understood in their stricteft fenfe; for he himself escaped, and others befide him: but he affirms, that very few escaped in comparison of those who fuffered. Indeed, in midft of the most terrible judgments that were ever executed upon the children of men, God hath always remembered mercy, and fome have e scaped. When the old world was destroyed by water, Noah and his family were preserved; when Sodom and Gomorrah were confumed to afhes, Lot and his daughters had their lives given them for a prey; and when Jerufalem was made a fpectacle of divine vengeance, fome escaped the general calamity. To this the prophet feems evidently to refer in the words before us, which are defcriptive of the fame perfons mentioned in the following werfe, where we shall have opportunity of confidering their character more particularly.Let the wonderful Perfon of whom you have now heard, poffefs the chief place in your affection. He is infinitely lovely and glorious, and juftly merits your highest efteem, and most profound refpect. Abound in the fruits of righteousness, which are by him to the praise of God, and thankfully improve the fruits of the earth to the honour of the bleffed Giver.

3 And it shall come to pafs, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerufalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerufalem.

These words defcribe the diftinguishing character, and peculiar property of the efcaped in Ifrael, who participate in the falvation of the great Meffiah.The perfons intended, are set forth as left in Zion, as remaining in Jerufalem, and as written among the living in Jerufalem. I fhall endeavour to illuftrate the latter of thefe expreffions, fo as to enable you to underftand the two former. After the Lord had brought forth the children of Ifrael out of the land of Egypt, and houfe of bondage, he commanded them

to

to be numbered: this was likewife done after their return from captivity at Babylon, as is evident from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The record in which their names were engroffed, is fuppofed to have been the writing of the houfe of Ifrael, mentioned in the thirteenth chapter of Ezra. To this practice there is a manifest allufion in the words of this verse, which may be confidered as referring to thofe who were enrolled as inhabitants of Jerufalem, the metropolis of Judea, in the register kept for that purpose. This book might be called the book of life, or of the living, as it contained the names of all thofe who were alive in the city, and enjoyed the privileges of citizens. As the prophet, however, hath fomewhat farther in view than the return of the Jews from their captivity, namely, the purity and felicity of the church of God, after the appearance of the Meffiah, I suppose the expreffion is intended to include those who are written among the living, or to eternal life, in the Jerufalem which is above. In this fenfe it comprehends all thofe of whom Jefus Chrift fpeaks, as having their names written in heaven; concerning whom the apostle Paul fays, Their names are in the book of life;' who, as the apostle John affirms, are written in the book of life of the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world .' This glorious prerogative, peculiar to the people of God, is infinitely fuperior to that of having power over evil spirits: and forms a ftriking contraft to thofe who depart from God; concerning whom the prophet Jeremiah declares, They fhall be written in the earth, because they have forfaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. The city of the heavenly Jerufalem is frequently fpoken of, as having a register belonging to it, in which the names of the citizens are written, who are born from above, made partakers of fpiritual

6

Luke x. 20. 1 Jer. xvij. 13.

life, invested with right to eternal inheritance, and endeavour to act suitably to the distinguishing advantages they enjoy. Thefe are the people who are here defigned, and concerning whom it is foretold, that every one of them

gra

Shall be called holy. The Hebrew word tranflated holy, is derived from one that fignifies to fet apart, confecrate, or devote. Thofe who are holy, the Lord hath fet apart for himfelf, in his eternal purpofe. In this fenfe he informed the prophet Jeremiah, Before 'I formed thee, I fanctified thee, and ordained thee ' a prophet. In confequence whereof, God is ciously pleased actually to confecrate them to himfelf, by preparing and qualifying them for the im-. portant fervices he affigns them. Thus we read, that Barnabas and Saul were separated for the work whereunto he called them t. The happy effect of this confecration is, that they fincerely devote, and heartily dedicate themselves to God; or, in the words of fcripture, they give or yield themselves to the Lord, and their members as inftruments of righteousness unto God. In this manner they become veffels of honour, fanctified and meet for the Master's ufe, and prepared unto every good work. Things fuch as filver and gold, when dedicated to God, only change their ufe, whilst they remain the fame as formerly: whereas men, who are devoted to him, have their nature purified, as well as the purposes for which they are employed changed; their fouls and bodies, their time and talents, are all used in the service of God, for the advancement of his glory. According to this prediction, the perfons spoken of fhould be called holy: being truly and actually fanctified, they were to be known by the honourable defignation of faints. Men who are often mistaken, are ready to mifname perfons and things: they are apt to call the proud happy; to call evil good, and good evil; and to blefs the covetous, whom 2 Tim. ii. 21.

Jer. i. 5.

+ As ziii. 2.
Ff

the

the Lord abhorreth. In their pride of heart, they may say to others better than themselves, Stand by, come not near, I am holier than thou:' whereas God, who is infinite in knowledge, perfect in understanding, and whofe judgment is according to truth, always gives perfons their true and proper names; and, therefore, those whom he calleth holy, juftly deferve this character. This prediction was remarkably verified at the time the Branch of the Lord became beautiful and glorious, when, as we learn from the Acts and Epiftles of the apoftles, this was the dif tinguishing character of those who conftituted the first churches of Jefus Chrift.I now addrefs you in the words which the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Ifrael, and say unto them, Ye fhall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.' Confider the holiness of God as the perfect pattern you ought to imitate, and a powerful motive to induce you to follow after this holiness, without which no man fhall fee the Lord.

4 When the Lord fhall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and fhall have purged the blood of Jerufalem from the midft thereof, by the fpirit of judgment, and by the fpirit of burning.

In this manner the honourable character, mentioned in the preceding verle, is to be attained.That men may with propriety be called holy, their pollu tion must be washed away by him who alone can bring a clean out of an unclean thing. The expreffions here used are metaphorical, and feem to refer to the way commonly taken in order to clean a church or city from the naftinefs it hath contracted. The filth to be washed away from the daughters of Zion, was the notorious crimes committed by the inhabitants of Jerufalem; fuch as idolatry and super

ftition,

ftition, pride, luxury, and the like, joined with prefumptuous felf-confidence in their own righteousness, which notwithstanding they foolishly endeavoured to eflablish. By the blood of Jerufalem, may be meant the atrocious crimes of fraud and perjury, robbery and murder, with the cruel oppreffion of the poor, the fatherless, and the widow. These were to be washed away and purged by the Lord himself, whose glorious prerogative it is, to cleanse his people from all their iniquities, and to fprinkle clean water upon them, according to his promile, that they may be clean. This great change was to be effectuated by the fpirit of judgment, which God was to confer upon the minifters and teachers of the Chriftian church, who, by their judicial proceedings and decifions, were to separate between the holy and profane. By the fpirit of burning, may be meant thole awful judgments which were to be inflicted on the Jewish nation, in that terrible day, which was to burn as an qven, wherein the Lord was to appear as a refiner's fire, and the blood of Jefus Chrift and his apoftles, shed about Jerufalem, was to be avenged. In confequence of which, the church of God, formed of his peculiar people, zealous of good works, fhould exclude from their fociety, all thofe who perfifted in the practice of the above-mentioned and fimilar tranfgreffions.If internal purification is included in the expreffions before us, whereby the people of God are cleanfed from all filthinefs of flesh and fpirit, fo as to perfect holinefs in the fear of God, the Spirit of judgment is that Spirit who judges and condemns men for their fins, by means of the law of God; who infpires them with fpiritual knowledge and understanding in divine truths, and poffefles them of wisdom and prudence to direct their ways. And the Spirit of burning (an expreffion peculiar to this paffage of fcripture), may refer to the extraordinary gifts conferred upon the difciples of Jefus Christ at the day of Pentecoft by the Holy Spirit, of which

t.e