are commanded to preach and prophefy to

dry bones, and he who fends us can cause the dry bones to live. word of the Lord *.

O ye dry bones, hear the

tion is fent to you.

The word of his falvaThe Lord is rifen indeed! Arife, fhine, for your light is come. In his name we proclaim pardon and peace to all who will feek him. But feek him to day, while it is called to day, to-morrow is not yours. Seek him now, while he may be found. Harden not your hearts. Tremble, left a promife being left us of entering into his reft, any of you should finally come fhort of it +.

* Ezek. xxxvii. 4.

† Heb. iv. I.

SER

SERMON

VIII.

THE SUN RISING UPON A DARK WORLD.

ISAIAH ix. 2.

The people that walked in darkness have feen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the fhadow of death, upon them hath the light fhined.

ONTRASTS are fuited to illuftrate and ftrengthen the impreffion of each other. The happiness of those, who by faith in MESSIAH, are brought into a state of peace, liberty, and comfort, is greatly enhanced and heightened by the confideration of that previous state of mifery in which they once lived, and of the greater mifery to which they were juftly expofed. They are not only made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light, but they have been delivered

4

* Col. i. 12, 13.

from

from the powers of darkness. Thus while they have communion with God as a Father, they contemplate their privilege with a greater pleasure, than they probably could do if they had never known a difference. They remember a time when they were afar off, without hope and without God in the world; and they remember how carelessly they then trifled upon the brink of destruction. In this deplorable and dangerous fituation they were found of the Lord, when they fought him not*. He convinced, humbled, and pardoned them, and brought them near to himself, into a state of adoption and communion by the blood of Jefus. The admiration, gratitude, and love, which they feel for this undeserved grace, gives them a more lively fense of the bleffings they enjoy. Yea, the thought of what they have been redeemed from (of which they will then have a much clearer perception than at prefent) will add to their joys in heaven, and inspire such a song of praife as will be peculiar to themselves, and in which the holy angels, who never felt the ftings of guilt, nor tafted the sweetness of pardoning mercy, will not be able to join them. They are accord

* Ifai. lxv. 1.

ingly represented, in the prophetical vision, as standing nearest to the throne, and uniting in the noblest strains of praise to him who fitteth upon it *; while the surrounding angels can only take part in the chorus, and admire and adore, when they behold the brightest displays of the glory of the wonder-working God, manifefted in his love to worthlefs, helpless finners.

These oppofite ideas are joined in my text. The people who are spoken of as rejoicing in a great light, were, till this light arose and fhone upon them, in darkness; walking, fitting, living in darkness, and in the land of the shadow of death. That this passage refers to MESSIAH, we have a direct proof. The evangelist † refers it exprefsly to him, and points out the time and manner of its literal accomplishment. I fhall firft confider the literal fense and completion of the prophecy, and then shew how fitly it applies to the state of mankind at large, and to the happy effects of the gofpel of falvation; which, by the bleffing of God, has been the inftrument of bringing multitudes of many nations, peoples, + Matt, iv. 15, 16. and

*Rev. v. 9-12.

VOL. I.

L

and languages, out of a ftate of grofs darknefs, into marvellous light *.

I. Hebrew words (like many in our own language) have often more than one fignification. But only one fenfe can be expreffed in a verfion. And therefore interpreters and tranflators frequently differ. Which of the different words, ufed to exprefs the meaning of the fame original term, is most happily chofen, may be fometimes decided by the context. The two words, in the first verse of this chapter, rendered lightly afflicted and grievously afflicted, fignify likewife, the one to think lightly of, to account vile; and the other, to honour, to render honourable and glorious. Both thefe words occur in one verfe, and are used in these fenfes, in the Lord's meffage to Eli, Them that honour me I will honour, and they that defpife me shall be lightly esteemed. Had the fame words been thus rendered in the paffage before us, the fenfe of both verfes would, I think, have been more plain, connected, and confiftent, to the following purport, agreeable to the translation given by Vitringa, and the present Bishop of London. "Nevertheless there fhall not be + 1 Sam. ii. 30.

* Pet. ii. 9.