ordinary work I hear doth ftill continue in divers places of England. And this fame very year we have the like accounts from Georgia, New Jersey, Penfilvania, New-York, and others of the English plantations in America, by the ministry of Mr. Whitefield and others. Likewife, we have very strange accounts of the fuccefs of the gospel in many different parts of the world, even among the heathens, by Count Zinzendorf bishop of the Moravian church, and his miffionaries. Verily these good news which now we hear, of God's glorious appearances in the gospel, do look as if God was about to accomplish his promises to his church in the latter days, when the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. O how refreshing are the remoteft dawnings of the glory of thefe days! Allo, they ferve to teach us how easy it is for God to rife up, when he pleaseth, for the revival of his work in decayed churches, when their cafe seems to be very hopeless. How easy is it for him to raise up inftruments to preach his gospel with fuch life and power, as to waken whole towns and countries of fleepy finner's together to hearken to the gospel call? he can make a nation to be born at once; which fhould encourage us to wait on him still. And now when our bleffed Lord is graciously pleased to mount his white horfe as king of Zion, and make his circuit in other countries, to give fuch evidences of his glorious power, and fend down pleasant showers of his grace among them, and make many to bow down at his feet; may we not hope that he hath a great work on the wheels, and is on his march to go thro' his churches, in a conquering manner, to confound deifts and infidels, and quell the daring boldness of his adversaries? and, in that cafe, may not Scotland look for a visit from him among the reft, and even plead that antient kindness may revive to. wards it may we not draw hope from the second Pfalm Palm, and other fcripture paffages, where God pro mifeth to give his fon the uttermost parts of the earth for a poffeffion; and that the ifles mall fee his falva. tion, and wait for his law, among which places Scotland certainly is; and tho' it be a land that is little and defpifed among the nations, yet he, whofe thoughts are not like man's thoughts, hath fhewed a diftinguishing relpect to it, by his early fending the gofpel to it, and, when overfpread with darkness, promoting reformation in it, against both the power of the mighty, and counfels of the crafty; nay, advancing reformation fo far, and making gospel-light fo clear and powerful in it, by the remarkable downpouring of his fpirit, that Scotland was noticed by divines of other places, and cailed Philadelphia, and the morning-ftar of the reformation. Nay, he took Scotland into covenant with himself in a peculiar manner, and gave fingular tokens of his prefence with his people he hath wonderfully appeared for the intereft of religion, when almost funk in it: he hath raised up faviours on our mount Zion, and brought about great deliverances for it (as for Ifrael of old) when grievously oppreffed and brought low. And, from these ancient and peculiar proofs of our redeemer's care, may we not humbly hope that he will not leave the land that is given him by his father, and folemnly devoted to him by its inhabitants? Our decays and backflidings from God indeed are very great, fearful and threatning; yet he hath still left a mourning and praying remnant in the land, who are fenfible of the want of his fpirit and prefence in ordinances, defire to lament after the Lord, and figh and cry for all the abominations that are found in the midst of the city: and tho' her defo. lations are mournful, the breaches in her walls many, and the glory of the Lord is gone up from the cherub ; yet it feems fill to hover and stand over the threshold of the door, and there is a remnant a mong us wrestling and pleading against his depar ture. ture. There is a number who take pleasure in our Zion, have a kindness for her ftones and rubbish, and cease not to lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left and we lee gracious promifes made to the prayers and tears, wrestlings and witneffings of a fmall godly remnant, Pfal. xii. 5. Pfal, cii. 13. 14. broken and divided in the way and manner of their witneffing at this day! O that the meek Jefus, who rules in Zion, would meeken all their hearts, fave from a fpirit of bitterness, and from dangerous extremes in feparating from one another! O that the God of peace, that hath the command of hearts, would unite his broken remnant together, give them a Christ-like fpirit, and make them one stick in his hand! It is nowife difficult to him to accomplish this union, even when the cafe is moft hoplefs in our eyes, and inftruments to mediate for healing breaches are out of fight. Let us remember and plead that promife, Jer. xxx. 17. For I will reflore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, faith the Lord, because they have called thee an outcaft, faying, this is Zion whom no man Jeeketh after. Many of God's worthies, now in glory, have gone off the stage in the belief and hopes, that God would yet arife and have mercy on his Zion, that he would fignally build her up, and appear in his glory; yea, that there would be more glorious gofpel-days feen in Scotland than either we or our fathers have be held. Surely thefe confiderations may encourage God's remnant in Scotland to wait and pray in hope, however dark and cloudy our day be at pre fent. In the mean time, let us rejoice and bless the Lord, that he is pleased to pour out his fpirit, make bare his holy arm, and glorify his power in other parts of the world, yea and get himself a great name amongst thefe that have not known him, whatever he do with us: May his right hand and holy arm get him the victory among them more and more, that we we may hear gofpel-fongs from the uttermoft parts of the earth! -Likeways, let us mourn for these fins, both old and late, which provoke God to make our heavens as brafs, and to with hold these pleafant showers from us he is letting fall upon others: And let us plead that Scotland, which formerly was the glory of all lands for the effufions or the fpirit, may not now be paft by and left behind all others. O let not her fleece be dry, when many others have their fleeces wet: And, when they are getting abundance of rain, may we have a little cloud appearing like a man's hand to prognofticate a fhower a-coming! May the Lord rife up from his place, and come mercifully to decide the quarrel between deifts and us; and let infidels, and the profane Scoffers of thefe last days fee, that the bible is the word of God, and that the preaching of it is his inftitution; that there is a fupernatural power attending it, for changing mens hearts as well as lives? May he let the world fee, it is not fine moral harangues, nor the enticing words of mens wisdom; but the plain preaching of a crucified Jefus, as the only remedy for loft finners, that becomes the power of God to the converfion and falvation of men ! But fome have their questions, By whom shall Jacob arife? Will be hew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arife and praife him? These indeed are nonpluffing difficulties to us, but none at all to him who raileth the dead, and calleth the things which be not as tho' they were. He hath still spirit and clay enough for new inftruments; yea he can make fstrangers build up his walls, and the greatest enemies be. come zealous for his glory. And however unlikely the appearance of things may be at prefent, both fcrip. ture and experience affure us, that the time of God's people's extremity (as I faid before) is his ufual seafon of appearing for them: It is in the mount that the Lord will be feen; fo may that text be rendered, Gen. xxii 14. God did not appear any way for Ifaac's deliver. ance all the three days journey he made with his fa ther, ther, till he came to the top of the mount, and was just ready to be facrificed: neither did he interpofe for the Jews in Efther's time, until the decree was paft, and day fixed, and but a hair-breadth betwixt them and ruin; then God steps in, and pofts are inftantly dif patched to stop the execution. Thus the Lord acts agreeably to his promife Deut. xxxii. 36. For the Lord Shall judge his people, and repent himself for his fervants, when he feeth that their power is gone, and there is none Shut up or left. Here then is food for faith and er in the most ftraitning times. O for grace to pray in hope, mourn in hope labour in hope, and wait in hope, seeing our deareft Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, which is our hope, is gone up and fits at the helm! O when fhall the power of this great Lord be present to heal us! Come, Lord Jefus, come quick. ly. Amen. Dundee, 30th September, 1740. pray THE |
