and Vulg.; that is, the boughs of the vineyard, referring still to the subject of the dialogue above.

The scarcity of fuel, especially wood, in most parts of the east is so great, that they supply it with every thing capable of burning; cow-dung dried, roots, parings of fruit, withered stalks of herbs and flowers; see Matt. vi. 21-30. Vine-twigs are particularly mentioned as used for fuel in dressing their food, by D'Arvieux; La Roque, Palestine, p. 198. Ezekiel says, in his parable of the vine, used figuratively for the people of God, as the vineyard is here: "Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; " chap. xv. 3, 4. "If a man abide not in one, "saith our Lord, "he is cast forth as a branch of the vine and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned; " John xv. 6. They employed women and children to gather these things, and they laid them up in store for use. The dressing and pruning their vines afforded a good supply of the last sort of fuel; but the prophet says that the vines themselves of the beloved vineyard shall be blasted, withered, and broken, and the women shall come and gather them up, and carry away the whole of them to make their fires for domestic uses. See Harmer's Observations, vol. i., p. 254, &c.

Is. 27:1-5 The Lord Jesus with his strong sword, the virtue of his death, and the preaching of his gospel, does and will destroy him tha had the power of death, that is, the devil, that old serpent. The worl is a fruitless, worthless wilderness; but the church is a vineyard, place that has great care taken of it, and from which precious fruit are gathered. God will keep it in the night of affliction an persecution, and in the day of peace and prosperity, the temptations of which are not less dangerous. God also takes care of the fruitfulnes of this vineyard. We need the continual waterings of Divine grace; i these be at any time withdrawn, we wither, and come to nothing. Thoug God sometimes contends with his people, yet he graciously waits to be reconciled unto them. It is true, when he finds briers and thorn instead of vines, and they are set in array against him, he will trea them down and burn them. Here is a summary of the doctrine of the gospel, with which the church is to be watered every moment. Ever sinc sin first entered, there has been, on God's part, a righteous quarrel but, on man's part, most unrighteous. Here is a gracious invitatio given. Pardoning mercy is called the power of our Lord; let us tak hold on that. Christ crucified is the power of God. Let us by livel faith take hold on his strength who is a strength to the needy believing there is no other name by which we can be saved, as a ma that is sinking catches hold of a bough, or cord, or plank, that is in his reach. This is the only way, and it is a sure way, to be saved. God is willing to be reconciled to us.

Is. 27:6-13 In the days of the gospel, the latter days, the gospe church shall be more firmly fixed than the Jewish church, and shal spread further. May our souls be continually watered and kept, that we may abound in the fruits of the Spirit, in all goodness, righteousness and truth. The Jews yet are kept a separate and a numerous people; the have not been rooted out as those who slew them. The condition of tha nation, through so many ages, forms a certain proof of the Divin origin of the Scriptures; and the Jews live amongst us, a continue warning against sin. But though winds are ever so rough, ever so high God can say to them, Peace, be still. And though God will afflict his people, yet he will make their afflictions to work for the good of their souls. According to this promise, since the captivity in Babylon no people have shown such hatred to idols and idolatry as the Jews. An to all God's people, the design of affliction is to part between the and sin. The affliction has done us good, when we keep at a distanc from the occasions of sin, and use care that we may not be tempted to it. Jerusalem had been defended by grace and the Divine protection; but when God withdrew, she was left like a wilderness. This has awfull come to pass. And this is a figure of the deplorable state of the vineyard, the church, when it brought forth wild grapes. Sinner flatter themselves they shall not be dealt with severely, because God is merciful, and is their Maker. We see how weak those pleas will be Verses 12,13, seem to predict the restoration of the Jews after the Babylonish captivity, and their recovery from their present dispersion This is further applicable to the preaching of the gospel, by whic sinners are gathered into the grace of God; the gospel proclaims the acceptable year of the Lord. Those gathered by the sounding of the gospel trumpet, are brought in to worship God, and added to the church and the last trumpet will gather the saints together __________________________________________________________________

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