Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 4.djvu/28

22 God. 1. Their sin was their shame, v. 6..9. 2. God by his judgments would humble them, and put them to shame, v. 10..17. They should themselves be ashamed of their confidence in their idols, and in an arm of flesh, v. 18..22. And now which of these Jerusalems will we be the inhabitants of? That which is full of the knowledge of God, which will be our everlasting honour, or that which is full of horses and chariots, and silver and gold, and such idols, which will, in the end, be our shame.

HE word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3. And many people shall go and say. Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the from Jerusalem. 4. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the.

The particular title of this sermon, (v. 1.) is the same with the general title of the book; (ch. i. 1.) only that what is there called the vision, is here called the word which Isaiah saw, or the matter or thing, which he saw, the truth of which he had as full an assurance of in his own mind, as if he had seen it with his bodily eyes. Or, this word was brought to him in a vision, he saw something, when he received this message from God. St. John turned to see the voice that spake with him, Rev. i. 12.

This sermon begins with the prophecy relating to the last days, the days of the Messiah, when his kingdom should be set up in the world, at the latter end of the Mosaic economy. In the last days of the earthly Jerusalem, just before the destruction of it, this heavenly Jerusalem should be erected, Heb. xii. 22. Gal. iv. 26. Note, Gospel-times are the last days. For, 1. They were long in coming, were a great time waited for by the Old Testament saints, and came at last. 2. We are not to look for any dispensation of divine grace, but what we have in the gospel, Gal. i. 8, 9. 3. We are to look for the second coming of Jesus Christ at the end of time, as the Old Testament saints did for his first coming; this is the last time, 1 John ii. 18.

Now the prophet here foretells,

I. The setting up of the Christian church, and the planting of the Christian religion in the world. Christianity shall then be the mountain of the Lord's house; where that is professed, God will grant his presence, receive his people's homage, and grant instruction and blessing, as he did of old in the temple of Mount Zion. The gospel-church, incorporated by Christ's charter, shall then be the rendezvous of all the spiritual seed of Abraham. Now it is here promised, 1. That Christianity shall be openly preached and professed; it shall be prepared (so the margin reads it) in the top of the mountains, in the view and hearing of all. Hence Christ's disciples are compared to a city on a hill, which cannot be hid, Matth. v. 14. They had many eyes upon them. Christ himself spake openly to the world, John xviii. 20. What the apostles did, was not done in a corner, Acts xxvi. 26. It was the lighting of a beacon, the setting up of a standard. Its being every where spoken against, supposes that it was every where spoken of. 2. That it shall be firmly fixed and rooted; that it shall be established on the top of the everlasting mountains, built upon a rock, so that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, unless they could pluck up mountains by the roots. He that dwells safely, is said to dwell on high, ch. xxxiii. 16. The Lord has founded the gospel-Zion. 3. That it shall not only overcome all opposition, but overtop all competition; it shall be exalted above the hills. This wisdom of God in a mystery shall outshine all the wisdom of this world, all its philosophy, and all its politics. The spiritual worship which it shall introduce, shall put down the idolatries of the heathen; and all other institutions in religion shall appear mean and despicable, in comparison with this. See Ps. lxviii. 16. ''Why leap ye, ye high hills? This is the hill which God desires to dwell in.''

II. The bringing in of the Gentiles into it; 1. The nations shall be admitted into it, even the uncircumcised, who were forbidden to come into the courts of the temple at Jerusalem; the partition-wall, which kept them out, kept them off, shall be taken down. 2. All nations shall flow into it; having liberty of access, they shall improve their liberty, and multitudes shall embrace the Christian faith. They shall flow into it, as streams of water; which denotes the abundance of converts that the gospel should make, and their speed and cheerfulness in coming into the church. They shall not be forced into it, but shall naturally flow into it. Thy people shall be willing; all volunteers, Ps. cx. 3. To Christ shall the gathering of the people be. Gen. xlix. 10. See ch. lx. 4, 5.

III. The mutual assistance and encouragement which this confluence of converts shall give to one another. Their pious affections and resolutions shall be so intermixed, that they shall come in, in one full stream. As when the Jews from all parts of the country went up thrice a year to worship at Jerusalem, they called on their friends in the road, and excited them to go along with them, so shall many of the Gentiles court their relations, friends, and neighbours, to join with them in embracing the Christian religion; (v. 3.) "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord; though it be up hill, and against heart, yet it is the mountain of the Lord, who will assist the ascent of our souls toward him." Note, Those that are entering into covenant and communion with God themselves, should bring as many as they can along with them; it becomes Christians to provoke one another to good works, and to further the communion of saints by inviting one another into it: not, "Do you go up to the mountain of the Lord, and pray for us, and we will stay at home;" nor, "We will go, and do you as you will;" but, "Come, and let us go, let us go in concert, that we may strengthen one another's hands, and support one another's reputation:" not, "We will consider of it, and advise about it, and go hereafter;" but, "Come, and let us go forthwith," Ps. cxxii. 1. Many shall say this; those that have had it said to them, shall say it to others. The gospel-church is here called, not only the mountain of the Lord, but the house of the God of Jacob; for in it God's covenant with Jacob and his praying seed is kept up, and has its accomplishment; for to us now, as unto them, he never said, Seek ye me, in vain, ch. xlv. 19.

Now see here, 1. What they promise themselves, in going up to the mountain of the Lord;