a believing cordial reception of him into our hearts; and our life of sanctification in this world stands in our walking in him, cleaving to him, and holding communion and fellowship with him; for he is made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

X.

THE WOMB OF THE MORNING, AND THE CHILDREN

OF LIGHT.

PSALM CX. 3.

"In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning; thou hast the dew of thy youth."

THIS psalm begins with the glorification, exaltation, and cession, of Christ (after his resurrection) at the right hand of God the Father. "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand," &c.

As the second Adam, and everlasting Father of the elect family, he is appointed heir of all things, and all things are put under his feet, and he is head over all things to the church. The Jews in particular, who put him to death, and rejected his reign, are styled his enemies, and therefore he casts out his shoe over them; they are subdued by his wrath; they refused the bosom of his love, and therefore he says, "I will trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment, for the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year my redeemed is come. This is spoken in allusion to warriors, who often appear in garments rolled

of

in blood; who, when they have subdued a rebellious people, reduce them to the most servile drudgery; which is called making his enemies his footstool; upon the conquest of whom, as upon a footstool, he raises himself in fame and glory the higher, as Christ's fame was by the destruction of Pharaoh in the Red sea. This was done likewise at the destruction of Jerusalem, by leaving that people without a sceptre, without a ruler, and a synagogue of Satan, even to this day.

"The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies," Verse 2. Rod signifies a sceptre, and this sceptre is his power. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. This derived power respects Christ as man, and as mediator, not as God: for as God he is the first and the last, the Almighty, Rev. i. S.; and no power can be added to omnipotence. Besides, as God all things are his own by creation, and by right of nature. "For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible; whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist, and he is the head of the body, the church." If all things were created by him and for him, own by right of nature.

then all things are his This power, therefore,

called the rod of his strength, is a derived power given to him as man and mediator. And this rod, sceptre, or power, is over all and all things; and is displayed first by his gospel, which is the power of God to salvation or damnation; called therefore a savour of life unto life to some, and of death unto death to others; which is termed smiting the earth with the rod of his mouth, and slaying the wicked with the breath of his lips: thus his sceptre reaches even to the souls of men. Moreover, his rod is seen in executing vengeance on the enemies of his people, and in their destruction by various ways, especially by war. In righteousness he doth judge, and make war.

"Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Thy people are the elect of God the Father, given to Christ as man and mediator; "Thine they were, and thou gavest them me." This This people are a rebellious set, reluctant to all that is good, contrary to Christ, and enemies to God; but Jesus hath received gifts for the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell among them.

This power is put forth to make them willing to come over to his standard, to submit to his yoke, and bow to his sceptre; which is done in the day of his power. There is a time for every purpose, a set time to favour Zion, and a day of power to every chosen vessel, when the power of the Lord is present to heal. Every chosen vessel hath his day, his appointed time. When the sinner is cut up and subdued, it is a day of power to him;

when Christ is revealed, it is one of the days of the Son of man; and, when taken into the bosom of his love, it is the day of his espousals. "In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, thou hast the dew of thy youth." I will treat,

1. Of the beauties of holiness,

2. Of the morning.

3. Of the womb of the morning.

4. Of the youth. And

5. Of the dew of the youth.

1. Of the beauties of holiness. There are many things which the scriptures call beauty, or beautiful; such as a beautiful crown, beautiful rod, beautiful for situation, and beautiful face or countenance; and all these are of God: but the beauty in my text is divine beauty; it is all reflected or derived from God, and there are various branches of this beauty; and hence they are mentioned in the plural, and by way of distinction are called the beauties of holiness. All divine and human beauty put together is now to be seen in Christ Jesus; "He is the chiefest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely." If we consider him in his divine nature, he is God over all, and the Creator of all, and the Author and giver of every natural beauty that is to be found in this world or the next; "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time." In him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; he possesses in himself, in the highest sense, every attribute and perfection of divi