rit," it is an important branch of their character that they " rejoice," or glory, (as the original word rather means,)." in Christ Jesus," who is, in their eyes, "the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely." Nay, and they see him to be so worthy of all love and gratitude, that they are ready to assume the language of the apostle, and say, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus, let him be Anathema, Maranatha."

2. And is it any wonder they should entertain these sentiments of, and be so disposed towards him, considering the titles and characters he justly bears; considering what he is in himself, what he is to them, and what they are authorized by God himself to expect from him? that the " Child born, the Son given, who has the government upon his shoulders," is named, and that truly, "Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. This brings me to the

III. Particular proposed to be considered, The Messiah's qualifications for sustaining and discharging the important office already spoken of. These are implied in the titles here ascribed to him.

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1. "His name shall be called Wonderful." This the Jews apply to Hezekiah, who, they say, is called Wonderful, because of the miracles which God wrought for him, 1st. in suddenly smiting by the angel, in the camp of the Assyrians, a hundred fourscore and five thousand; 2dly, in bringing the shadow ten degrees back upon the dial; and 3dly, in restoring him from sickness. They say, also, that he is termed Counsellor, because he consulted with his princes about God's worship. But this interpretation is so ridiculous, as not to need any arguments of mine to overthrow it. This title or epithet of Wonderful, like all the others here mentioned, is applicable to Christ, and to him only.

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The word name, it must be observed, is here put for person, or nature, as in many other parts of the holy Scriptures. Thus, Acts i. 15. "the number of the names," that is, of the persons, about an hundred and twenty." Rev. iii. 4. " thou hast a few names," that is, a few persons, "in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments." And, Rev. xi. 13. in the original," in the earthquake were slain of the names of men," that is, again, persons, 66 seven thousand." And when * Jehovah is said to proclaim his name before Moses, "the Lord God, merciful and gracious," &c. it is evident that his name is put for his nature. Just so here,

* Exod. xxxiii. 19. and xxxiv. 5, 6.

his name shall be called Wonderful," signifies that his person and nature is such. The Hebrew word h, here used, and rendered Wonderful, means mysterious, secret, or unsearchable. We find the same word used, Judges xiii. 18. where it is applied to the angel that appeared to Manoah and his wife, and is translated secret. Why askest thou thus after my name?" said the angel, seeing it is secret," or wonderful, as we read in the margin. Now this angel was evidently a type of Christ, or rather was Christ himself, in his pre-existent state. He, as the Word, or Son of God, appeared on mount Sinai, and gave the law, and was with the church in the wilderness, concerning whom the Father says,* "Behold, I send an angel, or messenger, before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not, for my name is in him." Of him Isaiah speaks, when he says, "The angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them, all the days of old." This is the person, whose name is said to be secret, mysterious, or wonderful; and if it were such when he was only God, or the Word, or Son of God, in his pre-existent state, how much more must it be such, after he was "God manifest in the flesh," "the Word made flesh," and had two, different natures united in one person.

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3. Indeed man himself, composed of body and soul, of flesh and spirit, is a mysterious being, and Dr. Young's sublime description of him, is as just as it is striking.

How poor! how rich! how abject! how august!
How complicate! how wonderful is man!

But how much more applicable is the greater part of this description to the God Man Christ Jesus, than it is to man in general!

Surely He, our Immanuel, The Root and Offspring of David, the Son of God, and Son of Man, was poor and rich, abject and august, complicate and wonderful: marvellously mixed of natures infinitely different, connecting in his person most distant worlds and states, was

Helpless! Immortal! Insect! Infinite!

A Worm! A God!

No wonder, therefore, that his person should be represented as an unsearchable mystery, and that Jesus himself should teach, that no man knoweth the Son but the Father." An important declaration, and a full proof of his being more than man, and more than any

mere creature.

4. His whole process in accomplishing the work of our redemption, was equally wonderful with his person. His incarnation, whereby he put off the form of God, and emptied himself, relinquished or concealed his glories, and took" the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men," was an astonishing mystery. This indeed the apostle signifies it to be, when he says, "great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh." His life was wonderful. Its innocence, its usefulness, its holiness, were such as had never been observed among men, or witnessed in mortal flesh before. His doctrine was wonderful. The simplicity of it, for it was intelligible to the meanest capacity; its sublimity, for it was elevated beyond the common ideas of mankind, its purity, for it was unstained with error or sin, in principle or tendency; and its authority, for "his word was with power," were all extraordinary and marvellous. Well might his hearers be, as we often find they were, astonished at it, and well might they exclaim, "never man spake like this man." His miracles were wonderful. "Whence hath this man," exclaimed they," these mighty works?" "Go and show John," said he,*" the things ye hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them." Thus did he fulfil the ancient prediction,† Behold, your God will come with vengeance," or with zeal, rather, "even God with a recompense, he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing." His miracles were so many, so great, so beneficent, and done with such majesty, through the

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* Malt iv. 4, 5. ↑ Isa, xxxv. 4, 5.

indwelling deity, of which he was full, that it is astonishing the whole multitude of his disciples, who had been spectators of them so long, did not sooner break forth in joy and praise to God, for such mighty works. His love, and the manifestations of it in his sufferings and death, were wonderful. "That ye may be able to comprehend," says the apostle, " with all saints, the breadth and length, and depth and height, and know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge."

5. That he who was so rich as to be "Lord of all," should become so poor, as "not to have where to lay his head !" That he who was so high as to be "above all," should he made so low, as to be among poor fishermen, as one that serveth!" That he who was so glorious as to exist in the form of God, and be acknowledged as "the Lord of glory," should be so emptied, and so reduced, as to " have no form or comeliness, that men should desire him ;" should be "despised and rejected of men," made a "worm," as David speaks," and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people!" "That he who was so mighty as to speak the universe into being," and "uphold all things by the word of his power," should appear so weak as "to be able to do nothing of himself," and be at last" crucified in weakness!" That he who was unspeakably happy, and lay in the bosom of infinite felicity, should be heard to complain that "his soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," while the anguish that oppressed his mind, caused a sweat, like great drops of blood falling to the ground, to distil from the pores of his body. That one so innocent and holy, who “ had done no sin," and "in whose mouth," or heart, "no guile had been found," and who had life in himself," nay, was the Prince of life," the "Lord and giver of life;" and had healed the disorders, and remedied the sufferings of so many others, and had raised so many others from the dead, should be exposed to the pangs of that death, and to those dreadful sufferings which entered into the world by sin, and are the appropriate fruits and chastisements of it! All this, I say, was surely matter of wonder and astonishment!

6. His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation, were wonderful :

That a frail and mortal man should not only have power "to lay down his life," but also to "take it again!" That he who, when in full life, and health, and strength, had been brought under the power of death, should not, even when a dead corpse, be detained under its power! That he who was condemned to death, at the tribunal of a weak and mortal man, and was hanged on a tree in ignominy and torture, between two thieves, as the vilest slave

and malefactor, should be exalted to the right hand of God," invested with "all power in heaven and on earth," should have a name given him above every name," and should be constituted the final judge of men and angels, and all creatures in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth, should be obliged, whether willingly or reluctantly, "to confess him Lord," and bow before him! I shall only add, that a series of wonders attended his birth, his childhood, his youth, his manhood, nay, and every period of his life, and was especially conspicuous at his death; so that the very time of his greatest humiliation, was the period of his greatest glory; and when he showed the greatest marks of being a weak and mortal son of man, he gave the greatest proofs of being the only-begotten, and the best-beloved Son of God.

A second title given here to the Messiah is, that of Counsellor. He is that Wisdom and Word which the Father of the universe "possessed in the beginning of his way, before his works of old; which was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was:—Which was with him when he prepared the heavens, and when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: When he appointed the foundations of the earth." He was therefore perfectly acquainted with all the Father's counsels from the beginning, and as far as was necessary or expedient, he hath revealed them to men. "To this end was I born, says he, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth." He "came a light unto the world, that they who see not might see," and was full of wisdom and truth, as well as of power and grace. In him were "hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," and out of his fulness, his disciples have, from age to age, received all the communications thereof, which were needful for, or would be useful to them. "I call you not servants," says he, "for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doth : But I have called you friends: For all things that I have heard or learned of the Father, I have made known unto you." He not only instructs his disciples by his word and by his messengers, and brings "life and immortality to light by his gospel;" but he gives them "an unction from himself, the Holy One to teach them all things," the Spirit of truth to guide them into all that truth which it is of importance for them to know.

But it may be observed here also, that these two particulars are found united together, Isa. xxviii. 29. and, thus united, are