5. We will again take our leave of this fweet Singer of Ifrael, and fee what his brethren, the Prophets, fay upon this fubject; and here I might fwell many pages with quotations; buta few, out of many, Iwill felect :-Inthat Gofpel day there full bean altar unto the Lord in the midst of Egypt, and a pillar at the bider thereof. And it fhail be for a fign, and for a witness unto the Lord of bofts in the land of Egypt: for thy fhall cry unto the Lord becaufe of oppreffors, and he jhal! fend them a Savior, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians fhall know the Lord in that day, and fhall do facrifice and oblations; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and shall perform it *. I must here make a short remark upon this friking paffage--An altar fall be fet up in Egypt: an altar implies an offering; and what offering does the Lord require, but that of the contrite, believing heart? The altar fanctifies the gift, or the offering; then, the altar, muft refer to the bleffed Jefus, the altar which must fanctify the facrifices of prayer and praise, which are offered from fincere fouls. A pillar is faid to ftand upon the border of the land, which was intended, no doubt, to direct travellers how to find the way to the altar and what can the pillar reprefent more fully-than the preaching of the everlasting Gofpel, which is intended to be the great index to point to Jefus the great altar? They cry unto the Lord, becaufe of appreffors, as Ifrael did when oppreffed in the fame Egypt; and then, the Great Saviour fhall manifeft himself unto them. Now obferve, this fhall be done in Egypt; and, if fo, why not in all the world and efpecially as

*Ifa. xix. 19, 20, 21..

we

we fee Egypt and Africa are to be joined, and all contention fhall ceafe-all being gathered to the One altar, they shall bring acceptable facrifices, and their mutual enmity fhall die away. In reference to the fame bleffed in-gathering of finners, it is faid,The wildernefs and the folitary plate shall be glad, and the defert shall rejoice and blaffom as a rofe*. To the fame purpose it is proclaimed, Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make ftraight in the defert a highway for our God. Every valley fhall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked fhall be made Araight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord fhall be revealed, and all flesh fhall fee it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath Spoken it t. But yet again-What fays the bleffed Father to the ever bleffed Son? I the Lord have call d thee in righteousness, and will bold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that fit in darkness from the prifon-house-And to fhew that this. is a general release, it is added,—Sing unto the Lord a new fong, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the fea, and all that is therein; the ifles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof Lst up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock fing; let them fhout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare his praife in the islands And after declaring that he will remove the obftacles out of the way, let them be mountains,

1

1

* Ifa. xvxv. I, 2.

† Ibid xl.

3, 4, 5

Ib'd xlii. 6---13.

mountains, hills, rivers, or pools, viz. all oppofitions, great or fmall, from men or devils, he declares,-I will bring the blind by a way that thy know not: I will lead them in paths they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things ftraight. These things will I do to them, and not forfake them.

2

6. AMONG all these bleffed promifes to the Gentiles, the poor Jews are not forgotten, but are frequently brought in; and this fhews that it will be nearly at the fame time when both fhall become one fold, under one Shepherd, and all fhall know him-from the leaft unto the greateft. And what is the charming language of the Great Redeemer upon the glorious occafion? Liften, O ifles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far: the Lord bath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name, faying, I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayeft be my falvation unto the end of the earth. That thou mayeft fay to the prisoners, Go forth; and to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves : "bey fhall feed in the ways, and their paftures in all high blaces. And to comfort his afflicted Church, he says,-1 will lift up mine hand unto the Gentiles, and fet up my ftandard unto the people: and they shall bring thy fens in their arms, and thy daughters fhall be carried upon their shoulders-And kings fhall be thy nurfing-fathers, and queens thy nurfing-mothers: and they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the duft of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: fer they shall not be ashamed that wait for me t

7. THE

*Ifa. xli. 15.

Ibid xlix. the whole Chapter.

7. THE fifty-third Chapter prefents us with a most affecting defcription of the fufferings and death of the common Saviour of Mankind; and with fuch confidence does the Prophet fpeak, as of a thing already paft, and, in the end, he tells us, He was numbered with tranfgreffors, and bare the fins of many, and made interceffion for tranfgreffors. The term tranfgreffors, as well as that of publicans and finners, is commonly applied to the poor Gentiles, whom the Jews held in fuck contempt, that they could fcarcely find out terms fufficiently odious to bestow upon them. But this fuffering Son of God was numbered with fuch, and, for fuch, he died, and made interceffion-which was verified when crucified with two thieves, and cried out,-Father, forgive them.

8. IN confequence of his fuffering on the Crofs, a fweet addrefs is made unto the Gentiles :-Sing, O barren, thou that dift not bear; break forth into finging, and cry aloud, thou that didft not travail with child: for more are the children of the defolate than the children of the married wife, jaith the Lord. He then addreffes the Church, faying,-Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them ftretch forth the curtains of thy habitations: Spare not, lengthen thy cords, and frengthen thy takes: For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy feed fhall inherit the Gentiles, and make the defolate cities to be inhabited. And again :-And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteoufnefs fhalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppreffion; for thou shalt not fear :

and

and from terror; for it shall not come near untie thee*.

And after this darkness.

9. THE fifty-fifth Chapter contains a gracious call to both Jews and Gentiles, and many bleffings confequent thereupon; fome of which will be taken notice of in a future Difcourfe. The fifty-eighth Chapter is a keen reproof to fuch as profefs Religion, but are covetous and cruel; and then the more excellent way is pointed out; and it appears, by the following Chapter, as if the feafonable reproof had its defirable effect; for there is a very feeling acknowledgment of the very things which they had been charged with, and a gracious God is as ready to pardon as they are to acknowledge, and promifes a Redeemer fhall come to Zion; and unto them that turn from tranfgreffion in Jacob +. is paft, light breaks out with astonishing abruptness, faying,-Aife, fhine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee: -And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rifing. Lift up thine eyes round about, and fee; all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters fhall be nurfed by thy fide-Then thou shalt fee, and fear, and be enlarged, because the abundance of the fea fhall be converted unto thee, and the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.-The multitude of camels fall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah: all they from Sheba shall come: they fail bring gold and incenfe; and they fail bew

+

forth

* Ifa. xlix. the whole Chapter. +Ibid liv. throughout. The Hebrew word means Reverence, and not a fervile far.