aversion from Him, who in his own person and work is alone and altogether what the soul wants.' That there was a general expectation of the appearance of such a personage, is evident from many facts which might be gathered from the history of the age in which Jesus appeared.*

1. All nations desire light. The light of day is the most beautiful object in the world. It seems to be the first thing that attracts the infant mind. God has so arranged the natural world that there is light for every human being. But then the mind needs spiritual light. There is a world within and a world without, and all may be light without while there is midnight darkness within. Jesus came then to enlighten the mind. And as the outward sun enables us to see the outward glories of the universe, so the Sun of Righteousness enables us to behold the moral glories of the Creator. And what a beautiful correspondence there is between the natural and the spiritual world. And has not God provided as extensively for the one as for the other? Jesus has come then as the light of that world. Hence, he is emphatically the Desire of all nations. The light of science and all the glories of the intellectual world are insufficient for the moral and spiritual part of man. Jesus alone can supply that want. He will shine on every heart till light and truth shall fill God's universe. The light has come. Long was it desired. Men explored their way as well as they were able, amidst darkness and doubt, till at last moral light dawned upon the world, and the Desire of all nations appeared!

* See title MESSIAH.

2. All nations desire knowledge. Man is an intellectual and moral being. He needs that kind of knowledge which will satisfy his whole nature. The gospel is revealed for that purpose. And to show the manner in which this is accomplished would be a greater work than our limits would permit. When Jesus started on his great errand of mercy, the world was in a state of moral darkness. True, much had been done by philosophers to adorn and enlighten the intellect. But the soul was thirsting for a knowledge of spiritual and divine things. There was a general ignorance respecting the nature and worship of God, respecting the creation of the world and the final destiny of man. Dark, confused and imperfect views of human duty prevailed universally. Philosophy could not give man a perfect knowledge on these great subjects. Hence there was a strong desire for more light from on high. How many, it is probable, have resembled the interesting Burman female, Mah Menla, whose little history is recorded in the life of the late Mrs. Judson. For ten years had her mind sought, with an anxiety nearly amounting to distraction, a satisfactory knowledge of the origin of all things, and of innumerable other points connected with that primary question, before a tract, written by Mr. Judson, gave her the first clear notion of an eternal God.' Man was groping his way, guided by a few transitory and uncertain beacons, amid desolate realms of mental darkness and chaos. The moral world was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. said, Let there be light, and there was light!'

And He

Then

'And the

the Desire of all nations appeared. glory of the Lord shone round about.' There was 'heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.'

3. All nations desire immortality. Man clings with great tenacity to his earthly existence, yet pants for a future life. Who is there that does not desire another state of being? It seems to be inwoven with our very nature. Indeed, our state on earth is rather that of desire than attainment. In heaven, this will be completely gratified, and the attainments of the soul will be commensurate with, and even largely exceed its more expanded and ardent desires. To show the darkness that prevailed in the ancient world respecting the doctrine of immortality is too great a work for us. We will, however, cite the words of two of the most eminent philosophers. Cicero, after treating the subject at considerable length, and bringing forward a variety of cogent arguments in behalf of the doctrine, and the nature and duration of the soul, says, 'Which of these is true, God alone knows, and which is most probable, is a very great question.'* Indeed, after looking over the views of the whole ancient world, Seneca makes the following very just observation: 'Immortality,

*Cicero, Tusc. Quæst. lib. 1.

however desirable, was rather promised than proved by those great men.'* In fact, the most gloomy notions prevailed on this great subject. Men imagined that they should be removed from one body to another, and be perpetual wanderers, or that the grave would be their eternal habitation. They complained that the sun and stars could rise again, but that man, when his day was set, must lie down in darkness and sleep a perpetual sleep.

A long, long, silent, dark, oblivious sleep,
A sleep which no propitious Power dispels,
Nor changing seasons, nor revolving years,'

In the midst of all this darkness and conjecture, the Desire of all nations appeared! The veil was torn asunder. The wilderness and the solitary place were made glad, and the desert rejoiced and blossomed as the rose.'

The great Redeemer has come according to promise, and all admit that his mission is to save all mankind. By his coming, he has raised the expectations of a world. If all are not saved, he has created hopes that will never be realized. And we see not in what sense he can be called the Desire of all nations. If the work fails, it would have been better, to all human appearance, never to have come. Besides; wherein then would the character of the Messiah be superior to those false Christs against which he warned his disciples? The world now looks to Jesus for deliverance. If he fails, unmingled sorrow and regret will settle down upon the universe forever!

* Seneca, ep. 102.

An incident occurred in one of the Indian wars that very appropriately illustrates this subject. During the absence of the parents, a family of children were carried away by the savages. The hearts of the parents were torn with anguish and sorrow. An officer and his troops offered their assistance. They fought with the captors. The father and mother waited in trembling anxiety to know the fate of their little ones. But the soldiers failed. The father ran to the waiting mother, exclaiming, "Our hope is lost! Our desire which was towards our kind captain and his host has failed!' 'O my God!' cried the swooning mother; 'My children! my children!' We look to Jesus. If he fails, how many parents will be filled with distraction and sorrow!

II. We will now consider the nature of the glory alluded to in the prophecy.

'It could not relate to the first temple, or to that erected after the Babylonish captivity: for in that they had not the Urim and Thummim, the Shechinah or divine glory, as in the first temple. These words must, therefore, refer to a new and spiritual dispensation to be manifested during the continuance of this second temple. It was positively said that "the glory of this latter house should be greater than that of the former." This could not refer to the external part, nor to any thing it contained. A new religion was to be revealed, which should not consist in outward ceremonies, but which should reach the thoughts and desires of the heart. Such is the religion of the true Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. In confirmation of this view, we ask, where is the