1 *Rev, 14* 1 20, & 16 | 6. | Or, new wine, |
The Derelizto b with him, 5,
FH. 2. 2
| Tee 2Kin & I,
4 This is another Sermon began here, and continued in the next Chapter. The main ſcope of it is to vindicate Gods Juſtice, and to convince "the Jews that they were the cauſcs of all their calamities which they imputed to God. bGod had formerly eſpouſed the [/rae- lite-s to himſelf in a kind of a Matrimonial Covenant, but ſeemed to caſt them off when he ſent them to Babylon, and did wholly re ze& them afterward from being his People, and took the Genzles into their ſtead 3 which greatand wonderfull change was foretold in the Old Teſtament, as hath been already obſerved, and we ſhall ſee again and accompliſhed in the New. And becauſe God foreſaw that thoſe firange diſpenſations would provoke the Je«.s ro murmur and quarrel with God, for caſting them off withcut ſufficient cauſe, as indeed they were always prone to accuſe Godznd to vindicate themtlelyes, he bids them produce . their Bill of Divorce: For thoſe Husbands which put away their Wives meerly out of Levity or Paſſion, were obliged to give their Wives a Bill of Divorce, which vindicated the Wives Innocency, and declared that the Hu:bands Will and Pleaſure was the cauſe of the Divorce 3 of which ſer the notes on Devr, 24, t, Mats 19,3, c Havel any creditors to whom i was obliged or wil- ling to ſell you for the payment of my Dc bt? Produce then the Bill of Sale to witneſs againſt me» Parents might, and in ſome caſes were forced to ſell their Children to their Creditors: of which ſee on Exol 21. 9. and 2 Kings 4. 1. 4 You can blame nove but your
{elves and your own fins, for all your captivities and miſeri-s.
2 Wherefore e when I came f, wasthere no man g? when I called þ,was there none to anſwer i? *Is my hand ſhortned at all, that it cannot redeem ? Or have I no
power to deliver & ? Behold, * ar my rebuke I, T* dry Non. £1, up the fea ; I make the * rivers a wilderneſs »: their
3, filh ftinketh becauſe thereisno water,and dieth for thirſt Gad.5g-1 : e The general Accuſation aelivered in the laſt words he now pro- \Nab.1:4; veth by particular Inſtances, f When 7, ficſt by my Prophets, ad e121 at laſt by my Son, came unto them, to call them to Repentance, and "Jb,3:16; to redeem. and deiiver them, as it is explained in the following | Clauſesof this verſe. g That regarded and received me, that com-
plied withmy Call and Offer of Grace, as it follows, Whereby he
implies that the generality of the Jews were. guilty of groſs Infideli-
ty, and ©
je&ed._ h Called them to Repentancy, or to come* unto me, or to
do my Will, as Maſters call their Servands, z: Tocome at my Call, to
P
bſtinate Diſobedience, and therefore might juſtly be re» |
gbey my Commands: þ What is the reaſolt of this hoccible contempt | ſhamed.
A F 4% Cnap
! and Rebellion ? Ts it becauſe you expe n6 good from me, but think that I am either unwilling or unable to ſave you ? becauſe you ſee no Miracles wrought for you to ſave you from the Babylonians; and
. becauſe my Son, your Meſſiah, cometh not with Pomp and Power, as you cxpeRt, but in the form of a Servant, poor, and expoſed to contempt and death 3 do you therefore believe that my power to- Ceiiver you 1s leſs than it was? U This Phraſe is borrowed from Pſalm 106. 9. and it is uſed Mat, 8. 26, At my Word or Command whereby I r<buke and check its proud waves mHed, I will dry vp, ori can dry up; the future Verb being put potentially. &s I didit once, ſo 1 can and will do it again, when occaſion requires it, n As dry atd fit for travel as a Wilderneſs.
3 1 cloath the Heavens with blackneſs s, and I
make ſackcloth their covering p. |
0 Or, I will or cancloth, &c, What | once did in Ezypi, when I
drew black curtains before all the heayenly Lights, and cauſed an unparaliel'd and amazing Dackneſs for three days together, to the great terrour of mine Euemies, ſo 1 can and will do ſtill when it is neceſſary to ſave my People, And therefore you have no reaſon to diſtruſt me. þp I cover them with thick and dark Clouds Black as
Sacksloath, as 1s ſaid, Rev 6. 12. or as that ſtuff of which the Tents
of Kedar were made, Cant. 1. 5. From this and ſome other Expreſ- fions it appears, that they wore a black ſackcloath, which alſo was moſt ſuitable to the ſtate of mourners, by whom it was uſed,
4 The LORD GOD hath given meq the tongue of [41 the learned r, that I ſhould know how to ſpeak a » Mat. 120i word in ſeaſon to him rhat is * weary { : he wakeneth as, * Will & morning-by morning », he wakeneth mine ear to hear «as the learned ». | -
4 God having aflerted his own power,” to ſhew the groundleſneſs of the 1nndelity of the Fews, he proceeds to ſhew what excellent and «tfcttual means he uſed to bring them to Repentance and Salvati« on ; which he mentions as a greataggravation of their unbelief and
Rebetliov, which by this means was without all excuſe. This and
the following paſſages may be in ſome ſortunderſtood ofthe Prophet
Jaiah, though but obſcurely and imperfeRly, but they are far more