Psa. 2:12. "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way..."
Psa. 2:12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way (p. 37). I fully acquiesce in the declaration of this psalm’s having respect to the Messiah, and that these words relate to the enemies of Christ, and unregenerate sinners. But that this “kissing the Son denotes a spiritual act, and is of the very essence of true saving faith,” as Mr. F. asserts (p. 38), is what I can by no means allow. Kissing denotes sometimes nothing more than civil homage and subjection, as in 1 Sam. 10:1, where we are told Samuel anointed Saul and kissed him, which was not, I presume, a spiritual act, but nothing more than a token of allegiance and loyalty, and expressive of reverence and respect, because of the high office he was advanced unto; and “it is the custom of the Indians to this day for the subjects to kiss their kings” (Dr. Gill’s Expos. on Psal. 2:12); now this was certainly the duty of kings and judges, and all wheresoever this glorious Messiah, the Son of God came, to reverence and respect him, to express their firm belief of his being that great Personage, so long prophesied of and expected, who gave such an undeniable evidence of his being so; who had divine authority stamped in very legible characters upon him; and if they refused to acknowledge him it should issue in their destruction.—Mr. F. seems to build much on the latter part of the verse, “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him,” and says, “now putting their trust in him, and kissing him seem nearly akin, both having the promise of bliss annexed” (p. 39). This seems to me very far from being just; kissing the son and trusting him are widely different. The one is an incumbent duty, the other a peculiar privilege and blessing. The easy and natural sense of the words seems to be this, Kiss the Son, reverence him, respect and worship him; this is your duty, for he is my Son, he is the great Messiah; the glorious king I have long promised: I have sealed him, this you may easily perceive, and if ye refuse to acknowledge him, ye shall perish in your sinful ways. Then after the duty of men in general is pointed out, as a matter very distinct comes in the next words, as words of great encouragement to those whose peculiar privilege it is to venture their souls on him; who not only acknowledge and reverence him as the Messiah, but also believe in him for pardon, peace, righteousness and eternal life, as the only saviour of sinners, these are blessed, yea, “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
