Christ's government of his church.
Ps. Ixxii. 12 — 15. He shall deliver the needy, when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no hel'per. He shall spare the poor and needy, and, shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and jjre- cious shall their blood he in his sight. And he shall live ; and to him shall he given of the gold of Sheha : prayer also shall be made for him continually ; and daily shall he be praised.
THE science of Government is at all times inter- esting to the hmiian mind. Respecting the different forms of Government, there must of necessity be a great diversity of opinion ; but respecting the ends of it there can be but one sentiment in every bosom. The one concern of those in authority should be to promote to the utmost possible extent the welfare and happiness of all who are committed to their charge : and in proportion as this object is pursued, must the existence of Government and the exercise of legitimate authority be numbered amongst the richest blessings bestowed upon mankind. It was from a conviction of this truth that the Queen of Sheba said to Solomon, " Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually be- fore thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel : because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice''." Perhaps in no country, at any period of the world, were these ends of Govern-
a 1 Kings X. 8, 9.
619.J Christ's government of his church. 533
ment so extensively attained as in Israel, under the reign of Solomon. It is in praise of his administra- tion that the psalm before us was penned. Yet are there parts of the psalm which clearly shew that the inspired penman had respect to a greater King than Solomon, even to " Messiah the Prince," the " King of kings, and Lord of lords." The reference of the psalm to Him being universally acknowledged, we will draw your attention to the two points which are unfolded in our text ; namely, I. The interest which Christ takes in his people —
The description here given of his people deserves especial notice —
[In the former part of the psalm, the}^ are repeatedly characterized as poor and needy. " He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the 7ieedy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor''." In the text itself this description is given of them even to tautology: " He shall deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy."" We are not to understand, from hence, that he reigns over no other ; though it is certain that over them chiefly he has reigned hitherto*^: but, as his reign is spiritual, so it is iji a spiritual vieiv that his subjects are here described ; and, truly, to this description do they all answer: and it is an unspeakable comfort to them that they are so described; for, if they had been designated by any nobler title, thousands of them would have doubted whether they might dare to number themselves amongst his subjects : but, under the character of the poor and needy, the very least, as well as the greatest of his subjects, can confidently assert
their claim to that honour
It is here taken for granted, too, that his people will be exposed to heavy trials from an oppressive and ungodly world. And because the violence of persecution has in great measure ceased in the present day, we are ready to imagine the dis- position to oppress them has ceased. But this is by no means the case. The laws of the land protect the godly from that measure of persecution which at different times and under different pretexts has raged against them : but the contempt in which the saints are held, solely and entirely on the ground of their sanctity, clearly shews that the enmity against them has not ceased, but is only restrained by legal enactments, and