i. e. And shall send for the enemies of Israel or Ephraim from all parts and ioyne them together against him His Enemies i. e. Ephraim's enemies For this Particle his is not to be referred to Rezin which is the nerest substantive or ant cedent but to Israel or Ephraim which is farthest off The cheifest enemies here meant were the Assyrians under Tiglah-Pileser who when they had tooke Damascus and slew Rezin made warre upon Israel 2. Kings 15.29 12 The Syrians before and the Philistins behind q. d. With the Assyrians under Tiglah-Pileser shall he ioyne the Syrians which dwell on the East of Israel and the Philistins which dwell on the west of Israel and these shall set upon Israel from their severall quarters The Syrians were but even now while Rezin lived the friends and Confederates of Israel but Rezin being slaine and they subdued by Tiglah-Pileser and the Assyrians the Assyrians made them serve in the war against Israel yea happily the Syrians themselves were willing of themselves to goe with the Assyrians against Israel to ingratiate themselves with their new Masters for such is the base nature of man as that he will follow the conduct of fortune and change his friends or foes as the Victorye falls out He nameth the Syrians because Israel would little thinke that they would prove their enemies who were so neer friends and he names the Philistins that he might shew that the Syrians their friends would prove as bad to them as the Philistins their ancient enemies had done The Assyrians needed not much to entreate the Philistins to ioyne against Israel who were willing of themselves to take any advantage against Israel and when they see him tottering to cast him downe And they shall devoure Israel with open mouth i. e. And they shall kill and destroy Israel This is a Metaphor taken from a wild beast as a Lyon c. For all this q. d. Notwithstanding this when the Lord hath thus plagued Israel by these his enemies His anger is not turned away i. e. His anger is not turned away Supple from Israel But his hand is stretched out still Supple to strike him and beat him yet more See Cap. 5. v. 25. 13. For the people turneth not i. e. Israel or Ephraim as v. 9. will not turne by repentance Vnto him that smiteth them i. e. Unto the Lord who plagueth them The Assyrians and the Syrians and the Philistines and all other the enemies of Israel were but Gods Instruments and rods to scourge and plague Israel Neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts i. e. Neither will they seek the Lord of Hosts to procure his favour and grace To seek the Lord of Hosts is to sue for his grace and favour and this is done by Repentance Isai 55. vers 6. and by Prayer Psal 34. v. 4. and by keeping his Commandements 2 Chron. 14. v. 4. The Lord seemeth to be put here by a Metonymie for the grace and favour of the Lord which we are said to seek when we sue for it by a Metaphor from bodily things which we have lost and seek after that we may find them againe Or he speaketh of God here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as of a man which is angry and hideth himself from him with whom he is angry whom he that hath offended him seeks after that he may find him out and appease him 14. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and taile That which the Lord here prophesieth of from this to the eighteenth Verse was that which Salmaneser did to the ten Tribes of Israel of which we may read 2 Kings 17. Head and taile i. e. The most honourable and the most base yea all from the most honourable of all to the basest of all This is a proverbial kind of speech signifying all men whatsoever of a body politique And in it the body politique is compared to the naturall body of a four footed beast of which the head is the most considerable the tail the vilest and basest part Branch and rush i. e. The greatest and the least yea all from the greatest of all to the least of all This is a proverbiall kind of speech as the former was and signifieth all whatsoever of a body politique as that did and here the body politique is resembled and compared but to what is doubtful If we take the word rush Metaphorically for the little shoot or sprout of a tree which is like to a rush especially in the winter when the leaf is fall'n then is the body politique plainly compared to a tree and the greatest to the branches and the least men of account therein to the rush that is to the little shoots or sprouts of that tree But if we take the rush properly for a rush that groweth in the waters or in watry and moist places then as a body politique is sometimes compared to a Forrest and sometimes again to a field so should I think that it is compared here to a wood such a wood as we call a Coppice or underwood many whereof in their low and watry places bear rushes for as many of these woods and coppices have low and watry places in which they bear rushes so the greatest pants which they use to bear seem to be rather branches than trees To the branches therefore of these woods and coppices may the greatest and to the rushes may the least men of account in the body politique of Israel be resembled In one day i. e. At one time For the word day signifieth not onely the space of twelve or four and twenty houres but sometimes a very great space of time also as cap. 4. v. 1. cap. 5. v. 30. 15. The ancient and honourable he is the head i. e. The Ancient and Honourable are they whom I mean by the head By the Ancient and Honourable he meaneth the Princes and chief Rulers of the ommon-wealth as Cap. 3. v. 14. which were Honourable as well by their birth as by their places These he resembleth to the head because as the head is the principal member of the natural body and that by which the whole body is governed so were these the prime and chief members of the Common-wealth and they which by their places were to govern and rule the Kingdome of Israel And the Prophet that telleth lies he is the tail By the Prophet that telleth lyes he meaneth the false Prophets who preached prophesied to the people pleasing things and promised them peace whereas the Lord denounced destruction against them for their wickednesse for flattering them in their sinnes These he saith he meaneth by the tail But why did he resemble these to the tail whereas he should have resembled those to the tail which were of the lowest and meanest condition in the whole Common-wealth of Israel Answ He resembled these to the tail because it is most probable that they were not onely of the lowest and meanest rank in the whole Common-wealth
of these which lived in our Saviours dayes or in the dayes of the Gospel And as there was but a tenth onely saved of those which lived in Isaiah's dayes v. 13. So in the dayes of the Gospel a remnant onely are saved according to the Election of Grace Rom. 9. v. 27. 11. How long Supple Shall this People hear and not understand and see and not perceive The Prophet asketh this Question not out of any Curiosity but out of grief for their misery and out of a desire which he had of their conversion that they might be healed Vntill the Cityes be wasted What is meant by the wasting of Cityes the words next following shew Viz. Their being without inhabitants The vastation here spoken of was that vastation of the Cityes of Judah which was made by Sennacherib 12. And the Lord have removed men farre away i. e. And untill the Lord hath removed the men which dwell in the Cities out of the land from their Cities and from their housen and dwelling places and that either by making them flie into other Countryes for fear or by sending them into Captivity by the hands of their enemyes And there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the Land This word Forsaking may be taken either Actively or Passively It may be taken Actively and that either for God's forsaking his People and giving them over into the hand of their enemies Or for the Peoples forsaking their dwellings or habitations Or it may be taken Passively for the Lands being forsaken of its Inhabitants and so a forsaking and desolation will be for sense the same thing In the midst of the land This is put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for In the land to wit the land of Judah 13. But yet in it shall be a tenth i. e. But yet for all that desolation and forsaking which shall be in the midst of the land a small remnant shall be left alive and safe there By a tenth he meaneth a small remnant and as it were a tenth part in respect of the whole People putting a certaine for an vncertaine Number This remnant were they which were in Hierusalem when Sennacherib warred against Judah For when Sennacherib invaded Judâ—h many fled out of all parts of the land to Hierusalem for safety and were safe there for Hierusalem could not be taken by the Aâ—syrians He mitigates here the severity of the former judgement And it shall return and be eaten i. e. And it shall be eaten againe But what shall be eaten againe Answ The tenth or remnant which shall be left shall be eaten againe that is shall be consumed and devoured againe by their enemies So most understand this place And it is true the Jewes which were left were afterward consumed and devoured againe by the Babylonians under Nebucadnezzar But under correction I conceive that it is the Land which is here said shall be eaten againe Which he saith shall return and be eaten or eaten againe because it should be plowed and sowed and planted and the fruits thereof eaten againe by the tenth that is by the remnant of the people which should be left and because it should be enjoyed by them againe This place is the same for sence with the 17th Verse of the fifth Chapter Viz. With that Then shall the lambes feed after their manner And the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat the Notes on which place see Observe the manner of Phrase which the Prophet here useth when he saith And it shall return and be eaten For he saith It shall return and be eaten for it shall be eaten againe The like manner of Phrase is used Psal 78.41 Where we read they turned back and tempted God for they tempted God againe And Gen. 30. v. 31. Where we read I will againe feed and keep thy flock Whereas it is in the Hebrew I will return feed and keep thy flock The like may be observed Judg. 2. vers 19. and 8. v. 43. Where to return and do a thing is to do a thing againe As a Tile tree and as an Oake whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves This Sentence is Defective and with its Supplement makes this sence q. d. As a Tile tree and as an Oake which have their vegetative soul within them in the winter time when they cast their leaves though they seem to be dead yet they are not dead but spring againe and flourish in the Summer by reason of that vegetative soul which is in them c. Note that the Prophet might have instanced aswell in any other kind of tree which did cast its leaves in the winter as in the Tile tree and in the Oake but it seemâ— that these trees were most common in those parts Note here that they which say that it is the tenth which is here said shall return and be eaten do understand here these words Yet neverthelesse q. d. Yet neverthelesse as a Tile tree and as an Oake c. Which they need not understand which say that it is the land not the tenth which is here said shall be eaten Whose substance By substance here understand the vegetative soul which giveth life to those trees or plants So the Holy seed shall be the substance theâ—eof i. e. So the Holy seed shall be to the People of the Jewes as the vegetative Soul is to these trees For as the Vegetative soul which is in these trees is the cause that these trees die not in the winter though they cast their leaves and that they revive and spring and flourish againe in the Summer So the Holy men which are among the People of the Jewes and Hezekiah by name shall be the cause that the Nation of the Jewes shall not wholly perish and be destroied in that desolation which Sennacherib shall make though their case may seem desperate but that they shall flourish and encrease and multiplie againe If you ask how the holy seed which was among the Jewes was the cause why the whole Nation of the Jewes was not destroyed I answer It was because God did rebuke the furie of Sennacherib for that seeds sake and would not suffer him to root out the Nation of the Jewes utterly from being a People The holy seed i. e. The holy and righteous men among the Jewes He saies seed for men per Metonymiam materiae Or he calls the holy ones among the Jewes the holy seed because they were reserved as it were for seed to be sowen out of which should spring up a plentifull harvest of men Shall be the Substance i. e. Shall be as the Substance or vegetâ—tâ—ve â—oul The note of similitude is here left to be understood Thereof i. e. Of the people of the Jewes A Relative without a near adjoyning Antecedent Or thereof that is of the land But by the land understand Metonymice the people of the land Or thereof that is of the tenth before mentioned ISAIAH CHAP. VII AND it came to
Cap. 4.5 And see Cap. 52. v. 12. where he saith to the Jews The Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rearward For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it i. e. For the Lord hath spoken it who cannot lye and therefore what he hath spoken shall come to pass The Prophet speaks of the Lord as of a man by a Prosopopoeia and puts the mouth which is but part for the whole man by a Synecdoche 3. The voyce of him that cryeth in the wilderness What is meant by these words as they are taken in the first sence and as they concern the Redemption of the Jews out of Babylon ye have heard Now in the second and more sublime sence by the voyce of him that cryeth in the wilderness the Holy Ghost meaneth John the Baptist Mat. 3.3 For as the Cryer here cryeth to the people to prepare the way of the Lord so did John the Baptist cry to the people of his time to repent and so to prepare a way for the coming of the Lord Christ And as the voyce of this Cryer was heard in the wilderness which lay between Babylon and Judea so was the voyce of John heard in a wilderness too to wit the wilderness of Judea Matt. 3.1 Where note that as by the captivity of the Jews in Babylon is signified our spiritual captivity and misery under sin and Satan so by the deliverance of the Jews out of that their captivity is signified our spiritual Redemption by Christ Jesus In the Prophecy therefore of the deliverance of the Jews out of the captivity of Babylon there be many passages which as in a first sence they concern things which appertain to the deliverance of the Jews so in a second sence they concern things which appertain to the Redemption which was wrought by Christ Jesus 6. The voyce said Cry i. e. A voyce said to me Cry And he said what shall I cry i. e. And I said what shall I cry The Prophet speaks of himself here in a third person The like may you read of one speaking of himself in the third person cap. 21. vers 12. All flesh is grass and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field i. e. And the voyce said unto me cry and say with a loud voyce thus All flesh that is all men which are made of flesh are as the grass and all their glory and goodliness is as the flower of the field The Note of similitude is here left to be understood 7. The grass withereth and the flower fadeth because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it As when a red burning wind bloweth upon the grass or upon the flower the grass withereth and the flower fadeth because thereof Even so for the Apodosis is left to be understood when God is angry with all or any kinde of flesh that is when he is angry with any men whatsoever they are he can easily consume them even with the breath of his nostrils and they shall perish By the Spirit of God is meant the wind which he brings out of his treasures when he would have it blow Psal 13.7 and yet not any wind but that which the Country-man calls a red wind which bliteth Trees and Herbs and Flowers Surely the people is grass q. d. Surely therefore the people that thou art afraid of even the people of the Babylonians are as grass 8. But the Word of our God shall stand for ever q. d. But the Word of our God shall never fail And therefore the Word whereby he hath spoken comfort to you and promised you deliverance out of the Babylonish captivity shall stand firm and come to pass maugre the Babylonians You may gather by what hath been said what coherence these three last Verses had with the former The coherence is this In the five first Verses the Prophet prophecyeth to the Jews Deliverance out of the Babylonish captivity but the Jews being at this time sore oppressed and seeing themselves weak and the Babylonians strong and mighty in power were like to give but little credence to the Prophets words and despair of ever being delivered That therefore they might lift up their heads and hope for deliverance according to the Word of God and might not fear the strength and mighty power of the Babylonians the Lord did for their sakes by way of prevention shew the Prophet a Vision in which the voyce of the Lord bids the Prophet to tell his Country-men that all flesh and the Babylonians as well as others were as grass therefore they need not fear them or any other men 9. O Sion that bringest good tydings i. e. O Jerusalem that bringest good tydings to the other Cities of Judah c. This seems to begin a new Sermon Sion is taken here for Jerusalem a part for the whole And he speaks to the material Jerusalem as if she were a person indeed as he doth often elsewhere by a Prosopopoeia The good tydings which Sion here brings are mentioned in the tenth and eleventh Verses Get thee up into the high mountain Supple and there proclaim the good tydings which thou bringest that they may be the Father-head O Jerusalem that bringest good tydings c. This is a repetition of the former sentence with which repetition the Prophet is much delighted Say unto the Cities of Judah i. e. Say unto other the Cities of Judah He speaks here of the Cities of Judah as of women by a Prosopopoeia as he did of Sion or Jerusalem Behold your God i. e. Behold your God cometh unto you See Vers 3. 10. Behold the Lord will come with a strong hand Behold the Lord himself will come with a strong hand against the Babylonians who hold us captive and will deliver us out of their hands And his arm shall rule i. e. And he shall now rule He shall rule over us as a King over his Subjects though till now the Babylonians have had dominion over us And he shall rule over the Babylonians as a Lord over his Vassals and a Conqueror over his Enemies though hitherto they have reigned as Conquerors and Lords themselves He speaks here of God as of man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and puts a part to wit the arm for the whole man by a Synecdoche the arm I say wherein the strength of man is most seen For him These words are redundant by an Hebrew elegancy Behold his reward is with him Supple To reward all such of his people as have waited for him And his work i. e. And his reward Work is put here for the reward of a work by a Metonymy And this is a repetition of the former sentence Is before him i. e. Is in a readiness See Cap. 62.11 11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd q. d. He shall bring his people out of Babylon into their own Cities And while he bringeth them he shall be to them as a shepherd is to
hath occasion he sheweth the vanity of Idols that his people living amorâ— Idolaters in the Babylonish Captivity might not bâ— insnared with Idolatry Bâ—â—ng forth c. Hâ— speakes to Idolaters to bring forth their Idols to plead for themselves and their divinity Yet because the Iewes which were in the Babylonish Captivity are called Deafe and Blâ—nde Cap. 42.18 Some understand this verse of bringing forth the Captive Iewes out of Captivity And make it an Amplification of that which went before q. d. I will say Bring forth out of Prison and Captivity or bring forth out of your Land the Blinde which have eyes and the Deafe whioh have eares So that Gods controversie with Idolaters and their Idols begins not till the next yeare But I thinke it rather to be understood of Idols and spoken to Idolaters 9. Let all the Nations supple which worship Idols Be gathered together To wit that they may heare what I can say for my divinity and what the Idols can say for theirs and so know which of us is the true God while we plead together And let the people be assembled This is a repetition of the former Sentence Who among them i. e. Who among those Idols which they worship Here is a relative without an Antecedent Can declare this i. e. Can declare or foretell that which I have declared and foretold concerning the redemption of my people the Iewes out of the Babylonish Captivity c. And shew us former things i. e. And shew us things which wil come e're long to passe See Cap. 41.22 Let them bring forth their witnesses q. d. If they say that they have declared this and shewed former things or can declare and shew them let them bring forth their witnesses to prove what they say That they may be justified i. e. That Sentence may be pronounced in judgement that they speake truth or that Sentence may be given that the cause which they maintaine is just The cause of the Idols here meant is that they are Gods and that they doe justly assume to themselves the name of Gods This word to justifie is a Law terme and signifieth the justnesse not of the Person but of the Cause which is in hand Or let them heare i. e. Or if they cannot bring forth any witnesses to prove what they say let them heare those witnesses which I can produce in my cause to prove what I say And say i. e. And when they have heard what my witnesses can say let them say and confesse It is truth It is true which I say and maintaine That is that it is true that I have foretold these things before they came to passe and that I therefore am God only 10. Yee are my witnesses q. d. If yee aske who are my witnesses yee my people which have heard what I have said concerning your redemption are my witnesses and must needs certifie for me that I have declared and foretold of your redemption out of the Babylonish Captivity before it is come to passe and that therefore I am God He useth an Apostrophe here to the children of Iacob the Iewes And my servant whom I have chosen i. e. And my servant Isaiah whom I have chosen to be my servant He is my witnesse that I have declared and foretold of the redemption of you my people out of the Babylonish Captivity before it is come to passe For I have revealed it to him and he hath made it knowne both by word and writing to you That yee may know q.d. So that yee must needs know supple that I am he that is that I am God And believe me Supple When I say that I am he that is that I am God And understand that I am he i. e. And understand that I am God yea the onely God He is put here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Him which is the highest and greatest He and that is God or He that is He whom I said my selfe to be and that is God If the Lord onely can foretell things to come the Lord onely must needs be God and there is no other God but He See Cap. 41.23 Before me there was no God formed When he saith There was no God formed he seemes to deride the Gods of the Heathen for their gods were formed by the Art and hand of man 11. I am the Lord i. e. I am that true and eternall God which is of himselfe and from whom all other things have their being No Saviour Supple which can save his Servants and deliver them out of all dangers and out of the hands of all their enemies as I can 12. I have declared q. d. I have heretofore declared unto you and told you that I would save you out of the hands of your enemies For when Senacherib came against you with a great Army I declared and told you that so many of you as would believe my words and relye on me for safety and would keep themselves with Hezekiah within Hierusalem should be safe and this I told you before it came to passe And have saved i. e. And I have saved you as I declared I would doe for when Senacheribs Host did besiege you I sent mine Angell and slew of them an hundred foure score and five thousand in one night and so delivered you 2 Kings 19.35 And have shewed when there was no strange God among you i. e. Yea I have declared and shewed unto you that I would save you from the hand of Senacherib and have saved you accordingly when there was no strange god among you And if there was no strange god among you at that time it must needs be that what I declared I declared of my selfe and in that I saved you I saved you of my selfe and therefore that I am the true God In the dayes of Hezekiah there was no strange god at least publikely worshipped in Iudah For Hezekiah and all Israel that were with him at the keeping of the Passeover destroyed all the Images and the Groves which were in Iudah and Hierusalem 2 Chron. 30.14 and 2 Chro. 31.1 Note here that in this verse there is an Apostrophe made to the Iewes the children of Iacob 13. Yea before the day was I am he i. e. Yea before the day was I was God See verse 10. This proves God to be the only God for the gods of the Heathen were since the day was made as being the worke of mans hand and so by consequence are no Gods I am he God is he which was and is and is to come and though we signifie that God was yet we signifie it by a present tense because God is the same to day as he was yesterday the same at this present time as he was in the time past without any change or shadow of change at all And there is none that can deliver out of my hand If there be none that can deliver out of the hand of the Lord when the Lord hath a minde
former words 20. Assemble your selves and come draw neer together yee that are escaped of the Nations q. d. All yee Nations and Heathen which have escaped the Sword of Cyrus Assemble your selves and draw neer together to me Supple that yee may understand the vanity of Idolaters and their Idols This is spoken in the Person of God and is spoken by occasion of that that God said that he was the Lord and that there was no God else They have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven Image i. e. They are but fooles and men of no understanding who set up a graven Image of Wood to worship it as ye doe This the Lord speakes as it were to the escaped of the Nations being Assembled together 21. Tell yee and bring them neeâ— i. e. Tell yee your selves and bring your Idols neere that they may tell What it is which they should tell followes in a few words after They should tell Who hath declared this from ancient time c. Bring them neere By them understand here the Idols which Idolaters set up and worshipped as Cap. 41.22 Yea let them take counsell i. e. Yea let the Idols take counsell together that if one knowes what the other knowes not he may informe him and then let them tell Who hath declared this from ancient time Who hath declarâ—d this that Cyrus hath done for my people in delivering them out of Câ—ptivity with all the circumstances thereof from ancient time He speâ—kâ—s here as if Cyrus had even then dâ—livered the Jewes out of Captivity From tâ—at time i. e. From that time in which it was not knowne or heard of see Cap. 48.8 A Relative is put here without an Antecedent Have not I the Lord Supple And no God else told of this from ancient time which Cyrus hath done for my people with all the circumstances thereof And there is no God else Here is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of those words I therefore am God q. d. I therefore am God and there is no God else beside me If it appeare that the Lord fore-told this which Cyrus did for the Jewes in delivering them out of the Babylonish Captivity plainly and distinctly with all the circumstances thereof long before it came to passe And that the gods of the Heathen and their Idols knew it not nor spoke of it it must needs be that their gods must be pronounced as no gods and that the Lord be acknowledged for the only God A just God Supple Which keepes his word and performâ—s what he promiseth as the Lord did to his people A Saviour Supple Which saveth them which serve him out of the hands of their Enemies as the Lord saved the Jewes out of the hands of the Babylonians 22. Looke unto me and be yee saved all the Earth i. e. Wherefore all yee people which live upon the face of the Earth even from one end thereof to the other Looke unto me as to the onely true God and forsake your Idols and yee shall be saved from your enemies That which the Lord here speakes to the Inhabitants of the Earth he speakes by occasion of those words in the former verse There is no God else besides me c. q. d. There is no God else besidâ—s me wherefore looke unto me and be yee saved all the ends of the Earth c. Be yee saved i. e. Ye shall be saved And Imperative mood is put here for a Future Tense as Gen. 42.18 Doe this and live for Doe this and yee shall live 23. The word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse i. e. I have spoken in truth and will performe what I have spoken And shall not returne i. e. The word which is gone out of my mouth shall not returne Supple without effect or voyd but shall be performed See Cap. 25. v. 11. He seemes to speake here of the word going out of the mouth and returning voyde as of an Ambassadour which is sent in an Embassy and returneth with his businesse undonâ— These words The word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and shall not returne must be read as with a Parenthesis That unto me every knee shall bow Referre this to these words viz. I have sworn by my selfe q.d. I have sworne my selfe that unto me every knee shall bow c. Vnto me every knee shall bow i. e. Every one shall worship me And every tongue shall sweare Supple to me that I am the Lord and onely God Or shall sweare Supple by me And so honour me as the onely God To sweare by God is part of Gods worship and a thing to be done to none but to the true God This part of worship in speciall therefore is put here for any the worship of God in generall It may be asked when that which the Lord saith here was or should be fulfilled That is when every one did or should worship the Lord and acknowledge him to be the true God Ans That which the Lord here speaketh of every ones worshipping him and acknowledging him to be the true God was not neither shall it be accomplished or fulfilled untill the last day but then it shall At which day they that have not willingly worshipped him shall worship him whether they will or no Rom. 14.11 It may be asked againe to what end the Lord mentions this Ans He doth it to perswade all the ends of the Earth to looke unto him in this present time For if all men shall be forced to look unto him and worship him whether they will or no at the last day It is better for them to doe it willingly before that day commeth These words containe a threatning which God useth because the ends of the Earth seemed to be backward in forsaking their Idols and looking unto him 24. Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength i. e. Surely many a one of every Nation shall say I have found or I have seen Righteousnesse and Strength in the Lord Righteousnesse in that the Lord is true in all his words and in all his promises And Strength in that he is able to doe for his servants whatsoever he hath a minde to doe And so shall they confesse to the Lord That he is God Shall one say i. e. Shall many a one say For this is a kinde of Hebraisme which useth to be rendred by an Impersonall thus It shall be said as Cap. 25.9 Which is all one with this Many one shall say That which the Prophet spake in the former verse he spake in the person of the Lord But that which he speaketh here and to the end of the Chapter he seemeth to speak in his own person and what he speaketh here he speaketh to perswade all the ends of the Earth to looke unto the Lord that they may be saved and not to looke unto Idols as he did in the former verse But the Arguments which he here useth are not so
of all the streets i. e. They lie some dead some ready to dye through famine and the sword at the entrance of every street Quest What streets of what City are here meant Ans The streets of the City of Jerusalem may be here meant But then understand this of that which happened presently after the taking of Jerusalem for not long after the Jews were carryed from thence captive to Babylon Or the streets of the City of Babylon may be here meant where no doubt but many Jews dyed in the streets in the time of their captivity for want of food and by reason of that cruelty which was used to them As a wilde Bull in a net Understand here they are q. d. They are as a wilde Bull in a net i. e. Some of thy sons have fainted others be dead or ready to dye at the head of every street And if any be in health and strength of body yet being he is in chains and in prison and captivity he is but as a wilde Bull in a net or toyl whose strength can avail him nothing so that none of thy sons are able to comfort thee Note that these words Thy sons have fainted they lie at the head of the streets they are as a wilde Bull in a net are not to be understood collectivè but disjunctivè or distributivè as I have expounded them They are full of the fury of the Lord i. e. They are full of the calamities and miseries which the Lord in his fury hath poured out upon them The fury of the Lord is put here by a Metonymy for calamities and miseries proceeding from the Lords fury The rebuke of thy God This is a repetition of the former sentence Rebuke signifieth properly a chiding but as Gods blessing is not meer verbal so is not his rebuke and his cursing but whom he rebuketh or curseth he afflicteth Therefore hear now this c. q. d. Though thy misery be thus great and thou hast none to comfort thee no not of all thy sons neither King nor Prince nor Priest c. yet notwithstanding I will comfort thee Therefore is put here for yet notwithstanding Thou afflicted i. e. Thou Jerusalem which art afflicted And drunken but not with wine i. e. And drunken but not with wine and strong drink which are pleasant to the pallate and with which most men are drunk but with a bitter potion a potion of poyson a potion which I the Lord mingled for thee to drink in my fury 22. That pleadeth the cause of his people Supple Against their Enemies And will now plead thy cause against the Babylonians which afflict thee and oppress thee He which pleads a mans cause for him in a Court of Justice is said to defend him and to contend for him and from hence to plead a mans cause is taken for to defend a man in any kinde whatsoever and to fight for him and be his friend Behold I will take out of thine hand the cup of trembling Supple Which I gave thee to drink vers 17. By this is meant that he would afflict Jerusalem no longer Even the dregs of the cup of my fury This is put by an Hypallage for Even the cup of the dregs of my fury For Jerusalem had left no dregs in the cup she had drunk them up clean as all Expositors expound the seventeenth Verse By the cup of the dregs of his fury is meant the cup in which were those dregs of his fury which Jerusalem drunk up and wrung out Thou shalt no more drink it again q. d. Thou shalt not be thus afflicted any more Note that these words no more do not always signifie Eternity but sometimes a long space of time onely as suppose time within the memory of man 23. But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee But I will fill it up again and put it into the hands of the Babylonians which afflict thee for them to drink The meaning is that he would deliver Jerusalem out of the hands of the Babylonians which afflicted her and would give the Babylonians into the hands of the Persians to be afflicted by them Which have said to thy Soul i. e. Which have said to thee Here is a synecdoche For the Soul which is but part is put for the whole woman for he spoke of Jerusalem as of a Mother Bow down that we may go over Supple Thee i. e. Lie down flat on the ground that we may trample upon thee And thou hast layd thy body as the ground and as the street to them that went over Supple Thee q. d. And thou hast been fain to lay thy body flat on the ground to them and they have trampled upon thee as upon the ground whereon they walk The Eastern Conquerors were wont to tread upon them whom they had conquered So Joshua and the men of Israel did put their feet upon the neck of the Kings whom they had conquered Josh 10.24 And in allusion to this it is said Psal 110.1 The Lord said to my Lord Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine Enemies thy footstool And some did thi◠with more pride and insulting then others did But whether our Prophet doth allude to this custom or no I cannot say onely I say that by those expressions he would shew the proud carriage and the cruelty of the Babylonians towards Jerusalem and the Jews ISAIAH CHAP. LII AWake awake This may be joyned with the foregoing Chapter He speaks here to Jerusalem as he did cap. 50. vers 17. and bids her awake out of her drunken sleep which was caused by the cup which she drank of cap. 51.17 intimating thereby that the end of her miseries was at hand Put on strength This strength is opposed to the trembling which the cup of the Lords fury wrought cap. 50.17 He speaks of strength here Metaphorically as of a garment and when he hath called to Jerusalem to awake he bids her put on her strength in allusion to a man which when he awakes in a morning puts on his garments O Zion i. e. O Jerusalem The Prophet speaks here in his own person Put on thy beautiful garments i. e. Put on thy best apparel such as thou usest to wear at festival times and times of joy He alludeth to the manner of women who have one garment for times of mourning others for times of joy and intimates that a time of joy was approaching to Jerusalem by her redemption and the redemption of her children out of captivity when he bids her put on her beautiful garments O Jerusalem the holy City Why Jerusalem is called the holy City see Cap. 48. vers 2. He speaks to Jerusalem as to a woman yea a mother by a Prosopopoeia as before From henceforth there shall come no more into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean i. e. The Babylonians shall no more come into thee who have of late come into thee and trod thee down By
by a Synecdoche for the Lord a part for the whole man for the Lord speaks here of himself as of a man by a Prosopopoeia ISAIAH CHAP. LIX BEhold the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save This may well cohere with the former Chapter For many incredulous Jews among the Babylonish captives considering that the Babylonians were mighty and powerful could not believe for all the Lords Promises that the Lord was able to deliver them out of their hands Such therefore might here say For all the Lords Promises the Lord is not able to deliver us out of the hands of the Babylonians for if he were able to deliver us why hath he not delivered us when we have called and cryed so often to him This Objection the Prophet here prevents saying Behold the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save The Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save q. d. The Lord hath often saved his people out of the hands of their Enemies as out of the hands of the Egyptians and Midianites and Assyrians and since that time his hand is not shortened nor is his power abated that he cannot save therefore surely he is as able to save you now as he was then Note that the hand is often put for power and strength for a mans strength is seen by the strength of his hand and his arm Neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear i. e. Neither is he deaf or his ear stopped that he cannot hear The Prophet prevents another Objection here For they might say If it be so that the Lord can save us yet surely it is so that he is deaf and cannot hear us For certainly if he could save us he would if he could but hear the cries which we make to him This Objection I say the Prophet doth here prevent saying Neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear 2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God i. e. But your iniquities have stood and made as it were a wall of separation between you and your God and have kept your cries and your prayers while ye have prayed for deliverance out of Babylon from coming to his ears Your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear i. e. Your sins have stood and do stand as a curtain or as a wall rather between him and you and have hid his presence from you so that he cannot hear your prayers because your voyce cannot enter through that curtain or wall to wit your sins into his presence His face Take the face here first for the whole head in which are all the senses of man and Hearing as well as Seeing then take it for the whole man by a Synecdoche That he will not hear i. e. That he cannot hear Note that this Particle will signifieth not any resolved act of the will but is onely a sign of the tense and is to be interpreted Potentially The Prophet speaks here of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by what he hath said he hath shewed that it is not by reason of any defect in God that he doth not deliver them or hear their prayers but the fault is in themselves by reason of their sins 3. For your hands are defiled with blood Blood may be taken here for murther or it may be taken onely for oppression used in Courts of Justice as Cap. 1.15 Because they might say that they are not guilty of such sins as might separate between them and their God and hide his face from them the Prophet prevents this their exception and accuseth them with their particular sins Your lips have spoken lyes i. e. You have born false witness against your neighbor and have wronged the poor with false accusations Your tongue hath uttered perverseness i. e. Ye have spoken all manner of wicked words and have used your tongue to all manner of evil practices Perverseness is taken here for wicked words and such words as a righteous man and a man which loved justice would not speak per Metonymiam Adjuncti In general that is called perverseness which is contrary to the Law of God and which is thereby forbidden and perverse words in general are naughty evil words such as God prohibiteth 4. None calleth for justice i. e. Whereas justice should finde friends every where none calleth upon the Judge in her behalf He speaks of justice as of a person by a Prosopopoeia Note that the Prophet speaketh here to the Jews as if they were even â—hen captives in Babylon Quest But how could these men or any of them be accused for not calling for justice and not pleading for truth in the time of their captivity whereas in the time of their captivity they had no Courts or Judges among them Ans It is not to be granted that the Jews had no Courts or Judges amongst them during the time of their captivity but it is rather to be presumed from this and other places that the Jews had power to judge of Jews and had authority and jurisdiction among themselves and that by the leave of the Babylonish Kings under whom they lived Nor any pleadeth for truth He speaks of truth here as he did of justice before as of a person by a Prosopopoeia They trust in vanity i. e. They trust in this That they are able by their wit and by their tongue to put a shew of justice and righteousness upon an unjust and unrighteous cause which confidence of theirs shall prove but a vain thing in the end This confidence of theirs that they could put a shew of justice upon an unjust cause he calleth vanity per Metonymiam Adjuncti that is a vain thing because it would prove vain and as an empty thing and a thing of nothing in the end and would not be able to justifie them against Gods proceedings when he should call them to account Speak lyes i. e. They speak that which they know to be false the Judges in their sentences which they give and the Advocates and Counsellors in the arguments which they bring in their pleadings They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity i. e. They devise mischievous devices and what they devise they put in execution This speech is Allegorical alluding to a womans conception and bringing forth 5. They hatch Cockatrice eggs i. e. They foment mischievous and villanous plots and devices and bring them into act A Cockatrice is a venomous kinde of Serpent and as she her self is such are her eggs venomous By the Cockatrice eggs therefore may be meant mischief and villany or mischievous and villainous plots and devices This seemeth to be a Proverb or proverbial kind of sentence And weave the spiders web i. e. And weave a web for the same end as the Spider weaveth her web For as the Spider weaveth her web to catch the smaller flies so do they lay their plots to take the poorer sort of people and
besides And of thy glory i. e. And from the habitation of thy glory that is from thy glorious habitation He saith of glory for glorious as he said of holiness for holy Or else both holiness and glory may be put here per Metonymiam adjuncti for God himself q. d. From the habitation of thee that is from thine habitation who art holy and glorious Where is thy zeal i. e. Where is that love which thou hast heretofore shewed to us thy people in the days of our forefathers Zeal is oftentimes put for love but ardent love And thy strength i. e. And where is thy strength which thou hast heretofore shewed in delivery of us thy people out of the hands of our Enemies And the sounding of thy bowels and thy mercies towards me q. d. And where are those sighs and those groans towards me which thy pity and compassion was wont to move toward the sons of Israel This is also spoken in the person of a Jew The sounding of the bowels I take to be sighs and groans proceeding from the bowel◠that is proceeding from pity and compassion For the bowels being deemed the seat and subject of pity and compassion are often taken by a Metonymy for pity and compassion it self Ingemuit miserans graviter saith the Poet Virgil. lib. 10. Aenead vers 823. He out of pity sighed or groaned grievously Are they restrained i. e. Are thy zeal and thy strength and the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies restrained and kept in that they should not shew themselves towards me 16. Doubtless thou art our Father q. d. Surely thou livest and art still our Father and therefore wilt take notice of us as of thy children and of the miserable condition in which we are Though Abraham be ignorant of us i. e. Though Abraham who was our Father according to the flesh is now dead and therefore neither knoweth us nor our condition And Israel acknowledge us not i. e. And though Israel who was also our Father according to the flesh is now dead and therefore acknowledgeth us not though we were his sons Why was Abraham ignorant of them and why did not Israel acknowledge them at this time Ans Because Abraham and Israel were both dead at this time and so all their thoughts perished Psal 146.4 Thou O Lord art our Father i. e. Thou O Lord I say livest and art our Father Our Redeemer The people of the Jews calleth the Lord their Redeemer because he had redeemed them at all times out of the hands of their Enemies Thy Name is from everlasting i. e. Thou art from everlasting and so being from everlasting shalt be to everlasting for that which hath no beginning shall have no ending By this he preferred God as a Father before Abraham and before Jacob For though Abraham and Jacob were both their Fathers yet they were mortal and both dead and so had no longer any knowledge and care of them as a Father had of his children But God is everlasting and dyeth not and so can always both take notice and have a care of them which are his Thy Name i. e. Thou See Cap. 30. vers 27. He putteth the Lord in minde that he is their Father and Redeemer thereby to move him more vehemently to compassion 17. O Lord why hast thou made us to err from thy ways i. e. O Lord why hast thou suffered us so long to be oppressed by the Babylonians and by that means hast made us to err from thy Commandments Note that if the rod of the wicked lieth long upon the righteous it maketh them to put forth their hands to iniquity Psa 125.3 Hence it is that he saith here O Lord why hast thou made us to err from thy ways for Why hast thou so long oppressed us or suffered us to be oppressed per Metonymiam Effectus From thy ways i. e. From thy Commandments in which thou hast appointed us to walk And hardened our heart from thy Fear q. d. And why hast thou hardened our heart so as that we fear thee not God is said to harden their hearts so as he was said to make them err from his ways that is by prolonging their misery and captivity in Babylon Return i. e. Return unto us in mercy and deliver us out of our captivity and misery now after the time that thou hast been angry with us Anger oftentimes maketh one man to depart from another who returneth again when his anger is over and his wrath appeased In allusion therefore to such a one doth he say here Return speaking of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For thy servants sake i. e. For our sake who are thy servants lest if thou return not unto us we be utterly consumed The tribes of thine inheritance i. e. The Tribes to whom thou gavest the Land of Canaan which is thine inheritance to dwell in These words are governed of the former by Apposition and those which he called the Lords servants there he calls the Tribes of the Lords inheritance here for the people of the Lord were divided into Tribes Exod. 28.21 Though the people of Israel were sometimes called the Lords inheritance because the Lord chose them for himself to be his own as a mans inheritance is his own yet here the Land of Canaan which God gave them to dwell in and not the people themselves is called Gods inheritance as will appear by the next Verse And the Land of Canaan might be called Gods inheritance because God reserved to himself a peculiar right in that Land Levit. 25.23 18. The people of thy Holiness have possessed it but a little while i. e. Thy people or thy holy people the Jews have possessed the Land of Canaan which is thine inheritance but a little while Supple Therefore bring us back again O Lord out of our captivity in Babylon into thine inheritance that we may possess it yet longer according to thy promise He saith that they had possessed the Land of Canaan the Lords inheritance but a little while though they had possessed it◠eight or nine hundred years because the Lord promised that they should inherit it for ever Exod. 32.13 And what is eight or nine hundred years to that which is for ever The people of thine Holiness Of thine Holiness may be put here for Of thee Gods Holiness being put for God himself per Metonymiam Adjuncti q. d. Thy people Or the substantive of the Genitive case may be put here for an Adjective as the Hebrews often put it and so the people of thine Holiness may be put for thine holy people And the Jews the children of Israel might be called Gods holy people because God took them to himself and separated them from all the people in the Earth to be his servants for Holiness is nothing else but a separation from others by way of eminency It i. e. Thine inheritance mentioned Vers 17. Our adversaries have broken down
what is extended and when he saith He will extend peace as a river he signifieth exceâ—ding plenty of peace from the exceeding plenty of waters which flow in the river And the glory of the Gentiles i. e. And the riches of the Gentiles God gave Jerusalem the riches of the Gentiles partly by the victories which he gave the Jews over the Gentiles as the Edomites Moabites Philistins c. By which they had great preys and spoyls And partly by the Nations bringing into Jerusalem the riches of their several Countries by way of merchandize cap. 60.6 7 8. Like a flowing stream i. e. Like a full stream that is q. d. in abundance Then shall ye suck Supple Comfort and consolation and wealth from her See vers 11. Ye shall be born upon her sides i. e. Ye shall be carryed by her as children are carryed in the arms of their Nurse and so shall be always with her whereas ye are now snatched from her and carryed into captivity See cap. 60.4 Note that they which carry children in their arms carry them not at their arms end but so carry them as that they rest them upon their sides which is that which the Prophet alludeth to when he saith Ye shall be born upon her sides And dandled upon her knees The meaning of this and the foregoing phrases is That they shall live in Jerusalem and in as much joy and delight as the child doth which is always either carryed in the arms or danced upon the knees of a tender Mother or tender Nurse 14 When ye see this He meaneth that which is mentioned in vers 12 13. Your heart shall rejoyce i. e. Ye shall heartily rejoyce The heart being but a part is put here for the whole man by a Synecdoche And your bones shall flourish like an herb i. e. And your bones which were heretofore dryed away with sorrow and grief shall flourish again by reason of joy and mirth as herbs do in the spring which withered in the winter season As sorrow and grief do dry up the bones and consume the marrow thereof So joy and mirth do moisten them and make them abound with marrow and fatness Prov. 17.22 And the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants i. e. For the power of the Lord shall be known by what he will do to his servants that is He will do such things for his servants as that all men shall take notice of his power for it The hand is put here by a metonymie for power which is shown by the hand Or by the hand may be meant bounty and liberality for the bountifull and liberall man giveth freely and what he giveth he giveth with the hand And then the sence is this q. d. For the bounty and liberality of the Lord shall be known towards his Servants by those great guifts and blessings which he will bestowe upon them And his indignation i. e. But his indignation and wrath And for But. Towards his Enemies By the enemies of the Lord are here meant the wicked Jews which transgressed against him as well as the Babylonians for both were his enemies 15 The Lord will come with fire This sheweth how terrible his coming should be against his enemies for fire is terrible See Heb. 12. v. 18.21 And with his Chariots like a whirlwind By Chariots he meaneth such Chariots as were wont to be used in Warre And hereby he speaketh of God as of a great King marching with terrour and great strength against his Enemies He compareth these Chariots here to a whirle-wind to signifie their swiftness and the speed which they should make see more of this Cap. 5.28 To render his anger Supple To or upon his enemies Anger is put here for punishment proceeding from anger Per metonymiam efficientis With fury In fury there is little mercy shown this therefore sheweth the grievousness of the punishment which he will inflict And his rebuke with flames of fire This is in a manner a repetition of the former sentence for the Lords rebuke is operative and therefore whom he rebuketh he doth also punish And as for fire it is merciless and terrible the most merciless and terrible of all the Elements Will the Lord plead with all flesh i. e. will the Lord fight with all flesh He useth a Law-word here for a military word pleading for fighting because in pleading also there is a contest between two Adversaries With all flesh That is with all his enemies whether they be Babylonians or the wicked part of the Jews also In these words there is a double Synecdoche There is Synecdoche membri and Synecdoche generis Synecdoche membri in that the flesh is put for the whole man And Synecdoche generis in that men in generall are put for those men onely which were Gods enemies in particular And the slain of the Lord shall be many i. e. And many shall they be which the Lord shall slay 17 They that sanctifie themselveâ— and purifie themselves Then these wicked Jews that use superstitious Ceremonies and washings thereby to cleanse themselves when they deem themselves unclean and impure In the Gardens In Gardens they were wont to set up their Idolls and use their Idolatry and superstitious rites See Cap. 1.29 65.3 There also it is likely they had their Lavers and waters to wash in Behind one Tree in the midst i. e. Behind or under one Tree planted in the midst thereof By one Tree is here meant some one speciall Tree which they seem to have made choyce of and set apart for their Idolatry and superstitious rites about the midd'st of their Gardens Eating Swines flesh This was unlawfull for a Jew to do Levit. 11.17 And the abomination i. e. And other abominable meats which were unlawfull for the Jew to eat such as are mentioned Levit. 11. Abomination is put here Per metonymiam adjuncti for abominable meat and abominable meat in the singular for abominable meats in the plurall number And the mouse The mouse was pronounced unclean to be eaten Levit. 11.29 Note that the Mouse in the singular number is put here collective for mice in the plurall number Note also that the Mouse was part of the abomination spoken of in the foregoing words But it is here particularly mentioned because it may be they took most delight in eating of the mouse Shall be consumed together i. e. Shall be all of them destroyed with the Babylonians and that by Cyrus in his expedition against Babylon 18 For I know their works their thoughts He prevents an objection here for whereas the Lord said they shall be all consumed together it might be said that the Lord may not know all those that did these things for many did these things very privately and therefore many might escape To this the Lord answers saying that he knew not all their works all the doings of their hands only but their thoughts also therefore none should escape but
coming in the flesh to save us from our sinnes Mat. 11.5 The Second thing which I would have notice taken of is this That the First Literall Historicall or Meaner sense where the two aforesaid senses are to be found in the holy Writs of the Old Testament is signified distinctly plainly and immediately by the words of these holy Writers But the Second Mysticall and Sublime sense is not signified distinctly plainly and immediately by their words but as it were onely in grosse and mediately that is by those things which are signified distinctly plainly and immediately by their words In the Law this is evident For the words thereof doe plainly and distinctly and immediately set forth unto us the story of Sarah and Hagar Gen. Cap. 16. and Cap. 21. But they doe not so set forth the matter of the two Covenants therein contained but they are signified not immediately by the words of that Story but by the things signified by those words to wit by Sarah and Hagar the former whereof signified the New the latter the Old Covenant Gal. 4. v. 24. So in the matter of the Passeover that which concerneth the Passeover is distinctly plainly and immediately set down by those words which we read Exod. 12. But as for that which concerneth Christ in that Chapter 1 Cor. 5.7 that is not signified by the words thereof but by that which was immediately signified by those words that is by the Passeover it self For example sake whereas it it said Exod. 12.8 That the flesh of the Passeover shall be roast with fire and eaten with bitter hearbs How can these words immediately signifie any thing in or about Christ But though these words cannot immediately signifie any thing in or about Christ yet that may which is immediately signified by those words for that the Passeover should be roasted with fire and eaten with bitter hearbs may signifie the cruell and bitter death which Christ should suffer So in the Book of Joshua it is recorded word by word how Joshua brought the People of Israel which were redeemed out of Aegypt into the Land of Canaan and the same Story containes Jesus his bringing the Church of the Redeemed into the heavenly Canaan the Kingdome of God But this is not signified word by word as the Acts of Ioshua are but this is signified by the Acts of Ioshua which were signified word by word in that Book And as in the Law so in this our Prophet have we frequent examples of this thing For in that he prophesied that a Remnant of the Iewes should be saved and that they should not be quite cut off from being a Nation neither when Rezin King of Syria and Pekah King of Israel should oppresse them and make a great havock of them Cap. 1. v. 7 8 9. and Cap. 7. v. 1 2 3 c. Nor when Sennacherib should invade Iudah and make a great destruction and desolation therein Cap. 8. v. 7 8 9 10 11 c. and Cap. 9. v. 1 2 3 c. and Cap. 10. v. 21 22 23 c. He prophesied that though many should perish eternally yet a remnant should be eternally saved according to the election of Grace by Christ Iesus Rom. 9. v. 29. and 11.5 But yet when he prophesied that a remnant should be eternally saved according to the election of Grace by Christ Iesus he prophesied of that not in formall words immediately word by word but by those things which he prophesied of immediately word by word in formall words that is by the Temporall salvation of those which should be saved from the sword in the dayes of Rezin and Pekah first and in the dayes of Sennacherib afterwards which were they which remained in Hierusalem So in that he prophesied of the happinesse and joy which should be upon the destruction of Sennacherib's Army Cap. 25. v. 6 7 8. And the joy and glory which Sion and the Iewes should enjoy after their delivery out of the Babylonish Captivity Cap. 60. throughout the whole Chapter He prophesied o◠he joy and happinesse and glory which the Church of the Redeemed in Christ Jesus should enjoy after that Christ had destroyed the works of the Devil and triumphed over Principalities and Powers and delivered his chosen Ones out of their hands 1 Cor. 15. v. 55. Rev. 7. v. 17. and 21. v. 4. Rev. 21. v. 25. and 3. v. 9. Rev. 21. v 22. and 22. v. 5. Yet when he prophesied of the joy and happinesse and glory which the Church of the Redeemed in Christ Jesus should enjoy after the destruction of the workes of the Devill c. he prophesied not of them immediately by words but mediately that is by the things signified by those words that is by that temporall joy and temporall and carnall blessings which the Jewes should enjoy after the destruction of the Assyrians first and the Babylonians afterwards and their delivery out of the hands of those their Enemies The third thing that I desired should be taken notice of was that notwithstanding that the Second or Mysticall or Sublime sense is not distinctly plainly and immediately signified by the words of those holy Writers but as it were onely in grosse and mediately that is by those things which are signified distinctly plainly and immediately by their words yet there be in many Histories as I may call them and Prophesies of those holy Writers sometimes one sometimes more sentences which signifie immediately by their words not onely some passage or passages which appertain to the First Literall Historicall and Meaner sense But also some passage or passages which appertain to the Second Mysticall and Sublime sense We shall find examples of this in the Law for Exod. 12. v. 46. It is said of the Paschall Lamb Neither shall yee break a bone thereof And this sentence is not onely understood of the Paschall Lamb but it is also understood of Christ who is figured by the Paschall Lamb and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 19. v. 36. So 2 Kings 7. v. 14. It is said by God of Solomon I will be his Father and he shall be my Sonne But this is not to be understood of Solomon onely but of Christ also of whom Solomon is there a Type and that immediately too by the words Hebrewes 1.5 And as there so in our Prophet the words of the Prophet are so often directed and ordered by the Holy Ghost as that many sentences doe not onely signifie some passages concerning the Type but also some passages concerning the Antitype too and that by their words immediately For what we read Cap. 1. v. 9 Except the Lord of Hostes had left us a very small remnant we should have been left as Sodome and we should have been like unto Gomorrah is literally understood of the mercy of God in reserving a few Jewes in the Land of Judah from the destruction and desolation which Rezin King of Syria and Pekah King of Israel should make of the Jewes And it
your troubles And in particular what will be the event and successe of Rezin and Pekah's Expedition against you Them which have Familiar spirits i. e. Them which have familiarity with devils and use the familiarity of such foul spirits to know by them hidden things and things to come Wizards i. e. Witches Conjurers Southsayers c. That peepe To wit like Chicken in the shell before they are quite hatched There were a special kind of Southsayers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which had a devill within them which answered them which asked them any question through the belly of those men in whom he was and so spake with a small and broken voice And this his answering the Prophet may call Peeping by a Metaphor from a chicken Moreover Southsayers in generall because they could not speak certainely of the event of things which they took upon them to tell did not speak clearly and plainly what they spake as the Prophets of the Lord did but did mumble out their words to the intent that they might not be plainly understood that so they might have an evasion for what they should speak falsly when they were questioned for it And this theiâ— mumbling the Prophet may call Peeping by the same Metaphor Againe many of these kind of fellowes when they were sued unto for their advice spoke softly out of hollow places crypts vaults and remote corners so that they could be hardly heard of them which came to know their mind And this might the Prophet call Peeping also Note that these kind of fellowes pretended themselves to be the Servants or Mystae of some Idol or Deity or other And they which are here advised and perswaded to seek unto them sought to them under that notion and so by seeking to them thought that they sought to their Gods by them See Cap. 19. v. 3. And that mutter i. e. And that mumble and speak so as that they cannot be distinctly heard and understood He meaneth the same by muttering as he did by peeping and the Prophet maketh choice of these words in contempt and derision of these vaine fellowes Note here that it is not likely that they which would perswade others to seek to such fellowes would use these words which the Prophet here useth But the Prophet useth these words in derision of these fellowes that he may shew to his Auditors what they are indeed the like you may observe Chap. 30.10 Should not a People seek unto their God q.d. Should not a People which have a God seek unto their God by their servants as the Wizards c. to know from him by them what will be the end of their troubles Let us therefore seek to our God also by his servants the Wizards These words are still the words of Idolaters and by their God here they mean Baal or some other Idoll-God To whom they would entice their Brethren to seek by Wizards c. For the living to the dead i. e. Answer them with these words should we seek to those which are dead for the affaires of those which are living This is the Answer which they are advised to give to them which would have them seek to Wizards c. The dead By the dead are meant here the false Gods of Idolaters For most of the Heathen Gods and the Heathen were the Inventors and spreaders of Idolatrie were but Men once their Kings but since dead Whom some worshipped simply others as translated as they thought into the number of the starres Obj. But you will say If the Gods of the Heathen were but dead men how came the Heathen Gods to speak and give Oracles Answ Whatsoever was spoke or whatsoever Oracle was given by Idol Gods abstracting from the jugling of the Priests was given by devils to confirme men in their Idolatry and superstition 20. To the Law and to the Testimonie i. e. Seek to the Law and to the Testimomie for therein doth the Lord himself speak The Law and the Testimonie may signifie in generall any Revelation or instruction which God giveth by his Prophet as we said Vers 16. And here they signifie the whole Revelation of Rezins and Pekâ—hs expedition against Judah and Hierusalem and the Circumstances and event thereof with Gods instructions to his People not to fear them nor to make any confederacie with them or to revolt from their King to them because they should not prevail If they speak not according to this word i. e. If the Jewes which are enticed to seeâ— to them which have familiar spirits wizards give any other answer to them which entice them than what I here teach them and command them to give and think that they may seek to those which have familiar Spirits and Wizards and to Idols and the Gods of the Heathen rather than to the Roâ—l which I my self commanded to be written and in which I my self speak c. It is because there is no light in them i. e It is because they are blind and void of sound knowledge and know nothing as they ought to know Light is put here for true knowledge as Darknesse is often put for errour and ignorance 21. And they shall passe thorough it q.d. And therefore they shall passe through their own Land to escape the hands of their Enemies which ere long be shall fill it with their Armies Through it i. e. Through the Land of Judah which is their own native Land It is put here as a Relative without an Antecedent which is a thing usuall with the Hebrewes who often leave the Antecedent to be understood by the circumstances of the place and God whose words these are speakes as if he pointed at the land it self and shewed it with his finger when he said they shall pass through it Hardly bestâ—ad i. e. being sore pressed with a great deal of hardship When they shall be hungry Supple And know not where to get food to allay their hunger This misery here prophesied of seemeth to have come to passe when Sennacherib came up against Judah and Hierusalâ—m and occupied it in such manner as the Prophet speakes of Cap. 7.19 At which time though there was store of food within Hierusalem yet they which were without might have little enough Or if there were enough without they could receive but little good by it because of Sennacheribs Souldiers They shall fret themselves i. e. They shall grow angry and impatient And curse their King Because he doth not defend them or relieve them Or because they thought that it was the Kings fault that Sennacherib came up with his Army against Judah 2 King Chap. 18. vers 7 13. Their God i. e. Their Idol-God or strange God whom they worshipped And they shall curse him because he is not able to help them in this their misery And look upwards To wit towards heaven the Palace of the true God expecting aid from him seeing their Idol-God cannot help them Supple But they shall find no help
is put here for to command to write As to Preach is put here for to cause or command to Preach Ephes 2. v. 17. Grievousnesse By Grievousnesse is meant the unrighteous decrees and sentences which unjust Judges gave or made which he calls grievousnesse per Metonymiam adjuncti because they were grievous to them which were wronged thereby If we may judge of things done in the Courts of the Jewes by what is done in our Courts the Registring of a Decree is the ratifying thereof and making it the more ready and valid for execution 2. To turn aside the needy from judgement i. e. That they may deprive the poor of their right This Phrase is Metaphorically taken from the putting a Traveller or him which runneth a Race out of his way 3. And what will ye do i. e. But what will ye do The Prophet speaketh here in the person of the Lord and useth an Apostrophe here to those unjust and corrupt Judges together with a Sarcasme In the day of visitation i. e. In the day or at the time in which ye shall be visited and punished for your Offences To visit is taken sometimes for to reward and sometimes for to punish as the deserts of those are whom God is said to visite and the end for which he visiteth In the Desolation Supple Which God will make in your Land by Sennacherib Which shall come from farre This desolation is said to come from farr because the Assyrians which made this desolation came from farre Note that he speakes of this desolation here as of a Person by a Prosopopocia Where will you leave your Glory i. e. Where will you hide the riches which you have thus unjustly gotten which riches are your Glory Your glory He calls their Riches their Glory per Metonymiam adjuncti because they gloried in them 4. Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners i. e. I will withdraw my self from them and they shall be faine to bow down to their enemies in a more base and submissive manner than Prisoners do to their Goalers or to those at whose suite they were cast into Prison that they may have mercy upon them Note the Enalâ—age of the Person and the Hyperbole That which was here spoken was fulfilled 2 Kings 18. ver 14. When the King was faine to send Embassadors to Sennacherib after a submissive manner to entreate for peace And they shall fall under the slaine i. e. And they shall fall down to their enemies lower and lye flatter on the ground than the slaine fall or lye on the earth An Hyperbole They shall fall Supple Downe to the ground in way of worship and supplication Vnder the prisoners under the slaine i. e. Lower than the prisoners and lower than the slaine For all this his anger is not turned away See cap. 5.25 The Prophet speaketh here in his owne person whereas he spoke immediately before in the person of God 5. O Assyrian the Rod of mine anger Here againe the Prophet speaketh in the person of God and inciteth Sennacherib King of Assyria to invade Judah The Rod of mine anger i. e. Whom I use as a Rod to scourge those with whom I am angry And the Staffe in their hand is mine indiggnation q. d. And whose Staffe which thou hast in thine hand is my Staffe which I have put into thine hands for this end to wit that thou shouldest execute my wrath and indignation upon mine enemies and beat them therewith Note here first the Enallage of the number for he speakes here as of many Assyrians whereas he spoke but as of one before And Secondly Note the Enallage of the Person for he speakes of the Assyrians in the third person whereas he spoke before to the Assyrians in the second person The Syntaxe therefore is here very confused and abrupt as though he had forgotten what he had said in the words immediately foregoing And such is the speech of men transported with anger and such a speech is here attributed to God because the Prophet brings him speaking as an angry man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Staffe By the Metaphor of a staffe he meaneth the power of the Assyrians Is mine indignation Is the Instrument and effect of mine Indignation Supple for I gave it into your hands because I was angry with mine enemies and I would have you beat them therewith Metonymia Causae 6. I will send him i. e. I will send Sennacherib the Assyrian He returnes here to the Singular number againe Against an hypocriticall Nation By this hypocriticall Nation he meaneth the men of Judah which worshipped God with their lips and outward ceremonies But their heart was farre from him and their actions dishonoured him Against the people of my wrath i. e. Against the People with whom I am angry Genit Adjuncti Will I give him a charge The charge which God gave Sennacherib against Judah was by the secret motion of his Providence whereby he directed him against the Jewes but God is brought in here speaking as a Generall who gives his Orders and Commands to an inferior Officer To take the spoile i. e. To spoile them of their goods And to take the Prey This Prey may be understood aswell of the persons as of the goods of the Jewes And to tread them down like the mire of the streets i. e. And to use them as contumeliously and with as little regard as men do the dirt and mire of the street which they trample upon 7. Howbeit he meaneth not so q. d. Yet notwithstanding he meaneth not to perform my charge as it is my charge But as it makes for his own ambitious and cruel ends The Prophet prevents an Objection here for because Sennacharibs Army was to be destroyed as he had prophesied because Sennacharib had invaded the Jewes as he did and was such an enemy to them it might therefore be objected that Sennacharib was not to blame to do as he did because God sent him against the Jewes and therefore God would be unjust if he should destroy Sennacharib's Army because he destroyed the Jewes The Prophet therefore prevents this Objection here and takes it away saying Howbeit he meaneth not so Neither doth his heart think so i. e. Neither doth he think so The heart is put here for the whole man by a Synechdoche But it is in his heart to destroy and cut off Nations not a few i. e. But he hath thought in his heart from the beginning and doth think still to cut off many Nations from being any more Nations of their own power and living by their own Laws that he might subdue them to himself and make them his vassals to be ruled according to his will And in order to these his cruell and ambitious thoughts not to my charge doth he march against the Jewes It is in his heart i. e. It hath been in his heart from the beginning of his power and is so still c. We must here by
meanes they lived not onely peaceably but also were near to the Temple to worship And this they did chiefly then when the Angel of the Lord had miraculously destroyed Sennacherib's Army and when the Lord had shewed a miracle for Hezekiah's sake in the Sun and had promised Hezekiah by his Prophet peace so long as he lived To it shall the Gentiles seek i. e. To that Root or to that Ensigne by which he meaneth Hezekiah shall the Gentiles seek Supple That they may live in Judaea under his protection The Gentiles By the Gentiles are meant all that were not of the seed of Abraham And h s rest i. e. And the peace and quiet which he shall enjoy from his enemies Or by his rest may be understood the place of his habitation or the place where he resteth that is where he dwelleth by a Metonymie Shall be glorious The peace and quiet which he shall enjoy shall be glorious because many shall admire it and speak of it and desire to partake of it And Hierusalem which shall be the place of his habitation shall be glorious by reason of that Prosperity and those blessings which it shall enjoy by him 11. In that day i. e. In the day of which he spoke v. 10. The Lord shall set his hand againe the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left from Assyria and from Aegypt and from Pathros c. q. d. As God did once put his hand to redeem his people when he delivered them out of Aegypt and brought them into the land of Canaan by the hands of Moses and Joshua So shall he now againe set his hand to recover his people which are or shall be led away Captive into Assyria or fled into Aegypt and into Pathros and other places for fear of their enemies from the places to which they were either carried away captive or fled and bring them back againe into their own land Note that when he saith the Lord shall set his hand againe the second time to recover the Remnant of his People which shall be left from Assyria and from Aegypt and from Pathros c. These Relative words relate not to the place or places from which the Lord did recover them either in the first or second recovery But onely to the Recovery it self q. d. As the Lord did set his hands to recover his people once in the dayes of Moses so shall he now set his hands the second time to recover them in the dayes of Hezekiah For the places from which he did recover them were not all the same in the first and second recovery no nor yet was the manner of the recovery the same The Lord shall set his hand againe the second time to reâ—over The first time at which God set his hand to recover his people was when he set his hand and shewed his power for their delivery out of Aegypt from under Pharaoh by Moses The remnant of his people which shall be left By this he meaneth those Children of Israel which were left alive after that desolation and destruction which was made of them by Tiglah-Pileser Salmanaser and Sâ—nnacherib and which were dispersed abroad in foreigne lands The Lord is said to recover the remnant of his people In that he allured and heartned them to return into the land of Canaan by the prosperity and peace which he gave to Hezekiah And in that he sent troubles among the Assyrians by reason of which many of the Israelites and Jewes which were there Captives had opportunity to escape and returne to their own land Of which more Cap. 14. v. 1. From Assyria and from Aegypt c. By these places understand other places also whether the Israelites Jewes were either led Captives or fled to save their lives These words From Assyria and from Aegypt c. relate to the word to recover From Pathros By Pathros some understand the land of Pharusii near to Aethiopia And from Cush By Cush is meant Aethiopia where the Children of Cush lived which Cush is mentioned Gen. Chap. 10. v. 5. From Elam By Elam is meant the Land of the Elamites which were neighbours adjoyning to the Medes whose fore-father was Elam of whom Gen. 10. v. 22. And from Shinar By Shinar is meant Chaldaea or Babylonia And from Hamah Hamah was scituate under Mount Lebanon not farre from Damascus in Syria And from the Islands of the Sea By the Islands of the Sea he meanes Cyprus and Creete as also Macedonia and parts of Asia bordering upon the Sea For the Hebrewes call not those lands onely which are environed round about with the Sea Islands of the Sea But those Lands also which border upon the Sea though they are not environed with it 12. And he shall set up an Ensigne for the nations c. The Prophet repeateth here what he said in the former verses for the greater confirmation of what he said For the Nations i e. For the People or Gentiles mentioned v. 10. The Out-casts of Israel i. e. Many of those of the ten Tribes of Israel that were either carried away Captive or ranne out of their own Land to save themselves in the dayes of Tiglah-Pileser and Salmaneser The dispersâ—d of Judah i. e. Those of the Tribe and Kingdome of Judah which fled in the dayes of Sennacharib into forraign Countries to save themselves From the four Corners of the Earth i. e. From the East and from the West from the North and from the South parts of the Earth He speakes of the Earth as of a Quadrangular or four-square body after a vulgar manner 13. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart i. e. The envy also and hatred with which the men of Israel were wont to be incensed against the men of Judah and to persecute them shall cease and vanish away Ephraim is put here for the Tenne Tribes of Israel as Chap. 7. vers 2. Great was the envie and hatred and enmity which the ten Tribes of Israel did bear against the Tribe or Kingdome of Judah as appeares as by other places so by 2 Kings 16.5 and Isaiah Cap. 7.1 c. But this envy and hatred and enmity ceased in Hezekiah's dayes for they which returned stuck close to the Jewes either by reason of their common danger Or because Hezekiah and the men of Judah were a refuge for them in their affliction And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off i. e. And the adversaries of the Tribe or Kingdome of Judah shall be cut off By the adversaries of Judah we may understand the Nations or Gentiles which were the enemies of that Tribe or Kingdome such as were the Philistines and Edomites and Moabites and Ammonites whom Hezekiah subdued according to what is prophesied verse 14. and then these words are left here to be read with a Parenthesis Or we may understand by the adversaries of Judah those of Ephraim that is of the ten Tribes of Israel which bore inveterate
e. They are all kept in holes and dark places that is in dungeons and prisons and there they lie in chains so that they are not able to get out no more then a bird can get out of the snare in which it is taken or the wilde beast out of the toyl in which it is caught They are hid in prison houses i. e. They lie in prison houses as men forgotten and quite out of minde so that none think upon them to set them free The Scripture saith of a thing forgotten that it is hid as Cap. 41.27 They are for a prey i. e. They are made as a prey to their enemies And none delivereth i. e. And none delivers them out of their Enemies hands For a spoyl i. e. They are made as a spoyl And none saith Restore i. e. And none saith to them which imprisoned them and which spoyled them Restore the men again out of prison or Restore the goods which thou hast taken from them that is And none is able to rescue them or any way to help them 23. Who amongst you will give ear to this i. e. Who amongst you will give ear to what I shall now say This Relative this relates to that which followeth and he speaks still to those which he spoke to vers 18. and taketh away the Objection which was made vers 22. Who will harken and hear for the time to come i. e. Who will harken and hear what I shall say that he may believe what God shall speak concerning the delivery of the Jews out of captivity for the time to come and that he may also learn not to sin herâ—after 24. Who gave Jacob for a spoyl i. e. Who gave us Jews which are the children of Jacob for a spoyl to the Babylonians Jacob is taken here for the Jews the children of Jacob and the Prophet speaks here as if the Jews were in captivity to the Babylonians at this time and as if he were present with them And he speaks to them of themselves though by an Enallage he useth a third person for a first or second And Israel to the robbers This is a repetition of the former sentence Did not the Lord By this he gives them to understand that as the Lord gave them for a spoyl to the robbers so the Lord could rescue them again and deliver them out of the hands of the robbers so that they need not doubt of his power in this matter For they would not walk in his ways Observe the Enallage of the person here how he passeth from the first to the third from we to they The Prophet sheweth the reason here why the Lord gave the Jews over as a spoyl to the robbers and the reason is because they sinned and would not walk in his ways By which he intimates that being they had broken off their sins by repentance the Lord would be willing to take them again out of those hands into which he had given them So that where neither will nor power is wanting there is no reason to doubt of the success or effect 25. He hath poured upon him i. e. He hath poured upon Jacob or Israel mentioned v. 24. Note here again the Enallage of the number how he passeth from a plural to the singular number The strength of battel i. e. Most vehement wars such as he was not able to withstand In these words there is an Hypallage for he saith The strength of battel for The battel of strength and the battel of strength for strong or most strong battel For a Substantive of the Genitive case is often put for an Adjective He hath set him on fire round about i. e. And the fury of his anger did set on fire his Cities and his dwelling places round about He saith him for his Cities and dwelling places by a Metonymy So Virgil Jam proximus ardet Vcalegon for Jam proxima ardet Vcalegonis domus Virgil. Aenead lib. 2. See the History of that which he here speaks of 2 King 25.9 and Jer. 39.8 Yet he knew not i. e. Yet he did not understand or take notice that this was from the Lord as a punishment for his sins he knew not the cause of it And it burned him i. e. It burned to the ground his Cities and dwelling houses Yet he layd it not to his heart i. e. Yet he did not seriously consider it which if he had done he would have considered from whom it came and what was the cause thereof and so have repented That which the Prophet here saith came not to pass while after he had written this yet being endued with a prophetique spirit he speaks of it as though it had been done long before yea he speaks as though he himself were among his Country-men the Jews in the Babylonish captivity though he were dead long before that time ISAIAH CHAP. XLIII BVt now Supple That thou knowest that it was the Lord which gave thee as a spoile into the hands of the Babylonians and that sinne was the cause thereof and thou hast repented thee of thy sinnes Thus saith the Lord q. d. Though heretofore he poured forth the fury of his anger and the strength of the battle upon thee yet now that thou mayest know that he is well pleased with thee upon thy repentance for his righteousnesse sake thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob and he that formed thee O Israel c. Thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob By Jacob are meant the Jewes the children of Jacob per metonymiam efficientis The Lord is said to have created Jacob that is the children of Jacob because he took them to himselfe for a peculiar people and made them a Commonwealth of themselves This hath its immediate connexion with the former Chapter and had been better to have been continued with that than to have been divided from it and made the head of a severall Chapter as now it is And he that formed thee O Israel This sentence is for the sence the same with that which went before But when hee saith he that formed thee he useth a metaphor taken from Potters making or forming pots For I have redeemed thee q. d. For I have redeemed thee divers times out of the hands of thine enemies and oppressors as the Egyptians the Midianites the Philistines c. And as I have redeemed thee out of their hands so will I redeem thee out of the hands of the Babylonians Yet it may be that he speakes here peculiarly of the redemption by which he redeemed his people Israel out of Egypt to be to him a peculiar people and an holy Nation I have called thee by thy name q. d. Thou art my chosen servant whom I have made choice of to serve me in a speciall manner and whom I greatly regard He alludes here to the manner of great men who when they call a servant to them whom they like and whom they preferre before others they call him
whose power is irresistible Meet thee i. e. Punish thee or revenge my self upon thee This is a phrase usual with us in the same sence For when we say that we will be revenged of a man we say that we will meet him or meet with him In which phrase the Antecedent is put for the Consequent or the action for the end thereof the meeting for the thing for which we would meet him which is to punish him or to be revenged upon him 4. As for our Redeemer This is an answer to an Objection which Babylon might make q. d. Ye tell me O ye Jews in the Name of your God that I must come down and sit in the dust c. But who in the mean time shall redeem you out of my hands To this the believing Jews of the captivity answer As for our Redeemer the Lord of hosts is his Name the Holy One of Israel is he called The Lord of hosts is his name the Holy One of Israel The true God is no oftener called or described by any other Names or Attributes then by these The Lord of hosts The Holy One of Israel Why the true God is called the Lord of Hosts see Cap. 1. vers 9. And why the Holy One of Israel see cap. 1. v. 4. 5. Sit thou silent c. The immediate connexion of this is with the fourth Verse Sit thou silent and get thee into darkness q. d. Go grieve and mourn because of the miseries which shall come upon thee Sit thou silent Supple In sorrow because of the great miseries which shall come upon thee q. d. Thou wast heretofore full of stirs because thou wast a joyous City but now thou shalt be silent Get thee into darkness Supple And there bewail thy self They which are oppressed with true and great grief do neither love to see nor to be seen therefore they desire to get into darkness that is into some dark place or other that there they may mourn in secret O Daughter of the Caldeans See Vers 1. For thou shalt no more be called the Lady of Kingdoms i. e. For the Empire is departed from thee The King of Babylon had many Kings and Kingdoms under him therefore is Babylon here called the Lady of Kingdoms 6. I was wroth with my people i. e. I was angry with my people the Jews for their sins The Lord gives the reason here why it should be so with Babylon as he said vers 1 2 3 5. The first reason is because of her cruelty to the Jews in their captivity vers 6. The second reason is because of her pride and arrogancy vers 7. The third reason is because of her sorceries and enchantments vers 10. Another reason is hinted by the By vers 8. to wit because she was given to pleasures and lived carelesly I have polluted mine inheritance i. e. I have taken away the hedge of my protection whereby mine inheritance was separated from all others and layd it common to be trod down by the feet of her Enemies Concerning the meaning of this word polluted in this place see what I said upon a parallel word profaned Cap. 43.28 and upon an opposite word holy Cap. 4. vers 3. Mine inheritance The Jews which were the children of Israel are called here the Lords inheritance because God made choyce of them to be a peculiar treasure to him above all people Exod. 19.5 Deut. 7.6 and because they were as dear to God and the Lord had as much care of them as a man hath of his own peculiar inheritance And given them into thine hand To be chastised and corrected by thee Thou didst shew them no mercy q. d. And when they were in thine hands thou didst shew them no mercy Vpon the ancient hast thou very heavily layd the yoke i. e. Thou didst grievously afflict and oppress even the old men of my people or mine inheritance whose age was venerable and should move pity and compassion even in an enemy They that are cruel to old men will not spare the younger the Babylonians therefore were very cruel to all The yoke By the yoke is Metaphorically meant all manner of affliction and oppression because all manner of affliction and oppression is as grievous to our nature as the yoke is to the neck of a young Heifer This is the first Reason of Babylons ruine 7. And thou saidst I shall be a Lady for ever i. e. Thou wast so proud and confident of thine own power as that thou thoughtest that thou couldst not be brought down no not by God himself and that thou shouldst rule as a Lady over Kingdoms and Nations for ever Here is the second Reason of Babylons downfall namely her pride and arrogancy So that thou didst not lay these things to thine heart i. e. So that thou didst not think of these things which I say shall befall thee that is Thou didst not think of thy downfall and of the captivity and slavery which thou shouldst suffer Object It may be here objected that Babylon could not know of those things which are here said she should suffer for she had not the gift of Prophecy neither were they revealed to her before how then could she lay them to heart Ans Though she could not lay this misery in particular with the circumstances thereof to heart which should befall her yet she might have layd that misery in general to heart which might befall her and that is that which is meant by these things q. d. So that thou didst not lay to thine heart such things as these are Thou didst not think that thou couldst be overthrown and become a slave and a captive Pride doth so blinde the eyes of the understanding as that it makes those which are in prosperity to think that they shall never come into adversity Psal 10.6 And they which think not of that adversity which may befall them do soon fit themselves for destruction from the Almighty by those many sins which they are apt to run into Therefore it was Moses's wish for the children of Israel That they would consider their latter end Deut. 32.29 Neither didst remember the latter end of it i. e. Neither didst remember the latter end of Babylon that is thine own latter end viz. That thou shouldst come to ruine as all humane and terrene things do In the word It there is an Enallage of the person Of it being put for Thine the third for a second person or which is all one for the sence another kinde of Pronoun being put for a reciprocal There is also a passage from the Metaphor or Prosopopoeia to the thing it self that is from speaking of Babylon as a Queen to speak of it as a material City Yet by It it may be that her Prosperity or Highness or her Ladyship is here meant q. d. Neither didst thou think of the latter end of thy Prosperity or Highness or Ladyship For the Hebrews often put a Relative without any formal
was well pleased In a day of salvation have I helped thee q. d. And thou hast prayed to me for help against thine Enemies in a day as it were of salvation and I have granted thy request for I will help thee against them In a day of salvation What he calleth an acceptable time before he calls a day of salvation here and he calls it a day of salvation in allusion to the day in which a King had received some great salvation and deliverance Have I helped thee i. e. I have promised to help thee That Isaiah did pray unto God at this time is intimated in that that God saith that he had heard him But what was it which he prayed for Ans We may gather from the following words what he prayed for That therefore that he prayed for was this First That it would please God to preserve him and keep him safe from his Enemies which were many until he had performed his Ministry Secondly That it would pleale him so to bless his Ministry about which he was sent that thereby the people of the Jews which were carryed into Babylon by reason of their sins might be reduced to their obedience and so redeemed out of the Babylonish captivity and return safe into their own Land again It may be here objected That Isaiah was dead long before the Babylonish captivity how therefore could he reduce the captive Jews to their obedience and so bring them out of captivity again Ans Though Isaiah were dead a long time before the captivity of the Jews in Babylon yet may he be said to reduce them to obediâ—nce and so bring them out of captivity again because they were reduced to their obedience by the reading of his Writings which he by a Prophetique Spirit wrought for them and to them and when they returned to their obedience the Lord raised up Cyrus to deliver them out of captivity and send them home free So was Moses said to teach and to be a Master Mark 10.3 Joh. 9.28 though he was dead long before That the Jews in their captivity had these Prophecies and Writings of Isaiah among them and read them and believed them and were bettered by them is evident by that that they shewed Cyrus out of them those things that concerned himself by which he was not a little moved to deliver them and send them home free out of captivity That which is here spoken of Isaiah is in a more sublime sence spoken also of Christ as well appears 2 Cor. 6.2 of whom Isaiah was here a Type As therefore Isaiah prayed to God that He would preserve him against his Enemies that they might not destroy him until he had performed his Ministry and God heard him So did Christ pray that God the Father would save him from death and was heard in that he feared Heb. 5.7 And as Isaiah was a Covenant to the people and prayed that the Jews might be delivered out of their captivity by his Ministry and was heard So was Christ a Covenant to the people in that he was the Mediator of the new Covenant between God and man and he makes continual intercession for us that we may be delivered out of the power of darkness and come to his heavenly Kingdom Heb. 7.25 and is heard in this his intercession I will preserve thee i. e. For I will preserve thee out of the hands of thine Enemies so that they shall not destroy thee until thou hast finished my work And give thee for a Covenant of the people i. e. And I will make thee a Restorer or Reviver of the Covenant which was between my people and me Isaiah is said to be a Covenant of the people because he was the Restorer or Reviver of the Covenant which was between the people of the Jews and their God But how did Isaiah restore or revive the Covenant which was between the people of the Jews and their God Ans He did it by his Sermons to the Jews For whereas the Jews had broken and forsaken the Covenant which they had made with God by their sins and were therefore sent into captivity By reading of Isaiahs Sermons they were touched in heart and repented them of their sins and renewed their Covenant with God as they had done before this in the days of Josiah and as they did after this in the days of Nehemiah Of the people i. e. Of the people of the Jews To establish the Earth i. e. That thou mayst make the Land of Judah stable and sure that I destroy it not for the sins of my people but preserve it for my people to dwell in See cap. 45.18 Upon the repentance of the Jews and their renewing their Covenant with the Lord the Lord would not destroy the Land of Judah but preserve it for the Jews to dwell in Wherefore because the Jews repented and renewed their Covenant by Isaiahs Ministry Isaiah is said to establish the Earth that is the Land of Judah The Earth By the Earth is meant the Land of Judah which was but part of the whole Earth per Synecdochen Generis To cause to inherit the desolate heritaâ—es i. e. That thou mayst cause the people of the Jews which are carryed away captive into Babylon and who have left their heritages which they had in the Land of Judah desolate to return into their own Land and inherit their desolate heritages again He speaks as if the Jews were captives even then when he spoke As Isaiah was said to establish the Earth so is he here said to cause to inherit the desolate heritages 9. That thou mayst say to the prisoners Go forth Supple Out of prison that is That thou mayst bring the Jews which are captive in Babylon out of the Land of their captivity By the prisoners he meaneth the Jews which were captives for captives are often resembled to prisoners and the Land of their captivity to a prison See cap. 42. vers 7. To them that sit in darkness i. e. To the Jews which are in sorrow by reason of their captivity or to the Jews which are in dark places such as prisons are They which are overwhelmed with sorrow do love to get into dark places where they may neither see nor be seen there to weep See cap. 47.5 Hence they that are in darkness may be put here for them which are in great sorrow And yet as I said the Prophet by darkness may mean Prisons per Metonymiam adjuncti For prisons are usually dark and this darkness the Jews made not choyce of but were forced to Shew your selves i. e. Come out of the dark places in which you have hid your selves and shew your selves in the light They which get into dark places by reason of sorrow come not out thence into the light until they have shook off their sorrow When therefore he saith Shew your selves it is as if he should say You have no longer cause to be sad be ye therefore joyful Yet if we
mother by a Prosopopoeia Thy God reigneth God is said to reign in general when he doth shew by any act worthy his greatness that he is King and in particular here he is said to reign because he shewed his Kingly Power in the delivery of his people out of the hands of their Enemies the Babylonians That which Isaiah speaketh here of a Messenger bringing good news of peace and salvation befaln the Jews in Babylon Saint Paul speaks of the Apostles and Ministers of Christ preaching peace and salvation by Christ and this may both do Isaiah in the first Saint Paul in the second and sublime sence For as I have often said as the temporal miseries of the Jews under their Enemies were a type of our spiritual miseries under Sin and Satan that grand Enemy of mankinde so were the Deliverances of the Jews out of those miseries types of our deliveries by Christ and of that Salvation which we have by him And the Holy Ghost doth often so order the words of the Prophets that they shall signifie as well one as the other word by word in particular 8. Thy watchmen shall lift up the voyce i. e. Thy watchmen which shall stand upon thy towers shall lift up their voyce and cry and shout aloud for joy O Sion He alludeth to the Watchmen which use to stand upon the Towers of great Cities to give notice of any danger or any great company approaching to the City See cap. 21.5 Why these Watchmen shall lift up their voyce he tells a little after viz. because they shall see when the Lord bringeth again Zion But why doth hâ— mention the Watchmen here rather then any other Ans Because they shall see when the Lord bringeth Siâ—n again before any other as being placed in the high Towers and set purposely to watch what companies approach to the City With the voyce together shall they sing i. e. They shall sing with a loud voyce Together This word signifieth All. For they shall see Supple From the Towers whereon they stand They shall see eye to eye i. e. They shall see very plainly and evidently and not be deceived in their sight When the Lord shall bring again Sion The Preposition To is here to be understood as also it is left to be understood in the Hebrew Text cap. 35.10 and cap. 51.11 though it is there expressed in our Translation and not here The sence therefore of this place is this When the Lord shall bring again to Sion that is When the Lord shall bring his people back again out of Babylon the place of their captivity to Sion their own City Here is such an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in those words cap. 49.8 To cause to inherit the desolate heritages Yet by Sion may be here meant the Jews the children and inhabitants of Sion either as the same Jews are called Jacob because they are the children of Jacob cap. 41.14 Or as Kir is taken for the Citizens and Inhabitants of Kir cap. 22.6 9. Ye waste places of Jerusalem See cap. 51.3 The Lord hath comforted his people Supple Which were in captivity in Babylon by setting them free again He hath redeemed Jerusalem Supple Out of her captivity For she also was a captive vers 2. and cap. 49.21 He speaks of the City of Jerusalem as of a captive He speaketh also as if the Lord had comforted his people and redeemed Jerusalem already at this time And so do the Prophets often speak before the thing they speak of is come to pass to signifie that it shall as surely come to pass as if it were already come 10. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm i. e. The Lord hath shewed his peerless power viz. in overthrowing the Babylonians whose power was thought invincible and in delivering and bringing back again his people out of captivity Note here that the arm of the Lord is put for the power of the Lord and therefore is it put for the power of the Lord because the Prophet speaks here of the Lord as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the strength and power of a man is seen in his arm Again because that a man when he would shew his arm must strip up the sleeve of the arm and make it bare he puts the making bare of the Lords arm for the shewing of his power His holy arm i. e. His matchless arm his peerless power For the word holy signifieth that which is separated from other things by way of excellency See Notes cap. 6.3 And all the ends of the Earth i. e. All they which dwell at the ends of the Earth that is All the Heathen Shall see the salvation of our God i. e. Shall see the Salvation which our God hath wrought for his people which were captive to the Babylonians by Cyrus 11. Depart ye depart ye This is spoken in particular to the Levites which were in Babylon intimating that they might go freely thence out of captivity and it is spoken as if Cyrus had already subdued Babylon and vanquished the Babylonians and given the Jews leave to depart thence to their own Land Go ye out from thence i. e. Go ye out from Babylon Here is a Relative put without an Antecedent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Touch no unclean thing q. d. Touch no unclean thing thereby to defile your selves and make your selves unclean The unclean things here mentioned were such as caused legal uncleanness in those that touched them or such as those were which we read of Levit. 11.24 25 26 c. and Lev. 22.4 c. which uncleanness was not to be upon the Levites when they did any way minister about the vessels of the Lord that is about the vessels of the Temple or Sanctuary because they were holy things Go out of the midst of her i. e. Go out of her that is out of Babylon Be ye clean i. e. If ye are clean keep your selves clean If ye are not clean but are defiled by touching some unclean thing be ye cleansed and purified that ye may be clean That bear the vessels of the Lord. i. e. O ye Levites By the vessels of the Lord are here meant the vessels of the Sanctuary or of the Temple which were consecrated to the service of the Lord which kinde of vessels the Levites were appointed to carry Numb 1.50 and 2.8 c. By these therefore which bore the vessels of the Lord are meant the Levites which were appointed to carry those vessels See Ezra 8.30 Note here that when the Babylonians had taken Jerusalem Nebuzaradan one of the Captains of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon carryed the vessels of the Temple away into Babylon 2 King 25. vers 14 15 c. These vessels there continued during all the time of the Jews captivity and when Cyrus delivered the Jews out of captivity he gave them also these vessels of the house of the Lord which were brought from Jerusalem to carry to Jerusalem back
Israel 1 King 18.17 So did the Jews think at this time of Jeremy And as our Saviour said to his Disciples that the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that â—e doth God service Joh. 16.2 So did the Jews think even now concerning Jeremy that they did God good service in persecuting and afflicting him yea they thought it a meritorious work and that God though he had threatened them with the sword yet he would give them peace for afflicting and persecuting him And with his stripes we are healed i. e. And by the stripes which we lay upon him shall we be healed that is shall we be delivered from the grief and fear which we conceive from that calamity which is threatened against us This is for sence the same with the foregoing words and as for the phrase and metaphor of healing we have the like Jerem. 6.14 6. All we like sheep have gone astray i. e. All we have erred from the Commandments of the Lord and have sinned against him The Law of the Lord is often likened to a way and the transgression thereof to a going astray and erring from that way We have turned every one to his own way i. e. Every one hath followed his own lusts and what liketh him best And the Lord hath layd on him the iniquity of us all i. e. And yet the Lord hath suffered us all to afflict him and smite him as though he were the onely sinner and we were all innocent And is put here for Yet The Lord hath layd on him i. e. The Lord hath suffered us to lay on him Note that Verbs Active do often carry with them the signification of permitting or suffering among the Hebrews The iniquity Iniquity is taken here for punishment and affliction proceeding from their iniquity that is proceeding from their hatred and malicâ— as the cause thereof and lighting upon Jeremy per Metonymiam causae 7. He was oppressed The Prophet speaks here again in his own person and he speaks of things to come as of things present or past after a Prophetique manner Yet he opened not his mouth To wit through impatience but bare all patiâ—ntly He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter i. e. He was brought to his sufferings as a Lamb is brought to the slaughter for as a Lamb goeth quietly to the slaughter so did he to his sufferings shewing all meekness and gentleness of spirit therein Note here the confusion of tenses how the preterperfect and the present tense are confounded together and used as if they were the same tense As a sheep before the shearers is dumb Sheep though they are under the hands of the shearer are dumb and cry not though the shearers cut off their fleeces and take them away So be openeth not his mouth Viz. Through anger and impatience though his Enemies delt never so ill with him 8. He was taken from prison and from judgment Jeremy was put into prison to which he was condemned under a shew and pretence of justice by Zedekiah King of Judah Jerem. 32.2 and he was delivered thence by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon Jer. 39.11 12 13 14. From judgment i. e. From Imprisonment which he calls judgment because he was condemned to it as we said under a shew or colour of justice And who shall declare his generation i. e. Yet who can declare the men of his generation that is the men of his age amongst whom he lived to wit how wicked and malicious they were And is put here for Yet or But yet And by his generation is meant the men of his age amongst whom he lived as Matth. 11.16 Acts 13.36 And who shall declare is put here for who can declare the Future tense of the Indicative mood for a Potential For he was cut off from the land of the living q. d. For though the Babylonians did deliver him out of prison yet at length the Jews amongst whom he lived took him and put him to death in Egypt It is likely that the Jews which fled into Egypt and lived there had leave from the King of Egypt to exercise Authority and Jurisdiction among themselves and that by this Authority and Jurisdiction they did put Jeremy to death For the transgression of my people was he stricken i. e. He was slain through the wickedness of my Brethren and Country-men the Jews For is put here for Through See Vers 5. 9. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his deaâ—h i. e. And when he was dead he was buried among the wicked and among the rich Jeremy being condemned and put to death in Taphnes a City of Egypt as a Malefactor by the Jews who had leave from the King of Egypt to exercise Authority and Jurisdiction among themselves while they were in Egypt was no doubt buried by the Jews as a Malefactor among the Malefactors and so did he make his grave with the wicked But afterwards his body was removed and buried among the Kings of Egypt because of the high esteem which the Egyptians had of him by reason of his sanctity of life and of the gift of Prophecy which was in him Yea Alexander the great removed his bones from Taphnes to Alexandria and there adorned them with a rich monument And so did Jeremy make his grave with the Rich in his death Because he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth i. e. Because he had not offended either in deed or in word For there was no violence in his actions nor fraud in his speech Note that these words relate to those which went immediately before to wit to those with the rich in his death as containing a reason why he was so honorably interred which was because he was a righteous and an holy man 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him q. d. Though he had not offended either in deed or in word yet it pleased the Lord to suffer them to bruise him To bruise him i. e. To suffer them to wit the Jews among whom he lived to bruise him See vers 6. He hath put him to grief i. e. He hath suffered them to put him to grief When thou shalt make his Soul an offering for sin q. d. Yet when thou shalt bruise him and put him to grief i. e. Yet when thou shalt suffer the Jews to bruise him and put him to grief The Prophet maketh an Apostrophe here to the Lord. His Soul i. e. Him Here is Synecdoche partis for a part is put for the whole man An offe ing foâ— sin Note here that the word in the Original which is here rendered an offering for sin is ASCHAM which signifiâ—th properly and primarily sin but by a Metonymy it may signifie sometimes an offering for sin sometimes a punishment for sin and sometimes him which is afflicted or punished for sin yea by a Catachrestical Metonymy it may not onely signifie a punishment for sin and him that is punished
in these words we have in hand and cap. 63.5 an allusion to a King arming himself for a Battel that he might war against his Enemies in the behalf of his Subjects whom they have wronged So that I conceive that the words in hand must be interpreted some such way as followeth His arm brought salvation to him q. d. He hath brought salvation out of his armory and made use of it He speaks of salvation here as of a piece of armor wherewith a Soldier is armed If you ask what piece of armor it is which he alludeth to the next Verse will tell you where he calls it the helmet of salvation Note that the arm which is but a part is put here for the whole man by a Synecdoche Object But you will say that the Hebrew being translated word for word is not His arm brought salvation to him but His arm hath saved him Ans Be it so yet there may be the same meaning and the same allusion in these words as was in the former For the meaning of these words His arm hath saved him may be this He hath made himself safe that is He hath armed himself supple with salvation For armor is a safeguard to the body which is therewith armed And his righteousness it sustained him Rather And his righteousness doth sustain him q. d. And his righteousness armeth him that is is upon him as a piece of armor to preserve him If you ask what piece of armor he alludes to the next verse will tell you that it is a brestplate But note that in these words It sustained him or It sustaineth him there is a Metaphor borrowed from a staff which a man hath in his hand whereby he is sustained or upheld while he leaneth upon it but we must transfer this Metaphor to the having on or being armed with a brest-plate For as a staff which a man hath in his hand doth preserve him and keep him from falling so doth the brestplate which a man hath on him or with which he is armed preserve him and keep him from wounds Such kinde of mingling or confounding or transferring Metaphors our Prophet often useth Note that the Pronoune It is here redundant by an Hebraisme What is meant by Righteousnesse here See in the next verse following 17. For he put on righteousnesse as a brest-plate Better For he hath put on righteousnesse as a breast-plate A breast-plate is a piece of ormour which defendeth the heart and the vitall parts to a breast-plate therefore doth he liken righteousnesse that is the justnesse of the cause of warre because there is no greater comfort to the heart of a man nor any thing that can give him greater assurance or on which he may more rely for safety and preservation in the Battle than this that he knoweth that his cause of taking up armes is just By righteousnesse therefore I understand the just cause which the Lord had in taking up armes or making Warre upon his enemies the Babylonians the justnesse of whose cause you may read Cap. 47. v. 6. c. An helmet of salvation upon his head i. e. And salvation as an helmet upon his head An Helmet is a piece of armour which is to guard and defend the head wherein the braines lye which are the Mint of the Animall spirits which being wounded death presently followeth Nothing can yeild more safety than salvation it selfe for where salvation is there can be no hurt otherwise salvation were not salvation Therefore the Lord saith that he will appoint Hierusalem salvation for walls Cap. 26.1 And therefore doth the Lord take salvation here for his own Helmets Note that this salvation which the Lord here takes is to protect himselfe not to save his people For salvation is here as an Helmet and an Helmet is for the safety onely of him which weareth it and therefore the Lord is said to put on an Helmet of salvation to shew that he is invincible and can receive no hurt By this that the Prophet saith that the Lord hath put on righteousnesse as a breast-plate and salvation as an Helmet upon his head we may learne that God is a just God and therefore draweth not out his sword against a man to punish him without a cause and that he is invincible and therefore is not afraid to set upon the most potent enemies so that all men have just reason to stand in awe of him St. Paul Ephes 6. v. 14 17. describing the whole armour of a Christian seemeth to allude to this place And he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing i. e. And he hath put on garments made of vengeance for his clothing Vengeance is to be taken here for a desire of executing vengeance upon his enemies And he was clad with zeale as with a cloake i. e. And he is clad c. By zeale may be meant the zeale and love which he bore to his owne honour which honour of his had been given to Idols even the Idols of the Babylonians if he had suffered the Babylonians alwayes to oppresse his own people And the zeal and love which he bore to his owne people whom the Babylonians did make to houle Cap. 52.5 And the zeal and indignation for zeal intimates as well indignation as love which he bore towards the Babylonians for his own honour's and his peoples sake Besides their garments of ordinary wearing in times of peace most of the most ancient people of the world had their garments extraordinary which they wore upon their armour in time of Warre of which you may read Alex ab Alexand Genial Dier lib. 1 Cap. 20. c. And not to ordinary garments worne in time of peace but to these warlike garments doth our Prophet seem to allude when he saith And he put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as with a cloake 18. According to their deeds accordingly will he repay fury to his adversaries i. e. He will recompence his adversaries who have without mercy oppressed his people he will recompence them I say with such effects of his fury as they have deserved Fury Fury is put here for miseries and calamities and other the effects of Gods fury and wrath Per metonymiam efficientis His adversaries He meaneth the Babylonians whom therefore God calleth his adversaries because they did most cruelly oppresse and shew no mercy at all to his people when they were in Captivity Recompence to his enemies By Recompence is meant that which they have deserved that is the like cruell usage as they had used towards the Jewes And this is a Repetition of the former sentence To the Islands he will repay recompence By Islands understand the Inhabitants of the Islands by a Metonymie and by these Islands understand Mesopotamia and other Islands which were neer to Tigris and Euphrates For Mesopotamia was an Iland or Islands made by those two Rivers Tigris and Euphrates But the Hebrewes call not onely that
have not heard i. e. For no man since the beginning of the world hath ever heard or shall hear c. These words relate to that passage of the third verse viz. which we looked not for and shew that he might well say which wâ— looked not for for since the beginning of the world no man ever heard or saw what God had prepared and was ready to doe for them who wait for him Men have not heard Men have not heard nor shall hear These words contain not onely a praeterperfect Tense but the praesent and future also by a Syllepsis Nor perceived by the eare These are the same with the former words except you will say that by hearing is meant hearing from the reports of others perceiving by the eare is meant hearing immediately themselves Neither hath the eye seen i. e. Neither hath the eye of any one seen or shall see Supple before it commeth to passe Besides thee q. d. But onely thou O Lord who knowest what thou wilt doe and what thou hast prepared before it be done What he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him i. e. What thou O God hast prepared and art ready in thy good time to doe for them that wait for thee Note here the Enallage of the person for he speaketh of God in the Third person to whom he spoke just before and speaketh immediately after in the second For him i. e. For them A singular for a plurall number collective That waiteth for him i. e. Which depend upon thee or trust in thee and will not depart from thee but wait upon thee till thoâ— hast mercy upon them 5. Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse i. e. Thou preventest him with thy blessings who rejoyceth to work righteousnesse Thou meetest him c. This is that which he saith Cap. 65.24 Before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will heare But the words are metaphoricall taken from a man meeting his friend before he comes to him An example whereof we have Luke 15.20 This sheweth that no man knoweth what God hath prepared for his untill it commeth to passe For God meetes those which are his and preventeth them with his blessings before they think of it That rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse i. e. Which rejoyceth to work Righteousnesse Here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 two words to expresse one thing Those that remember thee in thy waies i. e. Even those which remember the Covenant which they have made with thee by walking in those waies which thou hast appointed for them to walk in That is by walking in thy commandements These are a repetition or amplification of these words That rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse That remember thee i. e. That remember thy Covenant or the Covenant which they have made with thee A metonymie in the word thee Bâ—hold thou art wroth q.d. But behold thou art wroth with us and shewest no kindnesse unto us though thou meetest us which rejoyce to work righteousnesse and remember thee in thy waies God shewed his wrath towards them by giving them over into the hands of the Babylonians and suffering them to remain so long in captivity as they did In those is continuance i. e. To those supple which rejoyce to work righteousnesse and which remember thee in thy waies There is continuance Supple of thy love and of their happy estate In for To. And we shall be saved q. d. And we supple which are now in the hands of our enemies shall be saved out of their hands Supple if we were such as they are That is if we did rejoyce and work righteousnesse and remember thee O Lord in thy waies as they doe This sentence is very concise and so are many more in this chapter But we are all as an unclean thing i. e. But we are not such as they are but we are all impure and defiled by reason of our iniquities As an unclean thing He alludeth to those things which the Ceremoniall law of Moses made unclean such was the cloath and the timber and the stones c. in which the Leprosie was found which things were either to be burned or cast away Levit. 13. v. 55 56 57. 14. v. 46 47. And all our righteousnesses i. e. And all our works or all our actions and doings Though all their works were sinnes yet he calls them their Righteousnesses by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because most of the Jewes accounted them themselves as well done and called them themselves Righteousnesses See the like manner of Phrase Cap. 47.12 Are as filthy rags i. e. As rags which are pulled off from mattrie soares or rags which are defiled with the menstruous bloud of a woman which the Law made unclean Or as some other rags which were fitter to be cast away or burned then to be kept or used And we all doe fade as a leafe Wherefore we do all fade away in the land of our captivity as a leafe which the winde hath blown from the Tree whereon it grew and flourished fadeth away and withereth And is put here for wherefore And our iniquities have like a wind taken us away i. e. For our iniquities have taken us away from our dwellings and habitations where we lived in prosperity and peace as a winde taketh the leafe away from the Tree whereon it flourished and have brought us into Babylon And for For. Their Iniquity is said to take them away because God suffered the Babylonians to take them away because of their iniquities 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy Name i. e. And yet there is none that calleth upon thee or prayeth unto thee in his miserable esâ—ate Note thâ— And is put here for yet and that this universall particle none is not to be universally taken here for none absolutely but for few q. d. There are but few that call upon thee Thy Name That is thee See Cap. 63.16 That stirreth up himselfe to take hold on thee q. d. There be but few that endeavour to stop thy judgements by begging pardon at thy hands This phrase is Allegoricall and alludeth to a man who is strucken down and yet he that struck him down still smites him and strikes him yet he that is strucken down lieth still along and suffereth him that struck him down to strike him still and raiseth not up himselfe to lay hold on his arm that he may strike him no more See Cap. 27.5 For thou hast hid thy face from us i. e. Though thou art angry with us See Cap. 8.17 Cap. 54.8 For is put here for though But now O Lord Supple We call upon thee we beseech thee therefore to heare us Thou art our Father Supple Therefore as a father pittieth his children so doe thou pitty us and have mercy upon us We are the clay i. e. We are the vessels which thou hast made Clay is put here per metonymiam materiae for vessels made of Clay And thou