the king who shall rule over them. Even the beloved disciple could only say, "it doth not yet appear what we shall be;" and the great apostle of the Gentiles, who had been caught up into the third heavens, brought back no account of the visions which he saw, and the unspeakable words which he heard. Oh! brethren, desire earnestly to be members of Christ's true spiritual church on earth, and then you will hereafter enjoy all its glories in heaven.

I now go on to consider and expound to you the next and concluding prophecy of Balaam. Enraged by the grievous disappointment of his expectations Balak dismisses him with reproaches, and taunts him with the loss of the great things which he had intended to give him. " I called thee," he says, “to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour." Most true indeed, the Lord had kept Balaam back from honour; and so he

will every one whose way is perverse before him. But God is not to be thus sent away at Balak's pleasure, and therefore he shall hear somewhat more of this people to his discomfort and dismay. Balaam again tells him that what the Lord said unto him that he must speak, and ere he parts from him proceeds to advertise him further what that people would do unto his people in the latter days.

He opens this prophecy in the same manner as the preceding, with the same description of his knowledge and visions, and I need not remark again on the difference between external gifts and internal graces, between knowledge in the head and love in the heart. But oh! if such gifts as these which Balaam possessed reside in an unsanctified soul, how awful is its case! and if such light as his be darkness, how great must that darkness be!

The prophecy is as follows. Thus Balaam speaks. "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre

shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies and Israel shall do valiantly. But of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city." The prophecy concludes with predictions of the fate of other nations, and looks forward not only to the destruction of the Amalekites and Midianites, but to the victories of the Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans, and the furthest end of time. I shall only take notice of those parts of it which refer more evidently and directly to the spiritual state of the church of Christ and its heavenly king.

The abrupt manner in which Balaam here speaks is worthy of observation. "I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh." Whom does he mean by this pronoun, him? No person had been previously spoken of, to whom it can be referred. No, for in the eager haste and rapid language of prophecy the Spirit hurries him on

to speak of Christ, the great Messiah, the glorious star. and mighty sceptre. He is here spoken of as a new star arising in the firmament, appearing for the admiration of men, and to give light unto the world. Thus did an emblem of him shine forth, the star in the east, which guided the wise men to the place of his birth. Thus was he spoken of by Zacharias, "the tender mercy of God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Thus also the Lord speaks of himself in the vision vouchsafed to St. John in Patmos, "I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." And St. Peter also speaks in a similar figure. He with two other favoured apostles, had seen the Lord transfigured before them. They had been eyewitnesses of somewhat of his essential majesty honour and glory; they had heard a voice from heaven in the holy mount: yet he tells them that they had a better medium of instruction and information than any which

could be derived from such visions as these.

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We have also," he says, a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the daystar arise in your hearts." We then need not envy the visible display of glory which these apostles witnessed, nor the revelations given to St. Paul in the third heavens, nor the visions vouchsafed to St. John in the isle of Patmos, and least of all, the prophetic spirit which was possessed by Balaam, and Ahaz, and Saul, and others of a similar description. We have the word of God, "a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our path;" and we have the blessed influence of his Spirit in our hearts, working there internally, to sanctify as well as to enlighten, to fill our souls with love as well as knowledge, to make us like him, and able to discern his glory.

He is also come out of Israel as "a sceptre," the emblem of regal authority and power. For Jesus is the King of Zion and the prince of peace. But his kingdom is not of this world. He received it not by any