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fent ourselves from the house of God; and, as often as we have an opportunity, let us join in commemorating the dying love of our bleffed Redeemer.

And if you would draw nigh to God with acceptance in all the duties of religion, you must draw nigh with fincere and upright hearts. Sincerity is that holy incenfe that muft perfume your fpiritual facrifices. So effentially neceffary is fincerity, that, without it, all your profeffions of religion will be to no purpofe; your moft fervent zeal but a folemn mockery; and your most vigorous obedience an abomination in the fight of God. Let us then draw nigh to God with true hearts; for he fees not as man fees: he tries the reins, and delighteth in uprightnefs.

You must likewife draw nigh to God, under a deep conviction of your own unworthinefs, and, at the same time, a lively fenfe of his glory and excellence. You must have a serious awe and veneration of God on your spirits, and you must come with broken and contrite hearts; for this is a facrifice which God will not defpife.

Finally, you must draw nigh to God, in the prevailing name of the blessed and only Mediator; for he is the way, the truth, and the life; and no man cometh to the Father but by him. He has made peace by the blood of his crofs; and now he is offering up the prayers of his faints with certain and never-failing fuccefs. "Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to "enter into the holieft, by the blood of Jefus, and "having fuch an High-prieft over the house of God; "let us draw near with a true heart, in the full affu"rance of faith, having our hearts fprinkled from an " evil confcience, and our bodies wafhed with pure "water." Amen.

SER.

SERMON VI.

CHRIST THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS.

THE

HAGGAI ii. 7.

And the Defire of all nations shall come.

HESE words are part of a memorable prophecy refpecting the perfon and coming of the Meffiah. In the preceding chapter, the prophet had reproved the negligence of the Jews in delaying to -rebuild the temple of the Lord." Is it time for you, "O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this "houfe lie wafte? Now, therefore, thus faith the "Lord of Hofts, Confider your ways." And when they were perfuaded to begin the work, they were difcouraged, from this confideration, that, from the poverty of their nation, it was not to be expected that the second temple would equal the fplendor and magnificence of the firft. Hence, the old men among them, who had seen the glory of the former houfe, wept at the remembrance of it; the minds of the people were dejected, and their hands ready to hang down. Wherefore, to comfort and encourage them, the prophet comes to them in the name of the Lord, and tells them, that, however this temple might fall fhort of the former in external pomp and magnif

cence;

cence; yet this fhould be more than balanced by the prefence of the Meffiah, à greater glory to it than all the riches of Solomon's temple.

"For thus faith the Lord of hofts, Yet once, it is "a little while, and I will thake the heavens, and the "earth, and the fea, and the dry land; and I will "shake all nations, and the Defire of all nations fhall

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come, and I will fill this houfe with glory, faith the "Lord of Hofts. The filver and the gold is mine, "faith the Lord of Hofts. The glory of this latter "houfe fhall be greater than the glory of the former, "faith the Lord of Hofts: and in this place will Į give peace, faith the Lord of Hofts."

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The folemn and fublime manner in which this prophecy is delivered, plainly fhews, that fomething of very great importance is foretold in it. Nothing could have been more gracious, and, at the fame time, more awful and full of majesty. The frequent repetition of the glorious title of Lord of Hofts, was, doubtless, to imprefs their minds with the high importance of what was promifed, and to affure them of its accomplishment. Accordingly, we find there were great commotions in the world before the coming of the Meffiah. The arms of Greece over-ran the Perfian empire in the ravages of Alexander the Great; the Roman armies fwallowed up the divifions of the Grecian conquefts; afterwards, God gave peace to the nations in the reign of Auguftus Cæfar; and then appeared the Meffiah, ftyled here the Defire of all nations; during the continuance of the fecond temple, His prefence reflected a much greater glory on it than all the outward fplendor of that built by Solomon, He filled it with the glory of the divine Majefty, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

But we are chiefly to confider the character and defcription here given of this eminent perfon, as a proper fubject for our meditation, in the view of commemorating his dying love in the holy facrament. He is ftyled the Defire of all nations, that is, the.glo

rious

rious object, whom the people of God, in all nations of the world, chiefly defire: a name, indeed, which is above every name, and which well becomes the Son of God, and Saviour of men.

In difcourfing on this fubject, we propofe, through divine affiftance, to fhew you, First, In what fenfe, and under what reftrictions, Chrift may be faid to be the defire of all nations: Secondly, That this character ever has been, still is, and ever will be, applicable to him: Thirdly, That he is altogether worthy to be the defire of all nations: and, Lafly, Conclude with a fuitable application.

I. We are to fhew you in what fenfe, and under what reftrictions, Chrift may be said to be the defire of all nations. And here a few words will be fuffi

cient.

It is evident, at firft view, that this expreffion is not to be taken in the moft extenfive and unlimited fenfe, as importing that Christ was the desired object of all nations and people in the world, without exception. For, though it be granted that many nations, who have not enjoyed the promises nor the preaching of the gofpel, have yet, from their confcious incapacity of pleafing God, or from vague tradition, had fome expectation of a Saviour from heaven to be the foundation of their hopes; yet many on the face of the earth, neither do, nor can be fuppofed to have defired him. Others, through ignorance and infidelity, defpife and reject him. And in all the nations profeffing Chriftianity, too many are practical defpifers of Chrift. He is not the defire of the wicked. The unbelieving and impenitent give him no place in their hearts; and their language is, We will not have this man to reign over us.

But the expreffion in the text is evidently to be taken in a limited fenfe. Chrift is the defired object of the ele& and people of God, difperfed among all kindreds, tongues and nations of the world. Among those who hear the gofpel, he is the defire only of

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thofe who believe in his name, of those that are chofen, and called, and faithful among the nations: those only have a faving knowledge of him, they love him, they fee their need of him, they difcern his beauty, they esteem him in his offices, his perfon and benefits. They defire him, not only as a Saviour from the effects of divine wrath, but as a Teacher, a Sanctifier, and a King. They defire him in his fpirit and holiness, as well as in his juftifying righteoufnefs; as exalted by God, a Prince and a Saviour, to grant repentance to Ifrael, and remiflion of fin.

II. We are to fhew that this character ever has been, ftill is, and ever will be, applicable to Christ, in the fenfe, and under the reftrictions now mentioned.

We propose to give a fhort illuftration of this fact, by attending to the three diftinct periods of time which it prefents to us..

1. The Lord, Meffiah, or Chrift, has been the defire of the nations, from the beginning of the world, unto this day.

The proof of this, must be derived from fo many hiftorical facts contained in the fcriptures of the Old and New Teftament, that we can only felect a few for your prefent meditation.

No fooner did mankind fall from their primitive ftate of innocence and happiness, than immediately a Saviour was promised as the foundation of their hope and comfort. A bleffed and glorious feed was held forth to our first parents in that early intimation of life: "The feed of the woman fhall bruise the "head of the ferpent." This was the firft ray of hope that enlightened the fallen and benighted condition of human nature; and this, no doubt, revived their defponding minds, and begat in them an earnest defire of fo great and needful a bleffing. We may well fuppofe they inftructed their children to defire the fame promised mercy, and to trust in him for falvation. Accordingly we find this was the excellen

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