promises, under the Christian dispensation, to admit all without any exception, provided their dispositions and habits be such as he approves ; yea, God himself will " bring them to his holy mountain e," by sending his shepherds to search them out, and to bring them upon their shoulders rejoicing.
Moreover, God will " make them joyful in his house of prayer." This is a blessing experienced by none but those who are truly upright. In the house of preaching indeed, the vilest hypocrites may be delighted f: and it would be well if the undue preference given to preaching, and the late attendance at public worship, observable among religious professors in the present day, did not give reason to fear, that their religion is in their ears only, and not in their hearts. Certain it is, that, amongst those who are truly upright, such conduct would be abhorred : they delight to draw nigh to God, and to pour out their hearts before him : and this, not only when some fluent person is exhibiting his gifts, but when the prayers of our Liturgy (better than which were never composed by mortal man) are offered up in the presence of the congregation. The man that has not his heart in tune for such prayers as those, has yet to learn what his wants are, and what should be the posture of his soul before God. To the penitent and contrite soul they will often be as marrow and fatness; and to join in them will be the sublimest pleasure he can enjoy.
Whilst they " draw nigh to God, God will also draw nigh to them," and will " manifest his acceptance" of them by some special tokens of his love. In former times he often testified his acceptance of the sacrifices by sending fire from heaven, to consume them upon the altar : now he will do the same, as it were, in a more secret way : he will send his Spirit into the soul as a Spirit of adoption, he will " shed abroad his love there," and will fill it with an abundance of grace and peace.]
2. He will number them amongst his most-favoured servants —
[To be childless was, under the Jewish dispensation, accounted a misfortune, and even a disgrace: and persons considered themselves as living in their posterity. Of this happiness the persons addressed in our text were deprived: but God assured them, that "he would give them a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters :" their children, even if they were as numerous as those of Ahab, might be cut off in a few hours, and their inheritance in Israel might be lost : but God would give to them a name and an inheritance that should endure for ever. To every one that answers to the foregoing character is this promise made : and to every one
e Heb. xii. 22. f Ezek. xxxiii. 30 — 32.