trees of the wood are moved with the wind. Then faid the Lord unto Ifaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jafhub thy son, at the end `f the conduit of the upper pool in the high-way of the fuller's field, and fay unto him, Take heed, and be quiet, fear not, neither, be faint-hearted, for the two tails of these fmoking fire-brands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the fon of Remaliah. Becaufe Syria, Ephraim, and the fon of Remaliah, have taken evil counfel against thee, faying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and fet a king in the midst of it, even the fon of Tabeal." The prophet labours to draw them to this fhadow, as a complete defence against the fcorching heat of thefe two smoking fire-brands; for he fays, Ifa. viii. 10. "Take counsel together, and it fhall come to nought, speak the word, and it fhall not stand, for God is with us,” (Heb. Immanuel is with us.) 2. His natures afford a broad fhade to the traveller in the weary land; he is both God and man. Jefus, he is man, and as fuch he has a fympathy, as one that has had experience of the troubles his people meet with in the weary land: Heb. iv. 15. "For we have not an high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without fin." As he is God, he is able to give them all protection in all cafes and all conditions. However low they be, his power, being infinite, is able to raise them up. So that, however unequally they be matched with devils and men, they may fay, as 2 Kings vi. 16. " Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." When Christ sent out his apostles apoftles into the world, and knew that they would be oppofed by the authority of the great ones, by the power, the learning, the prejudices, and fuperftitions of the world, over against all these he fets these emphatic words, " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," Matth. xxviii. 20. 3. His offices are a fhade to the traveller in a weary land. These are suited to all the cases his people can poffibly be in, in the weary land. He is a Prophet, to teach them, to lead and guide them: Ifa. lv. 4. “ Behold, I have given him for a Witness to the people, a Leader and Commander to the people." If darknefs arife, he is light to them that fit in darkness. There is no cafe so perplexed, but he can refolve it; and faith can begin where fight ends; and his direction will ever be ready to his own in the time of need : "It fhall be given them in that hour, what they fhall fpeak," Matth. x. 19. He is a Prieft to purge away fin, and manage his people's caufe in the court of heaven. If guilt fting the cónfcience, and make a fick foul, his blood removes the fting; it purges the confcience from dead works, Heb. ix. 14; it heals all their wounds: La. xxxiii. 24. " And the inhabitant shall not fay, I am fick; the people that dwell therein fhall be forgiven their iniquity." If they have a petition to prefent before the Lord, while Jefus lives, they know of a proper hand in the court of heaven, into which they can put it. For he makes interceffion for us; he is our Advocate with the Father. This is no fmall comfort in the weary land. He is a King, to protect and defend them, to conquer and reflrain all his and their enemies. If Satan be too ftrong and subtle for them, yet Jefus is ftronger ftronger than he, and can outwit him, and even outfhoot him in his own bow. His grace is fufficient against the greateft temptations. If the world, the men or things of the world, be too hard for them, Jefus has overcome both. And though they may be ready to cry out for fear of thefe, that one day they will perish by their hands, yet their great Captain being on their head, they fhall furely come off victorious at laft, faying, "Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift." 4. His purchase affords fhelter in the weary land. The price he paid was his own precious blood; the purchase then must needs be great, feeing the price was of infinite value. He has purchafed for his people all that is neceffary to make them happy. What Adam loft, Chrift has purchafed again, and that with advantage; fo that all their loffes are made up in him. Would you have the inventory of Christ's purchase? you have it, 1 Cor. iii. 22. "Whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prefent, or things to come, all are yours." The best things for their enjoyment in time or through eternity. The worst things, through him, work for your good. What a refreshing thade, then, is this in the worst of times! 5. His relations afford fhelter in a weary land. He ftands in many near relations to his people: He is the foundation on which they are built, and therefore, as the house built on the rock ftands unfhaken, fo he will support them, under all preffures. He is their Father, and will allow them their provifion, he will afford them protection, an inheritance, and every thing that children may expect from a father. He is their Husband, and therefore will be their defence; yea, their Head, and therefore therefore he will guide them, and every way tenderly care for them, as the head does for the feveral members of the body. 6. His covenant and promises afford shelter in a weary land. The covenant is offenfive and defenfive, therefore the believer has common friends and enemies with the Lord himself: Zech. ii. 8. He that toucheth his people toucheth the apple of his eye. Hence faid Jefus, "Saul, Saul, why perfecutest thou me ?" Who would not venture tó fea in that ship in which Christ himself, his intereft, and his glory, are embarked; for though the fhip in that cafe be befet with waves, it will not fink. Cæfar, when embarking on board of a fhip to purfue his enemy, to encourage the pilot, who was afraid of the ftorm, cried out, You have Cæfar and his fortune embarked with you. How much more may the Chriftian not be afraid in the greatest storm, when Chrift, his interest, and his honour, are with him. There are promifes in the covenant fuited to every cafe. The Lord has fe. cured to his people protection and provifion in the worft of times: "He fhall dwell on high, his place of defence fhall be the munition of rocks; bread fhall be given him, his water fhall be füre." He has fecured them against apoftacy: John, x. 29. "No man (fays he) fhall pluck them out of my Father's hand." He has promised strength to the weak and fearful, Ifa. xl. 29.-31; he hath promised his presence to be with them for ever, Heb. xiii. 5. Ifa. xliii. 2.; he hath promifed that all things fhall work together for their good, Rom. viii. 28.; and, finally, there is nothing whatever which can befal them in the weary land, but there is fomething in the covenant and the promise fuited to it, peculiarly calculated to comfort and support them under every preffure. It remains that, as was propofed, IV. I MAKE fome practical improvement, which I fhall do, It, In an ufe of information, and, 2dly, In an ufe of exhortation. For an ufe of information we may see, 1. That it is a black mark of a foul, that has no more to look for as a portion but the world; when they take fo well with the world's entertainment, that they never feek after Chrift. The world is not the weary land to them, and so they care not for Chrift. Are there not many who would defire no better portion than the world, if they could get it kept? They could well renounce their pretenfions to Canaan, if they could get ' their tents to ftand always on this fide Jordan; they would never defire a better heaven, than their lordships, their farms, or what else they can work for with their own hands. While these things profper with them, they have nothing to make the world a weary land to them; the country's dif ease never wearies them; and if they be croffed in one worldly thing, they do not go to Chrift to get comfort under it, but to fome other worldly thing. This fpeaks, that they are at home in the world, and are not travelling towards Zion. Others may be pilgrims in it, but they are not; they are juft where they would be, and have no other choice, Pfal. iv. 6. It fhews alfo that they would never look near Chrift, if death did not make fureof their being turned out of the earth. They have no love to Chrift for himself, they could fend well enough without him, if he would but let them alone in the world. 2. See here the mystery of the Christian life. Why |