Arise then, and sing, thou that sittest in the dust ; put off thy sackcloth, and gird thee with gladness. Be not afraid, as though the tidings were too good to he true : the jubilee is come, and the trumpet now sounds hy the command of God himself: you have not to pay any thing for your deliverance ; but to receive it freely : you have nothing to fear from your enemies ; for " the day of God's vengeance is come," and he will bruise all your enemies under your feet. Let but these tidings sink into your hearts ; and God will glorify himself in your eternal happiness.]
Isai. lxi. 9. All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.
IN the different countries of the world, the inha- bitants are characterized by distinctive differences in their features; and from generation to generation, notwithstanding the vast diversity of countenances, that peculiarity of cast pervades them all. Neverthe- less, amidst all the nations where they are scattered, the descendants of Abraham may be clearly discerned from the original inhabitants of the soil : they all shew, by their countenances, their relation to their common parent. And may we not say respecting his spiritual children also, that they may be distinguished from others ? True it is, that in outward appearance they resemble those around them; but in heart, in spirit, and in life, they are different from all the world ; and yet, however distant from each other in climate, in education, and in habits, they all resemble each other, and bear the stamp and character of God, as their common Father.
In the passage before us, which foretells the in- crease of the Church in the Apostolic and Millennial periods, this circumstance is noticed : a peculiar blessedness is said to belong to the people of the Lord, even such a blessedness as should be visible to all who beheld them, and should distinguish them from all other persons on the face of the earth. In confirmation of this singular fact, we propose to shew,
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56i ISAIAH, LXI. 9. [1005.
I. That the Lord's people are pre-eminently blessed —
1. They are so —
[Consult the names given to them in the Holy Scriptures : they are " the children of light," " the children of obedience," " the children of God ;" whilst all others are the children of
darkness, of disobedience, of the wicked one ■ — ■ Consider
the state into which they are brought, a state of pardon, of peace, of holiness, of joy : whilst the whole world besides lieth in wickedness, and are utter strangers to all the blessings of the
New Covenant Consider further their 'prospects in the
future world, they being made heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ ; whilst to all others there is nothing but " a certain fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery indignation" to con- sume them Are not such persons then " a blessed seed?"]
2. They were so, in God's purpose, before they came into the world —
[We are astonished that many who profess to approve of the Articles of the Church of England, should be so averse to hear the smallest mention made of the counsels and decrees of God. That it is not profitable to be always insisting upon them, we readily admit; and that to dive too curiously into them, as though we were capable of comprehending the deepest mysteries in them, is highly presumptuous : but we must not on that account keep them wholly out of view, or be afraid of speaking as the Scripture speaks. God did most assuredly know from all eternity who were, or should be, his : and he did " choose them in Christ before the foundation of the world," and " predestinate them to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself3;" and "he gave them to Christ b," to be redeemed by his blood, to be saved by his grace, and to be made heirs of his glory0 : yea, he " wrote their names in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world d." How truly blessed then must they be ! ]