August 31

dominion, continued possession, full enjoyment. The King of Zion will never be deposed; will never die. Nothing can impede him; nothing shall perplex him; nothing shall induce him to change his proceedings—His enemies shall be made his footstool. He has enemies; but he rules in the midst of his enemies. It comports with his plan to suffer them to continue and to oppose him for a time; but he has them in derision, and can more easily destroy them than a giant can dash in pieces with a rod of iron a potter's vessel. He will display his wisdom and power in correcting their designs; he will make all their efforts to subserve his own purposes—The wrath of man shall praise him; and the remainder of wrath will he restrain.

For though his spiritual empire at present be limited, yet let two things be remembered—First, his real dominion is universal. He is not only the King of saints, but the King of kings, and the King of nations. All creatures are his servants, from a worm to an archangel. Not only are the treasures of grace his, but the elements of nature, and all the dispensations of Providence. He has power given him over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given him. He is head over all things to the Church. And this was necessary; for unless all things were put under him how could he make them all work together for the good of his people. Yet this is the case; and it will be a noble part of our future employment and pleasure to trace the correspondences, and to acknowledge that all his ways have been mercy and truth.

Secondly, though at present his spiritual kingdom be limited, and the subjects who obey him from the heart be comparatively few, it will not be so always, nor will it be so long. He shall have the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession. "Yea all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him."

Let the prospect and the assurance enliven our exertions and encourage our hope—"Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King."

August 31.—"And he shall be a priest upon his throne."—Zechariah 6:13.

In the Jewish economy, kings were not priests, nor priests kings. The offices were always separated. God divided them between two tribes and two families: the diadem was given to Juda, and the censer to Levi; the one belonged to the house of David, the other to the house of Aaron. And so evil and dangerous was it to unite them, that when Jehoash dared to burn incense his hand withered, and he was taken out of the temple a spectacle of Divine displeasure. But Jesus is anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows; he combines these functions and dignities; and is "a Priest upon his throne."

Something of this kind had indeed occurred before the Law, in the case of Melchisedec. He was priest of the Most High God; and he was also king of righteousness, and king of Salem, which is, king of peace. Hence the Apostle considers this wonderful character as a greater type of the Messiah than any of the Aaron-