3 This grave, authoritative Pretace, Thus ſaith the Lord, ſeem eth to be prefixed to put the People of God our of fear of the ac compliſhment of the good things he had before promiſed,and pro-| pheſted of, The Verſe in it ſe]f is either an Exhortation to thoſe amongſt the Fews who feared God, or to the Heathen, to ſine and rejoyce on the behalf of the Fews, to whom God would cer: tainly ſhew ſuch mercy as they might fing for 3 before they had it in their hands, they might both publiſh the thing that it ſhould certainly be, and alſo bleſs God for it. o But withal he minds them, that there would be occaſion for Prayer as well as Praiſe there would be a Remnant of Iſrael, that would have at laſt no preſent ſhare in theſe Mercies,through their Impenitency, Unbe- lief, and hardneſs of Heart. Hereby minding us that we ought not ſo to rejoice in our good things, as to forget thoſe who are no ſharers with us: The beſt of God's Peoples Lot,while they are in
this Life, is ſuch as will ſhew them a need of Prayer as well as Praiſe,
8 Behold, I will bring them * from the north- country p, and gather them from the coaſts of the earth 9, azd with them, the blind, and the lame the woman with child, and her that travaileth with _ together, a great company ſhall return hi-
E*,
Þ By the North-Country, is unqueſtionably meant Babylon and the Land of the Chaldzins, and thoſe places which were Northward of Hieruſalem 3; and by the Coaſts of the Earth, all other parts into which any of the Fews had been driven. r The meaning of this is,that nothing ſhould hinder ſuch from returning, as had a mind toreturn: Blind Men that could not ſee their way. and lame Yerſons, who had no ſtrength to walk in it though they
are laden with the Burden of their $i:5, and of coming to Ciriſt, it ſeems not to be the priniry 1e1t© of the Texc, 9 They ſhall come with weeping, and | wit!
1 SUP+ \plications wil I lead then
[ wilt cauſe them to walk by the Rivers of Waters 7, in a ſtraight way whereltn they ſhall not ſtumble «: for Tam a father to Ifracl, and Ephraim is my firſt-born w,
{Some think that it ha4 been better Tranſlated, chevy wenr weeping, for though the Verb be the furvre Tenſe in che Hebrew | yet that Tenſe hath often rhe Sianitication of the Preterp-rfeft Tenſe; thus it anſwereth, Pjal. 126, $,6. Hz that” goeth forth weeping, bearing precious ſeed, ſhi!l doubtleſs come azain re- fojcing, &c. but there is no need of it here, tor there isa weeping tor Joy, as well as for Sorrow, as we have it ia the Inſtances both of Facob and Foſeph, Gen. 29. 11. and 43. 30. and this the Texc correſpondeth with that, Zach. 12. 10. 7 will pour upon them 2he ſpirit of grace and ſupplications, and they ſhall l1ghe upon him whons they bave pierced, and mourn, IWeepins allo here may be un. derſtood tor their paſt Sins. r An tiey ſhall have no want as they had when they came out of Egy?t, throngh the Wildernets, where they often wanted water. « Neither ſhall chey have any rough Ways, nor turn backward 34 forward, as God made then: to do in their Paſſage througn the Willerneſs, w For as have the affeftion of a Father tor all I/ra-!, fo will I (hw the care and Kindneſs of a Father to them, and ute them 25 a Ma! vieth his Ref e born; fo God anciently called the Ferrs, Exod. 4.22. they being the hrit of all Nat1ons, whom Gold owned, and rook 114to Cove- nant , who ewned Goc, and worſhipped the crue and living God only.
10 © Hear the word of the LORD, O ye Nations, and declarc zt 11 the iſles afar of, and ſay +, He that ſcattered Ifracl will gather kimy, and keep him, as a ſhepherd 4h his tiock =.
x God willeth his Promiſes of z00d to his People to be publiſh. ed and declared before hand, and that not.to them only, but to other People,thatthe hand ct tis Providence when he brings them '0 pals may be more conlp'cuous, and it may be tadeniably ow:n- e1to bethe Work of God, being no more than what he had fore- told long before. y GoG 15 not on!'y the Author of thole funds - ments Which come upon his People, but of their Mercies, an his Power in ſcattering them 15 en04:h to coutirm us 12a Beltet of his Power to gather them. 4 He will not only gather them, but keep and protect them when gathered, and thus God ſheweth himfelf "their Shepherd ; It is the work oi a Shepherd not oniy to cali, and gather h1s Sheep together, but to watch over them, protect and reep them, When they are ([o g4:1-rea rogether,
than he b.
2 Becaule of the certainty of Divine Prophecies and Promiles, things in them are often laid ro be already done, which are not to he fulElled of many years after : The Senle is, God will as cer- tainly do it, as if he had ajready done it; For whetner ic be under- {tood of a Deliverance from B:by{on, or of the Salvation of the Goſpel by Chriſt, which by a Metaphor is often alſo called redeen- ing and ran{oming, it was to be accompliſhed long after this cime, b By him that was ſtronger than he, ſome underſtand the Cha!- 4-2ns ; others underſtand the Devzl,( interpreting the Text of che Spiritual Redemption of God's People by the Blood of Chriſt, be- i1g the Ranſom given for them ) but undoubtedly the Text is lite- rally to be underſtood of their Deliverance from Babylon, though ( as the Apoſtle faith) all theſ? things happened 10 them in a fizure. In their Deliverance as weil from Babyion as Egybr, they were Types of the Deliverance of God's People from ipiritual Babylon, and Egzpt by Chrift, as well as in theirentring into Cn4an, they | were ( as the Apoſtle proveth, Heb. 3.and 4) Types of the Saints entring into Heaven, of which Canaan wasa Type.
1 2 Therefore they ſhall come and ling in the height of Zion c, and ſhall flow together to the goodneſs of the LORD 4, for wheat, and for wine, and-for oy1, and for the young of the flock, and of the Herd ec ;
they ſhall not ſorrow any more at all g.