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cy of Abel's offering; for this reafon, God had refpect to it, because of his faith, and his defires to the promifed feed. When Abel was cut off by his brother, the family of Seth, that household of faith and of worship, that memorable line of which Chrift was to come, Enoch and the reft of the patriarchs, lived in the hope of the fame promife, and ardently longed for its accomplishment.

Noah, the father of the new world, relied on the faithfulness of God in his covenant; and therefore he is faid, by the apoftle to the Hebrews, to become heir of the righteoufnefs which is by faith. I need fcarcely mention to you Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, and others of that favoured and religious family. As their discoveries concerning Chrift were more clear and explicit, fo their faith and defire increased in proportion. Thofe holy patriarchs understood the mercy promifed, That in their feed all the families of the earth fhould be bleffed. They lived on the promife as a tree of life; they rejoiced to fee Chrift's day; they embraced it afar off, and were glad. Jacob, particu larly, when his death was approaching, fpoke of the Meffiah that was to come, and predicted, that to him fhould the gathering of the people be. Remarkable words, indeed; and which, doubtlefs, would confirm the faith, and fix the defires of his children on the Saviour of the world.

If we look forward to the times of Mofes, and the Jewish œconomy, we will find the fame defire and expectation ftill entertained by the people of God. For this purpose, the paffover, and the various ceremonies of the Jewish law, were appointed. The tabernacle, the priesthood, and the facrifices, were all figurative of the Meffiah, and defigned to raise in that people a religious defire of his appearance. Mofes, it is certain, forefaw the day of Christ, and earneftly defired it. According ly, he speaks of him as a Prophet whom God would raife up among his brethren. Through faith he kept the paffover, and the fprinkling of blood; and efteemed

fteemed the reproach of Chrift greater riches than the treafures of Egypt.

In the days of David and the fucceeding prophets, we find the Meffiah ftill more and more the defire of the nations. Your time would fail me to mention the various proofs of this important fact. The pfalms of David, in particular, abound in divine breathings after the expected Saviour. And, with regard to the prophets, the apoftle Peter tells us, "that they in"quired diligently, fearching what, or what manner "of time, the Spirit of Chrift which was in them "did fignify, when it teftified beforehand the fuf"ferings of Chrift, and the glory that should fol"low (a)." And we have no reason to doubt, that, during the period from the reign of David to the appearance of Chrift, the intelligent worshippers among the Jews, ferved the God of their fathers, in hope of a Saviour to be afterwards revealed.

When our Lord actually appeared in the flesh, there was a vaft expectation and defire of his coming in the Jewish nation. This is abundantly evident from the fong of Zacharias, the infpired rapture of aged Simeon, the words of Anna, the queftion which the Priefts and Levites put to John the Baptift, and from the converfation of our Saviour with the woman of Samaria. It even appears, that the coming of the Meffiah was the common talk and with of that people; for the eagernefs with which they followed any perfon who affumed the character, is a fufficient proof of this expectation.

Thus, from the beginning of the world, to the coming of the Meffiah, through all the intervening times of the patriarchs and prophets, and after the ceafing of the fpirit of prophecy in the Jewish church, Chrift was the defire of that people and nation.

It only remains to be added, under this particular, that Chrift has been the profeffed defire of all Chriftian nations, from his afcenfion to the present times; and that fincere believers, in every age and nation, H

(«) 1 Pet. i, 10, 11.

have

have embraced him, as all their falvation and all their defire. The love which he discovered in his incarnation, his death, and his atonement, have pointed him out as the object of their best affections. His refurrection from the dead, and his afcenfion into heaven, have been the foundation of their faith; and the promise that he will come again in the glory of his Father to raise the dead, and be for ever magnified in them that believe, has kept alive their expectation nd warmest regard.

2. Chrift is fill the defire of the Chriftian nations. Would to God this could be faid literally, and in fact, of all the nations dwelling on the face of the earth. But many of those have never heard of the name by which alone men can be faved. Others who have heard of him continue in unbelief, and ftill retain their chofen idolatries. The delufions of Mahomet overspreads a confiderable portion of the habitable world; and the Jews, in their ftate of difperfion, remain obftinate against all poffible means of conviction.

But, notwithstanding the infidelity of Heathens, Mahometans, and Jews, many nations have embraced the Chriftian religion; and of these a great multitude, which no man can number, have made Chrift their falvation and defire. The diftinguishing goodness of God is manifeft, in fending the light of the gofpel to this remote and distant corner of the earth. We enjoy the offers of grace and mercy, while many are fitting in the region of darkness, and under the fhadow of death. And though we be fadly degenerated from the piety and zeal of our fathers, yet, bleffed be God, there is ftill a remnant among us, and, I would hope, a very confiderable number, to whom Chrift is precious. In the redeemed and faithful at this day, is in part fulfilled (and we truft it will be more and more fulfilled) the prophecy in the text, and other prophecies in fcripture, which fpeak of Chrift as a bleffing to the nations, a light to the Gentile world, and falvation to the ends of the earth.

3. Chrift

3. Chrift will be the defire of the nations to the end of the world. The importance of the gofpel to mankind, together with the promises in facred fcripture, are proofs of its continuance and increase. We look for happier times, when the bleffed Redeemer fhall be more the defire of the nations than he has yet been. "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of "mustard feed, which a man took and fowed in a "field; which, indeed, is the leaft of all feeds; but, "when it is grown, it is the greateft among herbs, " and becometh a tree: fo that the birds of the air "come and lodge in the branches thereof." We look for a happy and glorious day, when the gospel fhall be fent to the nations and ifles afar off, which have not heard of Chrift's fame, nor feen his glory; when the earth fhall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, and all the families of it fhall call him bleffed. We look for a wonderful effufion of the Spirit of light and grace from on high, and a glorious enlargement of the Church of Christ. We look, in a word, for the fall of Antichrift, for the converfion of the Jews, with the fulness of the Gentiles; when the kingdoms of this world fhall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he fhall reign for ever and ever.

We are altogether ignorant at what period of time this glorious ftare of things fhall be accomplished. An obscure vail is drawn over the times and the seafons, which the Father hath kept in his own power. But the evidence' by which this fact is fupported, arifing from the gradual progrefs of Chriftianity in the hearts of men, and over the world, and the exprefs declarations of facred writ in behalf of the glory of the latter days, are fufficient to convince us, that the Saviour of the world will be more and more. the defire of men, even to the confummation of all things.

HI. We are to fhew, that Chrift is altogether wor thy to be the defire of all nations.

H 2

1. This

1. This character, the defire of all nations, is due to the Meffiah, or Chrift, from the infinite excellence of his nature.

In every inftance, it is becoming in the human character, to defire the affection of the benevolent and the worthy. But the moft benevolent and worthy of the human race have a limited sphere of action, and, of confequence, a limited efteem. No man, either from the dignity of his character, or the real value of his actions, is entitled to be univerfally the object of defire and admiration. It requires fomething vaftly fuperior to any merit with which we are acquainted, to give a reasonable claim to this exalted diftinction. This merit our Saviour poffeffes in the original per fection of his nature, as the eternal and only begot ten Son of God, the brightnefs of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon. We can form no idea of power, or wifdom, or goodness, exifting in the Supreme Mind, which, in fcripture, is not also afcribed to the Saviour of men. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The fame was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him, was not any thing made that was made.

This excellency of our Redeemer is perfectly exclufive of every oppofite quality. Every character on earth is ftained with imperfection. Even the best and most improved faints, amidst all the virtues that adorn them, are yet in many things weak and irregular. But the excellencies of Chrift are pure and unmixed. He did no fin, neither was guile found in his lips. He was holy, harmlefs, undefiled, and feparated from finners. His nature was without any mixture of imperfection; his character without blemifh; and all his actions godlike and divine. View him in what light you pleafe, confider him in your moft ferious thoughts, and you will find him altoge ther worthy to be the defire of all men. Whatever excellence is difcernible among created beings, is to be found in him in an infinitely more perfect degree. When

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