shall this blessedness be transient, as in former days : " the Lord shall be to her an everlasting light ; and the days of her mourning shall be ended." At all former periods there have been sons of Belial to dishonour and afflict her : but in that day " her people shall be all righteous, even trees of righteous- ness, the planting of the Lord, in whom he shall be glorified." Such a state of things, it may be said, is impossible ; there being scarcely so much as an appearance of any such thing upon the earth. But that which is at present but " a little one, shall become a thousand ; and a small one, a strong nation : Jehovah himself will effect it : the Lord shall hasten it in his timem."
O, what a different world will this then be ! Should we not pray for this happy time ? Should we not labour to bring it forward ? What exertions should we not make, if, perad- venture, we may but collect a few of the stones with which this temple shall be built !]
Learn from hence,
1. What should be our own personal state before
God—
[We see what the Church is to the whole world : such should we individually be, in our respective circles ; an excel- lency and a joy to all who behold us ; a source of good to all connected with us ; objects of complacency even to God him- self. O Brethren, let us not contemplate these things in the millennial Church, and forget that they should characterize the Church in all ages ! We deceive ourselves grievously in this matter. We think that such and such things became the primitive saints, but are unsuited to us ; or that they will be proper for the millennial period, but are not so for the present hour. Religion is the same in every age : nay more, the assist- ances for attaining it are the same in every age. The Holy Spirit should be poured out upon us, if we sought his influences as we ought : " if we have not, it is because we ask not ; or because we ask amiss." Prayer has the same power as ever ; and, if we were instant in it, would prevail with God so to fill us out of his own fulness, that we might " stand perfect and complete in all the will of Godn."]
2. What we should do for the benefit of the world —
[We should labour especially to extend the knowledge of Christ, which alone will prevail for the diffusion of holiness or happiness throughout the world. More particularly we should labour for the conversion of the Jews ; seeing that they are God's appointed instruments for the conversion of the
ra ver. 19 — 22. n Col. iv. 12.
1003. J the church's prosperity. 555
world. It is to their light that the Gentiles shall come ; and "on their skirt that the Gentiles shall lay hold, saying, We will go with you, for we perceive that God is with you of a truth." Some are apt to imagine, that a zeal for the welfare of the Jewish people argues somewhat of indifference for the Gentiles. But, if we had no personal regard for the Jews at all, yet, for the Gentiles' sake, we should labour for their welfare ; because it is through them that salvation is to come to the whole Gentile world. Not that we are to set the two in opposition to each other : there is ample scope for exertion amongst them both ; and we may hope to be partially useful to them both. But the great period to which we are looking forward, when " the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ," will be introduced by the conversion of the Jews ; " the receiving of whom shall be as life from the dead, to the whole world0."
This, then, I say to you ; Begin the work, which kings and queens are destined to carry on : draw forth, if I may so say, the breast to them; and let all the affections of your souls be deeply engaged in administering to their wants. Bring, as the converts of the latter day will do, " your silver and your gold with you ;" and know, that you can never expend it more beneficially to the world, or more honourably to your God, than by promoting that good work, of which the prophets have so largely spoken, and for the ultimate attainment of which the Saviour himself poured forth his soul unto the death.]