this fong, which was fung upon the occafion of the deftruction of the church's enemies. In that day, fing ye unto her a vineyard of red wine. I would first obferve that the church is compared to a vine and a vineyard, and which is frequently the cafe both in the Old and New Teftament; as in the 80th Pfalm, Thou haft brought a vine out of Egypt; thou haft caft out the heathen and planted it; alluding to the bringing the Ifraelites out of Egypt, and difpoffeffing the Canaanitish nations, to plant them in their room: and in verse the 15th, the church is called a vineyard; fo alfo in the Song of Solomon, the church is compared to a vine and a vineyard. The church of Chrift may be compared to a vineyard for the following reafons: a vineyard is a spot of ground separated and diftinguished from others; fo is the church of Chrift from the reft of the world, by electing, redeeming, and efficacious grace. Believers are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, and, being fo, are a peculiar people: they are fenced about with fovereign grace, whereby they are made to differ from others. In the vineyard, the church, ftands in the firft place Chrift, the true and most noble vine; and next to him true believers, who are there planted by him, ingrafted on him, and grow up in him. A vineyard is a very fruitful fpot; fo is the church of Chrift, confifting of true believers, who are filled with the fruits of righteousness by Jefus Chrift, who is the true vine on whom they are ingrafted, and from whom their fruit is found.

A vineyard requires great care and pains from the husbandman; fo does the church: and Chrift is continually employing his care over, and beftowing the showers of his grace upon it. Vineyards are delightful and pleasant, fuch is the church to Chrift; he delights to walk in it, and often goes down into it, to observe how it grows and thrives. Vines must be watered, pruned, and propped. Chrift does all this and much more to his vineyard the church; he waters it every moment by his grace, prunes, and lops off the unfruitful branches, fupports the weak and tender vines with his almighty power, and fences them about with divine favours. Chrift's vineyard, the church, is a place to fing as well as work in. He hath his minifters employed in working in it, by labouring in the word and doctrine, and in finging the Lord's fong, in publishing the Lord's praise, and proclaiming his everlafting love, free grace, a finished falvation, the unsearchable riches of Chrift, which fill the fouls of the redeemed with joy unfpeakable. In that day, when the everlasting covenant hath been carried into execution by the incarnation of the Son of God; when everlafting righteousness is brought in, peace made, fin abolished, Satan conquered, and everlafting victory gained over all the principalities and powers of darknefs, fing ye unto her a vineyard of red wine. It is by the most precious blood of Christ, the church is cleansed and purged from fin, and redeemed out of the hands of law and juftice; pardon of fin is the fruit of it. We have redemption through his blood, the forgivenefs of fins according to the riches of his grace. It is the

blood of Chrift which alone can wash out the fcarlet stain of fin, and obtain peace with God; and redemption through the immaculate Lamb of God, is the fweetest found and fong a believer can hear; it is mufic to the ear, honey in the mouth, and melody in the heart. Without the bloodshedding of Chrift, fin would have undone our fouls; and without God's own teftimony in the Scriptures concerning the eternal worth and everlafting efficacy of the blood of fprinkling, the guilty confcience could have no peace. For when fin is known and felt in its guilt and power, the foul would fink into unutterable and everlasting despair, did not the Holy Spirit point the convinced perfon to the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world. Nothing but the joyful found of pardon and falvation, can raise up the foul, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, unto a living hope and faith in God. The Lord hath here prepared a fong to be fung to the honour of his name by Zion's converts, in remembrance of his mercy, and for the refreshment of their fpirits. In that day fing ye unto her a vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: left any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Fury is not in me. Here is the church's fafety and happiness. The Lord delighteth in his people. He preferves and protects them. He fupplies and waters them with fhowers of heavenly bleffings; guards them by night and day, is at perfect peace with them, and all their enemies are under his feet; fo that it muft be a vain thing for any enemy to attempt to annoy them. Who would fet the briars and thorns against me in battle? (all the enemies of God's people are but thorns

and briars before the Lord, who will be unto them a confuming fire.) I would go through (or, march againft) them, I would burn them together. Who would be fo rafh? Rather let every one of mine enemies humble himself, and fly to my grace. Let him take hold of my firength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me. We here fee how the Lord is pleased to deal with fuch to whom he fhews mercy. He pours out of his Spirit upon them, and puts his Spirit within them, who gives them to feel their want of Chrift, and makes them willing to come unto him. Hereupon the foul is brought to know that God is reconciled, is the God of peace, and that he is at perfect peace with all his people in Chrift Jefus. He hath declared it, Fury is not in me. If the foul afks, how fhall I be affured of it? How fhall I know my intereft in it? The Lord gives this command, Let him take hold of my firength; Jefus is the all glorious Mediator; take hold of him, as fet forth by the Father's love and grace, as a propitiation for fin; he is the great peace-maker. But how fhall we take hold of Chrift? By faith. The Father draws the heart to Chrift, by the invincible power of his omnipotent grace. The foul drawn, lays hold of Chrift, as the ftrong and almighty Saviour: and Chrift being trusted in, and relied upon, by the faith of the operation of God, hereby the foul, by the teftimony of the Spirit, is brought to know its perfonal intereft in Chrift, and that God is at perfect peace with him. The Holy Ghoft reveals God as reconciled in Chrift and at perfect peace: and when believers are under fear and trouble through guilty

fears and unbelief, he directs them to take fresh hold of Chrift by faith, whereby they have a renewed fense of God's love towards them, and of their interest in the covenant of peace. Every fermon concerning the love of God in Chrift, is a fong to every trembling, doubting, difconfolate believer. The Lord does not come to his people calling them to mount Sinai, difcovering himself in terror and horror; but he comes to them in the ftill fmall voice of peace and pardon; and from mount Zion he fings forth the glorious fong of redemption to poor undone finners and doubting faints. It is well for us that it is fo; for when a foul is really and effectually awakened by the Holy Spirit, to fee, feel, experience, and know, what a state of fin and guilt Adam's fall had brought it into, no voice but the Lord's can raise up the guilty finner to wait and hope for the falvation of God. As God wounds in conviction, fo he only can heal. It requires the almighty power of God to be put forth, in order to comfort the truly awakened perfon. Let the whole college of divines, yea, fummon all the holy angels from heaven, and let them all cry, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, faith your God: it will all be in vain, until the God of all comfort, himself, by his own word and fpirit, is pleased to speak peace and comfort to the heart. Luther ufed to fay, " It requires as much "to fatisfy a guilty confcience as to fatisfy God him"felf." Nothing can give the guilty confcience peace, but the blood of Chrift; and this yields peace only in its application, which it is the peculiar prerogative and office of the eternal Spirit to make. He applies it by