But you have disregarded them, even as the Jews of old did —
[Some will go so far as to say, that " these visions will fail," and never be accomplished. Others of a less daring habit, who would not venture thus flatly to contradict the word of God, will yet divest it of all its power, by supposing that it refers to other times and other persons, rather than to themselves at this time : " The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are afar off b." If a man, duly authorized, were to come and arrest us for any crime, we should feel a personal interest in all that he said : but when the plainest and most pointed truths are spoken to us from the Lord, we hear them as if we had no personal concern in them whatever ; and are no more affected with them, than we should be with a relation of some events which had occurred, or were about to occur, in some foreign nation with which we were personally unconnected ]
I must however declare to you, that " the days are at hand, for every vision of God's word to take effect"—
[Death and judgment are not far off from any of us: for what is the longest life, when viewed in connexion with eter- nity ? But how few, in comparison, live to an advanced age ? yea, what multitudes are cut off in the very prime of life ! and what a change in a congregation does a few years effect ! and, when " our day is come, has not every vision its full effect?" Go, and see whether God's word was not verified towards the Jews in Babylon. God himself put it to their descendants, in a way of solemn appeal, " My words, and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers ? To which they were constrained to reply, " Like as the Lord of Hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us c." And so also shall his every word take hold of you, and be ful- filled in you. Think what ye will of his long-suffering and forbearance, if ye continue to disregard his warnings, know of a surety, that " your judgment lingereth not, and your damna- tion slumbereth not d " ]
But these tidings will appear in all their force, if we mark, II. The sign by which they were confirmed —
The prophet was commanded to dig through the wall of his house, and carry out his furniture upon
* ver. 27. c Zech. i. 6. d 2 Pet. ii. 3. and iii. 9, 10.