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of our Saviour exprefly ftiles him King of Ifrael, Chap.9.9. Rejoice, O Daughter of Zion; and fhout, O Daughter of Jerufalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee! that is, to the Houfe of Ifrael, or the People of the Jews. The Prophet Ifaiah declares, that the Government was to be on his shoulders, calling him, The Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlafting Father, the Prince of Peace; Ifa. 9. 6,7. And nothing is more common in all the Prophets, than to ftile the Meffias the Lord of Hofts, and the King of Ifrael. And the fame is the frequent Language of the New Testament: Where is he that is born King of the Jews? fay the Wifemen upon the Birth of Chrift, Mat. 2.2. Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Ifrael; faid Nathaniel, John 1. 49. Pilate asking him, Art thou a King then? he anfwer'd, Thou fayeft it: meaning, that he faid true, for fo

he was.

(2.) And as he reign'd as a King, fo was his Reign prof perous; He hall reign and profper. Which is a Prophecy of the Glory and Extent of his Kingdom, that it should reach over the World, and extend to all the Ends of the Earth. Of the Increase of his Government and Peace, there fhall be no end, faith the Prophet Ifaiah: The Zeal of the Lord of Hofts will perform it, Chap. 9. 8. And elsewhere, that the Pleasure of the Lord fhould fo profper in his hand, that his Kingdom fhould reach unto all Parts, and his Dominion to all Ages.

(3.) And as he fhould reign and profper, fo fhould he execute Judgment and Justice in the Earth: that is, his Reign fhould be not only glorious, but juft and righteous; doing Right to all, and equally diftributing both Rewards and Punifhments. So the Prophet Ifaiah foretold, that he fhould fit upon the Throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order and to establish it with Judgment and Juftice, Ifa. 9. 8.

All which things are to be understood, not of any temporal Kingdom, as if he were to reign here in the tranfitory Glory and Splendor of an earthly Monarch; but of a fpiritual Kingdom, or a Kingdom within us, whereby he reigns in our Hearts by Faith, and governs us by his holy Spirit. This he told his Difciples himself, when fuing to him for earthly Profits and Preferments, he reply'd to them, that his Kingdom was not of this World, but his Bufinefs was to purchase and prepare for them a better; and to that end he came not fo much to make them great as good, and by Grace to advance them to Glory, to triumph

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over the World, the Flefh, and the Devil, and to make all their Foes their Footftool. This the Pfalmift foretold of his Kingdom, that a Scepter of Righteousness was to be the Scepter of his Kingdom, Pfal. 45. 62. which the Apostle applies to the juft Exercife of his Regal Power, in fuccouring the Faithful, and punishing the obdurate Refifters of his Will, Heb. 1. 8. In this fenfe it is that he is faid to reign as a King, his Empire being not fo much over the Bodies, as the Souls of Men, where he rules by his holy Spirit, and fubdues all his and our Enemies; in which he is likewife faid to profper, all Nations coming in, and being made fubject to him: His Dominion is from Sea to Sea, and his Power reaches over all Lands. In a word, he reigns over all the Princes and Potentates of the Earth, who veil their Crowns to his Crofs, and fubmit their Scepters to his Scepter of Righteoufnefs: for which reafon he is ftil'd King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; all inferiour Princes reigning by his Power, and decreeing Juftice by his Autho rity: So that all the Help that is done upon Earth, he doth it himself. And this will lead me to confider,

Thirdly, The great Bleffings that accrue by the Coming of the Meffias, and they are fet forth in the next words; In his days Judah hall be faved, and Ifrael fhall dwell Safely. Salvation and Peace are two of the greatest Bleffings that can befal a People; they relate to the Welfare both of Body and Soul, and that not only in the Life that now is, but in that which is to come. To live in Peace and Safety, is the great Comfort and Happiness of this Life; and to be fav'd at laft, is the Joy and Bleffedness of the next: both these are here prophefy'd and promis'd_at_the Coming of the Meffias, and particularly to the Tribe of Judah and the Houfe of Ifrael, from both which he defcended. Accordingly we read that Chrift came unto his own; that is, to the Jews, who were of his own Tribe, Stock, and Nation, and of them he was fent first to the Loft Sheep of the Houfe of Ifrael, to reduce the wandring Jews, and bring Salvation to Ifrael, for he tells us, that he came to feek, and to fave them that were loft. After which he enlarg'd his Favour, and extended it to the Gen tiles alfo, according to the Prophecy, that to him should the gathering of the People be, and he fhould become the Defire and Saviour of all Nations.

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But how is Judah faid to be fav'd, and Ifrael to dwell in fafety, when neither the one hath receiv'd Salvation, nor is the other reftor'd to their own Country or Kingdom?

In answer to this, we must note, that there were fome of the Jews and Ifraelites, that wilfully rejected Christ, the righteous Branch of the House of David, and faid with them in the Parable, We will not have this Man to reign over us, and fo obftinately thruft Salvation from them: These were they of whom St. John fpeaks, when he came unto his own, his own receiv'd him not, and 'tis no wonder if they mifs of Mercy and Salvation, who wilfully refuse and caft it from them. But to as many as receiv'd him (faith the fame Evangelift) to them gave be power to become the Sons of God, even to as many as believ'd in his Name; John 1. 12. They that came to him were fav'd by him; and for others that would not, it could not be expected. Befides, St. Paul, in his Epiftle to the Romans, hath expounded Judah and Ifrael in a fpiritual and myftical fenfe, for thofe that are truly and by Faith fuch: For he is not a Jew (faith he) that is one outwardly, neither is that Circumcifion, that is outward in the Flesh, but he is a few that is one inwardly, and Circumcifion is that of the Heart Rom, 2. 28. Neither are they all Ifrael, that are of Ifrael; Rom. 9.6. where the Apostle makes the name of Jew or Judah to fignify a Follower of the Faith of Abraham; and a true Ifraelite to be one like Nathaniel, in whofe Spirit there is no Guile. Now 'tis to all, and only thefe, that the Promise of Peace and Salvation is here made: for fuch, by believ ing in Chrift, as Abraham did, fhall be fav'd by Faith, as he was; and being made righteous by this righteous Branch, fhall grow up and live for ever in Peace and Safety. And this will lead me to the

Next thing propounded, viz. the Name or Title here given him; And this is his Name whereby he shall be call'd, the LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. In the Prophecy of Jacob, he is ftil'd SHILOH, that is, one that was to be fent. Mofes calls him the great PROPHET, that was to reveal his Father's Will. In the Prophecy of Ifaiah, he is call'd EMMANUEL, which fig nifies God with us: And here the Prophet Jeremy ftiles him, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, implying, that he is not only infinitely righteous in him

felf

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felf, but that he communicates his Righteoufnefs unto us. In the foregoing Verfe he is defcrib'd by his Power, reigning as a King; and likewife by his Juftice, executing Fudg ment and fuftice upon Earth: both these are against us, who by our Sins and Offences have render'd our felves obnoxious to both, being liable to be crufh'd by his Power, and condemn'd by his Juftice. But the Name here given, the Lord our Righteoufnefs, affords Help and Comfort to us in this Extremity: for tho we have no Righteousness of our own to plead, and fo muft be found guilty at the Bar of Divine Juftice; yet having Chrift's Righteousness ply'd and imparted to us, and fo made ours, we may plead it as our own, and are thereby found innocent and clear'd at that Tribunal; yea, not only fo, but we fhall be juftify'd and found righteous, by virtue of his Righteousness imputed to us. So the Apoftle tells us, He is made unto us Wisdom and Righteousness, and Sanctification and Redemp tion; 1 Cor. 1. 30.. The word Righteoufnefs implies, that he hath in all refpects fatisfy'd the Law, and appeas'd Divine Juftice, by doing all that the Law requir'd, and fuffering all that the Law inflicted on the Breakers of it: but then the word OUR being added to it, faying, the Lord OUR Righteoufnefs, fignify'd, that all that he did and fuffer'd by way of Satisfaction to Divine Juftice, was in our ftead, and for our fake; and fo we are justify'd by his Righteousness made ours, as a Debtor is releas'd upon his Surety's paying the Debt. So St. Paul fpeaks, God made bim to be Sin for us, who knew no Sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him; 2 Cor. 5. 21. By this means Mercy and Truth are met together, Righteousness and Peace have kiss'd each other: Pfal. 85. 10. which made St. Paul challenge all our Ghoftly Enemies, faying, Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect? it is God that juftifieth, who is he that condemneth? Rom. 8. And all this by Chrift's being made the Lord our Righteousness; where 'tis exprefs'd (as a Father hath obferv'd) not in the Concrete, but in the Abstract, which very much heightens the fignifi cation for 'tis not fufficient to fay, he is righteous, and makes us fo, but he is Righteoufnefs it felf, and hath made us the Righteoufnefs of God in him. And what can the Wit of Man devife, or the Heart of Man defire more comfortable, than to have the Son of God and his Righteousness made ours? by which we appear not only righteous befor

God

God, but even Righteousness it felf: which fhews the Senfe and Reafon of this Name, The Lord our Righteousness.

To all which the Prophet adds or infers one memorable Paffage more, in these words: Therefore behold the Days come, faith the Lord, that they shall no more fay, The Lord liveth, who brought up the Children of Ifrael out of the Land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth, who brought up, and who led the Seed of the Houfe of Ifrael out of the North Country, and from all Countries whither I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own Land. Where God declares, that he will be no more call'd their Deliverer out of Egypt, because he would vouchfafe them a greater Deliverance from Babylon; that he would rescue them from Captivity, and the Miseries they endur'd in other Countries, and reftore them fafely to their own Land: which Deliverance was a Type or Emblem of a far greater Deliverance from more deadly Enemies, even from Sin and Satan, from Death and Hell, and reftoring us to a better, that is a heavenly Country: All which things are fignify'd by the name here given to the Meffias, The Lord our Righteoufness.

This is the Subftance of this Prophecy appointed for this Day's Epiftle, the Ufe that we are to make of it is,

1. To confirm us in the Truth of Chrift's Meffiahfhip, in whom all the Titles, Promifes and Predictions of the Meffiah do fo plainly concenter and agree.

2. If Chrift be a King reigning and executing Judgment and Juftice upon Earth, then let us learn to obey and submit to him, and to the Powers fet up and ordain'd by him; for 'tis by him that Kings reign, and Princes decree Justice. He it is that gives them their Commiffion, and 'tis his Authority by which they act; and therefore the Apostles bid us, to be fubject not only for Wrath, but for Confcience-fake; and to fubmit to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's fake, whofe Deputies and Vicegerents they are.

3. From his bringing Salvation to Ifrael and Judah, let us endeavour to have a fhare in it, and to rely upon it; for there is no Salvation in any other.

4. From his being the Lord our Righteoufnefs, we learn where we are to feek for Juftification, viz. not from any inherent Righteoufnefs of our own, for that is nothing, or worse than nothing, and cannot abide the Trial; but by the Righteousness of Chrift imputed to us, and by Faith in him made ours. Abraham believ'd in Chrift, and it was

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