Christ the righteous, and he is the Propitiation," 1 John ii. 1, 2; it is he who pleads the cause of believers in heaven; appears for them in the presence of God to prevent all new breaches, and continues the state of friendship and peace between God and us. He makes our cause his own, and acts for us in heaven as for himself, Heb. iv. 15. He is touched with the tender sense of our troubles and dangers, and is not only one with us by way of representation, but also in sympathy and affection. He follows our suit in heaven as his great design and business; therefore, in Heb. vii. 25, he is said to live for ever "to make intercession for us;". as if our concerns were so regarded by him there, that he gives himself wholly to that work. He pleads the cause of believers by his blood. We are said to be come to the "blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel," Heb. xii. 24. Every wound he received for us on earth is opened to plead with God on our behalf in heaven; hence it is that, in Rev. v. 6, he is represented standing before God as a Lamb that had been slain; as it were exhibiting in heaven those deadly wounds received on earth, from the justice of God, on our account. Other advocates spend their breath, Christ his blood. He pleads the cause of believers freely. In a word, he obtains for us all the mercies for which he pleads; no cause which he undertakes can fail, Rom. viii. 33, 34. O, what a lovely Advocate is Christ for believers! (4.) Christ is altogether lovely in the relation of a Friend, for in this relation he is pleased to own his people, Luke xii. 4. There are certain things in which one friend manifests his affection and friendship to another, but none like Christ. No friend is so open-hearted to his friend as Christ is to his people; he reveals the very counsels and secrets of his heart to them. "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you," John xv. 15. No friend in the world is so bountiful to his friend, as Jesus Christ is to believers: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," John xv. 13. He has exhausted the precious treasures of his invaluable blood to pay our debts. O, what a lovely friend is Jesus Christ to believers! No friend sympathizes so tenderly with his friend in affliction. In all our afflictions he is afflicted, Heb. iv. 15; He feels all our sorrows, wants, and burdens, as his own. Whence it is, that the sufferings of believers are called the sufferings of Christ, Col. i. 24. No friend in the world takes the complacency in his friend that Jesus Christ does in believers. How is the Lord Jesus pleased to glory in his people! how is he delighted with those gracious ornaments which himself bestows upon them! No friend in the world loves his friend with so fervent and strong affection, as Jesus Christ loves believers. Jacob loved Rachel, and endured for her sake the parching heat of summer and cold of winter; but Christ endured the storms of the wrath of God, the heat of his indignation for our sakes. David manifested his love to Absalom in wishing, "O that I had died for thee!" Christ manifested his love to us in death itself, in our stead and for our sakes. No friend in the world is so constant and unchangeable in friendship as Christ: "Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end," John xiii. 1. He bears with millions of provocations and injuries, and yet will not break friendship with his people. Peter denied him, yet he did not disown him. 1 might further show the loveliness of Christ, in his ordinances and in his providences, in his communion with us, and communications to us; but there is no end to the account of Christ's loveliness; I will rather choose to press believers to their duties towards this altogether lovely Saviour. INFERENCE 1. Is Jesus Christ altogether lovely? then I beseech you set your souls upon him. Methinks such an object as here represented, should compel love from the coldest and hardest heart. Away with this vain, deceitful world, which deserves not the thousandth part of the love you give it; let all stand aside, and give way to Christ! O, did you but know his worth and excellency, what he is in himself, what he has done for, and deserved from you, you would need no arguments of mine to persuade you to love him! 2. Esteem nothing or improved for him. from Jesus Christ. lovely, but as it is enjoyed in Christ, Love nothing for itself, as separate We all sin in the excess of our affec tions towards earthly objects, and in transferring to them the love which we owe to Christ alone. 3. Let us all be humbled for the baseness of our hearts, that are so free in their affections to trifles, and so hard to be persuaded to the love of Christ. O, how many pour out streams of love and delight upon earthly objects, whilst no arguments can draw forth one drop of love from their obdurate and unbelieving hearts to Jesus Christ! I have read of one Joannes Mollius, who was observed to go often alone, and to weep bitterly; and being pressed by a friend as to the cause of his troubles: "O!" said he, "it grieves me that I cannot bring this heart of mine to love Jesus Christ more fervently!' 4. Represent Christ as he is to the world, by your conduct towards him. Is he altogether lovely? let all the world see and know that he is so, by your delight in him, and communion with him; your zeal for him, and readiness to part with any other lovely thing on his account; convince them how much your Beloved is better than any other beloved; display his glorious excellencies in your heavenly conversation; hold him forth to others as he is in himself, altogether lovely. See that you "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing," Cɔl. i. 10. Show forth the praises of Christ, 1 Pet. ii. 9. Let not that worthy name be blasphemed through you, Jas. ii. 7. He is glorious in himself, and will put glory upon you take heed ye put not shame and dishonour upon him; he hath committed his honour to you, do not betray that trust. : 5. Never be ashamed to own Christ. He can never be a shame to you; it will be your great sin to be ashamed of him. Some men glory in their shame; be not you ashamed of your glory if you are ashamed of Christ now, he will be ashamed of you when he shall appear in his own glory, and the glory of all his holy angels. Be ashamed of nothing but sin; and, among other sins, be ashamed especially for this sin, that you have no more love for him who is "altogether lovely." 6. Be willing to leave every thing that is lovely upon earth, that you may be with the altogether lovely Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. Lift up your voices with the Church, Rev. xxii. 20, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." It is true, you must pass through the pangs of death into his bosom and enjoyment; but it is worth suffering much more than that, to be with Jesus. "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ," 2 Thess. iii. 5. 7. As you would be lovely in the sight of God and man, strive to be like Christ. Certainly, it is the Spirit of Christ within you, and the beauty of Christ upon you, which only can make you lovely; the more you resemble him in holiness, the more will you manifest of true excellence; and the more frequent and spiritual your communion with Christ, the more of the loveliness of Christ will be stamped upon your spirits, changing you into the same image, from glory to glory. 8. Let the loveliness of Christ draw all men to him. Is loveliness in the creature so attractive? And can the transcendent loveliness of Christ draw none? O, the blindness of man! If you see no beauty in Christ that you should desire him, it is because the god of this world hath blinded your minds. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ, the altogether lovely. SERMON XIII. FOURTH TITLE OF CHRIST- THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS.' And the Desire of all nations shall come. Haggai ii. 7. THE chapter preceding our text is mainly spent in reproving the negligence of the Jews, who, being discouraged from time to time, had delayed rebuilding the temple, and in the mean time employed their care and cost in building and adorning their own houses; but at last being persuaded to set about the work, they met with this discouragement, that such was the poverty of the time, that the second structure would no way correspond with the magnificence and splendour of the first. In Solomon's days the nation was wealthy, now it was poor; so that there would be no proportion between the second and the first. To this discouragement the prophet applies the relief, that whatever was wanting in external pomp and glory, should be more than recompensed by the presence of Jesus Christ in this second temple, for "the Desire of all nations," said he, shall come into it; which, by the way, may give us this useful lesson, that the presence of Jesus Christ gives a more real and excellent glory to places of worship, than any external beauty whatsoever can bestow upon them. Our eyes, like those of the disciples, are apt to be dazzled with the goodly stones of the temple, and in the mean time to neglect and overlook that which gives it the greatest honour and beauty. In these words we have both a description of Christ, and an index pointing at the time of his incarnation: he is called "the Desire of all nations;" and the time of his coming in the flesh is plainly intimated to be whilst the second temple should be standing. Here, then, we find just cause to bemoan the blindness that has happened to the Jews, who, owning the truth of this prophecy, and not able to deny the destruction of the second temple many |