DISCOURSE X.

THE JEWS BROUGHT TO REPENTANCE.

[PREACHED AT ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHAPEL, IN EDINBURGH, MAY 19, 1839.]

ZECH. XII. 10.

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.

THE prophecies of scripture have a general and a special purpose. The general purpose is to teach some great doctrine, promise, or duty, applicable to believers in all places and at all times. The especial purpose is to reveal some distinct fact of God's providence, in which that doctrine, promise, or duty, is specially manifested.

The verse from which my text is taken contains a rich promise of grace, with a general view of the cause and effects of true repentance. It also contains a special prophecy of Israel's conversion in the time to come.

May the divine Spirit here promised be largely given to us, while we consider the blessed subject. I. The source of Israel's conversion.

II. The object of Israel's contemplation. III. Their godly sorrow.

I. THE SOURCE OF ISRAEL'S CONVERsion.

I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication.

Here notice:

1. THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. Here only is the source of true conversion to God. A grand mistake men in general make here, as if they could convert themselves to God whenever they pleased. And no doubt so far this is true, that the entire blame of their not being converted rests wholly upon themselves. This is clear, when God commands them, Cast away your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit, for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ye will not, says our Lord himself, come unto me that ye may have life. They hated knowledge, says Solomon, and did not choose the fear of the Lord; they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproofs, therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

And, yet, still salvation is so wholly of grace, that it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. Our Saviour testifies: No man can come to me except the Father draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. As it is written in the prophets; and they shall be all taught of God; every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me.

If we attain a new heart and a new spirit, it is because God puts his Spirit within us. And what an unspeakable consolation is this! Who that knows any

thing of our God, does not rejoice that the power of conversion is wholly in his hand? What Christian that has been converted does not delight to ascribe it all to sovereign grace and love?

Such is our aversion to the things of God, such our weakness in them,-so mighty are the impediments raised by the world, the flesh, and the devil, that our only comfort is in divine power new creating us-in the workmanship of God within us. To be born of the Spirit, to be thus made new creatures in Christ, is that all-important, really spiritual, divine, and lasting change, without which we cannot see the kingdom of God.

Every promise, then, of the Spirit of God should be unspeakably precious to us.

2. THE OFFICES WHICH HE SUSTAINS.-We have two offices here set before us.

The Spirit of Grace.-A most blessed title of the Holy Spirit, shewing us how good and gracious he is in himself; how he delights to reveal the grace and loving kindness of God to man; and that he is the source of all grace in man. We have too little realized the exceeding love of the Holy Ghost to man. The love of the Father is clear, he spared not his Son; the love of the Son is clear, he died for us; and so let the love of the divine Spirit be equally clear to us. O how much he has done for us; how ready he is to do all things in us! Who was it raised up all the righteous men of old to be our patterns? Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, prophets, kings, apostles, martyrs, in every age: Who was it raised them up to maintain the truth for us? The Holy Ghost. Who inspired the whole Bible in every jot and tittle? The Holy Ghost. By whom did the Virgin Mary conceive our divine Redeemer ? By the power of the Holy Ghost. Who raised him from the dead? He was quickened by the Spirit. Who called forth witnesses in each age of the church

of Christ; Christian fathers, Waldenses, Lollards, Reformers, Puritans, and faithful men to this day? The Holy Ghost has thus blessed the world, and conveyed to us the truths of God. And is he not the spirit of grace? Who convinccs of sin, enlightens the mind, quickens, regenerates, converts, sanctifies, consoles, and produces in us all the fruits of righteousness? The Holy Ghost. Well then is he called the Spirit of grace. O may you feel its truth in your own heart!

We

Equally also is he THE SPIRIT OF SUPPLICATION. All real prayer is entirely his work in the heart. know not what to pray for as we ought; but the Holy Spirit helpeth our infirmities, and maketh intercession for us. This he does in a vast variety of ways, first shewing us our great sinfulness, need, and danger; then shewing us what fulness of grace there is provided for us. He it is who discovers to us the throne of grace set up for us, and with what freedom grace may be obtained on asking; he enlarges our desires after he has thus prepared our hearts,-supplies us with cries and fervent desires,-puts words, and pleas, and arguments into our mouths, and strength into our souls, to continue seeking. O may you know, my dear brethren, each in your own heart, what the fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man is! --what it is to receive faith, and waiting, and longing, and striving in prayer from him; in short, what it is to pray in the Holy Ghost!

HIS OUTPOURING ON ISRAEL. Many are the gracious promises thus made, particularly to the Jews. See especially Isaiah xliv. 1–5. Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; fear not, O Jacob, my servant, and thou Jesurun whom I have chosen ; for I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed,

and my blessing on thine offspring. And then there follows a description of the blessed effects produced by it. So again, Joel ii. 23, Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. But there is here a more special application of the promise to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and no doubt this will also have a literal fulfilment. In the time mentioned both in Ezra (ii. 23) and Nehemiah (vii. 65), when the priest shall stand up with Urim and Thummim, the genealogies of the families shall all be divinely revealed, and the house of David clearly distinguished from others as the royal line of princes. The inhabitants of Jerusalem, also, as dwelling in the chief city, and most exposed in the last trials of the Jews, seem to be the first blessed. What a type has the divine Spirit here furnished us with of those brought into the family of the Messiah. See the sons of David, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah; and see the first followers of David, every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; (1 Samuel xxii. 2.) and learn, oh learn, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to us sinners. Truly of our Lord Christ was it said, this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And what were the inhabitants of Jerusalem when our Lord was crucified? Those who said, Away with him, crucify him, his blood be on us and on our children. O wondrous grace, that for such our Lord prayed on the cross, and on such the Lord should pour out of his Spirit, and bestow the riches of his grace! Let us never think there is a Jew so prejudiced, so guilty, as to be beyond the reach of this infinite love. Let us never think our sins have placed us beyond the reach of his pardoning mercy, and the fullest outpouring of his grace.