one with another, I take to be most probable. What is therefore expressed in the latter part of this verse, we may take to intimate the immediate effects or fruits of the pouring out of the Spirit wrought upon or in those upon whom it is poured. And they are two, 1. The conversion of the unregenerate. "And the wilderness be a fruitful field," i. e. those that have been as a wilderness, barren and unfruitful, bring forth no fruit to God, but wild fruits of sin, they shall be changed, tilled, converted and made fruitful, to bring forth fruits of holiness unto God. 2. The admirable fruitfulness and increase of grace in the godly. "And the fruitful field be counted for a forest," i. e. they that have a principle of fruitfulness in them and did bring forth fruit before, yet now upon the pouring out of the Spirit upon them, shall receive such abundance of grace and be so eminent in the acting of it, that what they did before shall be accounted as the fruit of a barren forest in comparison of what they do now. Such a difference shall there be in their fruitfulness before and after the pouring out of the Spirit on them. Or the meaning may be, the fruitful field shall be counted for a forest, i. e. those that were before fruitful fields shall, upon the pouring out of the Spirit, fructify so incredibly that they shall seem rather to be a wood, a forest, a thicket, than fields of tillage, by an appropriation of such expressions as are sometimes used concerning the incredible fertility of some fields in grain and fruits, unto the exceeding great fruitfulness of persons in grace and spiritual and holy actions. And so the sense is the same as before. Vide Angl. Annot. in Isa. xxix. 17, Calvin in Pol. Synops. Crit. ibid.

and

3. The great turn and change following upon the pouring out of the Spirit, ver. 16-18. "Then shall," &c. The immediate effects and fruits of the pouring out of the Spirit were expressed in the former verse: The mediate or more remote effect and consequent of it, is here expressed to be, the restoration and multiplication of sure mercies and blessings upon them in the particulars mentioned in these verses. And they respect either,

1. Their sanctification, as a holy and heavenly conversation, ver. 16. "Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness," i. e. in illis qui olim desertum erant. Forerius in Pol. Synop. Crit. in loc. Those that were as a wilderness before, untilled, untaught, unregenerate and unsubdued to the will of God, being now converted, shall give heed to judgment, equity, righteousness, honesty and piety; abandoning all ways of profaneness, debauchery, dishonesty, injustice, intemperance and impiety which before they lived in. And righteousness remain in the fruitful field—Ergasia sive exornatio effectorum Spiritûs Dei in sanctis: erunt, inquit, fructus Spiritus in arvo, i. e. ecclesiâ Dei, justitia, etc. Jun. in loc. Christians, professors who have given up their

names to Christ shall be studiously careful to hold fast righteousness, sincerity and uprightness in all their carriages and actions towards God and man, being plain-hearted, right-down, fair and square in all their dealings: behaving themselves in all things holily, justly and unblamably, being harmless, and without rebuke, putting away all semblance of dishonesty, unjust dealing, unfaithfulness, untruth, encroaching, covetousness, double-dealing, unsteadiness, shifting, winding, turning, and whatsoever else is unworthy the vocation wherewith they are called. And these sure are blessed and happy times, when there are such fruits of sanctification so generally and universally appearing. Or,

2. Their glorification, which concern the felicity and blessedness of their lives. And they are either,

(1.) Inward and spiritual blessings, peace, quietness and assurance, ver. 17. "And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever." There shall be peace, soul-peace, peace with God and the testimony of that peace in their consciences: whence an holy serenity and calmness of soul, the peace of God which passeth all understanding, keeping their hearts and minds through Jesus Christ : a religious composure of mind, resting quietly upon God alone, and depending on him with confident assurance of receiving protection, and all good, from him. English Annot. in loc. Or,

(2.) Outward blessings, peaceableness in their habitations, security and quietness in their dwellings, ver. 18. "And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." They shall have peace, safety, quietness and rest round about, together with all the blessings of such a merciful and heaven-born peace. Nor is it absurd or immethodical to rank this outward peace of the saints under glorification; for it is to them a real freedom from misery and evil of punishment, wherein they experience the good-will and kindness of God, and therefore is a part or degree of glorification begun. Huc pertinet [ad glorificat. inchoat. scil.] paterna illa Dei Providentia, quæ fidelibus invigilat semper in bonum. Ames's Medulla Theol. c. 30.

th. 30.

For the timing this prophecy in the text, concerning the pouring out of the Spirit and the effects and consequents of it, it is variously fixed by expositors, as to the restitution of the Jewish state after Sennacherib's defeat, to the Jews' return from the Babylonian captivity, to the times of the Messiah in general, and to some particular time or times under the gospel, and that either already passed or yet expected. That this prophecy in the text doth respect some particular time mainly and principally, is without doubt: But what that time is, I shall not make it my work to inquire or determine. It may suffice to the present purpose,

that there is a general truth in the words; and that this Scripture may be and is in its proportion and measure fulfilled at other times besides that to which it hath a more particular and principal respect; and that there is such a dependence of our freedom from evils and obtaining of mercies upon the Spirit's being poured out upon us as is expressed in the text. It is written for our learning, and so we may improve it, and to this I shall apply myself.

In treating of these words, I shall not endeavor to draw out all the single observations from them that might be, but only to take up the general scope of them in this one doctrine, viz.

Doct. When God hath once set a people under a dispensation of judgment, their miseries will be like to proceed, till there be the pouring out of the Spirit from on high upon them to their sound conversion, and then there will be a restoration and multiplication of sure mercies and blessings upon them. This is the sum of the words, and as brief as I can well give it. This doctrine may be further opened in these propositions :

Prop. I. God doth sometimes set a people under a dispensation of judgment. As this people here. The Lord in the way of his providence exposes them to judgment, sets them in the way of misery, sorrow and calamity lighting upon them, follows them with evil: The general course of his dispensations toward them is afflictive: He does as it were set them as a mark to shoot the arrows of his anger and displeasure at, Lam. iii. 12. "He hath bent his bow and set me as a mark for the arrow." He marks them out for judgment, they are a people of his anger, a generation of his wrath, (Jer. vii. 29.) he sets himself against them, he sets his face against them. "And I will set my face against you." Lev. xxvi. 17. He is sore displeased with them, and sets himself as it were with an angry countenance to punish their sin. He engages his power and wrath against them. "And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee." Ezek. xxiii. 25. He watches over them for evil. "Behold I will set my face against you for evil; behold I will watch over them for evil." Jer. xliv. 11, 27. The Lord does as it were set himself to watch his opportunity to bring evil upon them, is against them on every side, and sets himself to afflict them.

Thus God sometimes sets a people under a dispensation of judgment: And that, because they have set themselves in a way that is not good. They set themselves out of the way of holiness, and in the way of sin, and hence God sets himself in a way of judgment. "If ye will not be reformed by these things, but will walk contrary to me: then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you." Lev. xxvi. 23, 24. God's setting himself against a people is, because they have set themselves against God. And 1. They have set themselves against his command. They

have rebelled against him, and broken his laws and cast his words behind their backs. Hence God in setting himself against a people sets their sins in the light of his countenance. "We are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee: our secret sins in the light of thy countenance." Ps. xc. 7, 8. It is because of them, their sins, that God carries it in a way of displeasure towards any, (Ezek. xiv. 7, 8.) Thus the Lord gives an account of his doing thus and thus with his people, because they had sinned so and so against him, (Hos. vii. 2, compared with 12, 13.) In the second verse, "They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness now their own doings have beset them about, they are before my face." Then follows a particular numeration of their sins, to verse 12. And in the 12th verse, it follows: "Where they shall go I will spread my net upon them, I will bring them down as the fowls of heaven: I will chastise them as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them, for they have fled from me destruction unto them, because they have transgressed against me." So Ezra viii. 23. "His power and wrath is against all that forsake bin."

2. They have set themselves against his reproofs. Upon a people's falling into sin and backsliding from him, the Lord is wont to reprove them for their sin, give them warning of their danger, and call them to return. But when they will not hearken to entertain his reproofs or embrace his counsels, then are they set under judgment." And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels. And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the Most High, none at all would exalt him." Hos. xi. 6, 7. Though God may punish for a single breach of his command, yet he is not wont to cause his judgments to abide, unless there have been a refusal of divine reproofs. cause I have called and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded: But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity," &c. Prov. i. 24, 31. God gives this expressly as a reason of his giving up his people to judicial dispensations. "But my people would not hearken to my voice, and Israel would none of me: So I gave them up." Ps. lxxxi. 11, 12.

3. They have set themselves against his mercy and compassion whereby he would have saved them. God exercises a great deal of lenity towards a sinning people, and shows much compassion towards them, waiting and using means with much long suffering that they would return and be saved, as being loth to give them up. "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?" Hos. xi. 8. "But he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed

them not: yea many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath." Ps. lxxviii. 42. But when God's love, grace, pity and compassion is abused, then his wrath arises and is set against a people, then he gives them up to judgment." And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes and sending: because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy." 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15, 16. "When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria. Though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me." Hos. vii. 1, 13, 15. Thus for these reasons doth God set a people under a dispensation of judgment.

Prop. II. The misery of a people once so set under a dispensation of judgment will be like to proceed and be growing. Their affliction will rise higher and higher. Their sorrows abound more and more. Their sorrows and miseries will be like to increase

and grow.

1. Extensivè, extensively. They will be like to be of great extent, to be universal or at least general; to extend to all kinds of misery and to all persons.

(1.) To all kinds of misery. Ps. xvi. 4. "Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god;" as they may be said to do, who cast off the true God, his fear and service. All kind of misery will be like to fall upon them. The Lord reckons up various kinds of miseries which he threatens to bring upon his disobedient sinning people, (Lev. xxvi. 14-39.) And they are expressed as such as should be rising and growing, from one degree to a seven times greater, if the first did not reclaim them. "I will punish you yet seven times more for your sins.” Ver. 18. Which rise of punishment is four times expressed within the compass of these verses. And in Jer. xv. 3. "I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord." And in Amos iv. many kinds of affliction are mentioned which God had brought upon his obstinate and impenitent people.

(2.) To all persons: All shall feel something thereof more or less, Text, ver. 13. "Upon all the houses." The hand of God will fall heavy every where, judgment come upon all quarters, there will be no corner or place for escape. "I have set the point of the sword against all their gates." Ezek. xxi. 15. The clouds of God's judgments which at first were small and little, will be like to spread and grow thick upon such a people, till even the heavens be dark over them. "And in that day they shall roar against