express their assent with their lips, they neither know what they say, nor whereof they affirm. Their acknowledgment of his character has no more salutary influence, than that of the evil spirits when he was upon earth, who said, and perhaps with a much fuller conviction, "We "know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God*."

2. What a strong foundation does this doctrine afford for the faith and hope of those who indeed know MESSIAH, and have put their trust in him. This truth is the rock upon which the church is built, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. "If God be for us, who "shall be against us?" The difficulties of our warfare are great, the enemies of our peace are many. The world may frown, and Satan will rage; but Jesus has overcome the world, and is greater than all our foes. He will guide his people with his unerring wisdom, support them with his almighty arm, supply them out of the inexhaustible riches of his grace, revive them when fainting, heal them when wounded, plead for them above as their great high priest, manage for them upon earth as their great shepherd, and at last make them more than conquerors, and give them a crown of life!

3. On the contrary, how dreadful must be the state of those who finally reject him, and say in their hearts, "We will not have this man to rule over us!" He is now proposed as a Saviour, he invites sinners to come to him, that they may have life; and assures us, that "him that cometh he will in nowise cast out*." Happy are they who hear and obey his voice to-day, while it is called to-day. To-morrow is uncertain. Death may be at the door, and at death our state will be determined for eternity. They who refuse him now, in the

character of a Saviour, must then appear at his tribunal, and stand before him as their Judge; and must answer, in their own persons, for all their transgressions of the holy law, and for their contempt of the Gospel of the grace of God!

SERMON VI.

SALVATION PUBLISHED FROM THE MOUNTAINS.

ISAIAH xl. 9.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountains: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid: say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

IT

T would be improper to propose an alteration, though a slight one, in the reading of a text, without bearing my testimony to the great value of our English version, which, I believe, in point of simplicity, strength, and fidelity, is not likely to be excelled by a new translation of the whole Scripture. But there are, undoubtedly, particular passages, where a small change in the expression might render the sense clearer, and be equally answerable to the original Hebrew or Greek. The address of this verse as it stands in the Messiah is, O thou that tellest good tidings, &c. as the bishop of London has lately translated it. Zion and Jerusalem are considered by the prophet, not as bringing, but as receiving good tidings; and the publisher of these good tidings is written with a feminine construction. The sense may be thus expressed, "Let ber "that bringeth good tidings to Jerusalem and Zion,

get up into the high mountains and lift up her voice." But the apostrophe is more animated. That it was the custom in Israel for the women to publish and celebrate good news with songs and instruments, is well known. We have an early instance in the book of Exodus. When the Lord had delivered them from the power of Pharoah, and they saw their enemies, who had so lately threatened them, dead upon the sea-shore, "Miriam, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her "hand, and all the women went out after her with "timbrels and with dances; and Miriam answered "them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed

gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown "into the sea*." So afterwards, So afterwards, "when David re"turned from the slaughter of the Philistines, the wo

men came out to meet him and Saul, with tabrets and "instruments of music; and they answered one ano"ther as they played, Saul hath slain his thousands, "and David his ten thousands." Thus likewise Deborah, in her sublime song, represents the mother of Siserat, and her women, singing alternately, from a confident, though vain expectation, that Sisera would return a conqueror. In my text, the prophet in prospect of MESSIAH's appearance, speaks of it as an event suited to excite a general joy. The Gospel, (as the word imports,) is good news, glad tidings indeed! the best news that ever reached the ears, or cheered the heart of man. The women are, therefore, called upon to proclaim his approach, on the tops of the hills and mountains from whence they may be seen and heard to the greatest advantage, for the spreading of the tidings throughout the whole country. Zion is as

• Exod. xv. 20, 21. +1 Sam. xviii. 6, 7.

Judges v. 28, 29.

a besieged city; but let her know that relief is at hand; say unto her, "behold your God!" The Lord God will come with a strong hand, or against the strong one, and his people shall know him as their shepherd, "full of care, kindness, and power.

The promise of "Immanuel, God with us," is now to be spread like the morning from the tops of the mountains. The day is breaking, and this passage prepares for the following, "Arise, shine; for thy light is "come!" The welcome news is to be dispersed from Jerusalem to Samaria, from Jew to Gentile, from one kingdom to another people, till all the nations and ends of the earth "shall see the salvation of God."

The cause of this exultation arises from the character of MESSIAH, compared with the design of his appearance, and this is answerable to the condition in which he finds mankind.

The deplorable state of fallen man by nature, is largely described both in the Old Testament and in the New. It may suffice to take notice of three principal features which characterize our whole species, and apply to every individual of the race of Adam, until the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, affords relief. These are Guilt, Alienation of Heart, and Misery. We are the creatures Our life, faculties, and comforts, are all from him. He is, therefore, our great Lord, our supreme Benefactor. Of course we belong to him. His we are, and not our own. It follows, that dependence, gratitude, submis sion, and obedience, are incumbent on us, as they must be upon all intelligent creatures, from the very nature

1. Guilt. All have sinned. of God. He made us, and he preserves us.

Psalm xcviii. 3.

1

of things. The relation which subsists between an infinitely wise and good Creator and his creatures, if capable of knowing him, necessarily implies the subjection and the obligation is indissoluble. But we have evidently broken this law of our creation. We have violated the order of God's government. We have implicitly, if not formally, renounced our allegiance, disowned his right over us, and set up for ourselves. A dependent creature affecting independence; a worm presuming upon its own power, making itself its own end; a rebel against the divine government, boasting of morality and goodness, and trusting to his own conduct to recommend him to the favour of his Maker; a being formed for immortality, proposing his whole happiness in things which he feels to be unsatisfying, knows to be uncertain, and from which he is conscious he must, in a few years at most, be finally removed; these are solecisms which strongly prove the depravity, degeneracy, and demerit of man. It is possible, that had we been wholly left to ourselves, we should never have been aware, while in this world, of the just and inevitable consequences of our rebellion. Having lost all right thoughts of God, and conceiving of him, as if he were altogether like ourselves, we might have felt neither fear nor remorse. But there is a revelation, by which we are informed of his determined purpose to avenge disobedience, and to vindicate the honour of his government; and we are assured, that he is not an indifferent spectator of our opposition to his established order. His justice and truth are engaged to punish transgressors, and our obnoxiousness to punishment, is what we mean by guilt. If the Scripture be true, there is no way of escape, unless he himself be pleased to appoint one. This he has done; and the declaration of