rant. Is he a priest? a priest is ordained for men. Is he a king? it is that he may conquer and captivate, rule and govern us. Is he a physician? it is that he may heal the diseased. Is he a shepherd? it is that he may feed us in his pasture. Is he a door? it is that we may enter by him unto God. Is he a foundation? it is that we may build upon him. Is he meat? it is that we may feed on him. Is he drink? it is for the poor soul that is in want of salvation, as a thirsty man is in want of water. Thus, whatever he is as Mediator, that he is to us: "he is made of God unto us wisdom, righte ousness, sanctification and redemption." Mot. 6. Consider, that this tree is accessible; for he is in the midst of the street. And though highly exalted, and lifted up above the heavens, yet his boughs stoop and bend down to the very ground, that the hand of faith may reach his fruits and leaves, Rom. x. 6-8. Yea, not only does he bend his boughs, to make his fruit and his leaves accessible; but he shakes and drops his fruit to you in "the valley of vision," and makes it to fall about our tent-doors, just as he did the manna about the tents of Israel. O then put forth the hand of faith and gather. Mot. 7. You are not only invited, but commanded to eat the fruit, and apply the leaves of the tree by faith. This is the very work of God which he requires of you, "This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ." There is a call, that every one that hears of Christ should make use of him; and if you do not comply, you disobey the great God, in the greatest command that ever he issued out to men; it is not left optional; no, concluded you are under a law to take the fruits of this tree. Mot. 8. You will die except you eat of the fruit of the tree of life: John viii. 24: "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins," and so perish for ever: "He that believeth not is condemned already." Stand to your hazard, then. But if you believe, ye shall be saved: "Whosoever beliveth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." The fruits and leaves of this tree of life are an antidote against the hurt we sustained by our first parents eating of the forbidden fruit, whereby they and all their posterity were ruined. Thus, I have endeavoured to open the way to the tree of life. What more shall I say? I have endeavoured, even in the motives, to answer the objections of unbelief. I shall conclude this exhortation, by offering a word by way of advice. If you would reap the saving benefit of the tree of life. 1. Be convinced of the absolute need you stand in of Christ, and his saving fruits. And for this end, think seriously how you are dead, and killed, and slain, by eating the forbidden fruit in your first parents; and how, for the breach of the first covenant, you are shut out of the presence of God. What a heavy heart had Adam when he was banished out of the earthly Paradise, and the flaming sword brandished in his view? O what would he have given to have had access to eat of the tree of life! Now, this is thy case, O sinner; thou art an exile, the sword of justice is flaming over thy head. 2. Be convinced that life is to be had by making use of Christ, the tree of life, by eating of his fruit, and applying of his leaves. And, to convince you of it, you have the record of God for it, the witness of a Trinity: "This life is in his Son; and he that hath the Son, hath life." 3. Be well convinced of your warrant to make use of him. And, for this end, think on the command of believing, and the offers, calls, and invitations of the word, and the promises of welcome. 4. Clasp the arms of your souls about the tree of life, and resolve to hang about him for your very life, saying, "If I perish, I perish." But, may you say, I am far away from the tree of life, I cannot get him clasped, or his fruit plucked; therefore I give you, 5. A fifth advice, Will you look to the tree of life, and he will drop salvation into thy soul in looking to him: Is. xlv. 22: "Look unto me, and be ye saved.-They looked unto him, and were lightened." But, say you, I cannot see. 6. If you cannot look, will you cry to the tree of life, and seek him, for, "their souls shall live that seek the Lord. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." Bartimeus cried, and he heard him; the poor woman cried, "Lord, help me," and he heard her. 7. If you cannot cry, will you long for a tasting of his fruit, for a healing leaf, for some communications of Christ to your soul; "for he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. 8. I long, and am not satisfied. Answ. "Ye have need of patience;" wait and long, and long and wait, on the Lord; "for the Lord is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for him he is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him." Wait on him continually; in the end ye shall not be ashamed. A second word of exhortation, is to you who are believers, who have by faith really applied and made use of the tree of life. 1. O rejoice, and be glad in the Lord, that you have re gained Paradise again, and that you have not been slain by the cherubim with the flaming sword; yea that, having tasted of the tree of life, and got under his shadow, you are beyond the reach of death, and justice, and the curse. You see it follows my text, "And there shall be no more curse:". no cursing law-penalty any more to them that are come to Christ the tree of life: "There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus:" no, no; "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." And therefore rejoice in the Lord: and again, I say, rejoice." 2. Abide under the shadow, and make your nest among the branches of this blessed tree. O study the spouse; she "sat down under his shadow." You know the birds nestle and build among the branches, thither they flee for safety: Psal. civ. 16, 17, the birds are said to "make their nests among the cedars; and as for the stork, the fir trees are her house." So let all the birds of Paradise come and make their nests, their house, and dwelling in the tree of life: "To him shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee," says David, Psal. cxvi. 7. 3. Live upon the fruit of the tree; live upon the fruit of his obedience, death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession; be ever plucking the other apple off the tree of life. "The life which I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God," saith Paul. By faith we "eat the flesh, and drink the blood of the Son of man." Be continually making use of Christ, for you will always be needing him; every moment be "building up yourselves in your most holy faith;" be continually "drawing water out of the wells of salvation." 4. Whenever you find yourselves hurt, or your health impaired by corruption, temptation, presently apply the leaves of the tree of life for healing, the healing word, and Christ in it to thy soul: and do it without delay, for delays are dangerous; it is best to take the remedy at the beginning of a disease. "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up his standard against him." 5. Be often making use of the river of the water of life, which runs under the boughs of this tree; cry much for the influences of the Holy Ghost; lay your souls open to the blowings of this wind, to the flowings of this pure river of water of life, that so, under the shadow of this tree, you may be "like trees planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in season: for they that dwell under his shadow shall revive as the corn, grow as the vine, and their scent shall be as the wine of Lebanon." 6. O invite others to come to the tree, and say, O taste and see that his fruit is good, pleasant, profitable, and plenteous. O study to commend Christ, with the spouse, " My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand." Tell the hungry what excellent fruit is here; tell the weary what glorious rest is here; tell the diseased soul what healing leaves are here; tell the guilty what an excellent righteousness is here. 7. Let your resentment run against those who would hew down the tree of life. O stand up in his quarrel. Attempts have been made, even by some in our own day and land, "to cast him down from his excellency:" but, sure I am, if you ever tasted of his fruit, or were healed by his leaves, you will do what you can to resent his quarrel, and to maintain his glory and excellency, and to vindicate his honour against all the attacks that are made upon it. 8. Lastly, Let all the birds of Paradise sing the praises of God, who planted this tree of life for us, and who has opened up a new and living way to the heavenly Paradise, where we shall sing among the branches of this tree for ever. Mean time, O lisp out that song, Eph. i. 3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." O sing the praises of him that sitteth on the throne, and of the Lamb; sing that song of the redeemed, Rev. v. 12, 13: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." And let every soul say amen to this blessed song. 66 N B. Through the importunity of some who heard the three foregoing sermons, the author allowed the notes of them to go to the public, though not so full as he could have desired, particularly that delivered upon the Sabbath. 524 SERMON XVII. THE LAW OF FAITH ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION.* For the law shall go out of Zion.—ISA. II. 3. THE FIRST SERMON ON THIS TEXT. FROM the beginning of this chapter and downwards, we have a prophecy concerning the glorious kingdom of grace, to be erected by the Messiah, under the New Testament dispensation. Where two or three things may be noticed. (1.) By what name the prophet speaks of the New Testament church; he calls it "the mountain of the Lord's house." This is that mountain upon which the Lord promises to "make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees," Is. xxv. 6. Under the Old Testament, the mountain of the house of the Lord was restricted to Jerusalem, the church of God was mostly pent up within the narrow boundaries of Jerusalem and Judea; but under the New Testament, the mountain of the Lord's house is to be found, wherever God is worshipped, the gospel preached, and the mystery of sal vation through a Redeemer opened. (2.) We have an account of the in-gathering of the Gentile nations, into the bosom of the church under the New Testament; "all nations shall flow unto it." The kingdom of Christ shall no longer be confined to the nation of the Jews, the natural posterity of Abraham; no, the partition-wall shall be broken. down, and "from the uttermost parts of the earth songs shall be heard, even glory to the righteous." This flowing in of the nations into the bosom of the church, points out both the great multitude of converts, and their cheerful submission to the obedience of Christ; they should be innumerable like the drops of water in a river: and as the water of a river flows into the sea, so should the gathering of the nations be unto the blessed Shiloh; they shall come in like troops of volunteers under the banner of Christ: "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power," or in the day of thy armies, Psal. cx. 3. (3.) We have the encouragement which the New Testament converts give to their friends and neighbours to come along with them, and partake of the blessings of Three discourses preached at the administration of the Lord's Supper at Inveresk, August 9, 10, 11, 1729. |