from him, he has not cast them off. Yea, rather, he has "healed their backslidings and loved them freely." Surely, every blessing they receive, and every victory they gain, should fill them with admiring thoughts of his goodnessg. Let every soul then comply with that injunction of the Psalmist11 — . And, like him, repeat the wish, which a sense of his mercies must inspire 5 — .]
If we have just conceptions of his goodness we shall be more able to behold,
II. His beauty —
The world behold " no beauty nor comeliness" in the face of Jesus; but the saints of " old saw his glory as the glory of the only-begotten of the Father" —
This we also may see, if we survey hinv,
1. In his divine character —
[" We cannot by searching find out the Almighty to per- fection." Little do we know of the greatness of his majesty, or the thunder of his powerk. We cannot comprehend his unsearchable wisdom, his unspotted holiness, his inviolable truth and faithfulness. We can scarcely form any idea of the inflexibility of his justice, the extent of his mercy, or the heights and depths of his love\ We know that Jesus is the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person111: but, when we attempt to delineate that image, we only "darken counsel by words without knowledge11." His glory is more than the feeble language of mortality can express.]
2. In his human character —
[Here we look at him, as the Jews at Moses when his face was veiled, and can contemplate him more easily, because he shines with a less radiant lustre. Doubtless while he lay in the manger the virtues of his mind beamed forth in his countenance. Nor is it to be wondered at that the Jewish doctors were so filled with admiration at him while he was yet a child0. But principally must we view him during the course of his ministry. What marvellous compassion did he manifest to the souls and bodies of men! Not one applied to him for bodily or spiritual health without obtaining his request. And when many were hardened in their sins he wept over themp; yea, he even pleaded the cause of those who mocked and reviled him on the crossq. His zeal for God was ardent and
s 2 Cor. ii. 14. »» Ps. cxlv. 7. j Ps. cvii. 8, 15, 21, 31.
k Job xxvi. 14. i Eph. iii. 19. m Heb. i. 3.
n Job xxxviii. 2. ° Luke ii. 46, 47. p Luke xix. 41.
<i Luke xxiii. 34.