I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard. Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice. And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon. And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants."

Making all allowances, the glory of Solomon must have been great, and his wisdom great; so striking the one, so astonishing the other, that when the Queen of Sheba saw and felt-" there was no more spirit in her." She fainted from marvel.

But what we have principally to bear in mind, is the great trouble she took; the expense she was at; the exertions she made to see and to hear this noted monarch. And what we have principally to lay to heart, is the use our Saviour makes of the subject;

rousing us to thoughtfulness; setting before us responsibility; and the mighty claims of our privileges. Is it possible that we can sit down in Christian England, and suffer ourselves to be bewitched by the charms of worldliness, formality, selfishness, and ease; and never be at real pains to acquaint ourselves with the wisdom and the grace of the Adorable Saviour, King of kings, and Lord of lords? Shall Envy, or Pleasure, or Superstition, or Ignorance, or Sin, detain us within the narrow limits of our selfish kingdom, and not suffer us to go forth, as the Queen of Sheba did, with the great train and retinue of our thoughts, and anxieties, and cravings, and affections, to pay a visit of enquiry to the Righteous King of all; greater than Solomon, Jesus Christ?

To put it in plainer words, are we satisfied with the mere form of godliness. The outside shew of religion. The weekly Sabbath observance. The hurried prayer

at morn and night. irregular intervals.

The Chapter read at distant and

The character unformed. The

cross laid aside. Oh! look forward to the meeting with the Queen of Sheba, and the account which you must give at the judgment-seat of Christ.

That multitudes appear satisfied with the mere form of religion, must arise from the circumstance that they are not acquainted with its power. They have not learnt yet how Jesus is greater than Solomon. They cannot say, with the disciples-"We beheld His glory; the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of

grace and truth." To this part of the subject now permit me to draw your attention.

"Behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” He spake of Himself. “I, Jesus of Nazareth,” He might have said. “I, whom you regard as the son of the carpenter; whom you treat with scorn, contempt, and derision, and whom you will soon hurry away in thoughtless frenzy, and put to a bitter death. Behold! I am greater than Solomon!” Here was food for malicious cavil, and poison for pride; "How can we brook such words?" they would say. Here was ground for morbid sensibility, and mock reverence to fasten their accusations on. 66 'Blasphemy! Blasphemy!" they would exclaim-" None is greater than Solomon, but God." And yet Jesus is greater than Solomon! "How? In what respect? Explain." Come then, with me, my brethren, and let us pay a visit to Him, and prove Him with hard questions; and commune with Him of all that is in our heart. Let us not be satisfied with hearsay; let us see for ourselves, and be satisfied.

But how shall we get ready? How shall we go? Oh! go just as you are; with all your sins; with all your follies and inconsistencies, and half-religion, and infirmities, and forebodings of Death and the Judgment; go just as you are; there is no time now for preparation ..... And where shall we find Him? Oh! look into your own heart, and you will find Him there, or nowhere; and thus, and thus, He will speak—

Peace, and

"I am Jesus, your Lord and Saviour, into whose name you were baptized. I am your Master, whose livery you now wear, and whose bread you are now eating. I died for you on the bitter cross. I cleared a passage for you through the grave. I ever plead for you in Heaven. What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" "Lord, I would behold Thy glory. That glory which is greater than Solomon's." "Grace, Mercy, and Peace unto you." Oh what a glory is here! My immortal nature sadly crushed by sin needeth help, and here it is, help from the Almighty. Pardon, and behold it vouchsafed-the mercy of God. this is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. We see now that the glory is spiritual, not temporal. It is not a coronet for our brow that mortals prize so highly, but a celestial crown, prized by immortals, admired by angels and spirits. It is not the feverish excitement of worldly applause, but the approval of a good conscience, and the light of God's countenance. It is not intellectual revelry, but moral and spiritual delights. It is not the doubtful expectations of philosophy, but the earnest of an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. The glory of Solomon is eclipsed. It hath no glory, in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. The salvation of Jesus is the glory of our soul. And we live, my brethren, where the bright beams of this heavenly glory shine around. If the Queen of Sheba was entranced at the

glory and wisdom of Solomon; shall not we be entranced at the greater glory and wisdom of Jesus the Christ, Son of the Most High? If the Queen of the South shall rise up in the Judgment, and condemn the Jews, who declined to regard the glory of Jesus in the flesh; what effect will her testimony have on us, Christians, if we neglect the great salvation of Jesus raised on High, glorified? The blessings of His religion, like waves of glory, have rolled on through the centuries, and here far away at the end of the world we behold them. Shall we decline to commit the frail raft of our being to so marvellous a tide, that shall assuredly bear us to heaven; preferring rather to fasten our anchor in the sands of time, and play with its pebbles? Oh! my brethren, bethink you of the result. Neglect, be ignorant of, trifle with, the glory of Jesus, and in the solemn assembly of the Hall of Judgment, not only will the Queen of the South, but a whole multitude of heathen kings and queens; an innumerable crowd of idolaters and pagans, rise up and condemn you; for they groped in darkness, anxious for light; and you put on the dark mantle of ignorance and unconcern in the blaze of Christendom.

Good Lord, deliver us from our slumberings, and wake us up to life and labour.