wonderful than their deliverance from Egypt or from Babylon ; a way that shall leave no doubt, upon the minds of any, that the hand of the Lord hath done itg. To this the whole nation may look forward with confidence ; for " the mountains shall depart," saith God, " and the hills be removed ; but my kind- ness shall not depart from thee; neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee."]
Such, too, is the lesson that must be learned by us —
[" We have sold ourselves for nought." I will appeal to every one amongst you ; What have you ever gained by sin ? What has the world ever done for you ? What have you ever found in it, but " vanity and vexation of spirit ? " Truly it may be said of you also, that you have never received any thing in return for your souls. To you also may it be said, that neither are ye called to give any thing for their redemption. The price has been already paid, even " the precious blood of God's only dear Son, as of a lamb without blemish and without spoth:" and all that remains for you is, to receive freely what your God so freely bestows '. The proclamation has gone forth : it is already issued from the court of heaven : the jubilee-trumpet has announced it long : " Shake yourselves from the dust : loose yourselves from the bands of your necks, ye captive daughters of Zion:" return ye, every one, from your sore bondage, and take possession of your forfeited inheritance: receive all the blessings of salvation " freely, without money, and without price V Sit not, any of you, in a desponding frame, crying, " Awake, awake, O arm of the Lord !" but hear your God saying to you, " Awake, awake ; put on thy strength, O Zion ; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city ; for there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and unclean." Complete deliverance is at hand, for all that truly desire it ; for all that are willing to receive it. Do not imagine that it is any mark of humility to doubt ; it is no virtue in you ; but rather a grievous insult to your God. So God himself represents it : " Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint ; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
* ver. 6. h 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. * Rom. iii. 24. k Isai. lv. 1.