ness; for the sinfulness of sin is its contrariety to the holy nature of God, and, upon that account, especially, it should appear both hateful and frightful to us. The impurity of our lips ought to be the grief of our souls, for by our words we shall be justified or condemned. (2.) That we dwell among those who are so too. We have reason to lament it, that not we ourselves only are polluted, but that the nature and race of mankind are so, the disease is hereditary and epidemical; which is so far from lessening our guilt, that it should rather increase our grief, especially considering that we have not done what we might have done for the cleansing of the pollution of other people's lips; nay, we have rather learned their way, and spoken their language, as Joseph in Egypt learned the courtier's oath, Gen. xlii. 16. "I dwell in the midst of a people, who by their impudent sinnings are pulling down desolating judgments upon the land, which I, who am a sinner, too justly may expect to be involved in."
2. What gave occasion for these sad reflections at this time; Mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. He saw God's sovereignty to be incontestable, he is the King; and his power irresistible, he is the Lord of hosts: these are comfortable truths to God's people, and yet they ought to strike an awe upon us. Note, A believing sight of God's glorious majesty should affect us all with reverence and godly fear. We have reason to be abased in the sense of that infinite distance that there is betwixt us and God, and our own sinfulness and vileness before him, and to be afraid of his displeasure. We are undone, if there be not a Mediator between us and this holy God, 1 Sam. vi. 20. Isaiah was thus humbled, to prepare him for the honour he was now to be called to as a prophet. Note, Those are fittest to be employed for God, who are low in their own eyes, and are made deeply sensible of their own weakness and unworthiness.
II. The silencing of the prophet's fears by the good words, and comfortable words, with which the angel answered him, v. 6, 7. One of the seraphim immediately flew to him, to purify him, and so to pacify him. Note, 1. God has strong consolations ready for holy mourners: they that humble themselves in penitential shame and fear shall soon be encouraged and exalted; they that are struck down with the visions of God's glory, shall soon be raised up again with the visits of his grace; he that tears will heal. 2. Angels are ministering spirits for the good of the saints, for their spiritual good. Here was one of the seraphim dismissed, for a time, from attending on the throne of God's glory, to be a messenger of his grace to a good man; and so well pleased was he with the office that he came flying to him. To our Lord Jesus himself, in his agony, there appeared an angel from heaven, strengthening him, Luke xxii. 43.
Here is, (1.) A comfortable sign given him of the purging away of his sin. The seraph brought a live coal from the altar, and touched his lips with it; not to hurt them, but to heal them; not to cauterize, but to cleanse them; for there were purifications by fire, as well as by water, and the filth of Jerusalem was purged by the spirit of burning, ch. iv. 4. The blessed Spirit works as fire, Matth. iii. 11. The seraph, being himself kindled with a divine fire, put life into the prophet, to make him also zealously affected, for the way to purge the lips from the uncleanness of sin, is, to fire the soul with the love of God. This live coal was taken off from the altar, either the altar of incense, or that of burnt-offerings; for they had both of them fire burning on them continually. Nothing is powerful to cleanse and comfort the soul, but what is taken from Christ's satisfaction, and the intercession he ever lives to make in the virtue of that satisfaction. It must be a coal from his altar, that must put life into us, and be our peace; it will not be done with strange fire.
(2.) An explication of this sign; Lo, this has touched thy lips, to assure thee of this, that thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. The guilt of thy sin is removed by pardoning mercy, the guilt of thy tongue-sins; thy corrupt disposition to sin is removed by renewing grace; and therefore no thing can hinder thee from being accepted with God as a worshipper, in concert with the holy angels, or from being employed for God as a messenger to the children of men." Those only who are thus purged from an evil conscience, are prepared to serve the living God, Heb. ix. 14. The taking away of sin is necessary to our speaking with confidence and comfort, either to God in prayer, or from God in preaching; nor are any so fit to display to others the riches and power of gospel-grace, as those who have themselves tasted the sweetness, and felt the influence of that grace; and those shall have their sin taken away, who complain of it as a burthen, and see themselves in danger of being undone by it.
III. The renewing of the prophet's mission, v. 8. Here is a communication between God and Isaiah about this matter. Those that would assist others in their correspondence with God, must not themselves be strangers to it; for how can we expect that God should speak by us, if we never heard him speaking to us, or that we should be accepted as the mouth of others to God, if we never spake to him heartily for ourselves? Observe here,
1. The counsel of God concerning Isaiah's mission. God is here brought in, after the manner of men, deliberating and advising with himself; Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? God needs not either to be counselled by others, or to consult with himself, he knows what he will do; but thus he would show us that there is a counsel in his whole will, and teach us to consider our ways, and particularly, that the sending forth of ministers is a work not to be done but upon mature deliberation.
Observe, (1.) Who it is that is consulting; it is the Lord; God in his glory, whom he saw upon the throne high and lifted up. It puts an honour upon the ministry, that, when God would send a prophet to speak in his name, he appeared in all the glories of the upper world: ministers are the ambassadors of the King of kings; how mean soever they are, he who sends them is great; it is God in three persons. Who will go for us? As Gen. i. 26. Let us make man—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; they all concur, as in the creating, so in the redeeming, and governing, of man. Ministers are ordained in the same name into which all Christians are baptized. (2.) What the consultation is; Whom shall I send? And who will go? Some think it refers to the particular message of wrath against Israel, v. 9, 10. Who will be willing to go on such a melancholy errand, on which they will go in the bitterness of their souls? Ezek. iii. 14. But I rather take it more largely, for all those messages which he was intrusted to deliver, in God's name, to that people, in which that hardening work was by no means the primary intention, but a secondary effect of them, 2 Cor. ii. 16. Whom shall I send? Intimating that the business was such as required a choice and well-accomplished messenger, Jer. xlix. 19. God now appeared, attended with holy angels, and yet asks, Whom shall I send? For he would send them a prophet from among their brethren, Heb. ii. 5. Note, [1.] It is the unspeakable favour of God to us, that he is pleased to send us his mind by men like ourselves, whose terror shall not make us afraid, and who are themselves concerned in the messages they bring.
