by James Battersby

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: fulness of time He hath spoken unto us by His Son Jesus Christ," and then by His holy Apostles, and by His word. He hath "called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof." This seems to be an expression of universality and refers to His people in all parts of the earth. It probably includes the calling of the Gentiles by the preaching of the Gospel. Our text may then be read, as a reason for " Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined." The 3rd verse opens thus :—" Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence:" He shall not keep silence, but He shall speak to the Jews in judgment as He did when they were cast off and scattered hither and thither in the overthrow of Jerusalem. But at the same time His own disciples were spoken to in mercy and blessed. Judgment and mercy generally go together. Hence, in the 5th verse, you have this excellent counsel recorded—" Gather My saints together unto Me ; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." The saints are those whom God has set apart for Himself, and called them by His Word and Spirit. They are gathered together to Him from all parts of the world, and they rest upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the One Sacrifice before God for their acceptance. " And the heavens shall declare His Righteousness." That is, those that are in the heavens ;—the redeemed, and the very angels of God shall magnify the Righteousness of Jehovah Jesus. " For God is Judge Himself." Then, in the next verse, which I do not intend enlarging upon, the Lord's ancient people are addressed:—"Hear, O My people, and I will speak: O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God." Then from the 8th verse to the end of the 13th, He exposes their ceremonialism, and tells them that He has no pleasure in these thin...