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with, or in judgment, in the exercise of strict juftice, punishing the incorrigibly wicked, and delivering the upright.. And with righteousness, by the faith ful accomplishment of divine threatenings and promifes. The fpiritual redemption of Zion, the principal fubject of this prediction, is obtained with judgment, in the full fenfe of the expreffion. It is acquired, not in a rafh and precipitant manner, but is the refult of wife counfel, and mature deliberation it is executed in perfect confiftency with the rights of the ftricteft juftice and equity, according to the determination of the righteous judgment of God; and it is purchased, by inflicting thofe awful punishments to which the converts of Zion had expofed themselves by their tranfgreffions, on Jefus Chrift, the bleffed Author of this redemption, who came to give his life a ranfom for many, This admirable work is much infifted on, both in the prophetic and apoftolic writings; where we are taught, That he made his foul an offering for fin;' and ⚫ that he became an offering for fin, that we might * be made the righteoufnefs of God in him f." is added, that the redemption of Zion fhall be with righteousness, with the richest displays of the confummate righteoufnefs of Jehovah; for the declaration of which, God fet forth his own Son to be a propitiation, that he might be just, and the juftifier of him ⚫ who believeth in Jefus,' as it is written, Rom. iii. 25, 26. Redemption is the bleffed fruit of the everlafting righteoufnefs of Jefus Chrift, which he brought in by his obedience even unto death: hence it is faid, To be obtained through the righteoufness of

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our God and Saviour, Jefus Chrift. And it is enjoyed by the citizens of Zion, in the exercises of righteousness, in which they yield to God the obedience of faith, and that unlimited fubjection to his authority which he requires.This is truly an

* Ifaiah liii, 10. † 2 Cor. v. 21.

+ 2 Pet. i. 1.

interest.

interesting subject, which I wish you would study much, and endeavour to acquire an experimental acquaintance with. It is a fubject which, if you indeed relish, you will find to be exceedingly agreeable and useful; which may be always contemplated with new pleafure and profit, and which, after your utmoft efforts, cannot be exhausted. And if you are the redeemed of the Lord, keep ever in view the great defign of your redemption, that ye may be unto God a peculiar people, zealous of good works, and live under the habitual impreffion of the manifold obliga tions you are brought under, by this character, to ferve and glorify God.

28 And the deftruction of the tranfgreffors and of the finners shall be together, and they that forfake the LORD fhall be confumed.

We are now arrived at the last part of this elegant, prophetical difcourfe, which defcribes the punishment to be inflicted on the adverfaries of God, who con temn the redemption of Zion. Of thefe, three claffes are mentioned, whofe characters feem to be in fome measure diftinct, because the prophet foretels that their deftruction fhall be together. The tranfgreffors are thofe who, having perverfely renounced their dutiful fubjection to the divine authority, and wickedly forfaken the inftituted worship and ordinances of Jehovah, followed thofe fuperftitious and idolatrous practices, whereby they provoked to anger the Holy One of Ifrael.The finners are fuch as, having gone aftray from the paths of righteoufnefs, have entered into the ways of impiety and wicked nefs; who, regardless of advancing the glory of God, aim no higher than to promote their worldly, honour, intereft, or pleafure. By them that forfake the Lord, may be intended, thofe who, having apoftatized from their former profeffion of fidelity in the fervice of the Living God, in the duties of his worfhip, and the obedience

obedience of his commands, embraced the most dangerous errors, and were addicted to the most abomi, nable practices. Thefe characters, which I ftay not farther to illuftrate at prefent, though fomewhat different, are evidently very fimilar; and the fame destruction fhall be the certain portion of them all.Attend then to the defcription you have now heard, and diligently compare your character and conduct with it, that fo you may be affifted in eftimating your fpiritual condition, with which it is of great importance that you be intimately acquainted, in order to your improvement by the gofpel, and its facred inftitutions.

And the deftruction of thefe fhall be together, and they fhall be confumed. The Hebrew word tranflated deftruction, is derived from one that fignifies, to break in pieces things that are hard. In a metaphorical sense, it is applied to denote contrition of heart, whereby it is broken in pieces, and its natural pride and obduracy is fubdued. It is alfo ufed to fignify, any calamity, ruin, or deftruction, which reverfe the condition of thofe on whom they feize. Of thefe there are two forts; thofe that are inflicted on men in this world, fuch as the fword, famine, and peftilence, which bring on temporal deftruction, and thofe which are called fpiritual judgments, as they refpect the fouls of men, and are inflicted partly in this, and chiefly in the future world. Both thefe may be inbefore us; for the

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Icluded in the prediction expreffion

contained in the latter part of the verfe affures us, that perfons of the above defcription fhall be confumed together. Whilst the Governor among the nations corrects his own people in measure for their fins, to make them fenfible, that it is an evil and bitter thing to depart from him, he fends awful deftruction on tranfgreffors and finners, and thofe who forfake him, Whilft the former adopt the fpirited language of the apostle Paul, We are troubled on every fide, yet not diftreffed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; perfecuted, but not forfaken; caft down, but not

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deftroyed the latter, with defpondency, complain, We are not only troubled, but diftreffed; not only perplexed, but in despair; not only perfecuted, but forfaken; not only caft down, but deftroyed. This is the portion of them that forfake the Lord: and it is their juft punishment, perfectly confiftent with the most unbiaffed equity.; which requires, that they be recompenfed according to their ways, and that they eat the fruit of their own doings. This, brethren, is an interefting truth, which ought to peneträte to the bottom of your hearts. Are any of you fenfible that you are tranfgreffors, and that you have forfaken the Lord, and afraid left he fend upon you that horrible tempeft whereby you fhall be deftroyed? I beseech you to flee without delay, and hide you from the ftorm: not under fhelter of the creature, which cannot protect you; but under his fhadow, Who is a hiding-place from the wind, a covert from the tem. peft, as rivers of water in a dry place, and as the • fhadow of a great rock in a weary land.' Then in famine, he hall redeem thee from death; and in war, from the power of the fword. Thou shalt be hid from the fcourge of the tongue: neither fhalt thou be afraid of deftruction when it cometh t.'

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129 For they fhall be afhamed of the oaks which ye have defired, and ye fhall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chofen.

The ignominy and difgrace wherewith the threatened punishment should be accompanied, is here pointed out. There is a remarkable change of perfons in the verfe before us, which requires to be attended to, in order to our understanding the prediction it contains. The perfons primarily spoken of, and referred to in the word they, are the tranfgreffors, finners, and fuch as forfake the Lord, mentioned in the foregoing + Job. v. 20, 21.

2 Cor. iv. 8,

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verse. These, in whatever country or generation they may live, fhall certainly fhare in the fhame and confufion which is the portion of those to whom the prophet immediately addreffed himfelf. The oaks which ye have defired, the gardens that ye have chofen, are the objects which fhould occafion the fhame and confufion which are here threatened. It is obvious from many paffages of fcripture, I ftay not at present to recite, that groves or gardens were often planted, and frequented by thofe who forfook the Lord, and were addicted to idolatrous practices. Thefe groves were compofed of trees of various kinds, which cannot now be determined with certainty; and among thefe was the oak, which afforded an agreeable shade from the heat, and a defirable concealment from public view. In these gardens, temples and altars were erected to the gods who were worshipped; various rites were performed, and facrifices were offered, to idols, by their wotaries. This abominable fuperftition and idolatry constituted a principal part of what was called the religion of the nations, whom the Lord expelled from the land of Canaan, to make room for his people Ifrael, who were commanded to deftroy their groves, and other monuments of their faife worship: Ye fhall utterly ' destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye fhall poffefs ferved their gods, upon the high moun⚫tains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree. And you fhall overthrow their altars, and break 'their pillars, and burn their groves with fire,' &c. Notwithstanding this charge, the men of Ifrael and Judah were much addicted to idolatry, as we learn from the teftimony of the prophets, who were employed in reproving them for their fins; of which you will fee a memorable inftance, Hofea iv. 12, 13. Prompted by curiofity, excited by this furprising fact, let us inquire into the reafons why that people

Deut. xii. 2, 3.

were

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