sucking child" than He forget his people; adding, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands," this being then a common thing for men to do in token of affectionate remembrance. God would so order it, that the true children of Zion would make haste" in rebuilding his church, whilst its chief destroyers, its own faithless and godless members, would cast themselves out of it. He bids it behold the gathering multitude of its converts, who would be as ornaments to a bride, as inhabitants to a land that had been desolate, as new offspring to supply the place of children lost; and that, to such an extent, as that there should not be room to hold them in the old dispensation, in the abode of the former family, and that the Church should be itself astonished at the numbers, and should ask "Who hath brought up these ?"

As though replying to this question, God declares, that He will lift up his hand to the Gentiles, and that at his summons they shall replenish Zion's desolated family. Their kings and queens shall nurture children for the Church, and shall themselves do homage to their spiritual mother. Zion must not murmur in impatience, but must wait with faith; for they that so wait for God shall not be ashamed. Strange as it appears to take the prey from the mighty, and to set free those who are justly sentenced to captivity, yet would God do this, and more than this, in the redemption of Zion's children; both rescuing them from the bondage of ignorance and idolatry, of sin and death, and also visiting those who strive to hinder their salvation with the most awful judgments. See Rev. 16. 6. Which side then shall we choose? Which part are we actually taking? Are we on God's side, helping to replenish his church? or are we hindering the salvation of his people, and therefore justly numbered with his enemies? Let us remember that in this contest we cannot stand neuter. Let us attend to our Saviour's words, "He that is not with me is against me." Matt. 12. 30. If we are not making our light to shine before men, so that they may be thereby induced to glorify our Father in heaven, if we are not adorning our profession of faith by our zeal in good works, if we are not praying for the salvation of our brethren, and helping it forward by such means as we possess, if we are not thus with Christ, and for his Church, we cannot but be hinderers of his cause. Let us therefore aim at something better than neutrality. And whilst we watch that we never make a brother to offend, let us also labour diligently, to be bringing as many of our fellow creatures as we can, to the knowledge and love of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

A suffering Messiah will be rejected through unbelief.

1 Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away ? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

2 Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

5 The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

ers, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

7 For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.

9 Behold, the Lord Gon will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.

10 Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sor

6 I gave my back to the smit- row.

LECTURE 1162.

They who suffer with Christ will be glorified with Him. It was not on any light ground that God would put away from Him his ancient church; not for reasons light as those for which a Jew under the Law might give his wife a bill of divorcement. See Deut. 24. 1. Neither would it be God's doing to sell them into captivity, for his own profit; as the Jews, from the hardness of their hearts, were permitted by the Lord to do with their children. See Exod. 21. 7. His spouse would be put away for gross adultery. His children for their iniquities would sell themselves. And their sins, as here foretold, would be these: When Christ

came, they would not attend; when He called, they would not answer. They would have no faith in the power of Him, who of old had dried up the waters for their sake, and turned the day to darkness. See Exod. 14. 21. 10. 21. Marvellous as had been his works in their behalf they would not listen to One who plainly told them, "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me;" John 7. 16; they could not think that God would send them salvation, by One, who gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.

And yet how plainly how plainly is a suffering Messiah here described in prophecy; as well as also his rejection on that very ground! How powerfully does He assure his people, for the comfort of those who would believe, that notwithstanding his seeming helplessness, the Lord God would help Him, and would justify Him, and would glorify Him, and would make Him victorious over all his enemies, and would miserably destroy those wicked men who set themselves against Him! And how profitable for our instruction in righteousness is the resemblance here drawn, between a suffering Christ, and his suffering people, in their afflictions, and also in their consolations! "Who is there among you that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his servant?" Who is there, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, that believes in Christ, and serves God reverently for Christ's sake? Such an one may walk in darkness, and have no light, as far as this world's frowns can hinder him. His back may be given to the smiters, his health may fail, his friends fall off, his character may be slandered, his days be passed in want, weakness, and obscurity. But "let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." Let him walk in the steps of that divine Saviour, who called Himself the Son of man, and who, as such, put his whole dependence on the Lord God Almighty. And then let him be assured, that He also like Christ shall be mightily delivered. And when they who trust in themselves, and walk by the light of their own vain thoughts, shall "lie down," as here doomed, "in sorrow;" he shall be raised up in joy, not to be condemned, but justified, not to be ashamed, but glorified. Far be it then from us to compass ourselves about with the vanities of this present world, with the vain satisfactions of earth, or the vain imaginations of a worldly mind! Far be it from us to trust in the esteem of man, instead of seeking to be approved of God! Far be it from us to shrink from reproach, or loss, from pain or shame, whilst here, if it be such as we are bound to undergo, in order to do our Saviour's will, in order to glorify his holy name, in order to be made partakers of his joy hereafter!

Comfort is addressed to those who seek the Lord.

1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. 3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. 4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they

trust.

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like

a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the antient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

LECTURE 1163.

Assurance of help given for the encouragement of faith. God's promises are general, addressed to all who are outwardly his people, to be fulfilled in those only amongst them who are his people inwardly of a truth. And only to these latter are words of comfort here spoken in God's name by the prophet: "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord." And to such as these what an encouragement it is, to look to Abraham, and to Sarah, their spiritual parents, whose children they are by faith; and considering how God multiplied their

offspring according to the flesh, to reflect that in like manner He can and will increase the children of their faith, so as to replenish his church with believers, and to fill the hearts of believers with joy!

These were indeed strange tidings for God's people to hear, at a time when most of their tribes were already in captivity, and when those which remained in the land were under sentence of the like tribulation. When that sentence took effect, it would be hard for the captives in Babylon to believe in their restoration and renewed prosperity. And when these words of comfort again began to be fulfilled, in the calling of the Gentiles into the Church, then also it was no easy matter for the Jews to apprehend that so it was to be. Here too the faith of Gentile Christians has been severely put to the test. Of old there was the opposition of those, who would fain have barred all access to the cross of Christ, except by passing through the ordinances of the law. And always there has been the greatness of the blessings promised, enough to make men stagger at the promises. It must have always been hard to one brought up in ignorance of God, nay, and it is still hard to us, who have been taught his truth from early childhood, hard to believe, that He has done such great things for us, and that He has yet in store for us blessings so unspeakable, and of which we feel so altogether undeserving. How reasonably then has He here provided against the risk of our doubting his loving kindness! How powerfully does He assure us, that there is nothing so great that He will not do it for us, nothing so good that He will not give it us! The heavens and the earth must perish; but the salvation which He has wrought for us, and the righteousness which we have in Him, "shall be for ever." Our law, proceeding from Him, even the Gospel, this also is everlasting. And so too is our work, to glorify his name, and the joy which we have in doing it. They begin on earth. They will never cease in heaven. And as to those who would hinder our enjoyment of privileges so great, of mercies so almost incredible, their end is destruction; and whether they be evil men, or evil spirits, we may plead with God all the wondrous works which He has heretofore wrought in his people's cause, as grounds of our trusting in his arm, that He will bring us safe through all our dangers, and make us conquerors over all our enemies. Would we but believe! All things would then be possible unto us. All things that God has commanded we might do, had we but the faith which He requires. How great then is his goodness in giving us such ample encouragement for our faith! How great must be our sin, if we continue still slow to believe!