Now by the shaking of all nations you and I may take it, in the first place, to mean, removing them from their old bafes. He did moft wonderfully shake and unfettle the whole Perfian empire by the Grecian, and the Grecian by the Roman. He shook the Jewish nation alfo; and by and by he will shake and unfettle all nations, and give them up to Chrift; and of this the prophet Ezekiel prophefies, saying, "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, until He comes, whose right it is, and I will give it him." He overturned the Perfian, then the Grecian; then he overturned the Romans by the Goths and Huns; and he will overturn the Roman again; and I believe that this is not far off; and then the defire of all nations fhall come: he will take to himself his great power, and reign; and then his glory fhall not be confined to this house, but the "glory of God fhall cover the earth as the waters cover the fea."

What I understand by the fhaking of the earth is this; there are two foundations on which all the human race build, and there are no more; the rock and the fand. You have the account of this by Chrift himself in these words: "Therefore, whofoever heareth thefe sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wife man, which built his house upon a rock." Then comes the shaking: "And the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

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every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, fhall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the fand; and the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."-Now what God aims at by the shaking, is bringing men from their own ways, and moving them from their old bottoms. Among the Jews, the generality of them founded their hopes upon a broken law and their legal facrifices; and the Gentile world, they trusted in their own gods. But wherever the gospel comes, it is intended to sweep away these refuges of lies. And this is the reafon of all the terror, horror, chastisement, and scourges, with which sensible sinners are exercised: it is to destroy their vain confidences, and falfe hopes, and to bring them from their own foundations. And, as foon as this shaking comes, as it did upon Ezekiel's dry bones, God tells them that, when he has unfettled them, he will take poffeffion of them himself. "I that am the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whofe name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite one." And again: "To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite heart, and that trembles at my word." There is shaking and trembling with a witness at his reproof, when God is pleased to accompany his word with the

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power of his own fpirit; for as foon as the fhaking and trembling comes on, false hopes, falfe confidence, and the fandy foundation, all give way together; and as soon as ever these are gone God takes poffeffion of the heart: "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, and that trembles at my word; to revive the spirit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite one." It is by these ways, as the Pfalmift fays, that we are brought to the rock that is higher than we. When God fent his word and spirit to David, he found him upon the fand; and when this foundation gave way, down he went into deep waters, where there is no standing. But when God had deftroyed his legal hope, his fleshly confidence, and stripped him of his self-righteousness, then he brought him out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and fet his feet upon a rock: " "Then," faith the Pfalmift," he put a new fong into my mouth, even thanksgiving to God." Thus God led him to the rock that is higher than he; then he found his heart fixed, trufting in the Lord. And wherever the gofpel comes, there is fure to be a fhaking; fome, having their false hopes fhook, burn with rage at the truth, and oppofe it with all their might: and there are others who feel their need of a Saviour, and cordially embrace him. And whenever carnal enmity is ftirred up against the gospel, fuch enemies wage war with the Holy Ghost, while he inflames his own fervants with love and zeal for the truth; and this be

gins the prophet's fiery conteft; "For every battle of the warrior is with confufed noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this fhall be with burning and fuel of fire: for unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given." Our Lord feems to fix his eye upon that paffage when he fays, "Think not that I am come to fend peace on the earth; I come not to fend peace, but a fword, and a fire; and what will I, if it be already kindled? For I am come to fet a man at variance against his own houfe; for from henceforth there fhall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the fon against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother," &c. Then he tells you how it shall operate between the feed of the woman and the feed of the ferpent. If three are for God, love fhall burn in them; and if two for Satan, hellish wrath shall burn in them; the devil leads the one, and the Holy Spirit leads the other: and this breach shall never be closed, nor fhall any mediator ever stand in this gap.

Now, fays God, "I will shake all nations," and unfettle and remove them: and this is proved by every child of God, if he will act the honest part, and look back, and say what he trusted in; "Why," fays he," in my own deceitful heart, and in my own arm for ftrength; in a form of godliness without the power; in my own supposed righteousness; in

a broken law, and in my obedience to it; and in my refolutions, vows, promifes, eye-fervices, and fuperftitious duties; by which I endeavoured to recommend myself to the favour of God. Now whenever God's word reacheth the heart it removes the finner from these things; nor can he be fatisfied, until fuch time as he hears of a Saviour; and when Christ, with all his fulness and faving benefits, is fet before him, when faith comes by hearing, and Chrift's righteoufnefs is brought nigh, then he is brought to the chief corner ftone: "Therefore, thus faith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a tried ftone, a precious corner ftone, a fure foundation; and he that believeth fhall not make hafte." He fhall never be ashamed nor confounded, who confides in this rock. God has founded Sion, and the poor of his people fhall truft in him.

Now when God thus fhakes the nations, take notice of the words: "And I will shake all nations; and the defire of all nations fhall come." It may be afked, How Jefus Chrift became the defire of all nations? Do you obferve this, that wherever there was a flourishing city, a city famous for trade and commerce, there the Jews generally flocked in great numbers. This appears plainly in the apoftles' days; for into whatfoever city of the eaft the apoftles entered, they were fure to find Jews, and profelytes to the Jewish religion. There There were, I believe, but few opulent cities in the east that had