minious death of the Messiah; hated, defpised, villified, fcorned, and derided as the fcum or dregs, not worthy the name of man: executing him with the malefactors, as a moft bafe culprit. That he died for others, both Daniel and Ifaiah agree; this proves him to be more than man, they being all involved in the fin of our first parent, and this against the Deity; which guilt could not be cancelled by a creature; for had man maintained his innocence, or even the higher order of angels, they have nothing they can claim or offer, but belongs to their Creator. This reflection involves my mind, and like a dagger pierces my heart: where have I been wandering in the fhades of night, for four-fcore years, ever learning, but never learned my purfuit limited to the narrow boundaries of Palatine, and my Meffiah an earthly prince; O the mifery of terreftrial glory, it robs us of all that is truly glorious; how often have I confidered, Mofes, our great legiflator, and king Solomon, as types of our Meffiah, but him in a far more perfect and fublime sphere, with a long feries of years and tranfcending blifs; but ftill terreftrial, and him not God; for the thought I fhould be condemned blafphemeous. But now a ray of celeftial light breaks through, and discovers to my deluded understanding the weakness of the human mind, left to its own reasoning in the way of fpirit; four-fcore years travelling over fea and land in fearch of truth; this from my youth, my chief concern, but alas to no effect; fcripture has ever been my chief companion, but > but no fpiritual nourishment could I receive, being tenacious to maintain the law of my fore fathers, which I confidered as the law of my God; whereof it was nothing more than the early impreffion 1 imbibed in my infant ftate, which ripened into maturity as I grew up, and became mistress both of my reason and actions, for I always made it a rule that my actions thro' life should be conformable and coincide with the fentiments of my mind: but ftill there was a dark mift that for ever clouded and caused a fecret dread, which hung on my mind; and when I reverted to the fcriptures for relief, and difpelling the gloom that hung before me, I found none, but rather added to my grief: my adhering clofe to the letter as I was taught, fettered my reason, so that all seemed one mafs of contrarieties; but now the fcripture unfolds, the light of reafon brightens and difpels. the mift of ignorance and vain prefumption, under whofe captivity I have been long an alien and ftranger to my God; his divine truth was no truth to me, as I reprobated and changed this truth to my condemnation; nourishing and inculcating tenets oppofite and deftructive to this truth; my foul callous, and crusted as a toad lay perdue to spit its poifon and fester the minds of others; but the night is paft, all thanks to my God, for unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government fhall be upon his fhoulder, and his name fhall be called Wonderful Counfellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace peace there fhall be no end, and 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 Hofts will perform this. Here is my God manifefted in human flefh, the infinite God manifefted in man's flesh, the eternal born in time, the Creator become a creature; the infinite, to whom the universe is not more than a grain of fand; who creates, nourishes, fupports, and keeps the whole in a ballance, to be a fellow companion with man, ordering, directing, and training them to be fit jewels for replacing and filling the thrones that became vacant by the fall of angels. What can we express worthy of this God Man; man' raifed to the infinite height of taking his feat upon the right hand of the Infinite Majefly, and placing his friends in feats of glory. # Boy. David in the 24th Pfalm gives us the exalted glory of the afcenfion of Chrift. Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be you lifted up you everlafting doors; and the king of glory fhall come in. Who is the king of glory? it is the Lord, ftrong and mighty, even the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be you lifted up, you everlafting doors, and the king of glory fhall come in. Who is the king of glory? even the Lord of Hofts, he is the king of glory. Alfo in the, 16th Pfalm gives our Lord's refurrection: I have fet God always before me, for he is on my right hand, therefore I fhall not fall; wherefore my heart was glad, and my glory rejoiced; rejoiced; my flesh also shall reft in hope for why thou fhall not leave my foul in hell, neither fhalt thou fuffer thy holy one to see corruption; thou fhalt fhew me the path of life: in thy prefence is the fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore. Mofes. Daniel prophecies the death of the Meffiah after three-fcore and two weeks, Meffiah fhall be cut off. David gives us his refurrection; thou shalt not leave my foul in hell, neither fhalt thou fuffer thy holy one to fee corruption. Alfo in this as in his other pfalm, his triumphal afcenfion: thou fhalt fhew me the path of life; in thy prefence is the fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there is pleasure evermore. These were myfteries until now, [ confefs myself totally ignorant. Boy. Pfalm 110. The Lord faid unto my Lord, fit thou on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy foot-ftool: the Lord fhall fend the rod of thy power out of Sion; be thou ruler even in the midft among thine enemies. In the day of thy power fhall the people offer thee free-will offerings with an holy worship; the dew of thy birth is of the womb of the morning: the Lord fwore and will not repent. Thou art a prieft for ever after the order of Melchifedech: the Lord upon thy right hand, shall wound even kings in the day of his wrath: he fhall judge among the heathen, he fhall fill the places with the dead bodies, and finite afunder the heads over divers countries; he fhall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up his head. Mofes Mofes. The pfalm before us is a further teftimony and confirmation of the royal prophet o the divinity of the Meffiah; for David was a great king, he had many nations tributary to him, himself acknowledged no fuperior but his God, whose darling he was; Messiah, as man, he knew was to be his fon, confequently not intitled to his homage; but he knew alfo that he was his God, in quality of which he pours forth his foul in praife and adoration, which breathe throughout his pfalms: in this pfalm is declared the priestly office of the Meffiah, not according to the order of Aaron which was inftituted in the old covenant, but according to Melchifedech, to whom we read in Genefis, our father Abraham paid tithes, and received his bleffing, being the priest of almighty God; fo that the new worship or covenant will be different, dating, and taking its effect from the death of the Meffiah, who, ac-, cording to Dániel, is to be cut off, but not for himself. Alfo the Pfalm 40, Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not: but a body thou haft fitted to me: Holocaufts for fin did not please thee. Then faid I, behold I come in the head of the book it is written of me, that I should do thy will, O God. Here we are told of the infufficiency of the old covenant and mode of worship, and that the Almighty would bring and confirm the new, which, according to Daniel, was confirmed with many and established in the middle of the feventieth week by the Meffiah when he was cut off, and that the old worship should ceale, as we are witneffes this day. Near two thousand |