Reprints and Extracts. SUMMARY OF DR. GILL'S SIX SERMONS. (Concluded from page 59.) SERMON IV. 2 CHRON. Xx. 20. Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established;-believe his Prophets, so shall ye prosper. The Jews are here considered as typical of the church militant, surrounded with enemies. The method of Jehosaphat, in the distress of his people, was to seek help of the Lord by prayer and the Lord immediately heard and answered prayer, for the Spirit came upon Jahaziel, a Levite, who stood up and prophesied and bade the people not to be dismayed at the number of their enemies, for that the Lord would fight for them, and that they had only to stand still and see his salvation. This message produced an immense impression; they marched singing praises to meet the enemy;-and Jehosaphat at the head of his army now addressed it in the words of the text. From them he takes occasion to consider 1st The nature of the FAITH here exhorted to; 2dly The objects of it; 3dly The advantages arising from it. I. He shows that there are several kinds of faith; as the faith which enabled its possessor to work miracles; and also an historical faith, when the mind merely assents to the proposition that there is one God;-both of which kinds of faith he as He proves from Scripture to be different from the faith which justifies and effectually works unto salvation. (1 Cor. XIII. 3; Jas. 11. 19.) treats however of special faith, which he shews to be not of the will of man, but the gift of God, (Eph. 11. 8; 2 Thess. III. 2.) and being therefore a fruit of the Holy No. 3 New Series. (Vol. v. No. 45.) Spirit, (Gal. v. 22.) it is called, when it effectually works in any, the Spirit of faith. (1 Cor. iv. 13.) 66 II. The objects of faith he proceeds to shew are 1st "the Lord God,"—that is, the triune Jehovah ; and secondly, his prophets,"-being sent by Him and bringing a message from Him, and declaring His will: so the children at the Red Sea" I believed the Lord and his servant Moses." (Exod. xiv. 31.) By the prophets are meant the prophets of the Old Testament, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost; for the Spirit of the Lord spake by them and his word was in their tongue; (2 Pet. 1. 21; 2 Sam. XXIII. 2) and the writings of the prophets form part of those Scriptures which are "all given by inspiration of God and are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness;"—"for whatsoever things were written aforetime were writ. ten for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." (Rom. xv. 4; 2 Tim. III. 16.) These considerations ought to recommend the writings of the prophets to our faith and love; and the more especially since it is in them almost exclusively that witness is given, in the Old Testament, to Christ; for "they testified before-hand of the sufferings of Christ and of the glory which should follow." And these considerations apply with the greater force to us in these days, when the far greater part of what they prophesied of is come to pass :-as the first and second captivities of the Jews,—the birth, sufferings and death of MesJuly, 1836. siah, with the spread of his Gospel in the earth,—many things concerning Cyrus and Darius kings of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the kings of Egypt and Syria, &c. : practice, (because many false prophets are gone out into the world; 1 John Iv. 1) yet such as bring 'the doctrines of Christ with them, and those things which are agree Not to believe these things-viz. the divine revelation which God hath made both by the prophets of the Old and New Testaments, is the damning sin of unbelief so much spoken of in the New Testament; 66 it was the sin of the Jews who rejected Christ;—it is the sin of the deists of the present day who reject him;-and the sin of all who deny, despise, neglect or disobey his whole Gospel. And this is the condemnation, viz. that light is come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light." (John 111. 19.) This unbelief it is which is the cause of men's damnation. But the prophets of the New Tes-able to the word of God and are tament must likewise be included. established by it, ought to be beThe Lord specially calls them "pro-lieved, and their sayings received, phets and wise men," when he fore- not as the word of man, but, as tels to the Jews the manner in they are in truth, the word of God." which they would persecute them; (Matt. XXIII. 34) for they were not only preachers of the doctrine in general of Christ, but did likewise shew to the Church things to come; -on both which accounts they are to be believed. John the Evangelist was indeed eminently a prophet witness the Apocalypse," which is a prophecy of what should be in the world and the Church from his days to the second advent of Christ; great part of which has already been fulfilled; and there is all the reason in the world to believe the rest will be accomplished. The sayings in it are "the sayings of God, and they are faithful and true,"- -BELIEVE what he has said by this his prophet. The ordinary preachers of the word are called prophets, and their preaching prophesying ;* and though we ་ are "not to believe every spirit," -or every man that pretends to be a spiritual man and a prophet, -but are to try the spirits whether they be of God" by his word, which is the standard of faith and come, . III. The advantages arising from faith in God and his word areestablishment and prosperity. for By establishment is not meant the state of the people of God; that is firm and stable, and cannot be made more so; for they are built on a sure foundation, and nothing can separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord: it has respect to their hearts, frames, graces and duties. For their *The references here are to 1 Cor. xiv. 3, 4, 5, 29, 32, 37. In regard to these places it has been questioned, whether the term prophesying can signify more in some of them than a mere preaching of doctrine, irrespective of the predicting things to To this it may be observed, that a preacher does in a certain sense prophesy when he adopts or sets forth or expounds the prophecies that have gone before him, It is not needful for him to be inspired to give forth original predictions. All who are true preachers of the kingdom of God will in that character announce the kingdom to be at hand. Their Gospel is-" the Gospel of the kingdom." They warn men of the coming wrath and the coming glory; and shew the way also of escaping the one and attaining to the other. It is thus that our Lord appears to term all his disciples prophets in Matt. x. 41, with special reference to the warnings they set forth of the punishment that will come on those who deny him, and the reward which those who receive such a prophet, in the name and character of a prophet, shall be partakers of.—ED, are hearts are often very unsettled; they are unstable as water, and melt like wax; and their frames changeable and varying, so that at one while their mountain stands strong, and the next God hides his face and they are troubled; and he that seemed stedfast in the faith will fall from some degree of stedfastness in it, and his graces will wane, and he will become negligent in his duties. But faith in God, and with reference to his prophetic word, has a tendency to establish the heart of such : He shall not be afraid of evil tidings." And when faith comes into lively exercise, so does hope; and he who possesses these graces will be “ stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." (1 Cor. xv. 58.) Prosperity also arises from faith in God and his word: not so much temporal as spiritual prosperity, such as Gaius had whom John thus salutes" Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."* (3 John 2.) Now the soul is in good health and in a prosperous condition, when there is an appetite for the word,-when it delights in the sincere milk of it, and hungers and thirsts for righteousness ;-when it likewise has a comfortable view by faith of the forgiveness of sins, (for sin is disease, and pardon is the healing of it,)—when there is peace and joy in believing. The faith of such a one will end in victory: "for this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." (1 John v. 5.) Seeing that such are the advantages of believing in God and his word, "take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." (Heb. 111. 12.) SERMON V. ISAIAH IX. 7.-The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. This Sermon professedly treats on the sure performance of those glorious things foretold concerning the Church in the latter day, which were discoursed of in Sermon III. "I hinted in my last annual discourse, that great part of prophecy, and particularly of the book of Revelation has been fulfilled, and that the rest will be: and this hint I shall pursue and enlarge upon at this time." He He considers the former verse of the chapter containing the text to have been fulfilled by Christ sojourning in Galilee, and performing there his chief miracles. states that the ancient Jews expected that the Messiah would first appear in Galilee; and conceives that they grounded the expectation on this passage: doubtless it was owing to his frequent residence there that he came afterwards to be called the Galilean. The previous state of barbarism and darkness in which the Galileans were plunged, and their illumination by means of the ministry and miracles of Christ among them, he thinks is foretold in verse 2-" The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light &c." 66 Verse 3. " Thou hast multiplied the nation," he interprets of the multiplied glory, light, &c. exhibited in the land; together with the numerous believers gathered to the Lord from out of it: for he infers that the five hundred who saw our Lord at one time (1 Cor. xv. 6) must have been in Galilee; since the number of disciples at Jerusalem, after the death of our Lord, only amounted to one hundred and * The learned and pious Author appears here to overlook greatly that national and therefore temporal prosperity and stability of kingdoms, which may be expected, if, in their national character, they act faith in God's word; and which is the special subject alluded to in the text.-ED. twenty. “It is foretold (he adds) that there should be great joy upon all this. Our version indeed renders it, "not increased the joy:" but the marginal reading of the Hebrew text is," and increased joy unto it," the nation. Or it may be rendered with an interrogation, and take in both the textural and marginal readings-" hast thou not increased the joy?" In one or other of these ways it must be rendered, otherwise there is a glaring contradiction of the text." In ver. 6 Christ is prophesied of as the author of all this, and the child that should be born and given. It is the same child prophesied of in chap. vII. 14, who was to be born of a virgin and called Immanuel, that is here declared to be "the mighty God the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace," and upon whose shoulders the government was to be laid. All the above things have been performed already; that which remains to be performed are the increase of his government and peace, with the order and establishment of it, as declared in the beginning of v. 7. The stone is not yet become a great mountain which fills the earth. Little peace has as yet attended the Church of Christ; but then there shall be an abundance of peace ;then his kingdom shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth;-then shall the nations learn war no more, and none shall hurt or destroy in all God's holy mountain. Having given this slight sketch of the context, the Author next passes on to consider other things that remain to be performed; and to show that the performance of them will be through the zeal of the Lord of Hosts. These are 1st. The destruction of Antichrist (see the observations in Sermon III.) All that believe a divine revelation allow that there is, or will be, what is commonly called Antichrist -not only Protestants, but even Jews and Papists. In the Psalms of David there are frequent hints of him and of his destruction: as that the man of the earth shall no more oppress, when the Lord shall reign for ever;-and the heathen, or Gentiles, shall be delivered out of his hand; and also when the MesIsiah is said to wound the head over many countries. i. e. Antichrist, who has reigned over the kings and kingdoms of the earth;-and respect seems to be had to his followers, when it is wished, that the sinners may be consumed out of the earth and the wicked be no more. See Psalm x. 16, 18; cx. 6, and CIV. 35, at the end of which latter verse the word Hallelujah is first used, the same term used at the destruction of mystical Babylon. We have however a famous prophecy of him in Dan. vII. where he is symbolized by a little horn having eyes like the eyes of a man, which horn rises out of the ten horns of the fourth beast. "This horn can'not be Antiochus Epiphanes (as Grotius, Junius, and others have 'thought;) for not a single person or king is meant by a horn, but a kingdom or state, and a succession of rulers and governors in it; as by the other ten horns are meant 'ten kingdoms, (v. 24) and, besides, this little horn is a part of the 'fourth beast, and not of the third, to which latter Antiochus belongIed; and was to rise therefore, not in the third, but in the fourth monarchy; not in the Grecian but in the Roman Empire; and moreover was to continue until the coming of Christ, &c. And as there is no other has appeared in the fourth empire but the Pope of Rome, to 'whom the characters agree, it may ' be safely concluded that he is intended, as will more fully appear by a description of him." 1. He is described as a little horn," a horn being the emblem of power, denotes a powerful principality or kingdom. The Pope therefore rose from small beginnings; for at first he was but a common pastor or bishop of a single church; then he became metropolitan of Italy; and at last he commenced as universal bishop: though the prophecy seems rather to regard his temporal dominion, which was but little, in his own proper domain, in comparison of other horns; though being allowed to exercise power in the rest of the kingdoms, and their power and strength being given to him, he was so formidable that none could withstand him or make war with him. Rev. xvII. 13 and XIII. 4. 2. The popedom is described in the origin of this horn; for he is said to " come up among them." For when the northern barbarians broke into the Roman empire and set up ten kingdoms in it, this little horn sprang up among them; and thus the ten horns in Rev. xvII. 12 are said to receive power as kings one hour with the beast," which is this little horn. Indeed in verse 24 this little horn is said to rise after them,"-i. e. after the other ten kingdoms were established; for indeed it was by their giving their strength and power to him that he became a horn, or temporal prince.* The Septuagint renders it "behind them;" which Mr. Mede understands of his growing up unawares and unobserved by them, till he overstepped them. He is said to be diverse from the ten for they only exercised a secular power: whereas he, besides this, obtained great power by an influence over the souls and consciences of men, and even over the ten horns or kingdoms. Hence he is represented in the Apocalypse by two beasts, the one describing his secular, the other his spiritural authority. Moreover before him three of the ten horns are plucked up, or fall; which is interpreted for us of his subduing three kingdoms, (verses 20, 24) and which according to Sir Isaac Newton were the exarchate of Ravenna, the kingdom of the Lombards, and the dukedom of Rome.a The Bishop of Clogher has more recently express * Dr. Gill overlooks here, as most commentators do who apply Rev. xvII. 12, 13 to the papacy, that the ten horns give their power and strength and kingdom to the beast for the purpose of destroying the Babylonish Harlot, and not of aggrandising her. (Rev. xvII. 16, 17.)-If therefore the Harlot is interpreted to be the Romish church the view taken does not in these particulars apply; but they must refer to a later period of the papacy.-ED. + This appears to be a hypercriticism in Mede, founded upon a disregard of the context in the Septuagint. For in verse 8 that version has εv μɛow avтwv; and it appears contrary to the rules of sound criticism, to interpret the оnow avтwv of verse 24 so as to contradict this. It should be understood therefore as referring to time and not to place, (as in Matt. 111. 11; John 1. 15; v. 27, 30.) and to signify ‘after them.' Mede has nevertheless been followed in this verse by able interpreters.-ED. Later Commentators appear with more accuracy to interpret the two beasts of Rev. XIII. not of the pope's own temporal dominions and his spiritual power; but of the secular power of the whole Roman empire, comprising all the ten horns, as distinguished from the pope's spiritual or ecclesiastical authority.-ED. a "Observations on Daniel," p. 75-85. |