culars; it may suffice that great distresses and calamities are intimated therein; and such have the days of our former trials and troubles been to some of us.

Thirdly, The promises here made to this people, thus escaped from great distresses, are of two sorts: Original, or fundamental; and then consequential thereon.

1. There is the great spring, or fountain promise, from which all others, as lesser streams do flow; and that is the promise of Christ himself unto them, and amongst them; ver. 2. He is that branch of Jehovah, and that fruit of the earth, which is there promised. He is the bottom and foundation, the spring and fountain of all the good that is or shall be communicated unto us; all other promises are but rivulets from that unsearchable ocean of grace and love, that is in the promise of Christ; of which afterward.

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2. The promises that are derived and flow from hence, be referred unto three heads: (1.) Of beauty and glory, ver. 2. (2.) Of holiness and purity, ver. 3, 4. (3.). Of preservation and safety, ver. 5, 6.

My text lies among the last sort, and not intending long to detain you, I shall pass over the other, and immediately close with that of our present concernment.

Now this promise of ver. 5. is of a comprehensive nature, and relates to spiritual and temporal safety or preservation. Godliness, though it be not much believed, yet indeed hath the promises of this life, and that which is to come.

I shall a little open the words of the verse, and thereby give light to those which I have chosen peculiarly to insist upon. It is, as I have said, safety and preservation, both spiritual and temporal, that is here engaged for; and concerning it we have considérable.

[1.] The manner of its production; I will create it, saith God. There is a creating power, needful to be exerted, for the preservation of Zion's remnant. Their preservation must be of God's creation. It is not only not to be educed out of any other principle, or to be wrought by any other means; but it must, as it were by the almighty power of God, be brought out of nothing; God must create it. At least, as there were two sorts of God's creatures at the beginning, that dark body of matter, whose rise was merely from nothing; and those things which from that dark con

fused heap he made to be other things than what they were therein; it is of the last sort of creatures, if not of the first, If the preservation of this remnant be not out of nothing, without any means at all; yet it is for the most part from that darkness and confusion of things, which contributes very little or nothing towards it; I will create it, saith God; and whilst he continues possessed of his creating power, it shall be well with his Israel.

[2.] For the nature of it, it is here set out under the terms of that eminent pledge of the presence of God with the people in the wilderness, for their guidance and protection in the midst of all their difficulties and hazards, by a pillar of cloud, and a flaming fire; this guided them through the sea, and continued with them after the setting up of the tabernacle in the wilderness forty years. The use and efficacy of that pillar, the intendment of God in it, the advantage of the people by it, I cannot stay to unfold: it may suffice in general, that it was a great and signal pledge of God's presence with them for their guidance and preservation; that they might act according to his will, and enjoy safety in so doing. Only whereas this promise here respects gospel times, the nature of the mercy promised is enlarged, and thereby somewhat changed. In the wilderness there was but one tabernacle, and so consequently one cloud by day, and one pillar of fire by night, was a sufficient pledge of the presence of God with the whole people: there are now many dwelling-places, many assemblies of mount Zion; and in the enlargement of mercy and grace under the gospel, the same pledge of God's presence and favour is promised to every one of them, as was before to the whole. The word we have translated a dwelling place,' denotes not a common habitation, but a place prepared for God; and is the same with the assemblies and congregations in the expression following. The sum of all is, God, by his creating power, in despite of all opposition, will bring forth preservation for his people, guiding them in paths wherein they shall find peace and safety.

Only ye may observe the order and dependance of these promises; the promise of holiness, ver. 4. lies in order, before that of safety, ver. 5. Unless our filth and our blood be purged away, by a spirit of judgment, and a spirit of burn

ing, it is in vain for us to look for the pillar and the cloud. If we are not interested in holiness, we shall not be interested in safety; I mean, as it lies in the promise, and is a mercy washed in the blood of Jesus; for as for the peace of the world, I regard it not. Let not men of polluted hearts, and defiled hands, once imagine that God cares for them in an especial manner. If our filth and our blood, our sin and our corruption abide upon us, and we are delivered, it will be for a greater ruin; the way unto the cloud and pillar, is by the spirit of judgment and burning.

The words of my text are a recapitulation of the whole verse; and are a gospel promise given out in law terms; or a New Testament mercy, under Old Testament expressions.

I shall then briefly shew you these two things: 1st. What is here expressed, as to the type and figure; 2dly. What is here intended, as to the substance of the mercy promised.

1st. For the figure; by the glory and defence, a double consort, or two pairs of things seem to be intended: The ark, and the mercy-seat; the tabernacle, and the pillar of fire.

(1st.) For the first; the ark is oftentimes called the glory of God; Psal. lxxviii. 61. He gave his strength into captivity, and his glory into the hand of his enemies.' Where he speaks of the surprisal of the ark by the Philistines, which when it was accomplished, Phineas's wife called her son Ichabod, and said, the glory is departed;' 1 Sam. iv. 21. The word which we have rendered a defence,' properly signifies 'a covering;' as was the mercy-seat the covering of the ark. So that upon the glory shall be a defence,' is as much as unto you, the mercy-seat shall be on the ark,' or you shall have the mercy represented and intimated thereby.

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(2dly.) The tabernacle and cloud, or pillar of fire, are also called to mind; so the words are expressive of that figure of God's gracious presence with his people, which we have recounted, Exod. xl. 34. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.' So it continued, the glory of God was in the tabernacle, and the cloud upon it, or over it; as the word here is; and so upon all the glory there was a defence.'

2dly. I need not stay to prove that all those things were typical of Christ. He was the end of the law, represented

by the ark, which did contain it; Rom. x. 3, 4. He was the mercy-seat, as he is called, and said to be, Rom. iii. 25. 1 John ii. 2. covering the law from the eye of justice, as to those that are interested in him. He was the tabernacle and temple wherein dwelt the glory of God, and which was recompensed with all pledges of his gracious presence.

Apply then this promise to gospel times, and the substance of it is comprehended in these two propositions: I. The presence of Christ with any people, is the glory of any people.

This is the glory here spoken of, as is evident to any one that will but read over the second verse, and consider its influence unto these words. The branch of the Lord shall be to them beautiful and glorious, and upon all the glory

shall be a defence.'

II. The presence of God in special providence over a people, attends the presence of Christ in grace with a people.

If Christ the glory be with them, a defence shall be upon them; what lies else in allusion to the mercy-seat, not drawn forth in these propositions, may be afterward insisted on.

I. For the first: What I pray else should be so? This is their glory, or they have none: Is it in their number, that they are great, many, and populous? God thinks not so, nor did he when he gave an account of the thoughts of his people of old. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people, for you were the fewest of all people;' Deut. vii. 7. God made no reckoning of numbers; he chose that people that was fewest of all: he esteemed well of them, when they were but a few men in number, yea, very few, and strangers;' Psal. cv. 12. You know what it cost David in being seduced by Satan into the contrary opinion. He thought the glory of his people had been in their number, and caused them to be reckoned; but God taught him his error, by taking off with a dreadful judgment no small portion of the number he sought after. There is nothing more common in the Scripture, than for the Lord to speak contempt of the multitude of any people, as a thing of nought; and he takes pleasure to confound them by weak and despised means.

Is it in their wisdom and counsel, their understanding for the ordering of their affairs? Is that their glory? Why, see how God derides the prince of Tyrus, who was lifted up with an apprehension hereof; and counted himself as God, upon that account; Ezek. xxvii. 3-6, &c. The issue of all is, Thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slays thee;' God will let him see in his ruin and destruction, what a vain thing that was, which he thought his glory. Might I dwell upon it I could evince unto you these two things:

1. That whereas the end of all human wisdom in nations, or the rulers of them, is to preserve human society in peace and quietness, within the several bounds and allotments that are given unto them by the providence of God, it so comes to pass for the most part through the righteous judgment and wise disposal of God, that it hath a contrary end, and bringeth forth contrary effects throughout the world. Do not the inhabitants of the earth generally owe all their disturbance, sorrow, and blood to the wise contrivance of a few men, not knowing how to take the law of their proceedings from the mouth of God, but laying their deep counsels, and politic contrivances, in a subserviency to their lusts and ambition? And what glory is there in that which almost constantly brings forth contrary effects to its own proper end and intendment?

2. That God delights to mix a spirit of giddiness, error, and folly in the counsels of the wise men of the world; making them reel and stagger in their way like a drunken man, that they shall not know what to do, but commonly in their greatest concernments, fix upon things as devoid of true reason, and sound wisdom, as any children or fools could close withal. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong;' Job v. 13, 14. so at large, Isa. xix. 11-14. and now where is their glory? I could give instances of both these, and that plentifully in the days and seasons that have passed over our own heads. The like also may be said of the strength, the power, the armies of any people; if their number and wisdom be vain, be no glory, their strength, which is but the result or exurgency of their number and wisdom, must needs be so also. But you have all this summed up together, Jer. ix.