All this too is offered to us as a free 'act of mercy on the part of our great Deliverer. It was one of the most extraor- dinary
^ Compare Isai. xl. 3—3. with Luke iii. 3 — 6. or Isai. lii. 7. with Rom. X. 15.
Ezra i. 1 — 11.
diiiary parts of the Jews' deliverance from Babylon, that Cyrus should liberate them without any remuneration : but how does it exalt beyond all estimate the value of our redemption, that it is offered to us freely, " without money and without price !"]
2. The effects produced by it —
[When first a soul that has been sinking under a load of sin and guilt is made to hear the tidings of a free and full deliverance, they seem to him *"' as an idle tale :" he can scarcely believe it possible that such mercy should be vouchsafed to hhn, and that one who has been all his days a willing captive should be delivered : and, when the joys of this salvation burst upon his soul, he appears to himself to be, as it were, in a dream ; so far does the deliverance exceed all that he could previously have conceived. Then his mouth, which was but lately filled with lamentations and complaints, is " filled with laughter, and
his tongue with singing^" Nor is the surprise confined
to him alone : his friends and neighbours behold with asto- nishment the change that has taken place in him : they now see the whole course of his life changed : they behold the chains with which he was tied and bound, now loosed ; the sins that once had dominion over him, now mortified ; and the griefs, which they interpreted as symptoms or forerunners of derangement, nov*^ turned to joy, and " thanksgiving and the voice of melody." So great is the change in their eyes, that though they love it not, they are constrained to admire it, and to acknowledge the hand of God in it ; " The Lord hath done great things for them :" and, though they may deride it in pub- lic, they envy in their hearts the lot which they affect to despise. As for those who experience the happy change, they thankfully adore their heavenly Benefactor ; " The Lord hath done great
things for us, whereof we are glad!" They take their
harps that have been so long suspended on the willows, and sing with inexpressible delight the songs of Zion.
But the more they have experienced, the more they desire to possess all the fulness of the blessings prepared for them. Gladly would they, if it were possible, have all the remains of sin purged out from their hearts, a.nd all conflicts with it for ever terminated. They pant for the full attainment of the Divine image ; and cry with fervour to their God, '' Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south 1" Still however, not discouraged by the length of their journey, or the difficulties to be surmounted, or the toils which they must undergo, before they shall attain the full object of their desires, they set out in humble dependence on their God, assured of final and complete success. They are willing to " sow in tears, confident that in due time they shall reap in joy."]
Address,
' Isai. XXXV. 10.
462 PSALMS, cxxvi. 1 — 4. [432.
Address,
1 . To those who have experienced some measure of this deliverance —
[You have heard the parallel drawn between the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, and that of which you are the happy subjects. It remains for you to carry it yet further, and to realize it in its utmost extent. Of all the multitudes who set out on their journey towards Zion, there was not one who was not sen- sible of ihe cruel bondage from which he had been delivered ; not one who did not feel his obligations to Cyrus as his great deliverer ; not one, who did not see that his provision by the way, and his succours at the close of his journey, were the fruits of that same grace that first proclaimed the deliverance : more- over, all of them without exception would feel a consciousness that they were not yet arrived at the place which their souls longed after ; but that they were daily proceeding towards it : they felt no inclination to rest satisfied with any thing they met with in the wilderness ; but looked forward to the enjoyment of God's ordinances in Jerusalem as the consummation of their bliss. Now then let it be so with you. Never for a moment lose the remembrance of your former captivity, or of your obligations to the Lord Jesus Christ, who '* by his own death has destroyed death, and him that had the power of death, that is, the devil ; and hath delivered those who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage." Never for a moment forget that you are on a journey towards Zion, and that all your fresh springs are in that adorable Saviour, who has redeemed you by his blood. Never for a moment cease to press forward in your heavenly way; but, forgetting what is behind, reach forward, like coursers, to the destined goal. Let all your hopes, and all your happiness, be in heaven. In a word, he exactly in the state and habit of your minds, what the liberated captives were in their journey towards Zion. Then will you have attained the perfection of Christian pilgrims, and will in due time possess in all its fulness your des- tined inheritance.]