ROOT AND OFFSPRING OF DAVID. 327 of all,' and yet he descended in a direct line from David, and was therefore his Offspring. He was, therefore, both the Root and the Offspring of David. As Lord of all, he would sustain David as the root sustains the tree. And yet he was a branch of that very tree which he nourished and supported! But Jesus is the Root of David only as he is the Root of all. In his spiritual kingdom, 'he is Lord of all,' for he is the source, the fountain, whence come all our spiritual blessings. There he is the Root, sustaining all as the natural root sustains the tree. But he was both the Root and Offspring of David, which cannot be said of any other individual of our race. What glories meet in the Saviour! What seeming contrarieties! Yet all is blended in perfect harmony! He is King, Priest, Saviour, Mediator, Son of God, Son of Man. And 'he bears the glory.' So many offices never before centered in one being. A very important inference may be drawn from this title. We have another proof that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah. He was spoken of by Moses, the Jewish lawgiver, by David, king of Israel, and by every prophet, even down to the very period when the prophetic age ceased. The line from which he should descend, the place where he should be born, and the time, were all predicted. All was exactly fulfilled. And when the Root and Offspring of David appeared, he confounded the Jew by his own Scriptures. He could believe that he was the Son of David, for he gave him that title, but then in what way he could be the Lord of David at the same time, he could not understand. And so will the Jew ever be confounded, till he acknowledges that he has 'found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth.'* But 'blindness in part is happened to Israel till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.' Yes, the veil will be removed from the despised and blinded Jew, and he will at last see and understand the force of the question of his Lord when on earth, 'If David then call him his Lord, how is he his Son?' And then he will under stand in what way his Messiah was both the Root and Offspring of David. Blessed period! May the Lord hasten the happy day! All hail, mysterious King! Hail, David's ancient Root! Thou righteous Branch, which thence did spring, To give the nations fruit. Our weary souls shall rest Beneath thy grateful shade; Our thirsting lips the sweets shall taste, By thy blest fruit conveyed.' * John i. 45. Rom. xi. 25, 26. LXVII. SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD. ' And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.' 1 John iv. 14. THIS title is found in only one other instance, John iv. 42. But whoever examines the Scriptures will find the office of a Saviour ascribed to Jesus both by prophets and apostles. And even his enemies understood him to have come as a Saviour of the world. For who does not see that if Jesus had declared himself to be the Saviour only of the Jews, they would readily have received him, and had he been an impostor, he would undoubtedly have endeavored to accommodate his conduct to their views. In proportion as the Jew learned the extent of the mission of the Saviour, in that same proportion did his persecution increase, until his anger rose to that height that he cried out, 'Away with him! crucify him! crucify him!' There are several views that may be taken of this subject, but we have thought to confine our remarks to three. I. The nature of salvation. II. The extent of salvation. I. The nature of salvation. On this point the Scriptures are very full. The Saviour is presented before the mind as a Refiner and Purifier; as a Man had corrupted his Light; as a Deliverer. way, and he needed purifying; his soul had become darkened by sin, and he needed light; he was in bondage, and he needed deliverance. And when the great Saviour came, he spake of the fire that was already kindled; of the light that had come into the world; and of the deliverance that he designed to effect for the human race. He came not to effect an outward salvation, but a salvation within the soul. The reign and chief blessings of Christ are within us. The human soul is his kingdom. It is within us that he rears his throne, and there he will reign, even when all earthly thrones and dominions shall have passed away. II. The extent of salvation. This we may gather from two sources: the teachings of the Saviour, and his character. 1. He declares that 'God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.'* He says, 'I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.' He has been lifted up, and now it remains for him to draw all men unto himself. One is as certain as the other. Then, to strengthen and confirm the whole, we learn that he taught this doctrine distinctly during his ministry on earth. This is evident from the declaration of the Samaritans, among whom he abode two days. In giving an account of this visit, the sacred historian says, + Ib. xii. 32. *John iii. 16, 17. 'And many more believed, because of his own word; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying, but we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.'* They went out, while the truth was burning within them, in pursuit of the woman who had given them the first intimations of the Saviour, and the very first words that came leaping forth from their full hearts were, that they knew this to be the Saviour of the world. 2. We learn this sentiment from the character of the Saviour. His benevolence was unbounded. It was like a fountain sendíng forth its pure streams on every hand; like the sun shining upon the evil and upon the good; like the silent, refreshing dews of heaven upon the tender plant; like a broad, overflowing river, watering and fertilizing its banks. It was manifested in every possible form: in opening the eye to all the glories of noon; in unstopping the ear to all the music of nature; in imparting health to the sick, vigor to the infirm, liberty to the oppressed, instruction to the ignorant, food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, rest to the weary, consolation to the mourner, soundness of mind to the insane, and life to the dead. And to crown the whole, he spent his last breath in pleading with Heaven for the forgiveness of his enemies. Now could a being possessing so much love be satisfied with anything short of the salvation of the whole human race? It is in vain to say that he had such a desire in the days of his flesh, and does not possess it now he has ascended to the *John iv. 40-42. |