a dominion as no mere creature ever can exercise. He came to establish his throne in the hearts of men, and to bring their very thoughts into captivity to his holy will. And this empire he has established over millions of the human race, even over the whole Israel of God, in every age, and every place. To all of them without exception his will is both the rule and reason of their conduct. If only a thing be declared to be his will, that is a sufficient reason for their doing it, though they should see no other reason : and, rather than not do it, they would all without exception lay down their lives. This domi- nion he is now exercising over a willing and obedient people : and though Satan's vassals are infinitely the more numerous at the present day, the time is coming, when " all the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdom" of this great Ruler, when " all kings shall fall down before him," and " all nations shall serve him," and " his name shall be great unto the ends of the earth."]
For submission to this great "Ruler" the prophet prepares us, by declaring, II. His existence from eternity —
The terms in which this is declared are as strong as the prophet could well use : they are equivalent to what the Psalmist says of Jehovah ; " Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art Godd." That Jesus did exist from all eternity is abundantly declared,
1. In the Old Testament —
[There is a remarkable passage to this effect in the book of Proverbs, where, under the name of Wisdom, Jesus is re- presented as having been, by the " Father, as one brought up with him, as being daily his delight, and rejoicing always
before hime" This passage is generally considered by
the best commentators as relating to Jesus Christ ; and its exact correspondence with the passage just quoted in reference to Jehovah, and with other passages in the New Testament, leaves no room to doubt, but that Jesus is the person there described. In the book of Psalms, we know infallibly that Jesus is the person spoken of, as "of old laying the foun- dations of the earth," and as continuing immutably the same to all eternity f. We know this, I say, infallibly, because St. Paul, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, assures us that it was spoken of, and to, the Son ; whom the Father addresses also in these
d Ps. xc. 2. e Prov. viii. 22—31. f Ps. cii. 25—27.