ver. 17. Ifai.46,3,4. verf.13. ing Jerufalem, Thou shalt be built, and to the Temple, Thy foundation Ifai.45.14,15. fhall be laid, Thus faith the Lord,The labour of Egypt,and merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of ftature shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine, they shall come after thee, in chaines they Shall come over and they shall fall downe unto thee, they shall make fup. plication unto thee, faying, Surely God is in thee, and there is none elfe, there is no Gad. Ifrael shall be faved in the Lord with an everlasting Salvation; ye shall not be ashamed, nor confounded world without end. Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Ifrael, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the wombe. And even to your old age I am he, and even to hoare haires will carry you: I have made, and I will beare, even I will carry and will deliver you. I will bring neere my righteousnese: it shall not be farre off and my Salvation shall not tarry: and I will place Salvation in Sion for Ifrael my glory. Goe ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Ifai. 48.30,21. Chaldean with a voice of finging, declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: Say ye,The Lord hath redeemed his fervant Iacob. And they thirfted not when he led them through the deferts, he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out. The promises to this purpose are very many, and because it was an hard matter to perfwade the faint and drooping spirit broken with long and grievous calamities, the Lord is pleafed to confirme his promifes by fundry arguments, fome whereof we will here repeat, because the ample promises of their returne, and the repaire of the City and Temple, doth give fome light what Covenant the Lord made with them after their returne. Ifai.43.3,4, $,6. Ifai.46.3,4, First, God promifeth to deliver them, because they had been beloved of him of old time. I am the Lord thy God, the holy One of Ifrael, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransome, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my fight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Feare not, for I am with thee: I will bring thy feed from the Eaft, and gather thee from the West. I will fay to the North, Give up; and to the South, Keepe not back: bring my sonnes from farre, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. Even every one that is called by my Name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him. Secondly, The Lord hath not fold them for price or gaine, there fortem pofce animum. therefore he might redeeme them without money.Awake,awakę, Ifai. 52. 1,2,3. put on thy ftrength, O Zion, put on thy beautifull garments, O Ierufalem the holy City; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcifed and the uncleane. Shake thy felfe from the duft: arife, and fit down O ferufalem: loose thy felfe from the bands of thy necke O captive daughter of Zion: For thus faith the Lord, Ye have fold your felves for nought: and ye shall be redeemed without money. Thirdly, By former experience he doth affure them of their future return into their own place. For thus faith the Lord God, My people went downe aforetime into Egypt, to fojourne there, and the AfSyrian oppreffed them without caufe. Now therefore what have I here, faith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howle, faith the Lord, and my Name con tinually is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my Name: therefore they shall know in that day, that I am he that doth speake. Behold it is I. Ifai.& 4.5. Fourthly, This shall be to the Lord for a name and glory. For Ifai.48-116mine own fake, even for mine own sake, will I doe it: for how should and 42. 8. my Name be polluted and I will not give my glory unto another. 1 will caufe the Captivity of Iudah, and the Captivity of Ifrael to return, and will build them as at the firft. And I will cleanse them from all Jer. 3 3.7,8,90 their iniquity, whereby they have finned, and whereby they have tranf Ezek.36.22, grefed against me. And it shall be unto me a Name of joy, a praise, 13. and an honour before all the nations of the earth, that shall heare all the good that I doe unto them: and they shall feare and tremble for all the goodnesse, and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it, &c. very Fifthly, That they might not faint through the long and great calamity which went before deliverance, the Prophet in the Name of the Lord, fetteth before them the glory and dignity of the Meffiah which followed his humiliation. Behold, my fervant Shall deale prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be high. As many were aftonied at thee (his visage was fo marred more than any man, and his forme more then the fonnes of men) so shall he Sprinkle many nations, the Kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them, shall they fee, and that which they had not heard, shall they confider. Another Prophet directing the faithfull how to behave themfelves in that long and grievous Captivity,fcil. to wait patiently for the accomplishment of the Promifs, because Ifai. 52,13,14% Hab.2.4. Gal.3.11. a Deut.6.5. Mar. 11.30. Luke 10.27. Rom.1.17. Gal, 3.11. Heb. 10.38. Deut.32.21. Hof,12,13. Pfal.78.2. Act.17.28. Pfal, 18.30. Matth. 17.11. Jer. 24.6,7. and 50.20,24. Ezek.20.341 35.37. because the vifion would fpeake in its appointed feafon, and not lie, he doth unfold the Doctrine of free Juftification by faith in Chrift more plainely then formerly it had been expreffed in the Law of Mofes, adding, Behold, his foul which is lifted up, is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Whence the Apostle inferreth, that we are juftified by free grace, and not by the works of the Law in the fight of God. In the Originall it is, The just shall live in his faith: but that particle is oft very well rendred by a Of, or By: and it is all one whether we reade it, The just shall live by, of, or in faith, the fenfe being, The juft fhall live the life of grace here, and of glory hereafter in or by faith. That which the Prophet speaketh in generall of all the Promises of 'God, that the godly might certainly and conftantly hold, in what thing they ought to reft in the midft of all stormes and tempefis, and whence they may live fecurely in the diftreffes of death, that the Apoftle doth fpecially interpret of Juftification and life eternall, which we obtaine by faith. The Prophet and Apostle both speake of a lively faith, which is effectuall to bring forth good works: but we obtain life eternall by faith, and not by works. To live here is to obtaine life or glory, not to leade cur life according to the Law, or rule of righteoufneffe: as the drift of the Prophet, and Expofition of the Apostle, opposing the life which is by faith, to that which is by the works of the Law, which could not be, if to live by faith had been to direct our life according to the Law. Though then the righteous man muft exercise himfelfe in righteousneffe, yet he is justified and liveth, that is, obtaineth life eternall by faith, and not by the works of faith. Now the Lord, the ftrong Redeemer of his people, according to the word of his Prophets, brought back their Captivity with joy in his time appointed, planted them in their own Lane, brought them into the bond of his Covenant, and fet up his Ta bernacle amongst them. When the Lord (faith the Pfalmift) Pfal.116.1,2. brought back the Captivity of Zion, we were like them that dreame. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with finging: then faid they amongst the Heathen, The Lord hath done great things. for them. And the Prophet Zachary, As for thee alfo, by the blood of thy Covenant, I have fent forth thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water. By this great, fpeciall, late and new bleffing, the Zech.9. 11. Lord Lord did bind his Ifrael unto him more ftrongly then heretofore. Behold, the dayes come, faith the Lord, that they shall no more fay, The Jet. 23,7,8. Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Ifrael out of the Land of and 16.14,15+ Egypt. But, the Lord liveth, which brought up, and which led the feed of the house of Ifrael out of the North Countrey, and from all Countries whither I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own Land. In refpect of this late and new bleffing vouchfafed, the Covenant that God made with his people now brought back and planted in their own Land, may be called New: but in refpect of the Author, matter, forme, end,effects, and meanes of administration, teaching and applying, it was one with the former. Nevertheleffe, the Covenant which God made with his inheri tance upon their delivery from the North Countrey, did exceed the former which he had made with their Fathers, when he brought them out of Egypt, in divers refpects. First, the Mediatour in and through whom this Covenant was made or promised, is more plainly revealed, both in respect of his perfon, humiliation, refurre&ion, place of his birth, time of his comming, kingly office, and manifest tokens whereby he should be knowne, then in the former expreffions. Behold, the dayąs come, faith the Lord, that I will raife unto David arighteous branch, Jer,23.5, 6. and a King Shall raigne and proffer, and shall execute judgement and 33.14.15. and juftice in the earth. In his dayes Judah shall be saved, and If Ifai.40.2. rael fhall dwell fafely, and this is his name, whereby he shall be called, Zech. 3.8. The Lordoar righteoufneffe. Surely he hath borne our griefes, and Ilai.53.4. carried our forrowes: yet we did efteeme him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted: but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruifed for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his ftripes we are healed: yet it pleafed the Lord to bruise him, be hath put him to griefe: When thou shalt make his foul an offering for fin, he shall fee bis feed, he shall prolong his dayes, and the pleasure of the Lord fhall prosper in his hand. He shall fee the travell of his foul, and shall be fatisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant juftifie many: for he shall beare their iniquities. But thou, Bethlehem Mich.5.2. Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out Matth.2.6. of thee fhall he came forth unto me, that is to be ruler in Ifrael: Whofe goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Seventy Weekes Dan.9.24. are determinedupon thy people, and upon thy holy City, to finish the sranfgreffion, and to make an end of finnes, and to make reconciliation for ver. 100 ver. 11. Zech.9.9. Jer, 2485,7. Jer. 29.12,13. for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteoufneffe, and to feale up the vision and prophefie, and to anoint the most holy. Rejoyce greatly,O daughter of Zion, Shout, O daughter of Jerufalem: behold, thy King commeth unto thee: he is juft, and having Salvation, lowly,and riding upon an Affe, and upon a Colt the foale of an Affe. In the Promife of this Covenant, thefe and the like defcriptions we have of the promifed Meffiab, by whom the Salvation of the Church is wrought, and in whom all the Promises of God are established. Secondly,Spirituall benefits and the graces of the Spirit were more plentifully beftowed upon the Church, under this Covenant,then formerly. For thus the promise runneth, I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them againe to this Land,and I will build them, and not pull them downe, and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall returne unto me with their whole heart. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall goe and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall feeke me and find me, when ye shall fearch for me with all your heart. And I will cause him to draw neere, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me, Jer 30.20,21. faith the Lord? They shall come with Weeping, and with fupplications will leade them: I will canfe them to Walke by the rivers of Waters, in à ftraight way wherein they shall not stumble, for I am a Father to Ifrael, and Ephraim is my first born: Therefore they shall come and fing in the height of Zion, and they shall flow together to the goodneffe of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oile, and for the young of the flock, and of the herd: and their foule shall be as a watered Garden, and they shall not forrow any more at all, I will poure water upon him Ifai. 41o 3,4,5• that is thirsty, and flouds upon the dry ground: I will poure my Spirit npon thy feed, and my blessing upon thy off-fpring: And they shall Spring up as among the graffe, as the willowes by the water-courfes. One shall fay, I am the Lords: and another shall call himselfe by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his band unto the Lord, and furname himselfe by the name of Ifrael. Jer. 31,9. Ver. 12. Thirdly, in the very tenour and adminiftration of the Covenant it felfe it did excell. For this Covenant after it once began, did continue without interruption, untill it was perfected by the New Teftament properly fo called, whereas the former Covenant was broken or did expire. For during the time of the Babylonifh Captivity |