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Verfe 5. "Who fatisfieth thy mouth with good; thy youth is renewed like the eagles," which may receive illuftration from Ifaial xl. 31. " they that wait upon the Lord fhall renew ftrength; they fhall mount up with wings as eagles, they fhall run and not be weary, they fhall walk and not faint."

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When any are brought from the moft anxious and interefting enquiry," Wherewithal fhall I come before the Lord?" to know the allfufficient GooD he has fhewed in his word; or, in other words, are brought to the knowledge of Christ, the forgiveness of fins, and hope of eternal life through him; they are then brought to wait upon him, ftanding among his fervants to know his will, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? What faith my Lord to his fervant?"Such renew their strength; and whereas before their bones waxed old, and their moisture was turned into drought of fummer; they now find the fear of the Lord to be health or medicine to the navel, and marrow to the bones; according to Proverbs iii. 7, 8.

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Or perhaps this expreffion, "thy youth is renewed like, the eagles," may have an allusion to Deuteronomy xxxii. fo, 11, 12. he found him in a defert land, and in the wafte howling wilderness: He led him about, he inftructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth As an eagle ftirreth up her neft, fluttereth over her young, fpreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings; fo the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no ftrange god with him."The leading of antient Ifrael here, I think, maft tipify spiritual Ifrael being led by the spi rit of God, whofe office it is to take of the things of Christ, and fhew them to them; for no man can fay, that Jefus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghoft. This teaching (to wit) that Jefus is the Lord, is fhewed in the word by which the knowledge of Chrift, or faith is communicated; John xvii. 20. thofe that fhall believe on me THROUGH THEIR WORD By this word

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word alfo are they nourished, 1ft of Timothy iv. ỏ. nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine," ft of Peter ii. 2, 3 defiring the fincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby If fo be ye have tafted that the Lord is gracious-who fa tisfieth thy mouth with good."

"Thy youth is renewed like the eagles. As the eagle stirreth up her neft, fluttereth over her young, &c. fo the Lord alone did lead them." Thus when Jefus was glorified, or when the Lord faid to my Lord, fit thou at my right hand," the Holy Ghost was fhed forth upon the difciples, and came and fat upon them, Acts ii. 3. the effect was a numerous offfpring to Chrift, as dew from the womb of the morn ing. The Lord alone did then lead them, and there was no ftrange god with them. And thus they appeared in the beauties of holiness, according to Pfalm cx. 1, 3.

Verses 7, 8. (of Pfalm ciii.) He made known his ways to Mofes, his acts unto the children of Ifrael. The Lord is merciful and gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. in mercy. Mofes prays, Exodus xxxiii. 13. " fhew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy fight."-The an fwer is, verfes 17, 19. I will do this thing alfo that thou haft spoken; and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will fhew mercy on whom I will fhew mercy." chap. xxxiv. 6, 7. And the Lord paffed by before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious, long-fuffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thoufands, forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin, and that will by no means clear*. God's way of fhewing mercy

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Thofe who have taken liberty to read this text thus, and will by no means clear the IMPENITENTLY QUILTY, have been guilty of obfcuring the paffage, and putting penitence in the room of the great propitiation for fin.

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mercy, forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin, is here made manifeft in transferring guilt to the furety whom he would by no means clear." Ifaiah liii. 6. the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all." Romans viii, 32. "he fpared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all." It is evident that wherever for giveness is fpoken of in the Old Teftament, direct refpect is had to the fatisfaction of Jefus, Chrift; which may be seen by comparing Jeremiah xxxi. 34. "For I will forgive their iniquities, and remember their fins no more," with Hebrews X. 12, 14, 17, 18, where the apostle fhews the virtue and efficacy of the one facrifice for fin, which procures remiffion, and on account of which he will remember fin no more, verse 18. "now where remiffion of these is, there is no more offering for fin."-And by comparing Pfalm xxxii, 1, 2, with Romans iv, 5, 6, 7. where the apoftle fhews that David is defcribing the bleffedness of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works, when he fays, " bleffed are they whofe iniquities are forgiven, and whofe fins are covered.Bleffed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute fin," having refpect to that righteoufnefs by which it is covered, the Lord imputing rigteoufnefs without works, and being gracious to whom he will be gracious, fhewing mercy on whom he will fhew mercy, and forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin, on account of the furety whom he would by no means clear. I fay, by comparing these texts together, they illuftrate each other, fhewing, that wherever forgiveness is spoken of in the Old Teftament, direct respect is had to the one offering made by Chrift, as the complete fatisfaction for fin. Thus Jefus Christ, who is the way to the Father, or God's way of fhewing mercy, was made known to Mofes.-This fhews his righteoufnefs, that he may be juft, and the juftifier of him that believeth in Jefus, and fo the following

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verfes

verfes of Pfalm ciii. may receive illuftration by a con parifon of them with Romans viii. 32, 33, 34.

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous in no pienteous an mercy. He will not always chide neither will he keep anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our fins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the carh, fo great is his mercy towards them that fear him. As far as the eaft is from the weft, fo far hath he removed our tranfgreffions from us."?

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"He that fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how fhall he not with him alfo freely give us all things? Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's electIt is God that juftifieth :-Who is he that condemneth ?-It is Chrift that died; yea rather, that is rifen a gain, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh interceffion for us."?

It may not be amifs here to attend to a comparing of the 17th and 18th verfes of this ciii. Pfalm, with Acts ii. 39, though it might lead to a digreffion from the fubject.

"But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, to them that fear him, and his righteousness to childrens children; to fuch as keep his covenant, and to thofe that remember his commandments to do them."

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"The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.??

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Those that were brought to the knowledge of Christ at that day recorded in Acts ii. were fuch as a crucify him,

little before had their voices in the cry,

crucify him; his blood be on us, and on our children." When therefore they were brought to know affuredly, that God had made that fame Jefus whom

they

they had crucified, both Lord and Christ, they were pricked to the heart. The knowledge of Chrift, or the believing that Jefus was the Chrift, fhewed them not only their guilt in combining against him, crying, crucify him, crucify him-but the awful aggravation of it in imprecating his blood on their children as well as themselves. That the gofpel might therefore prove good news indeed, the apostle Peter was authorised to lead them to repentance and baptifm for the remiffion of their fins; telling them, they fhould receive the gift of the Holy Ghoft.

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"The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to them that fear him." The knowledge of the true God, or faith in him, is the ground of fear. Thus thofe perfons above-mentioned, when they knew affuredly the true character of Jefus Chrift, were taught to fear him; and this was made evident in their keeping his commandments, verfes 41, 42, 43. Then they that gladly received his word, were baptifed, and-added and continued ftedfaft in the apoftles doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers; and fear came upon every foul." Thus we fee they anfwered the character of them that fear him, of thofe that remember his commandments to do them; and that the grace which reigns through the righteoufnefs of Chrift to eternal life, was manifeft at firft in fuch a manner as was fuited to reach the bottom of the wounds of those pricked to the heart, under a sense of the guilt imprecated on themfelves, and on their children.And left they might think these words," the promise

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* Peter was directed by Jefus Chrift to manifeft his love for the much forgiveness he had received, by feeding his fheep, and feeding his lambs. He here takes this first opportunity to declare the lambs belong to the fold as well as the sheep,-agreeable to Ifaiah xl. 10, 11. He shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom,-which was literally fulfilled, Mark x. 16.And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and bleed them.

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