indeed with crowns of gold, but of laurel, or bays, or flowers, very common on ancient solemnities, and used even in modern times on jovial festivals, especially as an ornament to the queen of the May. The sacred penman of the Canticles seems to allude to that ancient custom, Cant. iii. 11. Go forth, O ye £ daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him, in the day of his espousals, in the day of the gladness of his heart.'

Much has been the pains taken by commentators to adjust the sense of this text, and a very practical improvement of it has been given by Doctor Gill, in his excellent exposition of that mysterious book; but I must say, that I cannot help thinking that the sense of the text has been but slightly touched upon.

To me it appears that the mother here spoken of, mystically understood, is the Jewish church, of whom the Saviour descended. The Jewish church may be said to have put the crown upon the head of Jesus in a twofold way by type, and by prophecy.

1st. Every type figured forth, and centered all in him, from the destined bullock, down to the flour sprinkled on the altar.* More especially,

2d. By prophecy, perfectly describing his person, character, and work; ascribing all salvation to him, and shewing the confluence of the redeemed Gentiles to his standard; fully describing the glory of Christ and his church in the gospel day of gracious visitation.

The day of his espousals may intend either his bringing of the Gentiles to the knowledge of himself, or the glorious day of salvation, when the whole church shall be gathered into one, and join him in the kingdom of glory. The latter of which I should. prefer to that of the day of his crucifixion, which does not appear to me to be so properly called the day of the gladness of his heart. The crown of salvation thus prophetically put on the head of the Redeemer, it follows

That the crown of glory is first put upon the head of the Bridegroom, as of old; but as sure as the crown is put upon the head of Jesus, it shall also be put upon the head of the bride : for as the head and members were loved by the Father with the same love, they shall, according to the tenor of the Redeemer's prayer, be crowned with the same life and glory. The interval between the coronation of the one and the other may to us seem long, but that of the former insures this of the latter. Christ died not for himself, but for his people as their covenant representative, and in the same character he has entered into the heavenly world, the sure pledge of their certain arrival, and his coronation the earnest of theirs. O Sirs! when we hear these things, how diligent should we be to know for ourselves the rea!

• Lev. ii. 2.

ground of our hope, whether it is founded upon Christ and grace; whether his assumption of our nature is the spring of our consolation; or we have some other hope distinct from him. Be this your care, for diligence here is sure to meet with its proper reward; and this only is worthy of our studious attention. How vast the glory to which the believing church is predestinated! to sit on the same throne, and to bask in the same glories with the Son of the Father! There is yet a

(4.) Circumstance attending ancient marriages which must by no means be omitted; which was, the bride brought no dowry with her to the bridegroom, but on the contrary the bridegroom himself gave the dowry to her relations, when at the same time she brought nothing but the paraphernalia, which consisted of some presents from her father and near relatives. The practice of hunting fortunes commenced in latter times, when luxury, voluptuousness, and dissipation became more prevalent, but was by no means requisite in those days of ancient simplicity. Instead of demanding a fortune with Rachel, Jacob agreed to serve for her the space of seven years; and instead of giving them a portion, Laban exacts with severity upon his son-in-law. In like manner the son of Hamor, enamoured of Dinah, proposes to give, and not receive money with her, Ask me never so much dowry, and I will give it.'

This is perfectly applicable to Christ and his church; he gives, but receives not: he, like Jacob hath won his bride by servitude; and well might complain that he was made to serve with her sins, not seven only, but three and thirty years, before he could remove every impediment to his taking his betrothed to his embrace. He finds his people destitute of all personal excellency and comeliness, besides what he himself is pleased to put upon them. When we come to Jesus by faith, we are wretched, miserable, blind, and naked, friendless and helpless, cast out to the loathing of our persons, by father and mother forsaken in point of salvation: yet we, like another Rachel, although made willing to follow him from Haran to Canaan, would treacherously be for carrying our gods with us; and it may be long before we are entirely weaned from the works of mens' hauds. Yet notwithstanding he receives nothing along with his spouse but guilt and defilement, such as to purge it required the efflux of his own precious blood; behold what a jointure! what a dowry the heavenly Bridegroom has settled upon his bride! "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither 'shall any pluck them out of my hand.'

His obedience is made yours for justification, his blood for pardon and sanctification, his grace for support, his house for a dwelling, and the fruits of his Spirit for ornamental attire; all that grace, life, and glory, laid up in him, are settled upon the believer: verily thy lot is cast in pleasant places, and thou hast

a goodly heritage. The Father of Christ is thy Father through him; the throne of the Redeemer is the seat of thy rest; his unsearchable riches are thy portion for ever. Let thy hand then put the crown of salvation on his venerable head, which once bowed under the weight of thine enormities; let his glory be the object of thy pleasurable pursuit, his will the law of thy choice. These observations made concerning the marriage itself, we shall now proceed to the

II. General head of discourse, which is to speak of the subsequents of the Jewish marriages, and particularly of this of Ruth and Boaz. Under which head, we shall see how far the spiritual things of the gracious kingdom are shadowed forth by the na. tural institutions amongst men.

(1.) The elders and all the people blessed the bridegroom and bride, in singing the epithalamium, or marriage song, as was customary among the ancients of Israel. Ver. 11. The Lord 'make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and 'Leah, which two did build the house of Israel.' This was the manner of blessing among Israel: The Lord bless thee: the 'Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee: the Lord 'make this woman like Rachel and Leah, &c.' What honour was here conferred upon this Moabitess! to rank her in this benediction with those two mothers of Israel! but infinitely superior is that honour conferred on the stranger brought into the house of Jesus; she stands at the right hand, and is numbered amongst the honourable of his court. To see the church of God, although the descendants of a guilty and apostate parent, and children of wrath, even as others by nature, ranked in a station superior to the thrones and dominions of heaven, must astonish every beholder, and clearly shew that their advance. ment is of grace.

1. But why like Rachel and Leah? because they followed Jacob their husband into Canaan from Haran, to the forsaking of their father's house, former connections, acquaintance, and native customs. In this respect the Lord, by his grace, makes every true convert like Rachel and Leah, willing to forsake all for the sake of the heavenly Bridegroom. Many would go with Christ, if they could but carry their father's house and former connections along with them, and incorporate his religion with the customs of their country, but have not an heart to part with all for his name's sake. But this is the call: Hearken, O ' daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear, forget also thine ⚫ own people and thy father's house :'* expressed yet in terms less figurative by the heavenly Bridegroom, If any man will be 'my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.' The Lord make you, my hearers, like Rachel and Leah, who followed Jacob out of their own into a strange

• Psal. xlv. 10.

country: the Lord make you to follow Jesus from earth to heaven, for the love you bear to his dear and precious name.

2. But why like Rachel and Leah, rather than Bilhah and Zilpah, for they also followed Jacob from Haran? The answer is plain: Rachel and Leah were the lawfully wedded consorts of the Patriarch; the other two were bondmaids. We would never wish for the servile spirit of a slave to attend any that come into the house of Israel: we would always wish to see a spirit of adoption encouraged amongst the people of God. You have probably, my friends, experienced the bitterness of a spirit of bondage: the Lord make you like Rachel and Leah, the truly betrothed of our gracious Patriarch: the Lord set the doors of your prison open, and bless you with a spirit of liberty, that ye may cry, My Father, my Father, who wast the guide of my 'youth.'

3. Why is Rachel put here before Leah, seeing Leah was the elder both in years, and in the marriage relation? Leah was less beautiful than Rachel, being tender eyed; somewhat like the Jewish dispensation, which was dark and cloudy, the highest of whose privileges were far inferior to the immunities of the church under the gospel dispensation. Hence, on a comparison of the two dispensations, our blessed Lord represents the least of his true followers, in point of privilege, as greater than the greatest of the Old Testament prophets.

Rache was most favoured and beloved, notwithstanding her sterility and long barrenness: her womb being shut up hindered not the fond affection, and warmest regard of the patriarchal lover. It is in some measure so with Christ and his Gentile church for although, with respect to the emanations of everlasting love, there is no difference between Jew and Gentile; yet in regard to the visible fruits and effects of this love, the difference is great. The immunities enjoyed by, and blessings long reserved for the gospel church, are unspeakably great in a comparative view; notwithstanding which superior excellence was intended for her, the Gentile church, like favoured Rachel, was long barren; four thousand years of the world's age were elapsed, ere it pleased God to gather the Gentiles under the shadow of his gracious wings. But when the set time to favour was come, barren Rachel brought forth beloved, renowned Joseph; the Gentile church brought forth that man child, who was a terror to the bloody dragon. The Lord make thee, O believer, like beloved Rachel, precious in the sight of thy husband, and beautiful to every beholding eye!

4. Why like Rachel and Leah rather than like Sarah and Rebekah, who also were the renowned progenitors of Israel? The reason of this is plain: because from them also proceeded the Edomites, who were not of the church visible, but a people unblest and rejected; a people to whom the Almighty shewed

no peculiar favour. But the descendants of Rachel and Leah were all of the church visible, and numbered amongst the chosen of the Lord.

The Lord make you and me in this respect like Rachel and Leah, that our seed be numbered amongst the chosen and redeemed of the Lord; and that we ourselves may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and inquire in his temple.

The elders and people, having poured out their benevolent blessings upon Ruth, turn the subject upon Boaz the bridegroom; Do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be thou famous in Bethlehem.' Ephratah and Bethlehem are different names for the same city, now the city of Boaz, afterwards the city of David, and, lastly, famous for the nativity of Jesus. Bethlehem signifies the house of war, and may have reference to that horrid massacre of the infant martyrs, subsequent to the birth of the Redeemer. Herod, that monster of cruelty, like a bloody dragon, waged war against the infant Saviour, to make sure of whose destruction all the babes of Bethlehem, and its environs, fell victims to his brutal ferocity. Cursed be his wrath, for it was cruel; and his anger, for it was fierce.

But Herod is not the only enemy who has risen up against the Lord and his Anointed; by nature all men are full of wrath against him, as the only way of salvation and life. Jesus is born into the world a man of strife and contention unto the whole earth; every man's hand is against him, notwithstanding the benevolence of his disposition, and holiness of his whole conduct. In a special manner in Bethlehem, the war upon Satan's kingdom began; that war, the final issue of which is not only decisive victory by the heavenly Christian, but the entire destruction of the powers of darkness. From this mountain the little stone, which destroys the image, was cut without hands; and upon whose top the handful of corn was sown, the fruit of which has shook like Lebanon.

Bethlehem, signifies also the house of bread, perhaps, because the bread of God, which came down from heaven to be the life of men, was first revealed in that city. Ephratah, intends abundance, or plenty; the house of abundance of bread, which must be true of the city of Jesus, for in this mountain, the Lord of Hosts hath made for all people a feast of fat things, full of 'marrow, &c.' and his kind invitation is, Eat, O friends! 'drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved!' What plenty of every good! what adorable riches and righteousness have poor believers found in him! and O what depths of undecaying comfort do the saints in glory find in him! blessed means by which the soul is brought to live upon the unsearchable riches of Christ. Do thou vorthily in Ephratah, and be thou famous in Bethlehem.