the city Jerufalem, was to be fo prepared and established as to be exalted far above all other mountains, fuch as Sinai and Tabor, Carmel and Hermon, or rather, that it fhould be removed from off its bafis, and be fixed on the tops of the hills. Every one fees the impropriety of fuch an explanation of the words, affured, that literally Mount Zion fhall never be removed. No doubt the fplendid edifice which adorned its fummit, and the deep valley which lay at the bottom, made it appear immenfely high; and as the Jews reckoned the land of Canaan was the highest part of the earth, and this mountain the highest ground of Canaan, they might confider it as exalted above the hills, and established as on the tops of the mountains. But this is not the import of the prophecy, which must be explained in its figurative and fpiritual sense.

By the mountain of the Lord's houfe, we underftand the church of Jefus Chrift, the holy hill of Zion, over which God hath anointed him King, of which that mountain was an eminent type. The folid rocks, of which it was compofed, afforded an inftruc tive emblem of the stability and duration of the church of God, against which the gates of hell fhall never prevail: its elevation above the neighbouring grounds, represented the dignity and influence of the church of Chrift in its profperous condition: being feen at a great distance, and enjoying the richeft profpects, fignified that the church is a city fet on a hill, from whence the difciples of Chrift are favoured with the most transporting views. In the church of the New Teftament, as anciently in the mountain of the Lord's houfe, the Living God takes up his peculiar refidence, fo as to dwell in the midft of it; his prefence is enjoyed, his glory is feen, and therein he is honoured and ferved according to his own appointment. In this fenfe we understand the mountain of the Lord's houfe, which is here foretold.

Shall be established in the tops of the mountains, and fhall be exalted above the hills. Both expreffions feem

defigned

defigned to intimate, that the church of God fhould be exalted to distinguished dignity; and, on account of the peculiar privileges wherewith it fhould be invefted, fhould far excel all that are called hills and niountains; and therefore its praises fhould be celebrated, and its fame fpread abroad through the earth. The Son of God was to elevate his church to the highest honour, by appearing in the Lord's houfe; and there delivering the glorious truths of the gofpel; whereby he was to afford a much clearer revelation of the divine glory, and to inftitute a far more perfect worship, than ever had been ordained from any other mountain, not excepting Sinai itself. He was to give the most wonderful demonftrations of the divine presence among men, the fame whereof should spread through the whole world; fo that the nations fhould be happily difpofed to renounce their vain superstitions, to deteft their falfe religions, and to fubmit to his doctrine and authority. -We behold this prediction verified, when the Son of God, entering Jerufalem and the temple, laid the foundations of his kingdom, taught the ways of God in truth, and qualified his apostles for the faithful performance of his fervice, by his divine inftructions and Holy Spirit. Then the mountain of the Lord's houfe was honoured with aftonishing displays of the gracious prefence of God, which were every where publifhed abroad. The bleffed confequences were, that the fublime doctrines, inculcated by Jefus Chrift and his apoftles, founded on eternal truth, which no human or infernal power shall ever be able to subvert, destroyed the false religions profeffed in the world; fo that Mount Zion became far more illuftrious and famous than any other mountain in the earth.

And all nations fhall flow unto it. The vaft concourse of people, which fhould refort to Zion, are here described in language which hath an obvious reference to the waters of a river flowing on in their course toward the fea. The expreffion intimates, that

all

all nations should speedily, and in continued fucceffion, repair to the church of Jefus Chrift; whilst one fhould have powerful influence on another, all fhould prefs forward, with progreffive force and rapidity, until they were received into its bofom. True, indeed, it is not more contrary to the course of nature, for water to run upward, and flow unto the tops of the mountains, than it is for men, alienated from the life of God, to refrain from walking in the vanity of their minds, and to have recourfe to Jefus Christ, that they may participate of the bleffings of his church. It ought therefore to be remembered, that the fountain from whence these mighty ftreams take their rife, which fhall convey all nations to the great Redeemer, is in the highest heavens; and as waters rife as high as the spring from which they flow, the multitudes of people, here intended, fhall be conducted not only to the houfe of the Lord, eftablished on the tops of the mountains, but to that not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. How aftonifhing this event, that all nations, even those who had hitherto walked in their own ways, fhould refort, in great numbers, to Mount Zion, that they may join themselves to the church of God, in which are inculcated the difficult leffons of felf-denial, the fiudy of humility and inward purity, that are oppofite and troublesome to human nature in its degenerate ftate! To excite in the people of God the lively expectation of this unlikely fuccefs of things, it was repeatedly foretold, by the prophets Jeremiah and Zechariah *, That Gentiles, as well as Jews, fhould repair to the church under the New Testament. Such, accordingly, was the powerful agency of the Holy Spirit that attended the doctrine of Jefus Chrift preached at Jerufalem, that devout men, of every nation under heaven, came and dwelt in that highly favoured city, as we read in the fecond chapter and 5th verfe of the Acts of the Apostles.

* Jer. iii. 17. Zech. ii. 10. 11.

Because

Because of God's temple at Jerufalem, as the prophet David predicted, Kings fhall bring presents unto him. This prophecy was remarkably fulfilled, in the numerous converts from among the Gentiles, who were gathered into the apoftolic church; though, it is hoped, it fhall receive a still farther completion in the laft days of the gofpeldifpenfation.Improve this animating confideration, for ftrengthening and confirming your faith, in the accomplishment of this, and fimilar predictions, notwithstanding every intervening difficulty; and for encouraging your earneft prayers to God, for the performance of the glorious things which yet remain to be fulfilled. However unlikely the foretold event may feem, the faithfulness of Jehovah hath never failed: he hath remembered his mercy from generation to generation, and his truth endureth for ever.

3 And many people shall go and fay, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerufalem.

In these words, wherein the nations are reprefented as inciting one another to repair to the house of the Lord, the fubject introduced in the foregoing verfe is amplified and illuftrated.The Hebrew word, which is here rendered many, fignifies alfo powerful; fo that many powerful people are the fubjects of this prediction, whofe numbers and influence fhall be very great. From this expreffion, however, we must not fuppofe, that it is neceffary, to the accomplishment of this prophecy, that whole nations, without exception, fhould adopt the follow

*Pfal. lxviii. 29.

ing language. It is fufficient for this purpofe, that large numbers of them ftir up one another to join in the worship of God, and the obedience of his com mands, though the great part among them continue in superstition and idolatry. This remark, I apprehend, is founded in fact, and deserves attention, when we are employed in confidering fuch events as that here foretold. Whilft, therefore, many of the elect of God, difperfed among different nations, as the accomplishment of this prophecy, fhould invite one another to go up to the house of the Lord, the rest of them may be perfifting in criminal idolatry, foolish fuperftitions, and walking in the vanity of their minds.- Concerning these many people, thus understood, it is foretold, that they fhall go and fay,

Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the houfe of the God of Jacob. They thus encourage one another, as perfons commonly do who are exceedingly fond of the enterprise in which they are engaging, and folicitous that others may join them in what they expect to enjoy the greatest fatisfaction. The form of expreffion here ufed, is modelled upon an opinion which anciently prevailed among the Jews, which I mentioned when treating of the preceding verse, that the land of Judea, and especially the city Jerufalem, were higher in regard of fituation than the countries wherewith they were furrounded: hence we read in the New Testament, of going down from Judea, and going up to Jerufalem; which was a figure of the Jerufalem that is above. The mountain of the Lord, and the house of the God of Jacob, must be explained here, as we have already obferved from the 2d verfe, in a figurative fenfe; denoting the church of the Living God, under the prefent difpenfation of his grace, on which he commands his bleffing, even life for evermore. The expreffion before us, in its fpiritual fignification, is inftructive and animating, and merits the closest attention. It fuppofes, that the perfons introduced speaking, and thofe com