a fcepter of righteoufnefs is the fcepter of his kingdom; glorious in his attendants, his chariots are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels, among them he rideth on the heavens, and fendeth out the voice of his ftrength, attended with ten thousand times ten thousands of his holy ones; glorious in his fubjects, all creatures in heaven and in earth; nothing is left that is not put in fubjection to him; glorious in his way of rule, and the administration of his kingdom, full of fweetnefs, efficacy, power, ferenity, holiness, righteousness and grace, in and toward his elect; of terror, vengeance, and certain deftruction towards the rebellious angels and men ; glorious in the iffue of his kingdom, when every knee fhall bow before him, and all fhall ftand before his judgment-feat; and what a little portion of his glory is it, that we have pointed to? This is the Beloved of the church, its Head, its Husband; this is he with whom we have communion; but of the whole exaltation of Jefus Christ, I am elsewhere to treat at large.

Having infifted on thefe generals, for the farther carrying on the motives to communion with Christ, in the relation mentioned, taken from his excellencies and perfections, I fhall reflect on the defcription given of him by the spouse in the Canticles, to this very end and purpose, Cant. v. 10, 11. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. My Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the moft fine gold; his locks are bushy and black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly fet. His cheeks are as a bed of fpices: his lips like lilies, dropping fweet smelling myrth; his hands are as gold rings, fet with beryl; his belly

is as bright ivory overlaid with fapphires; his legs are as pillars, fet upon fockets of fine gold; his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars; ⚫ his mouth is most sweet, yea he is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend, O ye daughters of Jerufalem.'

The general description given of him, ver. 1c. hath been before confidered; the enfuing particurs are inftances to make good the affertion, that he is the chiefeft of ten thousand.

1. The spouse begins with his head and face, ver. 11, 12, 13. In his head, fhe fspeaks first in general, unto the substance of it, it is as fine gold, and then in particular, as to its ornaments, his locks are bufby, and black as a raven.

1. His head is as the most fine gold; or, his head gold, folid gold; fays fome, made of pure gold, fays others, krufion kephaz fays the 70, retaining part of both the Hebrew words, Maffa auri.

Two things are eminent in gold, fplendor or glory, and duration; this is that which the spouse fpeaks of the head of Chrift: his head is his government, authority, and kingdom; hence it is faid, a crown of pure gold was on his head, Pfal. xxi. 3. and his head is here faid to be gold, because of the crown of gold that adorns it. As the monarchy in Daniel, that was mot eminent for glory and duration, is termed an head of gold, Dan. ii. 38. And these two things are eminent in the kingdom, and authority of Christ.

1. It is a glorious kingdom, he is full of glory and majesty, and in his majesty he rides profperously, Pfal. xlv. 3, 4. His glory is great in the fal vation of God, honour and majefty are laid upon him,

he

he is made bleffed for ever and ever, Pfal. xxi. 5, 6. I might infift upon particulars, and shew that there is not any thing that may render a kingdom or government glorious, but it is in this of Chrift in all its excellencies. It is an heavenly, a spiritual, an univerfal, and an unshaken kingdom, all which render it glorious but of this fomewhat before.

2. It is durable, yea eternal, folid gold, his throne is for ever and ever, Pfal. xlv. 6. Of the increase of his government there is no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and justice, from henceforth even for ever, lfa. ix. 7. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, Dan. vii. 27. a kingdom that shall never be deftroyed, chap. ii. 44. for he must reign until all his enemies be fubdued. This is the head of gold, the fplendor and eternity of his government.

And if you take the head in a natural fenfe; either the glory of his Deity is here attended to, or the fulness and excellency of his wifdom, which the head is the feat of. The allegory is not to be ftreightned, whilft we keep to the analogy of faith.

2. For the ornaments of his head, his locks, they are faid to be bufhy, or curled, black as a raven. His curled locks are black: as a raven, is added by way of illustration of the blackness, not with any allufion to the nature of the raven. Take the head spoken of in a political fenfe; his locks or hair, faid to be curled, as feeming to be intangled; but really falling in perfect order and beauty, as bushy locks, are his thoughts, and counfels, and ways, in the administration of his kingdom. They are black or dark, because of their depth, and unsearchablenefs, as God is faid to dwell in thick darkness; and curled

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curled or bushy, because of their exact interweavings from his infinite wifdom; his thoughts are many as the hairs of the head, feeming to be perplexed and intangled, but really fet in all comely order, as curled bushy hair; deep and unfearchable, and dreadful to his enemies, and full of beauty and comelinefs to his beloved. Such are, fay, the thoughts of his heart, the counfels of his wisdom, in reference to the administrations of his kingdom, dark, perplexed, involved, to a carnal eye in themfelves, and to his faints, deep, manifold, ordered in all things, comely, defirable.

In a natural fenfe, black and curled locks, denote comelinefs and vigour of youth; the strength and power of Chrift, in the execution of his counfels, in all his ways, appears glorious and lovely.

The next thing defcribed in him is his eyes, ver. 12. His eyes are as the eyes of doves, by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly fet. The reafon of this allufion is obvious; doves are tender birds, not birds of prey; and of all others they have the most bright, fhining, and piercing eye; their delight alfo in ftreams of water is known. Their being washed in milk, or clear white chrystal water, adds to their beauty: and they are here faid to be fitly fet: that is, in due proportion for beauty and luftre; as a precious ftone in the foil or fulnefs of a ring, as the word fignifies.

Eyes being for fight, difcerning, knowlege, and acquaintance with the things that are to be feen; the knowlege, the understanding, the difcerning fpirit of Christ Jefus, are here intended. In the allufion ufed, four things are afcribed to them, 1. Tenderness, 2. Purity, 3. Discerning, and 4. Glory.

1. The tendernefs and compaffion of Christ towards his church is here intended: he looks on it, with the eyes of gallefs doves, with tenderness and careful compaffion, without anger, wrath, fury, or thoughts of revenge. So is the eye interpreted, Deut. xi. 12. The eyes of the Lord thy God are upon that land, Why fo? It is a land that the Lord thy God careth for; careth for it in mercy; fo are the eyes of Chrift on us, as the eyes of one that in tendernefs careth for us; that lays out his wifdom, knowlege, and understanding, in all tender love in our behalf. He is the ftone, that foundation ftone of the church, whereon are feven eyes, feven eyes, Zech. iii. 9. wherein there is a perfection of wisdom, knowlege, care and kindness for its guidance.

2d, Purity, as washed doves eyes for purity. This may be taken either fubjectively, for the excellency, immixed cleanness and purity of his fight, and knowlege in himfelf; or objectively, for his delighting to behold purity in others. He is of purer eyes, than to behold iniquity, Hab. i. 15. He bath no pleasure in wickedness, the foolish ball not ftand in his fight, Pfal. v. 4, 5. If the righteous foul of Lot was vexed with feeing the filthy deeds of wicked men, 2 Pet. ii. 8. who yet had eyes of flesh, in which there was a mixture of impurity, how much more do the pure eyes of our dear Lord Jefus abominate all the filthinefs of finners? But herein lies the excellency of his love to us, that he takes care, to take away our filth and stains, that he may delight in us; and feeing we are fo defiled, that it could no otherwife be done, he will do it it by his own blood, Eph. v. 25, 26, 27. Even as Chrift alfo loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might fanctify and cleanfe it, with

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the