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SERMON XVII.

ON THE BIRTH, GIFT, NAMES, THRONE, KINGDOM, INCREASE, AND PEACE OF MESSIAH, AND HIS PRINCIPALITY OF GRACE.

ISAIAH ix. 6, 7.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever: the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this."

THE Holy and Eternal Spirit, who is distinct in personality from the Father and the Son, the co-equal, co-eternal, and co-essential with them,

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zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this." In which words the prophet sets forth the birth of Christ, the gift of him to his church, with his names, throne, kingdom, and the increase and peace thereof; which is a most glorious principality of grace. And for the truth and performance of all this, he says, "The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this."

The subject is most truly divine, and of infinite importance. It contains the wisdom of God in a mystery, and expresses the ineffable love of God. The subject of all this grace and mercy is the church of the living God. Our prophet, in a view of the birth of Christ, triumphs over all enemies, evils, and miseries, either felt or feared and we may well do so too.

In order to set the text forth to our present and spiritual advantage, I will cast it into the following divisions:

First. I will treat of the birth of Christ, and shew that he is God and man in one person; the Son of God, and the Son of Man: and that his nativity is the fruit of his Father's love, who so loved as to bestow his only begotten Son on his church, that we might live through him.

Secondly. That the government of the church, and world also, is upon his shoulder.

Thirdly. That his names are expressive of his ability to execute his work and offices; and

of Israel suffered much by Tiglath-Pileser, who carried them captive. See 2 Kings xv. 29. This is what the prophet refers to, he calls it vexation. Now, as the inhabitants of these parts of Judah were to suffer, according to prophecy, so the prophet comforts them, that in future time these parts in Judea should be honoured and very glorious by the presence and ministry of Christ among them, so that he comforts them with the promise and prospect of it.

Ver. 2. "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." The evangelist shews the accomplishment of this by our Lord's going to, and dwelling at Capernaum, a city on the sea coast of Tiberias, or Genesareth, in the borders of Zebulun and Nepthalim, and quotes this very prophecy, saying, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, the land of Zebulun and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles, the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." Matt. iv. 14, 16. Christ, the Sun of righte ousness, rose upon them, by which they must be enlightened, comforted, and refreshed: "For he is the light of everlasting life."

Ver. 3. "Thou hast multiplied the nation and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil." The meaning seems to be this: though Messiah preached good things, wrought and performed divers miracles, so that it might truly be said, "It was never so seen in Israel," for he was followed by a goodly company of persons who believed on him; though this ought to have been a means of increasing joy throughout the whole land, yet, through their blindness, ignorance, and unbelief, it did not; those who received Christ, and confessed him, rejoiced in him with exceeding great joy; and great reason they had for it, as it follows, in the next verse.

Ver. 4. "For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian." Christ came to destroy the works of the devil; to throw down his strong holds in the souls of men; to conquer sin, the world, death, and hell; and this by the power of his own arm. As the Lord delivered Israel from the Midianites by the hand of Gideon, who cried, "the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon ;" so he would bring back his people from their captivity, and restore them to their ancient dwelling-places: they should dwell in them. Christ should tabernacle amongst

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church, as the fruit and effect thereof. This is grace which exceeds and far surpasseth all the conceptions and praises of angels and saints, and will be for ever beyond what can be fully comprehended, even throughout the ages of eternity.

The prophet speaks in rapture of it, saying, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." We have in these words a true, clear, and proper distinction between the human and divine nature of Christ. He was true and very man, made of a woman, and born into our world, in the form and likeness of sinful flesh; that having taken our nature into personal union, he might take all our sins to and on himself, and be made, by the Father's act of imputation, sin for us, and be nailed with them to the cross. He bore them in his own body on the tree, and put them away by the sacrifice of himself.

Our prophet had a glorious visionary representation of the essential and personal glories of Christ, God-man, which he relates in the sixth chapter of his prophecy; and heard the seraphim, who veiled their faces, worship him with a thrice holy is Jeliovah of Hosts. Great emphasis is Laid on the dignity of Christ's person, "Unto us a son ́ is given;" it was this which gave dignity to this illustrious birth. The humanity was of the earth, earthy; but he who assumed it was the Lord from heaven. In the birth of Christ, the love of all the persons in God was mani

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