ly agitated and disturbed the various paffions of the foul. Being made partakers of the divine nature, and furnished with new principles of action, they are delightfully employed in fulfilling all righteousness, in keeping judgment, and doing juftice at all times. They uniformly endeavour to maintain unbiaffed rectitude of conduct; to promote the welfare of fociety; to seek the peace of thofe among whom they dwell; to be upright and equitable in their tranfactions; and faithful in discharging the duties of their several capacities and stations. In the practice of this righteoufness, the most defirable peace of mind is enjoyed. 'Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace *.' As many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy fhall be upon them †. Great peace have they who love God's law, and no'thing fhall offend themt.' So excellent, fo useful, is this facred peace which is the work of righteousness, that the Apostle of the Gentiles affirms, that it paffeth all understanding; that it keeps the heart and mind through Chrift Jefus; it preferves them from being furprised by internal infurrection, or annoyed by any external foe. It difpels perplexing fears, it keeps off vexing griefs, corroding cares, foolish fufpicions and diftruft. Amidst the diffentions and afflictions, the diforders and tumults which every where abound, righteousness with its concomitant, imparts the most pleasant tranquillity and fatisfaction to the foul. And the effect of righteousness, quietness and affurance for ever. One happy confequence refulting from righteoufnefs; and the various exercises of which it is compofed is quietnefs. The Hebrew word denotes the reft of the dead in the dark and filent grave, where they are free from every difquietude, and all fense of trouble; and it is here transferred, to fignify the undisturbed repofe which flows from a rectified temper and conduct. Righteoufnefs not only communicates that fweet ferenity to the mind, which places its poffeffor in a condition beft adapted to fecure VOL. III. the • Prov. iii. 17. + Gal, vi. 16. I Pfal. cxix. 165. the agreeable enjoyment of himself, and the mercies he receives; but it tends to reflore and preferve peace and harmony in fociety. It not only fuppreffes every uneafy paffion that would vex and moleft us, but it tends to prevent and allay those storms that cannot otherwife be averted. It extends, enlarges, and perpetuates external tranquillity, until it embrace, not only the upright among men, but their enemies; even the beafts and the stones of the field shall not hurt; and then, like a great river, flows fmoothly on to the end of its courfe, where its waters are abforbed in the immense ocean of love and joy. And affurance for ever. This is another bleffed effect of righteoufnefs in the extenfive fenfe that hath been affigned to it. This ineftimable benefit communicates full perfuafion of the accomplishment of the faithful promises of God, and firm confidence in the divine favour. What can poffibly give stronger proof of the benignity, the love, and wisdom of God, than the obedience and death of his own Son, in order to bring in for us everlasting righteousness? and what can afford more fatisfying evidence of having received this precious gift, than the practice of righteoufnefs, which is accompanied with allurance to right hearted men in every age of the church? Wherefore, brethren, let my counfel be acceptable to you: 'Seek ye the Lord; feek righteoufnefs: if thou feekeft her as filver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then fhalt thou under• ftand righteoufnefs, and judgment and equity, and 'every good path.' Be earneft and frequent in prayer, until you obtain this grace, with its excellent fruits; then fhall you find deliverance from evil; acceptance with God; victory over enemies; peace of corcience; joy in the Holy Ghoft; affurance of God's love; and in due time, the fruition of thofe pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore. If you fuffer for righteoufnefs' fake, it fhall conduce to your happiness; though men may on that account condemn you, God will approve; though friends may ་ defert you, Jesus Christ will confess you. In distress, you shall be revived with the profpect of felicity; in forrow, you fhall have ample ground of joy; in difquietude, internal tranquillity; in temptation, a way of escape shall be opened; in death, you fhall find life and immortality. 18 And my people fhall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in fure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. Temporal fecurity and freedom from the moleftation of enemies is likewife promifed to the church, as another joyful fruit of the righteoufnefs wherewith they should be bleffed.-The perfons who were to enjoy this important benefit are defigned the people of God-thofe whom he hath chofen, redeemed and appropriated to himself, who are devoted to his fervice, and employed in fhewing forth his praifes. After the converfion of the Gentile nations to the faith and obedience of the gofpel, the peculiar people of the Moft High were no longer to have their refidence confined to the fertile country of Judea, but were to be dispersed over the whole earth. In this view, to affure them of agreeable fafety and tranquillity, various expreflions of fimilar import are here used. They fhall dwell in a peaceable habitation, with all that appertains to them; their children, their fervants, their flocks and fields, fhall be free from trouble and difturbance. Plenty of what is necellary to their comfortable fubfiftence fhall be allotted to them; harmony fhall reign in their families; and of this profperity they fhall have the peaceable poffeffion; free from foreign invafion, or domeftic tumults. Like Naphtali, fatisfied with favour, and full with the bleffing of the Lord, they fhall poffefs their places of abode; fo that men thall fay, The Lord bless thee, ⚫ O habitation of righteoufnefs *.-And in fure dwellings. This expreffion feems to intimate the conti * Jer. xxxi. 23. nuance nuance of their happiness. Perpetuity gives a relish and sweetness to every comfort; without it, riches are no better than gilded thorns, which hurt thofe who grafp them; honours are only empty bubbles, which expose those who once poffeffed them to greater miseries; even former health aggravates the affliction which takes it away. Sure dwellings, fixed places of refidence, are therefore fecured and fettled upon the church. It is added-And in quiet refting places, where they fhall have not only food and raiment, but protection and defence from evil; reft and repose with all those substantial bleflings, that may render their fituation agreeable and pleafant. Probably our Prophet had in view thofe places which are confecrated to the fervice of God, wherein his people affembled for the folemn exercises of divine worship. In troublous times, thefe facred edifices are thrown down, or converted to other purposes, by the enemies of religion; or those who convene in them are in various ways difturbed and annoyed. At the happy period, in which this prediction received its fulfilment, the fervants of God met together for mutual edification and comfort, to pay their united homage to their Lord and Saviour, none making them afraid. There they found quiet and refreshment, in the contemplation of the divine all-fufficiency, and the perfect mediation of Jefus Chrift; there they were folaced with accefs unto God; with the inftructions and promises of his faithful word; and the delightful fociety of joint heirs of falvation. Do you then make the Lord your refuge, even the Moft High your habitation. Have recourse to him as your dwel ling place and quiet rest, not only in feafons of trouble and danger, but upon all occations, and at all times. Say unto God the Lord with David, Be thou my ftrong habitation, to which I may continually refort; and you may hope to experience the benefits refulting from the protection of his providence, and the comforts to be found in the place where his honour dwelleth. 4 *Pfal. Ixxi. 3. 19 When 19 When it shall hail, coming down on the foreft; and the city fhall be low in a low place, The time wherein the people of God were to be bleffed with fafety and comfort, is pointed out as the feafon in which divine judgments fhould be executed on their enemies.-The forest here mentioned must be viewed as representing thofe nations which are adverse to the kingdom of Jefus Chrift, of which the Affyrian empire anciently was an eminent type, as we have repeatedly obferved in the courfe of thefe lectures. Though hailftones have fometimes been the means of inflicting awful vengeance on the enemies of the church, as in the land of Egypt, and in the days of Joshua, I fuppofe they are not to be literally, but fymbollically, understood in the words be fore us. The hail may denote the terrible calamities which Almighty God was to fend upon the adverfa. ries of his people, Thefe judgments were to come down on the foreft of adverfe kingdoms, with dreadful fury and irrefiftible force, fo as to fpread havock and defolation among those who were fignified by the lofty barren trees of the wood. In this alarming difaftrous period, the people of God were to refide in their habitations, in peace and tranquillity. Indeed this hath often happened. The patriarchs Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, dwelt in quiet habitations in Egypt, in Gerar, and in Padan-aram: In Gofhen their poterity had fure dwellings; in the wilderness they had refting places, whilft calamities of various kinds diftreffed their enemies. If God hath been fo graci ous to his faints in paft ages; if he here declares, that in future times the fame diverfity of difpenfations fhall be feen; we may juftly expect that he will continue to fhew kindnefs to them who love and ferve him, when he inflicts defolating judgments upon their foes. And the city fhall be low in a low place; or, as the Hebrew words are tranflated on the margin of fome bibles, The city shall be utterly abafed. Baby lon |