upon the hearts of those pious and judicious hearers, who have, we believe, been thereby moved with a godly zeal for the saving good of the generation to desire, request and undertake for the publication of it, doth promise it patronage from heaven. The special promised presence of our Lord Jesus with this his servant for his assistance in the ministry of his word, as also in the whole course of his ministration, is a singular token and pledge of his special grace and favor, unto that precious church in and unto which he is called to minister. The Lord make them more and more thankful, profitable and fruitful, and prosper his work with them, granting unto them more clear and full discoveries of his mind and will concerning their duty in order thereunto, that they may stand more perfect and complete in all the will of God; and be more fully replenished with his spiritual and gracious presence; enriched with all the gifts and graces of his Spirit, and settled, together with all our churches, under the saving dispensation of the covenant of grace, strengthened unto steadfast perseverance in the faith, obedience and order of the gospel unto the end.

Which is the prayer of

Your servants for Christ our Saviour's sake,

SAMUEL TORREY.

JOSIAH FLINT.

SERMON.

ISAIAH Xxxii. 13-18.

"Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city. Because the palaces shall be forsaken, the multitude of the city shall be left, the forts and towers shall be for dens forever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places."

In the beginning of this chapter there is a prophecy of the righteous and prosperous reign of a king, whose subjects shall live in a comfortable and happy condition under his government, things and persons shall be called by their right names, a wicked man shall be called a wicked man, a good man owned for a good man, and every one treated rightly, and all things managed righteously, every person and thing handled according to their true merits, ver. 1-9. And this king is by some taken to be Hezekiah. Eng. Annot. But by others, Christ, under whose reign especially all these things are accomplished. Jun. in loc. Christ does indeed always rule, but there is at some times a more eminent and powerful administration of his kingdom, wherein there is a more visible and plenary fulfilling of the things here spoken of, and to some such time may this prophecy have respect.

In the latter part of the chapter the prophet discourseth of those troubles that were to come upon the land of his people, before their establishment in and under the prosperity formerly described.

And 1. He begins with a solemn warning and exhortation to all secure careless ones to be awakened by their misery coming, and to break off their evil courses, and to betake themselves to humilia

tion, lamentation and so to reformation, if thereby they might prevent, or at least moderate the judgment impending over them. "Rise up ye women that are at ease, hear my voice ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech: Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women. Tremble ye women that are at ease." Ver. 9-13. Would careless secure men and women be awakened by warnings given, much of their sorrow might be diverted. Had we sinful and foolish people in New England been wise in season, and taken those solemn warnings which have been given us, much of that sorrow and misery which we have felt and do feel in war, sickness and other shakings might have been escaped. 2. He declares (seeing they had not by repentance diverted God's anger, but were secure) their settlement under a dispensation of judgment, and the continuance and process of their miseries to a determined period, at which there should be a great turn and change of God's dispensations towards them. In the two last verses, whether read by themselves or joined with the foregoing, he describes the blessedness and security both of their persons and enjoyments, upon and for whom this change is wrought, however it fare with others when sorrows come down upon others they shall be secured. The expression here used being probably metaphorical. Vide Sanctium in Pol. Synop.

In the text we have 1. A declaration of the settlement of this people under a dispensation of judgment, and the process of judgments and miseries upon them. How troubles and sorrows should come, grow upon and overspread them. "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers." Ver. 13, 14. Thorns and briers may be here taken literally, and so the expression denotes that great devastation and depopulation should be made in the land. They may also be taken metaphorically, as Ezek. xxviii. 24, "There shall be no more a pricking brier to the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them." So that by thorns and briers coming up upon the land, we may understand pricking, grieving, pinching and disquieting troubles falling upon the inhabitants of the land. Upon all the houses of joy. They are called houses of joy, because they were at present full of mirth and merriment in them, as misdoubting no trouble near. Eng. Annot. in loc. And upon all these should sorrow come: Their troubles should spread among, and over them universally, and take away their mirth and turn it into mourning. In the joyous city.-City, in a collective sense, for cities, the several cities throughout the whole land of Judah. Annot. And these were joyous or revelling cities, given to ease, delight and pleasure, abounding with much luxury, whose profane joy and revelling should be followed with distress. Because the palaces shall be

forsaken, the multitude of the city shall be left.-There should be great desolations made in the places of their dwellings both for conveniency and delight: And great diminution of their numbers, mortality and misery lighting upon them. The forts and towers shall be for dens.-Their places of strength, munition, defence and safeguard being deserted and lying waste, should become receptacles and dens for wild beasts to lie down in. Forever-or, for a long time, as the word bi is often used. Designat continuationem vel durationem non perpetuam semper, sed longam et non interruptam per aliquod tempus, et continuatam ad insignem aliquem periodum. Spanhem. A joy of wild asses-these and other wild creatures should range, run at large, play and disport themselves there, where sometimes dwellings and castles were. A pasture of flocks-cattle should graze in those places that were sometimes inhabited, they being left desolate. These and the like miseries should be, continue and grow upon them, being set under judgment.

2. The period of these miseries. Till which they should be continued, and proceed, viz. until the Spirit should be poured out upon the people, and the gracious effects of it obtained in them. Ver. 15. Until the Spirit be poured upon us.-By Spirit here which is said to be poured out upon them, we may understand not so much the person of the Holy Ghost (not here to speak of the personal indwelling of the Spirit in all the saints, as 2 Tim. i. 14.), as the saving gifts and graces of the Spirit, by the donation of which, persons are enlightened and regenerated, sinners converted, and saints more and more sanctified. And by pouring out of the Spirit, we may understand a plentiful effusion, or giving forth of the gifts and graces of the Spirit to the sound conversion and thorough sanctification of a people. The dispensation of the Spirit in all the gracious and saving operations thereof, is expressed by giving the Holy Ghost, John vii. 39. "This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given." And by pouring out the gift of the Holy Ghost, Acts x. 45. "On the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." By the Spirit being poured out upon them therefore is intended, a plentiful and abundant measure of the communication of the gifts and graces of the Spirit unto them, and this was the determined period of their miseries. See more of this in Mr. I. Mather's sermon on Isai. xliv. 3. Qu. 1, 2. where these things are directly and fully spoken to. From on high-from God above, Father and Son. And the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.—I shall not trouble you with reciting the various expositions given of this and the parallel place, in Isa. xxix. 17, but only lay down and improve that, which comparing them with the text and