every defire. An everlasting covenant is propofed, and fure mercies; bleffings quite fuited to our needy, helpless ftate are promised. How admirable is the grace that freely offers them! and what folly is it in men to neglect them! to refuse solid fatisfaction and everlafting good, and pursue that which can never fatisfy! May we be wife; and labour not for the meat which perifbeth, but for that which endureth to eternal life. 2. Let us confider the Lord Jefus Chrift as a witness, a leader, and a commander. He came to bear witness to the truth; and it becomes us to receive his doctrine, as worthy of all acceptation. He confirmed it by his miracles and death. Let us then obey his commands, and follow his steps; he will then guide us in the way of peace and happiness, and conduct us to everlasting glory. 3. Let finners hearken to these gracious calls to repentance, and comply with them. We have here a moft inftructive view of the nature of repentance; it is to forfake every evil way, to put away all evil thoughts, and cleanfe the heart from wickedness. It is to return to the Lord, as our rightful owner and fovereign good; then he will forgive us ; we shall find the noblest fatisfaction and pleasure in his good ways; and be led to eternal happiness. But let finners return immediately, and feek the Lord while he may be found; for it may foon be too late, and the day of grace and hope may be expired. 4. Let us encourage ourselves in that gracious promise concerning the word of God in v. 10, 11. We fee the happy effects of fnow and rain. We have already seen fome of these promises fulfilled, in the incarnation, death, and refurrection of Chrift, and the fpread of his gospel among the gentiles. All God's other promifes fhall be accomplifhed, and his word have its intended effect. This is a great encouragement to minifters amidft their many dif couragements, that fome good fhall be produced by their labours, and the word be a favour of life to fome fouls. If we defire that it should be fo to ours, let us see that we value it, diligently attend to it, and receive it into good and honeft hearts. And may God multiply the feed fown, Z.2 and and increase the fruits of righteousness in us all, to his glory and our eternal joy. TH CHA P. LVI. Begins with an exhortation to God's people to prepare for that great deliverance prophefied of in the foregoing chapters. IHUS faith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do juftice for my falvation [is] near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed; obferve all my laws and commandments, for that difpenfation is near to be introduced, which contains the brightest display of my justice, 2 faithfulness, and goodness. Bleffed [is] the man [that] doeth this, and the fon of man [that] layeth hold on it, that acts with steadiness and refolution in religion; that keepeth the fabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil; that does nothing unlawful or the fabbath day, nor neglects any of the proper duties of it. 3 Neither let the fon of the ftranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, that is, any strangers that might choose to go with the jews from Babylon, and become profelytes to the worship of the true God, speak, faying, The LORD hath utterly feparated me from his people: neither let the eunuch fay, Behold, I [am] a dry tree; I 4 have no offspring to be admitted into the covenant. For thus faith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my fabbaths, and choose [the things] that please me, and take hold of my covenant; who accept the offers and comply with the terms of it, and who have truly pious difpo5 fitions; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of fons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off; I will give them fpiritual bleffings, great honour and comfort there, and a name that fhall not be cut off, as that of the most numerous families may be. Alfo the fons of the ftranger, the heathen, 6 that Some of the captive jews, who were in these circumstances, had need of this confolation when they came back to their own country; that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his fervants, to become profelytes, every one that keepeth the fabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my cove7 nant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my houfe of prayer: their burnt offerings and their facrifices [fhall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine houfe fhall be called an houfe of prayer for all people; their facrifices fhall be accepted, and they fhall enjoy great delight in their approaches to God. The place of worship being called a houfe of prayer, and not facrifice, and being faid to be for all people, intimates that this refers to the admittance of gentiles into the gospel 8 church, on the fame terms as the believing jews. The LORD God which gathereth the outcasts of Ifrael faith, Yet will I gather [others] to him, besides those that are gathered unto him; the gentiles as well as jews, that is, many more gentiles fhall join with them after the captivity. Г 9 Z 3 country; for they were deprived by the law of being priests and magiftrates; it must therefore have been great felf-denial and piety in them to leave the Perfian court, in which fome of them had been preferred. But the paffage may likewife intimate, that there would be none of thefe reftrictions under the gospel. This verfe begins a new prophecy, which is continued thro' fome following chapters; defcribing the fins which introduced their calamities and ended in their captivity. The church is represented as God's flock, and their princes and priests as fhepherds, to watch over, feed, and defend it; but, because they neglected this care, the wild beafts are called upon to devour it. Their neglect is defcribed, v. 10, &c. 12 ployment, department, or place of abode. Come ye, [fay they,] I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with ftrong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, [and] much more abundant; they not only run into excesses themfelves, but tempt others to do fo; confident of the continuance of their profperity, and deriding the threatenings of the prophets. T REFLECTION S. 1. HE approach of God's falvation is a strong motive to be holy. The gofpel difplayed the righ teousness of God, or his method of juftification, and was the glad tidings of falvation; which the jews were required to prepare themselves for, by doing justice and judgment. And now that falvation is made known unto us, it is our duty to do this; to be honest and exact in our dealings, and upright in our whole deportment, out of gratitude to God for the falvation preached to us, and as we defire to partake of it; especially as it is introductory to everlasting falvation. Let us therefore awake out of fleep, and be active in God's service, fince our falvation is nearer than when we believed. 2. We see the neceffity of a serious and ftrict regard to the fabbath. Observe what stress is laid upon keeping it. It is indifpenfably required of all profelytes to the jewish religion; and of all who are joined to the chriftian church; otherwise they can expect no comfort in God's service, nor will their prayers and praises be accepted. Let us then never waste any part of that holy time, nor neglect any part of the holy work of the day. But we muft lay hold on this. It requires great refolution to do it, considering how many bad examples we have about us, and how many, even of those who profefs religion, act otherwife. This is the way to have the bleffing of God upon our religious exercises, and upon our daily bufinefs and comforts. gen 3. How gracious is God in admitting strangers and tiles to the privileges of his people! To bring those, who were once afar off, nigh, and take firangers and foreigners to be fellow citizens with the faints, and of the household of God. Let Let us, who are the descendants of ftrangers to the commonwealth of Ifrael, blefs God for our chriftian privileges, and look upon them as fufficiently equivalent for the want or lofs of children, or any earthly good. Let us improve them by a conscientious attendance upon God's house of prayer, and by loving and ferving him who hath called us to the fellowship of the gofpel: then we fhall experience abundant fatisfaction and joy in all our approaches to God. 4. How miferable is the state of a people whofe fhepherds deserve the character which is here given of those of Ifrael. When princes, magiftrates, and minifters, are ignorant, idle, greedy, cowardly, and fottish, they not only do not answer the ends of their office, but are a reproach to it, corrupt others by their ill examples, and encourage wickedness by fuffering it to go unpunished and unreproved. Let us earnestly pray, that God would preferve our country and churches from fuch deteftable men; and that he would engage all magiftrates to be a terror to evil doers, and all minifters to watch for fouls, as they that must give an account. CHA P. LVII. The prophet in this chapter goes on to reprove the jews for their fins, especially their idolatry; and begins with obferving, how unaffected they were under the lofs of good men, alluding perhaps to the death of Hezekiah or Jofiah. 'TH HE righteous perisheth, and no man layeth [it] to heart and merciful men [are] taken away, none confidering that the righteous is taken away from the evil [to come,] and that it is a token that judgments 2 are coming upon the land. He fhall enter into peace, or, go in peace: they fhall reft in their beds, [each one] walking [in] his uprightnefs; or, they shall reft in their beds who have walked in uprightness. 3 But draw near hither, ye fons of the forceress, the feed of the adulterer and the whore; ye pretend to be the feed of Abraham, but are idolaters, and the children of 24 idolaters. |