1st In general, he will give them " vineyards from thence" (that is, from the wilderness), as he did to them in Canaan, when he brought them out of the wilderness. This God often mindeth them of, that he gave them " vineyards which they planted not,"" Deut. vi. 11 ; and he here setteth out the plenty of gospel grace, which they never laboured for, which he had provided for them, under that notion. He giveth them of the wine of the gospel, his Holy Spirit.
2dlt/. In particular, he compares his dealings with them to his dealings in the valley of Achor, a most pleasant and fruitful valley that was near Jericho, being the first the IsraeHtes entered into when they came out of the wilderness, which is mentioned as a fruitful place, Isa. Ixv. 10. And therefore this is said to be to them '' a door of hope," or an entrance into that which they hoped for, it being the first fat, fruitful, and fertile place that the Israelites came into in the land of Canaan, and so an entrance into the good land which they hoped for, answering their expectation to the uttermost. In the promise of the abundance of spiritual mercies and grace which God hath prepared for his, he rccalleth into their minds the consider- ation of the refreshment which the Israelites, after so long an abode in the " waste and howling wilderness," had and took in the fruitful, plenteous " valley of Achor." Such is the spiritual provision that
VI.] PARTICUIAR PROMISES ILLUSTRATED. 279
God hath made for the entertainment of poor souls whom he hath aUured into the wilderness, and there spoken comfortably to them. Being called and pardoned, he leadeth them to sweet and pleasant pastures, treasures of grace and mercy, which he hath laid up for them in Jesus Christ. He giveth them of the first-fruits of heaven, which is a door of hope unto the full possession, Eom. viii. 23.
2dly. [He alludes] to the songs and rejoicings which the church had when they sung one to another upon the destruction of the Egyptians, at their delivery out of the bondage of Egypt, As then they sung for joy, Exod. xv. 1-21, upon the sense of that great and wonderful deliverance which God had wrought for them, so shall their hearts be affected with gospel mercies, pardoning, healing, purging, and comforting grace, which in Jesus Christ he will give in unto them.
These, then, are the three things which are promised to them that come out of the Avildemess: — (1.) Gospel refreshment, in pouring out of the Spirit upon them ; (2.) The first-fruits of heaven, a door of hope; (3.) Spiritual joy, in the destruction and conquest of sin.
This, then, is the sum of this second part of that description which we have of those persons to whom the promise under consideration is given : They are such as, being called and pardoned, are admitted to that portion in the wonderful marvellous provision of gospel mer- cies and grace which in Jesus Christ he hath provided for them, with that joy and consolation which thereon doth ensue.
In the following verses you have a fuller description of these per- sons, upon a twofold account: — First, By their dehvery from idolatry and false worship, verses 16, 17, which is particularly and peculiarly insisted on, because that eminently was the sin for which those men- tioned in the beginning of the chapter were utterly rejected. God will preserve these, as from the sin of idolatry, so from any other that should procure their utter rejection and desolation, as that of idolatiy had formerly done in respect of the only carnal Jews. Secondly, By their protection against their enemies, verse 18. And these are the persons to whom this promise is made, — converted, justified, sancti- fied, and purified persons.
2. We may take a little view of the nature of the promise itself: " I will," saith the Lord, " betroth thee unto me for ever." There is in this promise a twofold opposition to that rejection that God had before denounced unto the carnal and rebellious Jews : —
(1.) In the nature of the thing itself, unto the divorce that God gave them : Verse 2, "She is not my wife ; neither am I her husband." But to these saith God, *' I will betroth them unto myself;" — " They shall become a wife to me, and I will be a husband unto them." And this also manifesteth that they are not the same persons to whom that threatening was given that are principally intended in this pro- mise; for if God did only take them again whom he had once put
280 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PEKSEVERANCE. [cHAP.
avvaj, there would have been no need of any betrothing of them anew. New " sponsalia'' are not required for such an action.
(2.) In the coniimiance of the rejection of the first, and the estab- lishment of the recejition of the latter, at least in respect of his abid- ing with these and those; Avith those for a season, but unto these he saith^ " I will betroth them unto me FOR EVER." God's betroth- ing of believers is his actual taking them into a marriage covenant with himself, to deal with them in the tenderness, faithfulness, and protection ot a husband. So is he often pleased to call himself in reference to his church. I shall not go forth to the consideration of this relation that God is pleased to take the souls of saints into with himself. The eminent and precious usefulness and consolation that floweth from it is ready to draw me out thereunto, but I must attend to that which I principally aim at, — namely, to evince that God hath undertaken that he and believers will and shall abide in this relation to the end, that he will for ever be a husband to them, and that in opposition to his dealing with'the carnal church of the Jews, to whom he was betrothed as to ordinances, but rejected them, and said he was not their husband as to peculiar grace. To whom God continueth to be a husband, to them he continueth the loving-kindness, good-will, and protectionof a husband, — the most intense, useful, fruitful, that can be imagined. This, then, will he do to believers, and that for ever.