a strong cast towards him. See, for example, how they have called Christ's righteousness, as in the margin, Psalm xxxv. 27. A righteous

cause,' not knowing so well how to think of David's righteousness in such a connection: as it is not easy to see how they could, without softening the matter, and bringing it down the best way they could to fit David's case. But the most egregious blunder of this kind, perhaps, in their whole work, you meet with, Psalm xxiv. 6. where they make the Spirit to describe a generation of people under that one singular peculiarlyappropriated character of the only Holy One and Just, who alone ascended by his own righteousness into the highest heavens, and received the blessing from the Eternal, even power over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given him: This,' say they, ⚫ is the generation of them,' &c. instead of This!" or This He! O generation of them that seek

him,' &c.; This being evidently meant of the Messiah's self, described in the remaining, as in the former part of the Psalm; while the generation of them that seek him is not spoken of at all, but only spoken to, and called upon, as it were, to behold This perfect One, this King of glory. To justify this observation to the merely English reader, let him observe, that the word is, between this and the generation, is a supplement of the translators, as will appear by its being printed in a different letter from the rest ; which is the mark whereby to know when they

add any word, for which there is none in the original, to fill up what they take to be the meaning, that the sentence may run smooth without a break.

But to return: though the meaning of many things in the Psalms may be difficult through so many causes, that it is not easy to say precisely what it is; nevertheless, where the Holy Ghost hath vouchsafed us a clear revelation of what was hid in the mysteries of old, let us not shut our eyes against the true light where it shineth, but wisely consider that intimate union, inseparable connection, and eternal fellowship, subsisting between Christ and his church; insomuch that they are called One, One Person, Head and Members, Spirit and Body; so that their names are one. He is the Lord our Righteousness; ' And this the name wherewith he shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness: he is called the Anointed; they are the anointed: he is the Son of God; they are the children of God in him: he is Heir of God; they are heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ: he is the Seed of the woman; they are the seed of the woman: they are called Jacob, Israel, and David; so is he, Jer. xxx. 9. Ezek. xxxiv. 23. Hos. iii. 5. and elsewhere. Thus, the spouse's name, interest, and estate, are swallowed up in those of her husband. Her debts are his debts; her friends his friends, her enemies his enemies, and so in every instance; they are one in law, married to the Lord, one spirit, one body, no more twain

but one flesh, he in them, and they in him: This is a great mystery,' saith the apostle; but I speak concerning Christ and his church.' What God hath joined together let no man put

asunder.

This indissoluble bond of union between Christ

and his church, whereby he cannot be considered without her, nor she without him, will account for all those confessions of sin, prayers for pardon, and deliverances from grievous distresses, thanksgivings, and pleadings of righteousness, appeals to holiness, justice, mercy, faithfulness, truth, earnest expostulations with God, bitter lamentations, floods of tears, animated exclamations, heavy denunciations, vows of obedience, &c. and all these uttered, sometimes as by onė, sometimes as by many, in the singular or plural number, all to the same meaning, according to the good pleasure of the Holy Ghost, who hath fully ascertained his own sense throughout the whole series of revelations taken together in their own coherence, which to the children of God are but one context, whoever were his clerks or penmen.--Suppose David not merely an amanuensis or penman, (like all the other prophets), but himself the chief speaker, and speaker of himself indeed, in the Psalms, and it is all a riddle, paradox, and contradiction! a jumbled mass of confusion! impiety! nonsense !-Suppose it Christ the Lord who speaks himself, of himself, (David being only his prophet, secretary, or writer), and of his church in himself; for could

they be separated but for a moment, he from them, or they from him, then they, nay, the Godhead, were no more; for he has pledged his faithfulness for it, that they cannot be separated: Suppose it Christ, I say, in this connection with his church, and all is plain, easy, direct truth, light, glory, and eternal joy. How could sinners cail his righteousness theirs, if he had not called their sin his? Read Isa. liii. and such passages as these: It pleased God to make ' him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him'He bare our sins in his own body-He was • made a curse for us-In all things made like

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to his brethren, except sin.' For though he had no personal sin, or sin which he himself in his own person committed, yet you see how he had the sins of his elect charged upon him. Do you marvel then when you see him, the holy Lamb of God, standing and bearing the sin of the world, agonizing in every pore, and his soul full of that hell or wrath of God for sin, which would have swallowed up the whole universe of God besides, and him too, in eternal ruin, if he had not been sustained by his own eternal power and Godhead-Do you consider him suffering in such circumstances, I say, and marvel that he should cry, "Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me; I am not able to look up-The iniquities of my heels' (or, at my heels, the iniquities of those who follow me, who am their leader) do compass me about--My bowels are

full of a loathsome disease-And this I have because of my folly and my committed sins O God, thou knowest my foolishness, and my ⚫ sins are not hid from thee,' Psalm lxix. 5. Thus he could say as the kinsman-Redeemer, the friendly Surety, acknowledging for his own, standing good for, paying and discharging by himself alone, all the debts of his beloved friends; and yet at the same time maintaining his innocence, and saying, Psalm xviii. 23. I kept

myself from mine iniquity:' his darling and predominant sin, which he loved and obeyed, say you, meaning it of David. Who is in the right, let the Lord of David judge, and us consider.

After all, perhaps, you will still cry out, as if no key were already given, How shall we explain Psalm li. ? I do confess, nothing but a true knowledge and love (which are the peculiar gifts of God, and always go together) of that vicarious righteousness of Christ, to which the law beareth witness, and the Father beareth witness, by raising him again from the dead, and by declaring his own faithfulness and justice in justifying the ungodly for the sake thereof, when he gives them the belief or knowledge of it, will be likely to satisfy you, if you are yet unsatisfied. Therefore, before you proceed any farther in quest of-argument, consult your own heart, if you are really in love with that exchange of sin and righteousness, commonly called imputed, which the whole testimony of God is full of; if