Exposition of the Whole Bible

out diligently, and defcry an enemy, or amy: approaching danger, and give notice of it; and:to defend the outworks of the city; and repel:the enemy;: all which requires courage, conftancy, vigilance and fobriety. The church isa city, and a walled one; God himfelf is a wall about her 5 falvation by Chrift is as walls and bulwarks to: her; and minifters of the gofpel are fet for the defence of her: this is an ordinance and appointment of God; thefe watchmen are not of mens. fetting, nor do they take this office to themfelves; but-are placed in it by the Lord, who makes them able minifters, qualifies them for watchmen, and. enables them to perform their work, and whichvis an inftance of the love of God to his church, and of his care of. it: which foall newer bold their peace day nor night; as the living creatures, in Rev. ive 8. which are an emblem of gofpel-minifters; who are always to be employed, and to be continually praying or preaching; the two principal branches of their miniftry, 47s vi. 4. they are not to be filent, but either praying in private or in public for direction and affiftance in their meditations; for fupply of the gifts and graces of the Spirit: in their miniftrations, and for fuccefs in their work; and that all bleffings of grace might defcend on thofe to whom they minifter: or elle preaching the go-~ fpel; being conftant in feafon, and out of feafon; frequently inculcating the doctrines of Chrift; con- {tantly affirming thefe things; ever informing, inftruéting, and exhorting the people. It was44- Jjiin’s with, that death might find him either praying or preaching: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not filence,; fome take this to be an addrefs to the fame perfons; and they may be deferibed as fuch, that make mention of the Lord in their miniftrations; of the grace and love of God the Father; of the perfon, office, and grace of Chrift; and of the operations of the Spirit: or, as he remembrancers of the Lord‘, as it may be rendered; that put men in mind of the Lord; of what he has done for them, and is unto them; of the doctrines of the gofpel refpecting him, and of their duty to him, and to one another, and to all men; and who put the Lord in mind of his promifes to his people, and prophecies concerning them, to fulfil them: but I rather think another fett of men are meant, even members of churches, as diftinét from minifters; who make mention of the Lerd to one another, in private conference with each other; of his gracious dealings with them, and favours beftowed upon them; and who makemen-. tion of him in their prayers to him, and praifes! of him; and who fhould not keep filence, but’ pray without ceafing, even always, and not faint, Luke Xvili, 1. 1 Theff.v. 17.; y to Yarig

¥.7. And give bim no ref, &c.] Not let him alone, as he defired that Mofes would, but wreftle with him as Facob did, and not let him go without the blefling; be importunate with him, as the widow with the unjuft judge; and be inceffant in prayer: until he efablifh; his church; which, tho” founded by him, and built upon the fure foundation of his laying, upon a rock, againft which the gates of hell cannot prevail; yet, as to its outward ftate, is fometimes fluctuating and unftable, it is not always in the fame place, nor in the fame circumftances; but in the latter day it will be eftablifhed on the top of the mountains, and will be

E Kar o¢ Curoiey nancxos waplow, etw xalonovow os vis (x, Sept. habitabit enim juvenis cum virgine, & habit tin Nam ut habet juvenis virginem, habebunt te filii tui, Cocceius. ~ A ataker; qui facitis ut alii reminifcantur Domini, Forerius. ee a tabernacle that fhall not be taken down’; which is the Lord’s work to do, and which he has’ promifed; and therefore may be ‘prayed for in faith, nor fhould faints ceafe praying till it is done, J ii. 2. and’ xxxiii, 20. Pf. xlviii. 2. and Ixxxvii. 5: and till be make Ferufalem a praife in the earth; matter of praife; till the church and its members become famous in the world, and fhall be praifed “by men, and God fhall be praifed for their fakes; for the purity of gofpel-doétrines and ordinances; for unity in worfhip; for cordial love and affection to each other; for holinefs of life and converfation; for number, and for figure, converts numerous, and many of thefe creat perfonages; when what is now to its difcredit and difpraife will be removed § all falfe doctrine, or mixtures of it; the many fects and parties which go by the chriftian name; the fad divifions and animofities among them; the impure lives of many profeffors; the fmall number of real chriftians; their meannefs and poverty.

¥.8. Lhe Lord hath fworn by his right-hand, and by the arm of bis ftrength, &c.] By Chrift, fay fome, who is the arm of the Lord, the power of God, by whom he made the world, and upholds all things; but tho’ he fometimes is faid to fwear unto him, and concerning him, yet is never faid to fwear by him; rather the attribute of omnipotence is here defigned; as God is fometimes faid to fwear by his holinefs, fo here by his almighty power; the confideration of which itfelf is a great encouragement to faith, to believe the fulfilment of promifes, becaufe God is able; but his fwearing by it, is a further confirmation of it; it is as if he had faid, let me not be thought to be the omnipotent God Iam, if I do not do fo and fo; or as fure as I have fuch a right-hand, and arm of ftrength, what follows fhall certainly be accomplithed: furely Iwill no move give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies, and the fons of the ftrangers fhall not drink thy wine for the which thou haft la- éoured; this was threatened to the people of J rael, in cafe of finning againft God, and revolting from him; and was accomplifhed in the times of their captivity in Babylon, Deut. xxviii. 33. Fer. v. 17. but here it is promifed, and the ftrongeft affurance given, it fhould be fo no more; which cannot refpect the deliverance of the Fews from the Badylonifo captivity; for it is certain, that after that their enemies did eat their corn, and drink their wine; the Romans came and took away their city and nation as they feared, and all their good things; wherefore this muft refer to future times, to times yet to come, when this people being converted, fhall be reftored to their own land, and enjoy great plenty of good things, and never more be difturbed by their enemies: tho’ all this may be underftood in a fpiritual fenfe of the corn and wine of the gofpel, and the miniftration of it; which was firft provided for them, and they were invited to partake of it; and in preparing which the apofiles and firft minifters of the word, being Jews, laboured; but they, rejecting it, it was carried to the Gentiles, who had been their enemies, and were aliens from the commonwealth of J/rae/, which they gladly received and fed upon; but now it is promifed, that the gofpel being again brought unto them, fhould no more be taken from them, but ever continue with them; even all the means of grace, and ordinances of the gofpel, for thé cothfort and refrefhment of their fouls.;

¥. 9. But they that have gathered it, fhall eat it, and praife the Lord, &c.] That is, the corn; they who have manured. the land, fowed feed in it, reaped it when ripe, gathered it in its feafon; thefe fhall eat the fruit of their labours, and praife the Lord for it, acknowledge his bounty and goodnefs to them; for notwithftanding all the diligence, induftry, and labour of men, it is thro’ the bleffing of the Lord, and owing to his favour, that they have bread, and a fufficiency of it, to eat; which when they have, they fhould be thankful for it, Deut. viii. 10: and they that have brought it together, fhall drink it in the courts of my boline s + that is, the wine they fhall drink; having planted vineyards, and gathered the grapes when ripe, and brought them to the wine-prefs, and there made wine of them; they fhall drink it at a proper time and place: the allufion is to the priefts and Levites eating and drinking holy things, within the compafs and bounds of the temple; and may fignify the converted Fews, partaking of the gofpel and gofpel-ordinances in the houfe of God, as well as the Gentiles, being all now made priefls unto God. The Arabic verfion interprets it of perfons gathered, that fhould eat and drink. The Targum is exprefs, they that gather the corn in, and they-that prefs the wine., y. 10. Go through, go through the gates, &c.] Opén them, and keep them open for perfons to enter in; meaning not the gates of Feru/alem, which thofe in it fhould open for the reception of the Fews returning from Babylon, tho’ there may be an allufion to it; but the gates of the- church in the latter day, which fhall ftand open night and day, that converts, who fhall flock unto it, may enter in thereat, whether Fews or Gentiles, fee If. Xxvi. I, 2, and lx. 11: prepare you the way of the. people; caft up, caft up the high way, for the people of the Fews, or the Gentiles, by the deftruction of the eaftern and weftern antichrift, and by the preaching of the gofpel; by which means way will be made for the kings of the eaft, and for thé eaftern kingdoms being converted, and becoming the kingdoms of our Lord, and his Chrift; fee Rev. xvi. 12. and xi. 15: gather out the ftones; all things that offend, that are a ftumbling block to Fews, Pagans, and Mahometans, and hinder them embracing the chriftian religion; as errors, herefies, {chifms, falfe doétrines, and falfe worfhip, idolatry, and fuperftition. archi thinks there is a re~ {pect to the corruption of nature; and fo the Targum interprets it, the thought of the evil imagination, which is as a ftone: or, pitch or ftrow it with ftones *; that is, the high-way; pave it with them, becaufe of the clay, that fo it may be a good way for paflengers: /ift up a flandard for the people; that they may know where to come or go; this is to be underftood of the preaching of the gofpel, and of lifting up Chrift as a ftandard or enfign in it, to whom the people might be direéted, invited, and encouraged to come; fee ch. xi, 10. The Zargum is, “ the prophet faid, pafs by, «¢ and return thro’ the gates; turn the heart of ‘¢ the people to the right way; publifh ood things “* and comforts to the righteous, who remove the * thought of the evi imagination, which was as a “¢ ftone of ftumbling; lift up a fign to the people.”

y. 144 Behold the Lord'bath proclaimed unto the end of the world, &c.] This is not to be inter-_ preted. of the proclamation by Cyrus, giving liberty to the people of the Yews to return to their own land, for that did not reach to the end of the world; but of the proclamation of the gofpel, which, as when firft. publifhed, the found of it went into all the earth, and the words of it to the ends of the world, Rom. x. 18. So it-will be in the latter day, when it fhall be preached to all nations, from one end of the world to the other, Rev. xiv. 6. Say ye to the daughter of Zion, behold thy falvation cometh; or thy Saviour’, or thy Redeemer, as the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic verfions; and which.is to be underftood not of his firft coming, or of his incarnation, tho’ that is fometimes foretold in much fuch language, Zech. ix. g. and the fame. things are faid of -him with refpeé& to that, as follows: behold his reward is with him, and his work before him fee the note on ch, xl. 10. but of his {piritual coming, of which notice is given to the church, the, congregation of Ziov, as the Targum renders it, who will come in a fpiritual manner, and do a great work in the world; deftroy antichrift; convert Fews and Gentiles; take to himfelf his great power and reign; and give a reward to his feryants the prophets, his faints, and them that fear his name, 2 Theff. ii. 8. Rev. xi. 15—18, and xxii. 12. \The-Zargum is, “ behold a reward to them ¢ that do his word is with him, and all their ‘¢ works are manifeft before him.” The word dehold is, three times ufed in this verfe, to raife attention to what is faid, and as pointing out fomething wonderful, and to exprefs the certainty of

¥. 12. And they fhall call them the boly people, &c.] For whom the way is prepared, to whom the ftandard is lifted up,.and the proclamation made, and who upon it-are gathered in to Chrift the Saviour, and to the church: thefe fhall be called, by men that know them, have a fpirit of difcerning, and are capable of judging, she holy people; a people feparated and fet apart for God, for his fervice and glory; chofen to be a fpecial people, above all the people of the earth; chofen thro’ fanétification of the Spirit, and to holinefs here and, hereafter, and fo fanctified by God the Father, as in Jude, ¥. x. and in confequence of it, are made holy by the Spirit of God, in effectual vocation; they are not holy by nature, nor by their own power, but by the grace of God, who calls them. with an holy. calling, and to holinefs, and’ implants principles of grace and holinefs in them, fo that they are truly and really fo, This character. refpects the church and its members in the latter day, when every one that remains in fervufalem, and every pot and veffel there, fhall be

"Ts chapter contains a prophecy. of the vengeance of Chrift upon the enemies, of his.

church in the. latter day, whereby compleat falvation would be obtained for them; and this illu- {trated by the mercies of God to the people of J/rael of old; and is concluded with the church’s prayer, to him. The account of the vengeance taken by Chrift on his enemies, is introduced by holmefs to the Lord; yea, that thall be upon the - ‘bells of the horfes, J. iv. 3. Zech. xiv. 20, 212 the redeemed of the Lord, which character includes the blefling of redemption, from whence the deno-— mination is, which is a blefling of a fpiritual nature; the redemption of the foul from fin, fatan,, the law, its curfe, and condemnation, and fror all enemies; a blefiing early in the heart of God; contrived by his infinite wifdom; fecured in the covenant ef grace; wrought out by Chrift, is & plenteous one, containing various bleflings of grace in it, and in its effects and confequences, of ar eternal duration: this character is alfo exprelive ae | Chrift, as the author of the above bleffing: thefe are not redeemed by themfelves, nor by their friends, nor by men, nor by angels, but by the Lord; who, as man, is the near kinfman of his people, and has the right to redeem; as God, he is mighty and able to redeem them; and who by his precious

| blood has obtained redemption for them; fo that the has a property in them, which is afférted in)this character; they are not their own, nor any others but his, a. peculiar people, redeemed from among men, the {pecial favourites of heaven; and: who, in confequence of it, are called, and kept, and faved with an everlafting falvation: afd thou Joalt be called, fought out; thou, daughter of Zion, or the church of God, confifting of eleét, ‘re~ deemed, and called ones; fuch as are fought out of the ruins of the fall, among the men of the world, and duft of the earth; found in a very mi~ ferable condition, ufuatly by means of the gofpel,. and by Chrift, who knows them well, where they, are, and what the time of finding them, and can call them by name, and does; all which is the fruit and effect of his love unto them: tho’ this, character may chiefly refpeét the notice that will be taken of the church in the latter day; whereas fhe has been Zion, whom no man feeks after, Fer. Xxx, 17. now fhe fhall be fought and flocked unto by all nations, and by great perfonages, even by ‘the kings and princes, of the earth, J/. ii. 2. and }-xlix, 23. and lx. 9: a@ city not forfaken, the city. of the living God, of which faints are fellow-citizens, confilting of many perfons, in good and flourifhing circumftances, and which fhall not be forfaken of men, as it has been, ch. Ix. 15. but fhall be filled with converts, both Jews and Gentiles; nor forfaken of God, but fhall enjoy his gra~ cious prefence, and fenfible communion with him in his ordinances; nor fhall any of its true members, be forfaken, or the work of grace in them; they. fhall none of them perifh, but have everlafting lifes fo that here is a clufter of glorious doétrines, in their order and connexion one with another: election in the firft character; redemption in the fee.

cond; effectual vocation in the third; and final per- | feverance in the laft. mae oo. a gine a ty | colloquy between him and his church; who pe a queftion, in which he is deferibed by the places. from, whence he came, by his apparel, and by his manner of walking; to which he returns an an~_ fwer, y. I. then a fecond queftion is p It, about.

the colour of his garments; for which h gives a. reafon, ¥. 2, 3. it being the time of his ea on his enemies, and of the redemption of his.

“ple, y. 4. the manner in which he performed both Lord, accordirig to Dan. xii. t. atid then quotes the is obferved, ¥. 5. and the thorough work he would’ ‘make; and thé entire riddance of all his enemies is determined upon, y.°6.: which, puts the:prophet -or the church"in mind of former mercies *beftowed ‘upon J/rael of old, the peculiar people and children ‘ot God, the Lord had a great opinion of, and favour for, whoim he dealt:very tenderly with, and fedeemed, and faved, and ‘preferved, y. 7, 8, 9. tho’ they acted an ungrateful part, to him,. which, vis aggravated by the various kind iteps of providence, in leading them thro’ the Red-Sea, guiding ‘them in the wildernefs; and bringing them‘to refit fafely in Canaan’s land, for his own glory, ¥. ro, 11, 12, 13,14. and all is clofed with the church’s prayer to God, imploring his grace and mercy; pleading: relation to him; expoftulating with him about their prefent cafe, and! obferving the: difference between them and their enemies, ¥. 15, ©16,.17, 18, tg. and which prayer is continued in the’next chapter.

y. 1. Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrab?'&c.| Thefe are not the words of the angels at the time of Chrift’s’af- -cenfion to heaven; or of the people of J/rael; but “rather of the prophet, or of the church he reprefents; by whom this queftion is put, not concerning Michael the archangel returning from fighting the king of Perfia, tor what has Edom and Bozrah to do with Perfia? nor concerning Fudas -Maccabeus, in whofe times it feems a victory was “obtained over the Edomites: the defcription is too grand and auguft to agree with any mere man; rather therefore it-is to be underftood of God himfelf taking vengeance on the wicked, many of the characters agreeing with the defcription of him in ch, lix. 16, 17, 18. tho’ it feems beft of all to interpret it of the Meffiah. ben Ezra obferves, that there are fome that fay, this is the Meffiah; others, that it is Michael, but, fays he, it is right that it refpeéts the glorious name, that is, Jehowah himfelf; the firft fenfe he gives is righteft. Several Fewi/h writers, ancient as well as modern, interpret this of the Mefiah, whom they yet expect to come from Rome to the land of J/rael, which they fuppofe is meant by Edom. So fays one * of their writers, ‘‘ when the king Meffiah «* fhall come, he will be clothed in purple, beau- ** ful to look at, which in colour fhall be like to “* wine— for the clothing of the king Meffiah * fhall be filk, red as blood; and it. fhall be ** worked with the needle in various colours, and ‘ he fhall be the head of J/rae/; and this is what is * faid in J/- Ixiii. 1. wherefore art thou red in thy ‘ apparel? And fay others of their ancient writers °, the J/bmaelites or Turks fhall fight three battels in the latter day, one in the foreft of Arabia, another in the fea; and a third in the great city Rome, which fhall be greater than the other two; and from thence fhall fpring the Meffiah, and he fhall Jook upon the deftruétion of the one, and of the other, and from thence fhall he come into the land of Ijrael, as it is faid, who is this that comes from Edom, &c. So Abarbinel » afferts, that the J/bmaelites or Turks thall come againft Rome, and deftroy it; and then fhall be revealed Mefiab, the fon of above paffage of their wife men; and upon it obferves, that from thence it appears that Mefiah, the fon of David, fhall be of the ‘Yews that are in the captivity of Edom (or Rome), for fo they explain //? xiii. 1. who is this that comes from Edom, &c. and fo Kimchi interprets the prophecy of time to come: but tho’ the Meffiah is intended, this is to be underftood not of his firft coming; which was out of Zion, out of the tribe of Fudeb, and out of Bethlehem Ephratah; nor of his afcenfion to' heaven, after his bloody fufferings and death, and the victory he had obtained over all our {piritual enemies, fin, fatan, the world, death and hell; for that was from the land of Fudea, from mount Olivet, near to Ferufalem, the place of his fufferings and death; but of his fpiritual coming, which is yet future, to ltake vengeance on an+* tichrift, and all the antichriftian powers. It is ufual in fcripture, for the enemies of the church and people‘of God in gofpel-times, to be expreffed by fuch who were the known and implacable enemies of the people of J/rael; and fuch were the Edomites, the inhabitants of Idxmea, of which Bozrab was a principal city; fee P/ cxxxvii. 7. Ezek. XXV. 12,13. ‘Amos, i. 11,.12. Obad. ¥. 10—14. and were a lively emblern of antichrift and his followers,- for their relation to the. people of Chrift, their cruelty to them, and contempt of them; from the conqueft and flaughter of which, Chrift is here reprefented returning as a victorious and triumphant conqueror;' fee J/. xxxiv. 5, 6. hence he is faid to come from thence with dyed garments, or flained? 3 that is, with the blood of his enemies; fo farchi interprets it dyed in blood, or dipped in it; to which agreés the apparel of Chrift in Rev. xix. 13. where he is faid to be clothed with a vefture dipped in blood; which chapter is the beft commentary upon this paflage, referring to the fame time and cafe: it follows, this that is'glorious in bis apparels for tho’ it was thus ftained and difcoloured with the blood of his enemies; yet was glorious to himfelf, having gotten fuch a compleat victory over all his and his church’s enemies, and fo was glorious to them to behold; and efpecially, fince on this vefture, and on his thigh, is a name written, King of kings, and Lord.of lords, Rev. xix. 16: travelling in the greatnefs of bis ftrength 2 marching in great ftatelinefs and majefty at the head of his victorious troops, he nor they having nothing to feaf from their enemies, being all vanquifhed and deftroyed. Strength, and the greatnefs of it, may well be afcribed to Chrift, who is the mighty God, yea, the’almighty; the mighty man, made ftrong by the Lord for himfelf; and the mighty Mediator, having all power in heaven and earth: ‘he travelled in the greatnefs of his ftrength from heaven to earth, by the affumption of our nature; while here, he went about continually doing good; with the utmoft intrepidity he went forth to meet his foes, and death itfelf, at the proper time, and without fear pafled thro’ the valley of the thadow of death; when raifed again, in his afcenfion to heaven, he marched thro’ the territories of fatan, the air, in great triumph, dragging him and his principalities and powers at his chariot-wheels; and when he had poured down his Spirit plentifully,

David, and thall compleat the. redemption of the’ he went forth into the Gentile world in the mini-.

{tration of the gofpel, conquering and to conquer; and in the latter day he’ll come and take vengeance on all the antichriftian ftates, and return in triumph, to which this paflage refers; fee’ Rev. xvii. 14. and xix. 14. and xi. 17. the anfwer to the queftion follows, J that-/peak in righteonfnefs, mighty to fave; thefe are the words of Chrift: defcribing himfelf, by his fpeech and by his power, by his word and by his works: he /poke in righteoufne/s at the making of the covenant of grace in eternity, fome things by way of requeft for his elect, others by way of promife for them; all which he has faithfully and righteoufly performed: under the Old Teftament-difpenfation, he fpake many things in righteoufnefs by his prophets, and by his Spirit in them; yea, he often appeared in an human form, and fpoke to the patriarchs and others: when here on earth, he fpoke in or of righteoufnefs +, of the righteoufnefs of God he came to declare; of his own righteoufnefs he came to bring in and of the happiriels of thofe who fought it, and were juftified by it; and of the infufficiency of man’s righteoufnefs to bring him to heaven: here it feems to have a more e{pecial refpeét to the promifes made to the church, of her falvation from her enemies, and of the deftru@tion of them; which will now be accomplifhed, and appear to be the true and faithful fayings of Chrift, Rev. xix. 9. and xxi. 5. and xxii, 6. and that he is mighty to fave, appears from the fpiritual falvation of his people he has already wrought out: God laid help on one that is mighty, and he being mighty undertook it, and has accomplifhed it; and which work required ftrength, even almighty power, fince fin was to be atoned for by bearing it, the law to be fulfilled, juftice to be fatisfied, the wrath and curfe of God to be endured, and innumerable enemies to be engaged with; and of fuch a nature was that falvation, that neither angels nor men could ever have effected it: and this his power to fave will be further - manifeft, when the beaft and falfe prophet, antichrift, and al] the antichriftian powers, fhall be deftroyed by him, and his people entirely delivered out of their hands, Kev. xi. 18. and xix. 20, 21. The Targum of the whole is, ** who hath faid thefe things ** that fhall bring the blow upon Edom, the ftrong ** vengeance on Bozrah, to execute the vengeance ** of the judgment of his people, as he hath fworn ** unto them by his word? he faith, behold I ap- *« pear as I fpake in righteoufnefs, much power is *¢ before or with me to fave;” fee Rev. xviii. 8. ¥. 2. Wherefore art thou red in thy apparel, &c.} Chrift having fatisfied the church as to her firft queftion, concerning his perfon, who he was; fhe puts a fecond to him, about the colour of his garments, which was red, and the reafon of it. His garments at his transfiguration were white as fnow, whiter than any fuller on earth could whiten them; his robe of righteoufnefs is fine linen, clean and white; the garment of his human nature, or his form as man, was white and ruddy; but this, thro’ his bloody. fufferings,’ became red, being all over bloody through the fcourges he received, the crown of thorns he wore, the piercing of his hands, feet, and fides, with the nails and fpear; but here it appears of this colour not with his own blood, but with the blood of /his enemies, as is hereafter explained: and thy garments like him ibat treadeth in the wine-fat? or wine-prefs, into which clufters of grapes are caft, and thefe are trodden by men, ' the juice of which fparkles on their garments, and lour. ee.; y. 3. I have trodden the wine-profs alone, &c.} This is an anfwer to the queftion before put, ‘and confirms what was obferved, that his garments were like one that treadeth in the wine-prefs;' this was very true, he had trodden it, and trodden it alone, and that was the reafon his garments were of fuch an hue; what others did by their fervants, he did by himfelf, alone and without them.” "Lhe wine-prefs is a fymbol of the wrath of God; not of what Chrift bore himfelf as the finners furety, for then he was trodden as a vine, or the clufters of it himfelf; but of what he executed on others, Wicked men are compared to clufters of the vine; the wine-prefs into which they are caft is the wrath of God, and Chrift is the treader of it; particularly he will be in the latter day, when antichrift and ‘his followers will be deftroyed by him} fee Rev. xiv. 18, 19, 20. and xix. 15. And of the people there was none with me; either fighting with him, that could oppofe him, any more than’ the clufters of grapes can refift the treaders of them; or to affift him in taking vengeance on his enemies: for tho’ the armies of heaven follow him in white, thefe are little more than attendants and fpectators, at moft but inftruments, all the power to conquer and deftroy is from himfelf, and owing to the two-edged fword proceeding out of his mouth, Rev, xix. 14, 15. éven as when he ftood in the law-place and ftead of his people, there were none of them with him; he alone was the author of falvation, none could bear the wrath of God but himfelf, or engage with {piritual enemies, or work out falvation tor them. But of this the text {peaks not, only of the deftruétion of the enemies of Chrift and his church: for Lill tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; with great eagernefs, with all his might and ftrength; and this is the reafon-why his garments were fo ftained, even with the blood of his enemies, trodden and trampled under foot by him in this fu-. rious manner; as a perfon in a wine-prefs alone, and treading it with all his might, has’ his garments more-fparkled and ftained with the juice of the grape, than when there are many, and thefe tread lightly. ‘The words being in the future tenfe fhew, that they refpeét time to come; and the - manner of fpeaking afcertains the accomplifhment of them, and which is further confirmed by what follows:. and their blood fhall be {prinkled upon -my garments, and I will fain all my raiment; jolt as the garments of thofe that tread in the wine-prefs are {prirkled and ftained with the juice of ‘the grape; this will have its accomplifhment when he fhall appear in a vefture dipped in blood, or fhall be as bloody, with the blood of his enemies, as if it was dipped in it, Rev. xix. 13. oe ¥. 4. For the day of vengeance is in my beart, &c.} Refolved on with him, fixed by him, and which is defirable to him; he has it at heart, and longs as it were till the time is come, to-avenge the blood of his faints on the Remifh antichritt, whom he will deftroy with the breath of uth, and the brightnefs of his coming; fee 2 Thef ii. 8. and when he fhall pour out all his on the antichriftian ftates, and revenge the cause and quarrel of his people, Rev. eS AUER. and xix. 2: and the year of my redeemed is com the time when thofe who are already redeeme the blood of Chrift, and fo are his propert ASS ts

_.» he,claims;as.-his,own, being the purchafe, of his

_ thro’ the red-fea and wildernefs, and fettling them in Ganaan’s land, afterparticularly méntioned; but alfo thofe of his fpecial) grace and: goodnefs to the chofen of God.among them; called in. the plural number Joving kiudneffes, being the acts of all the three perfons difplayed.in election, redemption and fantification; and becaufe thefe are many and various, and an abundance of: grace and love is manifefted in them: and the praifes.of the Lords according. to.all that the Lord bath befiowed on us; which are due to him. from all creatures, angels and men, and efpecially the faints; «and which belong to each divine. perfons: according to the various, gifts of grace: freely beitowed by them fuch as the gift.of God himfelf to his peoples: the gifts of his Son,-and..of the bleffed Spirit, with all his graces; faith, hope, love, repentance, Se, and all the bleffings of grace; as pardon, juttification, adoption and eternal life, aright unto it;-and meetnefs for it;,all, which call for praifé and thankfulne{s.: 4nd the great goodne/s towards the houfe of Tirael, which he bath befiowed on them according to bis. mercies, and according to the multitude of bis loving kindneffes 5 the gifts of grace are beftowed, not according to the merits of men, for then they would not be free grace-gifts; and befides, there is no merit ina‘ creature; the beft works: of the beft.of men are net meritorious of any thing at the hand of God; butall they. have fow.from mere fovereign. mercy, pure grace, and free unmerited love, which is abundant, yea boundlefs, and even infinite. A heap of words is here made ufe of, and all little enough to exprefs the wonderful kindnefs of God in the acts of his. grace and goodnefs to his church and people; which ought always to be had in fight and mind, and to be remembered and {poken of in private and in public. ¥. 8. For he faid, furely, they ave my people, &c.] Not in common with the reft of mankind, being his creatures, and the care of his providence;-but his {pecial people, whom he had chofen to be fuch, and had made a covenant with; he had avouched them for his people, and they had avouched him to be the Lord their God; and. this covenant-intereft was the ground and foundation of the actual donation and application of all. the »bleffings of grace and goodnefs,-to. them before. mentioned. Thefe are the words of Jehovah himfelf, related by the prophet; and are applicable to all the elect of God, whom he has chofen in Chrift; taken into the covenant of grace made with him; and who appear. manifeftly to be his peculiar people by their effectual vocation;-when it isa, fure and certain thing, that they who were not known by themfelves.or others tobe the people. of God, are evidently fo; and the Lord himielf: makes no ieruple of acknowledging them as fuch, even tho’) their conduct and behaviour towards him is not altogether as.it fhould be, and which was the cafe of the people of Jae!; however, he is willing to hope well of them, as parents do of their children, fpeaking, after the manner of men, and thac they will, behave. better, for the future, being, by frefh mercies laid-under -obligation to. him, as he did of Jjael.of old: children that,wil! not lies not the children of fatan, as liars.are, who was a liar from. the -beginning,.and- the father of lies 3. as wicked men are, who go aftray from the womb, fpeaking, lies; but. children of God by. adopting grace, and thro’ faith in Chrift; and. therefore fhould not lie to God, nor to men, nor to one a: otner, blood, fhall be redeemed again from antichriftian bondage and flavery, fhall.be called and brought out ot.Babyloz; and when thofe; who have led them captive, fhall go» into,.captivity themielves:, this will be.a jubilee year to the faints a time of refrefhing from, the prefence. of the Lord; when, being rid. of all their perfecuting enemies, they will enjoy. the utmoft peace, profperity and fafety; fee Rev. xiii, 10. and xviii. 4, and xix. 20,29. _. 5. And I looked, and there was none to -belp, &c.] As in the firft redemption and falvation by Chnit here on earth, there were none among the angels, nor.any of the fons of men, to help him, and affift him therein, none but Jehovah the Father; fo in this latter falvation, the church and people of God will be reduced to fuch a low, helplefs and forlorn condition, that there will.be-none to lend an affifting hand; their deliverance. will appear moft manifeftly to be the fole work..of almighty power: and I wondered that there was none to uphold, not the Saviour and Redeemer, he needed none; but his people under their fufferings, trials and exercifes, and his finking, dying caufe, and intereit: this is fpoken after the manner of men, and to. make the falvation appear the, more remarkable, diftinguifhing and great, and folely his own work; for otherwile expectation and difappointment, confternation and amazement, as the word * fignifies, cannot be properly afcribed to this great Redeemer; therefore mine own arm. brought Jalvation unto me; to himfelf, his myftical felf, his church and people, and for his own glory; a falyation, which his own omnipotent arm could only effect; fee the note on ch. lix..16: aud my fury, it upbeld me; his zeal for his church and people, and his indignation againft their enemies, excited his almighty power on their behalf, and carried him thro’ the work of their deliverance and falvation he engaged in; fee J/. ix, 7. ¥.6. Aud I will tread down the people in mine. anger, &c.] See the note on ¥..3: and make them drunk in my fury; or with it *; the wrath of God is fignified by a cup, which he gives wicked. men to drink, and which is an inebriating one to them, Pf Ixxv. 8. ILM. 17-23... Fer. xxv. 15. and here it fignifies the cup of the wine of the fiercenefs of God’s wrath, which fhall be given to myftical Babylon,, to antichrift and his followers, Rev. xiv. 10. - and xvi. 19: and I will bring down their firength to the earth; their ftrong kingdoms, fortified cities, and mighty men, their wealth and. riches, of which they boafted, and in which they trufted; fee J xxvi. 5. The eighteenth chapter of the Revelation is a commentary.on thefe words. ¥. 7. 1 will mention the loving kindueffes of the Lord, &c.|. Thefe are the words of, the prophet, as Farchi and Kimchi obferve; who,.having, heard what the Lord would do for his church and people in after times, by avenging them on their enemies, calls to mind the favours. beftowed, on J/rae/ of old; and determines to. make mention of them, and put the faints in mind of them, as,types, earnefts,and pledges, of what would be done for them; and to encourage their faith and hope in| the performance. of what was..promifed them: | thefe he calls the loving kindneffes of the Lord, meaning not only the inftances of his providential good-., nels in bringing them out of Egypt, leading them