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Monday before Easter.

For the EPISTLE.

Ifaiah lxiii.

HO is this that cometh from Edom with died garments from Bozrah,
this that is glorious in bis apparel, travelling in the greatness of bis
ftrength? I that Speak in righteousness, mighty to fave.

2. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth
in the wine-fit?

3. I bave trodden the wine-prefs alone, and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood fhall be Sprinkled upon my garments, and I will fain all my raiment.

4. For the day of vengeance is in mine beart, and the year of my redeemed is

come.

5. And I looked and there was none to help, and I wondred that there was none to uphold: therefore my own arm brought Salvation unto me, and my fury, it upbeld me.

6. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their ftrength to the earth.

7. I will mention the loving kindneffes of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the boufe of Ifrael, which he hath beflowed on them, according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of bis loving kindneffes.

8. For be faid, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so be was their

Saviour.

9. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence faved them : in his love, and in his pity be redeemed them, and be bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

10. But they rebelled, and vexed his boly Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their nemy, and he fought against them.

11. Then be remembred the days of old, Mofes and his people, faying, Where is be that brought them up out of the fea, with the Shepherd of bis flock? Where is he that put his boly Spirit within him?

12. That led them by the right hand of Mofes, with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting Name?

13. That led them through the deep, as an borfe in the wilderness, that they should not ftumble?

14. As a beaft goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caufed him to reft:
fo didst thou lead thy people, to make thy felf a glorious Name.

15. Look down from Heaven, and beheld from the babitation of thy boliness, and of
thy glory where is thy zeal, and thy ftrength, the founding of thy bowels, and of thy
mercies toward me? are.
re they refrained?

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16. Doubtless Thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us,
and Ifrael
acknowledge us not: Thou, O Lord, art our Father, fur Redeemer, Thy Name is from
everlasting.

17. O Lord, why best thou made us to err from thy ways? and hardned our
beart from thy fear? Return for thy fervant's fake, the tribes of thine inbe-
ritance.

18. The

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18. The people of thy beliness have pled it but a little while: our adverfaries bave trodden down thy Sanctuary.

19. We are thine, thou never beareft rule over Them: They were not called by by Name.

Ver. 1. to 7.

T'er. 7. to 15.

COMMENT.

T

His Chapter confifts of Three Parts.
In the First, The Prophet defcribes

a Victorious Deliverer, returning from the Slaughter
of his own and God's Enemies. In the Second, He
breaks out into Praife for all the wonderful Mercies,
bestowed on his Church and People; recounts the ma-
ny fignal Appearances of his Power in their Favour,
down from their Rescue from the Bondage
of Egypt; enlarges upon the Conducting
them over the Red Sea, through the Wilderness, to the
Land of Promife, where at length he fixed, and caufed
them to Reft; And intermingles, with the mention of
thefe Bleffings, the Ingratitude and Difobedience of the
Ifraelites, which often provoked God to Chaftife them
with Afflictions, and fuffer their Enemies to gain Ad-
vantage over them. In the Third, He
does, in the name of that People, ear-
nestly apply to God by Devout Prayer:
Lament his Difpleasure, and their Sins, the wretched
Caufe of it; Conjure him by his former Loving-kind-
nefs, By the Relation he bore to them, as his Children
and Covenanted People, By the Truft they repofed in
Him alone, And by their prefent Calamitous Conditi-
on, to affert his own Right and Honour, to deliver his
Sanctuary and Church from the Infults and Tyranny of
dolaters, who Prophaned his Temple, and Perfecuted
his Truth.

Ver. 15. to the
End.

What particular Juncture of Circumftances this Prophecy was directed to, is not very material at present, to spend time in Examining. The Method, I am engaged in, feems to make it properly my Business, to ap

ply

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ply this Scripture to fuch Meaning and Purposes, as the Church, by appointing it a Part in the Office of this Day, intended we fhould take it in. And therefore that Signification, which is moft nearly allied to the other Portions of Holy Writ, which it stands amongst in our Liturgy, and to the Defign of this Week's Devotions, will need no other reason, to recommend it

to us.

Now in the First of thofe Parts which feems chiefly to call for our Meditation; The Prophet introduces fome Perfon, wondring at a furprizing Object, which then prefented it felf. By that Perfon; Some underftand the Prophet himself in a Vifion; Others, as St. Jerom, the Holy Angels. The Matter of this Wonder is a Conqueror returning Bloody from Battel: Of whom the following account is given by way of Dialogue, and in Anfwer to the Queftions, Who he is, and why fo Habited. That a mighty Victory had been obtained, at the Expence of much Blood and Slaughter, by the powerful, but fingle Arm of this Mighty Warriour. That by this Victory a total Rout was given to his Adverfaries, at a time, when, if He had not engaged, no other was difpofed, no other Able, to have quelled the Outrage and Havock, they were making. And that the Stained Garments, he then wore, demonftrated the Sharpness of the Engagement; As his Mien, and Manner of Approach, denoted the Invincible Greatnefs of his Strength.

Ver. 1,

By this Description, there cannot, I conceive, be any reasonable doubt, whether we be not now invited to contemplate the Hardfhips, and the Succefs, of that Combat with the Enemies of our Souls, by which Christ brought Salvation to Mankind. For fuch was His Conqueft of Sin, and Death; when he wrefted the Prey out of the Hands of Satan, and, as the Apostle expreffes it, Spoiled Principalities and Powers, triumphing over them in bis Crefs. A Conqueft full of Wonder, that, in the lowest

Ebb of feeming Weakness, difcovered fo much of hidden Power; That made the once infamous and accurfed Tree, an Inftrument of Honour to himself, and of Bleffings to the whole World: Turned the Object of all Mens Averfion and Scorn, to a means of drawing all Men to him: Destroyed Death, by enduring it; by the pouring out of his own Blood, took Vengeance on the Malice of that wicked Spirit, which spilt it; and, by the Agonies of a Body expiring under Anguish infupportable, hath prevented the Everlasting Torments of many Millions of Souls.

Such Glorious Effects, as These, deserve a place in our Thoughts at this time. That they may put to filence the Impertinence of those Cavils, which unthinking and irreligious People do, from the Hiftory of our Lord's Death and Sufferings, take the confidence to ftart; And which, when that History is so oft inculcated and uppermoft in our Minds, (as now it ought to be) the Tempter may fnatch this, as a favourable Opportunity, for Suggesting. Were we indeed to read the bare Narrative, and reft in Matter of Fact alone; it might appear altogether unaccountable, how God fhould give up his own Bleffed Son, how that Coeternal Son fhould give himself, to fo much Mifery and Shame. But, by joining the Epiftle and Gospel of this Day together, the reafon of that Myfterious Difpenfation is, in fome degree, explained to us. The Sufferings related there, are abundantly juftified, by the beneficial Confequences afcribed to them here. The Redemption of Fallen Man, (fince God in Mercy was pleased to esteem it otherwise) it would ill become Us fure, who enjoy the Benefit, who are indeed the Purchase, to think unworthy for his Son to Undertake, or Bought too Dear at any Price.

But, as the Advantages arifing from hence prove the Fitness, and Reasonableness; So does another Argument, furnished by the Prophet here, argue the Necef

fity

Acts iv. 12.

fity of this Difpenfation. For, by faying, that He trod the Wine-prefs alone, that there was no Helper, and the like: He does in effect affirm, as St. Peter did afterwards, to the Jewish Synagogue, that there is no other, by whom Men can be Saved. None lefs than He who undertook it, was capable of procuring fo Glorious a Deliverance. No mere Man could be free from Sins of his own, and all who are not fo, must stand in need of the Sacrifice of another. Or, if any Man could be fuppofed wholly Innocent, That Innocence could only fave himfelf. He therefore, that could Vanquish Sin, and Death, and Heil, for Others, must be much more than Man. And He, who would attempt it, upon the fame Terms our Jefus did, must be much more than Man

John xv. 13.

too. For Greater Love than this hath no Man, that he lay down his Life for his Friends: But to Die, and So to Die, for Enemies, and Rebels, and Traitors, (and Sinners are all these) is a Perfection of Love, to which He only could come up, who is Love it self.

I John iv. 8, 16.

To Him therefore let us, with all Humility and Thankfulness, give the whole Glory of this Noble Atchievement: Acknowledging all our Happiness, and all our Hopes, to be the effect, not of our Own, not of any Other's, but entirely due to His, invaluable Merits. Let us, like the Prophet here, when publishing his Kindness, and reflecting, (as at this time particularly we are bound to do) how Dear it hath coft him; not forget at the fame time, to lament those Sins of Ours, which added to his Account. For, if Ifaiah found it reafonable, in Terms fo Affectionate, to Magnify his People's Deliverance out of Egypt, and Settlement in the Promifed Land: How infenfible, how unworthy are They, who read and hear the Releafe from a heavier Tyranny, the Destruction of a Spiritual Pharaoh, the Paffage into the true and hea

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