1 Pet. ii. 6. It is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious : and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
THE Scriptures universally speak the same lan- guage with respect to Christ : in every part he is represented as the only Saviour, and the all-sufficient help of sinful man. In this respect the Old Testa- ment prepares us for what is contained in the New, and the New reflects light upon the Old ; and thus they mutually illustrate and confirm each other. This observation naturally arises from the frequent appeals made by the Apostles to the prophetic writings ; and particularly from the manner in which St. Peter introduces the passage before us : he seems to intimate not only that the prophet had been inspired to declare the same truth, but that this pro- phecy had been given of God on purpose to prepare the way for the more direct injunctions of the Gospel. His words declare to us,
I. The excellency of Christ —
Christ is often spoken of as a foundation, because he supports the spiritual temple of God ; but here he is represented as a corner-stone laid by the hands of God himself —
[The excellency of the chief corner-stone, which lies also at the foundation, consists in this, that while it supports the building, it also connects the different parts of it together. Now Christ has united together, not only Jews and Gentiles, but men and angels, in one spiritual building: and while they all derive their strength from him, they all feel, through him,