SHORT SERMONS,

BY THE LATE MR. B. GATWARD,
Minister of the Gospel, Hitchin.

(No. 1.-To be continued.)

"Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain, and he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it."-Zech. iv. 7.

IT appears that Zechariah was one raised up to be a prophet about the time the Jews returned from captivity, at which time they were very poor, low and weak: they laboured under many discouragements, and were greatly cast down to find, when they came back to their own land, their country laid desolate like a wilderness their chief city-Jerusalem -demolished, and the glory thereof -the temple-in ruins: nothing remained in this city but a heap of rubbish, and so the poor Jews were greatly dejected, and could do little else than weep over their beloved city. In order to its revival and prosperity, they had to cultivate the land, to clear away the rubbish of the city, and to rebuild the temple there appeared no means to do this, and their poor hearts were quite dejected: but this prophet was raised up, with several July, 1843.]

others, to set them to this work: they began, but they had not long begun in this good work of God, in building this city and house of God, before all their enemies came round them, laughing and jeering, which was another discouragement; but still they kept on, and when their enemies found they were not prevented building by their scoffs, gathered together in bodies in a hostile way, for the people of those countries, and all around them, were enemies, and began to threaten, and to put them in bodily fear: so that they were much discouraged and hindered in this work; they were obliged to fight and work too. They had a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other; every night they were obliged to set a watch. In the book of Nehemiah you may read very largely of all their enemies, their difficulties and discouragements. Really their trials and troubles answereth to the trials and troubles of a quickened soul in his first setting out in God's ways: but as I observed the Lord sent them prophets to direct and encourage them, and so he does his people to this day: he sends them pastors after his own heart to feed them with knowledge and understanding.

To this prophet the Lord points

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whose name

out a very particular man, was Zerubbabel, whom he filled with wisdom and courage, to go forward at the head of the people; and this man the prophet points out to the people this man was a figure of him who was to come and build the spiritual temple: and even now the Lord does the same to all his sent servants as he did to the prophet. The Lord points out Christ as able and all-sufficient; and the ministers preach him as the only Saviour to poor, discouraged souls; and they, believing the word, the work goes on, as Paul says, so we preach, and so ye believe.

I shall now come to the words, and first speak of this Zerubbabel, and shew that he was a type of Christ: then I will endeavour to speak of this great mountain, and of its becoming a plain before him: then, thirdly, of his bringing forth the top-stone with shoutings of Grace, grace unto it. Thus I have three particulars.

First, of this Zerubbabel. It ap pears that as the Lord was bringing back his people who were in great distress, he raised up three very excellent men, namely, Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah. Zerubbabel was a captain to bring the people home, and to see that the temple was erected: Ezra reformed their manners, and planned and ordered their religious ceremonies: Nehemiah built the walls of the city, and delivered the people from oppression, and enforced the law of God, and exercised a kind of civil authority but Zerubbabel appears the chief man, according to this prophet, and if you look to Ezra, i. 8, he is called by the Chaldean, Sheshbazzar, but the learned say it was Zerubbabel, who was the prince of Juda; so that the Lord preserved a light to his servant David, according to his promise; even in their captive state. Cyrus, king of Persia, authorized this man, and committed all the vessels of the house of God into his hand, to go and build the house of God at Jerusalem and God was with him, and

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stirred up the spirits of many more to this work; but, alas, when they returned, the hearts of the people were discouraged; and that which lay before them, was like a great mountain: "But who art thou, O great mountain, before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain." This Zerubbabel was a great man, and a type of our Lord Jesus Christ: you see his name is wonderful, being part bahel, which signifies confusion; but the Zerub being added to it, implies that he is free from confusion, or delivered from babel, or opposite, or a stranger to confusion: now in this he was a type of Christ.

Christ, the Son of God, is a Zerubbabel, free from confusion, separate and a stranger to confusion. He is the one Christ; a complete Saviour; an enemy to babel; he is truth itself; he is righteousness; he is the true light. Christ was never put to confusion; never overcome by enemies; but like Zerubbabel completed his work. This Zerubbabel was of the tribe of Juda, so was our Lord Christ: this Zerubbabel was of the family of David, so was Christ: he was one chosen of God, so was Christ: he was one mentioned in the genealogy of both Matthew and Luke as a very great man, so was Christ: he was one exalted of God to a particular work, that of bringing back Israel; so was Christ: he was concerned to build the house of God, Christ was raised up and has undertaken to build the spiritual house: this man was not daunted by his enemies, neither was Christ: he fainted not at the difficulties, neither did Christ: so that in many things Zerubbabel was a beautiful figure of the Saviour. "What art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain." Thus we come to Christ, the great Zerubbabel of his church; he is the Captain of our salvation, he brought us back, he buildeth up the spiritual house; but there are many mountains lie in the way, which, before Christ, all become as plains. What are these

mountains that lie before Christ, and which are as so many hindrances in the way of our salvation? This is the next thing to be considered. I consider one great mountain to be God's holy law this appears to reason an insurmountable one; and indeed none but the God-man could ever surmount this obstacle.

as,

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By mountain, we are to understand an obstacle or difficulty, and by a great mountain, we are to understand a great obstacle or difficulty, even so in a sense, to present an impossibility and what could present so great an obstacle, to the salvation of any one soul, as God's holy law? and although some lean to the law, and hope upon their obedience to it, yet they are a people in ignorance, knowing not the law in its spirituality and extent. The law requires perfect holiness in a man's nature and practice, a perfect holiness in thought and desire, a perfect holiness in words and actions; no creature can be saved by the law without this: and really the word of God declares that there is no man equal to it, that all have gone out of the way, all have turned aside, all are filthy, all abominable, all unrighteous, none that understandeth, none good, no not one. The obstacle of the law is such, that we cannot surmount it; " but what art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabelbefore our Lord Christ-thou shalt become a plain." But then here lies the difficulty, also, and the greatness of if we having sinned, the law can never accept of our good works, for when once the law is broken by us, it must remain so for ever, as to aught we can do to make it good again; for the law is of that holy nature, it is not one good work, nor a hundred, that will make the recompense for one bad work; they must all be good and holy to be equal with the law and here many are deceived; for they acknowledge they are sinners, but then, if they do their best in obeying the law, they expect that the good they

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do will answer for their evil deeds; but no, the word declares," he that offendeth in one point is guilty of all;" and again, Cursed is he that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." So, then, a few good works will not get over this mountain of the law, nor remove the difficulties that lie in the way they must be all good, or else we cannot be saved: the law requires a perfect righteousness, and no soul will be admitted to eternal glory without it. Now our great Zerubbabel can and does remove this difficulty. Only consider for a moment who the Lord Christ is! What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? He is both the Son of God and the Son of David. He is the God-man. He is as God righteous, and holy and innocent as man: so what such a person does must be holy too. Therefore our Zerubbabel is holy both in nature and practice; and his obedience is as righteous as the law of God requires : it wants no more, for "he continued in all things written in the book of the law to do them." He loved both God and his neighbour. He never committed one sin. Thus his righteousness is perfect, and it is great. Now this difficulty of what the law required is surmounted; yea, it is as nothing before him: for what art thou, O great mountain, before the Lord Christ, the great God-man?

Now this righteousness is made over to all the chosen family of God, by the Father, and for these the Son wrought it out, and to these the Spirit reveals it. Now as soon as they believe, it is put upon them, and they feel the benefit of it; for being justified, they stand upon equal terms with the law; not in themselves, but through Christ our great Zerubbabel. This I understand by the mountain becoming a plain. Thus the diffi

culty which lay in our way, of the law's requirements, is removed by the complete and perfect righteousness of Christ; and all that was foreboding

in the law is now removed, and the poor soul that could not take a step before, because of this mountain, can now walk in faith, and step forward in hope towards eternal life: it has become a plain, that is, you know, a level. We stand on equal terms with the law, in all its requirements, and all this through our great Zerubbabel the Lord Christ. What a wonderful work- -a wonderful change is here wrought by Christ, which we feel by believing!

Many condemn this for presumption, but I believe there is no other way of salvation but this, and herein I do rejoice, and will rejoice, Christ obeyed for me: I have no righteous. ness but this; neither do I desire any other to justify me before God. We may consider the mountain further: —a man has sinned; he has forfeited his life to justice, and does certainly lie under the just and righteous sentence of the law: the sentence is, the soul that sins shall die; and "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law, to do them." Now if the sinner is saved, what is to become of all this? where is the sentence to fall, in order that the truth of the law, and the sentence annexed to it, may remain? Though Christ wrought out a righteousness equal to the law, to justify and deliver us from its demands; by giving or making over to us a righteousness that sets us even with it, as I am even with my creditor when my debt is paid; yet I say here is the sentence; God must be true to that, and justice must be satisfied, or there can be no salvation. Now here again the mountain rises very high. "But what art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain." I believe as man has forfeited his life, there must be death to satisfy; for nothing short of death would satisfy: obedience to the law, even the obedience of Christ, doth not atone; that is quite another thing: obedience

Christ

is not recompense, and this is what Christ says, "When ye have done all say, We are unprofitable servants: ye have done no more than was your duty to do." There is no atonement, no merit for past offences in duty; no, it must be the life taken by death. And suppose a sinner dies for his sin, or in consequence of his sin, still there is no merit in that. The damned in hell merit nothing, they have their desert, and by their suffering they can never merit nor obtain deliverance. So that there is no hope upon this ground. How many thousand years has Cain been there, and is no more holy, no more acceptable to God now, than he was at first, neither is he nearer deliverance. The Scripture declares, as the tree falls so it lies; and that there is a great gulf fixed, and no passing from one state to another: it is said to be a bottomless pit, that is, it hath no end. says, the worm never dies, and the fire is not quenched. Jude says they are suffering the vengeance of eternal fire; and this is the fear and dread of every man that thinks about it, that if we die in our sin, where Christ is we never can come. And who can surmount this great mountain for us? Why we may say, as the Lord hath put the word in our mouth, What art thou, O great mountain, before our spiritual Zerubbabel, the Lamb of God! Christ came into the world to suffer and die for sinners. "" down my life for my sheep." Christ says, “The bread that I give is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world." I believe as the Surety of his people he stood in their place; as they could not answer for themselves, he in his mercy answered for them; and shed his own heart's blood to redeem them from death and hell. He being God and man could and did sustain the weight of all that wrath that was due to us. 1 verily believe that justice did afflict Christ purposely for us. Christ in his own person was not a sinner, therefore

I lay

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could not personally deserve such suffering; and as he was thus singled out and appointed of God to be the sacrifice for man's sin; it must be believed that he was not spared, nor one mite abated: had that been the case, a part of this vindictive wrath would have fallen to our lot; whereas when Christ died upon the cross, he bowed his head and said "It is finished," that as well as every thing else and then as Christ thus died the death under the hand of justice, and God's truth and justice are both honoured, established and satisfied; has he not levelled this mountain also? Is there not a new and living way opened through the rent veil of his flesh? Is there any other way, any other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved? The mountain becomes a plain before Zerubbabel, Christ Jesus; the difficulty is for ever removed; a willing soul may go forward. What though God is true to his law, what though justice be never so stern, and God be holy and just, and I a sinner; I am through Christ equal to all these things; blessed be his holy name I can go forward in faith, hope and love. These things are now no hindrance to salvation: through Christ these mountains are laid low and become a plain.

There is another mountainous difficulty: we often say, seldom one trouble comes alone; and we in our common concerns often find, by removing one difficulty we make another as bad, and sometimes worse. Sin is a mountain, and this is heightened by the law: the law makes sin abound by the law is the knowledge of sin, and sin becomes exceeding sinful, and the man is said to be dead in sin. But this part of the mountain is levelled, by the Spirit quickening the dead sinner. But the worst difficulty arises before the quickened soul is taught out of the law to see and feel his sin: the inquiry of such is, How shall I come before God?

what shall I do to be saved? how can such a sinner as I come before God? how can I obtain his favour? how can I meet him in peace? he is holy and I am polluted. Mind here, I am not now speaking of justification through Christ's righteousness, nor of the atonement; this is that which answers for us before God, and many presumptuously rest on these two things, as doctrinal points, without any change of heart, without any renewal; but let me tell you, if there be no renewal of the man he cannot be saved. But oh, say they, the old man is not renewed: true, but let me ask what is the old man? it cannot be my soul, for that is renewed by Christ; the old man cannot be my body, my flesh, for that will be renewed and saved: that what is the old man, that is not renewed? Why it is what I received by the fall, it is sin for instance, I by sin, by the fall, become dark in my understanding; but still that darkness and my understanding are two things; the darkness is the old man, but my understanding is not the old man. By the Spirit my understanding is enlightened to discern spiritual things, so far I am renewed in knowledge, and that in heavenly knowledge. Again, I have a natural enmity in my heart against God: this enmity is another feature of the old man; but my mind is not the old man: now when that enmity is slain and removed, am I not renewed in the spirit of a right mind? Again, my affections by sin are alienated from God, and the life of God; that alienation from God, and love to the world and sin, is the old man: but my affections are not the old man. Now when the Lord has cast out the love of the world and the love of sin, and engaged my affections to himself, am I not renewed? Alas in my will naturally through sin there is rebellion and perverseness: this is the old will is not the old man; but my that is renewed or brought back to

man,