because they are not only faint and imperfect, but destitute of that clear and express authority of God which alone can take hold on the consciences of men, so as to affect their hearts, restrain their vices, and form permanent and sanctifying principles of action. For these purposes, something more solemn and more highly sanctioned is necessary. As at the period of our Saviour's incarnation, so at present, the heathen are either wholly ignorant, and careless about the most important of all knowledge, or are at best without any standard of truth, and therefore distracted by the jarring and contradictory theories of their philosophers, or duped by the ridiculous inventions and legends of a superstitious mythology. With them, all is opinion, or fancy, or unauthorized and distorted tradition. They want that judgment of which the text speaks. "The light of the Lord"-a revelation of truth, demonstrated and recognised as coming from the God of the whole earth-can alone root out their inveterate errors, and settle their otherwise interminable disputations and doubts. Out of Zion, therefore, must go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The church, already blessed with the well-authenticated discoveries of God's will, must communicate to them that sit in darkness the truth of which it is the chosen depositary, and thus fulfil one of its highest and holiest characters, as "the light of the world."

2. By "judgment" we may perhaps understand the text as referring to that dispensation of power, which accompanies the publication of the Gospel.-Christianity is not only a system of law, but of soul-subduing grace. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." It brings with it an energy adequate to give effectual operation to the truth which it reveals, and to carry into execution in the hearts and lives of its disciples the precepts which it inculcates. This energy it is which, according to an expression in the third verse, brings forth judgment unto truth,obtains in the hearts of men a sentence in favour of the truth, induces them to become obedient to it, and thus gains for it a

glorious victory. Nor is the power of Christ, which accompanies the Gospel, confined to the dominion of grace in minds of men, whose corruptions it subdues, and whose lives it directs and governs. It extends also to the restraining of Satan himself, and to the special counteraction of his agency and influence. This effect of the appearance of the Messiah in our flesh, of His actual sacrifice on the Cross, and of the full and formal establishment of His mediatorial kingdom on earth, is by Himself expressly called "judgment." "Now is the judg ment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out."* It is a part of the great Mediator's work to bind the strong man, and then to enter into his house, and spoil his goods. And I see no reason why we may not apply, in a high spiritual sense, to the comfort of every Christian minister and missionary of modern days, the declaration of Christ which occurs in St. Luke's Gospel, with reference to the seventy evangelists of ancient time, who reported to Him that the devils were subject unto them through His name. "He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." +

Both these senses of the phrase, "to bring forth judgment," are clearly adopted by the Father, in a subsequent part of His address to the Messiah, recorded in this chapter. "I will give Thee for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes :" -here is the dispensation of truth by Christ and His Gospel. And it is added, "to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house:"-here is the dispensation of power; a power by which the spiritual oppressors of the human race are to be subdued, and the slaves of sin and Satan to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

How interesting and important is the work of Jesus Christ, as the Illuminator and the Deliverer of immortal men! Who Luke x. 18, 19.

*John xii. 31.

unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him."* But it more. especially refers to the Divine supports which are afforded to our Redeemer in His mediatorial administration and government. That kingdom of grace, at the head of which He is placed, is upheld by the watchful care and the ceaseless energy of the almighty Providence. Every dispensation of that Providence, toward individuals and toward nations, is contrived and arranged in entire subserviency to the cause of Christ, and to the great purposes for which He lived, and died, and rose again. So that, while He is the Father's Servant, all are His servants for God hath "set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church." +-This expression also intimates to us the high sanction and supreme authority of every saying and act of Jesus Christ. Whatever He speaks or does, the Father upholds and confirms. From His teaching and administration, though He be a Servant, there is no appeal to the Father who employs Him. None of His public acts will ever be disallowed or reversed. final and irrevocable. If He bless men, they shall be blessed. If He finally condemn them, His sentence shall never be set aside. To Him everything connected with the moral and eternal interests of the human race is definitively committed; and at the close of His mediatorial operations it will be said, with awful emphasis, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." + It is vain, and, after the uniform assertion of Scripture as to the finality of the Christian dispensation, it is as unbecoming as vain, for men to hope that any "uncovenanted" exercise of the Divine prerogative or sovereignty will † Ephesians i. 20–22.

* Luke xxii. 43.

His decisions are absolutely

Revelation xxii. 11.

Beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust." *

2. Peaceable and inoffensive.--The kingdom which He administered was opposed, "not to Cæsar's, but to Satan's empire;" and therefore He was exemplary for His ready submission in all civil affairs to the established civil authorities of His country, for His steady discountenancing of all schemes of ambition and violence, and for His abstinence from everything clamorous and contentious. He never provoked even His enemies by unnecessary displays of His power; but avoided, as much as He innocently could, the occasions of collision and dispute. He was willing to suffer rather than to strive. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

3. Gracious and benignant in all His dealings with His people, however weak, and depressed, and imperfect, and unworthy. Of persons so circumstanced, a reed, frail and insignificant in itself, and still more so when bruised by external injury,—and the wick of an almost extinguished lamp, which no longer flames, but only smokes in its socket, and cannot be rekindled but by a fresh application of external fire,-are striking emblems. Now, such bruised reeds, it is here predicted, the Messiah will not break, but strengthen and restore; such smoking wicks He will not quench, but rekindle and revive. He came to bring glad tidings of Divine compassion and restoring grace to tender and afflicted spirits, bruised by sorrows, and deeply wounded by sin. He despises not the day of small things, but delights to witness and to encourage the first appearances of hopeful piety, and to cherish

* Matthew xii. 15-21.

towards sinners may obtain their perfect gratification, and yet be reconciled in their exercise with the utmost claims of the Divine honour and holiness. This acceptance of the death of Christ, and this complacency in it, were publicly testified by His resurrection and exaltation to heaven. For the suffering of death, that very nature which died is now crowned with glory and honour. Humanity, in the person of our ascended Lord, is seated on the throne of the universe: a most illustrious proof of the Father's delight in His chosen Servant.This delight has reference to the Mediator in His present character and operations, as the Head of the church, and the Agent by whom the plans for its gradual enlargement and ultimate perfection are constantly superintended, and shall be brought in due season to a prosperous issue. The work of redemption, and the great transactions and results connected with it, are events of the most interesting and joyous character. They bring joy and gladness to men, wherever they are duly appreciated. They afford to angels delightful views of the manifold wisdom, and power, and goodness of God. They yield a recompense of joy to the blessed Saviour; for He sees of the travail of His soul, and is satisfied, in proportion as those objects are successively accomplished, to which He looked forward in all His sufferings as the joy set before Him. And, supremely, they afford a delight to the benevolent mind of the Father Himself, such as never resulted from any or all of His other works and dispensations. The salvation of man by Jesus Christ is the concern which is nearest and dearest to His heart, and in the process and consummation of which He takes the highest pleasure. In Christ, and in His work, God's very soul delighteth.

Before I proceed to the second head of discourse, allow me to pause for the purpose of briefly pointing out to you the instruction which may be derived from the view already taken of the official character of our Saviour, in reference to all Christian ministers and missionaries. Every such functionary should in his measure sustain the same character with that