Again, the gracefulness of his speech is put figuratively for the perfection, sublimity, excellence, and sweetness of the doctrine he delivered;-a doctrine, in truth, intrinsically perfect; sublime, as being far above the discovery of human wisdom; excellent, by it salu. tary effects and operation upon men, raising their minds to the knowledge of the true God,-to a knowledge of his nature, as far as a nature so distinct from matterso remote from sense-so transcending reason, can be made intelligible to man, united to matter-perceiving by sense what immediately surrounds him, but contemplating at a distance only the objects of pure intellect; a doctrine sweeter to the regenerate soul than honey and the honey-comb to the palate, by the disclosure of the great scheme of redemption in all its branches -the incarnation of the Son of Man--the atonement for sin by his death-the efficacy of his intercessionthe constant supply of succour from the Holy Spirit. This doctrine, cherishing the contrite, consoling the afflicted, banishing despair, raising the fallen, justifying sinners, giving life to the dead,-in a word, the glad tidings of salvation,-this is the "grace" which is poured over the "lips" of the Son of God.

It is to be observed, that the happiness and glory to which the human nature is advanced in the person of Jesus, the man united to the Godhead, and now seated with the Father on his throne, is always represented in holy writ as the reward of that man's obedience. In conformity with this notion, the psalmist says, "Therefore," for this reason, in reward of the holiness perfected in thy own life, and thy gracious instruction of sinners in the ways of righteousness, "God hath blessed thee for ever,"-hath raised thee from the dead, and advanced thee to endless bliss and glory.

Thus the psalmist closes his brief description of our Lord on earth, in the days of his humiliation, with the

mention equally brief, but equally comprehensive, of the exaltation in which it terminated.

He proceeds to the second great period in the divine history of Christianity, the successful propagation of the gospel, and our Lord's final victory over all his adversaries, a work gradually accomplished, and occupying the whole interval of time from his ascension, to the epoch, not yet arrived, of the fulness of the Gentiles coming in.

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From the commendation of the comeliness of the king's person, and the graciousness of his speech, the psalmist, in the same figurative style, passes to the topic of his prowess as a warrior, under which character our Lord is perpetually described in the prophecies. The enemies he had to engage are the wicked passions of men, the Devil in his wiles and machinations, and the persecuting powers of the world. The warfare is continued through the whole of the period I have mentioned, commencing upon our Lord's ascension, at which time he is represented, in the Revelations, as going forth upon a" white horse, with a crown upon his head, and a bow in his hand, conquering and to conquer." The psalmist, in imagery almost the same, accosts him as a warlike prince preparing to take the field,-describes his weapons, and the magnificence of his armour, and promises, him victory and universal dominion.

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3. "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,

"O most mighty! with thy glory and thy majesty." This verse, I fear, must be but ill understood by the English reader. The words "O most mighty!" very weakly render the original, which is a single word, one of the titles of Christ, in its literal sense expressive of might and valour. But the great difficult which, in my apprehension, must perplex the English reader, lies in the exhortation to gird on glory and majesty together with the sword. The things have no obvious connec

tion; and how are majesty and glory, in any sense which the words may bear in our language, to be girt on upon the person? The truth is, that in the Hebrew language, these words have a great variety and latitude of meaning; and either these very words, or their synonymes, are used in other places for splendid dress, and for robes of state; and being things to be girt on, they must here denote some part of the warrior's dress. They signify such sort of armour, of costly materials and exquisite workmanship, as was worn by the greatest generals, and by kings when they led their armies in person; and was contrived for ornament as well as safety. The whole verse might be intelligibly and yet faithfully rendered in these words:

"Warrior! gird thy sword upon thy thigh; "Buckle on thy refulgent dazzling armour." The psalmist goes on:

4.

Take aim, be prosperous, pursue,

"In the cause of truth, humility, and righteous

ness;"

that is, take aim with thy bow and arrow at the enemy; be prosperous or successful in the aim taken; ride on in pursuit of the flying foe, in the cause of religious truth, evangelical humility, and righteousness.

"And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things;" rather,

"And thy own right hand shall show thee wonderful things."

In these last words, the Saviour, effecting every thing by his own power, is represented under the image of a great champion in the field, who is prompted by his own courage, and a reliance on his own strength and skill, to attempt what might seem impracticable; singly to attack whole squadrons of the enemy,-to cut his way through their embattled troops,-to scale their ramparts and their walls, and at last achieves wat seems a wonder to

himself, when the fray is over, when he is at leisure to survey the bulwarks he has demolished, and the many carcasses his single arm has stretched upon the plain. Such great things he will be able to effect; for

5. "Thine arrows," saith the psalmist, sharp

"In the heart of the king's enemies;

"Insomuch that peoples fall under thee."

are very

To open the true spiritual meaning of all this highwrought imagery, will be ample matter for another discourse. I shall close, therefore, for the present, with this preliminary observation, as the fundamental principle of the interpretation which by God's assistance I shall give, That the war in which the Saviour is engaged is very different from the wars which the princes of this world wage upon one another: it is not for the destruction of the lives of men, but for the preservation of their souls.

SERMON VI.

PSALM xlv. 1.

I speak of the things which I have made touching the King, or unto the King.

IN my last discourse, I proceeded so far in my exposi

tion of this mystic marriage song, as to enter upon what I reckon the second section of the whole psalm; consisting of five verses, from the third to the seventh, both inclusive; in which, under images taken from military exploits, the successful propagation of the gospel is described, through the whole of that period which commenced at our Lord's ascension, and will terminate with the triumphs of the church at his second advent.

From the commendation of the comeliness of the king's person, and the graciousness of his speech, which, in the second verse, are put figuratively for the perfect innocence and sanctity of our Lord's life on earth, and the sweetness of his gracious doctrine of pardon, peace, and justification, the psalmist, persevering in the same figurative strain, passes to the topic of his royal bridegroom's military prowess. He accosts the king as a warlike prince, preparing to take the field,—describes his weapons, and the magnificence of his armour, and promises him victory and universal dominion.

I shall now endeavour to open and explain to you, with God's assistance, the true spiritual meaning of all this high-wrought imagery. But first I must repeat,