Great Themes of the Bible
JOY
1. A SonG oF Joy
N Isatah Ixi we find a song of joy and praise starting with J «<= 10. Some expositors make it to be sung by the prophet in the name of Jerusalem, congratulating the happy change of her circumstances in the accomplishment of certain promises made to her. Others made it to be spoken by Christ, in the name of the New Testament Church, triumphing in the Gospel grace. We may take in both, the former a type of the latter. We are here taught to rejoice with holy joy to God's honour.
In the beginning of this good work, the clothing of the Church with righteousness and salvation. Upon this account, "T will greatly rejoice in the Lord''. Those that rejoice in God have cause to rejoice greatly. We need not fear running into an extreme in the greatness of our joy, when we make God the gladness of our joy. The first Gospel song begins like this,
""My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" (Luke i. 46, 47). There is just matter for this joy, and all the reason in the world it should terminate in
God. For salvation and righteousness are wrought out and brought in, and the Church is clothed with it. The salvation God wrought for the Jews, and that righteousness of His in which He appeared for them, and that reformation which appeared among them, made them look as glorious in the eyes of all wise men as if they had been clothed in robes of state or nuptial garments.
Christ has clothed His Church with an eternal salvation, and that is truly great, by clothing it with the righteousness both of justification and sanctification. Clean linen is the righteousness of saints. The Church, when she is pleasing herself with the righteousness and salvation that Jesus Christ has clothed her with, rejoices to think that these inestimable blessings shall both spring for future ages and spread to distant regions.