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tion shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." And, in the 72d psalm, David, speaking of Solomon in a typical sense and of Christ in the true and proper sense, expresses himself thus: "In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth."* But, it may be asked, how does this comport with the positive declaration of Jesus himself, came not to send peace upon earth, but a sword?" The answer to which is this, that these words are to be understood as declaring not the intentional effect of his coming, but the accidental only. Which is incontrovertibly clear from the purport of that angelical hymn, which was sung at his birth, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men." And the last bequest he made to his disciples was, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you; let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." And, would the subjects and followers of this King of Salem, which is King of Peace, carefully follow his precepts and punctually obey his laws, they would reap the fruits of righteousness, which is love, joy, and peace. Nay, so far is the practice of genuine Christianity from having the least tendency to disturb the tranquillity and good order of society, as has been artfully and maliciously insinuated by a modern and much esteemed historian,‡ that nothing is so essential to the public weal; and it is much to be lamented that the fine parts of this and many other writers, Bolingbroke, Shaftsbury, &c. should be prostituted to the vile purpose of depreciating the religion of Jesus, when it may be asserted, with the strictest justice, that the real sincere Christian will always be the best and truest subject. “An admirable thing indeed!" says the sage Montesquieu,

"Psalmus hic est Davidis votum, quo Salomoni imperium, justum, felix, &c. precatur. Mystice tamen exponi potest et debet de Christi regno, cujus regni quædam imago illud erat. Christus enim est verus Salomon, h. e. pacificus." Muis, Lowth, &c. And, for the double interpretation of prophecies amongst many other authors, see Spanhemius, on Matt. ii. 5, in Poole. and Bishop Lowth.

+"Hæc dissidia excitat F.vangelium, non ex sua natura, sed aliorum vitio." Brugensis, &c. See Gibbon's History, vol. 5, p. 482, 526, 570, &c.

"that the Christian religion, which seems to have the felicity of another life for its object, should also be instrumental to the happiness of this." For it is evident, from the preceding title, that the kingdom of Christ, as the blessed Jesus asserts of his, was not to be of a temporal but a spiritual nature, and the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. And, by a mode of conquest peculiar to hiniself, having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, and triumphed over Sin and Satan on the cross, so making peace between heaven and earth; and, by thus slaying the enmity that subsisted, he hath reconciled the world unto God. How justly then did the multitude recognise this Prince of Peace in that sublime strain, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest."

Thus we see how exactly this portraiture of the prophet corresponds with the person of Jesus, the son of Joseph. And nothing less than obstinacy and perverseness can prevent the conviction of the unbeliever. Let then the infidel deride a crucified Saviour, and the Jew boast of his pretended Messiah, but we will triumph in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, a man mighty in words and in deeds; or, in the language of the prophet, wonderful and counsellor. Let the Scribes and Pharisees wait with a fruitless expectation for the son of David, but let us, with the wise men, adore the blessed Babe lying in the manger, whose name is Immanuel, or, as the prophet stiles him, the mighty God, or God-man. Let the worldly-minded Jew and the sensual Mahometan pride themselves in their carthly glory and brutal paradise, but let the followers of the holy Jesus shew that they have here no continuing city, but expect one to come, whose builder and maker is God, being heirs of eternal salvation through him, who is emphatically stiled the

"Satanam cum angelis suis, et omnibus quæ illis militabant contra humanam salutem, vetere Adamo, mundo, et peccatis nostris; quomodo, imperatore devicto, exercitus illius simul fugatus intelligitur. BY AUTN, in cà scilicet cruce, quæ fuit instar triumphalis currus, aut circumvecti trophæi. Vicit dæmonas non pugnando, sed patiendo, quod vere divinum victoriæ genus." Davenantius, &c.

Father

Father of Eternity. Let us distinguish ourselves as the disciples and subjects of the Prince of Peace, whose express charge it was,. "Have: salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."* And let it be our study and endeavour to increase and enlarge the kingdom of Christ, by promoting, to the utmost of our power, peace on earth, good will towards men. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, says the prophet, in the words following my text; and this prediction would be literally accomplished, were that precept of our Saviour put in full practice," say unto you, love your enemies, bless them which curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." Follow, therefore, as the disciples of the blessed Jesus, the things which make for peace; and may the God of Peace sanctify you wholly, that, at Christ's second coming, you may be translated into his kingdom of glory, and dwell, with him in everlasting peace.

* "Pacis symbolum sal, ac vitæ ; et inter præcipuas salis facultates est, quod unit, densat, et quasi coagulat. Unde et in fœderibus, tanquam unionis Tessera, Hebræis usitatum. Vide Num. xviii. 19. Heinsius, &c.

A SERMON

FOR

CHRISTMAS-DAY.

LUKE, ii. 32.

A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people, Israel.

THESE words are the conclusion of that rapturous hymn, which old Simeon sung upon receiving the blessed Jesus into his arms: and what other subject could have afforded him such matter of transport and joy? It had been expressly revealed unto him, by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see Death before he had seen the Lord's Christ, whose advent was generally expected at that time; and he, amongst the rest of the devout Jews, was anxiously waiting for the consolation of Israel.‡

* "Facturus, ut credibile est, ei secundum legem, i. e. ut sisteret eum Domino; erat enim sacerdos, ut testantur Athanas, et Epiphan. &c." Brugensis.

+ "Non per angelum, neque per vocem, quam ip na vocant, sed & inimvolas, per immediatum Dei colloquium." Grotius.

"In toto Oriente fama percrebuit, circa hoc tempus oriturum principem maximum, et tota Judæorum gens Messiam tunc exspectavit. Vide Luc. xix. 11. In cujus spem, Judæi ex toto orbe confluxerunt Hierosolymam. Act. ii. Simeon, ergo, cum reliquis piis et S. Scripturæ studiosis Messiam in propinquo esse novit, id quod ei confirmatum erat per Spiritum Sanctum." Lightfoot.

When,

When, therefore, the parents of the holy child Jesus brought him into the temple to do for him after the custom of the law, Simeon, who came there by the Spirit to present him to the Lord, probably, as a Nazarite from the womb and to have occular demonstration of the completion of the promise lately made to him, taking up the blessed babe in his arms, bursts out into this song of joy and thanksgiving: "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.”

I shall, therefore, take occasion to shew, first of all, that the redemption purchased for us by Christ is universal, and, in the next place, point out the singular propriety of those expressions, "a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people, Israel."

That the grace of God, which is by Jesus Christ, bringeth salvation to all men, is evident both from the reason of things as well as the express declaration of Scripture. The baneful effects of the fall of Adam extended to the whole race of mankind; for, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men; for, that all have sinned. Any provision, therefore, made to obviate the fatal consequences of this first transgression must be at least equal in its extent and efficacy with the pernicious influence of sin and death; otherwise the remedy would be partial and imperfect, and by no means answer the salutary purposes for which it was designed. It is inconsistent, then, with the wisdom and goodness of God to suppose that the atonement made for sin, by the death of Christ, is confined to a certain

*"Salutem tuam. Tuum illum salutis Autorem; a te olim promissum, jam vero missum atque exhibitum.". Piscator.

Brugensis, &c.

"Non tantum Judæorum, sed et totius mundi." “Tria erant in primo peccato: 1°. Culpa actualis. 2°. Pravitas naturalis, sive horribilis naturæ deformitas. 3o. Reatus legalis. Et hæc omnia ad posteros introierunt non unâ viâ, sed triplici: culpa, participatione; quia omnes seminali ratione fuerunt in lumbis Adami. Pravitas, propagatione, seu generatione; quia filios genuit Adam ad imaginem suam, non Dei. Reatus, imputatione; quia gratia ita Adamo collata est, ut, si peccaret, tota posteritas cum ipso eâ excideret." Parceus.

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