the deftruction of Antichrift, I have mentioned fome conjectures and calculations about the time of his fall: though I think none should be too bold or peremptory in fixing the precife time, but all ought to wait patiently until God's fet time fhall come. All may now per- ` ceive Antichrift visibly risen and difcovered. Nay, we have seen him arrived at his pomp and height about 1500 years after Chrift. Since that time the Lord hath begun to waste and confume him, by the revival of religion and learning in the world. As his rife was gradual, fo fhall his confumption be. He hath now been labouring under a deadly confumption above these 200 years paft. The wound given him is deep and mortal; fo whatever pains be taken fometimes to heal it, all shall be in vain: For, as Chrift must increase, fo Antichrift must decrease, and be quite ruined at length, as is fhewed in the following Difcourfes. May all the lovers of Chrift pray fervently, and look out for that blesfed and joyful time.

DUNDEE.}

Jan. 20. 1742.

1

THE

BALM OF GILEAD,

FOR HEALING

A DISEASED LAND

SERMON I.

JER. viii. 20, 21, 22.

The harvest is past, the fummer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt, I am black: Aftonishment hath taken bold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

N the preceding part of this chapter we have repre

bring upon a finful people, and the confternation the whole land fhould be in upon the alarm thereof. The fins of Judah were come to a great height, whereby God was provoked to let loofe the Chaldeans against them. The prophet was himself an eye witness of the oppreffion and desolation of his country and the church of God by the Chaldean army; and he forefaw ftill greater judgments and calamities coming upon them, whereby both he and the serious people of the land were greatly affected, and put to lament their cafe before the Lord. Among other things, they lament the disappointment of their expectation of healing and deliverance from diftrefs, ver. 15. "We looked for

peace,

peace, but no good came, and for a time of health, and behold trouble." They fometimes had hopeful and promifing feafons, when they expected relief; but after all their waiting they were disappointed; these likely times of healing were loft. Hence they are put to fay, "The harvest is paft, the fummer is ended, and we are not faved." Summer and harveft are proper seasons of action, opportunities for armies to take the field, to fubdue enemies, and bring about deliverance for an oppreffed people: The winter that follows is not a fit feafon for action. It is fad when likely feafons, for faving a people from temporal enemies and grievances, are loft; but it is yet fadder for them to lofe hopeful and promifing feafons for faving of their fouls. The lofs of fuch harveft or fummer-days for our fouls is the greateft ground of lamentation. The prophet being deeply fenfible of his peoples lofs and calamitous condition, he is grievoufly diftreffed for them, ver. 21. "For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt, I am black," &c. The daughter of my people is a common Hebraifm ufed in fcripture, and it fignifies the body of the people of Judah, which was God's vifible church upon earth; their hurt and diftrefs did affect the holy man in the most tender manner, and drew forth his fympathy with them. Upon this account, faith he, "I am black," I have loft my wonted colour, my face is turned blackish, or I go in black, as mourners do. I am astonished and troubled the more that I fee no appearance of relief for them in their diftrefs, their cafe feems to be hopeless and incurable. Upon which he puts the question, ver. 22. " Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no phyfician there? Why then," &c. Is there no balm for the diftreffed church, no phyfician for a diseased land? It is generally thought the queftion doth not import any defpair or denial of help, but rather the contrary, as if he had faid, Is there no balm? Is there not a Phyfician? Yes, there is. The incurableness of their disease is not owing to the want of balm, or of a Physician in the land, but to themfelves and their unbelief. There was a fufficient remedy

in God, and in the Meffiah, for all their grievances, had they accepted and applied the fame. Hence he adds that pertinent queftion, "Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?" 9. d. What is the caufe, then, or to whom is it to be imputed, that the church or people of Judah do ftill lie in a dying cafe furely not to the balm nor to the phyfician, but to their own folly and obftinacy.

Queft. What is here meant by the balm of Gilead ? Anf. The land of Gilead, on the other fide Jordan, was a part of the country of Ifrael, where that plant grew, which afforded a moft precious balm for healing, when it was pierced; which was a rare and valuable commodity that other countries did traffick for with the land of Ifrael, Jer. xlvi 11. Ezek. xxvii. 17. And we fee in Gen. xxxvii. 25. the Ifhmaelites that bought Jofeph, carried balm from Gilead into Egypt. Naturalifts fay, this balm was a juice or oil that run from a certain low fhrub, when its bark was cut, that grew efpecially about Jericho, in the land of Gilead, and was of great value, as having a fovereign virtue to cleanse foul fores, heal deep wounds, help the eye-fight, cure the ftings of ferpents, yea, it was a fort of catholicon that cured almost all difeafes. This balm we may look upon as a fit type to represent Chrift's blood, which is an excellent balm and catholicon for all difeafes of the foul: For God's difpenfations to the Ifraelites were generally defigned as types and signs of spiritual things under the New Teftament times, according to Cor. x 11. "All these things happened unto them for enfamples." Orig. TUPOI, for types." And, among the reft, this balm of Gilead was typical and inftructive to the vir tue of the Meffiah's blood; for feeing God vouchfafed this balm to Ifrael only, and made other nations beholden to them for it, it teacheth us that the balm for healing fouls is only in the church of God, and Chrift is the true antitype of this balm; for in Judah's land only was Chrift known, there they had his blood daily typified to them in the facrifices, and its virtue Yet forth.

Again, the Phyfician of Gilead is next mentioned, becaufe phyficians use to abound where there is plenty of good medicines. The Balm and Phyficians in Gilead are figuratively brought in here to point out the plenty of good means of health that were still in Ifrael, for recovering them from their languishing confumption, if they had made a right ufe of them. As they had God himself, and the Meffiah and his Spirit which he had promised to them, to look to for relief; fo they had plenty of under means and phyficians appointed them. They had God's law, the temple, the ordinances, the altar, and facrifices. They had alfo the princes, the priests, and prophets, whofe bufinefs it was to redrefs grievances, reform the nation, and apply to heaven for help. So that if the health of the church and nation was not reftored, it was not for want of balm, or a phyfician; nay, God had plentifully provided excellent means and remedies for their cure: And if their difeafe be deadly, or their wound incurable, it must be owing to themfelves, and to their defperate wilfulness or incorrigibleness in fin, and to their refufing to fubmit to the Phyfician's directions and method of cure.

The words being thus opened up, give ground for the following heads of doctrine.

I. The cafe of thofe is very lamentable, who lofe their harvest and fummer-days of grace.

II. Every gracious fpirit is a public fpirit, and will lay to heart the calamitous cafe of the church or country whereof he is a member.

III. However defperate the difeafes of those within the church may feem to be, yet if they die of them, it will be owing to themselves, feeing they have fuch an able Phyfician, and excellent balm to look to for healing.

It is the laft of thefe doctrines, I mainly intend to hand and infift upon; wherefore I fhall the more briefly touch the two firft as introductory to it.

1. Doct. The case of thofe is very lamentable who lofe their harvest and fummer days of grace: or their moft hopeful and likely feafons of falvation.