Exposition of the Whole Bible

by choice, by covenant-grace, and by redemptions and like to a flock of fheep; to fheep, for harmleffnefs, meeknefs, weaknefs, and timoroufnefs, for being prone to go aftray, and for their being clean, profitable, and fociable; and to a flock, being a diftiné&t fociety of men, and but one, and a fmall one too, tho’ a flock beautiful and holy: for they fhall be as the frones of a crown; like the gems and precious ftones, which are on a king’s crown; they being Chrift’s jewels, highly valued and efteémed

‘of by him; and comparable to them, for their richnefs thro’ the grace of God, and for their purity, brightnefs, and glory in themfelves, as owing to that; and for the glory they give to Chrift, and for the durableneis of them. The Targum renders it, the ftones of the Epbod; they may be tranflated, the frones of feparation *; fet for boundaries to diftinguifh places; thofe being feparated by the grace of God in effectual calling, from the reft of mankind, and laid as lively ftones upon the foundation Chrift: lifted up as an enfign upon bis land; the land of Fudea, as trophies of — victorious grace; as monuments of praife and thankfulnefs; and as means of encouraging others to feek to Chrift, and believe in him. ‘The allufion feems to be to trophies erected on account of victories obtained by valiant men, to perpetuate their memories; which were fometimes of brafs, and fometimes of marble, with infcriptions and titles on them, that they might endure for ever; and where fufficiency of fuch materials could not be got, a vaft heap of {tones ufed to be laid together; or large trees, and their branches cut down, and the fpoils of the enemy laid upon them; and thefe were raifed up as trophies to’ perpetuate the memory of mighty men to pofterity. So Germanicus having conquered the nations between the Rhine and the E/ve, piled up a vatt heap of marble ftones, and dedicated them to Tiberius; and Fabius 4milianus having, with an army not amounting to 30,000 men, defeated an army of the Gauls near the river Rho/ze, confilting of 200,000 men, fet up a trophy of white ftone, as well as built two temples, one to AZers, and another to Hercules *; and Domitius 4inobarbus, and Fabius Mavimus, having got the victory over the Allobroges, the people of Savoy and Predmont, ereéted ftone towers on the fpot, and fixed trophies adorned with hoftile arms, which before had been unufual *; and it was an ancient cuftom with the Goths and Swedes, in the camps and fields where battels were fought, to fix ftones like the Egyptian pyramids, on which they engraved, in a brief manner, the famous exploits performed, thereby to perpetuate the memory of the names and aétions of great men’; and thefe pillars of ftone fet up for trophies, the chapiters of them might be made in the form of crowns, and’may be here referred to; and fo fome render the words to this fenfe ©, _ y¥.17. For how great is bis goodnefs 2? &c.] Not of the land of Fudea, as Kimchi; nor of the doctrine of the law, as the Zargum; nor of the people of the Yews, but of the Meffiah: and defigns not his effential, nor his providential goodnels; but his goodnefs as Mediator, which he has in his heart, and has fhown unto his people, in being

| their furety,and becoming their Saviour; in afluming their nature; bearing their fins, and obeying, and fuffering in their reom and ftead: and alfo that which he has in his hands for them, and communicates to them; his fulnefs of erace; all thofe piritual bleffings that are in him; the large meafures of grace given at‘converfion; and the numerous inftances of his goodnefs afterwards; yea, it includes glory, as well as grace: and how great is his beauty? not as God, nor as man,’ but as Mediator; as beheld in the covenant and: promifes;-in the gofpel, and in the truths, and in the ordinances of it: corw fhall make the young men chearful, and new wine the maids; by young men are meant, the fame as in 1 obm ii. 14. believers’

in Chrift, who are lively, warm, and zealous for Chrift, his caufe and intereft; who are ative, diligent, and induftrious in the difcharge of duty; _and are ftrong in Chrift, and in his grace; and particularly in the grace of faith, and quit themfelves like men: and by maids or virgins are meant the fame; fo called becaufe of their chafte adherence to Chrift; for their beauty, comelinefs, and attire; and for their purity of divine worfhip and converfation: and the gofpel is intended by corn

HUIS chapter 1s a prophecy of the converfion of the ews in the latter day, when the fulnefs of ithe Gentiles is brought in, fpoken of in the preceding chapter. It begins with an exhortation to afk rain of the Lord; denounces wrath upon his enemies; and confifts of various promifes to his people. The exhortation to afk rain, is in ¥. 1. to which encouragement is given from its being of the Lord, ‘from his willingnefs to grant it, and from the fruitfulnefs occafioned by it. The vanity of idols, and idolaters, who ‘can’t give it, is expofed; and the diftrefs and‘confufion they were thrown into, is obferved, y. 2. The anger of the Lord againft the principal of them, is declared; and his gracious vifitation of the people of the ews, whom he will honour and glorify, is taken notice of, ¥. 3. from whom the Meffiah ‘fprung, than which a greater glory-can’t be enjoyed, y. 4. and then ‘follow various promifes relating to them;-as of victory over their enemies, thro’ the prefence of the Lord with them, y. 5. of ftrength and falvation to them, as owing to his free grace and mercy, ¥. 6. of inward fpiritual joy in them and theirs, ¥. 7. of their effectual vocation and fpiritual increafe, in confequence of redeeming grace, ¥. 8. of their having a name, and a place in gofpel-churches, where they'll remember the Lord, and live with their children, beingconverted, y. 9. which converfion of theirs is reprefented in terms alluding to their’ deliverance from Egypt and Babylon, ¥. 10, 11. and the chapter is ‘concluded with a promife of {piritual ftrength, fo that they fhall continue in their profeffion of faith in’ Chrift, and perfevere therein to the end,

¢ yu. fk ye of the Lord rain, in the time of the latter rain, &c.] There was the former and the and wew wines which is compared: to crt, in oppofition to the chaff of human doétrines; and be. caufe it contains Chrift the bread of life; and is nourifhing and comfortable:: and. to new wihe, not becaufe it is a novel doétrine, for it is the everlafting gofpel ordained before the world was 3 but becaufe under the gofpel-difpenfation, to which this prophecy refers. it is newly, and more clearly revealed; fee the note on ¥. 15. The effect of which is, that it makes faints’ chearful, fills them: with joy and fpiritual mirth; for it is a joyful found: or, fhall make fruitful +, it caufesthem to grow and increafe, and. makes them fruitful in every good word and work: or,*/ball make them {peak eloquently *; or caufe them to put forth the fruit of their lips, in giving thanks to God for the abundance of grace beftowed upon them: or, Jjhall make them fing ‘, as others; in pfalms, hymns, and fpiritual fongs. This new wine may be interpreted of the gifts and graces beftowed in great plenty on the day of Pentecoft, both’on fons and daughters, on fervants and hand-maids, whereby they prophefied, and faw vifions, 4s ii. 16, 17. fee Eph. v. 18, 19.

latter rain, of which fee Hof: vi. 3. Feel ii. 23. The former rain was in autumn, a little before, or about feed-time; the latter was in the fpring, and a little before harveft, which is here referred to. So Hefiod ® calls thofe rains the autumnal: and vernal rains; and between thefe two rains there was feldom any more. »‘ferom fays, that he never faw in the eaftern countries, ‘efpecially in Fudea, any rain at the end of, the month of ‘fume, ‘or in Fuly; and now at. Aleppo, a little more ‘northerly, for three or four months after May, they have {carce fo much as any dew upon the ground, as Pemble on the place obferves....So Dr. Shaw fays ', little or no rain falls in this climate (of Algiers and Tunis), during the fummer feafon;. and in moft parts: of the Sahara, particularly jin the Fercede, they have feldom any-rain atiall.. It was likewife the fame. in the holy land, Prov. xxvi..1. where rain is accounted an unufual thing in herveft, 2 Sam. Xxi. Lo. where it is alfo,mentioned, from harveft till rain dropped ‘on them, i.e. their rainy feafon fell out; as in Barbary, in the autumnal and winter months—The firft rains, (he obferves) fall here fome years in September, in others a month, later; after which the “rads break up their ground, in order to fow wheat, and plant beans: this commonly falls out about the middle of Ofeber—If, the Jatter rains fali as ufual in the;middle of April, (in the holy land we find: they were.a)month fooner, Yoel ii. 23.) the crop is reckoned fecure;, the harveft coming’ on-in: the latter end of May,’ or in the beginning, of Zune, according to! the heat

»and quality of the preceding feafons: wherefore, fince there was fo. little rain fell-in thefe countries, and particularly in Fudea, if thefe former and latter rains failed, a fearcity followed; for, for-want of the former rain, the earth was hard, and:not eafily plowed.up; and for want of the latter, the corn fecundabit, Caflalio 3) dicitur de virginibus fpiritualibus, withered away in the blade, and did not ear, at leaft did not produce ears plump and good; fo that thefe rains were great temporal bleffings, and to be afked for, as they were by the ews, when they were wanted; and for which they appointed fafts *; and were emblems of {piritual bleflings here defigned; for rain here is not to be literally underftood, but myftically and fpiritually; and defigns either thé love and favour of God, and the comfortable difcoveries of it; fee Prov. xvi. 15. and xix. 12. which may be compared to rain in its original; it is from above, from on high, it comes from heaven; it is not owing to any thing in man, but to the will of God; and is diftinguifhing, as rain falls on one city, and not on another; inits objects, undeferving perfons, as rain is fent on the juft and unjuft; in its manner of communication, it tarries not for the will and works of men; it comes at times in great abundance, and the difcoveries of it are to be afked for; in its effeéts, it foftens and melts the heart into evangelical repentance; it cools and extinguifhes the flaming wrath of a fiery law in the conicience; it refrefhes and revives the drooping fpirit, and makes the barren fOul-fruitful: or the bleffings of grace in general may be meant; thefe are from above, depend on the will of God; are to be fought after, and afked for; are free grace-gifts; are given largely and plentifully, and make fruitful: or the coming of Chrift in the flefh in particular is intended; fee Hof. vi. 3. who came down from heaven; is a free gift of God to men, was fought after, and greatly defired, and to be defired by the Old Teftament-faints, and very grateful to fuch when he came. ‘This may alfo be applied to his fpiritual coming in his power and kingdom in the latter day, which is to be earnettly wifhed and prayed for, P/: Ixxii. 7, 8, 16. or elfe the gofpel may be defigned; fee Deut. xxxii. 2. Jf lv. 10, 11. this is of God, and from above; comes and falls upon the fons of men, according to divine direction; foftens hard hearts, when it becomes effectual, comforts the fouls of God’s people; is a bleffing to be defired, and afked for; and will be enjoyed in great plenty in the latter day: fo the Lord fhall make bright clouds; by which may be meant, the minifters of the gofpel, who are of God’s making, and not man’s: thefe may be compared to clouds, for their number, efpecially as they will be in the latter day; and for their moving to and fro, to communicate fpiritual knowledge: and to bright ones, fuch as from whence lightning {prings, thunder-clouds, full of water; (the fame word is ufed for lightning, Yob xxxviii. 25.) be-. catife full of gofpel-truths, and becaufe of that clear light they diffufe to others: and give them fbhowers of rain; productive under a divine influence of large converfions among Fews and Gentiles: to every one grafs in the field; on whom thefe fhowers fall with efficacy, and a divine bleffing; every one of thefe have a fpiritual knowledge ot Chrift, faith in him, repentance towards God, food and fulnefs of it; and are filled with’ the fruits of righteoufnefs; or good works, to the glory of God; fee If. \v. 10. The Targum is, “* that he may give ** to them (the children of men) corn to eat, and “* grafs to the beafts in the field;” taking the words literally. ¥. 2. For the idols have fpoken vanity, &c.] The vanities of the Gentiles cannot give rain; if they promife it, they fpeak vain things; God only can give it, and theretore it muft be afked of him, Fer. xiv. 22, The word for idols is Teraphim, the fame as in Ge#. xxxi. 19. Hof. iii: 5. and here fignifies worfhippers of idols, as the Yargum interprets it; and may be underftood of the idolatrous papifts, who worfhip idols of gold, filver, brafs, and wood, Rev. ix. 20, 21. and who fpeak_ lies in hypocrify, great fwelling words of vanity, and even blafphemy againft God, his name, his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven, 1 Zim. iv. 1,2. Rev. xiii. 6. ‘archi on 2 Kings xxiii. 24: fays, the Teraphim are images that {peak by forcerers or forceries; and to fuch evils, the followers of the man of fin are addicted, Rev. ix. 21. and XViii. 23. and the Fews ' have a notion, that thofe images were fo formed, that they were capable of {peaking and talking with men; fee Ho/. iii. 4. they feem to confound them with the Zalifimen: and the diviners have feen a lie; delivered it out, and others believed it, being given up to judicial blindnefs, becaufe they received not the love of the truth, 2 Téef. il. 10, 11. The Targum is, ‘* the diviners prophefy falfhood;” or preach falfe doétrine, as the Romifh clergy do, who are meant by the diviners: and have told falfe dreams; about tranfubftantiation, purgatory, &c. which are yifionary things; falfe doétrines are compared to in vain; by works of fuipererogation, by felling pardons, and praying fouls out of purgatory: therefore they went their way as a flock; asa flock of fheep itraying from the fold. The Targum is, “< they are fcattered as fheep are fcattered;” that is, the Fews, being hardened againft the chriftian religion, by the idolatry, lies and dreams of the Papifts, wander about in their miftakes and errors, concerning the Meffiah; which is their cafe to this day, and will be until the man of fin is deftroyed: they were troubled, becaufe there was no fhepherd 5 or, no king, as the Targum paraphrafes it; that is, the king Meffiah, according to them is not yet come; which is their affliction and trouble, that they are as fheep without a fhepherd: or, they anfwered, that there is no fhepherd™, they replied to the diviners, the tellers of falfe dreams, and idolaters, and affirmed that the Meffiah is not come, and that the pope of Rome is not the fhepherd and bifhop of fouls.

¥. 3. Mine anger was kindled againft the oep~ herds, &c.] The Targum interprets it, of kings; as the goats of princes, in the next claufe; by whom, according to ‘archi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Abarbinel, are meant the kings of Greece; but rather the antichriftian kings are defigned, the Kings of the earth, who have committed fornication with the whore of Rome, which is the caufe of the anger of the Lord being kindled: or elfe ecclefiaftical rulers are meant, the Romib clergy, the chief of them, as cardinals, archbifhops, bifhops, &c. who may fitly be. reprefented by the fhepherds of J/rae/ in the times of the prophets for their name, profefling to be of J/rae/, or to be chriftians; and by them for their ignorance, covetoufnefs, luxury, difregard to the flock, tyranny and cruelty over it, and murder of it; fee JZ lvi.

ro. again{t thefé the fire of God’s wrath will be kindled, and with it will they be deftroyed: and —

I punifbed the goats; not the Seleucide, as the above Fewifh writers; tho’ they may with propriety be fo fo. called, fince they were the fucceffors of Aexander, fignified by the he-goat in Daz. viii. 5. rather the monks and friars, comparable to thefe for their filthinefs and uncleannefs; and becaufe they pretend to be guides of the people, and to go before them, and yet ufe them ill, and pufh them with their horns of power; wherefore God will punifh them, and kill thofe children of Fezabel with death, Rev. ii. 22, 23: for the Lord of hofts hath vifited his flock, the houfe of Fudab, by fending the gofpel to them, and his Spirit with it, to make it effectual to their converfion; which will be at the time that the antichriftian hierarchy will be deftroyed; then the Lord’s flock, who have gone aftray, fhall be returned to the true fhepherd and bifhop of fouls, and fhail feek the Lord their God, and David their king, and fhall be faved by him: a gracious vifitation this will be! and hath made thei as bis goodly horfe in the battel, this denotes that the Fews, when converted, will be bold in their God; valiant for the truth on earth; courageoufly fight the good fight of faith, and be victorious over their enemies; and that they will be in great honour and efteem among the faints, tho’ fo mean and juftly defpicable now: the fenfe is, that as the horfé fhows its ftrength and courage in battel, fo fhould they; fee Fob xxxix. 19—25.

¥. 4. Out of him came forth the corner, &c.] Or corner-ftone; by which is meant a king or ruler, as the Targum, Farchi, and Kimchi; and is no other than the king Meffiah, who was to come out of Judah, and did fpring from that tribe, 1 Chron. v. 2. Heb. vii. 14. and this is a reafon why God will vifit the houfe of Fudab, or the Fews, in the latter day, becaufe the Meffiah was promifed and fent unto them, falvation was of them, tho’ they rejected him; but the Lord will have mercy on them; the Redeemer fhall come to Zion in 4 ipiritual manner, and turn away iniquity from them, and then. all J/rae/ fhall be faved by him. ‘Thé epithet of a corner-ftone, well agrees with him, that being not only the ornament, but the ftrength and fupport of the building, which knits, cements, and keeps the whole together: Chrift is a beautiful and precious corner-{tone, which gives glory and luftre to the church, and is the fupport, yea the foundation of it; and who joins and unites together men and angels; Fews and Gentiles; Old and New Teftament-faints; faints above and below; faints in all ages and places, and of all nations and denominations; and is the head ef the corner, being fuperior to men and angels, to the kings of the earth, and to the church of God; fee Epd. ii. 20. Out of him the nail, the Targum is, out of