,
"they shall inquire the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward,"
_i.e._, in sincerity, with uprightness of spirit, with the full set and
bent of their souls: as it is said of Christ, when He went to His
passion; "He stedfastly set His face to go up to Jerusalem." He went
with all His heart to be crucified; with a strong bent of spirit.
Beloved, we are not going to "crucifying work," (unless it be to crucify
the flesh with the affections and lusts) but to marriage work; "to join
ourselves to the Lord, in an everlasting covenant." Let us do it "with
our faces Zion-ward;" yea, let us stedfastly set our faces
reformation-ward and heaven-ward, and God-ward, and Christ-ward, with
whom we enter covenant this day. A man may inquire the way to Zion, with
his face towards Babylon; a people or person may enter covenant with
God, with their hearts Rome-ward, and earth-ward, and sin-ward, and
hell-ward. Friends, look to your hearts. "Peradventure, said Jacob, my
father will feel me, and I shall seem to him as one that mocks, and I
shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing." Without all
peradventure, may we say, our Father will feel us; for He searcheth all
hearts, and understandeth the imagination of the thoughts. If we be
found as they that mock, shewing much love with our mouths, while our
hearts are far from Him, we shall bring a curse upon ourselves; yea, and
upon the kingdoms also, and not a blessing. It is reported to the honour
of Judah, in the day of their covenanting with their God; "they had
sworn with all their heart, and with their whole desire." And their
success was answerable to their sincerity; for so it follows, "And the
Lord was found of them, and gave them rest round about." Oh! that this
might be our honour and happiness in this day, of our lifting up our
hands to the most high God, that God might not see in us a double heart,
an heart and an heart, as the Hebrew expresses it, _i.e._ one heart for
God, and another for our idols; one heart for Christ, and another for
Antichrist,: but He might see us a single, upright hearted people,
without base mixtures and composition; for He loves truth, _i.e._
sincerity, in the inward parts; that He finding such sincerity as He
looks for, we also might find such success as we look for; safety and
deliverance to both the nations; yea, that both in respect of our
sincerity and success, that might be made good upon us that is spoken to
the eternal honour of that good ki