Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

the precept can never be gratified by any obedience of mine, for I am a finful beaft! O the infinite juftice of God in the threatening, can never be fatisfied by any fuffering of mine, for I am a finite worm; if there be not another fhift for me, I am loft and gone for ever! Thus Rom. vii. 9. the foul that was alive without the law once, now when the commandment comes, fin revives, and it dies.

3. As the gathering inclofure of providence is the occafional mean, and the gathering ftorm and tempeft of law-conviction is the preparative mean, fo the gathering trumpet of the gofpel is the more immediate mean. The gofpel is the great gathering engine of infinite wifdom; for faith comes by hearing of the joyful found of this trumpet, which is like the trumpet of the jubilee of old, Lev. xxv. 9. There is the joyful found of gofpel-revelations, and good news, that Chrift came to fave finners. O! when this found of the filver trumpet reaches not only the ear, but the heart of the finner, that by the law. hath got the knowledge and conviction of fin and mifery, what a joyful found is it, that now he hears of the remedy for him; that juftice is fatisfied, life is purchased, death is deftroyed, wrath is appeafed, and the law is magnified, and God reconciled in Chrift? Many a gathering found comes thro' this gofpel-trumpet. There is a found of gathering calls, faying, "Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou fhalt be faved: This is his commandment, that ye believe."-A found of gathering invitations, faying, "Come to me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden.”—A found of gathering proclamations, faying, "Ho, ho, every one that thirfteth, come; and he that hath no money, let him come; buy wine and milk without money and without price.”—A found of gathering expoftulations, faying, "Why will ye die?" joined with complaints, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."-A found of gathering counfels, faying, "I counfel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayeft be rich; and white raiment that thou mayeft be clothed, and that the fhame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-falve, that thou mayeft fee."A found of gathering intreaties and obtef

tations,

tations, faying, "We befeech you in God's name, and pray you in Chrift's ftead, be ye reconciled to God.”. And finally, A found of gathering mufic, and charming melody and as children gather to the found of the pipe, fo the Lord Jefus complains, Matthew xi. 7. when people do not joyfully gather at the found thereof, "We have piped unto you, and you have not danced;" yea, fuch are compared to deaf adders, that ftop their ears at the voice of the charmer, though charming never fo cunningly, Pfalm lviii. 5.--O what melodious mufic in the world, fo fweet as to hear the found of gofpelpromifes, of pardon to the guilty, purity to the filthy, and pity to the miferable foul! This trumpet hath a found of peace, a found of grace, a found of mercy, a found of glory to God in the higheft, and of good-will towards men: a certain found, in oppofition to all the legal trumpeters, founding forth life and falvation, depending upon uncertain conditions and qualifications on our part: but, as fays the apoftle, 1 Cor. xiv. 8. “If the trumpet give an uncertain found, who goeth forth to battle?" There is no heart to go forth to the battle of the Lord, upon fuch an uncertain found: but when the trumpet gives a certain found of victory, peace, life, falvation, and all, to be had, only, and wholly, and freely for nothing, in and through Jefus Chrift, then who would not go forth, under the ftandard of this Captain of falvation, at the found of this golden trumpet!

4. There is the gathering wind of the Spirit. Befides the gathering inclofure of providence as the occafional mean, the gathering tempeft of the law as the preparatory mean, and the gathering trumpet of the gofpel as the immediate mean; there must be a gathering wind of the Spirit, which is the efficacious mean: the former means cannot be effectual without this, though the gathering trumpet of the gofpel, and the gathering wind of the Spirit are moft nearly related to each other; for it is the gofpel only, that is the minif tration of the Spirit, 2 Cor. iii. 8. It is this wind of which the Lord Jefus fpeaks, John iii. 8. which blows

[blocks in formation]

where it lifteth, and is the great efficient of regeneration, and aggregation unto Chrift.-It is this wind that gathers dead finners out of their grave of fpiritual death; "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon the flain that they may live," Ezek. xxxvii. 9. It is this mighty wind that blows down the ftrong holds of Satan, and cafts down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itfelf against the knowledge of God; gathering the thoughts, like captives, to him, 2 Cor. x. 15. It is this wind that makes the fpices of the believer's garden to flow out: for this gathering wind brings a gathering rain with it; "He fhall come down like rain upon the mown grafs; as fhowers that water the earth," &c. Pfalm lxxii. 6. 8. "Awake, O north wind; come, thou fouth; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out," Song iv. 16. O it is a happy wind, that can drive a finking veffel to a fafe harbour, and gather perifhing finners in to a Saviour! But, where is this wind to be had, fay you? Why, it is in God's hand: it is faid with respect to his kingdom of providence, that he hath gathered the winds in his fift, Prov. xxx. 4.; and it is true with refpect to his kingdom of grace: this bleffed wind is, as it were, gathered in his fift; and what a man hath gathered in his fift, he can easily diftribute of it, by opening his hand; fo our God can eafily diftribute of the Spirit: this wind is in his fift, and he hath no more ado, but to open his fift. to him, and cry to him, to caft a gale of this wind out of his fift, a handful of the gathering motions of his Spirit, a handful of the gathering influences of this heaven. ly wind, a gale of his gathering operations.

O look

5. I may add, though it be very fib to the former, yet it is what may give us another diftin&t view of the Lord's way of gathering people; befides the gathering wind, there is a gathering fun: I allude to Pfal. civ. 21. where it is faid of the young lions, The fun rifes,

[ocr errors]

and they gather themselves together to their dens; and man goeth forth to his work and labour." As the rifing of the fun makes the beasts gather to their dens, and men gather to their work; fo the rifing of the

Sun

Sun of righteoufnefs, in the manifeftation of the favour of God in Chrift, makes the lions of hell gather to their dens, in a inanner, and men to gather to their work; I mean, to gather to Chrift by faith: for, "This is the work of God, that ye believe in his Son, whom he hath fent." It is promifed, that men fhall go forth when the fun rifes; "The Sun of righteoufnefs fhall arife, and ye fhall go forth, and grow up as calves in the fall," Mal. iv. 2. Indeed, they that go forth to meet the rifing Sun by faith, they will grow up in all the graces and fruits of the Spirit of holincfs. However, I fay, it is the rifing of the Sun of righteoufnefs, and thining in his glory, that makes finners gather to him by faith; "He manifefled forth his glory, and then his difciples believed on him," John ii. 11. The difplays of his glory are his gathering arms; "Ile fhall feed his flock like a fhepherd: he fhall gather the lambs with his, arms," Ifa. xl. II. He gathers with his arms, even the arms of his grace and mercy; yea, the difplays of his glorious grace are his military arms, whereby he fubdues them, and gathers them into his camp, Pfalm xlv.

3, 4, 5.

6. In a fubordination to all thefe gathering means, there is a gathering fan: Matth. iii. 12. Luke iii. 17. "His fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner." The devil hath his fan, wherewith he feeks to winnow God's people as wheat, in order to feparate them from Chrift, and from one another; but Chrift hath his fan, wherewith he will winnow his church and people, in order to gather them to himself, and to one another in him. By the fan of his word, and the fan of his rod, he purges the floor of his church: it is his threfhing floor; and fometimes he muft take the flail of his doctrine and thresh upon his people, to feparate the chaff of error from the grains of truth; and the found from the Sometimes he must take the flail of difcipline, and fevere judgments, rods, and calamities, to purge his floor, and gather the wheat from the chaff. Though the great day of judgment will be the great day of feparating the precious from the vile, and ga

erroneous.

D 3

thering

thering of his faints, yet there are trying days in this world, wherein confiderable difcoveries are made, and the Lord's fcattered and divided fheep are gathered together, to be more unite in the Lord. It is neceflary fometimes, that the Lord take his fan in his hand, for purging his floor; when it is foul, it needs to be swept with a befom. The floor of his houfe is fometimes very foul; and as when one fweeps a houfe, if there be drois and dirt in it, and alfo gold, and diamonds, and jewels, lying hid among the duft, all may be fwept to the door together; but the jewels being foon miffed, are gathered again from among the filth: fo, when the befom of public judgments and calamities come, the godly, as well as the wicked may be all fwept to the door together, and fhare of the fame outward ftrokes; but God, in due time, will gather the jewels to his cabinet: They fhall be mine, in the day when I make up my jewels,' Mal. iii. 17.-So much concerning the various means of gathering.

Το

[ocr errors]

Secondly, The fecond queftion upon this head, was, o fpeak of the qualities of this gathering of the people to Shiloh. And here the qualities of this gathering may be confidered, either paffively, fhewing how his power is exerted; or actively, fhewing how their faith is exercifed: or, 1. The qualities of God's gathering the people to Shiloh. 2. The qualities of the people's gathering to him, under his conduct, influence, and affiftNow, of both thefe particularly.

ance.

Ift, PASSIVELY; the qualities of God's gathering the people to Chrift: or, how his powerful grace is exerted, when, in a day of his power, he makes them willing, and gathers them.

1. His gathering power is exerted congruoufly, and agreeably to the rational nature; he draws with the bands of love, and the cords of a man, Hof. ix. 4. What is that? He even brings them over, by rational arguments upon the judgment, and powerful perfuafion upon the will. While the minds of men are blinded with ignorance, their affections are bent upon their lufts; but now, the understanding being cleared, the affe&ti

ons

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »