was he stricken.” (Isaiah liii. 4, 5, 8.) This shall make that "great mourning in Jerusalem," (Zech. xii. 11,) when "the land shall mourn, every family apart:" when "they shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son; and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born."

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And when once "their uncircumcised heart shall be thus "humbled, and they shall accept the punishment of their iniquity," (Lev. xxvi. 41,) then, all the grace of this new covenant of Messiah shall flow forth to them. "A fountain shall be opened, in that day, to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin, and for uncleanness." (Zech. xiii. 1.) The Lord will "appoint, unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." (Isaiah lxi. 3.) "I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more.” Yes, that sin of sins shall be forgiven, yea, forgotten, yea, made an end of for ever, the murder of Jesus, their King!-the blood of the Son of God!

That blood which they imprecated

on themselves, saying, "His blood be on us, and on our children,”—that blood, which has so long been upon them for judgment, shall, then, be

sweetly sprinkled on them for mercies: the price and pledge of blessing-the blood of their covenant. "Though their sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah i. 18.) Wonderful grace, and miracle of love, of God, which (blessed be his name) we, poor Gentile sinners, experience along with them! forgiveness, by the precious blood of Jesus, of accursed sinners, who shed the blood that saves them!

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You have a beautiful exhibition of the feelings of Israel, in the contemplation of this grace and goodness of God, in the concluding words of their prophet Micah. The Lord has been comforting Zion: telling them, how their walls shall be built again how he will feed them in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old: how, according to the days of their coming out of the land of Egypt, he will do unto them marvellous things; how the nations shall see, and be confounded at all their might; they shall lay their hand on their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. And then follows that burst of adoring ecstasy, of that whole people,— no longer able to contain themselves, in the sense of this forgiving grace, and plenteousness of goodness,- "Who is a God like unto thee! that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage: he

retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again: he will have compassion upon us: he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers, from the days of old." (Micah vii. 11–20.) "This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel ...... after those days, saith the Lord..........I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more."

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We come, now, to the other class of promises, of this covenant, which are built upon the mercies we have been considering of which God says, I will do thus and thus, FOR I will be merciful. We have included them under the general name of promises of sanctification; as they set forth a state of singular holiness, and spiritual glory, of the whole nation of Israel.

The first of these promises is one

1. Of divine renewal. "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts."

This God now does, for every believing sinner, Gentile and Jew alike, who "lays hold on his covenant: comes to him (that is) for mercy on the terms of it, through Jesus its Mediator. But this grace, is at present, limited to individuals:

the "few" who are "chosen," out of the "many called." Nations, as such, know nothing of it. When the new covenant shall be made with Israel, it will be otherwise. It will then be a national covenant, fulfilled in the whole seed of Jacob, with hardly, if, indeed, in their case, with any exception.

At present, God is taking out of every nation a people to his name. In the case of restored Israel, he will take the whole people: the universal nation. The present dispensation of an election will then have gone by, and that of universality will have succeeded to it. "ALL Israel shall be saved." He shall "turn away ungodliness FROM JACOB." He will "have mercy upon ALL." (Rom. xi. 26, 32.)

Accordingly, the designation of Israel, in that day, is, "the righteous nation." "Thy people shall be ALL RIGHTEOUS; they shall inherit the land for ever." (Isaiah lx. 21.) "In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah, We have a strong city: salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that THE

RIGHTEOUS NATION WHICH KEEPETH THE TRUTH

may enter in." (Isaiah xxvi. 1, 2.) shall call them (when Christ their

"And they salvation'

cometh to them, v. 11), THE HOLY PEOPLE: The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out: A city not forsaken." (Isaiah lxii. 12.)

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"And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called HOLY: even EVERY ONE THAT IS WRITTEN

AMONG THE LIVING, in Jerusalem." (Isaiah iv. 3.) "And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, THE CITY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; The faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness; and the destruction of the transgressors, and of the sinners, shall be together; and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed,"-none such (you see) are to be left. (Isaiah i. 26-28.) "Awake, awake! put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the HOLY CITY; for, henceforth, there shall NO MORE come into thee THE UNCIRCUMCISED and the UNCLEAN." (Isaiah lii. 1.)

What have we here, my brethren, but that glorious thing which has never yet been seen, in our miserable world; but which shall be seen, first, in the nation of Israel,-a people,-one and all of them,―the entire community,-"HOLINESS TO THE LORD:" "every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem." This is to be their national covenant, in the days of those mercies which are the foundation of it.

"I will put my law in their inward parts, and will write it in their hearts." Their old covenant had this law written