them into captivity in Babylon: and they may well be considered as addressed to us, now that his hand is lifted up for the punishment, and, for aught we know, for the destruction, of our land.

They manifestly contain the Prophet's exhortationhis arguments to enforce it-and his determination in case he should not be able to prevail on the people to repent.

But the occasion, and the text itself, call rather for exhortation than discussion. We shall therefore, though not without a due attention to the order of the words, proceed to urge upon you the great, the seasonable, the indispensable duty of repentance.

[Know then, that it is "God who speaketh." The words delivered to you in his name, as far as they accord with his mind and will, are his words, and are to be received as though you heard them uttered by a voice from heaven.a

"Hear ye, and give ear," and let not the pride of your hearts obstruct your attention. Often has God spoken to you by the dispensations of his providence, and the declarations of his grace; yea, moreover, by the still small voice of con science: but ye, the generality of you at least, have turned a deaf ear, and refused to hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. But "be not proud." Ye must hear at last, whether ye will or not. Let then your stout hearts be humbled; and receive with meekness the engrafted word.c

"Give glory

In the name of God we say to you, REPENT. to the Lord your God." It is by repentance only that you can do this. Repentance glorifies all his perfections; his omiscience that sees your transgressions, his justice that punishes them, his mercy that pardons, them, and his wisdom and goodness that have provided such a marvellous salvation for ruined

man.

O glorify his omniscience: say, Lord, thou art privy to all the secrets of my heart; thou knowest that I am inexpressibly vile.e

Glorify his justice; and acknowledge, that if he cut you off, and consign you to the lowest hell, you have no more than your just desert.f

Glorify his mercy; and plead it with him as the only, the all-sufficient ground of your hope and confidence.g

a 2 Cor. v. 20. 1 Thess. ii. 13. ⚫ Jam. i. 21.

e Jer. xvii. 9. Job xl. 4. and xlii. 2, f Matt. xxii. 12, 13. Rom. iii, 4.

b Job xxxiii. 14.

d Josh. vii. 19. Rev. xvi. 9.

6.

g Ps. li. 1.

Glorify his wisdom and goodness, that have opened a way for your return to him through the incarnation and death of his only dear Son. Declare, that you have no trust whatever but in the blood and righteousness of that almighty Saviour."

To persist in impenitence is the certain way to bring down the heaviest judgments upon your souls. The darkness that hangs over the nation, cannot be dispelled in any other way; much less can that with which God menaces your souls. O consider "the darkness, the gross darkness," in which they are involved, who are shut up under judicial blindness and final obduracy; or who, under the terrors of a guilty conscience, "stumble on the dark mountains" of unbelief, and, like the Jews (who thought they had clean escaped from their pursuers) are overtaken by the sword of vengeance, so that "while they look for light, it is turned into the shadow of death," and they are plunged into "the blackness of darkness for evermore."m

But repentance may yet avert the storm, both from the nation, and from our own souls. Numberless are the declarations of God to this effect;" and numberless the instances wherein it has been verified. But let us remember what kind of repentance it is which will thus prevail: it is not a mere formal confession of sin with a partial reformation of the life, but such a repentance as glorifies all the perfections of the Deity; such a repentance as has an especial respect to Christ, who alone can procure our pardon, and in whom alone we can ever find acceptance with God.

Would to God that we might prevail with you, and that you were all, in good earnest, turning unto God! Could we once behold this, O how should we rejoice; and how would "the very angels in heaven rejoice" on your account! But, "if ye will not repent" (as it is to be feared too many of you will not) "my soul," and the souls of all who are aware of your condition, "shall weep in secret places for your pride; yea, our eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears,” on account of your present and approaching bondage. The godly in all ages have wept over those who felt no concern for their own souls:P and we trust that there are many, who will lay to heart the evils which ye are too proud to acknowledge, too obdurate to deplore. But we intreat you to consider, Is there one amongst us all, that is not a sinner before God? and does

h. Phil. iii. 8, 9.

Isai. vi. 9, 10,

i Joel ii. 2, 3. perhaps a true picture of our present state.

This is the literal meaning of the text. m 2 Thess. ii. 11,12. Jude 13. n To nations 2 Chron. vii. 14, and to individuals Isai. lv. 7. Nineveh, the dying thief, &c.

P Ps. cxix. 136. Ezra ix. 3.

and x. 6. 2 Pet. ii. 8. Rom. ix. 1, 2. above all Luke xix. 41. 1 Kings viii. 46. Jam. iii. 2.

not the broken law denounce a curse against us?r and if God be true, will not that curse be inflicted on the impenitent? Why then will ye not humble yourselves before an offended God, a merciful Redeemer? Alas! for your "pride,” and stoutness of heart! How lamentable is it, that you, who have been baptized into the name of Christ, and are therefore properly the Lord's flock," should be so "carried captive" by your lusts, and by your great adversary, the Devil! O think, it is but a little time, and your captivity will be complete; and, lost beyond a possibility of redemption, you will be bound in chains of everlasting darkness. And is not here a cause for sorrow on your account? "Oh that mine head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night" for your unhappy state!"

We will not, however, conclude, without once more intreating you to "give glory to the Lord your God;" that so "your light may rise in obscurity, and your darkness may be as the noon-day."]

r Gal. iii. 10. a Jer. ix. 1.

$ 2 Tim. ii. 26.
* Isai. lviii. 8, 10.

t Jude 6.

CCCXXVI. THE ONLY REFUGE OP SINNERS.

Isai. xxvi. 20, 21. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.

GOD has been pleased to manifest at all times such a tender concern for the welfare of his people, that he has scarcely ever done any thing of importance, which he has not revealed to them beforehand by his servants the prophets. Did he determine to destroy the earth with a flood? he instructed Noah first to build an ark for the preservation of himself and his family." Was he about to rain fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah? he could not execute his vengeance till rightcous Lot had retired to a place of safety. Had he decreed to bring on Jerusalem such judgments as the world had never before seen? he warns his people to escape

d

from it, and provides them a retreat in the neighbouring mountains. Thus he had decreed the destruction of Babylon; and the preceding part of the chapter contains a hymn of triumph, which should be sung by his people on that occasion. But, as there would be great danger of their being involved in the common calamity, he apprizes them of his intention, and exhorts them to hide themselves, till the danger should be overpast. It is not, however, necessary to confine the words to this sense; because there are many other occasions on which God comes forth to punish mankind; and because the advice given, is suitable to all such occasions.

In discoursing on this passage, we shall call your attention to

I. The warning here given

Heaven is the habitation of God's holiness and glory. And from thence he is said to "come forth," when he manifests himself in any signal manner upon earth. And, alas! how often do the iniquities of men necessitate him to come down and visit them with his sore judgments! But there is one period in particular, when God shall come, not to punish one particular nation only, but all who shall have lived and died in sin, from the foundation of the world.

[The day of judgment is called "the day of wrath," "the day of vengeance," "the day of the revelation of God's righteous judgments," "the day of the perdition of ungodly men." In that day the Lord Jesus Christ, "whom the heavens have received till the time of the restitution of all things,"i "shall come in power and great glory:" and the express end of his coming will be "to reveal his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men."k

Now he winks, as it were, at men's iniquities;' and endures with much patience and long-suffering the vessels of wrath that are fitting themselves for destruction: yea, to such a degree does he exercise forbearance towards them, that scoffers are ready to say, Where is the promise of his coming?" But soon the time fixed for the exercise of his grace, shall come to

d Luke xxi. 21, 22. e Isair lvii. 15. and Ixiii. 15. f Mic. i. 3. If this were the subject of a Fast Sermon, the particular judgments that are deprecated, should be specified here as the tokens of God's displeasure; and should be dwelt upon at some length. h Rom. ii. 5. 2 Pet. iii. 7. i Acts iii. 21. Rom. i. 18. 1 Acts xvii. 30. Rom. ix. 22. 2 Pet. iii. 3,4.

an end, and all the dead shall be summoned to his tribunal, to receive at his hands according to their works."

Nor let any one think that gross iniquities only shall be noticed in that day; for God will "manifest even the counsels of men's hearts," and "bring every secret thing into judg ment:" then a forgetfulness of God, or a rejection of his gospel shall as surely be punished with everlasting destruction, as any of those sins which are more reprobated and condemned by the world."]

The warning being of such universal and infinite importance, let us consider

II. The advice accompanying it

[The exhortation in the text may simply import, that we should retire to our chambers to commune with our ówn hearts, and with our God." In this view it recommends the duty, the indispensably necessary duty, of secret prayer.

6.

But by chambers" we may understand GOD himself, who is often spoken of in this light, and who is the sure refuge of all that flee unto him. Every perfection of his forms, as it were, an hiding-place whereto we may run for safety. His wisdom would be our guide, his power our defence, "his faithfulness and truth our shield and buckler."

To us, who are taught to view God in the person of Christ, the word "chambers" may convey a more immediate intima tion respecting Christ himself, who is our refuge, and whom this very prophet describes as "an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the storm."u His person, work, and offices are a security to his people, that "they shall never perish, but shall have eternal life."

To him therefore we should flee by faith, and hide ourselves from the impending judgments. As Noah entered into the ark, which was the appointed mean of delivering him from the deluge, and as the Israelites shut themselves up in their houses to escape the sword of the destroying angel, so are we to take refuge, as it were, in Christ, that the sword of divine justice may not slay, or the deluge of God's wrath overwhelm us.]

While we listen to the voice of God we must not overlook

III. The particular manner in which the advice is given [Almost every word of this exhortation contains an argument for our compliance with it.

• Rev. xx. 12, 13.

9 Ps. ix. 17, 2 Thess. i. 7, 8. s Ps. xc. 1. and lvii. 1.

Isai. xxxii. 2. * Gen. vii. 7.

P 1 Cor. iv. 5.

r Ps. iv. 4. Matt. vi. 6.

t Heb. vi. 18.

y Exod. xii. 22, 28.