of God, who are intended by the flocks, were in eternal 
election considered as 'sheep, and by that act of grace
were distinguished from others; and so when an exact
account was taken of them, their names were written
in heaven, and in the Lamb's book of life; and had
this seal and mark put upon them, the Lord knows
them that are his; also in the gift of them to Christ;
in the covenant of grace, when they were brought into
the bond of that covenant, they were likewise con-
sidered as sheep, distinct from others; and were told
into the hands of Christ, where they are kept, and
who has a most perfect knowledge of them; and in
effectual vocation they will again pass under his hands;
they are then as sheep that had gone astray, returned
ú to the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls; and when
.they are separated from others, and special knowledge
is taken of them, and Christ's mark, the sanctification
of the Spirit, is put upon them; and at the last day,
when Christ shall deliver them up to the Father, he'll
sa.y, lo, I and the children, or sheep, whom thou hast
g,ven me; and they will all be numbered, and not one
will be wanting.
Ver. 14. Behold, the-days come, saith the Lord,
Or, are comin.g{t}; future times are respected; yet such
as would quickly come; five or six hundred years
more,. and then would be fulfilled what is after pro-
mised. This is ushered in with a behold, as being a
matter of importance, and deserving attention, and
even as calling for admiration. This is the principal
of the great and mighty thin'gs the Lord promised to
shew to the prophet, ver. 3. even the coming of the
Messiah, and what concerns his person and office:
that I will perform that good thing which I have pro-
mised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah;
or, that good word{u}; that gracious word concerning
Christ and salvation by him; that mercy promised to
the fathers; that good .thing that came out of Naza-
reth: the good Shepherd that laid down his life for
the sheep, preferable to the shepherds before spoken
of: .or rather, that best word{w}; the positive used for
the superlative, as frequent in the Hebrew language.
Ma. ny good words or promises are made before, con-
cerning the spiritual welfare and prosperity of the
church; but this is the best of all; this is the better
thing provided for saints under the Gospel dispensa-
tion, and promised to them, who are meant by the
houses of Judah and Israel; for these phrases, as the
Jews themselves allow, shew that the words belong
to the times of the Messiah; and which God, that is
true and cannot lie, and who is faithful, that has pro-
mised, and is able to perform, will do.
Ver. 15. In those days, and at that time, &c.] In
those very self-same days before spoken of; in those
days to come, and which were hastening on; in the
fulness of time, agreed on between Jehovah and his
Son; the appointed, fixed, determined time: will I
cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up u.to
David; not Zorobabel, but the Messiah; who is not
only a branch of David's family, and therefore said to
grow up unto him, being of his seed, his son, and off-
spring; but a Branch of righteousness, or a righteous
Branch; perfectly righteous in himself, and the author
of righteousness unto others; which can't be said of
Zorobabel, or of any other branch springing from
David but the Messiab; and of him the Targum in-
terprets it, paraphrasing it thus, "the Messiah of
"righteousness ;" and Kimchi's note is, "this is the
ú " and so it is by other Jewish writers"
"King Messiah,
interpreted of him: and he shall execute judgment and
righteousness in the land; judgment upon the blind
Pharisees given up to judicial blindness and hardness
of heart; and upon the world, and the prince of it, who
was cast out by him; and though he came not at first
to judge the world and all the individuals of it, as he
will do at his second coming; yet all judgment, rule,
and government of Iris church, is committed to him by
his father; and he is on the throne to order and esta-
blish it with judgment, and to overrule all things for
the good of it, and his own and his father's glory:
and he has wrought out an everlasting .righteousness,
agreeably to law and justice, for the justitication of
his people; for which reason he and they have the
name in the verse following.
Vet. 16. In those days shall Judah be saved, &e.] The
elect of God among' the Jews; and all such who a,e
Jews inwardly, who truly-believe in Christ, and confess
his name, and praise him, and give him the glory or'
salvation. Judah signSties one that confi, sses or praises
the Lord; such shall be saved fi'om sin, Satan, the
law, wrath, hell, and damnation, by the Branch of
righteousness, the Messiah; who was raised up and
sent to be a SaySour; came into the world for this pur-
pose; has obtained salvation for his people; is the
Captain and author of it; nor is it in any other; hence
his name is called Jesus; and this salvation is to be
had from him at all times; as in those days in which
it was first wrought out, so throughout the whole
Gospel dispensation: for now is the day of salvation;
and indeed this is to be- understood, not as exclusive
of the Old-Testament dispensation, when believers
were saved by the same Lord Jesus as we are; only
this is expressive of the impetration of this salvation
by the incarnate Saviour; and of the more clear dis-
covery and revelation-of it; and of the application of
it to a greater number of persons; and which is sure
to all the spiritual seed of Christ, whether Jews or
Gentiles, who shall be saved with an everlasting salva-
tion: it is not said they may be saved, but they shall
be saved; not may be saved if they will; or, however,
this is not left on such a precarious tbot; but they are
made willing to be saved by Christ in the day of his
power,. yea, they are already saved: and derusalem
shall dwell safely; the inhabitants of it; such who are
come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem; these being saved by Christ, are
in the utmost safety; they have nothing to fear from
the justice of God, that is satisfied; nor from the law,
that is fulfi!led; nor from their enemies, they are con-
quered and destroyed; God is pacified towards them;
is the God of peace with them; and they have

{t} \^Myab\^ venientes, Montanus, Schmidt.
{u} \^bwjh rbdh\^ verbum bonum, Vulg. Lat. Pagninus, Montanus,
Cocceius.
{w} Verbum optimum, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt.
{x} Abarbinel, Mashmiah Jeshuah, fol. 40. 2.