of the prophets, expected the establishment of a spiritual kingdom, wherein they should not merely be "delivered from all their enemies, but should serve God without fear in righteousness and holiness before him all the days of their life"."

To those who viewed him as the appointed Source of these benefits, his advent must be an occasion of most exalted joy: and accordingly it was announced as such by the angelic hosts, who said, "Behold, we bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."]

2. In reference to the Christian Church

[Having partaken of all the preceding benefits, we are led to contemplate the Saviour more immediately in reference to our own necessities: and O, what a consolation is he to us, while we view him as a Propitiation for our sins! What tongue can utter the feelings of a contrite soul, when, after many fears of God's wrath, it is enabled to see the efficacy of Christ's atonement? O, the peace, the joy, the exultation that arise from every fresh application of his blood to the conscience! Well is "the peace said to pass understanding," and "the joy of believing to be unspeakable and glorified!"

But we are enabled to view him further as our 66 Advocate with the Father." In this light, he is, if possible, more precious than in the former. The comfort springing from his sacrifice would be greatly diminished, if we did not know that he is entered into heaven with his own blood, to plead the merit of it in our behalf. What should we do under any fresh contracted guilt, if we had not an Intercessor, through whom we might return to God, and offer our petitions with confidence of acceptance? Weak and frail as we are, we should sit down in despair: but having such a High-Priest that is passed into the heavens for us, we may come boldly to the throne of grace, assured of obtaining mercy, and of finding grace to help us in the time of need 9.

Further, we behold him also as a fountain of all spiritual blessings. "It hath pleased the Father that in Christ should all fulness dwell'. Whatever we want, whether wisdom, or righteousness, or strength, there is a fulness of it all in him; and we may say, "In the Lord have I righteousness and strength." What an unspeakable consolation must this be to those who feel their emptiness and poverty! What blessed confidence does it bring into the soul, when, under a full conviction that we have not in ourselves a sufficiency even to think a good thought, we are enabled to say, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me"!"

4 Heb. iv. 14, 16.

• Luke i. 72-75. P Luke ii. 10, 11. Col. i. 19. s Isai. xlv. 24. t 2 Cor. iii. 5. u Phil. iv. 13.

In these views "Christ is so precious to those who believe in him," that they "account all things but loss and dung ir comparison of the knowledge of him3.”]

It will not be unprofitable to consider,

II. In what manner we are to "wait for” him

In the precise sense in which this expression is used in the text, we can now only wait for his coming to judge the world. But there is a spiritual advent to the soul, which every believer is entitled to expect: for, as Christ said to his Disciples, "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come unto you; so he says. to every obedient follower, "I will come unto you, and make my abode with you." This advent therefore we are entitled to expect: and we should wait for it, 1. In a renunciation of all other comforters

[The ungodly, in their troubles, go, like the Jews of old, to the creature for help and comfort: the worldling, to his business; the voluptuary, to his indulgences; the man of gaiety, to his sports; and the formalist, to his duties. They all "forsake the fountain of living waters, and hew out to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water"." But we must go to Him, who invites the weary and heavyladen, and gives them assurances of rest. The language of our hearts must be, "Lord, to whom shall we god? Whom have we in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that we desire besides thee"." "None else shall save us; for in thee, even in thee alone, the fatherless findeth mercy."]

2. In a firm persuasion of his all-sufficiency—

We

[We shall in vain hope for comfort in Christ, if we doubt either his power or his willingness to save us. "If our faith be wavering, we shall receive nothing of the Lord"." should not therefore come to Christ, saying, "Lord, if thou canst do any thing for us, interpose and help us1;" but, "Lord, I know that with thee all things are possible1:" thy blood can cleanse from the deepest guilt; thy grace can vanquish the most deep-rooted lusts'; and one glimpse of thy countenance can turn all my sorrows into joy m. "Having thee, though possessed of nothing else, I possess all things".'

99

What a holy glorying would such views of Christ introduce into the soul, even if its distresses were ever so accumulated! Surely, our consolations should abound not only above, but also in proportion to, our heaviest afflictions P.]

3. In an assured expectation of his promised advent

[That he has promised to come to the souls of his afflicted people has been before shewn. Indeed a very principal end of his heavenly mission was, "to comfort them that mourn in Zion, and to appoint unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." Will he then relinquish the work he has undertaken? Will he violate his own engagements?" Is he a man, that he should lie, or the Son of Man, that he should repent?" Let us not then listen to the suggestions of unbelief and impatience: but rather obey the voice of the prophet, who says, "Though the vision tarry, wait for it; for in due time it shall come and shall not tarry."]

Our IMPROVEMENT of this subject shall be,

1. In a way of inquiry

[What do we make the ground of our consolation? We see what is supremely and exclusively the consolation of Israel. O that our regard to Christ may testify for us, that we belong to the true Israel!]

2. In a way of encouragement

[Consolation implies some previous trouble. Now, trouble, if not of a temporal, yet certainly of a spiritual kind, we must all feel. Let us acquaint ourselves with Christ, and we shall never be at a loss for comfort. Let us live nigh to him, and we may defy all the powers of earth and hellt.]

• 2 Cor. xii. 10. Ps. lxxvii. 7-9.

P 2 Cor. i. 5.
Hab. ii. 3.

q Isai. lxi. 1—3.

t See Isai. xxv. 9.

MCCCCLXXVII.

TESTIMONY BORNE TO JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.

Luke ii. 28-32. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

WHILST we are noticing, as they arise, the various steps of our Saviour's humiliation, we shall have

repeated occasions to observe, how carefully God has guarded us against the unfavourable impressions which we might otherwise have received from them. At no season was the Divine interposition more remarkable than at our Saviour's birth. The circumstances that attended it were as humiliating as could well be conceived; for he was born in a stable, and laid in a manger. But the descent of angels from heaven to announce and celebrate his advent, was more than sufficient to counterbalance the effect, which the meanness of his appearance might produce. Thus it was also when he was presented to the Lord by his parents, at the time of his mother's purification in the temple. He was presented in order to be redeemed, as all other first-born children were; as though his life had been forfeited, as well as theirs. But, as a counterpoise to this, an aged saint, to whom it had been promised that he should not die till he had seen the Messiah, was warned by an express revelation from above to go into the temple for that purpose. Whilst he was there, the child was brought thither by his parents; and this holy man was inspired to distinguish his person, and to proclaim his character. His language on this occasion is very instructive: it shews us,

I. What views we should have of Christ

We have no reason to think that in his outward appearance the infant Jesus was at all different from others. But this aged saint, on taking him up in his arms, announced him,

1. As the divinely-appointed Saviour—

[It was to God the Father that this holy man addressed his devout acknowledgments, and said, "Mine eyes have seen thy Salvation." We must never forget, that the Father is the fountain, from whence the streams of salvation flow. He is "the giver of every good and perfect gift;" and the gift of his dear Son to a ruined world was altogether the fruit of his love. "HE prepared for him a body:" HE qualified him for his office by an immeasurable communication of the Holy Spirit. HE upheld him in the execution of his work, protected and preserved him till his hour was come, and enabled him to persevere till he could say, "It is finished."

Moreover the Father himself bore testimony to him under that character. Thrice, by an audible voice from heaven, did he point him out to the world in that view; "This is that my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear him." He constrained angels (both good and bad), and men (enemies as well as friends), to unite their testimony with his. In raising up Jesus from the dead, he declared also with irresistible evidence, that Jesus was his Son; and that what he had done for the salvation of the world, was accepted in our behalf. The Apostles, whom he sent forth to instruct the world, were everywhere to bear this testimony, that the "Father had sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world:" and the Holy Ghost was poured out upon thousands, both in his gracious influences and miraculous powers, in order to confirm their word.

In a word, our blessed Lord himself always spake of himself as sent by the Father to perform His will; and therefore, whilst we thankfully acknowledge the readiness with which Jesus. undertook our cause, we must always regard him as God's salvation, commissioned by him for that purpose, accepted by him in that capacity, and proclaimed by him for that end.] 2. As the universal Saviour—

[The immediate and primary objects of the Messiah's attention were, (as our Lord himself informs us,) "the lost sheep of the House of Israela." And, after his resurrection, he gave especial commandment, that his Apostles, who were commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations, should make the first offers of salvation to the Jews, even in that very city where he had so recently been condemned to death, and to that very people who had imbrued their hands in his blood". Accordingly we find that the Apostles forbore to preach unto the Gentiles, till the Jews had obstinately rejected their testimony, and poured contempt upon the proffered salvation®.

But the ultimate design of God was to give salvation to the world at large. If the Jews were to have the peculiar glory of giving birth to the Saviour, and of having the Gospel first ministered to them, they were not to engross all the benefits of his mission. The Gentiles, who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, were to behold his light, and to be guided by him into the paths of peace. Wherever there is a fallen child of Adam, there is a person for whom Christ came into the world, and to whom the Gospel, if thankfully accepted, shall become the power of God unto salvation. We are of Gentile extraction, and to us are the blessings of salvation offered: nor should we ever name the name of Christ, without feeling our obligations to him, and glorying in him as "all our salvation and all our desire."

a Matt. xv. 24.

b Luke xxiv. 47.

e Acts xiii. 46.