Leſt what hath been ſpoken of this wonderful change in the affairs of the Jews, ſhould on one hand be thought tobe made for the righ- teouſneſs or worthineſs of this people : Or elſe on the ather hand, ſhould ſcem too great to be done for a ſinful people; and fo 4ny ſhould doubr wherher it ſhould be done at all, the Prophet in this and the two following verſes propoſeth the ground of 2] this laid on the unparalſel'd grace of God toward his people, who pardoneth their unrighteouſneſs, and then of free mercy delivers them from their affli&ions and diſtrefſes, changing their darkneſs into light. z Some obſerve, thar El here uſed, fiznifieth the mighty God, and fo render it thus 3 the Ffench Je Dzea fort,none but the ſovereign migh- ty God can, or doth forgive iniquity; it is a flower of the Crown of Heayen, Exod.34.6,7.andNNumb.14.18.and Mark 2.7.This Interro atory and Admiration isa ſtrong Negation. & Taketh away: the Guilt,and Puniſhment too by his pardon. / A form of ſpeech uſed amongſt us when we promiſe not to purſue an offence, or not to cxa the pu- niſhment of it ; or,as if we either ſai it not, or voluntarily winked at 1t,being refolved that we would not make it a cauſe of quarrel or breach. mIrt will not ſute our brevity to enquire the difference be- twixt inquity & tranſgreſſion;or whether they are here ſynonymous and explicatory of each other : God paflerth by the forfeirs we make, and ſtrips us not of our Mercies. n This intimateth the Reaſon why God doth, as well as the perſons to whom hedoth, pardon fin ; that Grace which made them his heritage, and reſerved them to himſelf in the common deſtruttion,the ſame grace doeh as freely pardon and paſs by,that it may do them good : No worthineſs in them to whom 'ris done, and yet greateſt certainty it fhall be dcne, as Rom. 4. 16, 0 Tho' in hisjuſt difpleaſure God did fend them into captivity, yet becauſe he doth not retain his anger for ever, their captivity ſhall not be for cyer; he will chaſtiſe his remnant , but not conſume them, Zech. 1.3. þ All from the exceeding riches of his mercy,it 15 hisdelight to ſhew Mercy : and we need enquire no farther, our God is ſo wonderfully merciful, that 'tis his pleaſure to ſhew Mercy; and it a Man ſometime may give this as a reaſon why he doth a thing, ſurely our God may well expe& that we ſhould acquieſce in this ac» count of his doing ſo : hedelighteth todo it, P/a.103.2,9-1a.43.25. and 57. 16, Fer. 3.5, 12.
19 He will turn again 9, he will have compaſſion up- on us 7: hew1ll ſubdue s our iniquities, and thou z wilt caſt all their fins z into the depth of the ſea x.
q Spoken after the manner of Man, who in his anger went away reſolved to right himſelf, but on ſecond thoughts laying afide his anger, turns again to be reconciled and forgive : ſo the next words explain theſe. r With tender bowels he will ſhew himſelf gracious tous, Fonah 3.9. $ Asour Enemies and his,God will break the pow- er, aboliſh the dominion of fin z which whilſt it reigned, provoked God and undid us, it pollutedand ruined us : but God will pardon the guilt, and abrogate the law of fin, and ſo reſtore his people 3 ſuitable co that Exeb.35.29, to 34. # Here is anenallage of the Per- ſon from the third to the ſecond perſon, yet without any leffening the ſenſe in ſtrength or clearneſs. x An uſual expreffion in Scripture to ſet forth the full and eternal pardon of fin ; here 'tis empharical, all thetr fins. x Whence ordinarily weaccount things can never rite or be found more.
20. Thou y wilt perform 2 the truth a to Jacob b,,nd the mercy c to Abraham 4, which thou haſt tworn e unto our tathers/ from the daysof old g.
y O God of mercy, wiſdym, power and taithfulneſs, who ever are honoured with being thine inſtruments and ſervants in doing tome- what herein, the work 15 thine, thou wilt raiſe up a deliverer, Cyrus ſhall be thine anointed to do this great work. 2 Give, Heb. actually beſtow what thou haft in mercy promiſed. a Nothing certain as the Word of God ; it is the Truth, by way of eminency, his promiſe 1s Yea and Amen. 5 The Poſterity of Facob 3 he was that plain-hear- red Man who gives now Name to all the upright and honeſt among his ſeed which God will never finally caſt off 3 though now carried captive, they ſhall be reſtored, rebuilt, and re-eſtabliſhed, ſhall Houriſh,as v.10,11,12. and this as they area type of a more glorioully redeemed People. c It was meer grace ia God to promiſe Abraham and his Seed ſuch excellent priviledges which Abraham's natural ſeed did inherit ; but both this ſeed, and this mercy, look'd beyond the natural Deſcendents of Abraham, and beyond their return to the Land of Canaan, whence they were carried : The Mercy to Abraham was that in his ſeed all Nations ſhould be bleſſed, Luk. 1.54,55- and 58.and holphen. &d Not only as Father to 1ſrael after the fleth, bur to him as father of the faithful. e Not that there was on God's part acy need of ſuch confirmation, but that on our part all doubt might be removed, and we by the immutable things of God might have ſtrong conſolation, as Heb. 6. 18. f Becauſe this Mercy was fre- quently repeated in the promiſes to the Fathers after Abraham's time 3 by which promiſes a mercy to be perpetuated in Abrahams ſeed, till the Redemption of the Iſrae! of God by the Meſſiah (of which all temporal deliverances of Trae! were figures) ſhould be effeted. g Everfince Abraham's days, and God's gracious adopting his ſeed to be the peculiar people of God; into this we do, as {raet
| did, reſolye our afſurance of final deliverance. Amen.
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