k Rev. v. 13.
god's tender concern for his people.
Isai. xlviii. 17, 18. Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel : I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit, ivhich leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.
THE reducing of religion to a system is not without some use ; because, by an orderly arrangement of all its parts, we are enabled to attain both a comprehen- sive and distinct view of the whole. But, when we presume to wrest any passages, or to weaken their true meaning, merely because they do not seem to accord with our system, we usurp a power that be- longs not to us, and deprive ourselves of many benefits,
which, if duly humbled, we might enjoy. It cannot be denied that God is the sovereign disposer of all events, and that " the Spirit divideth to every man severally as he will." But shall we therefore imagine that nothing depends on ourselves ; that nothing is gained by obedience, or lost by disobedience ? " We have not so learned Christ ;" nor have we such partial views of his word. We believe, that however free and undeserved the gifts of God are, they would come down to us in richer abundance, if we were more earnest in seeking them ; and that the true reason of our possessing so little is, that we labour so little to obtain fresh communications, or to improve those we have already received. If we would not enervate, or rather destroy, the force of our text, we must sub- scribe to this sentiment: for there God expresses his regret that the obstinacy of his people prevented the descent of his blessings to them; which is a proof, that though his mercies are in some instances sovereignly and freely dispensed, yet they are not arbitrarily withheld from any; or, in other words, though some are elected to salvation, none are lost through an un- merited sentence of absolute and eternal reprobation. To enter fully into the spirit of our text, it will be proper to consider,
I. Who it is that here addresses us —
When any thing is spoken to us by man, we invo- luntarily consider who it is that addresses us, and pay attention to the words in proportion to the wisdom, the goodness, or authority of the speaker. If he be a stranger, we feel a comparative indifference towards him ; but if he be a friend, a benefactor, a father, we are more observant of every thing he says. Now God frequently expatiates on his own character, in order that he may arrest our attention, and make a deeper impression on our minds. In the words before us, he describes himself by,
1. The relation he bears to us — [God was related to Israel in a peculiar manner. He had brought them out of Egypt ; and they were the only people
god's tender concern for his people. 2 I 1
948.]
that acknowledged him: He was therefore properly "their Redeemer ; the Holy One of Israel, their God." The Christian Church, as a body, stand in a similar relation to him ; and are in that respect distinguished, like the Jews, from all the idol- atrous nations of the earth. But there are some, to whom, in a higher and more appropriate sense, he bears these relations. There are some whom he has really redeemed from sin and death ; in whose hearts he reigns ; and on whose behalf he exercises all his adorable perfections. Amongst this happy number we profess to be.
With what care and diligence then should toe attend to the words before us, when we consider them as addressed to us by Him, who bought us with his own blood, and who has given himself to us as our God and portion for ever! ]