speak plainly"." In another place the prophet supposes men to have received a stroke or wound upon tlieir eyes, and that, by the heahng of that wound, a vast increase of light shall shine into their minds ; " The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven- fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lordbindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound ^." To mention no more passages, the same prophet represents the saints in that day as seeing Christ, not as in a shadow, hke tlie Jews, nor as in a mirror, like us, but eye to eye, and face to face ; " Then shall they see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion^."]
Infer,
1. What a glorious period will the millennium be!
[The time referred to in the text is often called the mil- lennium, because it is to last a thousand years. And how blessed will be the state of the world during that period ! How will the whole face of the earth be changed ! The description of it in the preceding context, figurative as it is, will be almost literally accomplished : men, savage as the most ferocious animals, will be transformed into meek and lowly followers of the Lamb. No more wars, no more enslaving of our fellow-creatures, no more public feuds or private animosities ; all will be love ; " there will be none to hurt or destroy in all God's holy moun- tain^." O that the day were already come! O that " God would hasten it in his time ! " But, if we cannot be privileged to see it, let us at least help it forward by every means in our power : let us diffuse the savour of the knowledge of Christ in every place ; and exert all our influence to send the light of the Gospel to the heathen world, till " Ethiopia herself shall stretch out her hands unto God."]
2. How thankful should we be for that little know- ledge, with which God, in his mercy, has favoured us !
[Surely God has not left himself without witness amongst us, but " has given testimony to the word of his grace," and evinced its quickening, transforming efficacy. Doubtless there are some amongst us, whose dispositions and habits were once as adverse to the Gospel, as the wolf is to a lamb, or the leopard to a kid, who now harmoniously unite with the saints of God, and approve themselves to the world as new creatures. Till they knew the Lord, nothing could effectually tame their spirits, much less transform them into the divine image : but since the light of divine truth has shined into their hearts, they have enjoyed the peace, and exercised the love, and maintained the purity
" Isai. xxxii. 3, 4. -'^ Isai. xxx. 26.
y Isai. Hi. 8. ^ ver. 6 — 9.