Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck.

5 The LORD upon thy right hand shall wound even kings in the day of his wrath.

6 He shall judge among the Heathens; He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; and smite in sunder the heads over divers countries.

7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lift up his head.

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Here too is a palpable reference to some future Sovereign, whose subjects were (from being his enemies) to offer him "free-will offerings with an holy worship:" and who are indicated to be innumerable as the dew-drops of the morning: This Sovereign was to be a Priest also, of a singular order, and that too FOR EVER — and finally, he was of a dignity so exalted, that David (himself a King and Prophet highly favoured of God) terms Him his LORD. Now to whom in the history of mankind, I would again enquire, could this apply, or be meant by the writer to apply, if not to CHRIST? of whom we find in the New Testament, that even 66 before Abraham was," (the great Father of David and of the

Jewish people,)" He was ;" that "He is King

66

of Kings, and LORD of LORDS;" — having subdued, in all countries, innumerable enemies to GOD and Virtue, not indeed by external violence, but (as his weapons are elsewhere described) by "the word of meekness," and by the force of Truth," (Psalm xlv. ver. 5.) 66 bringing into captivity," (not the mere persons, but even) " every thought, to the obe"dience of CHRIST* ;" and becoming " a High "Priest FOR EVERt;"-" making intercession "for us at the right hand of Gont."

"The LORD sware, and will not repent: "Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of "Melchisedeck."-To what but to some future and very peculiar person and transaction, could David allude in these words? The Mosaic Law under which he lived, recognized no order of priesthood, but that of Levi: and as to Melchisedeck, his name is never mentioned in the Old Testament, but in the following words:-(Genesis, chap. xiv. ver. 18-20.)

"And Melchisedeck King of Salem, brought "forth bread and wine; and he was the Priest of 2 Cor. x. 5. + Heb. vi. 20.

Rom. viii. 34.

"the Most High GoD: And he blessed him, and "said, Blessed be Abraham of the Most High "GOD, possessor of heaven and earth; And "blessed be the Most High God, who hath de "livered thine enemies into thine hand. And “he (Abraham) gave Him (as a token of in"feriority) tithes of all."

So little indeed is said in Scripture of Melchisedeck, that the application of this passage to our LORD, is certainly not, at first sight, striking; yet if we turn to the New Testament, we shall find, in the 7th chapter of Hebrews, a commentary on it, which, whether we consider the name of his Prototype, viz. Melchisedeck, (which means King of Peace,) or the mysterious silence observed as to his origin or end, or his relative superiority (sacerdotal as well as regal) over Abraham himself (the Friend of GOD, and Father of Israel) these will exhibit typical points of resemblance to the character and office of HIM, who is justly styled the "Prince of Peace;" to his supernatural and mysterious birth,-and to the superiority of his eternal Priesthood, over that of the mortal sons of Levi, under the temporary dispensation of

the Law. The analogy indeed is not so obvious and close in this instance, as in those we have before deduced, but there is no other Character in History, to whom what is said of Melchisedeck can nearly so well apply.

The application of the term, "his Lord,” to the MESSIAH, is the more unaccountable on any other supposition than supernatural foreknowledge, because it appears from other passages of the Psalms, that David was aware that the MESSIAH was to descend from himself: (Psalm cxxxii. v. 11. & 12.) an opinion uniformly entertained by the Jews, even to this day, from the circumstance of this fact being so often predicted by other Prophets also: And this is the ground of our Saviour's argument, (Matthew xxii. ver. 41.) with which we shall conclude our observations on this Psalm:

"While the Pharisees were gathered together, "Jesus asked them;

"Saying, What think ye of CHRIST? Whose "Son is He? They say unto Him, the Son of "David.

"He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying;

"The LORD said unto my LORD, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies "thy footstool?

"If David then call Him LORD, how is He "his Son?

"And no man was able to answer Him a "word, neither durst any man (from that day "forth) ask Him any more questions."

There are other strong references in the Psalms to the long-promised MESSIAH, but as these are intermingled with matter that seems to relate more especially to the personal state of David, or of his people, I shall confine myself to extracting a few only of the most striking of these passages:

Psalm xl. verses 8, 9, & 10.

Sacrifice, and meat-offering Thou wouldest not; but mine ears hast thou opened *.

"My ears hast Thou opened," or bored, -a practice observed it seems by the Hebrews with their Slaves: and thus these words too are referable enough to CHRIST, who, for the benefit of mankind, "took on him the form of a Servant," and "came not to be ministered unto, but to mini"ster "--and whose delivery into the hands of the Chief

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