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SERMON I*.

The SWORD of JUSTICE awakened against
GOD'S FELLOW.

Zech. xiii, 7.—Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.

THIS

HIS text, sirs, is a very wonderful one, as ever a poor mortal man preached upon; for in it there is a cloud, a black cloud, a cloud of divine wrath and vengeance, a bloody cloud, the cloud of Christ's bloody passion, which we are to celebrate the memorials of this day; but, like the cloud that led Israel in the wilderness, though it had a black side towards Christ, yet it has a bright and light side towards all the Israel of God; for this cloud of blood distils in a sweet shower of blessings unto poor sinners: there is a light in this cloud wherein we may see God, in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.

This verse presents us with a clear prediction of the sufferings of Christ; and the disposition of his disciples thereupon: "Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones:" which our Lord expressly applies to himself, and his disciples, Mat. xxvi. 31. Mark xiv. 27. So that we need not stand to inquire, of whom the prophet here, or rather, of whom God here speaks; for the words of our text are the words of God the Father, giving orders

*This was an Action-sermon, preached immediately before the celebration of the Lord's Supper at Dunfermline, July 3d, 1720.

B

and commission to the sword of his justice, to awake against his Son, when he had undertaken to become our surety. More particularly in the words you may notice these three things.

1. A solemn call and summons given to God's vengeance, or vindictive justice, to rendezvous its forces, and march forth in battle array, in all circumstances of terror: "Awake, O sword."

2. The party against whom this dreadful battle is proclaimed, this terrible sword is brandished; must it not be against sinners? nay, but the sinner's surety: "against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow" not against the sheep, but the shepherd; not against a shepherd simply, but against my shepherd; not against mankind, but a man; not against a man simply, a mere man, but "the man that is my fellow;" mine equal.

3. By whose orders, or at whose instance this summons to the bloody battle is given; why, it is the Lord of Hosts that says it: it is he that gives the commission, and orders the sword to be drawn.

Now, the summons is very awful, "Awake, O sword, against him:" if he will be a surety, he must be a sacrifice; if he will be a sacrifice he must be slain: for, without shedding of blood there is no remission." It is not a charge to a rod to correct him, but to a sword to slay him; for "Messiah the Prince must be cut off, though not for himself," Dan. ix. 26. It is not the sword of war to which he gives this charge, that he may die in the bed of honour; but the sword of justice, that he may die as a criminal upon an ignominious tree. This sword must awake against him; it must not rest, cannot be quiet nor satisfied, till it be drunk in his heart's blood. It is not called upon to awake and fright him, but to awake and smite him. Not with a lazy, drowsy blow, but an awakened one; even a horrible, terrible blow.

The party against whom the sword is called to awake is very gloricus; the description of him here is very magnificent; "Awake against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow :" described in his office, MY

Shepherd; in his person, God-man, MY Fellow. Men thrust him through as a foolish shepherd, and God thrusts him through as the good shepherd, as his own shepherd, the shepherd of his own flock, that he might purchase the flock of God with his own blood. As mediator he is God's shepherd, who undertook to feed the flock, and to lay down his life for his sheep: and against the man that is my fellow; or, the man my fellow; the man who is God as well as man, who thought it no robbery to be equal with God.

Finally, the party giving these orders to incensed justice to awake.against him is as wonderful; the Lord of Hosts; that JEHOVAH that has all the hosts of heaven, earth, and hell at his call; the Lord of hosts; that is, JEHOVAH, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God, essentially considered, giving a commission to infinite justice to awake against the second Person of the Godhead, considered as Surety and Mediator, God-man.

Now, from the words thus shortly opened, we might observe many doctrines, but I confine myself to this one, namely;

OBSER. That by special orders from JEHOVAH, the great God of Hosts, the man Christ, his Shepherd and Fellow, did fall a sacrifice to the awakened sword of infinite justice. "Awake, O sword."

When nothing among the creatures could be found to deliver the soul of the sinner, from going down to the pit, God himself found a ransom; he found an atonement, Job xxxiii. 24. by setting forth Christ to be the propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus, Rom. iii. 25, 26. We sinful creatures, both ministers and people, should all have fallen a sacrifice to the sword of God's wrath and vengeance for ever, because of our sins; but behold he finds a ransom; he sets forth Christ to be the propitiation. Whenever he is set forth, the sword falls upon him, and awakes against him who was the shepherd, that the sheep might escape.

I might here premise many useful particulars presupposed in this doctrine, namely, That it supposes a cove nant of works broken, and so justice enraged against men: a covenant of redemption made; a counsel of peace between JEHOVAH and Christ, for man's relief: and, which I reckon much the same with the former, a covenant of grace established in Christ; he engaging to fulfil the condition of the covenant of works, which we had broken; to obey the law, which we had transgressed; to satisfy the justice, which we had offended; to bear the wrath, which we had incurred; whereupon the sword of the Lord awakes against him, and all the squadrons of enraged fury march forth against him, with infinite horror and terror; " Awake, Ösword, against my shepherd."-But omitting all that might be supposed, and presupposed to this doctrine, I shall endeavour to confine myself as closely as possible to the several parts of the text and doctrine, by prosecuting it in the following method; namely,

I. To inquire into the Character of the person against whom this word doth awake.

II. The Nature and quality of this sword that did awake against him.

III. How this sword did awake against him; by shewing what may be imported in this expression, "Awake, O sword."

IV. What special hand the Lord JEHOVAH, the Lord of hosts, had in ordering or calling of this sword to awake against this glorious person.

V. The Reasons of the doctrine, why the Lord of hosts ordered the sword of justice to awake against his Shepherd, and the man that is his Fellow. VI. Draw some Inferences for the application of the whole, in a suitableness to the work of the day.

1. Who is this that the sword of justice must awake against? The character of the person is very great and glorious, in the words of our text, " My shepherd, the man that is my fellow;" that is, in short, God-man Me

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