# That this, and what follows muſt neceſlarily be underſtood of the Church Triumphant ( though there only it will be complear ) I ſee no neceſſity, neither will obtrude my Judgement, bur leave it to the judicious as being more proper in a Comment ; none to offer violence to this quier ſtate thou fhall atrain to, either within thee to oppreſs by juſtice, Rapine, .or Fraud, or without thee by hoſtile invaſoon;,and-this the Propher mentions as the effe& of good Officers in the former werfe. , x No havock made among thy people. y They ſhall be ſafe; and able to defend thee ; thou ſhalt be as ſafe, as al- vation it ſelf can make thee. When a thing is ſaid in Scripture to be called ſo, it often ſignifies as much as to be (0,*Ch. 26, 1: 47. 1. &+. 65. 7. and it intimates as much as that God will be ſalvation to his Church ; when they ſhall be without Gates, and Walls,he will be their ſafety, and che-marrer of their praiſe, ſee 1/aiah 26. 1. and God's care of his Church isthe matter of that exhortation ro praiſe him, Pſal. 147. z A double Metonymy, to wit, of the EffefF, as falvation will cauſe praiſe, and of the 4/junF as it is worthy of praiſe; ſo that within or upon thy Gates and Walls, thou ſhalt ſing praiſes. :
#Rev. 2x. 19 * The ſun (hall be no more thy light @ by day,
- 23-&22.5. neicher for brigheneſs ſhall the moon give light unto
E thee : bur the LORD {hall be unto thee an everlaſting | *Tec.ns. light b, and * -hy God thy glory c.
> Theſe ſhall nor be at all eſteemed in compariſon of the Spiri-
ah +4 3-3+
eual Tight of the Church ; and rhis is laid down as the afſurance of the Churches Comfort as the former was for her ſafety, ſo that God will not only-be a \hie!d, bura Sun to her, Pſal. 84, 11. not that rhey ſhall not have the Sun, and Moon among them, but that the light of the godly as ſych, ſhould principally conſiſt in what is Spi- ritual. 6 Chriſt ſhall ſcirter all darkaels and 1gnorance,enlightning
thee withtac do&rines of the Goſpel, and graces of his Spirit ; and
S232 817,29
this thall be Everlaſting, not wax, and wane, and ſuffer Ecipſes, and ſettings, as the Sun and Mcon do, bur it ſhall be conſtant withour ſhadow of change ; no night ; which will be undoubtedly rrue of the Church in Heaven, whatever it will be, or, how ncar toever ir will come to it here, which I preſume will bear its analogy. « Al- ways miniſtring matter of thy glorying in him ; or, thy intereſt in this Gcd ſhall be great honour to thee; or elle, itis the ſame thing with the ſentence immediarly before in other v ords, that will make thee glorious, a Mczonzmy of the Efficient, thus he iy ſaid to eve vlory Pjal. 84. 11. ts
20 Thy ſun ſhall no more go down, neither ſhall thy moon withdraw it ſelf: for the LORD fall bethine e- verlaſting light, and the days of thy mourning ſhall be ended d.
d Literally he means the Jews mourning in Pabylen; but eſpecial- Iy the uninterrupted happineſs ot the Church ; the Hebrew here for enaed ſignifies recompenſed, their days of rejoicing ſhall abundantly recompenſle all their days of mourning.
21 Thy people alſo ſhall be all e righteous f: they ſhall inheric che land for ever 8, the * branch of my planting 6, * the woik of my hands, that I may be glo- rified z.
e i.e, The greater part; the word in this uſe hath been ſhewn fre- quent]y ; or, altogether rightcous, complcatiy righteous. f As this reſpeCts the Jews, the ſenſe may be, they went into Captivity w.c- ked, but mot of them being dead, and many of the Survivors tar= rying behind, they that are returned are faiv to be righ'cous, Chap. t- 25, 26, 27. © 4. 4. but Principally as it reſpetts, the Church they ſhall be all Saints either by profcfſion, as Paul calls them fre- quentiy Saints by calling ; orrather by an inherent righteoutnes,or perteQtly by the imputed righteoutneſs of Chriſt, fee on Ch. 35. 8. Z 7.6. fora long time, as you have many inftances ; and this is ſpo« ken, leſt that poor remnant ſhould be atraid of being driven out a gain ; but with reference to the Church, that they ſhould for ever be continued as God's peculiar people. þ Pur by appoſition, viz. Thy people being of my planting, and fo alto the next clauſe, the work of my hands, and therefore cannot miſcarry, being what 1 ſhall rake de- I'ghr in, and thus the Children of God are faid to be his workmanſhip created in Chrift Jeſus, Eph. 2.10, 3 Either that I may make them glorious in being thus planted, or, my ſelf glorious in thus plan- ting them.
22 A little one (hall become a thonſand &,and a ſmall one a ſtrong nation /: I the LORD will haſtenitin his time mm.
k Though of very ſmall beginning, and contemptible, yet ſhall greatly multiply : Though the Church ar firſt wil be bur a very fe v.yer willit encreaſe into many thouſands ; this plant or ſeed will ſpring up to many ; ſome underſtand ir, that many ſhall be con- verted, and brought into the Church by men of very few, low. and mean parts; however theſe things ſeem to agree better ro ſome ſtate of the Church here, than to the Nate of the Church Trium- pbant. 7 If this ſignifie not the ſame wich the other, as probably it may, the word ſtrong ſignifying numerous, Joel z. 6. then we may underſtand ir, that as rhe former reſpe&ed their »:mber,ſo this their ſtrength. m viz In due time, thetime that I have appointed.q.d.Let nor this be doubred becauſe I have undertoken it, to v hom nothing is difficult. When the time of the promiſe comes, he will make haſt, it will be done ſpeedily ; or, as ſoon as it begins, it ſhall haſten a- pace, as itdid in Peter's Sermon, 3000 in one day, Afr 2. and 5000 in another, A#s 4. and ſo toon filled the whole world, and one Pau! planted whole Churches, as the people in Egypt increaſed from 70 verſons to a vaſt multitude.
CHAP. EAL
Chriſt and his bleſſed Office, 1——3. the Church's Repair and Increaſs,
4 6. and joy, j—11. He * ſpirit of of the LORD is upon me », becauſe the LORD hath annointed ome to preach good ridings p unto the meek, he hath ſent me to bind up 4 the broken-hearted r, to proclaim liberty to the cap- tives s, and the opening of the priſon to rhem that are
bound ?.