PART II. How Christ accomplished this success, SECT. I. How this success is accomplished by God's grace here, § 1. The means of this success established after Christ's resurrection, FIRST. In the suffering state of the Church, 1. From Christ's resurrection till the destruction of Jerusalem, II. From the destruction of Jerusalem to that of the Heathen empire, 266 INFERENCE. Truth of Christianity argued from the success of the gospel, 277 III. Success from the time of Constantine till the fall of Antichrist, 2dly. From the rise of Antichrist till the reformation, 3dly. From the reformation till the present time, 2. Of the opposition made to the Reformation, 3. What success the gaspel has lately had, 4. Present state of things with regard to the success of the gospel, 1. Truth of Christianity argued from the events of this period, 2. The spirit of true Christians a spirit of suffering, 3. What reason we have to expect that events foretold in scripture, not yet fulfilled, shall be accomplished, 4thly. How the success of redemption shall be carried on till Antichrist's ian church shall for the most part enjoy prosperity, SECONDLY, Success of redemption through that space wherein the christ- I. Prosperity of the church through the greater part of this period, II. The great apostacy that shall take place towards the end of this period, 354 The particular manner in which this success is accomplished, VI. The majesty and power of God in the work of redemption, VII. The glorious wisdom of God in the work of redemption, WORK OF REDEMPTION. ISAIAH li. 8. FOR THE MOTH SHALL EAT THEM UP LIKE A GARMENT, AND THE WORM SHALL EAT THEM LIKE WOOL: BUT MY RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL BE FOREVER, 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 perpe tuity 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 enemies, and carrying her safely through all the changes of the world, and finally crowning 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 is: The moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool; i. e. however great their prosperity is, 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: As the finest and most glorious apparel will in VOL. I. B time 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 me, 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 happy lot and portion of God's church, expressed in these words, Myrighteousness shall be forever, 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. Its continuance. (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 ás God has been pleased, by the promises of the covenant of grace, to bind himself to bestow them, so they are bestowed in the exercise of God's righteousness or justice. And therefore the apostle says, Heb. vi. 10. God is not unrightcous, to forget your work and labor of love. And so 1 John i. 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful, and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all 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 salva on; 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 innumerahale 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, is the root of which his salvation is the fruit. 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. (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 thereby 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, should 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 statutes 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 for ever.” Sometimes thereby is meant to all eternity. So it is said, "God is blessed for ever," Rom. i. 25. And so it is said, John vi. 51. any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever."......And 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. It is said in the next words, " and my salvation from generation to generation." Indeed the fruits of God's salvation shall remain after the end of the world, as appears by the 6th verse: "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, "If |