Isaiah 12:3-6

“With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall you say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of you.”

The restoration of the Jews, and their union with the Gentiles under one head, the Lord Jesus Christ—is foretold so plainly by the inspired writers, that we have no doubt at all but that it shall be accomplished in due season. The prediction contained in the foregoing chapter is peculiarly full and express. It relates not to Judah only, but to the ten tribes also; who shall be brought from Assyria, as the other two tribes once were from Babylon. The ensign to which they will flock, is that of the Son of Jesse, the Lord Jesus, Isaiah 11:10; Isaiah 11:12; and the joy excited in their bosoms will be like that which their fathers felt at their deliverance from Egypt, when they beheld all their enemies dead upon the sea-shore.

The chapter before us is a song, which shall be sung on that occasion by the whole assembly of the Lord’s people; and in it we see,

I. Their high privilege.

The learned prelate to whom the world is so much indebted for his translation of the Prophecies of Isaiah, renders the first verse of our text, not, “Therefore you shall draw,” but, “When you shall draw;” which all will do in the day to which our text refers. But,

There are wells of salvation now open unto us.

Often is our blessed Lord and Savior represented under the image of a well or fountain, Psalm 36:9. Zechariah 13:1. Another view of the subject is here taken, different from that in the preceding discourse. As the precise import of the “wells” is not determined in Scripture, it may be taken either way. And Jesus himself, in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, assumed, as it were, that title John 4:6-14. Moreover, the very passage from whence our text is taken was applied by him to himself.

At the feast of Tabernacles a custom prevailed, which will fully illustrate our text. The people on the last day of that feast used to go in procession, and draw water from the pool of Siloam, and then to mix it with wine, and pour it on the sacrifices. There was no direction for this in the law of Moses; but the custom was instituted by the Jews themselves after their return from the Babylonish captivity, with a reference to this prophecy which we are now considering. On the day of this ceremony, Jesus stood in the place where the procession was passing, and cried, “If any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink! John 7:37-40;” as if he had said, ‘I am the person spoken of by the Prophet, and the person whom you profess to expect; and, if you will believe in me, I will give you my Holy Spirit in such abundance, as shall be effectual for your present peace, and your everlasting salvation.’

Indeed,
his person, (as God-man,)
his work, (even his whole obedience unto death,)
his offices, (as our Great High Priest that makes atonement for us, our King that rules over us and in us, and our Prophet that guides us into all truth,) may all be considered as so many wells from whence our salvation flows.

Yes, his Word also, and ordinances, may be considered in the same light, because from them we draw all the instruction, the grace, the consolation, that we stand in need of.

From these we may draw water with joy.

Truly there is nothing which can conduce to our salvation, which is not to be found in Christ. The water that he will give us will cleanse us at once from all the guilt and defilement of sin; it will purify our very nature, so that we shall be renewed after the Divine image in righteousness and true holiness.”

From him all may draw. Not a sinner in the universe is so unworthy, but that he may come to Christ, and by faith receive from him whatever he stands in need of. The invitation is given to “all who thirst”—no qualification is required on their part, except a sincere desire and a humble faith; they may take as much as they can wish freely, “without money and without price, Isaiah 55:1.”

They are not in the situation of Hagar, who when she relieved her son’s thirst from the small vessel that she had taken, grudged, as it were, every drop that was expended, because she knew not where to obtain enough to satisfy his returning needs, which would speedily arise; they may come and draw “with joy,” knowing that the supply is inexhaustible, and perfectly commensurate with all their needs.

The very first taste of this water shall so invigorate their souls, that they shall feel “like a giant refreshed with wine;” and every successive draught shall “strengthen them with might in their inner man,” and “fill them, as it were, with all the fullness of God, Ephesians 3:19.”

But the true virtue of this fountain will be best seen in,

II. Their heavenly employment.

There is a remarkable difference between the two parts of this divine song; in that which precedes our text, the expressions relate entirely to the case of the individual himself; but, in the text, the individual rises to the concerns of others, and becomes, as it were, a preacher to all around him. Hence then we see the employment of all true Christians:

1. They glorify God themselves.

The first thought of their hearts is that of humble gratitude for the unspeakable mercy of reconciliation with God.

They look back, and see the innumerable offences whereby they have excited the displeasure of Almighty God, and how justly they might have been made monuments of his wrathful indignation!

They contemplate the state of those who have died in their sins, and wonder that they themselves are not now taking their portion with them!

They then contrast the blessed state to which they themselves are brought through the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.

They behold God as reconciled to them through the blood of his cross; and with inexpressible comfort are enabled to address him by the endearing name of Father. In the view of these things they exclaim with profoundest adoration, “O Lord, I will praise you; for though you were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and you comfort me.”

From thence they proceed to glory in God with unshaken trust; for, What can they lack who have God himself for their salvation? “If God be for them, who can be against them?” “Jehovah himself is their strength,” “dwelling in them,” “working in them mightily,” and “enabling them always to triumph in Christ.”

Shall he not then be “their Song?” Yes, “they know in whom they have believed;” they know his power, and love; his faithfulness and truth; and therefore, though on the field of battle, they assure themselves of victory, and anticipate with unspeakable joy, the final outcome of their conflicts. Not that they are blind to the difficulties which they have to encounter, or ignorant of the enemies they have to contend with; but they see Jehovah himself engaged for them by covenant and by oath; and in the confidence that he will never leave them nor forsake them, they say, “I will trust and not be afraid;” “being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ! Philippians 1:6.”

They stir up others to glorify him also. Having a light kindled in their souls, they “do not put it under a basket, but set it on a lampstand,” that others may see their light. They burn with zeal for God, and would gladly extend the knowledge of him to the ends of the earth. They are filled with love also to their fellow-creatures; and would not have one to perish, if by any means they might be instrumental to the salvation of his soul.

Towards the household of faith in particular they feel an ardent desire to promote their advancement in all that is “lovely and of good report.” Hence they exhort one another to abound in praise and thanksgiving to their common Lord and Savior; they urge one another to “call upon him,” to “declare his name,” to make known his love, to commend him to the whole world. They would have all to “sing unto Him” “with thanksgiving and the voice of melody.” They cannot endure the thought that “an inhabitant of Zion” should be silent; they would have every believer to cry out and shout,” so that, were it possible, the whole universe might hear.

They remind each other of the great things which the Savior has done, and is yet doing, for his Church and people. They delight to speak of “the excellent things” which he has done, in assuming our nature, and dying in our stead, and working out for us a free and full salvation; and they rejoice no less to contemplate, how “great the Holy One of Israel is in the midst of them,” and how certainly he will put down all their enemies, and “bruise Satan himself under their feet.”

These are things which are the daily subject of their thoughts, their conversation, and their praise; and in proportion as any are endued with his grace, they will infallibly abound in these holy exercises.

Learn then from hence,

1. How great a matter is the salvation of the soul.

Many think of it as a matter of course; but not so the person who has been taught of God; he sees that it is a miracle of mercy that any child of man is saved. That he himself has obtained mercy, is to the true Christian a source of wonder and amazement. That God should ever look upon him, and pardon him, and save him!—he knows not how to express his sense of such amazing love. He would have “the rocks and hills to break forth into singing, and all the trees of the wood to clap their hands with joy.” And if we have never thus been penetrated with a sense of God’s unbounded love, we are yet strangers to the salvation he has wrought out!

2. How precious is Christ to all who know him.

Mere nominal Christians can think and speak of him without emotion; but not so the people who “have tasted of his grace;” they can never find words whereby to express their love and gratitude to their adorable Benefactor. They are ashamed that they can ever think or speak of anything else. “To them indeed he is precious;” and, if they could have their desire, they would love him, and serve him, and glorify him, on earth—even as the glorified saints are doing it in Heaven.

Is this your experience, my beloved brethren? Does the whole universe appear to you but “as a broken cistern,” and is Christ the only fountain from whence you desire to draw? O that you may be able more and more to say, “All my fresh springs are in you! Psalm 87:7.”

3. How happy is the Christian’s state.

Doubtless there is a great diversity in men’s attainments; there are babes, and young men, and fathers in the family of Christ. But in this there is a resemblance among them all; they are full of gratitude to their incarnate God; and all their hope is in his power and grace.

They are also active in diffusing the knowledge of him. They will not spend their time in disputing about matters of doubtful disputation, whether relating to doctrines, or to sects and parties, but will labor to promote the glory of their God. Whether they be ministers or not, they will all be priests in their own families, and all be anxious to guide their friends and neighbors to the knowledge of the truth. Having experienced the life-giving virtue of that fountain, will they see their neighbors perishing with thirst, and not point it out? No; they will desire that others should “receive out of the fullness that is in Christ,” and would have “all flesh to see the salvation of God.”

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 12:3

“With joy shall we draw water out of the wells of salvation.”

We do not wonder that the Scriptures are read with so little interest by the generality; for, until people know somewhat of their lost estate, and of the way of salvation provided for them, the Bible is to them a sealed book. But let them once experience a taste of Christ’s redeeming love, and instantly they will find in the inspired volume mines of wealth! Such a storehouse is that blessed book to the godly in this day.

And such will it be to the Jewish Church, when once they shall be converted to the faith of Christ. “In that day they will say, O Lord, I will praise you; though you were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and you comfort me.” (Such will be the reflections at the time of their first discoveries of God’s mercy to them in Christ Jesus. Then they will advance farther to express their full confidence in God.) “Behold, God is my salvation! I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.” (Then will they be fully prepared to derive the richest benefit from the Scriptures; and) “therefore shall they draw water with joy out of the wells of salvation.”

That we may form a just estimate of their privilege, let us consider,

I. The character by which the Scriptures are here designated.

The expression, “wells of salvation,” is supposed by many to be spoken of Christ; and surely it may be very fitly applied to him. But I rather understand it of the Scriptures, from whence, as from an inexhaustible fountain, all true comfort flows. They eminently deserve that name,

1. As containing in themselves all the blessings of salvation.

In the Scriptures, the whole of salvation,
as planned in the Divine counsels from all eternity,
as executed for us by the Lord Jesus Christ in his incarnate state,
as still carried on by him at the right hand of his Father,
and as offered through him to every man,
is there fully contained.

“This mystery of Godliness was indeed kept secret since the world began; but now it is made manifest; and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, is made known to all nations for the obedience of faith, Romans 16:25-26.”

Now let anyone contemplate this mystery, and endeavor to explore the wisdom, the love, the mercy, and the grace contained in it; how surpassing all finite comprehension will they be found! Truly, the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of this mystery, and of the wonders contained in it, are utterly unsearchable; and the blessings flowing from it are a plenteous and perennial spring, for the refreshment of all on earth, and of all in Heaven.

2. As revealing them for our use.

In the whole world besides, there is not to be found one drop of water to satisfy a thirsty soul. Where can one look that is oppressed with a sense of guilt? Where, one who is mourning over the corruptions of his nature? Go to those who have not the Scriptures; go to even the wisest philosophers of Greece and Rome; and see how vain were all their expedients for pacifying a guilty soul, or purifying a polluted soul.

But in the Scriptures we find all that a sinner can desire—forgiveness for all our sins, and a glorious eternal inheritance!

In them are promises suited to every condition incident to our fallen nature; as suited to refresh the soul, as water is to allay our thirst. Conceive of every need with which a sinner can be oppressed, and the appropriate relief will there be found.

3. As actually imparting them to our souls.

As a fountain pours forth its waters, so do the Scriptures impart life, and peace, and strength, to all who go to them as God’s appointed channel of grace to their souls. They have within themselves a life-giving virtue, John 4:10; so that, when brought home and applied by the Spirit of God, they quicken the dead soul, and give a vital energy to all our powers. They are able, not only to “make men wise unto salvation, 2 Timothy 3:15,” but to impart salvation itself, being:
“like fire” to consume dross,
and “a hammer to break the rock in pieces, Jeremiah 23:29,”
and “a two-edged sword to pierce the very inmost soul Hebrews 4:12,”
and “a weapon to destroy every enemy, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.” They have a power to enlighten the darkest mind, Psalm 19:7-8, and to sanctify all on whom they operate aright, John 15:3; John 17:19;
and so to sanctify them, as to prepare them for the perfect fruition of their God, Ephesians 5:26-27.

Think then of,

II. The blessedness of having access to them.

Truly we should never contemplate them but with joy, on account of,

1. The freeness with which we may approach them.

There is no prohibition to any man under Heaven. About wells that have been dug for a supply of common water, there have been the fiercest contentions, Genesis 26:18-21; but these are public property, and equally accessible to all; none have to “pay for this water,” as Israel had, Numbers 20:19; it is to be had “without money and without price, Isaiah 55:1.”

True indeed it is that there are many Protestants as well as papists, who would bar our access to them; but God has given to all an equal right to come to them; for his invitation is, “Let him who is athirst come; and whoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely! Revelation 22:17.”

2. The ease with which we may draw from them.

There are those who think it in vain for the poor to come to them, seeing that “the wells are deep, and they have nothing to draw with, John 4:11.” But be it known, that however valuable learning may be for the attaining of a critical acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures, it is not at all necessary for a spiritual perception of their truths. It is faith, and not learning, that is needed for that end. All the learning in the universe will not impart to us a spiritual discernment, any more than it will furnish us with any physical organs. It is faith alone that will avail us here. That discerns the things which are not visible to mortal eyes; and will go to the very bottom of these wells, and draw from thence the most refreshing consolations!

3. The abundance that we may receive out of them.

When the rock was struck by Moses, the waters gushed out in such abundance, that the whole camp of Israel, with all their cattle, could drink thereof. And, if all the sinners in the universe will go to these wells, they shall find no lack for the supply of their most enlarged necessities. Our Lord says, “If any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink; and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water! John 7:37-38.” Indeed, the more intense and ardent your thirst is, the more abundant shall be the blessings which you shall derive from them.

4. The perfect satisfaction that we may find in them.

“Whoever drinks of other waters will thirst again; but whoever drinks of these wells, will never thirst; for the water which he has received will be in him as a well of water springing up into everlasting life! John 4:13-14, Isaiah 49:9-10.”

I may appeal to all, whether the most copious draughts of carnal pleasure ever satisfied? Solomon, who drank as deep of it as a human being could do, pronounced it all to be vanity and vexation of spirit. “The eye was never yet satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing.”

But he who has obtained the knowledge of Christ, and drunk deep of the promises of the Gospel, has no longer any relish for earthly vanities, nor any desire after them. Give him all the world, and he feels empty; give him the presence of God, and he desires no more!

ADDRESS.

1. Those who are going to broken cisterns.

What is all worldly pleasure but “a broken cistern that can hold no water?” And will you for this forsake “the fountain of living waters! Jeremiah 2:13.” Let me prevail on every one of you to go to God as your reconciled God in Christ Jesus, and to say with David, “All my fresh springs are in you! Psalm 87:7.

2. Those who are drinking from “the fountain of life Psalm 36:9.”

Say whether you have not “a joy with which the stranger intermeddles not?” Say whether the fountains do not richly supply you; and whether, even on the highest places, which, according to human apprehension, are inaccessible to rivers, the rivers do not follow you, Isaiah 41:17-18. Yes, until you arrive at Heaven itself, the streams shall never fail; and even there shall they run beside you for your comfort to eternal ages! Revelation 7:17.

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 11:10

“In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious.”

In the Scriptures, you frequently see a particular period referred to under the designation of “that day.” This term very generally marks the season of the Messiah’s coming; of which season the prophet speaks in the words before us.

In the preceding chapter he has predicted the total destruction of the Assyrian empire, which, having already brought into captivity the ten tribes, now threatened, with every prospect of success, the other two tribes, which had been reduced to the lowest ebb of weakness and misery, “The Lord, the Lord Almighty shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled; and he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron; and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.”

Then, in the beginning of this chapter, he declares, that, while Assyria should be destroyed to rise no more, the Messiah should rise from the family of David, when it should have sunk to a state of utter insignificance, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” He mentions the stem of Jesse, rather than of David; because David was a powerful monarch; whereas Jesse, his father, was but a private individual of low rank.

Then, in my text, he repeats that same prophecy, saying, “In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious.” Now that this refers to Christ there can be no doubt; since an inspired Apostle, speaking of Christ as having come in order “that the Gentiles should glorify God for his mercy,” quotes this very passage, “Again Isaiah says, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust, Romans 15:12,”

With this inspired explanation of my text for our guidance, we may proceed to consider,

I. The coming of Christ as here announced.

We are told, that “He shall stand for an ensign of the people.” Now what is “an ensign?” It is a standard raised by the authority of a monarch, inviting his subjects to flock unto it, and to fight under his guidance against his enemies. (In other words, an ensign is a banner lifted up to be the rallying point of an army or people.)

Now such an occasion existed before Christ came into the world, and still exists in every quarter of the globe.

Behold, the whole universe has risen up in rebellion against “the Lord and his Christ.” I confidently ask, Who among you has not been a rebel against God? Who has not trampled on his laws, and set at defiance his authority? Who has not said, respecting the Lord Jesus Christ in particular, “We will not have this man to reign over us!” Who has not ranged himself under the banner of Beelzebub, and executed his will in direct opposition to Christ’s? It is not for nothing that Satan is called “The god of this world;” for “he works in all the children of disobedience,” and “leads them captive at his will!”

To meet that occasion, Christ has come into the world.

He “comes to effect deliverance for the captives.” He erects his standard in the world. He bids us to throw down the weapons of our rebellion, and to join his ranks against the common enemy. He gives us armor from head to foot; and offers to discipline us for the warfare; and assures us of final victory. Nor is it to those only who are in full vigor of life, and among the lower ranks of society, that He sends his invitation; but to those of every rank, and every age. There is with him no preference of age or gender; all are equally called to fight his battles; and are assured of ultimate success.

Nor is it in this, as in common warfare, that those who fight endanger their lives; and those who stay at home consult their safety. On the contrary, those who fight shall both conquer and live forever; but those who decline the combat shall assuredly and eternally perish!

Though Christ’s coming, in this view of it, appears formidable, we shall rejoice in it, if we consider,

II. The blessedness arising from it.

To all who view it aright, shall this blessedness be sooner or later given. For,

1. The whole Gentile world shall in due time be subdued to him!

“To him shall the Gentiles seek.” Thousands and millions were converted to him in the apostolic age. The whole Roman empire was, within the space of a few years, filled with those who had flocked to his standard. And still is his kingdom advancing in the world. In the very place where we are, I trust, there are not a few whom “God has brought from the kingdom of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of his dear Son.”

But the time is near at hand when “all kings shall fall down before our Lord, and all nations shall serve him;” yes, “all the kingdoms of the world will be subdued to him,” and become a part of his universal empire. Now there are kings many and lords many; but “The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name! Zechariah 14:9”

Only then contemplate the change which has taken place in any one regenerate soul, and then say, whether this reign of Christ over the whole race of man is not an event greatly to be desired.

2. “His rest” after all these conflicts shall be “glorious”.

Here is no change of metaphor, as a superficial observer would imagine. When this Mighty Warrior went to deliver his people from their captivity in Egypt, he “brought them forth with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm.”

And, when he subdued their enemies in Canaan, he abode by the ark (the symbol of his presence) even for five hundred years, “between curtains” in the tabernacle, moving about from place to place. But David then prepared for him a settled habitation on Mount Zion, and said, in reference to it, “Arise, O Lord, into your rest, you and the ark of your strength. For the Lord, having chosen Zion, and desired it for his habitation, has said, that is my rest forever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it, Psalm 132:8; Psalm 132:13-14.” Such was David’s testimony; and similar expressions did Solomon also use, when he had deposited the ark in the sanctuary of his temple, 2 Chronicles 6:41.

But since Christ has come, he has a far nobler rest, even in the bosoms of his obedient people; a rest, in comparison with which the temple of Solomon in all its glory was contemptible, Isaiah 57:17; Isaiah 66:1-2.

Truly this rest is glorious indeed; for here he grants far brighter manifestations of his glory, and incomparably richer communications of his grace. The glory that filled the temple, so that the priests could no longer stand to minister there, infinitely excelled all that the temple itself contained; but, in comparison with the discoveries which God grants to his believing people, it was darkness itself.

See the Lord Jesus as “the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person;” see the glory of God beaming in his face, and all the divine perfections shining with harmonious and united splendor in the work he has accomplished, and you will readily perceive how far brighter are the discoveries of Christ now made to the believing soul, than all that ever were given to men before his coming. The grace, the mercy, the peace, the joy, the strength, which animated some highly favored souls before this time, were indeed very abundant; but as a general communication to his Church of old, these gifts were but as a drop before the shower; for “the Spirit was not then given, because Jesus was not then glorified.” So truly does he now “glorify the house of his glory, and make the place of his feet glorious! Isaiah 60:7; Isaiah 60:13.”

We may see from hence,

1. What improvement we should make of the preached Gospel.

The preaching of the Gospel is, in fact, the raising of this standard before the eyes of men; it is the setting forth of Christ crucified, and the calling of man to enlist under his banners. What then have we to do, but to flock around him; to give up our names to him, that they may be inscribed on his list; and to gird ourselves for the combat at his command?

Let us then vie with each other in zeal for his service; and let us willingly “endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ,” that, being more than conquerors, we may receive a crown of righteousness at the hands of our righteous Judge! 2 Timothy 4:8.

2. The blessedness of those who received the preached Gospel unto salvation.

Whoever complies with the invitations of the Gospel, and unites himself to the army of saints, the Church of God, he instantly becomes a distinguished favorite of Heaven; his heart is the temple of God; he is God’s residence, he is God’s rest; and more glorious is he, than if all earthly dignities were centered in him; more happy, than a combination of all earthly comforts could make him.

Let us then aspire after “the good of God’s chosen ones, that we may rejoice in the gladness of his nation, and glory with his inheritance! Psalm 106:5.”

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 11:9

“The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea!”

The generality of mankind ascribe a far greater degree of moral influence to civilization, than the state of the heathen world in its most refined ages will justify. We are willing however to admit, that some good effects are to be traced to this cause. But to renew and sanctify the heart is far beyond its power; this is the province of religion, even of that religion which is revealed to us in the Gospel.

The prophet has been describing in most beautiful language the change that shall one day be wrought on the face of the earth; and he traces it to the propagation of the Gospel, and the extension of divine knowledge, as its true and only source, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,” etc. for “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.”

In these words he shows us,

I. Wherein true religion consists.

It cannot be more justly or comprehensively described than in these words, “the knowledge of the Lord”.

Many indeed, even of those who call themselves Christians, suppose that religion is altogether comprehended in doing unto others as we would like them to do unto us. But, though it must be acknowledged that this is an important branch—yet it is far from being the whole, since it relates only to the duties of the second table, and leaves out all the duties which we owe to God. We must rather say, that the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus is the sum and substance of religion; because in this is contained that vital energy which puts forth itself in all the fruits of righteousness. It is in this light that the Scriptures continually represent it. The Prophet Isaiah says, “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many! Isaiah 53:11.” Jeremiah cautions us against “glorying in anything, but in the understanding and knowing of God” as displaying justice and mercy in the person of Christ, Jeremiah 9:23-24. Our Lord himself affirms that, “to know God, and Jesus Christ as sent by him, is life eternal! John 17:1.” And Paul “counts all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord! Philippians 3:8.”

But by “the knowledge of the Lord” we must of necessity understand a practical and experimental knowledge of him.

Were a speculative knowledge sufficient, Balaam, and even the devils themselves, might vindicate their claim to religion; since he could boast, that he “knew the knowledge of the Almighty,” and indeed prophesied of Christ in very exalted terms, Numbers 24:16-17; and they could say to Christ, “We know who you are, the Holy One of God Luke 4:34.”

But the only knowledge that can be considered as constituting saving religion, is that which the apostle so emphatically described and so earnestly desired, “I count all things but dung, that I may win Christ, and know him in the power of his resurrection, in the fellowship of his sufferings, and in a conformity to his death! Philippians 3:10.”

John, with a simplicity peculiar to himself, confirms this truth, saying, “Hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 1 John 2:3-4.”

As painful as the general lack of this practical and experimental religion is at present, we shall be comforted in considering,

II. In what manner it shall hereafter prevail.

The comparison, which the prophet makes between the diffusion of true religion and the waters of the unfathomable and boundless ocean, leads us naturally to observe:

1. The knowledge of the Lord in that day will be universal in its extent.

Improbable as this event may appear, there is scarcely any other so frequently and so plainly foretold in the prophetic writings as this. David, in a Psalm where he not only speaks of Christ, but even personates him, says, “All the ends of the earth shall remember themselves and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him; for the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he is the governor among the nations, Psalm 22:27;” and, in another Psalm, which is altogether on this subject, he says, “Christ shall have dominion from sea to sea; all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him! Psalm 72:8; Psalm 72:11; Psalm 72:17.”

To cite what Isaiah speaks to this effect, would be to repeat whole chapters, See Isaiah 49, 60.

Jeremiah, confirming at the same time the truth we have before insisted on, that true religion consists in the knowledge of the Lord, says, “In that day they shall no more teach every man his neighbor, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest of them, says the Lord! Jeremiah 31:34.”

Daniel assures us, that “the kingdom which God himself will then erect, shall break in pieces all adverse powers, and fill the whole earth, Daniel 2:44.”

Zechariah tells us, that “Holiness to the Lord shall be written upon the very bells of the horses; that the most common things in every place shall be consecrated, as it were, to God in their daily use; and that there shall then be no more Canaanites in the house of the Lord Almighty Zechariah 14:20-21.”

The apostles also, and our Lord himself, add their testimony. The apostle Paul affirms, not only that “the fullness of the Gentiles shall be brought in,” but that “the Jews shall be again engrafted on their own olive-tree, Romans 11:24-25.”

Our Lord says, that all, Jews and Gentiles, “shall be one fold under one shepherd, John 10:16.”

The apostle John, passing over the intermediate space of time, represents the angels in Heaven as already rejoicing in the accomplishment of this event, and saying, “The kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever! Revelation 11:15.”

2. The knowledge of the Lord in that day will be deep in its degree.

The knowledge which the Jews enjoyed was very contracted; ours, since the completion of the canon of Scripture, is considerably enlarged; insomuch that the least of true Christians is, in respect of knowledge, greater than even John the Baptist, who was himself the greatest of all the prophets, Matthew 11:11.

But in that day the light will shine far brighter; and the knowledge of all true converts will be, in comparison with ours, as the ocean’s depth to a shallow stream. This also is declared with very abundant evidence in the prophetic writings. “The veil that is spread over all nations, is then to be taken away, Isaiah 25:7.” Nor are any, whose eyes are opened, to have an indistinct view of the truth; the Prophet Isaiah says, “the eyes of those who see shall not be dim, and the ears of those who hear shall hearken; the heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly, Isaiah 32:3-4.”

In another place the prophet supposes men to have received a stroke or wound upon their eyes, and that, by the healing of that wound, a vast increase of light shall shine into their minds, “The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the breach of his people, and heals the stroke of their wound, Isaiah 30:26.”

To mention no more passages, the same prophet represents the saints in that day as seeing Christ, not as in a shadow, like the Jews, nor as in a mirror, like us—but eye to eye, and face to face, “Then shall they see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion, Isaiah 52:8.”

Inferences:

1. What a glorious period will the millennium be!

The time referred to in the text is often called the millennium, because it is to last a thousand years. And how blessed will be the state of the world during that period! How will the whole face of the earth be changed! The description of it in the preceding context, figurative as it is—will be almost literally accomplished; men, as savage as the most ferocious animals, will be transformed into meek and lowly followers of the Lamb. No more wars, no more enslaving of our fellow-creatures, no more public feuds or private animosities; all will be love, “there will be none to hurt or destroy in all God’s holy mountain, verse 6-9.”

O that the day were already come! O that “God would hasten it in his time!” But, if we cannot be privileged to see it, let us at least help it forward by every means in our power; let us diffuse the savor of the knowledge of Christ in every place; and exert all our influence to send the light of the Gospel to the heathen world, until “Ethiopia herself shall stretch out her hands unto God.”

2. How thankful should we be for that little knowledge, with which God, in his mercy, has now favored us!

Surely God has not left himself without witness among us, but “has given testimony to the Word of his grace,” and evinced its quickening, transforming efficacy. Doubtless there are some among us, whose dispositions and habits were once as adverse to the Gospel, as the wolf is to a lamb, who now harmoniously unite with the saints of God, and approve themselves to the world as new creatures. Until they knew the Lord, nothing could effectually tame their spirits, much less transform them into the divine image; but since the light of divine truth has shined into their hearts, they have enjoyed the peace, and exercised the love, and maintained the purity of God’s dear children. Let such then be thankful fur the distinguished mercies given unto them; let them remember that “all things, which pertain unto life and godliness, are communicated to us through the knowledge of Christ! 2 Peter 1:3;” and let them seek to “grow both in grace and knowledge,” until from “beholding Christ only as in a looking-glass darkly,” they shall “see him as they are seen, and know him as they are known! 1 Corinthians 13:12.”

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 11:6-9

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the nursing child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

The happiness and prosperity of kingdoms depend much on the wisdom and equity of those who govern. Yet the best of rulers cannot always secure their people either from the turbulence of faction, or from assaults of foreign enemies.

Thus it is with the kingdom of Christ on earth. He, the Lord and Governor of all, is endowed with every qualification for the discharge of his regal office, verse 1-4, and executes that office with consummate equity and wisdom, verse 5; yet, through the infirmities of his subjects, and the malice of his adversaries, his kingdom is far from enjoying the full advantages of his administration. There will, however, be a time, when his dominion shall be extended over all the earth, and perfect peace shall reign throughout all his empire.

The prophecy on which this observation is grounded, will naturally lead us to show,

I. The change that shall be wrought on men in the latter day.

Men in their interactions with each other too much resemble the brute creation.

It is indeed humiliating to compare men with venomous and ferocious beasts; but there is scarcely any beast, however savage, to which God himself has not compared us. He likens us to:
foxes, Song of Songs 2:15;
serpents and vipers, Matthew 3:7; Matthew 23:33;
wolves, Matthew 10:16;
wild donkeys, Jeremiah 2:24;
wild boars, Psalm 80:13;
wild bulls, Isaiah 51:20, etc.

Nor is it by figurative representation only, but by plain and express declarations, that God has marked the evil dispositions of our fallen nature, Romans 1:29-31. 2 Timothy 3:2-4. And if we either look around us, or within us, we shall see that his descriptions are by no means exaggerated. Let anyone observe:
the proud and envious,
the wrathful and malicious,
the selfish and covetous workings of the heart,
and he shall soon perceive that, if man were unrestrained by human laws, he would prey upon his fellow-man with as much ferocity as the beasts themselves!

But in the latter day universal harmony shall prevail.

Then this beautiful description shall be fully realized. Men shall dwell together as the beasts in the ark, none attempting to hurt or destroy another; or rather, they shall dwell together as the beasts in Paradise; none having so much as a disposition to hurt; but all filled with gentleness and love.

This event is foretold in other passages of Holy Writ, Isaiah 65:25; and it shall surely be accomplished at the appointed season, “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will do this.”

To confirm our expectation of this universal change, let us consider,

II. The means by which it shall be effected.

It is beyond the power of any human efforts to accomplish this universal harmony.

However civilization may have changed the external manners of men, it is but too evident that their hearts are the same as ever! In proof of this we need only appeal:
to the bloody wars which nations wage with each other;
to the duels which are fought on account of the most trifling injuries or insults;
and to the execrable traffic in slaves, which, to the disgrace of the Christian name, yes, to the disgrace of humanity itself, is justified and carried on among us—in spite of all the efforts that have been made for its abolition.

If further proof were necessary, we may all find it very abundantly in the various circles in which we move; for there is scarcely a society, or even a single family, in which feuds, dissensions, quarrels, do not frequently arise; yes, the very relatives most interested in cultivating love and harmony, are often most at variance. Does not this show how beastly we are, notwithstanding the restraints of wholesome laws, and the instructions given us in the Word of God?

But the Gospel of Christ, when universally received, shall soon effect this universal harmony.

Men continue like wild beasts, because “they know not the Lord, 1 Samuel 2:12.” The knowledge of Christ, and of his salvation, would produce a wonderful change on their spirit and conduct. Behold, what it wrought as soon as ever the Gospel was preached! Thousands of blood-thirsty murderers were transformed into the most lovely and loving of the human race, Acts 4:32. And, wherever it is received, its tendency is the same. It is the rod of God’s strength, which brings down every adverse power, and accomplishes for man the salvation of his soul! Psalm 110:2. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. Romans 1:16. When the gospel is truly received, it:
renews all after the same image, Colossians 3:10;
brings all into the same family, Ephesians 2:19. 2 Corinthians 6:18;
unites all in the same interests, Ephesians 4:4-5;
and forms all into one mystical body, 1 Corinthians 12:20-21; 1 Corinthians 12:25; 1 Corinthians 12:27.

How then can it fail of producing harmony and love?

This knowledge shall at a future period be universally diffused, Habakkuk 2:14; and these effects shall as universally result from it, Isaiah 2:4 and Titus 2:11-12.

Let us learn from this subject,

1. The nature of true conversion.

Conversion does not consist in embracing any tenets, however scriptural, or important. The knowledge of Christ is indeed, as has been before observed, the means of converting us; but conversion itself consists in a radical change in all our tempers, dispositions, and conduct, and in a renewal of our souls after the divine image! 2 Corinthians 5:17. Ephesians 4:22-24. The lion must become a lamb; we must “become as little children, if ever we would enter into the kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 18:3.”

2. The excellency of the Gospel.

In vain is the moral fitness of things insisted on; yes, in vain are the demands of the law and the terrors of Hell displayed, for the conversion of men. Nothing but the knowledge of Christ crucified can ever operate on the soul of man, so as to produce in it a radical and universal change! Romans 8:3. But where Christ is known aright, there the whole man will assume a new character; and in proportion as his glory is seen by us, we shall be assimilated to his image, 2 Corinthians 3:18. Do not let the Gospel then be despised as fanatical, or be defamed as licentious; but let it be revered and embraced with our whole hearts.

3. The blessedness of those who know the Lord.

It is to be lamented that the knowledge of Christ does not produce in these days the full effects that were visible in the Apostles. But the fault is in us, and not in the Gospel. Nevertheless there are many, who, even in this age of vice and infidelity, are monuments of the power and grace of Christ; and who, from having been as despiteful towards each other as Jews and Gentiles, are living in the sweetest communion with each other, and with their God. Happy are those:
whose views are thus rectified,
whose passions are thus subdued,
and whose lives are thus regulated by the Gospel of Christ! Deuteronomy 33:29.

They have indeed a paradise below; and shall soon enjoy uninterrupted harmony in Heaven! 1 John 1:3; 1 John 4:16-17.

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 11:2-3

“And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.”

The richest promises which God has given to the Church, are generally introduced after some awful threatening denounced against his enemies. The prophet has been predicting the utter ruin of the Assyrians, as of a tree cut down to the very stump. He then contrasts the state of the Church, to which the Messiah should come, springing like a tender shoot from the root of Jesse, after that his family should have been reduced to the lowest state of degradation. He then, in reference perhaps to what he had before spoken respecting “the anointing, Isaiah 10:27,” shows who this anointed person should be, and what was that unction with which he should be consecrated to his office.

From the words of the text, which beyond all doubt refer to Christ, the Son of David, we shall be led to consider,

I. His qualifications for his office.

The same Spirit that formed Christ’s body in the virgin’s womb, Matthew 1:18; Matthew 1:20, endowed also his soul with all the faculties requisite for the discharge of his high office.

Jesus Christ, as a man, needed to have his mind enlightened, and his heart sanctified, even as other men; nor could he have been qualified for his mediatorial work, if he had not been anointed in a superabundant measure, by the Holy Spirit, Psalm 45:7. God therefore anointed him, Acts 10:38, and caused the Spirit to rest upon him, John 1:32, not merely for a time, and for a limited purpose, as he had done to others, Numbers 11:25-26, but in an immeasurable fullness, John 3:34, and for every end for which he could possibly need it, Luke 4:18-19.

The Spirit came upon him as a “Spirit of wisdom and understanding.” Vitringa thinks that the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit are here enumerated. See Revelation 1:4; Revelation 5:6. But we rather suppose that each couplet (not each expression) is to be taken separately, as declaring, in a comprehensive manner, the operations of the Holy Spirit.” He gave to Jesus a full and comprehensive view of all the mysteries which from eternity had been hidden in the bosom of the Father, John 8:28; and enabled him also to discern the most secret recesses of men’s hearts, Matthew 9:4; so that nothing, either in Heaven or in earth, was concealed from him, John 21:17.

The Spirit, as “a spirit of counsel and might,” instructed him how to conduct himself in all those situations of difficulty and danger into which he was continually brought; and endued him with such undaunted courage, unwearied activity, and invincible patience, that through the whole course of his ministry he never yielded to discouragement, or erred by inadvertence, Isaiah 42:2; Isaiah 42:4; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 50:4; Isaiah 50:7.

The Spirit further enriched his soul with “the knowledge and fear of God.” Through his incessant operations, he was enabled to maintain a continual sense of the divine presence, John 8:29, and to act in all things with a view to his Father’s glory, John 7:18; John 8:30. Under the influence of this divine principle He was carried on in one steady course, like the sun in its orbit, causing its light to shine with unclouded splendor through the whole period of his sojourning on earth, John 8:46; John 17:4.

By these means Jesus attained the most consummate holiness.

The terms whereby the prophet expresses the quickness of Christ’s spiritual perceptions, are taken from that power of smelling, which some animals possess, and which admirably represents the exquisite sensibility which our Lord possessed with respect to everything that was right and fitting to be said or done.

His enemies of every description, Herodians, Pharisees, and Sadducees, endeavored to ensnare him. Sometimes they tempted him with questions, which, in whatever way they should be answered, would give them occasion against him; but he invariably replied with such consummate wisdom as defeated their purposes, and filled them with admiration, Matthew 22:16-21; Matthew 22:23-40. Sometimes they sought opportunity to entrap him by means of his actions; but still he was armored against their malice, and always turned their efforts to their own confusion, John 8:3-9. Luke 6:6-11. He knew on all occasions how to vary his conduct, so as ultimately to answer best the purposes of his mission. And so precise was his discernment, so unsearchable his skill, that, whether he denounced judgments or proclaimed mercy, whether he maintained silence or “witnessed a good confession,” he invariably combined majesty with meekness, and fidelity with love.

Nor (to carry on the metaphor) was he less earnest in following, than he was acute in discerning, the path of duty. If he had spent the night in prayer, he still prosecuted by day his labors of love, until he was exhausted with fatigue, and his friends declared that his zeal transported him beyond the bounds of reason, Mark 3:21; so fully was that prophecy accomplished in him, “The zeal of your house has consumed me! John 2:17.”

Such being his qualifications, let us consider,

II. Our interest in them.

This is by no means a speculative subject, since it serves to show us,

1. Christ’s sufficiency for his work of salvation.

The work which Christ had to do for us was exceeding arduous. He was to obey the law without deviating from it in the smallest point, in thought, word, or deed. If therefore he had been turned aside by any obstacle, or had erred through any inadvertence, or fallen short through any weakness, or exceeded through any temptation—then he would have been a violator of the law; and, instead of being a Savior to us, would have needed a Savior for himself. But by these rich endowments which were communicated to him by the Holy Spirit he was enabled to maintain an unspotted purity even to the last; and, having fulfilled the law in its utmost extent, he has “brought in an everlasting righteousness,” which “shall be unto all and upon all those who believe.”

Besides this, he has a work to do in us. He is exalted to be “head over all things to the church, Ephesians 1:22-23 ,” in order that he may instruct his people in divine knowledge, and counsel them in their difficulties, and strengthen them in their trials, and maintain in them a superlative regard for God. And how should he effect all this, if he himself did not possess an inexhaustible treasure, out of which he might impart to every needy suppliant? But we need not fear, since we are assured, that in him all fullness dwells, Colossians 1:19, and that out of his fullness we may all receive, even grace upon grace, John 1:16. We may therefore safely glory in him as made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and complete redemption! 1 Corinthians 1:30.

2. The blessings we expect at his hands.

That holy oil which was poured upon the head of our great High-priest, was to descend to the skirts of his clothing, and to the very lowest of his members, Psalm 133:2. Nor are his people called Christians merely as being followers of him, but also as being partakers of the same divine unction, 1 John 2:20; 1 John 2:27. As soon as he was seated on his throne of glory, he poured out his Spirit upon his waiting disciples for the very ends and purposes for which he himself had received it, Acts 2:33. Galatians 5:22. Instantly they were filled with a “wisdom and understanding” which exceeded that of the greatest philosophers. They were endued with such “counsel and might,” that none could withstand their words, or shake their resolution. And to such a degree were their hearts filled with the “love and fear of God,” that all sublunary things were divested both of charms and terrors, and the service of God became, as it were, the very element in which they breathed.

Thus may the most ignorant among us have “the eyes of his understanding enlightened” by Jesus; to every one of us will he approve himself a “wonderful counselor, Isaiah 9:6;” he will “strengthen us with might in our inward man;” he will fill us with a most affectionate and reverential regard for God; he will give us both an exquisite discernment of what is right, and a supreme delight in it, Colossians 1:9-11; and, in a word, he will “transform us into his own image in righteousness and true holiness! Ephesians 4:24.”

However different these gifts may appear, and however unequal the capacities of those who are to receive them, Matthew 11:25. Isaiah 35:8, they shall be imparted to all according to their measure of faith, Ephesians 4:7. Matthew 9:29; and the Spirit that Jesus will bestow, shall work them all, and in all, 1 Corinthians 12:4; 1 Corinthians 12:11.

APPLICATION.

It has been seen that Christ “ascended up on high on purpose that he might fill all things, Ephesians 4:10;” moreover he has assured us that, if we ask for the gift of his Spirit, we shall not ask in vain, Luke 11:13. Now we cannot but acknowledge that we need the influences of the Holy Spirit in all the preceding particulars. In consequence of our not habitually weighing all existing circumstances with due care and impartiality, we are extremely apt to err, and, by injudicious conduct, to give offence. I wish religious professors to pay particular attention to this hint. But it is both our duty and our privilege to “walk wisely before God in a perfect way.”

The Holy Spirit is promised to us for this very end. Let all then direct their eyes unto him. Let the ignorant, the doubting, the weak, and all who desire to have the divine life carried on and perfected in their souls, apply to him. Nor let any rest satisfied with low attainments, since Christ is both able and willing to enlarge our faculties, and to increase our sanctity, and to bring us to the measure of his own perfect stature! Ephesians 4:13.

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 10:12-17

“It shall come to pass, that, when the Lord has performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks; for he says, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent; and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man; and my hand has found as a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathers eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. Shall the axe boast itself against him who hews therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him who shakes it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord Almighty, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire; and the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.”

The doctrine of an all-disposing Providence is most consolatory to the mind of man. If everything were left to chance, or were at the disposal of mortal men, we would have nothing to cheer us in adversity, or to moderate our pride in prosperity. But the thought that all things are directed by an all-wise Being, who “does according to his will in the armies of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth,” and “whose counsel,” whatever the designs of men may be, “shall surely stand,” preserves our minds composed and equable in every situation, and in every condition.

The situation of Jerusalem at the time when the prophet wrote this was very afflictive; but by God’s command he addressed them thus, in a few verses following our text, “O my people that dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite you with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against you, after the manner of Egypt (at the Red Sea); for yet a very little while, and (as in the case of Pharaoh and his host) the indignation shall cease, and my anger in their destruction, verse 24, 25.” To the same effect does he speak also in the text itself; which we shall consider,

I. As fulfilled in Sennacherib.

Sennacherib was a proud and haughty monarch.

The Assyrian empire was the most powerful at that time existing in the world; and Sennacherib was dignified with the title of, the Great King! 2 Kings 18:19; 2 Kings 18:28. He himself too conceived that he was omnipotent, a rival of Jehovah, or rather, his superior! 2 Kings 18:33-35 with Isaiah 14:13-14.

Strange it is that mortal man should entertain such wild conceits; but such is frequently the effect of power; it altogether intoxicates us worms of the earth, and makes us forget that we are men, Ezekiel 28:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

But God brought him down in a most awful manner.

In one single night his power was broken by the sword of a destroying angel, who slew 185,000 of his troops; and, not very long after, was he himself assassinated by two of his sons, while worshiping in the house of Nisroch his God, 2 Kings 19:35-37. And thus it is that God has often humbled his proud blaspheming creatures! Ezekiel 28:3-10; yes, and more such instances of vengeance yet remain to be accomplished! 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

This subject, so interesting of itself, is yet far more interesting,

II. As illustrated at this time. Thanksgiving-day, Jan. 13, 1814.

The resemblance between Sennacherib, and that powerful enemy with whom we have been contending now so many years, is very striking. We will point it out in a few particulars:

1. His unconscious agency.

The great object of Sennacherib’s ambition was to subdue as many nations as he could, and bring them under subjection to himself. This was his object in warring against Judah.

But God had another object in view. God raised him up to punish his offending people the Jews, and thereby to bring them to repentance. No such thought as this entered into the mind of Sennacherib. He went on with a view to his own aggrandizement; but God made use of him as “the rod of his anger, and the staff of his indignation! verse 5-7.”

Thus it has been with him who has for so long a period desolated every part of Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte, Jan. 13, 1814. He has been instigated only by his own ambition, and a desire after universal empire; but God has been using him to punish the nations, who, though “naming the name of Christ, had scarcely anything of Christianity except the name!” As God’s instrument he has effected a very great change in Europe; he has given a death-blow to Popery, and has liberated the minds of men from those shackles with which they were held in a worse than Egyptian bondage.

He has also, though quite unintentionally on his part, rooted out those principles of infidelity towards God, and of insubordination towards man, which were the means of placing him on his high eminence, and which he himself labored as much as anyone to disseminate.

Nay more, by the very miseries which he has inflicted on the human race, he has occasioned a spirit of humiliation and of piety, which, unless at the Reformation and in the apostolic age, never before prevailed in Europe to the extent it now does. True it is, “he never meant these things, nor did they ever enter into his mind;” but still he has been an instrument in God’s hand of effecting them.

2. His great success.

Nothing could stand before Sennacherib, verse 9-11; and until lately, nothing has been able to withstand this proud oppressor, whom we are comparing with him. Nation after nation has he subjugated; so that what Sennacherib said may be justly said by him also, “Are not my princes altogether kings, verse 8.” While he raised his generals to the rank of kings, he made the old established kings his vassals. And truly one part of Sennacherib’s commission he executed to perfection; if he had believed himself “charged by God, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread men down like mire in the streets, verse 6,” he could not have fulfilled his mission with more fidelity or with less remorse. He truly regarded the wealth of all the countries which he invaded, as “eggs found in a nest;” and he transported to his own capital everything that was valuable, that the seat of his empire might become the center of all that was great and glorious in the world. Yes, not content with acting thus towards the nations that opposed him, he exercised the same rapacity towards neutral and unoffending states; and, while he was “gathering all the earth, there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped, verse 14,” or dared even to remonstrate with him, and much less to oppose by force, his tyrannical proceedings.

In a word, he “removed the bounds of nations,” apportioning them according to his own pleasure, and “robbed their treasures, verse 13,” compelling all of them to augment and support his armies; and, with the exception of our favored land, he exercised in every country a most despotic sway; and, if he could but have placed any bounds to his tyranny, and been content with consolidating instead of extending his dominions, he would have been the uncontrolled governor of Europe at this hour!

3. His atheistic pride.

The Assyrian monarch took to himself all the glory of his conquests, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent, verse 13.” And how astonishingly striking is the resemblance between our great enemy and him in this particular! His official reports have been one continued boast from beginning to end. Never once has God been acknowledged by him as the disposer of the different events. We wonder not that a heathen should vaunt himself in this manner; but that a man professing himself a Christian should do it, and that too in the face of the whole Christian world, only shows to what a height his pride and impiety have risen.

Well is the folly, as well as the impiety of such conduct exposed in our text; it is, in fact, “the ax boasting itself against him who hews with it; and the saw magnifying itself against him who shakes it; it is the rod shaking itself against him who lifts it up, and the staff lifting itself up against its, Master verse 15.”

Presumptuous man! “Know that the Lord is greater than all gods; and that wherever they deal proudly, he is, and will be, above them! Exodus 18:11.”

4. His sudden fall.

In one single night was Sennacherib overthrown. So completely was that prediction verified, “The Light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day!”

And taking the day for a prophetic day, it has been almost as literally accomplished in our great adversary. It was very little more than a year, between the time when he was in the plenitude of his power, and the time when he was reduced to his present state of weakness and degradation. There is a remarkable correspondence too in the very terms in which the destruction of the Assyrian monarch was foretold, and the means by which the destruction of the modern Sennacherib was effected.

“God himself was for a fire and a flame,” to burn him out of that city, where he had hoped to rest his army during the winter season. God put it into the heart of the people themselves to reduce their own houses to ashes, rather than to let them prove an asylum to their barbarous invader. This it was that necessitated him to measure back his steps “by the way he had come, 2 Kings 18:28; 2 Kings 18:33;” and this retreat was attended with the loss of all his army.

Another desperate effort has he made to retrieve his fortunes; but that also was defeated in one single battle; which has left him more naked and destitute than Sennacherib himself; his own more immediate territory, which he had proudly deemed inviolable, being now invaded on every side, and his regal power being probably near the close of its existence. We pretend not ourselves to prophesy; but the time is probably very near at hand, when Ezekiel’s description of the character and end of the Tyrian monarch will be accomplished in him in all its parts, “Will he then say before him who slays him, I am God? No! He will be a man, and not God, in the hand of him who slays him! Ezekiel 28:3-10.”

Our text is yet further worthy of attention,

III. As speaking to men in all ages.

Divested of all those particular circumstances which give it more than ordinary interest at this time, it suggests many lessons of great, and general, and perpetual utility.

1. It teaches us to receive afflictions as from the hand of God.

The Jews probably ascribed their troubles to the insatiable ambition of the Assyrian monarch; as we also have traced ours to the ruler of France. But God has told us, that, in the triumphs of Sennacherib, he himself was “performing a gracious work upon Mount Zion, and on Jerusalem;” and we know that Nebuchadnezzar also, and Cyrus, in their victories, were nothing more than “God’s sword” and “battle-ax, Jeremiah 25:9. Isaiah 41:25; Isaiah 45:1 with Jeremiah 51:20.”

In this light then we should view all our public calamities. By whoever they may be occasioned, they come from God himself, and are sent by him for our good. As the Jews were sent by him into captivity in Babylon “for their good, Jeremiah 24:5,” so are our severest losses and defeats intended to humble us, and to bring us to the footstool of our God.

The same may be said also of our personal afflictions. When the Chaldeans and Sabeans plundered all the property of Job, and the elements conspired to augment and complete his misery, Job saw in every part of his trials the hand of God, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord, Job 1:13-21.” And afterwards he prayed, “Show me why you contended with me Job 10:2.”

This is precisely what the text teaches us also to do in every affliction. We should receive it as from God; and, having done so, we should “hear the rod, and him who appointed it.”

Were we but attentive to God’s voice in afflictive dispensations, we should say to the instruments of our trouble, as Joseph did to his brethren, “It was not you who sent me here, but God;” and, instead of quarreling with second causes, we should kiss the hand that smote us, and say, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him.”

2. It teaches us to acknowledge God in our successes.

Certainly the interposition of God in the destruction of Sennacherib could admit of no doubt; it was as clear as that of Pharaoh, who was brought into the Red Sea for that very purpose, verse 24 with Exodus 14:17. And scarcely less visible was his agency in the destruction of our great adversary. God allured him into the heart of the Russian empire, and inclined him to continue there, until his retreat was become impractical; and to a still further infatuation did he give him up; for, instead of retreating with his forces entire to the confines of his own kingdom, where he might, humanly speaking, have defied all the efforts of the allies—he madly retained an untenable position, until he was reduced to the necessity of risking all upon a single battle.

In these errors of his we see him given up to judicial blindness in order to his destruction, precisely as the enemies of Zion were in the days of old, “Many nations,” says the prophet Micah, “are gathered against you, that say: Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel; for he shall gather them as sheaves into the floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion! Micah 4:11-13.” Indeed, notwithstanding the backwardness of men to “consider the operation of God’s hands,” there is scarcely a thoughtful person to be found, who does not see it, and acknowledge in the present instance, that he gathered them together in both those places as sheaves into the garner.

But we must not think that God interposes only in great concerns, such as the fate of empires; he equally interests himself in all the events that are daily and hourly occurring; and from him does our success flow, even in the most trivial matters.

Have we succeeded in business? It is “he who has given us power to get wealth, Deuteronomy 8:17-18.”

Have our agricultural labors been followed with an abundant increase? Not the abundance only, but the skill we exercised, was altogether from “God, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working! Isaiah 28:23-29.”

Have we prospered in our spiritual course, and gained the victory over our spiritual adversaries? We must say with Paul, “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose, 2 Corinthians 5:5.” “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:57 and 2 Corinthians 2:14.”

Whatever evil we escape, or whatever good we enjoy, God must be regarded as the true, the only source of all. “In him are all our fresh springs Psalm 87:7;” and “of him is our fruit found Hosea 14:8;” and all the glory must be his alone! Isaiah 45:5-7.

3. It teaches us to look to the final outcome of everything.

Who that saw the outcome of Sennacherib’s invasion, would not prefer the beneficial trials of Jerusalem before the short-lived triumphs of the proud Assyrian? And who that considers aright, does not now congratulate the yet bleeding countries of Europe, especially those who have derived spiritual benefit from their afflictions, and look with pity on the fallen oppressor, laden as he must be with an intolerable load of conscious guilt, and the curses and execrations of half the human race?

We may have been stumbled for awhile, just as David was, at the sight of prosperous wickedness; but, if with him we enter into the sanctuary, and contemplate the end of these men, or if we look at their end as exemplified in our fallen adversary, we shall know how to judge of such mysterious dispensations, Psalm 73:3-14; Psalm 73:16-20.

In like manner we may learn how to judge of everything, whether prosperous or adverse, in our own affairs. Let us look to the final outcome.

What will prosperity benefit us, if it draws us from God, and leads us, like the rich fool, to fix our happiness on things below?

On the other hand, what reason can we have to complain of afflictions, if they be sanctified to our spiritual and eternal good?

Has the stone reason to complain that it receives many strokes, when it is thereby fitted for a conspicuous place in the Temple of the Lord?

Or the vine, even granting it to be fruitful, that it is “pruned, when it is made thereby to bring forth more fruit?”

Or the vessel, that it is put into the furnace, when it is thereby rendered fit for the Master’s use?

Do not then be so much concerned to get rid of present trials, as to have them made subservient to the good of your souls. Only beg of God, that “his whole work may be performed upon you;” and leave the means of accomplishing that work to Him, who orders everything with unerring wisdom and unbounded love. You will then see, before long, that “he has abounded towards you with all wisdom and prudence;” and in all future trials you will say, “Though he slay me—yet will I trust in him.”

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 9:13

“The people turns not unto him who smites them, neither do they seek the Lord Almighty.”

As rich as God is in mercy to repenting sinners—He is full of indignation against the impenitent! Hence his most gracious invitations and promises are often intermixed with the most awful threatenings Matthew 11:20-21; Matthew 11:28. He had just before declared his intention of sending the Messiah to his chosen people. He now threatens them with utter excision for their impenitence. Compare verse 6, 7 with verse 11-15. The grounds of his displeasure are no less visible among ourselves than among the Jews. We are at this time suffering under his chastising hand. But few, if any, of us are suitably affected with his judgments.

The solemnity of this day The Fast-day, March 1798, leads us to inquire,

I. What is the end for which God chastises us?

He does not ever afflict his people willingly and without a cause. Sin is the ground of the controversy that he has with us. It is for the removal of this that he sends afflictions,

1. Upon individuals.

His most highly favored people are not exempt from chastisement; while they have any sin unmortified, God will not leave them altogether unpunished Jeremiah 30:11. Even the upright Job had much dross which was to be purged in the furnace of affliction Job 23:10. David also found much benefit arising from his trials Psalm 119:71; and acknowledged them to have been tokens of God’s love and faithfulness Psalm 119:72. Under the New Testament dispensation God has had the same end in view; He “delivered the incestuous man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Corinthians 5:5;” and visited with bodily sickness many of those who had profaned the Lord’s supper, in order that they might not perish with the ungodly world 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 Corinthians 11:32. Nor can we doubt but that our troubles are sent for the same benevolent purpose; of whatever kind they be, they are intended to purge away our sin, and bring us nearer unto God Hebrews 12:10.

2. Upon nations.

When a nation is altogether ripe for ruin, God executes vengeance without any view to their reformation; but until then he will continue to correct them with much patience and forbearance. The ten successive plagues of Egypt were sent to overcome their obstinacy. The Israelites, both in the wilderness and in Canaan, were continually informed of the distinct offences for which their various punishments were inflicted; and even their captivity in Babylon was intended for their good Jeremiah 24:5. We cannot precisely say what are the peculiar enormities by which we have provoked the Majesty of Heaven. But it is certain that God is visiting us for sin; the calamities we this day deplore, are tokens of his displeasure Isaiah 42:24-25; nor can we expect a removal of them, until the end, for which they are sent us, is accomplished.

It should be the business of this day to inquire.

II. What effect his chastisements have produced upon us?

The rod, which is now held over us, has a voice, if we have ears to hear it Micah 6:9. It calls us to repent of all our evil ways. But what change has hitherto been produced,

1. In the nation?

Every reform is talked of, except a reform of our hearts and lives. What order of men among us has duly improved this awful crisis? Is not dissipation as prevalent among the higher ranks as ever? Is there a reformation begun among those who ought above all to be examples to the flock Those whom God particularly notices in the text, are “the ancient and honorable, and the prophet that teaches lies.”? Are the watchmen, whose office it is to warn others, as earnest and faithful as the occasion requires Ezekiel 33:6-8. Are evils of any kind put away from among us? Or is there, even at this hour, any serious appearance of turning unto God? Are not our very fasts a mere formal and hypocritical lip-service? May they not even be numbered among our greatest sins? Alas! what shall the end of these things be? The generality are altogether regardless of God’s displeasure; because they do not feel in their own persons the stroke of his rod, they are indifferent about the calamities of others Isaiah 57:10. Many, like Ahaz, have even increased in their iniquities since the commencement of our present troubles 2 Chronicles 28:22. They have hardened their hearts and refused to receive correction; nor will they cry when God binds them Job 36:13. Nor is this peculiar to any one order of people more than another Jeremiah 5:1; Jeremiah 5:4-5; some are presumptuously boasting of our power to withstand the arm of God verse 10; others, of whom better things might have been hoped, refuse to unite even in the outward services of this day. (Have these men never done anything to increase our national guilt, that they refuse to deprecate our national judgments? Or have they no occasion to implore mercy for themselves?) To none was the prophet’s complaint ever more applicable than to ourselves at this juncture Isaiah 1:4-6.

2. In individuals?

Some there are, we trust, who “weep between the porch and the altar.” Some are “grieved for the affliction of Joseph Amos 6:6, but these are few in number; nor are they by any means so deeply affected as they ought to be. But where shall we find any that have been humbled under the divine chastisements? Who among us is truly “turning unto him who smites us?” Who is “seeking the Lord Almighty?” Who have been mourning over their sins this day in secret? Who have put from them their idols and their abominations Ezekiel 20:7. Who have cried for mercy as perishing sinners? Or stood in the gap to intercede for their distressed country? Happy they whose personal troubles have wrought this blessed change! But we fear that few, if any, have so laid to heart the public calamities, as to have experienced from them such a beneficial effect.

We shall conclude our inquiries with some suitable and important observations.

1. God will surely overcome at last.

He is now maintaining a controversy with us. Nor can we expect that he should lay aside his rod until it has accomplished his will. If we continue to walk contrary to him, no doubt he will continue to walk contrary to us. If the scourging us with rods will not suffice, he will scourge us with scorpions 1 Kings 12:11. He will repay us seven-fold more for our sins Leviticus 26:21; Leviticus 26:27-28. Four times are we warned that his hand is stretched out still Isaiah 9:12; Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 9:21; Isaiah 10:4. Let us then cease from the unequal combat Ezekiel 22:14. Isaiah 10:3, and turn to him, before the measure of our iniquities be completely filled.

2. If we turn to God with our whole hearts, he will cease from his anger.

We have most abundant evidence of this delightful truth. The repentance of Nineveh is a standing encouragement for all nations. Jonah 3:10. Even the temporary humiliation of Ahab prevailed to defer the impending judgments 1 Kings 21:29. What then should not be effected if this whole nation turned to God in sincerity? God would sooner send an angel to deliver us, or open a passage for us through the sea, than suffer our enemies to prevail against us Exodus 14:22 with Isaiah 51:10 and 2 Kings 19:35 with Psalm 34:7. His promise to this effect is absolute Jeremiah 18:8. Let this consideration lead us to repentance; and let the prophet’s advice to mourn, and fast, and weep, be followed without delay Joel 2:12-13.

3. If we return not to God, our present miseries will be only a pledge of far greater miseries in another world.

God punishes men in this world in their national capacity; but in the eternal world every individual shall answer for his own sins. Nor are we left to doubt what will be the doom of the impenitent Luke 13:3. In comparison with that, temporal calamities are of no account. Oh! who can dwell with everlasting burnings Isaiah 33:14. Let me beseech you then by the terrors of the Lord. It would be terrible indeed to fall into the hands of man; but woe be to those who fall into the hands of the living God Hebrews 10:31. Let the exhortation of Christ then sink deep into your hearts, “Do not fear man, who can only kill the body, but God, who can destroy both body and soul in Hell. I say unto you all, Fear him! Luke 12:5.”

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 9:6

“Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called:
Wonderful,
Counselor,
the mighty God,
the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace!”

There is no true peace or happiness in the world except that which arises from the Gospel of Christ; for God himself testifies that there is no peace to the wicked. But where the Gospel truly prevails, peace and joy immediately spring up as its proper fruits. Such a change as this the prophet describes in the preceding context; and then, in the words before us, traces it to its real source. From the words themselves we shall be led to consider,

I. The coming of Christ to take the charge of his kingdom.

Though given to us by God, he came in an obscure and humble form.

He was a little “child, born” in as helpless a state as others, and subject to all the sinless infirmities of our nature. He was indeed in a more especial manner the gift of the Father’s love John 3:16; the most invaluable gift that God himself could bestow. He was the Child, and the Son, of whom all the prophets spoke, the offspring of a virgin, “Emmanuel, God with us.” But as the end of his coming was to redeem our fallen race, he came in such a way, as was best suited to the accomplishment of his own eternal purpose and grace.

Yet, notwithstanding his mean appearance, he came to assume the government of the redeemed Church.

As the Creator of the universe, he must of necessity have also been the governor of it before his incarnation. But now he came to administer the government as mediator; for all judgment was committed to him, not only as the Son of man, but because he was the Son of man John 5:27. The redeemed Church, in a more especial manner, is subjected to him in this view; and he is the head of it, as well for the purpose of communicating his influence to the members, as of managing its concerns Ephesians 1:22. And so entirely is everything under his control, that not so much as a hair falls from the head of any of his people without either his express command, or righteous permission. As in the days of his flesh he exercised the most unlimited authority over diseases, devils, and the very elements, so now everything, whether designedly, or against its will, fulfills his unerring counsels.

We shall the less wonder at his elevation to a throne, if we consider,

II. His qualifications for the regal office.

His being called by any name, imports that He really is what he is called. He is therefore,

1. A wonderful Counselor

Those are by many considered as two distinct titles; but, if we unite them, each title will have its proper attribute.

He, in concert with the Father, formed the stupendous plan of man’s redemption, a plan in which are contained all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Colossians 2:3. Moreover in executing this plan, he has not only defeated all the plots and devices of Satan, but has invariably overruled them for the accomplishment of his own designs. His people too he endues with “wisdom from above,” enabling them to discern things hidden from the carnal eye, and guiding them in the way to Heaven, so that a wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein Isaiah 35:8. Who that has known ever so small a part of his ways, must not exclaim with amazement, How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

2. The mighty God.

Angels and magistrates are sometimes called gods in a subordinate sense; but He is “The mighty God,” “God with us,” even “God over all, blessed forever.” The dispensations, both of his providence and grace, manifest him to be a “God, wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.” Indeed, if he were not God, he never could bear upon his shoulder the government of the universe. He must be omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, or else he never could hear the supplications, and supply the needs of all his people at the same instant. However strange therefore it may seem, He who was a little child, was at the same time the mighty God; it was “the Lord of glory that was crucified;” it was “God who purchased the redeemed Church with his own blood 1 Corinthians 2:8. Acts 20:28.”

3. The everlasting Father.

This title respects not his relation to God (for with respect to that, he is the Son and not the Father) but rather his relation to his spiritual seed, whom he has begotten by his Word and Spirit. But perhaps the words should rather have been translated, “The Father of the everlasting age.” The Jewish dispensation was intended to continue but for a limited time; but the Christian dispensation was never to be succeeded by any other; hence it is called “the last times;” and may be considered as “the everlasting age.” Of this Christ is the author; it owes its existence to him as its parent; it is preserved by his guardian care; and the whole family in Heaven and earth who participate its blessings, both bear his image, and inherit his glory.

4. The Prince of Peace.

In all which Christ has done, whether in planning or executing the work of redemption, he has consulted the peace and welfare of his people. It was to purchase their peace that he became incarnate and died upon the cross. It was to bestow on them the blessings of peace, that he assumed the reins of government, and undertook to manage all their concerns. Peace was the legacy which he left to his redeemed Church when he was just departing from the world; and, on his ascension, he poured it down like a river on myriads of his blood-thirsty enemies; yes, at this very hour does he dispense it according to his own sovereign will, and impart it, with royal munificence, to all the subjects of his kingdom.

This subject furnishes us with abundant reason,

1. For admiration.

If all Heaven was filled with wonder at the sight of their incarnate God, and if the “Angels yet desire to look into” that “great mystery of godliness,” how marvelous should it appear in our eyes! Let us then adore with reverence what we cannot comprehend; and exclaim with profoundest wonder, “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift 2 Corinthians 9:15.”

2. For gratitude.

Has the mighty God become a little child for us, and shall we regard his condescension with indifference? Is he governing and overruling everything for our good, and shall we feel no sense of his kindness? Let us rather say, What shall I render to the Lord for all the benefits he has done unto me?

3. For devotedness to God.

If the government be upon his shoulder, we should show ourselves willing to have it there, and submit ourselves cheerfully to his authority. In vain shall we regard him as the source and foundation of our peace, unless we yield ourselves to him as the governor of our lives.

Charles Simeon

Isaiah 9:2-4

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined. You have multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy; they joy before you according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For you have broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.”

The dispensations of God in this world are never so afflictive, but there are some alleviating and consolatory circumstances to cheer us under them. The judgments with which he threatened to punish his apostate people were very tremendous, Isaiah 8:19-22; yet he comforted them in the mean time with prospects of the Messiah’s coming. Whatever reference the words of my text may have to the deliverance of the Jews from Sennacherib’s army, we are sure that they refer to Christ, and to the blessings that should issue from the ministration of his Gospel. Matthew quotes them in this view, Matthew 4:12-16; and the very words themselves are far more suited to a spiritual subject than to any temporal occurrence.

The first verse of the chapter is inexplicable, according to our version. Bishop Lowth translates it differently, and thereby makes the sense of the whole passage clear. “There shall not hereafter be darkness in the land which was distressed. He formerly debased the land of Zebulon and Napthali, but in the latter time he has made it glorious, even the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. For the people, etc,” The meaning is, that as the northern part of Galilee had been particularly afflicted by the incursions of the Assyrians, so it should be particularly honored by the ministry of Christ.

We notice then in the text three rich blessings resulting from the ministry of Christ, and of his servants in all ages; namely, light, joy, and victory. The first which the Christian receives, is,

I. Light.

Men are everywhere “sitting in darkness and the shadow of death”.

This was the case with the Jews, notwithstanding they were God’s professing people, and had continual access to the Word and ordinances of God. And it is the case with us, notwithstanding we are called Christians, and have the Word and sacraments administered among us. We are like people immured in a dungeon, or bereft of sight; light is shining all around us, but we see it not; we are as much in darkness as if there were no light at all! The Scriptures uniformly represent us thus; and experience abundantly confirms their testimony. How ignorant are men:
of their own hearts;
of God;
of the way of salvation; and
indeed of the whole circle of divine truth!

Nor is this ignorance confined to the illiterate; it prevails as much among the great and learned, as among the poorest and lowest of mankind.

But by the Gospel the eyes of their understanding are opened.

All were not enlightened by the preaching of Christ and his apostles; nor are all instructed now by the Word they hear. But those whose eyes are opened, do attain by the Gospel a wonderful insight into “the truth as it is in Jesus,” and a thousand other things, “which the natural man cannot receive,” are open to their view!

They discover the depth of their own depravity;
they behold “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ;”
“they are brought out of darkness into marvelous light, 1 Peter 2:9;”
“neither do they from thenceforth walk any more in darkness, because they have the light of life! John 8:12.”

Together with light, the Christian is filled with,

II. Joy.

That which in the text we read, “You have not increased the joy,” is in the margin translated, “You have increased to it the joy,” namely, to the nation of saints that are multiplied. This seems to be the more proper rendering of the words, and to agree best with the context.

1. All who are illuminated with divine truth, have a sacred joy.

Whatever joy a carnal man partakes of, let him only be brought into the divine presence, and it vanishes at once. To speak to him of God and Heaven and Hell, is to make him melancholy. But the Christian’s joy is a holy sacred joy, “he rejoices before God.” It was appointed under the Law that the people at the beginning and end of harvest should bring their first-fruits and their tithes to the temple, and, feasting upon them with their friends, rejoice before God, Deuteronomy 16:9-15.

Thus the Christian brings his temporal comforts into the divine presence, that he may enjoy God both in and with them. By piety, all his joys are greatly enhanced; nor does he ever enjoy his food or his friends or any blessing in life so much, as when he is led to God by them, and glorifies his God in them. But the most delightful seasons are those wherein he can go to his God in secret, and pour out his soul before him. One hour spent in communion with his Lord is more to him than a whole life of carnal joy; it is a feast of fat things, an foretaste of Heaven.

2. All who are illuminated with divine truth, have an exalted joy.

The Christian’s joy is compared to that of a successful gardener, and a victorious warrior. In every age, the in-gathering of the harvest has been an occasion of joy, Isaiah 16:9-10; the seizing also of the spoil from a vanquished enemy has ever been considered as a ground of triumph. There is indeed on both of these occasions too much of what is merely carnal; still however the spirits of the people are raised far beyond their usual pitch.

In this respect the Christian’s joy resembles theirs. When he begins to see the fruit of his painful labors and his dubious conflicts, he cannot but rejoice that he has not labored in vain, or fought in vain. Yes, his soul is joyful in his God, and “he rejoices with a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.”

To this the Gospel contributes, by crowning its converts with,

III. Victory.

As natural men are blind, so are they also under sore bondage.

The Egyptian or Babylonian yoke was light in comparison with that which Satan has imposed on all the human race. He holds them fast in his chains, and “leads them captive at his will”.

But through the Gospel they are effectually delivered from it.

When the Jewish nation was oppressed by the Midianites, God raised up Gideon to effect its deliverance. But how was the deliverance wrought? by arms? No! God would not allow him to employ the army he had raised, but first released all of them except ten thousand, and then dismissed all of those except three hundred. And how were those three hundred armed? with sword and spear? No! but with earthen pitchers, and lamps, and trumpets; and with this little army so accoutred, he put to flight the whole host of Midian; they broke their pitchers, held forth their lamps, and blew their trumpets; and the enemies were put to flight! Judges 7:19-21.

Thus, precisely thus, does the Christian triumph over his enemies; unable to accomplish anything by his own arm—he, by the mere light and sound of the Gospel, vanquishes his foes. When indeed the rout commences, he summons all his powers to destroy them; nor ceases from the pursuit, until he has effectually subdued them all.

Behold a man who was recently enslaved by the world, the flesh, and the devil; see him at once throw off the yoke, behold him trampling on the world, crucifying the flesh, and bruising Satan under his feet!

Is this a dream? No; it is a reality, that may be seen now as much as it was on the day of Pentecost, or on the day that the blood-thirsty Saul became a preacher of the faith he had once destroyed. “Such is the heritage of the servants of the Lord;” they all are conquerors, and “more than conquerors, through Him who loved them!”

Inferences:

1. How strangely do men misconceive of the nature and operation of the Gospel!

That which Christ and his apostles preached, is deemed fanaticism, and is supposed to lead to melancholy and licentiousness. But how opposite is this sentiment to that which is contained in the text! Only let the Gospel be searched into with candor and diligence, and we will venture to affirm that it shall approve itself as light, and become a source of joy, and lead to certain victory. Whatever remains of darkness, grief, or bondage—shall be gradually banished, and the felicity of Heaven be enjoyed, in proportion as the soul is subjected to the dominion of Christ.

2. How much do the saints of God live below their privileges!

If we look at the first converts, we shall be ready to think that they were of a different species from us—so far are we below them in spiritual attainments! But is not the Gospel the same as it was in their day? Does it not require as much of us as it did of them? And will it not operate as powerfully on our hearts as it did on theirs?

O let us not be satisfied with indistinct views of the gospel of grace.
Let us not be contented with such scanty measures of joy and triumph.
Let us not think it enough to gain some small advantages over our spiritual enemies.
Let us look for greater things, and expect more signal displays of the Divine power and goodness!

We are not straitened in God, but in ourselves; let us only be strong in faith; and “according to our faith it shall be unto us.”

Charles Simeon