in their poft; fhould be men of resolution and intrepidity in time of danger, and faithful to give warning of it; and fo fhould the minifters of the word. Sad it is, when Zion's watchmen are blind, and yet we read of fuch. The four living creatures, mentioned in the book of the Revelation, are emblems of Gospel-minifters; and they are faid to be full of eyes within, and before, and behind; and they have need of all the eyes they have, to take heed to themfelves, and to watch over others: they ought to be fober and vigilant, and in their watch-tower, and on their guard; for while men fleep, the enemy fows tares of error, herefy, and divifion: they should be "stedfast and immoveable, "always abounding in the work of the Lord;" they fhould watch, and stand faft in the faith, and quit themselves like men, and be strong; and they should not conceal any thing that ought to be known, or keep back that which is fitable, but declare the whole counsel of God.

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Their work is to warn finners of their evil ways, and of the danger they are in by them; to shew them what an evil and bitter thing fin is, and that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against it; that the wages of fin is death eternal; and that deftruction and mifery are in all their ways, in which they will iffue, if grace prevent not; and to convince them of the worth of their precious and immortal fouls, and that the lofs of them is irrecoverable, and that nothing can be given in exchange for them. Alfo their bufiness is to aroufe and awake fleepy faints; the wife as well as the foolish virgins fometimes fall asleep, and it is the duty of the watchmen to awake them, and let them know how unbecoming it is for persons of their characters to be asleep; they that fleep, fleep in the night; but let us who are of the day be fober : let us not Jeep as do others, but let us watch. Children of the light and of the day, should not fleep as those who are of the night and darkness; the watchmen fhould tell them, it is high time to awake out of fleep, and jog them and stir them up; and if this will not do, they should "cry aloud, and spare not, and "lift up their voice like a trumpet," and fay, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arife from the dead, and Chrift fball give thee light'. Moreover, another part of their office is, to give the time of the night: as it is the business of a watchman on the walls to look out, and if he defcries an enemy, to observe his motions and advances, and give notice of approaching danger to them within the city; fo it is the business of the watchmen that go about the city, as to take up Aroling perfons and examine them; fo to give the inhabitants the hour of the night, that they may know how much of it is gone, and what is yet to come; and this is the office of the minifters of the word: the watchmen of the Old Teftament, the prophets, gave the time of night then; they enquired and fearched diligently, fearching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which

was

Rev. iv. 6, 8.

1 Thefs. v. 5-7.

f Ephes. v. 14. ·

was in them did fignify, when it teftified beforehand the fufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. And fo the watchmen of the New Teftament, the ministers of the Gospel, it becomes them to enquire what time it now is, that they may be able in fome measure to give an answer to fuch a question as is here put, what of the night? in order to which, it is neceffary to study the prophetic part of the New Testament, particularly the book of the Revelation; and which, according to its name, is a revelation, and not a secret; an open, and not a sealed book: and blessed is he that readeth this book, not only privately, but in public, in order to explain it unto others; and bleffed are they that bear the words of this prophecy explained by their minifter; fo the one will be ready to afk, and the other ready to answer the question here proposed, which is the next thing to be attended to; wherefore I país on to confider,

II. The question put to the watchman, Watchman, what of the night? and which is repeated, Watchman, what of the night? This is ufually done when perfons are in a pannic, or they fear the watchman did not hear them the first time; or it may denote one coming after another in a fright, afking the fame question. The sense is, either what from the night? as the words may be rendered; what has happened fince it was night? haft thou obferved nothing? is the enemy near, or danger at hand? or what fayft thou concerning the night? the night of darkness and affliction in which we are, when will it be over? or what time of night is it? what o'clock is it? how much of the night is there gone? and what is there that remains to come?

Now let it be observed, that there was a night both in the Jewish and Gentile world, preceding the first coming of Chrift: the former difpenfation was a night of darkness with the Jews themselves, in comparison of the Gospel-day, or that famous day, so much and so often spoken of in this prophecy of Isaiah; which was made by the rifing of the Sun of righteousness with healing in his wings; and which reaches from the first coming of Chrift unto his fecond coming; and of which it may be faid,, during that time, now is the accepted time, now is the day of falvation: but before this it was night; and it may be, that in reference to this, as well as to the darkness which overspread the Gentile world, and which was in a great measure removed by the preaching of the Gospel, the apostle fays, the night is far spent, the day is at hand: it is certain, however, that there was a great obfcurity in the Mosaic difpenfation; the law was given amidst blackness, darkness, and tempeft; there was a veil over the face of Mofes when he spoke unto the people; and there is another on their hearts, in reading the Old Testament, Mofes and the prophets; and which remains untaken away from them

to

f 1 Pet. i. 10, IL. * Rom. xiii. 12.

Rev. i. 3,

מה מלילה

i 2 Cor. vi. 2.

to this day, but will be removed when they fhall be turned to the Lord; the doctrines of grace though then delivered, yet very obfcurely in types and figures; the way of falvation by Chrift, and unto eternal happiness, was pointed out, but not fo clearly as now; the way into the holieft of all, was not so manifeft,, as now the veil of the temple is rent in twain. The shadows of the ceremonial, law were stretched out at that time; the law was only a fhadow of good things to come, and was not fo much as the very image of them; which fhadows were done away, when Chrift, the body and fubftance, was come: to which the church refers, when she says, until the day break, and the fhadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the bill of frankincenfe'. There were indeed, in this dispensation, the stars of light, the prophets, and minifters of the word to instruct the people: but then the appearance of these shews it was a nightfeafon; they had the word, which was a light unto their feet, and a lamp unto their paths; they had the fcriptures, which were profitable for doctrine and and instruction in righteousness, and able to make men wife unto falvation, they had the moon of the ceremonial law to lead them to Chrift; this perhaps is meant by the moon under the church's feet, Rev. xii. 1. one part of it lay in the observation of new moons, and its folemn feftivals were governed and regulated by them; it had its fpots and imperfections as the moon, and was changeable as that is; and is now done away because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it: it is true, it reflected and gave light to the faints under that difpenfation; but then as the moon is the leffer light, and which rules by night, this fhews it was as yet a night-feafon, and the day was not come; as yet the bright and morning-star had not appeared; the day-fpring from on high had not vifited man; and the Sun of righteousness as yet had not rifen, and made the glorious Gospel-day. It may be to this gradual progrefs of light, through the various difpenfations of the church, Chrift may have refpect, when he fays", who is fhe that looks forth as the morning, in the patriarchal state; fair as the moon, under the ceremonial law; clear as the fun, under the Gofpel-difpenfation; and terrible as an army with banners, in the latter day, when she will enjoy purity of doctrine, discipline and ordinances, as well as have honour and authority? Thus it was with the Jewish church before the coming of Chrift; and as to the Gentile world, it was a time of grofs ignorance with them, which God winked at, overlooked, and took no notice of, or ufed any methods to remove; they knew, not God, the one only living and true God, and much lefs God in Chrift; they were without him, and without the Meffiah, and any knowledge of him; were aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and ftrangers to the covenants of mife; they fat in darkness, and in the region of the shadow of death, till Chrift

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came

came a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as to be the glory of his people Ifrael.

Now the question may be with respect to this night of Jewish and Gentile darkness, what of this night it was? how near it was to an end? when that would be, and the day break? There were fome general rules with respect to this matter, or several prophecies which pointed to the time of Chrift's coming, and served as a direction to it, and furnifhed with an answer to this question: the tribe of Judah was not to ceafe to be a tribe, nor rule and government to cease from it; it was to be the feat of it, until the Meffiah came, according to Jacob's prophecy; the Scepter fhall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between bis feet, until Shilob come: and by other prophecies it appears, that the second temple would not be deftroyed until he came, for he was to come into it as the Lord, the owner and proprietor of it; which coming of his into it would give it a greater glory than the firft temple had". There were frequently hints given out by the watchmen, the prophets, with relation to the coming of Chrift, and to his speedy coming; when the faith of the Lord's people was almost worn out, because his coming was fo long deferred; one of thefe watchmen is bid to fay to them that are of a fearful heart, Be ftrong, fear not, behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence, and will fave you; and another, when on his watch-tower, fays, the vifion is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it fhall Speak and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it, because it will furely come, it will not tarry; and another of thefe watchmen brings good tidings, and calls upon Zion to rejoice, faying, behold thy King cometh; he is just ready to appear, and will be here quickly, and defcribes him and the creature he was to ride upon; and the last of them declares, that the Lord, and mefSenger of the covenant, would fuddenly come to bis temple: Daniel, he fixes the very time of his coming, and fays, that feventy weeks were determined or cut out for it, even weeks of years, four hundred and ninety years from a date which he gives. By thefe hints of the watchmen, and efpecially by the last, the people knew what time of night it was, and how long it would be to the coming of the Meffiah, and lived in expectation of it. R. Nebumiah, that lived about fifty years before the coming of Christ, gave out, that the time of the Meffiah fignified by Daniel could not be protracted longer than those fifty years; and about the time that he did come, we find that there was among the people of the Jews a general expectation of him: good old Simeon was waiting for the confolation of Ifrael; and Anna the prophetefs fpoke of him to them that looked for redemption in Jerufalem; and when John the Baptift

his forerunner appeared, all the people were in expectation, and mufed in their hearts whether he was the Christ or no ".

It might be further observed, that as there was a night of darkness preceding the first coming of Chrift, when at certain times the watchmen were applied unto, to know what time it was; and who gave several hints, which were directions in this matter, and ferved to keep up the faints faith and expectation of it; and by which they knew in fome meafure whereabout they were, and when that would be; fo there will be a night of darkness which will go before both the spiritual and perfonal coming of Chrift again, and to which this queftion may also relate: but of this more hereafter; we fhall find a more proper place for the confideration of it under the next head, to which I haften.

III. The watchman's anfwer to the queftion, The morning cometh, and also the night there is a morning at hand, and a night will follow; a morning of profperity and a night of adversity; and as fure as the one comes, so sure will the other; there will be a conftant fucceffion and revolution of these unto the end of time.

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The first coming of Chrift was as the morning; fo the Jews interpret these words of the morning of redemption to the righteous, and of the night of darknefs to the wicked; or as they elsewhere * exprefs it, "the morning is for the " righteous, and the night for the wicked; the morning for Ifrael, and the night for the nations of the world," whom they exclude from all benefit by the Meffiah. It is faid of him, the righteous ruler over men, that he fhall be as the light of the morning when the fun rifeth, even a morning without clouds; of no other can this be fo well understood as of Chrift; of whom it is expressly foretold, his going forth is prepared as the morning: this was attended with joy and chearfulness, as the morning; in a clear morning, when the fun rifes, all nature looks brisk and gay, pleasant and delightful; hence thofe words, who is fhe that looks forth as the morning? The news of Chrift's birth, brought by the angels to the fhepherds, at the time of his incarnation, were good tidings of great joy, which should be to all people. The apoftles and difciples, when they first had the knowledge of him, in what an exulting manner do they express themfelves, We have found the Meffias, which is, being interpreted, the Chrift? The first preaching of the Gospel by his forerunner, by himself, and by his apostles, caufed joy and gladness wherever it came with power, whether in Judea, or in the Gentile world; especially the latter, and particularly in Samaria; of which place it is faid, that Philip preached Chrift, and there was great joy in that city. VOL. I.

E

The

a Cant, vi 10.