A sermon, occasioned

The Princely Prophet is predicting, perhaps about 200 years before the Accomplishment thereof, the Reduction and Redemption of the captiv'd Jews from Babylon, together with the very name of the Persian Emperor Cyrus, who should be the ••••rument thereof; and thereupon he assigns the several reasons of this stupendious Dispensation. One ground thereof laid down is, that the Nations of the world, far and near, might be brought to abandon their Lying vanities, and to acknowledge the Only true GOD, with Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. At the mention of this there immediately falls in the gracious invitation to those Nations which we have now to insist upon: wherein we may observe,

The Princely Prophet is predicting, perhaps about 200 years before the Accomplishment thereof, the Reduction and Redemption of the captiv'd Jews from Babylon, together with the very name of the Persian Emperor Cyrus, who should be the ••••rument thereof; and thereupon he assigns the several reasons of this stupendions Dispensation. One ground thereof laid down is, that the Nations of the world, far and near, might be brought to abandon their Lying vanities, and to acknowledge the Only true GOD, with Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. At the mention of this there immediately falls in the gracious invitation to those Nations which we have now to insist upon: wherein we may observe,

(1.) The Subjects which are called upon, These are all the ends of the earth; even the Gentiles, in all quarters of the world, whose Vocation is here ⟨p. 41⟩foretold; The poor souls whose natural Distance from the Church of God, and whose moral Distance from the Love of God was exceeding deplorable. (2.) The Object propounded for these to converse withal. This by that Expression Me, is determined to be the Lord Himself. But who? Truly, it is God the Saviour, it is the Lord Jesus Christ; a Devotion to whom should come instead of the Homage which men had bin wont to yield unto their other Images of God, and Deliverance by whom is the Antitype of what the Lords people had of old by other viours. To confirm this Interpretation, I find the Chaldee Paraphrase rendering this Me, by My Word; using the Term of [Meemar] which belongs to the 2nd Person in the adorable Trinity. (3.) The Act to be applied hereunto: This is to Look; namely with an Eye of faith & of repentance. In this Clause, there seems to be an Allusion to the Looks that the ancient Israelites had bin wont to give unto the Brazen Serpent; which, if that great Reformer Hezekiah had not made mere brass of it, might, for ought I know be still abused to vain & vile Superstitions among 'em. (4.) The End of the Whole. Tis said, Be ye saved; and the intent of that is Double, it is both, be desirous that ye may be saved, & it is, be assured that ye shall be saved. The two fold End (both finis Operis, and finis Operantis) both the Design, & the Event is to be Salvation. Salvation