1 whom coming as to a living ftone, ye are built up a spiritual houfe," I Pet. ii. 4. The building goes up gradually, and is ftill going forward. Some profeffors are like the miln-wheel, it goes round, yet ftill it ftands in the fame place where it was: they go the round of duties, and morning and evening prayers; and attend Sabbath and week-days fermons, which is well done: but they are at a fland; they are the fame now, that they were ten, twenty years ago, if not worfe. But, in gathering to Shiloh, the people are made to advance nearer and nearer to heaven, getting more knowledge, more experience, more hatred of fin, more love and likenefs to Chrift. It is true, the faints themfelves have their winter-decays, but they have alfo their fummer-revivings, that fet them forward again. And thus the path of the juft is as the fhining light, which fhineth more and more unto a perfect day. V. The fifth general head propofed, was, To fpeak of the fpecial feafons, wherein this gathering of the people to Shiloh does take place. When fhall this gathering be? Why, in general, When Shiloh is come, then fhall the gathering of the people be to him: and there are two remarkable feasons of his coming, that the text intends, namely, his coming in the flesh, and his coming in the Spirit. Now, his coming in the flesh, I fpoke of in the explication; and his coming in the Spirit, I fpoke of, when I fhewed by what means this gathering is brought about: particularly the gathering wind of the Spirit, when he gathers the dead finners, as it were, out of the graves; according to that word, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon thefe flain that they may live," Ezek. xxxvii. 9. Chrift's coming in the flesh was the beginning, and commencement of the New-Teftament difpenfation, which is to laft till his fecond coming; and during the whole of that difpenfation, there will be a gathering of the Gentiles, a gathering of the people to him. Chrift's coming in the Spirit, is the very efficient caufe of all the fpiritual and effectual gatherings, that do take place under that difpenfation; and therefore, his com ing in the Spirit, to convince the world of fin, righteoufnefs, and judgment, is promised for that end, John xvi. 8. His coming thus, is like the gathering fhower fpoken of, Pfal. lxxii. 6. "He thall come down like rain upon the mowen grafs, as fhowers that water the earth:" Whereupon a gathering enfues, verfe 8. "His kingdom fhall be from fea to fea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness fhall bow before him, and his enemies fhall lick the duft. The kings of Tarfhish and the ifles fhall bring prefents, the kings of Sheba and Seba fhall offer gifts; and all nations fhall ferve him." O cry for a gathering fhower of the Spirit's influences and operations; for there will be no gathering till then. But more particularly, the gathering feafons may be confidered under a fourfold view. 1. With relation to the public and remarkable gathering of the church in general. 2. With relation to the initial gathering of finners in particular. 3. With relation to the progreffive gathering of believers. 4. With relation to the confummate gathering of the faints. Ift, The gathering feafons may be confidered, with relation to the public and remarkable gathering of the church in general. And, there are four or five feafons, that have been very remarkable, for public and numerous gatherings of the people to Shiloh. As, 1. Reformation times, in the church, have been gathering times, under the powerful influence of the Spirit of God accompanying reformation-work, and leading forward thereunto. Thus was it in the days of Hezekiah, when a multitude having deftroyed the altars of idolatry, and Hezekiah having joined fervent prayers with his reforming meafures, The Lord bearkened to Hezekiab, and healed the people, 2 Chron. xxx. 20. Reforming times have been remarkable gathering times, in Britain and Ireland. The Lord brought gofpellight very early, particularly into Scotland, by which our forefathers were delivered from heathenifm and paganifin and we wanted not fome gofpel-light, for the fpace of five hundred years after Chrift: about which time, Popery came to put in its foot among us, when one one Palladius was fent from Rome to corrupt us: and though there was a ftrenuous oppofition for feveral hundred years after that, against the Romish rites and hierarchy; yet popifh darkness did gradually overfpread thefe lands, till it came to the greatest height, in the fpace of a thousand years; after which time, to wit, in the fifteenth century, I mean a thoufand, five hundred years after Chrift, which was the reformation period; and now, about two hundred years ago, the Lord was pleafed to make reformation-light to arife, by ftirring up eminent inftruments to preach the gofpel clearly, and, to put their hands zealoufly to reformation-work; especially in Scotland, even to the extirpation of Popery, Prelacy, and Eraftianifm, and the folemn renunciation thereof, and of all heretical and fectarian errors, whether in doctrine, worship, difcipline, or government. Then it was, that minifters were clothed with righteoufnefs and falvation, and were eminent in their faithfulness to God, in his truth and interests, and zealous against fin, and all lukewarmnefs in the Lord's caufe: then it was, that the reprefentative body of the nation put to their hand for the reformation thereof: then it was, that Scotland particularly was famed through the world, under the name of PHILADELPHIA; becaufe of the purity of its reformation, having left all the rags of Popery behind it in the grave, from whence it arofe; which could not be faid of many other churches, particularly of our neighbour church of England: for, as Lazarus came out of the grave, bound hand and foot, and his face bound about with a napkin, fo was it with England in their firft reformation. It was indeed like a refurrection from the grave, in the days of king Edward and queen Elizabeth; but yet they came out of this grave, bound hand and foot with their grave-clothes, bringing many things out with them, which they fhould have left behind, efpecially all these ceremonies, fuperftitions, and modes of worship and government, wherein they fymbolize with the church of Rome, and which they brought along with them, when they left her; thefe grave-clothes they have not caft off to this day. And, alas! many in Scotland are fond of borrowing from F4 them them fome of their old garments, which fell of the prifon of Popery, which they left. But with refpect to Scotland's reformation-days, as Chrift, when he arofe from the dead, left all his linens and grave-cloths behind him; fo he helped Scotland, in rifing out of the grave of Popery, to rife and reform fo purely, as to leave all the rags of Popery, to be buried in the grave from whence they arofe. And then in thefe days it was, that the work of the Lord profpered, the gospel flourished, iniquity was made to ftop his mouth: our church was glorious to all its beholders, "And terrible to her enemies, as an army with banners," and multitudes of people were gathered to Shiloh. But, alas! one of the great reafons why there are fo few gathering to Shiloh now, is too plainly this, that reformation-work is much at a ftand, little reformation-zeal and spirit among magiftrates, minifters, or people, as it is faid, Neh. iii. 5. "The nobles of Tekoah did not put their necks to the work of the Lord:" yea, deformity, defilement, corruption, and defection, inftead of reformation, is too palpable in our day, wherein many pollutions have crept into our doctrine, much defilement into our worship, partiality and pithleffuefs into our difcipline, and tyranny and diforder in the church-government; manifold incroachments made upon the liberties of the Lord's people, and the privileges of the Lord's houfe, too well known that we need not mention them at all: infomuch, that the very foundations are ready to fhake, and the garden is much grown over with weeds, Oh! cry for the return of reformation-days! for till then, there is but little hope of remarkable gathering of the people to Shiloh. And as Chrift commanded his difciples to unbind Lazarus, when he was raifed out of the grave, and to take away his grave-cloaths; fo, feek and earneftly intreat that the Lord may come and take away whatever is oppofite to the doctrine, worfhip, difcipline, and government of his houfe, and to the perfecting the work of reformation, and whatever tends to hinder it. But again, 2. Covenanting times, in the church, have been gathering times; as you may fee in the time of Jofiah, 2 Kings 2 Kings xxiii. 3. when the people made a covenant,-to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, his teftimonies, and his flatutes, with all their heart and foul, and all the people flood to the covenant. Thus it was with thefe lands, when, after the reformation, all rank s were brought into holy and folemn covenants with God: in thefe days the Lord delighted in us, and our land was married to him; when, with uplifted hands, we fwore allegiance to him, and abjured all rivals with him in his government. Never a nation was more folemnly bound to the Lord by national covenants, in the fifteenth century, the eightieth and eighty-first years thereof; and renewed again and again in the fixteenth century, the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth years thereof, and in latter times alfo; together with the folemn league afterwards for furthering the ends, defigns, and obligations of the former. I know indeed fome difpute, and deny the obligations of thefe covenants upon pofterity: but as good Jofiah brought back the people, and caufed them to ftand to the covenant of their fathers, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 32.; fo we find that religious covenants in fcripture, comprehend abfent, as well as prefent; and pofterity to come, as well as the covenanting forfathers, Deut. xxix. 14, 15. 22. 24, 25. Now, our Solemn Covenants, that our forefathers entered into, being nothing but a fupperadded, and accumulative obligation, to what we were previously bound to by the word of God, they cannot but ftand binding upon us their pofterity. But as thefe covenanting days were gathering days, wherein many flocked in to Shiloh, and wherein God appended his feal to the covenanted work of reformation, by a numerous acceffion of fouls to the Mellias, under the influence of the powerful Spirit of God, bleffing his word, and ordinances to their converfion; fo our covenant-breaking days, on the other hand, are far from being gathering days. Little wonder, when we have. eccafion to lament, that our covenant hath been broken, burned, and buried! and if our covenant breaking be not duly lamented, and covenanted-reformation revived, we have ground to expect the Lord will fend a fword, a dreadful judgment, to avenge the quarrel of his cove nant |