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The Watchman's Answer to the Queftion, What of the Night? Preached at a Wednesday's Evening Lecture in Great Eaftcheap, Dec. 27, 1750.

ISAIAH XXI. 11, 12.

The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman faid, The morning cometh, and also the night: If ye will enquire, enquire ye; return, come.

THERE are feveral prophecies in this book, both in the preceding and following chapters, which are called burdens; which contain fad and heavy judgments, grievous calamities and diftreffes, that should come upon nations; and foretel the ruin and deftruction of kingdoms and ftates, and which may be the reason why they are fo called; though it must be owned, that there are fome prophecies which bear this name, that bring good tidings of good things, yet more rarely. There are no less than three prophecies of this name in this chapter. The words of the text are one, and there is one before them, and another after them. The chapter begins with the burden of the defert of the fea, or plain of the fea; which defcribes the city of Babylon, afterwards named; and which was built on a plain, and in a watry place, by the river Euphrates; and it is ufual with Jewish writers, inspired or uninspired, to call any confluence of water a fea; whofe deftruction is foretold as what would be by the Medes and Perfians; and these are mentioned by name, ver. 2. as well as fignified by a chariot with a couple of horsemen, ver. 7. and its ruin is declared in express words, ver. 9. and the whole is delivered out in fuch a manner, as may easily be accommodated to myftical Babylon, who is represented as in a wilderness, fitting upon many waters, agreeable to ver. 1. whofe deftruction will be by the lion of the tribe of Judah, fee ver. 8. and which is expreffed by the self-fame words as are in ver. 9. and that for the comfort of the Lord's people, ver. 10 . The prophecy in our text is called the burden of Dumab; whether it respects the Arabians, particularly the Dumean Arabians, or whether the Edomites or Idumeans,

a Vid. Zach. ix. 1, 9. and chap. xii. 1, 10.

Rev. xvii. 1, 3. and chap. v. 5. and xix. 11-20. and xviii 2, 4.

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Idumeans, is a matter of question: fome think the former, because Dumab was a fon of Ishmael, Gen. xxv. 14. and of him Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it here; and there was a place in Arabia called Dumatha: but others are of opinion, that the latter, the Edomites, or Idumeans, are intended; and the Septuagint version renders the words the vifion of Idumea; and the Arabic version calls them a prophecy concerning Edom and Seir; and fo Jarchi by Dumah understands Edom: and the rather the Edomites may be thought to be here meant, fince a distinct prophecy concerning Arabia follows after; and because mention is made of Seir, which was inhabited by the Edomites: be calleth to me out of Seir; or there was a cry out of Seir; one called from thence to the watchman, and asked him a question, to which he returned an answer, and also gave some advice. Now let it be observed, that this prophecy may refer to the time when Edom should be a poffeffion, and Seir also should be a possession for his enemies; that is, be poffeffed by the Jews, as is foretold they would; and which was fulfilled before the coming of Chrift, when the Jews and Idumeans were mixed together; and the latter, at least many of them, embraced the Jewish religion', and fo had knowledge of the Meffiah and his coming; and perhaps fome of them favingly believed in him; and these, some one or more of them, or however, the Jews that were in Seir or in Idumea, may be thought to be here enquiring after him, when he would come and put an end to the then present night of darkness, and make the morning of the gofpel-difpenfation: and it may be further observed, that as Efau or Edom may be considered as a type of antichrift, the Edomites may represent the antichriftian party. Jerom Lays, that some of the Hebrews read Roma for Duma here, and suppose that the Roman empire is defigned; and certain it is, that nothing is more common with them, than to call the Roman empire, and Rome itself, Edom, and the Romans or Papists, Edomites". Now, as in the darkest times of Popery, there were some that rose up as witneffes to the truth, there were others that embraced it; who doubtless enquired of the witneffes, the watchmen, when the night of popish darkness would be over, and gospel-light break forth; and it is easy to observe, that a little before the deftruction of Babylon, God will have a people in her, whom he will call to come forth out of the midst of her, that they partake not of her fins, nor of her plagues'; and thefe, fenfible of the state of darkness they are in, may be fuppofed to be enquiring after latter-day-light and glory. These short hints may serve to give us a little light into this obfcure paffage; and which will open more and more as we go along, confidering the following things.

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I. Who the watchman is that is here applied unto.

II. The question that is put to him and repeated; Watchman, what of the

night? Watchman, what of the night?

III. The Watchman's anfwer to it, The morning cometh, and also the night. IV. An Exhortation upon it, which may ferve for the use and improvement of the whole; If you will enquire, enquire ye; return, come.

I. Who the watchman is, that is addreffed; and to whom the question in the text is put.

1. Some by the watchman understand God himself*: the name and title of a watcher is fometimes given to him, and indeed to all the divine perfons, who are called watchers and holy ones, Daniel iv.17. where the affair of Nebuchadnezzar being driven from his throne and palace, to dwell among the beasts of the field, is faid to be a matter by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the boly ones. I know this is commonly understood of angels, and they are watchers by office, being the guardians of God's people, and holy by nature; they may be said also to declare and execute the decrees of God; but then his decrees are never called theirs; and befides, this decree is exprefsly called the decree of the Most High, ver. 24. and these watchers and holy ones are reprefented as having others under them, whom they call upon to execute this decree, ver. 23. and where they are called the watcher and the boly one, as before, the plural number is used, to denote the plurality of perfons in the Godhead, there the fingular, to fecure the unity of the divine effence.

Acts of watching are ascribed to God, sometimes in a bad fenfe, and sometimes in a good one: I mean, that sometimes he is faid to watch over men for evil, and fometimes for good; his eyes are upon the ways of all men, good and bad, and he fees all their goings, and watches their fins to chaftize or punish for them; he watches over the fins of his own people, to correct them for them, in a fatherly way, but not in a way of strict juftice; not fo as to demand fatisfaction of them, or inflict vindictive wrath upon them; fhould he mark iniquity in fuch a manner, there would be no standing before him; though sometimes they think he does do fo: thus Job', now thou numbereft my steps, dost thou not watch over my fin? my tranfgreffion is fealed up in a bag, and thou fewest up mine iniquity; in order to bring it forth one day, as he thought, against him, to his condemnation. God does indeed watch over the fins of wicked men, of a rebellious and impenitent people, to punish them for them; and he watches upon the evil of punishment, to bring it on fuch for the evil of fin; as Daniel fays, therefore bath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us and as he sometimes watches over a people 1 Job xiv. 16, 17.

So Jarchi and Abarbinel in loc.

m Dan. ix. 14.

a people to pluck up and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to affli&; fo he watches over them, to build and to plant ", or to do them good; he waits upon his own people to be gracious to them, and watches the fet time for that purpose: his eyes are always on them, and are never withdrawn from them; they are engraven on his hands, and they are continually before him.

The Hebrew word, here tranflated a watchman, is used of God in Pfalin cxxi. 4, 5. and is there rendered keeper, and well agrees with him who is the keeper of his Ifrael, both in a way of providence, and in a way of grace: he is the preferver of men, yea, the Saviour of all men, as the God of providence, especially of them that believe; he keeps them from evil; he preferves their going out and coming in; he watches over them night and day, left any hurt them; and indeed, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain" : and he is the keeper of his people in a way of grace; they are fenfible of their own weakness, and of their need of his power, and therefore apply to him for preservation; one fays, keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me?; and another fays, keep back thy fervant from presumptuous fins ; and the Lord does preserve the fouls of his faithful ones; they are kept by his power through faith unto falvation.

To all which may be added, who fo proper to apply unto, to know the time of night, as to God, who hath put the times and the feasons in his own power, and who has determined the times before appointed, for the performance of every thing that is done in this world? for to every thing there is a feafon, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; every thing is done as it was purposed, and at the time it should, and which is known to God; particularly the time of Christ's first coming into the world, as agreed and fixed upon between the Father and the Son, called the fulness of time, and was known to them both, and made known in the word: and the time of his fecond coming is alfo appointed; God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by Christ, and him he will fhew in his times; though of that day and bour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but the Father only.

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2. Others" by the watchman think Chrift is meant; fo the Jews fay, this is Metatron, the Keeper of Ifrael, which with them is one of the names of the Meffiah; and to whom this character of a watchman agrees, as he is a fhepherd; one part of whose business it is to watch over the flock by night and by day: Chrift does the whole work and office of a fhepherd to his flock: he feeds his flock like a fhepherd; he guards and protects it, as David his type did; secures it from the lion and the bear; and being the proprietor of the flock,

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P1 Chron. iv. 10. • Gal. iv.4.

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• Pfal. xix. 13.

↑ Acts xvii. 31. 1 Tim, vi 15. ▾ Zohar. in Exod. fol. 54. 2.

whose own the sheep are, will not flee as an hireling does when the wolf cometh, but expofe his life to danger for them; and indeed he laid down his life for the sheep. This character of a watchman agrees with him, as the keeper of his people; they are put into his hands, and there they are, out of which none can pluck them; they are preserved in Christ, who is able to keep them from falling, and who keeps a watchful eye over them continually, and will take care that not one of them should be loft or perish, but have everlasting life. And now, as he is the omniscient God, he knows and can declare the end from the beginning, and from antient times the things that are not yet done. He knew the time of his first coming into the world, and so likewise of his going out of it. Jefus knew that bis bour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father'; and he knows the time of his fecond coming also, and of all intermediate events; of every thing that should happen from his firft to his fecond coming; he knows the things that are, and which shall be hereafter: the book of the Revelation, is called, the Revelation of Jefus Chrift, which God gave unto him to fhew unto his fervants, things that muft fhortly come to pass; wherefore whither fhould we go but to him, to know what of the night it is? But perhaps it may be thought to be too bold, too free and familiar, to address God or Chrift under this character, and in fuch language, Watchman, what of the night ?—Therefore,

3. I choose rather to join with thofe, who think that a prophet or minister of the word is intended by the watchman: it was usual under the Old Teftament, for prophets to be called watchmen; the prophet Ifaiah was one, and perhaps. is intended in ver. 6, 8. and in the text; and fo was Jeremiah; and fo was Ezekiel; to whom it is faid, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the boufe of Ifrael. Gospel-minifters are also called watchmen '; the watchmen shall lift up the voice, &c. and this in allufion to fhepherds, which is one of their titles and characters; paftors, which God gives after his own heart, to feed his people with knowledge and understanding; who, having taken the overfight of the flock, ought to take heed to themselves, and to that; and one part of their work is to watch in all things; and they do watch for and over the fouls of men, as they that must give an account. Moreover, they are called watchmen, in allufion to watchmen in cities, of which there are two forts; fome that go about the city, and others that are set on the walls of it; and to each of these the ministers of the word are compared in Cant. iii. 3. and chap. v. 7. fee alfo Ifai. lxii. 6. I have fet watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerufalem, &c.

The qualifications for fuch an office are quickness of fight, vigilance, conftancy, courage and faithfulness: watchmen ought to have their fight, and keep a good look-out; they ought to be awake, and not asleep, and constant

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