2. As instruments in his hands to dispense his blessings to the world— [The dew that floats in the air, and the clouds that are carried over the surface of the globe, are unconscious of the end for which they are sent; but they perform the most invaluable offices for the sons of men. In like manner the Jews are scattered through the world, unconscious of any particular good which they are destined to perform: but God designs to use them as his instruments, and by them to communicate the blessings of salvation to the whole world. This is plainly intimated in our text, and expressly declared by the Prophet Isaiah; "They shall declare my glory among the Gentiles, and shall bring them for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations." Then shall be fulfilled, in its utmost extent, that prophecy of Zechariah, "It shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the Heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing"." For this office they are fitted, having their own Scriptures in their hands, and understanding the language of the different countries where they sojourn: so that nothing is wanting but to have the veil removed from their hearts, and they are ready at this moment, each in his place, to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation through a crucified Redeemer. And with what energy will they proclaim the Gospel, the very first moment that their eyes are opened! How deeply will they themselves be affected; and how much therefore will they affect others! How will they, when they "look on Him whom they have pierced, mourn, and be in bitterness, even as one that is in bitterness for his first-born"!" And how ardently will they love, when they see how much has been forgiven them! How will they emulate the example of their fathers, the Apostles, in their zeal to spread the knowledge of their Messiah! and, when they hear that their brethren in every country under heaven are engaged in the same blessed work, how will they vie with each other in their endeavours to serve the Lord! With what effect too will they deliver their message! They are known every where to be the bitterest enemies to Christianity. They will not therefore be regarded, (as Christian preachers would be,) as a people endeavouring to propagate their own religion, but as people renouncing their own religion from conviction, and calling upon all other people to follow their example. This will create an interest which no other people could hope to excite: and the simultaneous efforts of their brethren in every quarter of the globe, accompanied as they will be by the operations of the Holy Spirit on the hearts z Isai. lxvi. 19, 20. b Zech. xii. 10. a Zech. viii. 13. of men, will bear down all before them, like another Pentecost, and produce, as it were, a resurrection from the dead". "THEN shall the heathen fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth his glory":" and then shall be literally fulfilled those words of the prophet, "A nation shall be born in a day1.' Now in all this they will be, not as the canals which were made by man, to water the earth, but as the dew or rain, "that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men." As the clouds are not formed by man's device, or sent by the command of men, but owe both their original and their operations to God alone; so the Jews have gone to the ends of the earth, unsolicited, unsent, unconscious of their destiny; and in due time will exert such a genial influence on the souls of men, that "the wilderness shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the roseh."] From hence we may SEE, 1. In what light we should regard the Jews— [It cannot be but that God, in dispersing the Jews over the face of the whole earth, has designed, that we should gather instruction from his dispensations towards them, and subserve in some secret way his purposes towards them. Wherever we see a Jew, we should regard him as an object from whom we are to derive good, and to whom we are to do good. There is no creature under heaven from the sight of whom we may derive greater good than from the sight of a Jew. We have before said, that, whether intentionally or not, he proclaims to all, in the most convincing way, both the nature and the perfections of God. But there is one lesson in particular which we may learn from him, namely, the guilt and danger of neglecting the Lord Jesus Christ. It was for rejecting and crucifying their Messiah that God's wrath fell upon that whole nation; and that it has now abode upon them for the space of almost eighteen hundred years. They knew him not; for "had they known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:" yet, notwithstanding their crime admits of this extenuation, it has been visited with a punishment unprecedented in the annals of the world. What guilt then must we contract, and of what punishment shall we be thought worthy, if we "crucify the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame," by continuing in our sins! We profess to know him, and to honour him, and to expect salvation from him: our conduct therefore in pouring contempt d Ezek. xxxvii. 10. with Rom. xi. 15. e Ps. cii. 13-15. Mark the word " So." h Isai. xxxv. 1. upon him is aggravated in a ten-fold degree. O! how shall we escape? If such things were done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? If such judgments have been executed on them, what must be the end of us, if we obey not the Gospel of Christ? Brethren, I entreat you never to look upon a Jew, without recalling to your minds this salutary and important lesson Yet be not content with deriving good from him, but put forth all your powers to do good to him. He, notwithstanding all the chastisements that are upon him, is still "beloved of God for his fathers' sakes. And, if he is beloved of God, should he not be beloved of you? If God have designs of love towards him, should not you seek to be an instrument in God's hands to accomplish towards him those gracious purposes? Can you think of the obligations which you are under to the Jews of former days, and not labour to requite them in their posterity? Or can you reflect on the purposes which are to be accomplished by the Jews in the present and future generations, and not endeavour to fit them for the work to which they are destined? If you have any love to the Gentile world, you should bestow all possible care on the instruction of the Jews, since it is by the Jews chiefly that the Gentiles will be brought into the fold of Christ. O! delay no longer to make this improvement of the circumstances before your eyes; but awake to all the calls of duty, of gratitude, and of love -] 2. What ends we ourselves should endeavour to answer in our respective spheres- [Doubtless we should not live for ourselves, any more than they we should all be inquiring, What can I do for God? or, what can I do for man? This is truly Christian; or, rather I should say, it is god-like. God himself is represented as resembling the rain', and being like the dewk; and O! what glorious effects does his descent upon the soul produce1! Would to God that we might live for the same ends, and produce, according to our measure, the same effects! Let every one know, that all his faculties, and all his powers, are the Lord's. Let all regard their time, their property, their influence, as talents committed to them by their God, to be improved by Him who has entrusted them to their care. be thought by any, that their talent is only as a single drop or two upon the barren ground, and too small to be of any use, let them remember, that a cloud is but an assemblage of drops; and that, if we only contribute according to our power, we may hope soon to see this "wilderness of ours become as i Hos. vi. 3. k Hos. xiv. 5. 1 Hos. xiv. 6. If it Eden, and this desert as the garden of the Lord"." We look for such a season both among Jews and Gentiles: and may we not expect it also amongst ourselves? Yes surely if we were all, ministers and people, to unite our efforts for this end, God would be with us; our labour should not be in vain": children should be born to God in this our Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all°;" her children should be numerous as the piles of grass P;" yea," the birth of her womb should be as the dew of the morning." May God give us to see such a season of revival in the midst of us, and throughout our whole land, for Christ's sake!] m Isai. li. 3. P Ps. lxxii. 16. n Isai. lv. 11. • Gal. iv. 26, 27. MCCXII. GOD'S CONTROVERSY WITH HIS PEOPLE. Micah vi. 2, 3. Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. WHENEVER we call on men to serve the Lord, they have some excuses to offer, either for the deferring of their duty, or for the neglecting of it altogether. They will complain that the things required of them are too strict; that, by reason of the weakness of human nature, they are impracticable; or, at all events, that, under their present circumstances, it were better to postpone the observance of them. In these excuses, they do not intend directly to reflect on God: but, in reality, they do cast the blame of their iniquities on him: on him, I say, as a Lawgiver, that he has required too much of us; or on him as a Creator, in that he has formed us incapable of obeying his will or on him as a Governor, who, in his providence, has assigned us a lot which does not admit of our fulfilling his commands. On these grounds God has a controversy with us; and appeals to the whole creation that he is greatly wronged by us. The whole process of his appeal is here stated. We have here, I. The court summoned [Sometimes God makes his appeal both to heaven and earth: "Hear, O heavens! and give ear, O earth; for the Lord speaketha." At other times he calls to the earth alone, as in the passage before us: "Hear ye, O mountains, and ye strong foundations of the earth!" But what amazing condescension is here, that he should summon his own creatures, to sit, as it were, in judgment upon him! He has a right to do whatsoever he shall please: and to presume to question any thing that he does, is the height of impiety. Has not "a potter power over the clay, to make of the same lump a vessel unto honour or unto dishonour," as he shall see fit? Or has the "clay any right to say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thusb?" If the Maker choose to mar the vessel the very instant he has formed it, he has a perfect right to do so: nor would the vessel have any reason to complain. So has God exactly the same right over us. He has not injured us, because he did not make us of the highest rank of created intelligences nor would he have done us any injury, if he had made us devoid of reason, like the beasts? If, when he endued us with reason, he had again bereaved us of it; or if he were at this moment to deprive us of all the advantages we enjoy ; we should have no ground of accusation against him: he has a right to do what he will with his ownd;" nor is he called to give an account to us of any of his matters.' But when we arraign his conduct, he is willing to have his cause tried before a tribunal of his own creatures, and to place sinners themselves upon the seat of judgment. His permission, yea, his entreaty, to them is, "Judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard'."] 66 Viewing now the court assembled, let us hear, II. The pleadings opened [Here is evidently an accusation implied; namely, God has both injured us, and even " wearied" us, by his oppressive conduct and to this the Almighty, standing as a defendant before the court, answers, by challenging inquiry; and, with conscious rectitude, he says, in the face of his accusers, "Testify against me." Declare wherein I have injured you: "declare it, that ye may be justified." Have I injured you by any undue strictness in my laws? Point out one that could have been dispensed with, or one that could have been lowered. They are all reducible to love: they a Isai. i. 2. Isai. xliii. 26. b Rom. ix. 20, 21. c Jer. xviii. 6. f Isai. v. 3. |