personage, who was promised from the beginning, as the Saviour and Deliverer of fallen man. But not only by express predictions, applicable to him alone, was he displayed, to the faith and hope of patriarchs, prophets, and saints of old; he was the substance of that law," which was the "shadow of those good things that were to come" in the final dispensation of grace and mercy. The illustrious kings of Israel, David and Solomon, were pre-eminent types of him, who was to "sit upon the throne of his father David "," the king of the spiritual Israel

a Heb. x. 1.

b 2 Sam. vii. 13. 16.

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of God, and who was to inherit a kingdom, infinitely greater than that of David and Solomon, for it was to be spiritual, and without end.

The psalms, indited by the inspired king of Israel, celebrated, in their immediate application, his own character and kingdom, and those of his son Solomon; and his own sufferings and triumphs, dangers and deliverances, defeats and victories. But they were designed typically and mystically to display the character and kingdom, the sufferings and triumphs, the dangers and deliverances, the defeats and victories, of a greater than David or Solomon; him who was "to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of sins"." Christ himself declared "that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the psalms concerning him." Jewish as well as Christian interpreters uniformly concur in referring many of these divine compositions to the Messiah. And numerous expressions in the Psalms are so sublime and magnificent, that in their strict meaning, they cannot, wihout impiety, be referred to any human potentate; to any but him who was to come, bearing the title, and exercising the power of King of kings, and Lord of lords.

In language therefore suited literally to earthly kings, do many of the Psalms set forth the Mes

• Acts v. 31.

d Luke xxiv. 44.

siah as a spiritual King. Sometimes they depict him armed for the destruction of his enemies, and exhibiting the splendour of victory. Then again they call us to view him exerting the beneficent sceptre of mercy and surrounded with the radiance of peace. As an example of the former description we may notice the 45th Psalm, in which the Messiah is represented as a warrior, girding his sword upon his thigh; riding forth in majesty to battle; piercing his enemies with his arrows; making the people fall under him.

On the contrary, in the Psalm, the first verse of which I have recited as my text, the Messiah is represented as the Prince of Peace; judging the people in righteousness; delivering the poor and needy; and whose beneficent reign endures for ever, and extends throughout the earth.

This Psalm is pronounced by an eminent critic * than whom, in point of learning and taste, no one was better qualified to judge, to be almost unrivalled in the compass of literature, for the variety and for the splendour of its imagery, and the elegance of its composition; and for the union of sublimity, with sweetness and grace.

It was composed by the monarch of Israel, on a most interesting occasion. Disqualified, by the infirmities of age, for sustaining the weighty cares

*Bishop Lowth.