sin of these men bâ—ought as a Scourge upon the Land Note also that at this time though there were many wise Princes or Rulers as appeareth by Vers 2 3. yet there were also many unwise as appeareth by this place And Women By Women he meaneth Men which were impotent and unable to bridle and oversway their lusts and affectâ—ons and which like women would lust after and affect and covet every thing they saw and would bend all their power to compasse and obtain what they had a mind to And Women rule over them Whose Rule must needs be grievous and oppressive They which lead thee i e. Thy Princes and Rulers Princes and Rulers are called the Leaders of their People by a Metaphor of a Shepheard which goeth before his Sheep and leadeth them when they goe to Pasture and back again See Numb 27. v. 17. Or Princes and Rulers may be said to lead the people because People doe for the most part follow the example of their Princes and Rulers Cause thee to erre i. e. Cause thee to sin He alludeth to that Metaphor which compareth the Law of God to a way of which see Chap. 2. v. 3. Princes and Rulers may cause their People to erre many wayes As first By commanding them to doe those things which are contrary to the Word of God Secondly By persecuting those which are good and godly and disallowing their wayes and yet tolerating the wicked and their doings Thirdly By favouring if not hiring false Prophets to prophesie happinesse to them whom God abhorreth Fourthly By perswading the People both by themselves and their Parasites that they govern in righteousnesse when they doe nothing lesse Fiftly By alluring and inducing them by their â—xample to sin as to Idolatry or the like And this last seemeth especially to be the Prophets meaning in this place The Prophet taxed the Rulers with oppression in the first part of this verse Here he sheweth them guilty of more wickednesse than that And destroy the way of thy Paths i. e. And destroy the way in which thou shouldst walk This way is the Law of God according to which we should direct our lives The Law of God is compared to a strait and narrow way Now as such a way is easily marr'd and destroyed by the continuall crosse-trampling of cattle and crosse-walking of Men so that no man can see that way to walk directly in it So is the Law of God marr'd and destroyed at least in the true sense of it by the sinnes and transgressions of Râ—lers so that they which look upon their example cannot discerne between the Commandements of God and corrupt usage of men but call evill good and good evill Hence hath Idolatry been taken for the service or worship of God and other things which have been sinnes in their own nature have been taken for matters of Indifferency 13. The Lord standeth up to plead Subaudi But. q. d. But the Lord standeth up to plead the cause of his People And standeth to judge the People Supple which are thus oppressed by their Rulers The sense of this verse is q. d. But the Lord is ready to relieve those which are oppressed and to deliver them from their Oppressors Note that to plead a mans cause is often taken for to deliver a man from oppression and wrong for so it is taken 1 Sam. 24. vers 15. and 1 Sam. 25. vers 39. and Psal 35. v 1. and Psal 43. v. 1. c. And as to plead a mans cause so to judge a man or to give Sentence in his cause is taken for to deliver a man from oppression and wrong c. For so it is taken 1 Sam. 24. v. 15. Psal 43. v. 1. and Psal 10. v. 18. And these words come thus to be taken by a Metaphor drawn from the usage and customes of Courts of Justice For because a man which is arrested and troubled upon a false action when his cause is pleaded by a good and honest Lawyer and Sentence given therein by a just Judge is relieved and delivered from further molestation and trouble in that Suite Hence to plead a mans cause and to judge him come Metaphorically to signifie or to be taken for to deliver a man any way from the oppression and wrong which he suffereth But you will object that to judge signifieth to punish and to plague For so it signifieth Heb. 13. v. 4. and Psal 9. v. 19. How then can it signifie to deliver from oppression and to relieve a man for these seem contrary Answer To judge signifieth both to relieve and deliver from oppression and wrong and also to punish and to plague and both from the same Metaphor But the diversity of the signification cometh from the diversity of men or of the causes which are judged For if a Mans cause be good and he in the mean time suffereth wrong then is he when he is judged and sentence is given in his cause relieved and delivered out of trouble But if a mans cause be naught and he hath done the wrong then when he is judged and sentence is given in his cause he is doomed to some punishment or other And hence it is that this word cometh to signifie so contrarily The Lord standeth up to plead i. e. The Lord is ready to plead or about to plead He alludeth to the Posture of a Counsellor or Advocate when he is about to plead For though He sate down before yet when He is about to plead He riseth from his Seat and standeth up and pleadeth standing He standeth to Judge What we said of a Counsellor or Advocate we say the like of a Judge when he is about to given Sentence for then he usually standeth up though he sate before 14. The Lord will enter into judgement with the Ancients of his People Judgement is taken here for the Judgement Hall or Court or Place where Causes were pleaded and judged And to enter into Judgement is like to that Phrase of the Latins In jus ambulare Note that because a Malefactour or he that hath done wrong when he is cited or brought into Court it is for this end that he might there receive the sentence of the Judge according to his desert and might be punished according to that Sentence Hence by putting the Antecedent for the Consequent to enter into Judgement with the Anciens of the People signifieth here to punish them or to have them punished for their oppression c. With the Ancients of his People i. e. With the Rulers of his People The Rulers of a People are called the Ancients thereof because they are for the most part chosen out of Ancient Men Or because they were chosen out of such at first Hence were the Senators of Rome sâ— called because they were Senes that is Ancient men which were at first chosen to that place Hence were the Lacedaemonian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so called And hence are the Prime Rulers in a City or
Out of heaven or from the presence of the Lord who commanded him to slay the Assyrians And when they arose And in the morning when those Assyrians which escaped the sword of the Angel arose Or when the men of Jerusalem arose A Relative put without an Antecedent Behold they were all dead Corpses i. e. Behold those hundred fourscore and five thousand which the Angel had smitten were all dead Corpses q. d. Behold these Assyrians which escaped the sword of the Angel or the men of Jerusalem when they arose early in the morning saw those hundred fourscore and five thousand which the Angel had smitten all dead Corpses lying dead upon the ground 37. And Sennacherib King of Assyria Supple When he heard of this slaughter Departed Out of the Land of Judah with much fear And went and returned i. e. And returned Those words And went are redundant See the like cap. 2.3 At Nineveh Nineveh was the chief City of Assyria 38. Adramelech and Sharezer his sonnes smote him with the sword It is a tradition among the Jewes that Adramelech and Sharezer killed their Father because he had vowed to offer them as a Sacrifice to his God Nisroch if he would appease the mindes of those which were angry with him For many who had lost their Sonnes and Brothers and Kinsmen in that slaughter which the Angel made of the Assyrians were discontented with Sennacherib for it as being the cause thereof They escaped into the Land of Armenia This their escape was for feare lest they should be punished for their Parricide ISAIAH CHAP. XXXVIII IN those days was Hezekiah sicke c. Hezekiah fell sick of this disease of his about the 14th or beginning of the 15th year of his reign for after this he reigned fifteen yeares v. 5. And in all he reigned twenty nine yeares 2 Kings 18.2 Take fifteen therefore out of twenty and nine and there remaines fourteen In the latter end therefore of the fourteenth or beginning of the fifteenth year did this sicknesse happen It happened therefore while Sennacherib was warring in Judea which also appeareth from the sixth verse of this Chapter Sick unto death Hezekiah was said to be sick unto death at this time because his Disease was in its own nature deadly and brought him as we say to the point of Death Set thine house in order i. e. Set the affairs of thine house in order as thou wouldst have them disposed of after thy death q. d. Make thou thy Will and dispose of thy goods as thou pleasest For thou shalt die and not live A Question will presently arise upon these words why Hezekiah dyed not when as the Lord said to him by his Prophet Thou shalt dye and not live The Answer is because this sentence of the Lord was not absolute but conditionall and so Hezekiah took it as is evident by his praying to God for mercy herein upon which prayer the Lord restored him to his health It is frequent with God to promise and threaten in termes which seem absolute but include a Condition or have an exception tacitly involved which condition or exception the Lord concealeth that they whom the Promise or Threat concerneth may be the more earnest with the Lord to hasten his Promise or remove his Threats 2. Then Hezekiah turned his face towards the Wall and prayed c. Hezekiah turned his face towards the Wall as he lay in his bed that he might pray to God with the more intention of minde while he turned his face from those which stood by and removed his eyes from distracting Objects And prayed unto the Lord. to wit to spare his life 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee c. To walk before God is so to live as if we had God alwayes before our eyes And they that so live strive to please him as a servant is alwayes diligent and carefull to please his Master when he is in his Masters sight In truth And not in shew and appearance onely With a perfect heart With an heart free from hypocrisie Have done that which is good in thy sight Have done that which pleaseth thee After these words understand these words to wit Remember this O Lord I beseech thee and because I have done this be gracious unto me and spare thou my life and cut not off my dayes at this time Note here first that holy men did sometimes make mention of their good deeds before the Lord in their prayers to him as did Nehemiah Nehem. 13.14 and Jeremiah Jerem. 15.15 and Hezekiah here Note secondly that when they did make mention of their good deeds before the Lord they did it for the most part when they were in troubles and tribulation Note thirdly that though they did make mention of their good deeds they did not mention them as meritorious causes of what they prayed for And this is plain by Nehemiah who when he had in the fifth and sixth Chapter of his Book and in the thirteenth Chapter and fourteenth verse and else-where entreated the Lord that he would remember him according to his good deeds in the thirteenth Chapter and the two and twentieth verse he saith Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Note fourthly that the reason why they mention their good deeds at such time is first That they might the more incline the Lord to mercy For the Lord is more readie to shew mercy to those which endeavour to live according to his Laws then to those which neglect them Secondly that they might sustain themselves against the Pusillanimity and faint-heartednesse which might assaile them being prone by nature thereto for the testimony of a good Conscience produceth boldnesse towards God 1 Pet. 3.21 But besides these Hezekiah might have a speciall reason to move him to mention his good deeds and that is this because the Lord made a promise to David saying If thy Children take heed to their way to walke before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soule there shall not faile thee a man on the Throne of Israel 1 Kings 2.4 And at this time Hezekiah had not a Childe to succeed him in the Throne And Hezekiah wept sore viz. Because God had said unto him Thou shalt dye and not live v. 1. It may be asked here why Hezekiah should weep sore to hear that he should dye Answ A generall reason may be this Because in the time of the Law in which Hezekiah lived the hope of eternall life was not so great as it is under the Gospel because the glory to come was not so fully revealed then as it is now Ephes 3.5 therefore was death more feared then now it is But besides this Hezekiah might have many particular reasons for which he wept at the hearing of his death As first because if he should dye then he should leave Judah and Jerusalem under the pressure
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
themselves to all the Ordinances of Moses as the Jewes themselves did which they would not have been suffered to doe if they had not observed so much as they did And from these Proselytes were they also which observed as much as they did called Proselytes of the Gate though they lived not among the Iewes but lived elsewhere because they were under the same condition such was Naaman the Syrian the Eunuch Cornelius c. The other kinde of Proselytes were such as were circumcised and tooke upon them the observation of the whole Law of Moses and these were called Proselites of the Covenant and were accounted almost for priviledges and observances as Jewes such were Vriah the Hittite Achior in the booke of Judith c. Note here againe that though in the first sense these Gentiles afore mentioned are here invited to joyne themselves to the Lord and worship him as Proselytes yet in the second and more sublime sense This is a Prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles to the Church of Christ where the Jews and Gentiles are made both one Ephes 2. vers 14. Come ye to the waters i. e. Come ye to that knowledge which will satisfie your desires as waters satisfie the thirst of him which is thirsty By waters he meaneth metaphorically the true knowledge of the true God in which knowledge there is that true content to be had which no other knowledge can afford and will satisfie a mans desire as waters will quench his thirst And he that hath no mony q. d. Yea let him come that is poor and hath no mony This he saith in opposition to those which desired to learn humane Arts and Sciences which he that desired to learn had need to have been rich because the Masters of those Arts and Sciences would not teach them without great rewards But they which would learn the knowledg of the Lord need not to have been rich the poor might learn it as well as the wealthy he that had no mony as well as he that had for the Lords servants taught the knowledge of the Lord freely Come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk c. The Prophet is not content to call the knowledge of God waters but he calls it also wine and milk because it did not onely satisfie the desire as waters satisfie and quench the thirst but it doth also feed the Soul as wine and milk do feed and nourish the body yea it is as the chiefest delicates to the Soul For by these two to wit wine and milk the Scripture doth not onely signifie food necessary for the sustenance of life but dainties and delicates too as Gen. 49.12 Without mony and without price This is said in opposition to those who gave great sums of mony to their Masters to learn humane Arts and Sciences q. d. Ye need not take care for mony or agree for a price for learning the knowledge of God as you use to take care for mony and agree for a price with your Masters of humane Arts and Sciences but this knowledge shall be taught you freely 2. Wherefore do ye spend your mony for that which is not bread q. d. Wherefore do you give so much mony to the Masters of the Arts to learn of them those Arts which bring no fruit or profit at all with them He persists still in his Metaphor whereby he likened the knowledge of God to meat and drink which nourish and refresh the body because this knowledge is the onely food of the Soul q. d. Wherefore do ye spend mony for that which is not so much as bread which is the necessary sustenance of mans life much less is it wine or milk which are the dainties and delicates thereof Which satisfieth not Supple Your hunger This is a repetition of those words Which is not bread Eat ye that which is good q. d. Eat ye not that which is not fit to nourish you but eat ye that which is good not onely to nourish you but to make you fat He persists still in his Metaphor and compares the knowledge of God to that which is good to nourish yea to fatten the body and humane science to that which is but bran or hulks and hath not any nourishment in it And let your Soul delight it self in fatness i. e. And delight your selves in that which will not onely feed you and nourish you but make you fat The Soul is put here for the whole man by a Synecdoche Fatness is put here for food which will fatten per Metonymiam Effecti 3. Encline your ears He alludes here to the manner of men which bow their heads toward him which speaketh when they desire to hear distinctly what he saith Come unto me He that cometh to the Servants and Prophets of the Lord cometh to the Lord. See Luk. 10.16 Hear i. e. Hear my words and keep them and obey them And your soul shall live i. e. And ye shall live q. d. And your lives shall be preserved yea ye shall live happily and plentifully He still alludeth to bread and wholesom food which preserve the life and keep men fat and in good liking which bran and hulks cannot do I will make an everlasting Covenant with you That is oftentimes called Everlasting which lasteth onely a long time as the Priesthood of Aaron was called everlasting although it was to last but during the Law and was to be abolished by the death of Christ Exod. 40.15 Even the sure mercies of David q. d. And I will even give you by that Covenant the sure mercies of David That these words I will give you are here to be understood we may learn from Acts 13.64 But what are those which are here called the mercies of David The mercies which are here called the mercies of David are those mercies and blessings which David so often speaks of in the Psalms and which are there promised in the Name of God to all which serve and fear him and lead a godly life whether they be Jews or Gentiles as Psa 34.15 and 37. v. 4 11. and 84.11 c. where the Promises being made in general terms to them which fear God and lead a godly life are made as well to the Gentile as to the Jew as we may gather from St. Pauls arguing from that general word Whosoever Rom. 10.11 But why are these called the mercies of David Ans Because they are so often repeated in the Book or Psalms of David and because they were made upon the particular occasion of Davids fear and trust in God and because David had had often experience of them But why are they called the sure mercies of David Ans Because they shall be certainly performed for God who hath promised them is faithful in his Word and will therefore perform them because he hath said it Note here that the Apostle Paul preaching of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead brings this as an argument to prove that God raised
many significations which this word Spirit hath in the Hebrew language it signifieth any quality of the mind whether it be permanent or whether it be transeunt And if the quality be good and given of God as this of Prophecie is it is called the Spirit of the Lord. And such a quality as it may be called a Spirit per Metonymiam subjecti because it is received in the soule which is a spirit so it may be called a spirit per Metonymiam efficientis because it is given of God who is a Spirit This the Prophet speakes in his own person of himselfe Yet in this he was an eminent Type of Christ of whom in the second and sublime sence these words also are to be understood See Luke 4.18 Because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tydings i. e. because the Lord hath designed and separated me to preach good tidings c. He alludeth to that ceremonie of the Law whereby they which were designed and separated me to the office of a Prophet were designed and separated thereunto by the Ceremony of Anoynting See 1 Kings 19.16 By the same Ceremony of Anoynting were they separated to the Office of a Priest Exod. 29.21 And by the same were they separated also to the Office of a King 1 Sam. 16. v. 12 13. 2 Sam. 2.4 1 King 1.45 2 Kings 9.3 To preach good tydings to the meek The meeke to which Isaiah was to preach good tydings were those of the captive Jewes which were meek in heart and humble in Spirit and the good tidings which he came to preach was the good tidings of their delivery out of Babylon by Cyrus These good tidings did Isaiah preach to them by his Writings though he himself dyed before the captivity Note here that as these good tydings in their first sence do signifie the tydings of the delivery of the Jews out of the Babylonish captivity by Cyrus So in the second and sublime sence they signifie the good tydings of mans salvation whereby he is saved from the captivity of sin and of the Devil by Christ of which latter that former was a type He hath sent me to binde up the broken-hearted i. e. He hath sent me to comfort the sorrowful heart by my Prophecies This is a repetition of the former sentence and the Prophet useth here a Metaphor taken from a leg or an arm of a man which is broken which while the Chyrurgeon healeth he swadleth and bindeth up after he hath set the bone He hath sent me c. These words shew what these words mean viz. He hath anointed me To proclaim liberty to the captives i. e. To declare to the Jews which are captive in Babylon that they shall be delivered out of that their captivity And the opening of the prison to them that are bound i. e. And the enlarging of them which lie in prison bound in chains This is for sence the same with the foregoing words Note that the Jews which were carryed captive into Babylon were not chained and put up in prison as great Malefactors were wont therefore that which is here spoken is to be taken metaphorically For because the Jews could not go out of those Cities and places at large which were assigned them in their captivity therefore doth he by a metaphor call them prisoners and the places of their captivity prisons 2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord i. e. He hath sent me to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord For these words are either to be referred to them to wit He hath sent me or they are to be repeated here To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord Supple To the Jews which are in captivity that is to proclaim that the time in which the Lord will redeem is at hand The acceptable year i. e. The year or time in which the Lord is well pleased and in which he will dispense his favors and shew his magnificence by giving gifts as a King unto his people and by delivering those which had offended out of prison This speech is metaphorical but concerning the Metaphor see Cap. 49.8 And the day of vengeance of our God i. e. And the time in which the Lord will pour out his vengeance upon his Enemies that is upon the Babylonians which have held his people in an hard captivity One and the same time may be an acceptable time and yet a day of vengeance an acceptable time in respect of the Kings subjects and a day of vengeance in respect of his Enemies whom he may put to death having taken them captive on that solemn day and the more to celebrate the day and the more to shew his love and care to his people To comfort all that mourn i. e. To comfort all that mourn by reason of their hard usage in Babylon if they mourn likewise for their sins 3. To appoint to them that mourn in Zion i. e. To tell that the Lord will appoint to them that mourn among the people of the Jews which are in Babylon Note that the Prophet suspends this sentence till the next words and there perfects it That mourn See Vers 2. In Zion i. e. Among the people of the Jews supple which are in Babylon Zion is often put by a Prosopopoeia as a woman yea as the mother of the Jews and it is put here by a Metonymy for the Jews themselves To give unto them beauty for ashes Here the Prophet doth perfect the sentence which he left imperfect and in suspence in the former words so that those words and these together are thus to be read or construed q. d. To tell that the Lord will appoint to them that mourn in Zion that is that he will give to them beauty for ashes c. Beauty Beauty is put here per Metonymiam Adjuncti for beautiful garments such as they were wont to wear in times of joy For ashes By ashes is here meant sackcloth basked in ashes such as they were wont to wear in times of mourning for in times of mourning they were wont to put on sackcloth and sit in ashes Or by beauty may be meant the beauty of the face which they were wont to wash and make as beautiful as they could in times of solemn joy and by ashes are meant the ashes which stuck upon the face and made it ill-favoâ—ed in the time of sorrow and mourning and publique calamities for at such times they were not onely wont to sit in ashes but to sprinkle ashes upon their heads If you ask how the Prophet did appoint or give to them which mourn in Zion beauty for ashes I answer He did it by prophecying to them that God would give them beauty in stead of ashes as Jeremy is said to root out and to pull down and to destroy and to throw down to build and to plant Cities because he foretold and prophecyed that they should be rooted out and pulled down and destroyed and thrown down and builded and