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SERM.
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If we take the words in the first sense, "yet a lit"tle while," they fignify, that God was then beginning those changes in the world, which were to precede and make way for the coming of the Mefsias. This indeed was not till about four hundred years after; but a great while before that time GOD began those changes in the world, which were to prepare the way for his coming; and confidering the long time which was past from the first promise made to Abraham, four hundred years in comparison of that may feem but a little while. But I rather choose the latter sense of this phrase, yet once more;" because the Hebrew will bear it, and because it is fo quoted in the new testament; as if the prophet had faid, that God had before done a great thing in the world, and accompanied with great miracles, viz. "the giving of the law by Mofes," which was at tended with great commotions, both in Egypt, by bringing the people of Ifrael out from thence with a mighty hand, and by destroying the nations before them, whose land God gave them for a poffeffion; but now he would do one greater thing more, " the " sending of the Messias," and the " planting of his " religion in the world;" in order whereunto there should be much greater, and more universal commotions and changes in the world, and more and greater miracles wrought; " yet once more, and I " will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the fea, " and the dry land, and I will shake all nations." From which words the apostle to the Hebrews argues the abolishing of the Jewish dispensation, and the bringing in of another that should be unalterable, Heb. xii. 27. " And this word, yet once more, " (fays the apostle) signifies the removing of those "things that are shaken, that those things which

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"cannot be shaken may remain." And this I shall SERM. have occasion to explain more fully in the following parts of this discourse.

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"Yet once more I will shake the heavens and "the earth," &c. For the understanding whereof we are to confider, that the Hebrews have no one word whereby to express the world, and therefore they do it by an enumeration of the principal parts of it. So Gen. i. when Moses would express the creation of the world, he says, " in the beginning "God created the heaven and the earth." And fo St. Peter, when he would express the revolution of all things, after the universal conflagration of the world, calls it, a new heaven, and a new earth," 2 Pet. iii. 13. "Nevertheless we, according to his " promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth;" that is, a new world, a quite other frame and state of things, than that which we now fee. And fo the prophet here in the text, to express the great commotions and changes, that should be in the world before the coming of the Messias, says, that God “will " shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and "the dry land;" that is, he would cause great revolutions in the world; there should be great wars and confufions, and the empires of the world should pass from one hand to another. And thus we find this expression interpreted, ver. 21, 22. of this chapter, " I will shake the heavens and the earth, " and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and " I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the "nations." And to shew that by "shaking the " heavens and the earth," is meant great changes in the world, and as it were an universal commotion of it, he adds in the text, by way of farther explication, " and I will shake all nations."

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And then it follows, " and the defire of all na"tions shall come." This we (as the ancient Jews also did) take to be a plain character and description of the Meffias, he is "the defire of all nations;" he whom all nations had reason to defire, because of those great blessings and benefits which he was to bring to the world. Thus interpreters generally understand these words, and it is very true the Meffias was fo: but this does not seem to be the true importance of this phrase; for the Hebrew word fignifies expectation as well as defire, and fo I should rather choose to render it, " the expectation of all "nations shall come;" which signifies that about the time of the coming of the Meffias, not only the Jews, but other nations, should be in a general expectation of some great prince then to appear; which was most eminently accomplished in our bleffed SAVIOUR, as I shall shew by and by.

"And I will fill this house with glory, faith the "LORD of hosts," speaking of the second temple, which was then in building, which though it fell very much short of Solomon's, in point of state and magnificence; yet by being honoured with the prefence of the Messias, it should be much more glorious than Solomon's temple. "The filver is mine, "and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hofts;" not that God wanted the command of gold and filver, to have made the second temple equal to Solomon's in outward glory and splendor; he could eafily have made it so in that respect; and Josephus tells us, that not long before the time of our SAVIOUR'S coming, Herod had built and beautified it to that degree, that in some respects it excelled Solomon's; and of this some understand the next words, "glory of this latter house shall be greater than of "the

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"the former;" namely, that this was accomplishedS ERM. in that beauty and magnificence which was added to it, when it was re-edified by Herod the great: but however that be, this is certain, that it was much more glorious in another respect, namely, that it entertained the " Meffias, the great expecta" tion and bleffing of all nations."

"And in this place will I give peace, faith the "LORD of hosts." Some understand this, of that universal peace which was throughout the world, when our SAVIOUR was born in the reign of Augustus Cæfar. Others with great probability interpret this of the Meffias himself, who is called here by the name of peace; and fo fome of the ancient Jews understood it; "in this place will I give peace," that is, the Meffias. For the Hebrew word fignifies all kind of happiness, and so it includes all those bleffings and benefits, that happiness and falvation which the Meffias brought to the world. And this will appear very probable, if we confider, how frequently in fcripture this title is given to the Meffias. Ifa. ix. 6. he is called " the prince of peace;" and Zach. ix. ro. it is faid of him, " that he should speak "peace to the nations," and the apoftle to the Hebrews parallels him with Melchifedech in this particular, "that he was king of Salem," that is, "king " of peace;" and which is very little different from this, he is frequently in fcripture called salvation, which fignifies the happiness of being rescued and delivered from all kind of evil; as peace fignifies all kind of good, Ifa. xlix. 6. " I will alfo give thee for a light to the gentiles, that thou mayest be my falvation to the end of the earth:" and Luke ii. 30. when Simeon had our blessed SAVIOUR in his arms, when he was first brought into the temple, he calls

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SERM. calls him the salvation of God; "mine eyes" (faith he to God) "have seen thy falvation;" and John iv. 22. " falvation is of the Jews," that is, the Meffias was to be of that nation. But which is more express, CHRIST is called " our peace," Eph. ii. 14. nay, he is exprefly called peace, or the peace, Mic. V. 5. " and this man (speaking of the Messias) shall " be the peace," that is, one of his names or titles shall be peace. So that I make little doubt, but that in this expression in the text, of " giving peace," is meant, giving the Messias; and that this is render'd as the reason, why the glory of the second temple should be greater than of the first, because in that place the Messias should appear, and remarkably shew himself. Gon could have given this second temple, if he had thought fit, as much outward glory and beauty as that of Solomon's building; for " filver and gold are his," and all the riches of the world are at his command, but he chose to put a far greater honour upon it than that of filver and gold, and to make it much more glorious in another respect, "the glory of this latter house shall " be greater than of the former; because in this " place I will give the Meffias the peace," and happiness and salvation of mankind, and incomparably the greatest blessing that ever was given to the world.

The words being thus explained, it will now be more easy to shew, how the several parts of this prediction do agree to our blessed SAVIOUR, and to no other.

I. That there should be great changes and commotions in the world before his coming; " I will "shake the heavens, and the earth, and the fea, and "the dry land, and I will shake all nations;" and then he should come.

II. That

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