2. His gospel shall be embraced. The gospel is the fruit of the Branch of the Lord; all the graces and comforts of the gospel spring from Christ. But it is called the fruit of the earth, because it sprang up in this world, and was calculated for the present state. And Christ compares himself to a corn of wheat, that falls into the ground, and dies, and so brings forth much fruit, John xii. 24. The success of the gospel is represented by the earth's yielding her increase, (Ps. lxvii, 6.) and the planting of the Christian church is God's sowing it to himself in the earth, Hos. ii. 23. We may understand it of both the persons, and the things, that are the products of the gospel; they shall be excellent and comely, shall appear very agreeable, and be very acceptable to them that are escaped of Israel, of that remnant of the Jews, which was saved from perishing with the rest in unbelief, Rom. xi. 5. Note, If Christ be precious to us, his gospel will be so, and all its truths and promises; his church will be so, and all that belong to it. These are the good fruit of the earth, in comparison with which, all other things are but weeds. It will be a good evidence to us, that we are of the chosen remnant,, distinguished from the rest that are called Israel, and marked for salvation, if we are brought to see a transcendent beauty in Christ and holiness, and the saints, the excellent ones of the earth. As a type of this blessed day, Jerusalem, after Sennacherib's invasion, and after the captivity in Babylon, should again flourish as a branch, and be blessed with the fruits of the earth: compare ch. xxxvii. 31, 32. The remnant shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. And if by the fruit of the earth here we understand the good things of this life, we may observe, that those have peculiar sweetness in them to the chosen remnant, who, having a covenant-right to them, have the most comfortable use of them. If the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious in our eyes, even the fruit of the earth also will be excellent and comely, because then we may take it as the fruit of the promise, Ps, xxxvii. 16. 1 Tim. iv. 8.
II. That God will reserve to himself a holy seed; (v. 3.) when the generality of those that have a place and a name in Zion, and in Jerusalem, shall be cut off, as withered branches, by their own unbelief, yet some shall be left. Some shall remain, some shall still cleave to the church, when its property is altered, and it is become Christian; for God will not quite cast off his people, Rom. xi. 1. There is here and there one that is left: now, 1. This is a remnant according to the election of grace, (as the apostle speaks, Rom. xi. 5.) such as are written among the living, marked in the counsel and foreknowledge of God for life and salvation; written to life, (so the word is,) designed and determined for it unalterably; for What I have written, I have written. Those that are kept alive in killing, dying times, were written for life in the book of Divine Providence: and shall we not suppose those who are rescued from a greater death, to be such as were written in the Lamb's book of life? Rev. xiii. 8. As many as were ordained unto eternal life, believed, to the salvation of the soul, Acts xiii. 48. Note, All that were written among the living, shall be found among the living, every one; for of all that were given to Christ, he shall lose none. 2. It is a remnant under the dominion of grace; for every one that is written among the living, and is, accordingly, left, shall be called holy, shall be holy, and shall be accepted of God accordingly. Those only that are holy, shall be lefti when the Son of man shall gather out of his kingdom every thing that offends: and all that are chosen to salvation, are chosen to sanctification. See 2 Thess. ii. 13. Eph. i. 4.
III. That God will reform his church, and will 33 rectify and amend whatever is amiss in it, v. 4. Then the remnant shall be called holy, when the Lord shall have washed away their filth, washed it from among them by cutting off the wicked persons, washed it from within them by purging out the wicked thing. They shall not be called so, till they are in some measure made so. Gospel-times are times of reformation, (Heb. ix. 10.) typified by the reformation in the days of Hezekiah, and that after the captivity, to which this promise refers. Observe, 1. The places and persons to be reformed. Jerusalem, though the holy city, needed reformation: and, being the royal city, the reformation of that would have a good influence upon the whole kingdom. The daughters of Zion also must be reformed, the women in a particular manner, whom he had reproved; ch. iii. 16. When they were decked in their ornaments, they thought themselves wondrous clean; but, being proud of them, the prophet calls them their filth, for no sin is more abominable to God than pride: or by the daughters of Zion may be meant the country, towns, and villages, which were related to Jerusalem, as the mother-city, and which needed reformation. 2. The reformation itself; the filth shall be washed away, for wickedness is filthiness, particularly bloodshed, for which Jerusalem was infamous, (2 Kings xxi. 16.) and which defiles the land more than any other sin. Note, The reforming of a city is the cleansing of it; when vicious customs and fashions are suppressed, and the open practice of wickedness is restrained, the place is made clean and sweet, which before was a dunghill; and this is not only for its credit and reputation among strangers, but for the comfort and health of the inhabitants themselves. 3. The Author of the reformation; The Lord shall do it: reformation-work is God's work; if any thing be done to purpose in it, it is his doing. But how? By the judgment of his providence the sinners were destroyed and consumed; but it is by the Spirit of his grace that they are reformed and converted. This is work that is done, not by might, or by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, (Zech. iv. 6.) working both upon the sinners themselves that are to be reformed, and upon magistrates, ministers, and others that are to be employed as instruments of reformation. The Spirit herein acts, (1.) As a Spirit of judgment, enlightening the mind, convincing the conscience, as a Spirit of wisdom, guiding us to deal prudently, (Isa. lii. 13.) as a discerning, distinguishing Spirit, separating between the precious and the vile. (2.) As a Spirit of burning, quickening and invigorating the affections, and making men zealously affected in a good work. The Spirit works as fire, Matth. iii. 11. An ardent love to Christ and souls, and a flaming zeal against sin, will carry men on with resolution in their endeavours to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. See Isa. xxxii. 15, 16.
IV. That God will protect his church, and all that belong to it: (v. 5, 6.) when they are purified and reformed, they shall no longer lie exposed, but God will take a particular care of them: they that are sanctified are well fortified, for God will be to them a Guide and a Guard.
1. Their tabernacles shall be defended, v. 5. (1.) Their dwelling-places; the tabernacles of their rest, their own houses, where they worship God, alone, and with their families. That blessing which is upon the habitation of the just, shall be a protection to it, Prov. iii. 33. In the tabernacles of the righteous shall the voice of rejoicing and salvation be, Ps. cxviii. 15. Note, God takes particular cognizance and care of the dwelling-places of his people, of every one of them, the poorest cottage as well as the stateliest palace. When iniquity is put far from the tabernacle, the Almighty shall be its
Vol. iv.—E
