event reflected great " light" upon all God's purposes respecting him. Darkness had hung over him for a long period ; but it was now dispelled ; and he saw clearly these two important truths, That God's coun- sel, by whomsoever opposed, shall stand; and, that they ivho trust in the Lord, however tried they may be, shall never be confounded.
But, as we said, a greater than David is here. It was generally acknowledged amongst the Jews them- selves that David was a type of the Messiah, and that this psalm had an especial reference to Him who was in due time to sit upon the throne of David. Hence the acclamations which were used by the people on the occasion of David's installation, were used by the Jews in reference to Christ e : and he vindicated their conduct in this particular*: and afterwards appealed to this very psalm in confirmation of his predictions respecting his rejection by them, and his subsequent elevation to the throne of Davidg. In like manner, after the death and resurrection of Christ, St. Peter, " when he was filled with the Holy Ghost," expressly applied to Christ this very passage, and affirmed in the presence of all the Rulers and Elders of Israel that it was accomplished in the exaltation of that Jesus whom they had crucified11.
Now in this event, the exaltation of Christ to the throne of glory, God has indeed " shewed us light :" and it will be a profitable subject for our meditation at this time, if we consider, I. The light which God has shewn us —
Previous to the resurrection of Christ, all was dark- ness : the disciples themselves doubted whether they had not been deceived in their expectations respecting him. But from that event, and his consequent as- cension to the right hand of God, we learn infallibly,
1. The efficacy of his atonement —
[Had he not risen, we might have conceived of him as a great Prophet indeed, but as nothing more than a prophet, who, like multitudes who had preceded him, sealed his doctrines with
e Matt. xxi. 9. f Matt. xxi. 16.
6 Matt. xxi. 42. h Acts iv. 8, 11.