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Whilst seraphs sing, and cherubs chaunt, the bride is to the altar brought;

The glorious King receives their charge, with open arms, benig

nant eyes,

Addressing his young angel hosts, ere He conducts to highest skies

My much-beloved, purchas'd church-my promise I at length fulfil,

That I would bring those nigh to God, who meek and lowly did his will:

In glory's blaze at this high fane, blissful you stand before God's throne

One sits thereon, in sight like to a jasper and a sardine stone. * Ere I receive you to myself, and take you to my Father's house, By pure and tenderest love allied, my spotless bride I here

espouse.

The righteous sceptre which I sway, you'll love, and honour, and obey?

Vowing unto the Trinity, allegiance through eternity?

Ecstatically they reply-With thy blest terms we here comply: Triumphant give our solemn pledge, before this heav'nly com

pany

The Father and the Son are one; th' unmeasur'd Spirit dwells in me;
A portion of it I impart, which ever more shall dwell in thee:
As the blest Father dwells in me, so I will ever dwell in thee.
Perfect in one, † incorporate with my vast celestial family.
By me, their adored Lord and Head, fit fram'd, ‡ compact and
nourished.

Heav'n's mightiest pow'rs the nuptials sing, and heav'n's high arch with greetings ring.

But gratulations all soon cease, subsiding in a gen'ral hush ; No string vibrates, no zephyr moves, all listen to the bridal church:

In sweetest strains th' enraptur'd bride, melodious warbles a new song; §

Sings joys none but herself can learn-joys which alone to her

belong.

* Revelation.

+ John xvii. 23.

"And they sing a new song" (Rev. v. 9.)

Eph. ii. 21.

None but the ransom'd e'er can taste the sweetness of redeem

ing grace.

The greatness of salvation's bliss, in high sublimest notes she

tells;

Above all notes this note does swell-our Jesus hath done all things well! *

Remembrance of his suffering love will ever live in us above; No longer strangers, foreigners, but members of Christ's family; Citizens with the saints in light, and heav'ns highest sanctities, Of God's blest household in the sky, and cherish'd by the Trinity.

On soft recorders angels join, and raise the song with chords divine.

But now ensues a solemn pause: for th' Almighty King of kings, and Lord of lords

Before the great Jehovah spreads his cause:

Father, it is my sov'reign will, that those thou hast given me may be with me still;

That they the glory may behold, I ever had with thee of old; That in the brightness of full glory they may see, the refulgent splendor of the Trinity,

In the transcendent fulness of the glorious Unity!

But who is He who thus assumes this lofty tone when addressing Omnipotence?—"Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am?"-Who thus demands an entrance for his servants into the high emporium? It behoves us to inquire; for this language breathes a powerful assurance, that it was uttered by one, who deemed it no robbery to be equal with Omnipotence; who deemed it no robbery to be equal with God.

"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion, with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isa. xxxv. 10.)

We shall commence this object of research, by humbly endeavouring to ascertain from the Scripture in what light our ever blessed Saviour designed us to understand his declaration that He was the Son of God. That the whole intelligent creation throughout the boundless universe are the offspring of God; for in him all live, move, and have their being;* and on these accounts

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* Acts xvii. 28; Gen. vi. 2; Job i. 6. "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord." Dr. Doddridge's Expositor explains as follows: It is true, indeed, this is a dignity which only attracts the observation of very few; and in this respect the world knows us not, and doth not acknowledge us for what we really are, because it knoweth not him who is God's eternal and first-born son, the head of the family, through whom we have received the adoption. Behold, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as He is." (1 John iii. 2.)

Dr. Doddridge continues: "Such are the unhappy prejudices of apostate men against the divine will and the divine image, that Christ himself was unknown while He dwelt in human flesh : and therefore it is no wonder that we are so, in that respect in which we resemble him. Nevertheless, my beloved, it is a most certain and a most joyful truth, that now we are the children of God; and a truth which draws after it a long train of glorious consequences: for it doth not yet perfectly appear what we shall be; the inheritance we expected is far beyond what we can at present conceive. But this we know in the general, that if He by whom we have received the adoption be revealed, as He certainly will at length be, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. We shall have so distinct and clear a view and discernment of him, as shall transform us into his image, even the image of his holiness, the brightest and most illustrious of the various glories with which He is invested."

(It doth not yet appear, &c.) It is observable, that these are the words of John-of him who had not only so familiarly con

may be, and are, styled the sons of God, is an undeniable fact; and that the regenerate Christians, who in scripture language are said to be born of God, (1 John ii. 29,) are likewise so called, cannot be denied. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God, should be honoured with so sublime an appellation, should be called the children of God, as he hath himself expressed it" I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. vi. 18.) Man is thus denominated: (Gen. vi. 2.) And it came to pass, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men." The genealogy of our blessed Saviour's earthly descent recorded by St. Luke, thus concludes"Which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God." And angels are so designated, when it is said, that the morning stars sung together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. But that great vindicator of Jehovah's honour, and consequent Redeemer of all who accept his tendered terms, certainly represents himself, and is represented by the whole mass and tenor of

versed with Christ on this sublime and delightful subject, but had seen his transfiguration, when Moses and Elias appeared in such refulgent glory. He also, as Mr. Baxter observes in this connexion, saw a most glorious vision of the new Jerusalem: but it may be doubted, whether this epistle were not of an earlier date than the Apocalypse; and it seems most probable that it was so, both considering the great age of this apostle when banished to Patmos, and how naturally some things on which he touches, in this epistle especially, relating to antichrist, might have been illustrated by what he saw there.

Scripture as the Son of God, in a sense entirely paramount, towering over and weighing down the subordinate sense in which this denomination is otherwise bestowed, whether upon men or angels. The first answer to our inquiry, and supporter of the assertion stated, is contained in the second Psalm and second verse: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands”—clearly speaking of the Lord and his anointed in terms of equality, And in the last verse it is said, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” "He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my God. Also I will make my first-born higher than the kings of the earth." (Ps. lxxxix. 26, 27.) "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Ps. cx.)

By this passage it was that He who could alone appreciate the highness of his own rank in the universe, and the nearness of his affinity, and the super-eminence of his relationship to the supreme being, was pleased to rectify the answer He received from the Pharisees to that most important question put by himself to them, "What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine ene

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