of you shall ever be disappointed of your hope. With Jehovah for your guide and defence, you have no ground for fear : for " if God be for you, who can be against you ? " Your enemies may be great in might, and many in number : but " they are all but bread for you." In your conflicts with them, you may endure much: but your trials shall be only as " the spirit of judgment and of burning to purge and to purify you from your filth °," and to call forth those exertions from God, which he has promised to you. Whatever difficulty obsti'uct your way, say to it as God has taught you, " Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain." Only " be strong in faith, giving glory to God." " Only hold fast your confidence, and the rejoicing of your hope ;" and " not so much as one jot or tittle of God's word shall ever fail."]
° ver. 4.
god's appeal to man's decision.
Isai. V. 3 — 5. O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betitfixt me and my vi?ieyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it ? Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth ivild grapes ? And noiv go to ; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.
MERCIES are obligations to obedience, and aggravations of the guilt of disobedience. This is declared under the similitude of an unfruitful vine- yard. The parable in the text foretold the captivity of the Jews in Babylon. Our Lord applied it in reference to the approaching dissolution of their ecclesiastical and civil polity by the Romans^. It is applicable also to the Church of God in all ages. In this solemn address of God to his Church and people are contained,
I. His appeal to them —
Many and great are the temporal blessings which we enjoy —
[In our civil capacity, we possess civil and religious liberty. In our social relations, our privileges and comforts
a Matt. xxi. 33, 41, 45.
864.]] god's appeal to man's decision. 491
are many''. In our persotial concerns, we may all find abundant cause for gratitude.]
But our spiritual advantages are greater still —
[We have infallible directions respecting tlic way of sal- vation*^. We are urged by the stro?igest motives to walk in if^. Sufficient assistance also is provided for US'*. We have the religion of Christ established in the land*^.]
In the name of God then we call you to judge be- tween God and your own souls *^ —
\_What obstructions to our fruitfulness has he not removed? What means of promoting it has he not employ ed^^? We appeal to you, and make you judges in your own cause.]
Happy were it for us, if, while we reflect on the ad- vantages God has favoured us with, which are greater far than those which were enjoyed by his people of old, there were not the same reason as formerly for, II. His expostulation with them —
^ If this were the subject of a Commemoration Sermon, the peculiar advantages belonging to the Society should be enumerated.
<= John X. 9. and xiv. 6. 1 Cor. iii.' 11. Acts iv. 12.
^ Not only our hopes and fears, which are the grand springs of human activity and vigour, are excited, Rom. ii. 6 — 10, but the love of Christ is set before us as the most irresistible of all motives, 2 Cor. V. 14.
* Luke xi. 13. Every Christian may adopt the apostle's words, Phil. iv. 13.
^ The Establishment has been " the pillar and ground of the truth" ever since the reformation. Its liturgy is pure and scriptural : its articles and homilies are a barrier against the intrusion of error : and, were its institutions observed as they ought to be, there would be no minister in its communion who was not orthodox in his opinions and holy in his life ; none could undertake the office of a teacher, who was not himself taught of God, and " moved by the Holy Ghost."