pleased to require and appoint.After what I have already remarked, refpecting the fulfilment of this prophecy, I only add, that the words now explained received their accomplishment, when multitudes from among many great and celebrated nations, Greeks, Egyptians, and Italians, leaving their native country, reforted to the church of Jefus Chrift in Mount Zion, where they were inftructed in its doctrine, worship, and difcipline, and joined in the faith and obedience of the gospel.

For out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerufalem. These words affign the reason why great numbers of people fhould encourage one another to repair to Mount Zion. The law, and word of the Lord, feem both intended to fignify, the doctrines and precepts of the gospel, publifhed by Jefus Chrift and his apoftles. With great propriety are they called a law, as they bear the impreffion of the divine authority by which they were delivered, and reveal the will of the one great Lawgiver to all thofe to whom they are published. With the belief and fubjection they justly demand, are connected glory, honour, and immortality, whilst the neglect and contempt of them expofes to tribulation and wrath, And they are pro, perly called the law, by way of eminence, as far ex, celling all other laws. They are emphatically deno minated the law of faith, the royal law, the perfect law of liberty.- With no lefs juftice are they faid to be the word of the Lord, as they proceeded from the great Meffiah, who is Lord of all, the bleffed Meffenger, fent by the Living God to make known his will unto men. Accordingly, in the New Testament, they are defcribed as the word of God's grace, the word of righteousness, the word of truth, the word of life, the word that is able to make wife unto falvation, through faith which is in Chrift Jefus.This law, and word of the Lord, is foretold to go forth out of Zion and Jerufalem. The expreffion feems to allude to the custom of princes, whofe edicts and laws are

iffued from the cities and palaces in which they refide, and being stamped with royal authority, they demand reverence and obedience. From the renowned places here mentioned, the fublime doctrine of the gofpel was announced, according to this prediction. From thence Jefus Chrift and his apostles, and afterward many others, went forth every where through the whole world, preaching the gospel with admirable fimplicity and fuccefs; infomuch that, as the evangelift Luke affirms, repentance and remiffion of fins were preached to all nations, beginning at Jerufalem. The prophet Micah repeated this prophecy with little variation*. You may compare together both predictions at your leifure.Let us, my friends, attend to this law, and hearken to this word of Jehovah, folicitous that from the heart we may believe and obey it; remembering, that he who defpifed Mofes law, 'died without mercy, under two or three witnesses: of how much forer punishment, fuppofe ye, fhall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was fanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done defpite unto the Spirit of grace+?"

4 And he fhall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they fhall beat their fwords into plow-fhares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation fhall not lift up fword against nation, neither fhall they learn

war any more.

The happy confequences of the preaching of the gofpel are, in this verfe, beautifully defcribed. The perfon fpoken of can be no other than the Lord, whofe word went forth from Jerufalem, and who, in thefe laft days, publifhed in perfon the glad tidings of falvation. He is the Governor

Micah i. 1.-4.

↑ Heb. x. 23, 29.

among

among the nations, for the kingdom is the Lord's. It belongs to kings, who are the judges of their people, to give laws to their fubjects, to take care of their interefts, to defend them from their enemies, to hear their petitions, to determine their differences, to go forth before them to war, and to diftribute among them rewards and punishments. All these kind offices Jefus Chrift the Lord performs, by his fervants, his word, and Spirit, in his church and kingdom, constituted of the nations of them that are faved. He gives laws to his people: he adjusts all their concerns he protects them from their powerful enemies : he attends to all their requests: he enriches them with every needful bleffing: he decides their controverfies: he goes before them to victory, as their leader: he difpenfes among them thofe divine confolations, and neceffary chastisements, which their various circumftances require: he invefts his numerous fubjects with the most glorious privileges; and admits them to the enjoyment of thofe facred prerogatives, which render them fafe and comfortable; though, for wife reafons, he defers their advancement to defired happinefs, until their entrance into life, and the commencement of another economy. All power in heaven and earth being committed into his hands, as the great Judge of the world, he will at laft determine the everlasting state of all men, who shall receive from him their final fentence. Let us then, brethren, fubject ourselves, without referve, to our rightful Judge, Lawgiver, and King, and yield him that unlimited fubmiflion which he justly demands, affured, that he will deal with us as with his fervant David, whom he rewarded according to his righteoufnefs, and recom 'penfed according to the cleannefs of his hands *.

'

And fhall rebuke many people; by the fharp reproofs contained in his word, by various afflictive difpenfations of his providence, by speaking to them in his

*Pfal. xviii. 20.

wrath

wrath, and vexing them in his hot difpleasure, on ac count of their unreasonable oppofition to himself, his government, and church. Such rebuke the Lord, whofe word went forth out of Jerufalem, hath often difpenfed in the courfe of his righteous adminiftration; and most remarkably, in that awful period in which he overthrew the city and temple of Jerufalem, rejected his highly favoured people, and delivered them into the hands of their enemies.It may not be improper to remark, that the word tranflated rebuke, fignifies alfo to reprove or convince. In this fenfe the fame mighty Lord verifies this prediction, by convincing multitudes of their dangerous errors, their manifold wanderings, their grofs infidelity, and innumerable tranfgreffions, and confequently of their abfolute need of deliverance from the wrath to come. He then fuccessfully invites them to the participation of the most glorious privileges, and powerfully conftrains them to love and obey the truth. This conviction is produced not by external force or violence, but is purely the effect of divine truth, accompanied with power, and the demonftration of the Spirit, whofe office is to convince of fin, righteoufnefs, and judgment. Whilft then we endeavour, by manifeftation of the truth, to commend ourselves to every man's confcience, lay your minds open to receive that conviction of your fin, and your duty, which we aim to reach to your hearts, in order to promote your best interests.

And they fhall beat their fwords into plow-shares, and their fpears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up fword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. The happy confequences of the benign influence of the gofpel of Chrift, are here defcribed in beautiful, figurative language, which, I apprehend, it is unneceffary minutely to explain. The meaning of the various expreflions seems to be fimply this: The nations who embrace the doctrine of Jefus Christ, laying afide their former hatred, animofities, and differences,

differences, and the hoftile weapons whereby these were fupported, fhall cultivate among themfelves friendship, hofpitality, and brotherly kindnefs, with all the bleffed arts of peace, until, united in the bonds of love, they become one great body, one happy fociety. The Jew and the Greek, the Barbarian and the Scythian, the Egyptian and the Affyrian, having become the difciples of Chrift, fhall be divested of the fecret grudges they entertained against one another; and, joined together in fincere affection, fhall unite in celebrating the grace of God, and per forming the duties of mutual love. Convinced that the kingdom of Meffiah, which confifteth in righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft, is not ad vanced by the study of war, but by the cultivation of peace, they fhall maintain among themselves the most agreeable harmony, and vanquish their adverfaries by an invincible patience. Inftructed by their divine Mafter, the Prince of peace, renewed by his fpirit of love, and holding the fame faith, so far as they are known to each other, they fhall live together in peace; and far from fomenting differences, or exciting others to take up arms against their perfecutors, they fhall follow peace with all men, poffeffing the amiable character of blefled peace-makers. In this manner Chriftians act, according to the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who dwelleth in them: they practife his falutary direction, of having peace among themfelves: they preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; and demonftrate to the world, that they are taught of God to love one another.

This prediction, which defcribes the peaceable difpofition of the fubjects of Meffiah's kingdom, must be explained, like many others, with fome reftrictions; for the prophets, who often fpeak hyperbolically, as if they meant to be understood without limitation, muft not, however, be fo ftrictly interpreted, as to lead men to expect events that God doth not mean fhall actually happen. It relates folely to the genuine