A History of the Work of Redemption

p. 6A HISTORY Of the WORK of REDEMPTION.

For the ◊◊th shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like w◊◊l: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

THE design of this chapter is to comfort the church under her sufferings, and the persecutions of her enemies; and the argument of consolation insisted on is, the constancy and perpetuity of God's mercy and faithfulness towards her, which shall be manifest in continuing to work salvation for her, protecting her against all assaults of her ene◊◊ies, and carrying her safely though all the changes of the world, and finally ◊◊owning her with victory and deliverance.

In the text, this happiness of the church of God is set forth by comparing it with the contrary fate of her enemies that oppress her. And therein we may observe,

1. How short lived the power and prosperity of the church's enemies are: The moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool; i. e. however great their prosperity i◊, and however great their present glory, they shall by degrees consume and vanish away by a secret curse of God, till they come to nothing; and all their power and glory, and so their persecutions, eternally cease, and they be finally and irrecoverably ruined, p. 7as the finest and most glorious apparel will in 〈…〉 wear away, and be consumed by moths and rottenness. We learn who those are that shall thus consume away, by the foregoing verse, viz. those that are the enemies of God's people: Hearken unto 〈…〉, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

2. The contrary hap◊y lot and portion of God's church, expressed in these words, My righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation. Who are meant as those that shall have the benefit of this, we also learn by the preceding verse, viz. They that know righteousness, and the people in whose heart is God's law; or, in one word, the church of God. And concerning this happiness of theirs here spoken of, we may observe two things, viz. 1. Wherein it consists; 2. In continuance.

p. 7(1) Wherein it consists, viz. In God's righteousness and salvation toward them. By God's righteousness here, is meant his faithfulness in fulfilling his covenant promises to his church, or his faithfulness towards his church and people in bestowing the benefits, of the covenant of grace upon them; which benefits though they are bestowed of free and sovereign grace, as being altogether undeserved; yet as God has been pleased, by the promises of the covenant of grace, to bind himself to bestow them, so they 〈…〉 bestowed in the exercise of God's righteousness or justice. Therefore the apostle says, Heb. vi.10. God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love. And so, 1. John i.9. If 〈…〉 confess our sins, he is faithful, and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. So the word righteousness is very often used in scripture for God's covenant-faithfulness so it is used in Nehem. ix.8. Thou hast performed thy words, for thou art righteous. So we are often to understand righteousness and covenant-mercy for the same thing; as Psal. xxiv.5. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psal. xxxvi.10 Continue thy loving kindness to them that know thee, and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. And Psal. li.14. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. Dan. ix.16. O Lord, according to thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away.— And so in innumerable other places.

The other word here used is salvation. Of these two, God's righteousness and his salvation, the one is the cause, of which the other is the effect. God's righteousness, or covenant-mercy, p. 8is the root of which his salvation is the faith. Both of them relate to the covenant of grace. The one is God's covenant-mercy and faithfulness, the other intends that work of God by which this covenant-mercy is accomplished in the fruits of it. For salvation is the sum of all those works of God by which the benefits that are by the covenant of grace are procured and bestowed.

p. 8(2) We may observe its continuance, signified here by two expressions; for ever, and from generation to generation. The latter seems to be explanatory of the former. The phrase for ever, is variously used in scripture. Sometimes hereby is meant as long as a man lives. So it is said, the servant that has his ear bored through with an awl to the door of his master, shall be his for ever. Sometimes thereby is meant during the continuance of the Jewish state. So of many of the ceremonial and Levitical laws it is said that they should be statues for ever. Sometimes it means as long as the world shall stand, or to the end of the generations of men. So it is said, Eccles. i.4. "One generation passeth away and another cometh; but the earth abideth forever." Sometimes thereby is meant to all eternity. So it is said, "God is blessed for ever," Rom. i 15. And so it is said, John vi, 51. "If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever."—Which of these senses is here to be understood, the next words determine, viz. to the end of the world, or to the end of the generations of men. …