Exposition of the Whole Bible

sideration should deter us from a practice so i vile ia itself, so dishouourable to religion, and which is so highly rv;seuted by Christ. 3. It may also siguil'y a lookiug with dulijjht and pleasure at her afflictions and falls, which perhaps, she was suspicious of: tJiis was what Edom was blamed for, ia Obad. v. 12, 13, " but thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother," that is, with joy and pleasure, as the following words show; "neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah, in the day of their destruction," &c.; believers should be so far from such a temper as this is, that they should rather sympathise with them in their suflTerings, and falls, than triumj)h over them; for " let him that thiuketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall," Or, 4. She would not have them look upon her as persons astonished and amazed at her present sufferings, as though some strange and unaccountable thing had happened to her; for they need not be surprised, wlien they consider, that Christ, her Head and Husband, the holy and the harmless one, was treated after the same, yea, after a much worse manner; that the sufferings which she underwent, were but what were appointed for her, and would all end in God's glory, aud her own good, therefore she would have them not be startled at them, nor be discouraged by them from joining with her. 5. She would have them not to look at her blackness only, but alsa at her beauty; it is true, she was black in herself, and that she acknowledges; but then she vvas comely in Christ, and that she would have them take notice of, as well as the other: she would have them look upon Christ, who is " white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand," who is altogether lovely and exceeding comely, and consider her in him, aud not as she was in herself, for that might he frightening and discouraging to them.

II. She proceeds to give the reason why she would not have them look upon her, because, says she, " I am black:" she had said this before; but here she uses the same word in another form, which some think is to diminish the signification of it, and that she was not so black as they thought her to be, or had represeuted her; and read it " blackish, " or " somewhat black;"'' though the doubling of the radicals seems rather to increase the siaiuification, as in other places, see Psal. xlv. 5, Pro v. viii. 31; and therefore should be read, " because I am very black;" or exceeding black;'' and this she here mentions again with this addition, that she might have an opportunity to give account of the particular reasons thereof; which reasons are as follow.

1st. She declares, that one reason of her blackness was, " becaase the sun had looked upon her." The Ethiopic version h*s it, " because the sua iiath not looked upon me," that is, not kindly and gently, which would be pleasant and delightful; but severely, as to scorch her, and therefore looked black: and so Ambrose'^ reads the words; but interprets them of tlie Sun of righteousness, who had not shone upon her, being deprived of which, she had not attended to her devotion aud observance of tlie commands, which had brought blackness upon her. 1. The Targnm expounds this of the congregation of Israel, which was made black by the idolatrous worship of the sun and moon; against this, a law vvas provided, it was strictly proliibited by God, Dcut. xvil. 3; but yet was very early in the world; most nations under the sun (ell into it; some worshipped the sun under one name, and some under another, and all paid a regard unto it; this idolatrous worship seems to have obtained in Job's time, see Job. xxxi. 26, 27; and the Jewish nation was not exempt from it; they frequently fell into it, and were blackened by it, see 2 Kings xxiii. 5 — 11, Ezek. viii. 16; for idolatry, error, and superstition, will make the church black. 2. Others understand it of Christ, '' " the Sun of righteousness;" and that she was made black, either by suffering for him, or else by being in his company, in whose presence, all other beauty, but his own, vanishes aud disappears. Thus a jjerson that is not of a fair complexion, being in the company of one that is. looks abundantly worse than if viewed alone: Christ's beauty infinitely exceeds any that is in us; there is no comparison between them; we look black, exceeding black, when compared to Clirist. But, 3. 1 should rather choose to understand it of the sun of persecution, for under this name it goes in Matt. liii. 6, compared with v. 21, and this seems to suit better with the church's present state and circumstances; and, indeed, every one "that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution," from the tongues, if not from the hands of men: and this persecution, which the church underwent, seems to be a very vehement one, in that she compares it to the looks and scorchings of the sun; and it must continue some time upon her, to make and leave such visible marks aud impressions upon it; and yet she patiently endured all, and bravely " bore the heat and burden of the day," and seems to be more ashamed of her sufferings, than she was of the person and cause for whom she suffered. The allusion is to persons burnt with the sun,' and so made black or swarthy, as in some countries; and especially to such who are much in the fields, and employed in rural work, as the church is represented as a keeper of vineyards and of flocks of sheep, in the foUowifig words.

2ndly. Her " mother's children were angry with.

her." To licr outward perscentions were added intestine broils; it is therefore no wonder she looked so black as she did: oftentimes a man's worst enemies are those of his own house. The Targum by mother's children understands the false prophets, who taught the congregation of Israel to serve idols, and walk in the statutes of the people; by reason of which, she served not the Lord, neither walked in his statutes, nor kept his precepts and his laws. R. Sol. Jarehi thinks the Egyptians are iutended, among whom the Israelites were brought up; many of whom came along with them out of Egypt, and were frequently the cause of their falling into sin: but rather we are to understand by mothers children, either, 1. Indwelling sins and corruptions, which are produced with nature: lust conceived, as soon as we were conceived; nay, we were conceived with it, and in it, as the Psalmist says, Psal. li. 5, " Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me;" which brought forth sin in us as soon as we were brought forth into the world; and these indwelling lusts and corruptions proclaim war against us; these war against the soul, and sometimes " bring it into captivity to the law of sin which is in the members;" they frequently draw us away to the performance of sinful actions, making us the keepers of other^ vineyards, and often divert us from our duty, and cause us to neglect it; they hinder us from doing the good we would; for " when we would do good, evil is present with us;" and so we may be said not to keep our own vineyard. Or else, 2. Carnal professors may be here intended, who are members of the same society, externally children of the samemother, who profess themselves of the holy city, are pretenders to godliness, but enemies to it; such are they, who have " a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof," in themselves, and hate it in others; which, perhaps, may be one reason why these children that were born after the flesh, these false brethren, were angry with the church here; as they frequently are at her zealous defence and vindication ofgospel-truths and ordinances, in the power and purity of them, and at her faithful reproofs and admonitions to them and others, throwing all the scandal and reproach upon her that possibly they can: now these are generally her most bitter and implacable enemies, are thorns in her side, and give her the greatest uneasiness; causing more grief and trouble to her, than all her sufferings and persecution from the world; for hereby they blacken and lessen her reputation and character, more than any other whatever; and yet bear it she must, and patiently she ought to endure it; Christ himself was not free from it; for who were more bitter and implacable enemies to him and his Gospel, than the Jews, God's professing people, and the chief among them, the high-priests and Pliarisecs?

3rdly. She says " they made her the keeper of the vineyards," as an effect of their anger to her, and this, no doubt, added to her blackness; for being obliged to lie abroad in the fields, to keep the vineyards, she was exposed to the scorching sun-beams, and thereby got the hue she appeared with: this employment being not only very slavish, but base, mean, and reproachful; it was what was usually done by the poorer sort, and was much below the honour and dignity she was raised unto. By vineyards may be meant false churches; and by her keeping them, her falling in with their corrupt worship, and observance of the vain traditions and ordinances of men: which Christ complains of, and condemns in the Jewish church, who " made the commandment of God of none effect by their traditions." But this the church was obliged unto by her mother's children; her compliance does not seem to be voluntary, but forced, and she complains of it as an imposition; " they made me," that is, forced and obliged mc to do it. And this produced,

4thly. A. neglect of her own vineyard, " but mine own vineyard have I not kept;" which still increased her blackness; through outward persecution, intestine broils, and a sinful coinpliauce to human traditions, arising either from fear or weakness, or both, her own viueyard, the church, or her own soul, was neglected, and the affairs of it; her duty and business incumbent on her,'= the religious exercise she ought to have beeu employed in: with the Romans, neglect of fields and vineyards came under the notice of the censors, and did not go unpunished.'' Every believer has talents more or less given him to occupy, grace to exercise, gifts to use, and a part assigned him in the Lord's viiieyard, to labour in; aud when these things are neglected by him, either through the fear of men, or the corruptions of his own heart, he may he said, not to have kept his vineyard; which, pei-haps, sometimes is like his who was " void of understanding, which was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof;" but when he is sensible of it, he will acknowledge and bewail it, as the church does here; she docs not go about to extenuate her sin, by the anger of her mother's children, nor \^ their obliging her to keep other vineyards, but ingenuously acknowledges that it was her fault to neglect her own; which, as it Avas prejudicial to herself, so it was highly resented by Christ, who thereupon removed his presence from her; for she seems to be at a loss to know where he was, as is manifest from the following words.

lovetkj, where thou feedest, where thou makesi thy flocks to rest at noon; For wh// should J.

be as one that turnelh aside ly the fiocks of

Thk church having, in the two former verses, directed her speech to the daughters of Jerusalem, aod given them an account of herself, and present couJition, with the reasons thereof, which she did, in order to solve their objections, and remove all diseom-agenieiits from them that might arise from thence; and being sensible of her weakness and sinfulness in complying with, and embr;iciug the traditions and doctrines of men, in which she found no solid food for hep soul; she therefore makes application to Christ, the great She|iherd of flic sheep, that he would feed, refresh, guide, direct, and restore her wandering soul. In these

I. A request made unto him.

II. Sjme arguments used by her to prevail upon him.

I. Mere is a request made by the church of Christ, which consists of two parts. Tirst, To l<uow where he feedefh; " Tell me where thou fecdest." Secondly, That he would inform her where he rested aud refreslicd his flock in the heat of the day, '' where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon," botli which we shall enter into a eousideration of.

First. She deiires to know where Ciirist fed: which is to be understood not passively, where he himself was fed, or where lie fed himself; hut actively, where he fed others, namely his flock; which, though not expressed in the original text, must be understood; and it may be observed here, that God's own children sometimes may be at a loss to know where Christ feeds; which may arise, either from the prcvailings of corruptions in them, whereby they have stepped out of the ways of Christ; or from the hidings of God's face, and the wifhdrawings of the Sun of righteousness, or from the violent temptations of Satan, and fierce persecutions of the world; but when they are hungry, and desirous of spiritual food, they will enquire after it, and are very je;Jous, lest they should not be fed by Christ, and with the ^^holesorae words of faith and sound doctrine: therefore in these straits they make their ajiplieation to Christ, and him only, who " feeds his flock like a shepherd;" which branch of Christ's wrork and office we shall now consider; and shall en3eavo'-ir to show, 1st. Vv'hat this phra3e~^i!pposes and intends, a.s referred to Christ. 2ndly. 'WiiaTTie feeds his flock with. 3dly. IIow, after what manner, and by \yhat means he feeds them. 4thiy. AVliere he does so.

TsE It"'^i!T Te proper to euqnire what is supposed and intended by Christ's feedinj; souls.

1. It supposes that Christ is a Shepiicrd; and he calls himself so, in John s. The scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, do abnudantly testify that he bears this character, and stands iu this relation to his people, where he is called God's Shepherd, " Awake, 0 sword, against my Shepherd, and against the Man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts," Zech. xiii. 7: rtow he is so called because he is the Shepherd, wiiom God the Father hath approved of, chosen, appoii teJ, set up, and sent to be the Shepherd of the sheep; who, as such, died for the sheep and rose again, and as sucli must give an account unto the Father, of all t!ie sheep which he has intrusted liim with; he must bring in the full number, yea, must not have one of them wanting. He is also called the Chief Skeplierdj^ " And when the Chief SheplierJ sliall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory wliicii fadeth not sway," 1 Fet^. 7, which title he well deserves; for he that is "God's shepherd, is also God's fellow, entirely equal to him in the dignity of his nature, and in the fulness of his power aud glory; all other shepherds are under him, they receive their commissions from him, have their several flocks assigned to them by him, are furnished with abilities from him to feed them; to him, at last m\istlhey give an accouut of themselves, their work, and the flocks that were put under their care, and from him shall they receive the never-fading crowu of glory. He likewise calls himself the good Shejdierd; " I am the good Shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep," John x. 11; aud he may very justly call himself so, for soTe was to him that employed him, and so he is to those who are made his care aud charge; he was faithful to his Father, that appointed him, and is merciful and compassionate to, careful and tender of, the sheep committed to his trust; of which, a greater proof caimot be given, than liis laying down his life for them. He is called the great Shepherd; " Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep," Hcb^jsJuL-SP; which will manifestly appear, if we consider the dignity of his Person, being the Son of God; thte nature of his flock, the souls of men, therefore he is called " the ^he£lierd and,JJishpj) oj^sojils;" and dso the largeness of his abilities for this work; he has an exquisite knowledge of them, be. canjcall them all by name; be is cnduecl-vtiih infinite wisdom aud prudence to manage and order his flock aright; has an Almighty arm to protect and -defend them from all their enemies; is furnished with large supplies of grace for them, and bears an inexpressible love unto them. Finally, he is the One, and the only Shepherd; " I will set up one Shejihcrd over them, and he shall feed them," Ezek. xxxiv._23; not but that there are other shcpEenr~*which are under Christ, and whom he employs in his service, to feed his flock; but Christ is the Chief and Principle; God the Father mver did, nor ever will set up any other; he is tlie oijly^heplierd_that owns^ the floeli.