it is all true that I heard of Chrift, and the half was not told me,' &c.

66

4thly A hearty approbation of the way and method of falration. When a man ftretches out bus hard unzo God, he upon the matter fays, "It is a lay ng wordy of ad accepta ion, that Jefus Chrift came unto the wood to five foncs," I like it well; it is worthy of irre Wiltom and Love, 5thly, The lifting up of the hand is an zét of admiration, When any thing extraordinary occurs, or is told, we are reas ly to lift up the hand, and fay, “() range! Is it to indeed ?' what ravishing wonder fils the fou, when it by faith bes olds the glory of Christ's perfon and mediation! (, will the nan fay, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, and with dyed arments from Bozrah? this ther is glorious in his apparel, ravelling in the greatnefs of h ftrength 1-0 who is a God ike unto thee, that pardoneth in quity, and paffes by the tranf reffion of the remnant of thy heritage Without controerly, great is the mystery of god inefs! God was manifeft in he fleth!-What is man, that thou art mindful of him!"

ΟΙ

6thly, Sometimes the lifting up of the hand is an act of reunciation. When a man believes, he, upon the matter, abures all Chrift's rivals, that would ufurp the throne of the leart, faying with Lp raim, "What have I to do any more with idols? O Lord our God, other lords befides thee have ad dominion over us, but by thee only will we make menion of thy name." He renounces all his lying refuges and alfe confidences wherein he had trufted, faying, with returnng Ifrael, Hofea xiv. 3. “Afhur fhail not fave us, we will not ride upon horfes, neither will we fay any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods; for in thee the fatherlefs findth mercy" And Jer. iii. 23. "Truly in vain is falvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; truly in the Lord our God only is the falvation of his people." 7thly, It impies an allegiance unto him as our Lord and Sovereign, Ethiopia fhall stretch out her hands to God, i. e. They fhail, upon the difcovery of God in man's nature, iubject unto his authority, and receive the law from his mouth, faying, "The holy One of Ifrael is our almighty King. The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King.' They kifs the Son, and bow the knee unto him, because he he hath a name which is above every name that can be

named."

8thiy, The lifting up of the hand is an act of ftrong and fervent affection, which is a neceffary concomitant of faith. When our affections are moved with love, defire, delight, we are ready to exprefs it with the lifting up of the hand. So here,

in believing, the will and affections are captivated with the love and lovelinefs of the bleffed Bridegroom. O, will the foul be ready to fay, "Thou art fairer than the children of men: He is altogether lovely. Whom have I in heaven but thee?" O the raised efteem that the foul has of him! and the ardency of affection and defire that the foul has to'wards him! If. xxvi. 9. "The defire of our foul is to thee; with my foul have I defired thee in the night, yea, with my fpirit within me will I feek thee early."

9thly, The lifting up of the hand is an expreffion of confidence and truft, Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God; as if he had faid, They fhall confide and truft in a reconciled God in Chrift: Pfal. xxxvi. "How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their truft under the fhadow of thy wings." The language of the foul, when it ftretches out the hand to God, as a promifing reconciled God, is much like that, If. xii 2. "God is my falvation I will truft, and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my ftrength and my fong, yea, he alfo is become my falvation." They trust in the name of the Lord, and his name is their ftrong tower of defence, Prov. xviii. 10.

Icthly, The lifting up of the hand is an act of appropriation and application; Ethiopia fhall stretch out the hand to God, as the Lord their God, and they fhall have no other gods before him. Faith is a grace that draws in an infinite God revealing himself in Chrift, as the foul's portion and property, as Ifrael did, Exod. xv. 2. "He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation, my Father's God, and I will exalt him." Pfal. xlviii. 14. "This God is our God for ever and ever." See Pfal. lxxxi. 2. And this appropriation of God goes upon the ground of the grant that is made in and through a fecond Adam in the new covenant, "I am the Lord thy God. I will fay, It is my people; and they fhall fay, The Lord is my God," Zech. xiii. laft.

Laftiy, This phrafe of ftretching out the hand to God implies an open profeffion of the faith in Chrift, before the world, angels, men, and devils, which is fometimes called in fcripture, an avouching of the Lord to be our God; and is fome times done there by a perfon or people, with the folemnity of lifting up the hand, an ancient form of fwearing, Rev. x. 5.6. when the angel fwore by him that liveth for ever and ever, he doth it with his hand lifted up to heaven. So here, Ethiopia fhall foon ftretch out hands unto God, that is, the inhabitants of Eopia, and of the Gentile nations, fhall openly profefs the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift to be their God, and they thall do it with the folemnity of an oath or covenant,

as Ifrael did, Joth. xxiv. 22. When Joshua told them, "Ye are witneffes against yourselves, that ye have chofen you the Lord, to ferve him." And in this manner have we, in this land, and neighbouring nations, lifted up our hand to God, declaring him to be our God, and ourselves to be his people, although, alas! these covenants have been scandalously broken, burnt, and in a great measure buried.

IV. The fourth thing was, to inquire, for what end, or upon what defign, do finners ftretch out their hands unto God, when their hearts are touched by the power of the gospel.

Answer, in the following particulars.

ft, They stretch out their hands unto God, as helpless, loft, undone finners, to a mighty Saviour, to help them out of the horrible pit and miry clay into which they had fallen, by their fin and apoftafy in Adam, and in their own perfons. When a finner believes in Chrift, he is juft like Peter walking upon the waters; the waves and billows of God's wrath are just ready to swallow him up, whereupon he cries, "Lord, fave me, I perifh;" ftretching out the hand to Christ for help. Lord, will the poor finner fay, I heard thy voice in the gofpel, faying, "O Ifrael, thou haft destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help." Thou haft laid help upon one that is mighty, and I lay my help where thou haft laid it.

་་

2dly, They ftretch out their hands as rebels against Heaven, fuing for peace at the hand of their offended Lord and Sove reign. All mankind commenced war against Heaven in the breach of the first covenant; every man by nature is enmity against God, and every fin is an act of rebellion; and, while finners continue in a state of hostility against God, God is angry with them every day, and he fays, he will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy fcalp of them that go on ftill in their trefpaffes. Now, when the finner fees his fin and mifery, and danger of falling into the hands of an angry God, he ftretches out his hand for peace and reconciliation, because he hears, that God is in Chrift reconciling the world to himself. He fees the white flag caft out from heaven, with a proclamation, If. lvii. 19. "I create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near."

3dly, As guilty criminals, condemned in law, to receive the king's pardon and remiffion, according to the promife, Ifa. xliii. 25. "I, even I am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreflions, for mine own name's fake." Oh! will the man fay with David, Pfal. cxxx. 3. 4. "If thou, Lord, fhouldft mark iniquity, O Lord,

VOL. III.

3 P

Lord, who shall ftand before thee? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayeft be feared." And therefore, "God be merciful to me a finner!" So David, Pfal. li. 1. " According to thy loving-kindnefs, blot out my tranfgreffions."

4thly, They ftretch out the hand as fupplicants, (Zeph. iii.) and beggars to receive of God's alms. God fays in his word, "If any man lack wifdom, let him atk of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not." Well, when the pride and legality of the heart is broken by the power of the gospel, the finner comes a begging at the door of grace and mercy, crying for a fupply of all his wants: He hears God fits upon a throne of grace, calling the poor, blind, and naked, to come "without money, and without price, to receive grace and mercy to help in a time of need;" and therefore he ftretches out the hand in a way of fupplication, that God, for Chrift's fake, may "fupply all his need, according to his riches in glory by Chrift Jefus.'

5thly, The finner ftretches out the hand unto God, as a fervant, to work the work of God, and to do whatsoever he commands him: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Acts ix. 6.

6thly, As a foldier to fight the Lord's battles against fin, Satan, and the world: "Oh! do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee, and am not I grieved with thote that rise up against thee?" Pfal. cxxxix. 21.

7thly, As a biind creature, that needs to be guided in the way that he knows not. Ifa. xlii. 16. "I will bring the blind by a way that they know not." Well, fays the poor foul, Lord be a leader unto me, for "good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach finners in the way," Pial. xxv. 8.

8thly, As the hand of a distreffed child unto a tender heart'ed father. No fooner is the heart of a finner touched by the power of gofpel grace, but he begins to cry unto God, Ábba, Father; Father, help; Father, heal; Father, relieve; and this is what the Lord delights in, and defires, as you fee, Jer. iii. 4. "Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, my Father;" and oh! how are his bowels fenfibly touched with this cry; as you fee in the cafe of the prodigal, Luke xv. and of Ephraim, Jer. xxxi. 19. "Is he my dear fou?" &c.

9thly, The hand is ftretched out as the hand of the bride is ftretched out to the bridegroom in marriage. God fays in the gofpel, "Thy Maker is thine Hufband; I will betrothe thee unto me for ever." Amen, fays the poor foul; a bargain be it; from this time forward, I will call thee Ibi, my hufband, Hofea ii. 16. And thus that prophecy is fulfilled, If. xliv. 5. "One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another

fhall

fhall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subfcribe with his hand unto the Lord, and firname himself by the name of Ifrael."

V. The fifth thing was, to inquire whence it is that the hand is foon stretched out unto God, when the heart is effectually touched by the power of gofpel grace.

Anf. 1ft, Becaufe the command of believing, or of ftretching out the hand of faith unto God, is peremptory, and admits not of the least delay, 1 John iii. 23. "This is his commandment, that we fhould believe on the name of his Son, Jefus Chrift." From the first moment that this command of the King of kings and Lord of lords was intimate, there has never been one moment of time allowed you to continue in your unbelief; no, " To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts," Pfal. xcv. 7. compared with Heb. iii. 7. and

iv. 7:

2dly, The finner, whofe heart is touched, is aware of the I dangerous condition he is into, before the hand be ftretched out unto God in a way of believing. He is convinced that he is condemned already, and that the wrath of God abideth on him; he fees the avenger of blood pursuing him, and ready every moment to feize him, and therefore he will lofe no time, but, like Ethiopia, foon ftretch out his hand to God.

3dly, They foon stretch out their hands unto God, because God has been long ftretching out his hand to them, Rom. x. laft, "But to Ifrael he faith, (viz. by Ifaiah, chap. Ixv. 2.). All day long have Iftretched out my hands unto a gainfaying and difobedient people." O. will the foul fay, has God's hand been stretched out all day long unto me, and have I been difobedient, and pulled back my hand from him? O, if I have done fo wickedly and foolishly, through grace, I will do fo

no more.

4thly, Becaufe much precious time is already loft in the ferving of fin, and the time to come is fo uncertain and short, that it cannot be lippened to, Rom. xiii. 12. 13. "And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of fleep: The night is far fpent, the day is at hand; let us therefore caft off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."

5thly, They foon ftretch out their hand to God, because Chrift has made them willing in the day of his power; he has made a difcovery of his glory, beauty, and excellency, to their fouls, whereby their hearts and wills are fweetly bended to an infalling with his own call, Pfal. cx. 3. "Thy people thall

be