King, and raise them from a state of slavery and subjection to power and glory. And it is clear that they were led to believe these things in consequence of the lofty descriptions, which the Prophets had given of the Messiah's kingdom, His power, His character, His offices. They greatly erred, however, not knowing the Scriptures, not understanding aright the things which were written. Though Christ assured them, “My kingdom is not of this world;" though "He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself, that He must be delivered unto the Gentiles, 'be mocked and spitefully treated and put to death;” yet it is written, that “they understood none of those things, and the saying was hidden from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken." And when they were disappointed in their expectations of the worldly grandeur of Christ's character, they would not receive Him as the true Messiah, the promised Saviour of the world, but they still look for another. It is a known fact that a large body of the Jews at the present time still expect the Messiah to come. They do not believe Jesus to have been the Lord's Anointed, that Priest, and Prophet, and King, spoken of in the writings of the Old Testament; but they still expect that the Christ will yet appear among them in pomp, and glory, and splendour. Ah! blind and infatuated people! Ah! perverse and stiff-necked generation! Ye rejected God's beloved and anointed, not through

any deficiency of complete and convincing evidence to the truth and reality of His character, but through pride and unbelief. But we will turn from the Jews to ourselves-and I would ask of you all, whether you are thoroughly persuaded in your own minds that Jesus Christ, of whom we read so much in the New Testament, was indeed He, whom God had promised and the Prophets of old had declared to be the Saviour and Deliverer of the world? Do you think that the things, which are related of Him in the Gospel, the works that He did, and the character that He bore, correspond with the description given of the promised writings of the Messiah in the Old Testament? You will remember that Jesus himself declared, in answer to the inquiry, "If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly," "the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me." Call to mind then the works that Christ chiefly did, the miracles which He performed; recollect how He made "the blind to receive their sight, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the lepers to be cleansed, and the dead to be raised up."-Compare this account of the works, which we know that Christ actually did, with the prophecy of Isaiah respecting the coming and kingdom of the Messiah, "He will come and save you, then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped: then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing"-Compare, I say, this statement

of Isaiah respecting the promised Messiah with the accounts of Christ's works related in the four Gospels, and I do not doubt but that you will confess with Peter, "We believe and are sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God." The word Christ, you have been already told, signifies the Anointed; and Jesus was so called because he was anointed by the Spirit of God, particularly chosen and solemnly consecrated, for the three-fold office of Priest, and Prophet, and King of the new creation. For it was the custom among the Jews (a custom still observed at the coronation of Sovereigns in our own country) to anoint with oil, in testimony of their election by God, such persons as were intended to discharge the duties of either of the three offices of Priest, or Prophet, or King. It was, in a manner, an outward and visible sign of the inward gifts and graces conferred upon them and of God's choice and approval of them; thereby reminding the people of the sacredness of such persons' character and office, and of the obedience and reverence due to them. Now as our Lord Jesus Christ is, in a far higher degree, in a more especial manner, the Lord's Anointed, and unites within Himself the three offices before mentioned, let us at all times approach him with honor and reverence; let us never be guilty of lightly using the name of His Sacred Majesty. But as He is our Priest, let us trust only to His sacrifice, and intercession, and

blessing; as He is our Prophet, let us hearken to his words of rebuke and instruction; and as He is our King, let us submit to His authority and obey His laws with glad hearts and willing minds.

LECTURE IX.

A.

.......

His only Son, our Lord.

As we profess to believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is our Lord, it must be kept in mind that this confession implies that we acknowledge ourselves to be His servants and subjects. It were idle to call Him Lord and Master, and not allow our obligation to serve and obey Him. Now before I further urge this latter point, I will state, in few words, how it comes to pass that Jesus Christ is our Lord. And first He is so, because He created us. He is that Word, of whom St. John speaks in the beginning of his Gospel, and says, "all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." Now it is clear that the thing made belongs to Him who made it; and therefore if Christ made or created us, we of course are His; and as He has made us reasonable and intelligent creatures, we are bound to submit ourselves to His will: in a word, He is our Lord, and we are His servants. And this