made low, and the crooked be made straight, and the rough places plain ; and that the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all fle&h shall see it together "i."]
Nor are we left in uncertainty about,
III. The effects of its arrival —
To the Jews themselves the effects will be glo- rious—
[Such prosperity, both temporal and spiritual, will they
enjoy, as \vas but faintly typified in the days of Solomon
'' The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth ,the stroke of their wound '^" ]
To the Gentiles also it will be the commencement of inconceivable and universal happiness^ —
[This is particidarhj marked in oiir text } "So the heathen shall fear tlie name of the Lord;" yes, the restoration and con- version of the Jews will be " as life from the dead'* to the whole Gentile world \ Their deliverances from Egypt and from Ba- bylon attracted the attention of the nations which were round about them ; but this deliverance will fill with surprise and asto- nishment all the nations upon earth : for the Jews are scattered through every country under heaven t and in every country there will be a simultaneous motion of the Jews towards their own land, and a turning to that Saviour, whom now they hate. This will carry conviction to the minds of all, that Jesus is the true Messiah, the only, and all-sufficient Saviour of the whole world. Then will all the great ones of the earth, the highest kings, no less than their meanest subjects, behold the glory of God in the face of our adorable Saviour ; and all, both Jews and Gentiles, become one fold under one Shepherd* However incre- dible this may appear, it shall assuredly be effected in due season; for the Lord hath promised ; and not a jot or tittle of his word shall fail.]
Address,
1 . Have compassion upon Zion — [See how deplorable is the present state of God's antient people : compare it with the former periods of their history when they were so signally honoured with the presence of their God in the wilderness, and at Sinai, and in the days of David and So- lomon Shall not the contrast fill you with pity and
compassion ?
'^ Tsai. xl. 3—5. ■■ Isai. xxx. 26. ' Rom. xi. 12, 15.
*See Isai. Ix. 1—8, 10—14. Vs. Ixxii. 8—11, ]6— 19. Zech.ii. 10—12. & viii. 20—23. & xiv. 9.
340 PSALMS, cii. 13 — 15. [404.
compassion ? Methitiks you can scarcely hav6 the feelings of men^ much less of Christians^ if you do not weep over their forlorn and destitute condit'on, !See how Nehemiah felt the de- solations of Zion in his day" ! and is there not yet greater
occHhion for you to do so now ? 8ee how Daniel set himself to implore mercy for his brethren, encouraged by the near approach
of the time destined for their deliverance " And let the
prospect we have of an infinirely greater deliverance for them, stimulate you to similar exertions in their behalf. Let nothing be wanting on your part that can contribute to their good. Your time, your money, your influence will be well employed in»so glorious a cause : and be assured that in endeavouring to *' water others, you shall be watered yourselves."]
1. Seek to experience the good work in your own souls —
[We would not so draw your attention to the vineyard of others, as to divert it from your own. If it be desirable for the Jews to " fear the name of the Lord, and to behold his glory," it is surely no less desirable for you also. Brethren, this charity must begin at home. It will be a fearful thing to " preach to others, and to become a cast-away ourselves." Begin then, e%'ery one of you, to ^eek the favour of God to your own souls. Truly it is lamentable to see in vvhat a state our Christian Zion is : and how many amongst us differ little from the Jews, except in name and profession. And in this we are far more guilty than they, because, w hilst they are misled through the blindness that is come upon them, we sin against light and knowledge, and, Judas-like, betray the Saviour whom we profess to love. Let us hope, how- ever, that the time for God to favour us is come ; (O that it may be come, and that our eyes may see it !) and that the tabernacle of David which is fallen down, shall be speedily reared amongst us, to the glory of God, and to the salvation of many souls. Much as we desire your aid for the Jewish nation, our first desire is, that you yourselves may be saved. In this we are sanctioned by the apostle Paul, who, whilst he pitied the Gentile world, desired to be accursed from Christ, if it might but be instrumental to the saving of his brethren the Jews. To you then, Brethren, we say, First give your own selves to the Lord, and after ivards to us, by the will of God ^ ]