the Messiah himself. Many parts of his heavenly compositions, though apparently intended respecting himself, have indeed no reference to himself at all, except as he was a type of Christ, in whom the very things predicted were literally fulfilled b. And so exact was the correspondence between the type and antitype, that Christ, springing " from the root of Jesse," " as a root out of the dry ground0," and " anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows'1," was born (according to the predictions) in the very place of David's nativity e, was consti- tuted a prophet like unto him, and was raised to " the throne of his father David f."]
He sustains the offices that are here assigned him —
[Like his honoured representative, he was to be a shepherd. David, in his early youth, followed the occupation of a shep- herd, and repeatedly exposed his life to most imminent danger in defence of the flock entrusted to himg. And, after he be- came a king, he still figuratively at least sustained the same office, " feeding his people, according to the integrity of his heart, and guiding them by the skilfulness of his hands V But he, whom David typified, was in a far more exalted sense, " the great Shepherd of the sheep1." He not only exposed, but willingly sacrificed, his life for his sheep k: nor can a juster description of him be conveyed in words, than that which is given us in the preceding context1 : He is incessantly " seeking the lost, bringing back that which has been driven away, binding up the broken, strengthening the sick," and admini- stering to the necessities of all. He is also, like David, a prince. The promises of David's exaltation were at last fulfilled, and he was seated on the throne, to which he had been appointed. He did indeed meet with innumerable conflicts in his way to it: at one time, we see him encountering Goliath ; at another, fleeing from the murderous attacks of Saul : yea, he was even driven from his kingdom by his own nearest relative, and trea- sonably sacrificed by his most familiar friend ; in consequence of which, he fled weeping over that very brook Kidron, over which his Lord passed afterwards to crucifixion. But God preserved him from every danger, and made him " Head over Israel," and " the heathen" toom. Thus it was also that Christ was raised to his throne : He had scarcely made his appearance in the world before he became an object of Herod's jealousy,
b Ps. xxii. 18. and lxix. 21. c Isai. xi. 1. and liii. 2.
d Ps. xlv. 7. e Mic. v. 2. with Matt. ii. 5, 6.
f Luke i. 32. s 1 Sam. xvii. 34, 35.
h Ps. lxxviii. 70—72. I Heb. xiii. 20.
k John x. 11. ] Ezek. xxxiv. 11 — 16.
m Ps. xviii. 43.