by WILLIAM HUNTINGTON, S.S.
“In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning; thou hast the dew of thy youth (Ps. cx. 3).”
THIS Psalm begins with the glorification, exaltation, and ascension of Christ, (after His resurrection) at the right hand of God the Father. “The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, etc. As the Second Adam, and everlasting Father of the elect family, He is appointed heir of all things, and all things are put under His feet. He is head over all things to the Church. The Jews in particular, who put Him to death, and rejected His reign, are styled His enemies, and, therefore, He casts out His shoe over them; they are subdued by His wrath; they refused the bosom of His love, and, therefore, He says, “I will trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment, for the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.” This is spoken in allusion to warriors, who often appear in garments rolled in blood, who when they have subdued a rebellious people, reduce them to the most servile drudgery; which is called making His enemies His footstool; upon the subjection of whom, as upon a footstool, He raises Himself in fame and glory the higher as Christ’s fame was by the destruction of Pharaoh in the Red Sea. This was done likewise at the destruction of Jerusalem, by leaving that people without a sceptre, without a ruler, and a synagogue of Satan, even to this day. “The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion, rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Rod signifies a sceptre, and this sceptre is His power—”All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth,”—”Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He might give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him.” This derived power respects Christ as man, and as mediator, not as God; for as God He is the first and the last, the Almighty (Rev. i. 8);” and no power can be added to omnipotence. Besides, as God all things are His by creation, and by right of nature—”For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible, and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist, and He is the Head of the body, the Church (Col. i. 16, 17). If all things were created by Him and for Him then all things are His own by right of nature. This power, therefore, called the rod of His strength, is derived power given to Him as man and mediator. And this rod, sceptre, or power, is over all, and all things; and is displayed first by His gospel, which is the power of God to salvation or damnation; called therefore a savour of life unto life to some, and of death unto death to others; which is termed smiting the earth with the rod of His mouth, and slaying the wicked with the breath of His lips: thus His sceptre reaches even to the souls of men. Moreover, His rod is seen in executing vengeance on the enemies of His people, and in their destruction in various ways especially by war—”In righteousness He doth judge, and make war;”—”Thy people shall be willing in a day of thy power.” Thy
*Our readers are indebted to Rev. James Macleod for the transcription of this sermon.—Editor.
people are the elect of God the Father, given to Christ as man, and mediator; thine they were, and thou gavest them me. This people are a rebellious set, reluctant to all that is good, contrary to Christ, and enemies to God; but Jesus hath received gifts for the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell among them. This power is put forth to make them willing to come over to His standard, to submit to His yoke, and bow to His sceptre; which is done in a day of His power. There is a time for every purpose, a set time to favour Zion, and a day of power to every chosen vessel, when the power of the Lord is present to heal. Every chosen vessel hath his day, his appointed time. When the sinner is cut up and subdued, it is a day of power to him; when Christ is revealed, it is one of the days of the Son of man; and, when taken into the bosom of His love, it is the day of his espousals—”In the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning, thou hast the dew of thy youth.” I will treat, (I.) of the beauties of holiness. (II.) Of the morning. (III.) Of the womb of the morning. (IV.) Of the youth, and (V.) of the dew of the youth.
I. Of the beauties of holiness. There are many things the Scripture call beauty, or beautiful, such as beautiful crown, beautiful rod, beautiful for situation, and beautiful face, or countenance; and all these are of God: but the beauty in my text is divine beauty; it is all reflected or derived from God, and there are various branches of this beauty; and hence, they are mentioned in the plural, and by way of distinction are called the beauties of holiness. All divine and human beauty put together are now to be seen in Christ Jesus; He is the fairest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. If we consider Him in His divine nature, He is God over all, and the Creator of all, and the Author and giver of every natural beauty that is to be found in this world or the next; He has made every thing beautiful in His time. In Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, He possesses in Himself, in the highest sense, every attribute and perfection of divinity, He is the brightness of His Father’s glory, and the express image of His Person; visible, and invisible things, thrones, and dominions, are the work of His hands, and He fills heaven itself with His fulness, and all that are in it. The light of His countenance makes an eternal day in heaven; His life is an endless fountain there, and His love a river of everlasting pleasure. Now, if He is the sun of that world to come, who shines in it, adorns, beautifies, and glorifies, all that boundless expanse, and all the celestial inhabitants of it; and if an angel’s appearance is so bright and glorious that Daniel turns into corruption and faints at the sight; and if Moses and Stephen shining in His lustre was such a terror to men, all of which are nothing but rays reflected from Him what must He Himself be who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire? If we consider Him in His human nature; in which He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, and in which He is crowned with glory and honour; we must conclude with the Psalmist: “Thou art fairer than the children of men, grace is poured into thy lips, therefore, God hath blessed thee for ever.” His humanity, both in soul and body, was pure and spotless; all the fulness of the Spirit was upon Him, and all the fulness of grace, and treasures of wisdom and knowledge, were with Him; and every perfection of His Godhead dwells in Him, and shines through the gracious, the anointed, and the consecrated, manhood.
Adam in innocence, Aaron in his beautiful garments, and Solomon in all his glory (put them all together) were only shadows and figures of Him who is the second Adam, the High Priest of our profession, and the Prince of Peace. Adam’s innocence was soon lost, Aaron’s garments and priesthood are now no more, and Solomon’s glory faded like the flower of the field; but the glory and beauty of Jesus can never fade. But it may be objected, that many who saw Him in the days of His flesh bear quite a different testimony, namely, that He has no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him (Isa. liii. 2).” But the hearts of these men were shut up in prejudice and unbelief, and the god of this world had blinded their eyes; and men that are blind can be no better judges of beauty than they are of colours: these people are called the children of night, and of darkness. The children of light saw Him in His own rays; they beheld His glory, and saw Him as “the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” And I know that He is to be seen now, and His beauty too, even in this world. They had a glorious glimpse of Him under the former dispensation. “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple (Ps. xxvii. 4). But His beauty is more conspicuous under the present dispensation: “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly, that despiseth the gain of oppression, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high, his place of defence shall be the munition of rocks, bread shall be given him, his water shall be sure. Thine eye shall see the King in His beauty, they shall behold the land that is very far off (Isa. xxxiii. 15, 16, 17).” Here we have a promised view of Him in all His beauty and majesty, as King of Zion; who rescues us from our spiritual enemies, who conquers us by His kindness, and holds us as delightful captives, by ravishing our hearts with a view of His glory and majesty. Ask the young believer, who is emerged just out of darkness, who has escaped the corruptions of the world, the bondage of sin, the wrath of God, and fears of death, and the dread of endless misery; and he will tell you that he can set his seal to the truth of the following promise: “In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel (Isa. iv. 2).” The faith of a believer views Him in His own light, in His ancient undertakings, in His glorious visits paid to the saints of old, in His suffering circumstances, triumphant ascension, and glorious exaltation with all his brilliant trains of glorious grace, with which He has gone forth, and with which He has paid His courtly and love visits to poor sinners, ever since His coronation in heaven. To them His royal sceptre is beauty, and His pastoral crook is bands (Zech. xi. 17). The finest and most beautiful ornament that can adorn a young prince is a diadem, and the noblest cap of state that can deck the brow of a sovereign, and Christ, as God and man is both these to the chosen of Israel. When He shines into their hearts, and discovers Himself to them then it is day with their poor souls, and they see the truth of what follows. “In that day shall the Lord of Hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty unto the residue of His people (Isa. xxviii. 5).” Christ crucified dwelling in the heart by faith is the believer’s
diadem of grace in this world; this proclaims the believer heir-apparent to a future kingdom. And Christ exalted and glorified will be his crown of glory in the world to come, which secures his endless reign in heaven. “The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.” Thus we have seen a little glimpse of the beauty of His sweet face; but this is not all, for it must be felt as well as seen, for His beauty is reflected upon His people, the lustre of it shines into them, and spreads its glorious and ornamenting over them. “O satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may be glad and rejoice all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us (Ps. xc. 14, 15, 16, 17).” Here is mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. Here is God’s regenerating, and renewing work prayed for, that it might appear upon His servants; and His glorious light and truth, yea the Spirit of God and of glory is sought after in this prayer, that it might appear to the children of His servants with every heavenly endowment of the mind, every ornamental grace and needful gifts. “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.” This beauty is not the varnish of a harlot, nor artificial beauty, which consists in being arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold, precious stones, and pearls (Rev. xvii. 4). This gaudy shew is the attire and only beauty of the whore of Babylon, all which is strictly forbidden the church of God (I. Peter, iii. 3). Now for the various parts of this beauty of the Lord, which is upon His church. It consists in an illuminated understanding, and a well informed judgment, where the Holy Spirit is a spirit of judgment. “My judgment was a robe and a diadem,” says Job. In a cheerful heavenly countenance, the true index of pardon and peace in the conscience, and of a lively hope in the heart. “Sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” In a humble, meek and lowly mind, which is not corruptible. “The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit in the sight of God is of great price.” In having the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; walking with Christ, who is our peace; and in keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. “How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter (Cant. vii. 1). It stands in the glorious robe of imputed righteousness, which is the wedding garment, and the covering that is of God’s Spirit, and in being clothed with humility, which acquits us from the legal yoke of servile fear, and from the yoke of our own transgressions. “Awake, awake, put on strength, O Zion, put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion (Isa. lii. 1, 2).” It consists of the application of free salvation to the soul, by which the poor sinner is saved from guilt and filth, death and wrath, and in the which he stands proof against all the attacks of sin, Satan, and sinners, though they are always at him.
“For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation (Ps. cxlix. 4).” Another part of the spouse’s beauty lies in her eyes, and in her necklace. The eye is the eye of faith, which is always looking to Jesus; the necklace is the doctrines of Christ, which is the mystery of faith in a pure conscience by which consistent and harmonious chain of truth, and new covenant promises, we abide by the Head; the bond of which covenant unites Christ and the members together,
as the neck does the human body; the word of truth, and the eye of faith, are the churches’ eye and necklace. “Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thine neck (Song iv. 9).” Oh! how the Lord applauds this; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life; and, touching the truth of doctrine, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation.” “Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.” All the sacred mysteries of the ancient tabernacle and temple; the mystery of the ark, mercy seat, golden table, shew bread, golden pot, manna, Aaron’s rod, candlestick, holy fire, incense, cherubims, brazen sea, and even the shekinah itself, with the cloud by day and the fire by night in the wilderness, are now to be found in Christ, and in His church. Christ is the ark where the law is hid, our mercy seat where we come; the golden table is a gospel minister’s believing heart, containing, living on, and holding forth, Christ as the bread of life; the golden pot, a vessel of mercy; the manna the comforts of the Spirit, Aaron’s rod is the church of Christ in His hand; the candlestick, the church holding forth the true light; the holy fire, the Word and Spirit; incense, spiritual prayer; the brazen sea, regeneration; the Shekinah, the glory of the Lord risen upon us; our everlasting light, our God and our glory; the cloud by day, the favour of the King of kings; the fire by night, the eternal love of God, which never waxes cold to us, though ours does to Him. All those things were the beauty of the ancient tabernacle and temple. “Honour and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary (Ps. xvi. 6).” The temple was built of the cedars of Lebanon, on which account it is called by the name of Lebanon. “Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars (Zech. xi. 1).” A dreadful prophecy this to the Jews! The doors of the temple did open of their own accord, as Josephus relates, and soon after the Romans set fire to all the cedars; but the spiritual glory and beauty of it had gone some time before, and was all translated to the gospel church, agreeable to ancient prophecy. “Therefore thy gates shall be open continually, they shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious (Isa. lx. 11, 13).” Thus we see that all the mysteries, glory, beauty, strength, and honour, of the ancient tabernacle and temple are now to be found in Zion. Not only the carved works of the cedars, but that of the fir, pine, and box tree, which ever green verdure sets forth the life of the saints, and their verdant profession, as well as the carved work; all of which shall never be destroyed or broken down with axes and hammers. Here is “beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” “O how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty; corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids (Zech. ix. 17).” Let this beauty of Israel, this altogether lovely One, be viewed and considered as the Spirit of God by the ancient saints has set Him forth, then consider and view Him as shining with all His glory and majesty into His beloved spouse, and it is no wonder that He praises
her as He does—”Thou art beautiful O my love, as Tirzah;” yea, beauty itself, both perfect and eternal. I have almost lost myself in these beauties of holiness; I must quit them, and go to “the morning.” The “morning” sometimes signifies the spiritual resurrection of a poor soul after many months groping and stumbling upon the dark mountains of Horeb and Sinai, amidst the blackness and darkness, till we look like a bottle in the smoke (Ps. cxix. 83). But all our toil to find the way to God and to heaven there has been labouring to the wind; a deliverance from this is a blessed morning indeed, and that my soul knows right well. No wonder then that the poor self-lost soul is bid to look to Him that maketh the seven stars and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into morning. Morning sometimes signifies a restoration of the soul to love, peace, and joy, after a long sad night of spiritual desertion. His anger endureth, but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Moreover, morning signifies the beginning of an endless light that shines unto us at Christ’s rising and shining into our soul as the glorious dawn. “He that overcometh, I will give him the morning star.” Which light of life, joy, and comfort, is a pledge and earnest of everlasting day in heaven. “Like sheep they are laid in the grave, death shall feed on them, and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;” that is, when Christ shall be revealed from heaven to raise the dead, at which time “the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father for ever and ever; the wicked shall rise after the just. The beginning of the creation of the world is called the morning. “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy (Job, xxxviii. 4, 7).” But, literally, the morning signifies the early part of the day, when the rising sun brings the day on; to which the church of God is compared. “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners (Song, vi. 10).” This fourfold appearance of the church may signify the different figures that she has made in the different ages of the world. With “the womb of the morning” Christ revealed the beauties of holiness. Adam and Eve were types of Christ and His spouse; the tree of life, another representation of the Saviour; the tree of knowledge of good and evil, a figure of our fallen state, when nothing but a bare knowledge of what was good was left, and hardly that; and nothing but evil done by us, and felt in us; the garden of Eden was a figure of the church, as God’s husbandry and walk of pleasure, and she bears the name of Eden to this day; every plant there, being planted of God, represented the tree of righteousness, which are all planted by the same hand, and He plucks up all others. After the fall the beauties of holiness appeared in the tree of life; in the sword that kept the way to it; in the cherubims, in the sacrifices offered; in the Lord’s appearance as Judge and Saviour to our first parents; in the clothes He covered them with; in the promised seed held forth; in the bruising of Satan’s head; in the suffering of the heel; in salvation from Satan’s power by it, and the enmity that would by the grace of God be put between the children of God and those of the devil, which soon began when Abel obtained grace and Cain trusted in dead works. In all these things the beauties of holiness appeared even from the womb of the morning. And the church, from this time to the giving of the law, is said to look forth as
the morning. The whole religion and devotion of the saints was pure, simple, and spiritual; the doctrines and commandments of men, human traditions, grievousness which they prescribe, the vain pen of the scribe, superstition, and will worship, ceremonies, and a form of godliness, had not obtained then as they have now. It is true that now and then one of these crept in among them; but, not having the canon of Scriptures to pervert as now, they went into the most glaring presumption, and were soon discovered; so that they were presently purged out, as Cain, who was excommunicated by God Himself. The sons of God (in name) who married the daughters of Cain, and became renowned for wickedness, were condemned by an overflow of water; and the select few were preserved in the ark, among whom Ham escaped and Canaan, and abode for one year and then were cursed, and condemned to a double servitude. Next Abraham and his chosen spouse appeared, and many circumcised ones with him, till Hagar would be the mistress, the princess and the mother of us all, and her illegitimate son the heir of promise; when the true heir-at-law, and the mistress of the tent became the sport and ridicule of these from the tabernacle of Ham. All this mocking at Sarah and Isaac was laughing and sporting at God, for which insolence and presumption both are banished at the command of the Most High. Next Esau struggles from the womb, runs, sports, cooks, and cries for the blessing, and is determined to keep his ground and foot-hold, at the expense of his brother’s blood; till Jacob flees from the church to save his life, and the God of his life goes with him, and by his instrumentality brings two more into the house-hold of faith, namely Rachel and Leah, if not one of the hand-maids, which two build the house of Israel; by the hand-maid I do not mean Bilhah, who committed incest with Reuben.
(To be continued).