to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken." As signifying that both are fulfilled together.-Yea, both are joined together by the prophet Isaiah himself; as you may see in the context of that forementioned place, Isa. xxviii. 16. In ver. 13. preceding, it is said, "But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken."―Accordingly, when Christ is in a peculiar and eminent manner manifested and magnified, by a glorious work of God in his church, as a foundation and a sanctuary for some, he is remarkably a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, a gin and a snare to others. They who continue long to stumble, and to be offended and insnared in their minds, at such a great and glorious work of Christ, in God's account, stumble at Christ, and are offended in him; for the work is that by which he makes Christ manifest, and shows his glory, and by which he makes "the stone that the builders refused, to become the head of the corner." This shows how dangerous it is to continue always stumbling at such a work, for ever doubting of it, and forbearing fully to acknowledge it, and give God the glory of it. Such per

sons are in danger to "go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken," and to have Christ a stone of stumbling to them, that shall be an occasion of their ruin; while he is to others a sanctuary, and a sure foundation.

The prophet Isaiah (Isa. xxix. 14.) speaks of

God's proceeding to do a marvellous work and a wonder, which should stumble and confound the wisdom of the wise and prudent; which the Apostle in Acts xiii. 41. applies to the glorious work of salvation wrought in those days by the redemption of Christ, and that glorious outpouring of the Spirit to apply it, which followed. The prophet, in the context of that place in Isa. xxix. speaking of the same thing, and of the prophets, and rulers, and seers, those wise and prudent whose eyes God had closed, says to them, ver. 9. "Stay yourselves, and wonder." In the original it is, "Be ye slow, and wonder." I leave it to others, to consider whether it be not natural to interpret it thus: • Wonder at this marvellous work: let it be a strange thing, a great mystery that you know not what to make of, and that you are very slow and backward to acknowledge, long delaying to come to a determination concerning it.'

And what persons are in danger, and are thus slow to acknowledge God in such a work, we learn from the Apostle in that forementioned place, Acts xiii. 41. "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in nowise believe, though a man declare it unto you."

The church of Christ is called upon greatly to rejoice, when at any time Christ remarkably appears, coming to his church, to carry on the work of salvation, to enlarge his own kingdom, and to deliver poor souls out of the pit wherein there is no water: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee he is just, and having salvation.-His

dominion shall be from sea to sea.- -As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water." Christ was pleased to give a notable typical or symbolical representation of such a great event as is spoken of in that prophecy, in his solemn entry into the literal Jerusalem, which was a type of the church, or daughter of Zion; probably intending it as a figure and prelude of that great actual fulfilment of this prophecy, that was to be after his ascension, by the pouring out of the Spirit in the days of the apostles, and that more full accomplishment that should be in the latter ages of the Christian church. We have an account, that when Christ made this his solemn entry into Jerusalem, and the whole multitude of the disciples were rejoicing and praising God, with loud voices, for all the mighty works that they had seen, the Pharisees from among the multitude said to Christ," Master, rebuke thy disciples;" but we are told, "Christ answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Signifying that, if Christ's professing disciples should be unaffected on such an occasion, and should not appear openly to acknowledge and rejoice in the glory of God therein appearing, it would manifest such fearful hardness of heart, that the very stones would condemn them. Should not this make those consider, who have held their peace so long since Christ has come to our Zion having salvation, and so wonderfully manifested his glory in this mighty work of his Spirit, and so many of his disciples have been "rejoicing and praising God with loud voices?"

It must be acknowledged, that so great and wonderful a work of God's Spirit, is a work wherein God's hand is remarkably lifted up, and wherein he displays his majesty, and shows great favour and mercy to sinners, in the glorious opportunity he gives them, and by which he makes our land to become much more a land of uprightness. Therefore that place, Isa. xxvi. 10, 11. shows the great danger of not seeing God's hand, and acknowledging his glory and majesty in such a work: "Let favour be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them."

SECTION II.

The Latter-Day Glory is probably to begin in
America.

It is not unlikely that this work of God's Spirit, so extraordinary and wonderful, is the dawning, or, at least, a prelude of that glorious work of God, so often foretold in Scripture, which, in the progress and issue of it, shall renew the world of mankind. If we consider how long since the things foretold which should precede this great event, have been accomplished; and how long this event has been ex

pected by the church of God, and thought to be nigh by the most eminent men of God in the church; and withal consider what the state of things now is, and has for a considerable time been, in the church of God, and the world of mankind; we cannot reasonably think otherwise, than that the beginning of this great work of God must be near. And there are many things that make it probable that this work will begin in America. It is signified that it shall begin in some very remote part of the world, with which other parts have no communication but by navigation, in Isa. Ix. 9. "Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring my sons from far." It is exceeding manifest that this chapter is a prophecy of the prosperity of the church, in its most glorious state on earth, in the latter days; and I cannot think that any thing else can be here intended but America by the isles that are far off, from whence the first-born sons of that glorious day shall be brought. Indeed, by the isles, in prophecies of gospel-times, is very often meant Europe. It is so in prophecies of that great spreading of the gospel that should be soon after Christ's time, because it was far separated from that part of the world where the church of God had till then been, by the sea. But this prophecy cannot have respect to the conversion of Europe, in the time of that great work of God, in the primitive ages of the Christian church; for it was not fulfilled then. The isles and ships of Tarshish, thus understood, did not wait for God first; that glorious work did not begin in Europe, but in Jerusalem, and had for a considerable time been very wonder