THE LOWLY KING. ZECHARIAH ix. 9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, riding upon THERE are two Advents of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; at His first coming it was in great humility; at His second it will be in Glorious Majesty. We live in the interval between these two. We can look back, and read the history of the first Advent; and then we can take the roll of prophecy, and trace, as best we can, the course of the second. To suit the train of thoughts which meet these two events, I will now beg of you to behold the Lowly King, and next Sunday the King of Glory; the same King you know, under varied aspect and circumstance; with different robes on, and with different state. I hope you will recognize in either, in both, your own King, and touch the golden sceptre of his grace. We miss some relations with sorrow and distress; what a sad spectacle are children, without parents; sheep, without a shepherd; people, without a ruler, S Such is the state and condition of things here below, that unless we have authority exercised amongst us, our minds feel out of place, ajar, disjointed. What dreadful confusion there would be if the sun no longer ruled the day, nor the moon and stars the night. When there is no king, or sovereign power amongst men, but each does what is right in his own eyes, Oh! what a sorry sight is there ! How do the hearts of Christians leap for joy at the mention of some terms of relationship!—Father; Master; King-for the great God is our Father, and Jesus our Master and King. Yet we must be on our guard lest we say words over with too great flippancy, and do not catch the meaning in their sound. To cry, Abba, Father; to recognize our sonship; to act always a filial part is no easy thing. To be diligently employed in the service of the best of Masters; always to realize the glorious freedom of Christ's kingdom, are by no means easy matters. Do you find them easy, my brethren, because, I assure you, I do not. And, perhaps, now as I go on speaking of the Lowly King, some of you will feel a kind of annoyance, and be almost tempted to say—"Oh, this is not our King; our King is the King of Glory!" But you must check yourself, for Christ's kingdom is not of this world; it cometh not before us in shew of grandness; it is a peculiar kingdom, and the subjects thereof are a peculiar people, zealous of good works. The King comes not before us yet in His golden chariot, and retinue of splendour, and we cannot force the world to bow the knee before Him. No, our King cometh in lowly guise, and His people are clothed with humility, and the Royal cortege passeth by often, and the proud world takes no notice of it. It is mean in the eyes of the world. Are you ready to follow your King in His strange and great humility, not dreaming of pomp and ceremony, or the trappings of worldly greatness? You will understand it better as I proceed. It was the will of Heaven that the Saviour should be a King; and, as such, have subjects, who should be obedient to His laws, and proud of His kingdom. Allow me to refresh your memories on this subject with a few passages from the Old Testament; and let me set before you a royal type or two of this our King. "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, until Shiloh come," said Jacob, with prophetic impulse; as if then, it should be transferred to a King appointed by the Lord. "A sceptre shall rise out of Israel," said the son of Bosor; "out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion." In the midst of great commotions, and proud swellings of the people, the Lord said-" I have set my King upon my Holy Hill of Zion." Over and over again do the Prophets speak in glowing terms of a King who should arise in after days, and of a kingdom that should never be destroyed. In great straits, in sad perplexity and sorrow, because of calamities, the Jewish people are shedding floods of tears in the land. of captivity, and the voice of the prophet is heard giv ing them solace, assuring them of the coming of the Deliverer. In the striking words of the text, Zechariah declares aloud-" Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation." Had the prophet stopped here, he would have spoken as the other prophets had spoken, but he proceeds-"thy King cometh lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Strange indeed to picture a monarch thus. Strange mode of comforting the afflicted and oppressed; how could a Lowly King bring deliverance to them from their enemies? Moving on a stage or two in the journey of time; we meet with some Magi coming from the East, who make enquiry at Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews, for we are come to do Him homage." Herod was moved-" A King! a King! is then my throne in jeopardy? Is King Messiah come? I will take steps for His destruction." You know the after history. The very title of accusation, written in three languages, and affixed to the cross, was this-" Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews." After his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, how surprised must Abraham have been with Melchizedek king of Salem. Musing perhaps on the darkness of ignorance and sin, suddenly to behold a burning and a shining light in a reigning monarch amongst men, must have struck the father of the faith ful with joyful astonishment. Melchizedek, King of Righteousness; and then again, King of Salem, that is, peace. Oh! how marvellous the riches of God's providence. And so with our King. He is the true Melchizedek; He is the real King of Salem! We did not expect to find so gracious a sovereign ruling amongst men. We did not know of His kingdom, until a sudden turn of good fortune brought Him before us, and now we cry, "Hosannah in the highest!" Let me read to you a little episode in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. "And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come unto Bethpage, unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with. her loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them and straightway he will send them. All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. It was in such manner He entered Jerusalem, amid the acclamations of the multitude, “And all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? and the multitude said, this is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." Jesus is the King! Yet what perplexities of thought hedge us about at |