TH CHAP. LVI. HUS faith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do juftice: for my falvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. This fection of our prophet's discourse commences with an exhortation to maintain the exercises of righteoufnefs and equity, which is enforced by two powerful motives. Well knowing the averfion of mankind to the practice of many parts of their duty, and the cold reception they are apt to give to fuch directions as are contained in this verfe, he introduces them with the greateft folemnity, he urges to obedience by the fupreme authority of Jehovah, and the manifold obligations which his peculiar people lie under to him, for the revelation of his grace Keep ye judgment, and do justice. Judgment and juftice are often mentioned together in the holy Scriptures, and cannot indeed be separated in good practice. The former may relate chiefly to the understanding and confcience, the latter to the rectitude and integrity of conduct, both of which should be regulated by the law of the Lord, whilft the one ferves to illuftrate and explain the other. Both expreffions, which are of fimilar import, ftrongly recommend facred regard to righteousness in every tranfaction, the utmost folicitude to follow that which is altogether juft, and to render to every one his due. They demand uniform perfevering refpect to the golden rule, prefcribed by Jefus Chrift in these memorable words, Whatever ye would that men 'fhould do to you, do ye even fo to them; for this is the law and the prophets.' This is frequently inculcated in each of thefe wirtings, it is the fum of what they teach relative to the reciprocal good offices that men owe one to another, it is one great defign of the inftructions inftructions and precepts in both thefe parts of Divine revelation. The precept requires affiduous endeavours to avoid whatsoever might encroach on the facred rights of judgment, or prove injurious to equity, and to perform every focial virtue, fuch as brotherly-kindness, forgiveness, mercy, and beneficence That abftaining from every fpecies of fraud, deceit, and oppreffion, we carefully cultivate the practice of all goodness, righteousness, and truth, with a ftrict regard to probity and juftice. The learned Vitringa and fome other commenta. tors are of opinion, that the words under confideration ought not to be restricted to the duties that people owe to their neighbours, but fhould be confidered as comprehending the whole doctrine delivered by Jefus Chrift and his apoftles, which is perfectly juft and true, and the rule whereby judgment refpecting God and his falvation ought to be formedas comprifing, what is afterward mentioned in this chapter, keeping the Sabbath, refraining from evil, choofing the things that please the Lord, taking hold of his covenant, loving the name of the Lord, and being his fervants. In this extensive sense, the exhortation imports, that the doctrines and precepts of the gofpel ought to be carefully preferved pure and entire, as a valuable treasure committed to the Church, for the improvement of which they are responsible to its bleffed Author-That they should be believed with the heart, confeffed with the mouth; and uniformly obeyed throughout the whole of life.Let us, who profefs to be the difciples of the holy and juft One, walk honeftly as in the day, and endeavour, by the exercises here enjoined, to demonftrate the fincerity of our faith in Jefus Chrift, and to remove thofe obftructions that might hinder renewed communications of Divine mercy and grace.-Compliance with this direction, is urged by two confiderations: ift, My falvation is near to come, &c. Jefus Chrift, the promised Meffiah, may be here meant, who is emphatically emphatically denominated the Salvation of God;' because he obtained it by his death, beftows it by his Spirit; because it confifts in conformity to him, in communion with him, and the enjoyment of him.-He is near; the time of his advent quickly approached, when he was to appear to the glory and joy of those who were waiting for the confolation of Ifrael: He is ever near, to enlighten your path, to conduct, affift, and animate you by his example, word, and Spirit, to afford you protection and deliverance from every adverse power. 2d, And my righteousness to be revealed. The righteousness of Jehovah may denote the rich difplays which he was about to give of his juftice and holiness, of his love, faithfulness, and other glorious perfections, in the redemption of his people, through the obedience, sufferings, and death of his own Son. He had manifefted his righteousness in his holy law, which strictly prohibits all manner of iniquity, and in his providential difpenfations, wherein he hath fhewn his just displeasure against all unrighteousness of men; and, at the time this prediction was announced, his righteousness was foon to be revealed in the gospel, for the remiffion of fins. Hitherto it had been more obfcurely made known, but then the happy period was not far off, when it was to be gloriously exhibited before the world. In the energetic language of the apostle of the Gentiles, writing to the faints at Rome, "the righteousnefs of God is manifefted, by setting forth Jefus Chrift to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness-that he might be juft, and the juftifier of him that believeth in Jefus.-The falvation and righteoufnefs of Jehovah being revealed, and the hope that we cherish of their farther and clearer manifeftation, should operate as a powerful incitement to keep judgment, and to do justice. The accomplishment of God's promifes brings us under the ftrongeft obligations to obferve his ftatutes; and the more precious the blef fings he bestows, the more affiduous ought we to be to yield the universal subjection he demands. 2. Bleffed is the man that doth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it: that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. That he might shew the high importance of complying with the preceding exhortation, our prophet affirms, that the practice of the duties he inculcated renders the person thus employed truly happy and comfortable. Bleffed is the man that keeps judgement and does juftice, and the son of man who layeth hold on it—who firmly retains it as he would do any thing valuable, of which he is in danger of being deprived by force or fraud, or of letting go through inattention. He closely and steadily adheres to the truth of the gospel, and the obedience of its precepts; he holds faft his profeffion, the good thing committed to his truft, endeavouring to keep the commandment, without fpot and unrebukeable, until the appearing of Jefus Chrift *. He endureth to the end, and shall be faved † '-Such a perfon is really happy, and pronounced bleffed by the God of truth, whose word cannot be reverfed, or fail of taking effect. He enjoys the favour of God, a good confcience, and many fubftantial benefits; he performs the duties effentially connected with falvation; and cherishes the bleffed hope of everlasting life and felicity in the future world. It must be fo, for in doing judgment and justice, he in fome measure refembles the bleffed God, who exercifeth judgment and righteousness in the earth, and delighteth in thefe things. He poffeffes internal tranquillity and comfort; for in the way of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof is no death; he finds, that, walking by this rule, peace and mercy is multiplied unto him, him, and the reviving prospect is opened of ent eing in through the gates into the city of the New Jeru, falem *. man. That keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it. This is an effential ingredient in the character of a blessed The inftitution of this day of facred reft, by the command, example, and benediction of Jehovah, is recorded Genefis ii. 2, 3. The obfervation of it, confifting in a total ceffation from worldly employments, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and in performing fublime fpiritual exercises, fuited to the defign of its appointment, was enjoined among the precepts delivered to the Ifraelites from mount Sinai t. Of fuch vaft importance is the fanctification of the Sabbath, that the command respecting it was not only engroffed on one of the tables containing the moral law, but it was annexed both to the judicial and ceremonial law. It seems plainly to have been intended as a commemorative fign, a folemn memorial of the creation of the univerfe, by the omnipotent Word of Jehovah, in the space of fix days; and of the great Creator's having refted from all his works on the feventh day, a circumftance exprefsly mentioned in the fourth command. It was alfo a memorial of the deliverance of the Ifraelites from bondage in Egypt, as appears from Deut. v. 15. where, immediately after reciting the ftatute respecting the obfervation of the Sabbath, that people were required to remember that they were fervants in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord their God brought them out thence. It befides afforded them an inftructive type, or figure, of the eternal redemption of the Church of God from the fervice of fin and Satan, and their introduction into glorious liberty and reft, accomplished by the Son of God in the fulness of time. At the promulgation of the law, when God rested from a glorious work he had effected, and was establifhing his worship among his people, in the view of their entrance into reft in the land of Canaan, he re-appointed + Exod. xx. 8. Rev. xxii. 14. |