What an encouragement to us! it invites us to repose our trust in GoD, and to fubmit ourselves to his will. The fame difpofitions of piety and divine truft, the fame language of humility and devout confidence, which our LORD exemplified, and which in him were regarded with favour, will through all ages meet with approbation and acceptance. "The

eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, "and his ears are open to their cry. The "LORD is nigh unto them that are of a "broken heart, and faveth fuch as be of a " contrite spirit."

How doth this confideration encourage our prayers! How doth it animate our faith and hope! If we have occafion to folicit the friendship and kind fervices of our fellowcreatures, we are often very uncertain what will be the fuccefs of our applications; and are frequently intimidated and difheartened by an apprehenfion that they will not listen to our fuit, or not enter into our case, or not be inclined to communicate the relief we want.

But it is not fo with our Friend in heaven. There is no caprice in his character; no failure of compaffion is to be feared; no unstea

diness and change in his difpofitions are to be apprehended; no uncertainty concerning his mercy to the afflicted, and his love to the righteous, is to be admitted. TO HIM we may look, without doubting that an answer, which, though not agreeable to our misguided inclinations and mistaken views, is yet confonant to his unerring wifdom, will follow our prayers. On Him we may ever confide. His faithfulness never faileth. mercies endure for ever. Far be it from us to despond in any circumstances that leave room for devout ejaculations to GOD. Still HE liveth, who is alfo able to fave from death, and who can hear us alfo in that which we fear.

His

Laftly, How great is the difference between CHRIST's miniftry on earth and his future appearance from heaven. That was the period of his humiliation and fuffering, "the days of his flesh," the time of his trial and discipline, when his "foul was com

paffed about with grief, forrowful even unto "death," and his life expofed to the power and malice of wicked men. But the period to which we look forward, the period when he shall appear again from heaven, will be

gloriously the reverse of the former days of trial and grief.

He cometh, he cometh invefted with a more magnificent character than he supported on earth: he appeareth not as the prophet of GOD and the fuffering Redeemer, but as the victorious Lord and the final Judge. The garden of Gethsemane will not again be witness to his gloom and distress: but the heavens and the earth fhall difplay his power and glory; the heavens melting with fervent heat, the earth being burnt up at the brightnefs of his coming. The majefty of his character will be unveiled; no cloud will tarnish its splendour. All that is grand and awful will reflect an honour, and communicate a folemnity to his appearance, They who pierced him fhall look at him with shame and terror. Angels fhall form his retinue. The rifing dead fhall proclaim his power and triumphs. Every eye fhall, with aftonifhment, fee HIM, who was the man of forrows, fmitten of GoD, and despised by the world, coming in the clouds of heaven, fitting on the throne of judgment, admired in his faints, and glorified in all them that believe, Amen; even fo come, LORD JESUS!

SERMON XIII.

CHRIST THE PRINCE OF PEACE. .

A

ISAIAH IX. 6.

The Prince of Peace.

MONG the various views, under which

JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour, is held forth to the esteem and affectionate regards of mankind, no one is more pleafing, or intimates a more important design of his character, than that name which the prediction in the text afcribes to him, the PRINCE of PEACE. Agreeably to this title, according to our copies of Luke's gospel, when his birth was announced by the angels to the shepherds, the burden of their triumphant fong was, Peace on earth, good-will towards

"men.

This was well answered by that

h Luke ii. 14.