The watchman said, the morning cometh, and also the
night,
&c.] Not only a morning, but a night; and as sure as the
morning comes, so shall the night; there wilt be a constant
succession of morning and night; as a morning of prosperity, so a
night of adversity: the morning of the Gospel dispensation was
coming on, or of Christ's coming in the flesh, which was attended
with joy and cheerfulness; like the morning, it dispersed the
shadows of the law, introduced light, which gradually and
irresistibly spread itself over the Gentile world; but then
followed a night of darkness to the Jews, blindness happened to
them, which still continues; and to the Arabians, Saracens, and
Turks, when the bottomless pit was opened by Mahomet, which let
out smoke and locusts in the eastern part of the world; and to
the western part, when the Romish antichrist established himself
as universal bishop: a morning came on again at the Reformation,
and a night will follow, which is now begun; it is already a time
of darkness, coldness, sleepiness, and of error and heresy, which
will issue in an eventide, in a dark night: if it be asked what
time it is with us, or how far we are gone toward the night? the
answer is, we are in and toward the close of the Sardian church
state; we are in the twilight, or in that part of time which is
neither day nor night, ( Zechariah
14:6 Zechariah
14:7 ) the slaying of the witnesses is yet to come, which,
with the general spread of Popery all over Christendom, will make
it entire night; after which will come on the morning of the
spiritual reign of Christ, when the light of the Gospel will be
spread everywhere, and joy and gladness will attend the saints in
all places; and it will be a time of great prosperity, both
spiritual and temporal; which will be succeeded by another night
of coldness, deadness, and carnal security, and will last till
the second and personal coming of Christ; which will bring on the
morning of a glorious resurrection to the saints, after which
there will be no more night to them, though there will be an
eternal one to the wicked. The Targum is,
``the prophet said, there is a reward for the righteous, and punishment for the wicked;''and so the Jews elsewhere F4 interpret it of the morning of redemption to the righteous, and of the night of darkness to the wicked; or, as they sometimes express it F5, the morning is for the righteous, and the night for the wicked; the morning for Israel, and the night for the nations of the world. Dumah they sometimes F6 make to be the angel appointed over spirits, who they suppose gather together, and say to him, "watchman" if ye will inquire, inquire ye;
seriously and in good earnest, diligently and constantly, with all humility and reverence, by prayer to God and by searching the Scriptures, and by application to the watchmen, the ministers of the word, who make it their business to study it, and have the mind of Christ: return, come;
return by repentance, and come to God, who receives backsliders, heals their backslidings, and loves them freely; or, "come again", to the watchman, and to the Lord, and renew your inquiries till you get satisfaction.
F4 Gloss. in T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 94. 1. & in Bava Kama fol, 3. 2.
F5 T. Hieros. Taaniot, fol. 64. 1. & Kimchi in loc.
F6 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 94. 1.
