is said once and again, "They shall go to pray before the Lord, and to
IN the text we have an account how this future glorious advancement of the church of God should be introduced; viz. By great multitudes in different towns and countries taking up a joint resolution, and coming into an express and visible agreement, that they will, by united and extraordinary prayer, seek to God, that he would come and manifest himself, and grant the tokens and fruits of his gracious presence.—Particularly we may observe,
1. The duty, with the attendance on which the glorious event foretold shall be brought on; viz. The duty of prayer.—Prayer, some suppose, is here to be taken synechdochically, for the whole of divine worship; prayer being a principal part of worship in the days of the gospel, when sacrifices are abolished. If so, this is to be understood only as a prophecy of a great revival of religion, and of the true worship of God among his visible people, the accession of others to the church, and turning of multitudes from idolatry to the worship of the true God. But it appears to me reasonable to suppose, that something more special is intended, with regard to the duty of prayer; considering that prayer is here expressly and repeatedly mentioned; and also considering how parallel this place is with many other prophecies, that speak of an extraordinary spirit of prayer, as preceding and introducing that glorious day of religious revival, and advancement of the church's peace and prosperity, so often foretold. Add to this, the agreeableness of what is here said, with what is said afterwards by the same prophet, of the pouring, out of a spirit of grace and supplication, as that with which this great revival of religion shall begin. (Chap. 12:10.)
2. The good, that shall be sought by prayer; which is God himself.—It is said once and again, "They shall go to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts." This is the good they ask for, and seek by prayer, The Lord of hosts himself.—To seek God, as the expression may perhaps be sometimes used in Scripture, may signify no more than seeking the favour or mercy of God. And if it be taken so here, praying before the Lord, and seeking the Lord of hosts, must be synonymous expressions. And it must be confessed to be a common
thing in Scripture, to signify the same thing repeatedly, by various expressions of the same import, for the greater emphasis.
But certainly that expression of seeking the Lord, is very commonly used to signify something more; it implies that God himself is the great good desired and sought after; that the blessings pursued are God's gracious presence, the blessed manifestations of him, union and intercourse with him; or, in short, God's manifestations and communications of himself by his Holy Spirit. Thus the psalmist desired God, thirsted after him, and sought him. (Psal. 63:1, 2, 8.) "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee. My flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.—My soul followeth hard after thee."—(Psal. 73:25.) "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee." The psalmist earnestly pursued after GOD, his soul thirsted after him, he stretched forth his hands unto him, &c. (Psal. 143:6.) And therefore it is in Scripture the peculiar character of the saints, that they are those who seek GOD. (Psal. 24:6.) "This is the generation of them that seek him." (Psal. 69:32.) "Your heart shall live that seek God." If the expression in the text be understood agreeably to this sense, then by seeking the Lord of hosts, we must understand a seeking, that God who had withdrawn, or as it were hid himself for a long time, would return to his church, and grant the tokens and fruits of his gracious presence, and those blessed communications of his Spirit to his people, and to mankind on earth, which he had often promised, and which his church had long waited for.
And it seems reasonable to understand the phrase, seeking the Lord of hosts, in this sense here; and not as merely signifying the same thing with praying to God: not only because the expression is repeatedly added to praying before the Lord, in the text; but also because the phrase, taken in this sense, is exactly agreeable to other parallel prophetic representations. Thus God's people seeking, by earnest prayer, the promised restoration of the church of God, after the Babylonish captivity, and the great apostacy that occasioned it, is
called their SEEKING GOD, and SEARCHING for him; and God's granting this promised revival and restoration is called his being FOUND of them. Jer. 29:10, 14. "For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word towards you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye go and call upon me, and I will hearken unto you; and ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart; and I will be found of you, saith the Lord, and I will turn away your captivity." And the prophets, from time to time, represent God, in a low and afflicted state of his church, as being withdrawn, and hiding himself. Isa. 45:15. "Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour." (Chap. 57:17.) "I hid me, and was wroth." And they represent God's people, while his church is in such a state, before God delivers and restores the same, as seeking him, looking for him, searching and waiting for him, and calling after him. (Hos. 5:15.) "I will go and return unto my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him."
And when God, in answer to their prayers and succeeding their endeavours, delivers, restores, and advances his church, according to his promise, then he is said to answer, and come, and say, Here am I, and to show himself; and they are said to find him, and see him plainly. (Isa. 58:9.) "Then shalt thou cry, and he shall say, Here I am." (Isa. 45:19.) "I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain." (Chap. 25:8, 9.) "The Lord will wipe away the tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off the earth.—And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us: This is the Lord, we have waited for him; we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation." Together with the next chap. ver. 8, 9. we have waited for thee; "the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the