The City of Truth

Zechariah 8:2-3
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.”

Exposition.

The text we will be dealing with is Zechariah 8:2-3 in which it is written, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.”
Zechariah himself whose name means, “The LORD has remembered” was a prophet during the time of the return from Babylonian captivity, in which time period the people of God were called back to their own land, and were exhorted to rebuild the walls and temple of Jerusalem. During this time they prospered under the instructions of Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the scribe, and the faithful ministries of Haggai and Zechariah. Zechariah’s name is a reference to the promise of covenant forgiveness, made in Leviticus 26 which also contained the curses which would come upon the people if they did not obey all the words which were spoken by Moses, the man of God and mediator of the first covenant. Malachi also testifies of the importance of God’s law, as he says in his own prophecy by the mouth of God, “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” Inferring that for Israel to return to the Lord, as it is written, “Return unto me and I will return unto you saith the LORD” it must be according to the law, as God will not slack the least of His holy law, but will fulfill all the words which He hath spoken, with the judgments and curses upon those who are disobedient. Therefore, when we hear the words of Zechariah, we must remember the threats of vengeance and the conditions of the law which echo his name, even the quarrel of the covenant which reads, “But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.

And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.”
Three times the word remember is used here to magnify God’s fulfillment of His promises which He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to be a Father to His people and lead them into their inheritance. We know from the histories recorded in Samuel and Kings that Israel did not obey the voice of the LORD, nor did they follow after His commandments, but walked in the imagination of their own hearts, followed after false gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. They soon forgot the LORD and His wonders which He showed them in the wilderness and went a whoring after the false gods of the heathen. Jeremiah laments their wickedness saying, “Hath a nation changed its gods which are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished at this, O ye heavens, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.” And so we see a two-fold remembrance of God. 1. That he remembers all the sins of the ungodly, and will punish them for all their transgressions, and 2. That He remembers His covenant and will have mercy upon His people according to the abundance of His love and according to his own will. And so “remember” is echoed three times in this last verse, in order the more to assure us that God’s word will stand forever. He hath promised that he would remember the land, and even in spite of all their rebellion and disobedience, God did not cast away His people Israel, but raised up for them a redeemer to fulfill all the stipulations of the first covenant, and establish a new, even that of grace, and the free remission of sins in His name. And so, bearing this in mind we read from this text, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous.” For who has ever heard of a nation being called out of heathen darkness into communion with the most High God? Even as Melchizedek knew of this and blessed Abraham, saying, “Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.” And who has ever heard of one man becoming a mighty nation, and he that had no child until he was an hundred years old; and the husband of a barren woman? And so, we should not think it a small matter that the LORD hath purposed to take for Himself a people, and put His name among them, nor should we be puffed up as if this were because of our own worth or merit, but let us stand amazed at the mercy and pity of God who chose for Himself a nation, and called them out of obscurity, and barrenness, into a fruitful land, and multiplied them exceedingly. Therefore, seeing that God promised to Adam a seed to bruise the serpent’s head, and to Abraham, that it would be through him that the promises should be fulfilled, even as Paul says to the Hebrews, “For he [that is Christ] took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham.” So let us observe that the LORD is jealous for His people and will perform His word to them. Let us also observe this word in reference to idolatry. For when God speaks, we know that He speaks with power, and we should hear and attend to His word reverently as if the heavens and the earth should melt before Him, even with fear, amazement and trembling, and take heed to what is spoken, lest we drift away and so perish. For when God gave His law to Moses, He spake saying, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” And our catechism teaches on this point saying, “God taketh notice of and is much displeased with the sin of having any other god.” So we see that God taketh careful notice of idolatry and is furious at the sin of making unto ourselves another god. He cannot abide it in His sight, but hath promised especial recompense to those given to it, as it is said in the law, “He repayeth them that hate Him to their face.” As when the children of Israel made for themselves a calf, and were killed by the sword, or lusted after food, and were plagued, or lusted for power and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed the transgressors up, or lusted for foreign women, and were slain by the priest of God acting in fury and jealousy for the sake of God. Paul also recounts this in his letter to the Corinthians saying, “Let us not lust as they lusted.” And again, “Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” meaning that we are dull of hearing and stubborn, even to stupidity if we do not humbly submit to His word and learn from these things that were written for us, seeing God has carefully recorded these things for our benefit. The LORD is jealous for His people, and will chastise them if they should go astray from His word. So let us take heed that we come quietly to Him, as a meek and obedient people, and submit to His yoke, seeing He is gracious and compassionate to us, and doth all things for our good, even saying, “And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.” So we see the faithfulness of the Lord, and the judgment that is just if we remain blind and deaf to these things. We should also observe from this that when the LORD says, “I was jealous” it is not speaking strictly of the past tense, as if God was jealous, and will deal with us no more. He did what He could and we were too stubborn, and so He gave us up to be consumed by our enemies. Nay, but as the first chapter declares saying, “Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.” So we are to understand that God means to say that His jealousy is in part accomplished when He brought His people back, and so their peace in their own land is even because God was jealous for them and accomplished this great work of restoration for His own sake, and for their benefit, by His own hand, and according to his own will. Calvin also notes that there is a certain strain here in which it is said that this is said lest the enemies of God boast against her. As if God is saying, “You may have thought that I was angry with you, with great fury against you, seeing I have led you into Babylon to be taken captive by your enemies, and because this may be cause for them to rejoice against you, I declare to you even now, I have been jealous for you, and have done this for my own glory, and for your good.” As it is written in Jeremiah saying, “Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.” And so we see that even when God’s people are given a portion of affliction in this life, it is to test and try them, to refine them and to show that He will deal with them according to justice, for that all have sinned, but He will not make a full end of His people, but will bring them back to Himself, and will bless them exceedingly, even by these trials and adversities. And so the text reads, “I have been jealous for Zion.” And so we see in this place also the object of God’s love and favor, even Zion, His chosen inheritance, and where He caused His name to dwell. For what nation received the laws and ordinances of God from his mouth as Israel? Did not God leave Egypt to perish in the abysmal darkness of idolatry? Did He not say of Edom, “They will build, but I will throw down. And they shall call them the border of wickedness, and the people against whom the LORD hath indignation forever.”? Did He not crush Babylon under His feet saying of it, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.” As the Psalm also says, “He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.” Therefore we see from this text that God treats His people differently than He does all other people, and this is solely because of His own sovereign authority and in respect to His own work in them, and for the sake of His promise as was before noted in Leviticus when thrice it is declared that He will remember. He will remember the covenant of election established in eternity. He will remember the purchase of salvation, so dearly bought by the blood of the Son, and He will remember the renewal of our soul by the Spirit. I will remember, saith the LORD. As He saith also in Isaiah, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” And again, “Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.” So we see that God’s people are His special treasure and He will have mercy upon them, but will reserve wrath for all His enemies.
The text also reads, “Thus saith the LORD, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem” For who can boast saying that it was because Israel was a noble people that God chose to dwell in her midst? Surely it was said of them, “Ye are a stiffnecked people.” And again, “None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.” God looked down upon a people wallowing in sin and miseries, destitute of any mark of virtue or worth, and said, Live!” This is the beginning of life in the soul, when God speaks to us by His Spirit, and causes His Son to dwell in our hearts, giving us life and understanding, and thus making us to see our misery and pine away in our sins shows us the life that is freely given us in Christ, through His blood and righteousness, and by virtue of His office and Mediation. Therefore, doth the LORD say, “I am returned, and will dwell.” For who can serve the LORD in truth and love if God Himself doth not first open our minds and hearts to the same, as it is written, “I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they will be to me a people.” And again, “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.” When the LORD is jealous for His people and means to do them good, He does not shower them with earthly things which come and pass with this age, but He sends the Spirit of His Son into our hearts and grants us access into His presence by the His own dear Son, opening our minds, atoning for our sins, and causing us to walk in the ways of holiness. And so, except the LORD be with His people, they cannot move one step in the way of righteousness, not in faith, nor in love. It is God who is the first cause of all goodness and the Supreme Good, and it is through Him that all graces are poured into the soul through Christ, and by the power of the Spirit.
“And Jerusalem will be called a city of truth.” This shows the great power of the LORD, and the manifestation of His presence, when He says that she who was once a harlot shall be called a city of righteousness, and she who once followed lies and vanity a city of truth. Isaiah prophesies of Israel’s apostasy and her recovery by the hand of the LORD saying, “How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.” Here we see that according to the nation of Israel, her people were consumed that did not follow after God, nor hearken to His word by the mouth of the prophets, and according to the soul, those who remain in their natural state, having no principle of holiness in them are as they are, dead and prepared for hellfire regardless of whether they call themselves of the church. This also is a rebuke to God’s enemies who speak against Him saying, “These men [who are in truth devoid of the Spirit] are weak, but they are Christian and the LORD delights in them.” God will certainly recompense those with wrath who make light of His counsels saying that everyone who professes the faith, and maintains an outward show of religion should be called a Christian indeed! Even if they do not confess the truth and love the truth, even if they are not zealous for the truth or even oppose the truth, yet they do enough! They say Christ is Lord, they say God is three in one, and affirm the authority of the scriptures so let them be! Nay, says scripture, but those who are of the truth confess their sins before Him and serve Him with a pure heart, knowing themselves to be without any righteousness of their own, and cast upon Him for mercy. Yet these are not necessary, say the false prophets! But if you believe and follow sound doctrine, it is good, but if not, you may go in peace, you are yet a Christian. What poison is this? That she which is called by God the city of truth is called by them the city of error? Hath God any part with a city of idolatry which crieth up free will, man’s corrupted nature as clean, and acceptable, common grace, and a free offer which destroys God’s eternal decree to destroy His enemies? Nay, but He will destroy the city of wickedness, and He will consume those who depart from Him to serve an idol, and false gods, and the works of their own brain. So we see the force of this text, and that every word of God is pure and good though all men in the church speak against it with cleverly devised lies and fables. They will perish by the breath of His mouth, but His word shall endure forever.
“And the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.” And so the passage we are here set to expound ends with the steadfastness of the word of the LORD and the assurance of perseverance in this truth which God establishes by His word. For when God is jealous and deals in fury, He will certainly do all that He hath said He will do. He will effectually call us into His kingdom, He will chasten us and bring us closer to Himself, He will sanctify us and cleanse us from sin, and He will perfect us in heaven, making us like unto the Son of God, granting us freedom from the presence and defiling nature of sin forever. He hath promised to do it, and He will perform it. For what is more enduring and steadfast as a mountain? What arm can move those rocks, or what hands can cause that foundation to quake? Here the LORD calls Israel the mountain, even as Christ is called the mountain in another passage saying, “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.” And so we, even as Christ shall be like a mountain, for that He dwells with us and in us, and causes us to continue in Him, and remain steadfast in His love, as He tenderly exhorts us, saying, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” And so through this word we are made clean, and through Him we abide in Him, for He dwells in Zion, and will be with us, even forever more, as He said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” And so, abiding in that word, our faith is made strong and we are established in His truth.
So much for the exposition of the text; now we proceed the principles of doctrine that are drawn from it.
Doctrine.
1. The history of Israel is a type and figure of the method of grace in the soul of all God’s elect and chosen people.
The apostle says to the Corinthians on this wise, “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
The apostle in this short passage intends to show us exactly what we are here speaking of, even that the history of Israel was written for us, and not for them as it were. For we are the Israel of God, as the apostle says, we are the circumcision, we are the house of God, a spiritual people raised up to show forth God’s praises who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Israel was not called so that God would manifest great displays of earthly power, but these were examples that were necessary for that time, so that God by them could communicate to us His great love and mercy which is fully displayed in the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For whatever was written before of Israel is fulfilled in Christ, as it is written, “All the promises are in Him, yes and Amen.” for Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh after the lineage of Adam, Abraham, and David as the genealogies in the NT prove. So it is rank unbelief, and wretched blindness not to admit of this, but to imagine that we are at this day awaiting promises to be fulfilled to Israel pertaining to land, and an earthly kingdom; even if you pretend it is Biblical by putting Christ’s name on such a worthless doctrine. Only those of an unbelieving mind would be so sottish as to reject Christ and cast His glories behind them to pant after the dust of the land of Israel as if it is blessed. But this is consistent with the natural man’s desires, as it is said, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” And again, “He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” and again, “My people have forgotten me days without number.” Should such a people be called the city of truth? Shall those who malign the truth and twist God’s words be called a holy city? Yea, they may be set apart as from the world, and so establish a visible church, but God declares them unclean, and so we should be alarmed when wicked men in the church give a pass to the haters of sound doctrine and call them godly saying, “Dispensationalism is heresy, but not all who believe it are heretics.” And other such empty nonsense they say. For how does one hold to heresy without being a heretic? Seeing we are judged by what we believe and not by what we do not believe. For as a man thinketh, so is he. If his desire is for Israel’s return, and not for the destruction of God’s enemies [which includes the nation of Israel] then is his heart backwards, and he should raise his hand against God when He arises to smite all His enemies. And if he thinks that promises are yet unfulfilled then he certainly has no faith in Christ, which faith apprehends Christ as the fulfillment to all the promises, as the fourth chapter to the Romans and the third to the Galatians is a sufficient witness of. Therefore we see from this prophecy in Zechariah that the people of God are called a city of truth, inasmuch as God in revealing to us His law, and ordinances, His statutes and judgments, yea moreover His gospel and His righteousness hath made us partakers of His truth, and we are saved through belief in the truth, yea and cannot be saved without it, inasmuch as this city which God is pleased to dwell in seeketh only to please Him and speak His word, though the whole world and church do vociferously raise their voices against us. The prophet Isaiah says of those who speak against God’s people, “Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.”  So, let them make their vile accusations, and let them call those who are profane holy. God will have the last word, and shall show that all men’s words are lies and fabrications of their own polluted minds. And so we see in the history of Israel that God hath chosen a people for Himself, that He hath led them by the hand out of sin and misery, hath given them His word, sanctified them, guided them, carried them in His arms, born them upon His own shoulders, and led them safely until they made it to that blessed land which was promised to them. And although what was promised to Israel as a nation was merely a spot of land, yet what is promised to us is everlasting life, and as God performed His word to Israel, so He will to us also, and bring us to heaven by the blood of Christ. “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
2. Regeneration produces belief in and love for the truth.
God is not the author of confusion, nor does He produce a work of error in the soul. Those who are called to a life of holiness may at times struggle with indwelling sin, and even those who are most sanctified among us have more sin than holiness remaining in their members, yet the principle of sanctification is a real principle, and by His own power God causes us to know and believe the truth, to cling to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us, and to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord. This does not mean that a Christian may go about in sin, nor that he chooses sin, and revels in it, but also does acts of faith and charity. Nay, but that the Christian is active, and daily pursues godliness, though his good works are still mixed with much sin. Yet even still, God would show His regard for faith and sincerity, though they be very weak in the soul, and though as in Israel only two were spared of that whole generation, even Caleb and Joshua, yet God did not destroy His people, but led them to the promised land. So though the motive and principle be weak in us, and we be led astray into sin and doubt, yet by the grace of God not to unbelief and heresy. For as God truly justifies by faith, and keeps us by faith, so this principle is the foundation on which truth is built. As the apostles witness saying, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” And again “the house of God is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” So, it is an affront to God to say that since heresy is a sin, and Christians no doubt struggle with sin, therefore a Christian may believe heresy and still be a Christian, and this shows that men are so devoid of truth as they will not submit to the first principle of faith, which is the acknowledgement of the authority of the law. For when the Spirit comes to convict the soul of sin, He does not do it by uncertain means, so that one man is saved in one way and another in that. Nay, but He convinces men of sin by the law, and that law says but one thing about a sinner, even that he is entirely devoid of righteousness and only ever does that which is evil, even being wholly corrupt in himself, born in original sin and under the wrath and curse of God. This is what the law declares to all men to drive them to total misery and despair so that they may be saved. So, those who do not have these marks upon them but remain stubborn in iniquity, have no marks by which they may be called godly, and so all who deny this principle and raise us barriers to this saying, “man is not as evil as he can be” “some men are born innocent” “all infants dying in infancy go to heaven” and other such nonsense that clearly contradicts the doctrine of original sin so prove themselves to be a city of lies and confusion and not the city of truth. So also when men establish principles of free will such as “Christ died for every man” or “God desires the salvation of all men” or “soteriology is not essential” or “TULIP is not the gospel” and many other such proofs of unbelief they so willingly provide us with. But as the scripture saith, “Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.”So we being led by the Spirit of God judge them to be no true saints, but heathen and apostates, for it is written, “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.” So, let the world rage against us and call us uncharitable and unloving, yea schismatic, sectarian, and whatsoever their foolish hearts can muster. We will yet hold to the truth of God that regeneration is a necessary principle, and we will preach to all men that they are corrupt, that they may be lead by this to the truth of the gospel. And so, when the Spirit teaches us by the word, we know His word is good, and we know the truth is good also, and because He has created us anew, we do not resist the truth but embrace it, confessing our sins before God, and casting ourselves upon His mercy.
3. The Truth is found in God’s word and is nothing other than the pure doctrine of the gospel.
And now, in the third point of doctrine, we come to the main substance and marrow of this present discourse, even that those who are called by God, “the city of truth” believe nothing else but the pure doctrine of the gospel, which in times past has been called the law and the gospel. For it is necessary for that soul which believeth on the Lord for righteousness to be driven from themselves, and driven from their own inventions in order for them to fall upon the Lord, and lean upon His word, as the Lord Christ also witnessed saying, “Whosoever falls on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.” Whoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and trusts in Him alone for righteousness, forsaking all free will, merit, worthiness, common grace, shall receive everlasting salvation, seeing that we are justified by faith alone and not by works. For to believe in the gospel is to believe the truth, and to believe God’s word of truth is to grow up therein unto eternal life, seeing that he that believeth God is united to Him by the Son whom he believeth, and he that is united to the Son is heir with Him of heaven itself, and made partakers with Him of eternal glory. As the scripture affirms saying, “In whom [that is Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Here the apostle links our inheritance with our belief in the truth, as is said also in the Psalms, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” And again, “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” And again, “He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” And the apostle again affirms in another place saying, “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth…” and again, “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.” Removing all doubt, if we truly believe these words that there is absolutely no hope of mercy apart from God’s truth, and so may all the pestilent heretics that deny the truth of God, either by a false view of original sin, a conditional covenant with the reprobate, a hypothetical or universal redemption, common grace, free offer of the gospel, synergistic sanctification or any other such free will nonsense as this which is cloaked by them by deceit perish, and may their lies perish with them in the grave, and may they never again plague the church of God with their poison. And so, we beloved, since we know the truth, let us be the more earnest and zealous for the truth, as God is zealous for us, as it is written in this very text, “I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.” Seeing that with great fury, the LORD is jealous for us, even saying, “As I live, saith the LORD God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you.” And that He hath sealed this word with His own blood, even sending His beloved Son to live for us, and bleed for us, and die for us, and hath poured on Him His fury, His anger and His rage against sin, emptying that wrath which we owed upon His dear Son, and hath by this accomplished eternal redemption for us, let us believe His word, and submit to His truth, and be zealous for Him, for that we show ourselves most ungrateful when we are slack to seek to understand these things, and do not heed those precious few ministers He has sent to instruct us in these things. Seeing God hath been so zealous for us, we show that we are of His Spirit, and have His mind when we are likewise zealous for Him. For we know that through belief of the truth, and through love of the truth we are saved, and there are threats of wrath and vengeance stronger than any under the first covenant if we hearing these things should fall away and stumble into error and heresy. For the scripture saith, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” And therefore we must take heed, and examine ourselves, whether we be lovers of the truth or no, for when God cometh to try the world by fire, it is only that which is built by His own hand that shall stand, and only those covered in the righteousness of the Son who shall abide that day of His coming. As God is perfect, so His work in the soul is righteousness and truth, and therefore it behooves us as His chosen people to zealously pursue the truth, to read those who have gone before us as Luther, and Calvin and the Puritans like Thomas Watson, and John Owen, who have spoken of these things and diligently labored to reveal them to us by their own writings. Let us as many as are of this mind, labor to grow always in grace and in knowledge, seeing that those who grow in the knowledge of the truth are those who are sanctified in the love of God, and if we love God we will love also His word of truth, which is the gospel, which all wicked men hate and oppose.
And so may we also be called “the city of truth.”
4. The people of the truth will persevere in the faith.
Christ hath said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” And again it is said in the Psalms, “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.” Seeing then that we are preserved in grace from falling away, and those that God hath saved, He hath regenerated through the understanding, belief and love of the truth, so we may conclude that those who are preserved in grace are preserved in such love of the truth, as our text reads, “and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.” For what is stronger than a mountain? Many cities rise and perish with the passing of an age, but the mountains stand firm from generation to generation. Therefore if the people of God are called the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain, even as they are in Christ, the mountain which is established on the top of the mountains, then it stands that we shall not fall away, but shall be kept in the truth, and preserved from the error which shall drown the world, and hold them in the bonds on iniquity, as our Lord hath forewarned us of saying, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” And therefore, do we even wonder, or are we amazed that Satan hath trained his prophets to cloak their lies under the guise of truth? Are we astounded that the Calvinists of our day desire fellowship with the Arminians whose fellowship is with hell? Are we surprised that one of their chief leaders who has written numerous highly influential books on knowing God, and the sovereignty of God and evangelism should take up the cause of Rome, and tell Christians to repent for telling Catholics they are in need of repentance? Or another who hath openly said that all infants are born innocent? Or another who said that God does not always act with justice? Do these perverse and wicked men acknowledge that there was a Reformation at all? Are we so dull of hearing that we should cast off the pure yoke of the gospel to put on our backs the rigor of the law? Oh, let this not be said of the church! Let us take up a lamentation, and bitterly wail for the sins of this people who are so soon removed from the truth of the gospel! But let us not so draw back unto perdition, and perish as they are perishing but let us believe unto the saving of the soul. For all those, saith the LORD who believe on my name shall be saved.
As it is written, “I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee. When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.”
Application.
1. Information. All gospel doctrine is found in the OT.
First, by way of application, since these glorious truths are found in the Old Testament, and I hope that I have faithfully drawn instruction from this prophecy of old, so we should not be surprised to find that the prophets and patriarchs of old believed and spake of these same truths, even that God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and that His salvation is from sin and iniquity. For the apostle Peter is a witness of this, saying, “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” Showing that the prophets did preach nothing else but the pure doctrine of the gospel,
as Isaiah says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
And Jeremiah, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Ezekiel, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
Daniel, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”
Hosea, “Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.”
Joel, “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
Amos, “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.”
Also, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum and the restoration prophets as well as is manifest by the efficacy of the word, and the surety of His promise. Therefore when we read the Old Testament, we are not reading an old letter as if what is said before hath no use for us now, but rather reading it with the eyes of faith, we have a view to the glory of God concealed therein, and know that this was the time in which God would show before all peoples that His salvation must be eternal. For Israel dwelt not safely in their land, but were ravaged, and destroyed, and cast out of it. Therefore the land that is the object of the promise is a better land, as the book of Hebrews is a witness saying, “they [that is the people of God] desire a better country.” And so we are not so mindful of this present world we are passing through, though we are diligent to order our lives according to the will of God, but knowing all things in this present life to be vanity, we looking for a new heavens and a new earth seek the kingdom of God wherein dwelleth eternal righteousness, which we await and hope for with ardent zeal, and true affection. And so we see that our faith is the same as theirs also was, though they lived at a time in which it was not so clearly revealed. Let us be ashamed then if we cannot mount up to greater works than they did of old seeing we have these truths opened up before our eyes, especially in that blessed letter to the Hebrews, in which are written these words, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” Seeing then, that these were concealed before, and now revealed in the gospel, let us with all diligence and godly haste make for everlasting life, as the apostle also exhorts saying, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” Let us therefore as many as see this crown before us be temperate in all things, and train our souls to the obedience of the gospel, looking ever unto Jesus the completion of all the Old testament types and figures, and seeing Him as a faithful and gracious Savior, let us seek Him with our whole heart, daily casting off the works of the flesh, and bringing our bodies in subjection to His law, as He also hath called us to do. Let us believe His promise of justification that we sink not in despair when we see our bodies not yet perfect, nor yet grow slack in sanctification, but let us so press on that we lose not sight of any of these, ever pressing forward unto glory.
2. Instruction. None but those who believe the truth are the true people of God.
We see also from this text that those who are called the people of God are called the city of truth. For what peace and fellowship with God apart from truth? And what is the truth but the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His work of salvation, not of works but of His own grace? So all those who deny or despise grace do not reject Reformed theology, but the whole Bible itself inasmuch as God reveals Himself in His word, and this word preaches grace from start to finish.
Here is a matter of great controversy in our days. For when the truth is proclaimed, and shown to be that which very few men believe, we are immediately derided as being harsh and unloving, and as making the way too narrow. But I ask in earnest, was it we who said, “narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it”? Or we who said, “Many are called, but few are chosen?” Are we the authors of that passage, “With most of them God was not well pleased, for they perished in the wilderness.” And if these things truly be found in scripture, let us not be surprised if the people of God be few in this life, for God hath promised to multiply us as the sand of the sea, and we know He will do it throughout all ages, and so we hope in His word, and abide in fellowship with those who are of the truth, even if they be few in number. Let us not be ashamed at this burden we bear, in that we have not many friends in this life, and are often lonely, forsaken and treated with spite, but let us remember that they treated Christ in like manner, and let us remember that their compromise and lies cannot make someone a Christian. Those who are begotten of God are said to “have the mind of Christ” and those who are born of His Spirit are born “acknowledging the grace of God in truth”. Therefore let us take heart and be encouraged that God leads His people out of darkness by His own power, and will fill His church when He wills to. Let us also be sure that we are in constant fellowship with the people of God, being eager to use those gifts God hath given us for His glory and the benefit of His people here on earth.
3. Exhortation. Believe and trust in the LORD at all times.
Finally, my brethren, chosen and called of God and precious, trust in the LORD at all times, and cast all your cares upon Him knowing that He careth for you. The Psalm says on this wise, “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.” Trust in the LORD and pour your hearts out before Him, knowing that He is for thy soul, and will perfect that work which He hath began. Seeing your salvation hath been born in eternity by the unfailing love of God, see that you reverence and submit to Him in this, acknowledging His love and pity, and thanking Him for all His benefits. He hath sent His Son to die for us, and He hath with His own blood paid the ultimate price for our sins, even rising again with life for us that we might follow Him into heaven, and shall we not also trust the smaller matters in life to Him as well? And so our Lord says, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Therefore let no degree of discontentment rage in your soul, but recall to mind that He hath made thee a vessel for honor, and will remove from thee all stain and iniquity. Let us not grow tired or weary of our lives, though they seem long and bitter, for it is good and right that we should suffer in this life, that we might also reign with Him in the next. Seeing that He hath promised us a kingdom, and the full measures of His love, let us submit to Him in all things, and believe His word, trusting that He will perform that which He hath promised to us, and will not repent of it, as it is written, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” And as also our text saith, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.” And even upon this word, do we wait, and upon the fulfillment of this promise that the LORD shall dwell among us, even in heavenly paradise, do we hope. And let us always pray, “O Lord, come quickly and deliver us from this present evil age. Amen.”