w Jerufalem, and faw how it would be in the latter days; and I have not a doubt but he faw in vifion, a river which thousands and millions will hereafter fee, though there is now no fuch river in the world.

We ought to remember, that the great earthquake which will be when Chrift comes, will make a great change in the face of the earth, and especially in the land of Canaan. We are told, that the mount of Olives will be parted, and removed, half toward the north, and half toward the south, and that all the land fouth of Jerufalem, which is now mountains, shall become a plain, that men may dwell there. See Zech..xiv..

This river will without any doubt, run through the valley which will be made when the mount of Olives is divided by the great earthquake. Thefe waters are to run towards the east country, from there to the defert, and from thence into the dead fea.

3. Thefe waters which iffue out from under the threfhold, will be of an healing nature, even the dead un-healthy water of the fea of Sodom will be healed by the waters of this river when it runs there. Where Sodom and Gomorrah once ftood, only a dead lake is now feen. It is given over to falt, and though the river Jordan con-tinually runs into it, yet it remains ftill in a barren, ufe-lefs fituation. There is no kind of creature that can live : there; but it is here faid that, "being brought forth in-to the fea the waters fhall be healed."

This will be the time when Sodom and Gomorrah will be restored, or brought back to its original state. Once,. this very lake was like a garden well watered; Genefis xiii. 10, "And Lot lifted up fis eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comeft to Zoar." What an amazing change has taken. place in thofe cities; but when this river runs into the lake all will be fruitful.

The restoration of the land of Sodom, Samaria and Jerufalem, are all spoken of in one chapter. Many have fuppofed that the people will be restored; but it is the

land, not the people that are spoken of, feeEzekiel xvi.55, When thy fifters, Sodom and her daughters, fhall return to her former eftate, and Samaria and her daughters fhall return to their former eftate, then thou and thy daughters fhall return to your former eftate." By Sodom and her daughters,is meant Sodom & the other cities around. The daughters of Samaria, are the younger cities dependant on her, fo of Jerufalem and her daught sers. God has promised to restore the land of Canaan to the Jews, by an everlasting covenant, and at that time to reftore the cities of Samaria and Sodom. The time will be when these waters will reftore the land to its former fruitfulness.

4. We are told that this river shall be full of fish as the fifh of the great fea, or Mediterranean. This will en rich the inhabitants of the land, and it is faid that all along the banks of the fea which was once a dead lake, there fhall be fifhers from En-gedi on the southwest of the lake to En-egliam an the northeast. This lake is now about eighty miles long, and about twenty miles wide.

5. It is faid that befides the abundance of fish that the fea fhall produce, that on each bank of the river shall be fruit trees, whofe leaves fhall be for medicine. This need -not appear strange to any perfon. As to waters of an healing nature, we know there are many such now. We are all well acquainted with fruit trees, and know that the leaves and bark of many trees are now used for medicine.

How delightful muft this river appear in that day! Having its beginning at the house of the Lord in Jerufalem, and running down into the defert, and healing old Sodom on its way to the great fea; add to all this, every part of it stored with fish who leap out and mean his praife, while the beautiful fruit trees all along the bank offer their fruit to every hungry man, and their medicinal leaves to the fick; while at the fame time under their fhade the happy fishermen follow their bufinefs, enjoy the fhadow in the head, feed on their fruit when hungry, receive health from the leaves, and fpread forth their nets,

joining together in fongs of praise to him who is to their fouls a place of broad rivers and streams.

What person on earth by reading this account of the river and country, would ever think that all this had reference, to certain things never feen nor to be feen? To prove that this will be a reality in the land of Canaan in the last days, the Lord told Ezekiel, the bounds of the land where this river is to run in the last days. See ver. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.

I think it plain from the prophecies, that the deferts of Arabia and other places which are now uninhabited, by reason of their being without water, will be well watered and inhabited when Chrift reigns on the earth. This is mentioned in Isaiah xxxv. 6, 7-" Then fhall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb fhall fing; for in the wilderness fhall waters break out, and streams in the defert; and the parched ground fhall become a pool, and the thirsty land fprings of water; in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, fhall be grafs with reeds and rushes."

I cannot think that the holy Ghost moved the prophet to defcribe the work of the spirit on the heart, by this defcription of waters breaking out in the wilderness; but I believe that it will have a literal accomplishment, when the Lord Jefus fhill reign over all the earth in Jerufalem. O glorious day, when the parched deferts of Arabia fhall become fruitful, yielding abundance for man and beast, when men fhall there eat and drink, and delight themfelves in the great goodnefs of the Lord!

Bleffed and holy are thofe who fhall live when God fhall do this.

SERMON XII.

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"WE HAVE ALSO A MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY," &c.

IN this difcourfe I fhall, 1. Prove that all nations will meet in Jerufalem from year to year, during the thousand years of Chrift's reign upon earth....2. Mention the defign of their meeting....3. The refpect which will be fhewn the Jews by other nations, at the time when they meet with them at Jerufalem.

1. I am to prove

that all nations will meet at Jerufalem from year to year, during the thousand years of Chrift's reign upon earth.

THIS by fome may be thought a thing in

credible; but the fituation of the nations of the earth at that time, will require that all nations, or at leaft that fome of all nations, in behalf of the reft, should meet at the feat of government for the benefit of the whole.

This we know is neceffary in all governments, especially where the good of the whole is viewed. What benefit fhould we receive from our general government, were it not for the annual meetings of all the ftates by their reprefentatives in Congrefs, where they act in behalf of the whole? Without this, all would be but a name.

The annual meetings among the different denomi nations who profefs to belong to Chrift, (though they meet to act on things peculiar to their own denomination, and not on things recorded in the new teftament) prove the neceffity of an annual meeting of all nations, when

they fhall call him bleffed. Were it not for the annual meetings of the Prefbyterians, where a part act for the whole, the denomination would ceafe out of the land. Were the Methodifts to omit their annual meetings, their denomination would not be known either to themselves or others.

At the time when there fhall be one Lord and his NAME one; all those party distinguishing names and meetings will be overpowered by the glorious name chriftian; and the great annual meeting of all nations by their reprefentatives, when, "Many people fhall go and fay, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerufalem."

This annual meeting, like the fun which overpowers all other lights, will overpower all the little annual meet, ings of the different religious denominations, and all the annual meetings of ftates, kingdoms, and Empires in the world.

If there were not plain prophecies of this yearly meeting through the thousand years of Chrift's reign upor earth, I fhould not have mentioned these things, for believe that all prophecied of in fcripture is poffible, and needful, or it had not been mentioned.

The part of the world where all nations are to meet, is a central part, more than any other on earth, and the courfe of the different great rivers in the earth, fhew that a paffage there from all parts of the earth in a fhort time is poffible.

I fhall now mention the prophecies which speak of this great meeting from year to year. Ifaiah ii. 3, " And many people fhall go and oty, come ye, and let u go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerufalem."

This prophecy refers to fomething which has not yet taken place. The verfe before this, mentions what shall