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us in human shapes? Could fuch enormities. poffibly obtain, if the mild and merciful fpirit of the gofpel generally prevailed? But it fhall prevail at laft, and then the nations fhall learn war no more *.

How transporting the thought! That a time shall yet arrive, when the love of God and man, of truth and righteousness, shall obtain through the earth. The evils (and thefe are the greatest evils of human life) which men bring upon themfelves, and upon each other, by their wickednefs, fhall cease; and we may believe that the evils in the natural world will be greatly abated. Sin will no longer call down the tokens of God's difpleasure, by such public calamities as hurricanes, earthquakes, peftilence, and famine. And if some natural evils, as pain and ficknefs, fhould remain, fubmiffion to the will of God, and the compaffion and tenderness of men towards the afflicted, will render them tolerable.

If this profpect be defirable to us, furely it will be the object of our prayers. The Lord will do great things, but he will be enquired of by his people for the performance,

* Ifa. ii. 4.

But

But to many perfons, the extenfion of dominion and commerce, appears much more defirable. The glory and extent of the British government has been eagerly pugfued; and the late diminution of our national grandeur and influence, has been much laid to heart; while the glory of the Redeemer's kingdom, and the converfion of the Heathens, are confidered by the Politicians and Merchants of the earth, as trivial concerns, unworthy of their notice, or rather, as obstacles to the views of ambition and avarice. But it is faid of MESSIAH, and of his church, The nation and kingdom that will not ferve thee, fhall perish *. The word of God may be flighted, but it cannot be annulled. And it is more a fubject for lamentation than wonder, that our national profperity fhould decline; when we are indifferent, yea, adverfe, to that caufe, which the great Governor of the world has engaged to promote and establish.

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SERMON XXXVIII.

KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS,

REV. xix. 16.

[And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh, a name written] KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

HE defcription of the adminiftration

TH

and glory of the Redeemer's kingdom, in defiance of all oppofition, concludes the fecond part of the Meffiah. Three different paffages from this book are felected to form a grand chorus, of which his title in this verse is the clofe. A title, which has been fometimes vainly ufurped, by proud worms of the earth. Eastern monarchs, in particular, have affected to ftyle themselves King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. In the fcriptu

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ral language, men, whether high or low, rich or poor, one with another, are compared to worms and potfherds of the earth; but they are by nature fo ftrongly infected by pride, that they cannot invent titles of honour answerable to the idea they have of their own importance, without intrenching upon the divine prerogative. Thus fovereignty, majefty, holiness and grace, and other attributes which properly belong to God alone, are parcelled out among the Great. But let the great and the mighty know, that wherein they speak proudly, MESSIAH is above them. The whole verfe (of which the latter claufe only is in the Oratorio) offers two points to our meditations.

I. How he is reprefented as wearing his title. It is written, or infcribed, upon his vefture dipped in blood, and upon his thigh. Either upon that part of his vesture which covers his thigh; or, upon the upper part of his vefture, and upon his thigh likewise.

II. The title itself. King of kings, and Lord of lords. Whatever power the kings and lords among mankind poffefs, is derived from him, and abfolutely subject to his controul.

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