8 thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, 9 faith the LORD thy Redeemer." For this [is as] the waters of Noah unto me: for [as] I have fworn that the waters of Noah fhould no more go over the earth; fo have I fworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee; my covenant with Ifrael is equally firm and fure, and I will bring them at length into a state of 10 favour, from which they shall never be excluded. For the mountains fhall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, faith the LORD that hath mercy on thee; and the covenant of God fhall It be as firm with all chriftians as with the jews. O thou afflicted, toffed with tempeft, [and] not comforted, behold, I will lay thy ftones with fair colours, and lay 12 thy foundations with fapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and 13 all thy borders, or walls, of pleasant ftones." And all tyh children [fhall be] taught of the LORD; and great [fhall be] the peace of thy children; an explanation of the figurative expreffions before ufed, and which shows that the beauty of the church confifts in knowledge, holiness, and 14 love. In righteousness fhalt thou be established: thou fhalt be far from oppreffion; for thou fhalt not fear : "and from terror; for it fhall not come near thee: thou fhalt be delivered from thine enemies, from being overwhelm15 ed with trouble, and even from death. Behold, they shall furely gather together, [but] not by me: they fball have no commiffion from me, as the church's enemies Sometimes have: whofoever fhall gather together against thee This is applicable to the jews amidft their difperfion, and feems to refer to their future converfion. Thefe verfes reprefent the church as a company of mariners toffed on the ocean, and afterwards conducted to a haven of reit and joy, as much fuperior to any prefent fcene, as the city here defcribed would be to any thing the eye of man ever faw. This is applicable to the profperity of the gofpel church, which is built on the foundation of the prophets and the apoftles, Jefus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone. thee fhall fall for thy fake, out of the love I have for thee, 16 that is, fhall come over to thy fide. Behold, I have created the fmith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an inftrument for his work; and I have created the wafter to destroy; the metal, the fmith, and the inftruments made by them, the hands that weild, are all my creatures; I have an abfolute command over them, and 17 they can do no more than I permit. No weapon that is formed against thee fhall profper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn; whether they attempt thy deftruction by forcible affaults, or injurious calumnies, I will plead thy caufe, and undertake to justify thee. This [is] the heritage of the fervants of the LORD, and their righteoufnefs [is] of me, faith the LORD. 1. T REFLECTION S. HE acceffion of the gentiles to the church claims our praise. We have reafon to blefs God for the gofpel; that it extends to the gentiles; that it hath fpread fo wonderfully on the right hand and on the left; that many nations, once ignorant and barbarous, and our own in particular, are brought into covenant with God." Here the name of Chrift is known, and pure religion fet up. We have reason to fing for joy, that God hath fo remarkably favoured us; and fhould pray that he may foon appear as the Lord of the whole earth. 2. God's gracious declarations concerning his church in general, are applicable to every true chriftian. They are often in an afflicted ftate; God feems to forfake them; but it is but for a moment; his wrath is comparatively little, to what they deserve. Obferve the beautiful and comfortable oppofition: his wrath is little, but his mercy great; defertion is but for a small moment, but his kindness everlafting. His covenant continues firm, and reaches thro' eternity. How wonderful is the goodnefs of God to his. people! What reafon have they to trust him in the darkest fcenes, and under every affliction! being fenfible, that these • DODDRIDGE and LowTH. light afflictions, which are but for a moment, shall work out for them a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of glory. 3. We fee of how much importance it is that we be thankful for, and hearken to, divine teaching. We enjoy the means of inftruction; but that is not all. Our Lord remarks, John vi. 45. It is written in the prophets, And they Shall be all taught of God, applying this prophecy to the influences of divine grace. We are inftructed to know God, are the children of chriftian parents, who exceed in knowledge the wifeft heathen philofophers. But, befides this, we have a divine teaching, by which the mind is enlightened and opened, guided in the intricacies of life, and directed in the way of duty and happiness. No labours of ministers, no pains of our own in reading or hearing, will do without this. Let none defpife it; let all value it, and feek it earnestly for themselves and their children, as they defire to obtain great and everlasting peace. 4. God's univerfal dominion is a great fatisfaction and comfort to his people, therefore it should be often reflected upon; efpecially in times of war and defolation. It is he who gives fagacity to difcover mines of coal, to temper metals, to form fwords, and other inftruments of deftruction; he created the wafters to destroy: (a fine idea of gentlemen foldiers!) God gives them their strength and refolution, and therefore can easily reftrain or confound them. It is pleasant amidst the commotions of the world, to think that all nature is under God's controul; that he overrules all; will fecure the intereft of his church amidst national defolations; and that no weapon formed against it shall profper. This chapter contains the fubftance of the covenant of grace; and gives merciful encouragement to finners to return to God. It begins with a proclamation to this purpose. I H° O, every one that thirstoth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money money and without price; water, wine, and milk, are emblems of fpiritual blessings; these are offered to those who thirst, that is, who earnestly defire them, without money or price: a fenfe of their poverty and unworthiness, is all that God demands, tho' the bleffings are infinitely above all price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for [that which is] not bread? and your labour for [that which] fatisfieth not? that is, about the things of this world, in which there is no folid, lafting happiness to be found: hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye [that which is] good, and let your foul delight itself in fatness, and ye shall obtain what will fatisfy and delight you, the true knowledge of God, and eternal hap3 pinefs. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your foul fhall live, fpiritually and happily, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the fure mercies of David; that is, the mercies that were promised to David, which he fet fuch a value upon, and which are given in Chrift, the fon of David; procured by his death, and 4 made fure by his covenant to all that believe. Behold, I have given him [for] a witness of God's mercy and faithfulness to the people, a leader and commander to the people; a prince and a lawgiver, to whofe authority and 5 commands all are to be fubject. Behold, thou fhalt call a nation [that] thou knowest not, and nations [that] knew not thee, that is, the gentile nations, fhall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Ifrael; for he hath glorified thee, by enabling thee to work miracles, raifing thee from the dead, and fet6 ting thee at his right hand. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near; 7 before the time come when he will not regard you: Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; a little external reformation is not fufficient; let him entirely abandon his wicked ways, and his unrighteous thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, as his Supreme ruler and good, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon; VOL. V. Ꮓ he P This verfe is an emphatical form of speech; intimating that men take more pains about the world, than heaven would cost them. 8 he will multiply pardons, tho' his fins are ever fo many and aggravating. For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither 9 [are] your ways my ways, faith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, fo are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts; men are not ready to forgive, especially repeated offences; but my ways of faithfulness and mercy are quite above your comprehenfion, and infinitely beyond what 10 you had any reafon to expect. For as the rain cometh down, and the fnow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the fower, for a crop another year, and bread to the eater, for a prefent II fupply: So fhall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth it fhall not return unto me void, but it fhall accomplish that which I please, and it fhall profper [in the thing] whereto I fent it; it shall not be wholly with12 out effect, and all its promises shall be amply fulfilled. For ye fhall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; ye Shall be brought from a state of ignorance, fin, and misery, and proceed in religion with pleasure: the mountains and the hills fhall break forth before you into finging, and all the trees of the field fhall clap [their] hands; aface of delight and joy fhall spread over the creation, and even 13 infenfible nature feem to rejoice. Inftead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and inftead of the brier fhall come up the myrtle tree; those who before were wild and troublesome fhall become good and useful: and it fhall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting fign [that] fhall not be cut off; all shall redound to the glory of God, and they fhall be the eternal monuments of his grace. "L' REFLECTIONS. ET us adore God for the riches and freedom of gofpel grace. Under the beautiful images of water, wine, and milk, the moft valuable bleffings are offered; offered upon the most easy terms, and offered to all. There is enough to fupply every want, and fatisfy |