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ought we to pray to God, "help thou mine unbelief!" Mark

9.24.

Most gracious is the help here afforded us, by God, towards faith in our crucified Redeemer. Most convincing is the evidence here given us, that the long expected Conqueror of sin and death, come when He would into the world, was not to be such an One as man's judgment would suppose, but such an One as most men in their pride of heart would be apt to despise and to reject. He was to be that which none other ever was except only Jesus of Nazareth. He was to do that which only Jesus did. He was to suffer that which only Jesus suffered. And He was to be rewarded as only Jesus has been rewarded. Behold then what He did, and suffered; and observe how plainly and fully it is here revealed, that it was for us that He thus lived and died. The scorn and contumely heaped upon his head, the blows of men, the affliction wherewith He was afflicted of God, the wounds, the bruises, the chastisements, the stripes, were all inflicted on One who had done no wrong, for the expiation of our manifold iniquities. He did no sin to expose Him to suffer. He was sinless also in his sufferings. So much the more was his painful and shameful death a full perfect and sufficient sacrifice, satisfaction, and atonement, for the sins of the whole world. So much the more was it due to One who had humbled Himself even unto death, that He should be highly exalted, and greatly glorified, in the multitudes whose sins He would atone for, whose souls He would save. God be praised, that our lot is amongst those, who honour and adore this suffering Messiah, this Christ crucified, as God "manifest in the flesh!" 1 Tim. 3. 16. God grant, that whilst we put our whole trust in Him as our Saviour, we may also give our whole heart to Him, and devote our whole life to Him, as our Lord! Lord, Jesus, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, thus may we ever glorify thy holy name! And as we are amongst those for whose salvation Thou wast content even to die, may we also be found in the number of them, whom the Father gives Thee for thine own, spoil wrested from the enemy of souls, to be jewels in thy crown for evermore! Oh that none of us may wrong Thee of thy reward, by robbing ourselves of that glorious inheritance which Thou hast purchased in our behalf! Oh that as Thou hast saved us from the eternal death justly due to sin, we may be saved also from the present pain and shame of continuing in our sins, and saved from the dreadful guilt of having neglected so great salvation! Save us, good Lord, save us from this worst of sins, the crucifying of Thee afresh! Thou who didst die for us, graciously intercede in our behalf, that we may evermore live unto Thee!

The multitude of Christian converts is foretold.

1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. 2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any

more.

5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah

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should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

11 Ŏ thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

LECTURE 1167.

Of examining whether we profit by our Christian calling. This chapter may be regarded as a setting forth at large of the promise concerning Christ in the chapter previous, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong." Ch. 53. 12. For here the Church long barren is told to sing for joy, and to enlarge the place of her tent, to lengthen her cords, and strengthen her stakes, that there might be room for the multitude of her Gentile children. See Gal. 4. 27. The Lord addressing the Church as his spouse, assures her of his renewed affection, and promises kindness without interruption; even as He had promised to Noah, that whilst the earth remained summer and winter, seed time and harvest should never fail. See Gen. 8. 22. Nay, the covenant here spoken of is to last longer than the mountains, and to endure when the hills shall be removed. And it is a covenant of kindness, of mercy, of love. A palace built up of precious stones serves for an emblem of the home, which the almighty Husband has in store for his spouse. See Rev. 21. 18. To be taught of God, and to enjoy abundant peace, is the portion assured to her children. See John 6. 45. In vain shall enemies set themselves against her. God is the Creator of them that destroy, and of them that make weapons of destruction; and unless it be permitted them by Him, they can have no power against his people. And here He promises, that they shall have none. He promises his people both safety and the assurance thereof. And having declared that in righteousness they shall be established, He adds in conclusion, "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Would we know whether we are his people of a truth, whether we do really belong to that church of his to which this goodly heritage is secured? Let us examine, Are we taught of God, are we partakers of his righteousness? We have indeed the outward calling. And we cannot be sufficiently thankful unto God, for having cast our lot in the times of the Gospel, and in a Christian land; for making us partakers of Christian ordinances, and admitting us to Christian grace. But do we use these ordinances faithfully? Do we receive this grace gladly? Do we welcome or regret God's inward calling? Do we profit by his teaching, or turn a deaf ear to his remonstrances? Do we stand firm in his righteousness, built up in our most holy faith, and growing in every good word and work; whilst yet we trust not in ourselves, but only in the merits of our Saviour? Or are we trusting to our own righteousness, or so professing to trust in his, as to take occasion to persist in the practice of ungodliness? Are we, in short, glorifying Christ, and swelling the number of those whose salvation is his joy and glory, or are we as far as in us lies crucifying our Lord afresh, and putting Him to an open shame? See Heb. 6. 6.

Repentant sinners assured of peace and joy and glory.

1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our

God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow froin heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

LECTURE 1168.

The sure success of the Gospel, according to God's will. "If any man thirst," said our blessed Lord, "let him come unto me and drink." John 7. 37. And it is doubtless of the same fountain of spiritual life that the prophet here cries out, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters;" it is in Christ that we are here invited to find the free gift of nourishment divine. Why then should we waste our pains in seeking health or safety by any other way? Why toil, but all in vain, to derive

happiness from the world, or peace from some worldly system of religion; when we have but to come with faith to Christ, and to incline our hearts unto his word, and behold, God will give us an everlasting covenant, even the mercies promised to David, and fulfilled in David's Son? Him has God given to be the Witness to his truth, and the Leader of his people. And to Him has God promised, that He should call unto Himself a nation strange to Him before, and that nations hitherto ignorant of his being should hasten to obey his call.

And now observe how gracious is the call of the Gospel, whether addressed to Jews or Gentiles! Note how God exhorts us all to seek Him "while he may be found," to call "upon him while he is near;" as warning us that this will not always be the case, as willing and longing that we should turn to Him in time. Hear repentance preached, as the forsaking both the way and the thoughts of wickedness. Hear pardon promised, as following straightway on repentance, pardon no less abundant than our sins. And why? the thoughts and ways of God are not as ours; but higher, as the heavens are higher than the earth. Whilst to us it seems mean to put up with an affront, with Him it is his glory to forgive. And whilst with us it seems inconsistent to forgive sinners, and yet so to hate sin as infallibly to punish it; with Him it is compatible to be at once just and merciful, righteous and yet glad to pardon sinners.

Nor shall this divine counsel fail of good effect, however apt men may be to abuse it, and however apprehensive of its liability to abuse. Who would think that storms of rain and snow, ungenial as they seem, are the means ordained for replenishing the earth with flowers and fruits? And yet how largely do they help it to yield in due season "seed to the sower, and bread to the eater." No less surely shall God's word, as revealed in his Gospel, accomplish that which He designs, and prosper in that whereunto He has appointed it. There must be indeed many a barren region, many a heart in which the glad tidings of the Gospel yield not contrition, but presumption; not amendment of life, but continuance in sin. But there are many to whom it might be truly said, "ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace." Their winter is turned into spring, their silence into singing. The desolation once reigning in their souls is succeeded by flowers and fruits of grace and godliness. They become themselves "trees of righteousness." Ch. 61. 3. And the more they grow and thrive and flourish, it is still to God's glory and not unto their own that they direct all their actions, and would have all their holiness and their happiness to redound.

PART VII. O. T.

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