He beheld the Lord Jesus Christ as possessing in himself an excellency far beyond that of any created being: " Thou art fairer than the children of men." He saw that, both in the subject and manner of his ministrations, there was a grace which nothing could equal, and which God would honour with the most wonderful success : " Grace is poured into thy lips : therefore God hath blessed thee for ever." And anxious to behold the full accomplishment of all that the Messiah had undertaken, he further calls upon him to take to him his great power, and to subdue the whole world unto himself: " Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, and let the people of every nation under heaven fall under thee." Li all this you will perceive, that, instead of speaking of Christ, as he had intended to do, he is constrained, by the ardour of his own mind, to address himself directly to Christ ; and, instead of making his thoughts a sub- ject of communication with mail, he is led by them into the exercise of immediate communion with his God, Now,]
Such should be the frame of our minds also —
[We should be in the constant habit of meditating upon Christ ; and of so musing upon his glorious excellencies, that a fire should be kindled in our bosoms, and we should speak of him with our tongues. And what other subject is there under heaven to be compared with this ? Reflect a moment, who the Saviour is ! He is " the mighty God." Consider what he has done ! He has assumed our nature, and become a man, in order that, by substituting himself in our place and stead, he might deliver us out of the hands of our great enemy, and bring us into an everlasting union with himself, as " our Friend and our Beloved." Consider how rich and free and full are all his invitations and promises : and what blessings will attend the progress of his arms, wheresoever men shall be subdued unto him. Should we not long to see his glory advance, and his kingdom established in the world? Should it not be grievous to us to behold so great a part of the world both ignorant of him, and in rebellion against him? Should we not be urgent with him in prayer, to make bare his arm, and to subdue the world unto himself? Surely these are the meditations that become us; and our hearts should be so full of them, that, wherever we go, and whatever we do. He should be present to our minds ; and his praise should be, as it were, the constant eflusion of our souls.]
But in my text we are more particularly led to notice,
IL The object of his desire- He desires that Christ's kingdom may be esta-