given him by the Angel, when he was conceived in the womb ; and the giving it was considered as a completion of the pro- phecy that assigned to him the name Emmanuel ^. And a fulfilment of the prophecy it was ; for " Jesus" is Jah Hosea, or Divme Saviour. Here, in addition to his Godhead, as united to the manhood, we have the end of his incarnation plainly announced : it was, to save a ruined world : yes, " he came, not to condemn the world, but that through him," even through his meritorious blood and righteousness, " the world might be saved.'' Think of this, ye who have destroyed your own souls, and are trembling for fear of the Divine judgments : your God has become a man, on purpose that he might fulfil the law which you have broken, and endure the curse which you have merited ; and by this substitution of himself in your place, might deliver you from death and hell, and make you partakers of his own eternal kingdom and glory. Does not this name refresh and animate your souls ? Can you hear it without receiving from it sensations which it is not in the power of language to express?
Consider yet one other name, that name whereby w^e are particularly instructed to call him, " The Lord our Righteousness*^." Here you have the same blessed intimations as in the former names, respecting his Godhead, and the gracious ends of his incarnation ; with this additional suggestion, that his righteousness was wrought out for you, yea, that he himself is your Righteousness. A creature's righteousness W'Ould not have sufficed for you : you needed the righteousness of God himself: and God himself has become a man, that in your nature he might work out a righteousness, that should be imputed to you, and put upon you, and constitute your justifying right- eousness at the bar of judgment. Tell me. Brethren, can you hear this unmoved ? What spiritual perception can you have, if you are not even ravished with delight at the sound of such a name as this ? Surely it is the out-pouring of this ointment that makes heaven to be the place it is : yea, to be within the reach of this atmosphere, is heaven.
We forbear to mention any other of his glorious names, lest we distract your attention by the variety^: sufficient have been mentioned to justify the Church's attachment to this adorable Saviour.]
On account of the fragrance diffused by his name, " the virgins love him" —
[By " the virgins" we understand, all that are " pure in heart," and have been betrothed to him in righteousness and truths." Of all such the Apostle says, " I have espoused you
d Matt. i. 21 — 23. « Jer. xxiii. 6. f See Isai. ix. G.
g Hos. ii. 19, 20.
848.J THE church's love TO CHRIST. 423
to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ''." These all love the Lord Jesus Christ. In the eyes of others, this adorable Being has " no beauty or comeliness for which to be desired':" but in the eyes of the Church " he is truly precious'^," " fairer than ten thousand," and " alto- gether lovely:" and the one desire of her heart is, to be able to say, " This is my Friend and my Beloved'." In compari- son of him, all other suitors are utterly despised. The whole universe presents no other object to her view that deserves a thought : the constant state of her soul towards him is, " How great is thy goodness ! how great is thy beauty™!" " Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee"." Sweet as created excellencies once appeared to her, she has now no eye to see them, no taste to enjoy them. She is altogether occupied with the savour of her Beloved's name, the perfume of which makes every other odour worthless at least, if not nauseous and offensive. In a word, so entirely does this beloved object fill her soul, that with him a dungeon would be heaven ; and without him, heaven itself would be a dungeon or a desert.]