Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
Ver. 16. Therefore thus saith the Lord] Thus, one deep calleth another, Psalms 42:7; the lower deep of our misery, the higher deep of God's mercy. As Croesus' dumb son burst out into, Kill not King Croesus; so, when enemies are ready to devour the Church, God's bowels work; he can hold no longer, but cries, Save my child, handle the young man gently for my sake: see Jer 31:20 Isaiah 57:16 "I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit should fail before me," &c.; when the child swoons in the whipping God lets fall the rod, and falls a kissing it, to fetch life into it again. A physician, in some cases, purgeth his patient till nothing be left almost but skin and bone; or bloodeth him, ad deliquium animae, till he faint and sink, but yet his care is still to maintain nature; so this heavenly Father and Physician is careful to keep up the spirits of his suffering saints by comforts and cordials, as here:
I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies] Miserationibus visceralibus, with multitudes of tender mercies that flow from the inwards, from the bowels, from the bosom and bottom of the heart; and that of a parent, nay, of a mother toward her child in an extremity, as 1 Kings 3:26. And here observe how fully and sweetly the angel's prayer Zec 1:12 is answered, even ad cardinem desiderii. God not only grants him according to his own heart, but fulfils all his counsel, as it is, Psalms 20:4. Let it be to him even as he will, nay, gives him an enlarged answer, presseth upon him, as Naaman did upon Gehazi two talents when he desired but one. How long wilt thou not be merciful to Jerusalem? saith he.
Behold, I am returned to Jerusalem with many mercies, saith God] I went away and hid me from it in my anger, Hosea 5:15, but am come again with many comforts to relieve it. As all light is from the sun, and all waters from the sea; so is all comfort from God. In thy light shall we see light; but "thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled," Psalms 30:7 : as when the sun is eclipsed all creatures here flag and hang the head, there is a drooping in the whole frame of nature; and when the extracting force of the sun leaves the vapours that are drawn up, they fall down again to the earth; so fares it with the Church: if God withdraw she lies all amort, yea, she lieth open to all sorts of evils and enemies; for her shadow is departed from her. But he cannot be long absent, such is his love; he will repent for his people when he seeth their power is gone, Deuteronomy 32:36, when there is a dignus vindice nodus, an extremity fit for Divine power to interpose; when misery weighs down, and nothing but mercy turns the scale, then at furthest in the very turning and critical point. He will return to Jerusalem with mercies. He will return to her, not as the winter sun, that casts a goodly countenance when it shines, but gives little comfort and heat; but with a cornucopia of all manner of blessings will he come.
My house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem] That is, both Church and State shall flourish. God will both do good in his good pleasure unto Zion; he will also build the walls of Jerusalem, Psalms 51:18; but mark that he saith in his good pleasure, as here in tender mercies; to teach us that all the good we enjoy is merely of mercy, it is all of free grace; for otherwise there should not be so much as any face of Church or commonwealth, as we see in the Jews at this day; a miserable dejected people, because Loruhamah, such as have not obtained mercy, Hosea 1:8. Their ancestors acknowledged, with all thankfulness for so undeserved a favour, that except the Lord of hosts had left unto them a very small remnant, they should have been as Sodom, and like unto Gomorrah, Isaiah 1:9. Had not the angels laid hold upon Lot's hand and the good Lord been merciful unto him, Genesis 19:16, he also had perished among those sinners against their own souls. Joshua was "a brand plucked out of the fire," Zechariah 3:2. And when one said to Mr Bradford the martyr, God hath done much for you since I first knew you, and hath wrought wondrously in you to his glory; he thus answered, Truth it is, for he hath dealt favourably with me, in that he hath not punished me according to my sins, but hath suffered me to live that I might seek repentance (Acts and Mon. 1473). "Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve," saith Ezra, Ezra 9:13. And "it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed," saith the Church, "because his compassions fail not," Lamentations 3:22 .