is not onely understood immediately by the letter 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 But also of the mercy of God in saving a remnant according to the election of grace from everlasting destruction by Christ Jesus Rom. 9.29 And what we read Cap. 8.18 I and the Children which the Lord hath given me is understood of Isaiah and his children by him begotten for Isaiah there speakes in his own person But it is not onely understood of Isaiah but also of Christ of whom Isaiah was a Type Heb. 2.13 And those words which we read Cap. 25.8 He will swallow up death in victory And these the Lord God will wipe away teares from all faces Though they are understood of that joy which should be to the Iewes and all the neighbouring people upon the slaughter of the Assyrians which laid Iudah waste and besiedged Hierusalem Yet they are to be understood also of that joy which the Redeemed of Christ should enjoy when He had put their spirituall Enemies under his feet 1 Cor. 15. v. 55. Rev. 7. v. 17. and 21. v. 4. And what we read Cap. 53. v. 7. How beautifull are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth salvation Though it be understood according to the letter of those which brought good tidings of the delivery of the Iewes out of Babylon Yet it is understood also and according to the letter too of the Preachers of the Gospel Rom. 10. v. 15. I shall not need to bring any more examples of this for they which shall read this our Exposition may have the opportunity to observe many Notes of this kind as of the others also which I have propounded But it may be objected against these Observations and asked here If the Word of God carry a double sense with it and the sentences of the Scripture may have a double meaning are they not like the Oracles of the Devill which carried a double sense and had with them a double meaning Answ God forbid For first the Oracles of the Devill though they had a double meaning and carried a double sense with them yet their double meaning and double sense was concerning one and the same thing But the Word of God where it hath a double meaning or a double sense relateth not to one and the same thing but to severall things whereof one is as the Type and Figure of the other Secondly Though the Word of God doth carry a double sense with it in many places yet is each part of the sense determined to its proper subject and not left in suspense and doubtfull But the double sense which the Oracles of the Devill had were not determined to any one truth but left in suspense and doubtfull that the Devill upon the Event of the thing of which he gave his Oracle might apply it as he list to save his credit with his followers Thirdly The double sense of the Oracles which the Devill gave was contradictory the one part thereof to the other and could not both parts of it be possibly true in the event because they implied a Contradiction But though many parts of the Word of God and many sentences thereof doe carry with them a double sense or double meaning yet are both of the senses and meanings true there is no disagreeing between them in that matter Examples of the Word of God which carry a double sense with them I have given divers a little before Now take one instance of the Devils Oracles and by that judge of the rest When Pyrrhus King of Epirus had a mind to goe to battle against the Romans he was desirous to know what successe he was like to have before he went to battle and therefore asked counsell of Apollo who gave him this answer Aio te Aeacide Romanos vincere posse which I render thus I say that Pyrrhus the Romans can overcome which answer hath a double sense for the sense may be this that Pyrrhus can overcome the Romanes or this that the Romanes can overcome Pyrrhus where you see first that this double sense is concerning one and the same subject Secondly That the sense is not determined but left in suspense and doubtfull for he doth not determine whither Pyrrhus can overcome the Romans or the Romans Pyrrhus And thirdly One part of the sense is contradictory to the other and therefore cannot both parts be true in the event For if it be true that Pyrrhus can vanquish the Romans then cannot it be true that the Romans can vanquish Pyrrhus And if it be true that the Romans can vanquish Pyrrhus it cannot be true that Pyrrhus can vanquish the Romans The Fourth thing that I desired might be taken notice of was That though in many Histories and Prophesies of these holy Writers there be sometimes one sometimes more sentences which signifie immediately by their words some passage or passages which appertain not onely to the First Literall Historicall or Meaner â—ense But also some passage or passages which appertain to the Second Mysticall or Sublime Sense yet the words are not alwayes to be taken after the same manner but sometimes in a different manner in one from that in which they were taken in the other sense And this we may see illustrated and verified by divers examples The sixty ninth Psalm was a Psalm which David made when he was in distresse and therein he complaineth grievously of his Enemies being no doubt in great streights and pressure at that time Now as David was a Type of Christ so doth this Psalm which sets forth the afflictions of David prophesie of the afflictions and miseries which Christ should suffer while he was on the earth by the Sonnes of Men And as the whole Psalm in the first sence concerneth David so in the second and sublime sense it concerneth Christ and some particular sentences are understood acording to the words as well of Christ as they are of David but of David in a Proverbiall and Figurative of Christ in a proper kind of speech For that sentence In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink Vers 21. Is spoken of David onely figuratively and in the manner of a Proverb and signifies that when he had need of comfort they did in stead of comforting him adde sorrow to his grief But it is spoken of Christ properly and foretels that his enemies should give him vinegar indeed to drink and it was fulfilled while he hung upon the Crosse Iohn 19. vers 28 29. So Psal 19. v. 4. It is written according to our old Translation and according to the Septuagint and according to Saint Paul's reading Rom. 10. v. 18. Their sound is gone out into all Lands And their words into the ends of the world which are spoken in the First
the uncircumcised and unclean are generally meant the Heathen see cap. 35. v. 8. but here by a Synecdoche generis the Babylonians 2. Shake thy self from the dust q. d. Arise from off the ground on which thou fittest and shake off the dust which is upon thee that is as if he should say Leave off thy mourning He alludeth to the manner of Mourners in old time which were wont in their heaviness to sit on the ground in the dust See cap. 3.26 and cap. 47.1 Arise From off the ground And sit down Supple On thy wonted Throne See cap. 47.1 Loose thy self from the bands of thy neck i. e. Loose the iron bands from off thy neck An Hypallage He speaks of such iron bands as Captives were wont to wear about their necks which bands they wore either in token of their captivity or that they might be either linked thereby one to another or to some posts that they ran not away O captive Daughter of Zion i. e. O Jerusalem which art now a captive to the Babylonians Daughter of Zion i. e. The Daughter of Zion is put here for Zion that is Jerusalem See cap. 1.8 3. Ye have sold your selves i. e. Thou and thy Children the Jews have sold your selves How the Jews sold themselves into the hands of the Babylonians see cap. 50. vers 1. For nought i. e. Without mony for the Babylonians gave them no mony to serve them as they did And ye shall be redeemed without mony i. e. And ye shall be freed yet ye shall not give mony to the Babylonians to set you free for ye shall be redeemed by force out of their hands 4. My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there Supple And when they were there the Egyptians did grievously afflict them but I delivered them out of their afflictions All this is here to be understood Of the Israelites going down into Egypt read Gen. 46.6 Of their affliction in Egypt read Exod. 1.8 c. Of their delivery read Exod. cap. 12 13 14. And the Assyrian oppressed them without cause i. e. And after that Sennacherib the King of Assyria did oppress my people having no just cause on his part so to do Supple But I did redeem them out of his hands All this is here to be understood also Concerning Sennacheribs oppressing the Jews and their delivery from his oppression see Cap. 36 37 of this Book 5. Now therefore Supple That I delivered my people first out of the hand of the Egyptian and then out of the hand of the Assyrian and the Babylonian hath now carryed my people the Jews into captivity and doth there use them with all cruelty What have I here i. e. What do I see in the Babylonian Supple which I saw not in the Egyptian and Assyrian That my people is taken away for nought Supple By the Babylonian and I should not take them out of the hand of the Babylonian as well as I did take them out of the hand of the Egyptian and Assyrian All this is here to be understood so that there is a great Brachylogy or curtness of speech in these two viz. the fourth and fifth Verses For nought i. e. Without cause as vers 4. Or without mony as vers 3. They that rule over them i. e. The Babylonians which rule over my people Make them to howl i. e. Make them to cry and make pitiful lamentation by reason of the cruelty with which they use them The Lord giveth reasons here why he should deliver his people out of the hands of the Babylonians as well as he did out of the hands of the Egyptians and Assyrians yea why he should rather do it For the Babylonians used his people more cruelly then either the Egyptians or the Assyrians did And my Name continually every day is blasphemed Supple By the Babylonians who say that I am not able to deliver my people out of their hands This Blasphemy of the Babylonians was occasioned partly by the Jews themselves which were in captivity because they staggered at the power of God and doubted whether he were able to deliver them out of the hands of the Babylonians or no. See cap. 49. v. 24. cap. 50. v. 2 c. and Rom. 2.24 My Name i. e. I. 6. Therefore my people shall know my Name i. e. Therefore my people shall know me to wit How powerful I am and how faithful in my words to them and they shall know me to be such by my delivery of them out of Babylon They shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak i. e. They shall know in that day in which I shall deliver them that I who now speak unto them am the Lord God For in that day I will do that which none but the Lord God can do In that day Supple In which I shall deliver them out of their captivity in Babylon Here is a Relative without an Antecedent I am he i. e. By He is meant He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit the Lord God I am he that doth speak Here is an Hypallage or transposition of words For I am he that doth speak is put for I that do speak am he 7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tydings The good tydings here spoken of are the good tydings of the Jews deliverance out of the hands of the Babylonians And the Prophet here to shew the certainty of this that the Jews should be delivered out of the hands of the Babylonians speaks as though the Jews were already delivered and that a Messenger were in sight which brought news from Babylâ—n to Jerusalem of their deliverance And therefore he saith of the Messenger to them which stood by as though they saw him coming Behold how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tydings c. How beautiful are the feet of him c. i. e. How welcome is he and how doth the sight of him rejoyce our hearts The feet which are but part are put here for the whole man by a Synecdoche They are said of the Hebrews to have beautiful feet which come with joyful news because men willingly behold their coming which is performed by the feet and are rejoyced at it Vpon the mountains Jerusalem was compassâ—d about with mountains Therefore as though this Messenger were coming over the mountains towards Jerusalem he saith How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet c. That publisheth peace i. e. That tells abroad that prosperity and happiness is befaln the Jews in Babylon by their delivery by Cyrus That bringeth good tydings of good Supple Which is befaln the Jews in Babylon That publisheth Salvation i. e. That tells abroad that Salvation is come to the Jews in Babylon Salvation By salvation is meant the delivery of the Jews out of captivity That saith unto Sion By Sion is here meant Jerusalem the holy City which he speaks of as a woman or
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
his Priests and Levites his commandements and the wayes which we should walk in and according to which He will be worshipped His wayes He calls the Commandements of the Lord his wayes and his paths by a Metaphor For as while we walk in a right way or path we doe not erre but goe on without wandring to our journeys end So when we observe and keep the Commandements of God we doe not erre but goe on in the way to eternal happinesse And we will walk in his Paths i. e. We will walk in those wayes which He teacheth us or we will doe as He will have us and worship Him as He appoints us For out of Sion shall goe forth the Law i. e. For many people shall come to Hierusalem to the House of God to learn the Law of God and shall carry the knowledge of it back with them Or he speaks here of the fame of the Law putting the Law by a Metonymie for the fame thereof q. d. For out of Sion shall goe forth a Great fame and report of the Law of God which fame and report shall cause all Nations to flow to the Mountain that is to the Temple to learn that Law He speakes here of the Law or the fame of the Law as of a Person by a Prosopopoeia Sion This is that Mount which he called The Mountain of the Lords House Vers 2. And the Word of the Lord from Hierusalem This is a Repetition of the foregoing Sentence 4. And He shall judge among the Nations and shall rebuke many People q. d. He shall examine the cause of the warres and quarrels which have been between Nations and judge thereby who have been the cause of them And those People which have been the Authors of the wrong and cause of the warres and quarrels He shall rebuke sharply that they may not offend in this kind any more The meaning is that God shall make peace between those Nations and People which were at warre and enmity one with another The Phrase is Metaphoricall borrowed from the manner of ending private quarrels and contentions among Men of the same Country For when private quarrels and contentions are brought before a Magistrate the Magistrate examineth the matter and judgeth between the disagreeing parties which of them begun the quarrell and did the wrong and finding by whom the quarrel began and who was the cause thereof he rebuketh that party and reprooveth him for it and so maketh peace between them which were at odds before But yet these words And He shall judge among the Nations may be interpreted thus and that perhaps better q. d. And the Lord shall judge among the Nations and they shall willingly submit to His Judgement The meaning whereof is That the Lord shall be their God and their King and that they shall take Him for their God and their King and obey Him and fear Him accordingly The way which God is said here to judge the People is by His Law and by those which he had ordained his Ministers therein So that none are judged in this sense but they which belong to the People of God For the Ministers of God have nothing to doe to judge those which are without 1 Cor. 5. vers 12. And He shall rebuke many people It is the part of a Judge to rebuke where he findes a fault therefore to rebuke is put here for to judge And this is but a repetition of the former sentence And they shall beat their Swords into Plow-shares and their speares into pruning-hookes i. e. They shall change the weapons which they use in warre into Instruments of Husbandry which they use in peace The sense is they shall be at peace one with another per Metonymiam Effecti Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation i. e. Nation shall not fight with Nation in battle Neither shall they learn warre any more i. e. Neither shall they give their mind to war or practice it any more Because warre is learnt by practice Hence doth he say Neither shall they learn warre for neither shall they practice warre any more Any more These words doe not alwayes exclude the whole time following but sometimes some little part of the future onely and signifie for a while or for a time So we read 2 Kings 6.23 That the bands of Syria came no more into the Land of Israel And yet it followeth Vers 24. in the very next words And it came to passe after this that Benhadad King of Syria gathered all his Hoste and went up and besiedged Samaria The Hebrewes as I said Vers 2. are often Hyperbolicall in their expressions of time Now for the sense of this Verse We may understand this place not of the whole Nations but of as many of them as turned to the Lord as we said Vers 2. For though they were at enmity and warres one with another in respect of their severall Nations of which they were members heretofore Yet now being joyned together in the worship of the same God they lived and loved together as Friends and Brethren and were at peace both with themselves and with the Jewes 5. O house of Jacob. i. e. O children of Jacob See Cap. 3. vers 6. Let us walk in the light of the Lord. i. e. Let us walk in the Law of the Lord and according to the direction thereof By the Light of the Lord is meant the Law and Commandâ—ments of God For the Commandement is a Lamp and the Law is Light Prov. 6.23 The Commandement of the Lord is pure enlightning the Eyes Psal 19 8. It is a Lamp to the feet and a Light to the paths Psal 119.105 It is both the way in which we should walk and a Light to direct us in that way The Prophets here fore-seeing in the Spirit this willing Conflux of the Gentiles to Gods worship would from their example stir up the Jewes to a willing and chearfull walking in the Law of God 6. Therefore thou hast forsaken thy People the House of Jacob because c. The Prophet fore-seeing that the Jews would not take his counsel given in the former verse and walk in the light of the Lord but continue in darknesse and walk therein threatneth them with Gods Judgement against them for it and foretels what should befall them at the length q. d. Being that thy People O Lord will not walk in thy Light but walk in Darknesse therefore wilt thou forsake them c. Thus have these words their immediate coherence with the former yet if any will make this the beginning of a new Sermon I will not strive with him Thou hast forsaken i. e. Thou hast determined to forsake them Or thou wilt forsake them For the Prophets often use a Praeterfect Tense for a Future God is said to forsake his People here because he suffered their enemies the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar to spoil them and destroy them and hindered them not Thy People the House of Jacob. q. d.
Verse of the former Chapter And the seven first Verses of this Chapter contain at least by the by a Reason why they should cease from Man that is from putting any trust and confidence in man as the Prophet counselleth Chap. 2 vers 22. q. d. Cease I say from man that is from putting any trust and confidence in man as though he could save you and deliver you from the day of the Lord of Hosts which I have foretold you of Chap. 2 12. c. For behold the Lord of Hosts will take away your bread and your your drink by which your life is supported and what will become of man then And though there be among you now some mighty men and men of warre and Judges and Prophets and Prudent and Ancient Captaines of fifty Counsellors cunning Artificers eloquent Orators which are the props and staies of your Common-wealth to uphold it that it falls not to ruine of it self and to bear it up a little against forrain enemies And in which you put your trust and confidence Yet before that day of the Lord cometh which is spoken of Chap. 2.13 he will take away all these And moreover he will give you Children to be your Princes and Babes to rule over you In whose time there shall be no good government or order among you But Anarchie Sedition and Confusion And so miserable shall your State be as that if there be any man thought fit to rule among you yet he will not accept of it so that there shall not be any men among you to keep you from ruine amongst your selves much lesse to preserve you from the ruine which I threatned to you in the name of God in the former Chap. So that your trust and confidence in man shall be but vaine Doth take away i. e. Will take away A Praesent Tense for a Future The stay and the staffe i. e. The Props and the Pillars of the Common-wealth These words are Metaphoricall taken from a stay or a staffe that an old feeble man hath wherewith to uphold him and keep him from falling What he meaneth particularly by the stay and the staffe he tells in the next words The whole stay of bread i. e. All the bread and by bread understand all other food which is the stay and support of mans life When he saith the stay of Bread he meaneth bread which is a stay Supple of mans life and speaketh as Paul doth Rom. 4. vers 11. Where he saith Abraham received the sign of Circumcision that is Circumcision which was a Sign And the whole stay of water By water he meaneth all manner of drink which he calleth a stay because it is a Stay a Support of mans life as well as bread and meat Now when God taketh away from man his meat and his drink man must needs die In what therefore is man to be accounted of or what confidence can we put in man to save us from what God intendeth against us when God can take away his meat and his drink and they being taken away man must needs perish 2. The migty man Supple Of Valour The Proâ—het goeth on to shew what he meant by the stay and the staffe which he spake of vers 1 And the man of warre i e. The man expert in warre and military affaires The Judge By the Judge is meant not onely he which decideth causes which are brought before him But also the Magistrate which is set for the preservation of the Peace and prevention of disorders And the Prophet The Prophet was he who was wont to instruct the People in the way of the Lord and to whom they were wont to make their addresses in their distresses as Ezekiah did to Isaiah 2 King 19.2 and Jâ—siah to Huldah 2 King 22. vers 13 14. And the Prudent By the Prudent is meant the man which can wisely conjecture of what will be in future by considering the state of things in present And the Anâ—ient By the Ancient is meant he which hath gained wisedome by long experience 3. The Captaine of fifty The Hebrews had Captaines over fifty Souldiers as we have most usually Captaines over an hundred See 2 King 1. Vers 9 10 11 12 13 c. And the honourable man i. e. The man which is of Authority and Grace with the People and whom the People honour and reverence and by whom they will be easily ruled to do what he would have them And the Counsellor i. e. The Senator or Counsellor of State who is able to give good counsell and advice in state matters And the cunning Artificer i. e. And the cunning Engeneer which is witty and cunning in devising and making Fortifications and Engines and Instruments of Warre And the eloquent Orator The eloquent Orator is of great use to reconcile those which are at variance and to pacifie those which are angry and to appease tumults and uproares and to incite and encourage people to fight for their Countrey and to go in an Embassie and to disswade an enemy from his enterprize Note that when the Prophet spoke this most men in place were wicked and unable men as appeares vers 12. Yet all were not so But there were many good and able men even among them even such as are here mentioned in the second and third Verses Note that in the second and third Verses of this Chapter a Singular number is put every where for a Plurall Note also for confirmation of what the Prophet said Chap. 2.22 That when God took away these men which are here spoken of he did experimentally shew how little we ought to trust in man and how meanly he is to be accounted of He did also shew thâ—t there was no possibility or likelyhood that man could save Judah and Hierusalem from the destruction threatned Chap 2. when he had taken away these Props and Pillars thereof and given them such Kings as he speakes of v. 4. 4. And I will give Children to be their Princes and Babes shall rule over them q. d. And when I have taken away these Props and Pillars 〈◊〉 will give Children to be their Princes and Babes to rule over them â—f the Kings themselves had been wise and experienced men in Government the misse of most of those men mentioned in the second or third Verses would have been the lesse For they are but the Kings Instruments and Helpes in Government But to make up the measure of the misery of this People to the full he saith that their Kinges themselves shall be Babes and Children that is of no understanding in those things which concern the good of the Common-wealth By Childeren and Babes He meaneth not Children and Babes for age But Children and Babes for understanding in those things which concern good government and the good and safety of the publique By Princes and those which shall rule ever them he meaneth their Kings which are the Supream Rulers and in particular Jehoiakim Jehoiachin and Zedekiah
wait upon the Lord c. And the young men shall utterly fall i. e. And the young men may so fall through faintness and weariness that they shall never rise up again 31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength i. e. But they that wait upon the Lord and rely upon him and stay his good time and leasure though they are weary yet shall they gather new strength He tacitely adviseth the Jews here to wait upon the Lord notwithstanding the length of their captivity They shall mount up with wings i. e. They shall be so lusty as that they shall mount up as it were with wings As Eagles Which are the strongest and highest-flying of all birds ISAIAH CHAP. XLI KEep silence before me O Islands The Prophet alludeth here to the manner of a Court in which Causes are pleaded For he brings in God pleading with those which worship Idols concerning his Divinity and the Divinity of Idols that it may be known which of them is the true God He the Lord or Idols Keep silence before me i. e. Hold ye your peace while I plead for my self that ye may hear what I can say for my self and what Arguments I can bring to prove my Divinity These words are spoken in the person of God as appears by the fourth Verse though God speaks as a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Islands i. e. O ye Inhabitants of the Islands A Metonymy The Hebrews call not onely those Lands which are environed with the Seas Islands but those Lands also which lie by Seas and Rivers Yea here Islands may be taken for any Land or Country whatsoever See Notes Cap. 20. v. 16. And let the people renew their strength q. d. And when I have said what I can for my self in my Cause then let the people which make and worship Idols strengthen themselves afresh with the best arguments they have either to refute my speech or defend their own cause which they have undertaken in defence of their Idols By that that he saith Let them renew their strength he intimateth a former contention in which the Idolaters were too weak in Arguments to defend their Cause Let them come neer Supple That they may hear me Then let them speak q. d. Then when they have heard what I shall say let them speak what they have to say Let us come neer together to judgment i. e. Let the people and me come neer together that after the pleading and discussing or arguing the case our case may be judged and sentence given thereon 2. Who raised up the righteous man from the East i. e. Who rouz'd up Abraham and made him go out of Vr of the Caldees By the righteous man here is meant Abraham whose righteousness Moses speaks of Gen. 15.6 18.19 23.16 By the East is meant Vr of the Caldees which was in the East in respect of Judea See the story Gen. 11.31 cap. 12.1 Here the Lord begins to plead for himself and his Divinity against Idols and Idolaters Called him to his foot i. e. Called him to follow him as it were at his heels or called him to travel and make use of his feet See Genes 12.1 Josh 24.3 Hebr. 11.8 how God called Abraham to follow him Gave the Nations before him i. e. Subdued the Nations before him And made him rule over Kings i. e. And gave him victory over Kings Because that Conquerors do for the most part rule over those whom they conquer and lord it over them therefore to rule over Kings is put here for to conquer Kings And yet the posterity at least of Abraham did not onely conquer Kings but also rule over them And that which is here spoken may be understood not onely of Abraham in his own person but of Abraham in his posterity For being that Abrahams children were in his loyns when God called him God may be said to call them also as they are also said for the same reason to pay Tythes to Melchisedec Hebr. 7.9 10. See more Vers 9. The Kings over which God gave Abraham the victory in his person were Chedorlaomer King of Elam Tidal King of Nations Amraphel King of Shinar and Arioch King of Ellasar whom Abraham subdued Gen. 14.15 And the Nations here meant were those Nations which served under those Kings in that expedition which they undertook against the King of Sodom and others and whom Abraham overthrew with their Kings Gen. 14.2 But note that the victory which is here said to be given to Abraham over Kings and Nations may not be understood onely of that victory which God gave to Abraham in person but of those victories also which God gave to Abrahams children as to Moses Joshua and other Israelites and that which God gave to them he was said to give to Abraham as he is said to have given the Land of Canaan to Abraham Gen. 13.15 which yet he gave not to Abraham but to Abrahams seed But therefore he was said to have given it to Abraham because he gave it to Abrahams seed then being in the loyns of Abraham Now to Abraham that is to Abrahams children God gave many victories as victory over the Egyptians and over the Amalekites and Moabites and Ammonites and the Canaanites and th◠Philistins and other Kings and Nations which they conquered and ruled over He gave them as the dust to his Sword and as driven stubble to his Bow q. d. Who made those Nations and Kings to scatter themselves and fly before the Sword and before the Bow of the Righteous man as the dust and the stubble which are scattered and fly before the wind A prepositive Pronoun is put here for an Interrogative He for Who. He mentioneth the Sword and the Bow because they were the warlike weapons then in use Gen. 48.22 Psal 44.3 6. 3. He pursued them i. e. The Righteous man even Abraham pursued them And passed safely even by the way that he had not gone with his feet i. e. And he passed safely as he pursued them even by a way which he never passed in his life before because God was his guide 4. Who hath done it q. d. Who hath raised the Righteous man from the East c. and gave him such victories as these are Calling the generations from the begining q. d. And who hath not onely done this that is raised the righteous man from the East and given him these victories but also hath called the generations from the beginning For he that did the one did the other also Calling the generations from the begining i. e. Ruling and having ruled and bore sway over all people from the begining of the World hitherto By generations he means men which are generated or begotten of men by a Metonymy Or by the generations he meaneth the men of all generations that is of all ages By calling he meaneth ruling or bearing sway over For they which bear good sway and have good command
among the Gentiles i. e. And such shall be the prosperity of their children as that the Gentiles shall take notice of them for the pâ—osperity and happiness which they shall enjoy above other people That they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed q. d. Whereas the Lord blessed the seed of Abraham Gen. 26.4 all that see them shall know that they are the seed of Abraham whom the Lord blessed 10. I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord i. e. I will greatly rejoyce because of the goodness of the Lord towards me This is spoken in the person of Zion by a Prosopopoeia for Zion hearing these great things which the Prophet speaketh of and believing them breaketh out into joy and gladness saying I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord. In the Lord i. e. Because of the goodness of the Lord towards me in my children In is put here for For or Because of and is a sign of the Object and the Lord is put here for the goodness of the Lord per Metonymiam efficientis He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation i. e. For he hath redeemed me out of the Babylonish captivity He compareth the Redemption or Salvation by which they were saved or delivered out of the Babylonish captivity to a garment therefore he calls it the garment of Salvation He puts a preterperfect tense for a future He hath covered me with the robes of righteousness This is a repetition of the former sentence for by righteousness he meaneth salvation of which more in the following Verse As a Bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments i. e. As a Bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments on the day of his marriage on which day he is at the finest 11. So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth Supple In me or for me This is spoken still in the person of Zion who takes that which is done to her children the Jews as done also to her self Righteousness By righteousness he meaneth salvation that salvation by which the Lord redeemed Zion and her children out of the hands of the cruel Babylonians and this salvation he calleth righteousness per Metonymiam efficientis because God gave it to the Jews which were righteous as a reward of their righteousness as also because God gave it to the Jews according to his promise so that it was an effect of Gods righteousness that is of his fidelity or faithfulness in keeping promise Praise By praise he meaneth also salvation and redemption even the salvation and redemption of Sion and her children and that per Metonymiam effectus because that Salvation and Redemption bring forth praise to God for they which are saved and redeemed will praise God for his Salvation and Redemption Before all Nations i. e. In the sight of all Nations ISAIAH CHAP. LXII FOr Zions sake I will not hold my peace i. e. For the love which I bare to Zion I will not hold my peace but call upon God day and night to save Zion out of the hands of the Babylonians The Prophet speaks this as though the Jews were even then in captivity and neer to be delivered and as though he himself did see them in distress bodily And what he saith he would do here certainly many of the godly men and the Prophets which lived in the time of the captivity did do For Jerusalems sake I will not rest This is a repetition of the former sentence I will not rest Supple From calling upon God to hasten the salvation of Zion Vntil the righteousness thereof i. e. Until the salvation thereof that is of Zion By righteousness is meant salvation See cap. 51.11 Go forth as brightness i. e. Go forth as a light which dispelleth the darkness As brightness i. e. As a light He putteth brightness for light that is for a body which giveth light and shineth clearly per Metonymiam adjuncti He compareth the salvation of the Jews to a bright shining body because as such a body giveth light so would this salvation bring joy and prosperity with it which the Scripture doth often resemble to light and call by the name of light And the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth This is a repetition of the former sentence For the Lamp that burneth shineth 2. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness i. e. For the Gentiles shall see the salvation which God shall work for thee And is put here for For and righteousness for salvation as Vers 1. Thy glory i. e. The glorious estate with which God will bless thee He calleth the glorious estate which God would give her her glory per Metonymiam adjuncti The Prophet useth an Apostrophe here to Zion whom he speaks to as to a woman Thou shalt be called by a new name What this new name is by which Zion should be called we shall read vers 4. Which the mouth of the Lord shall name i. e. Which the Lord shall give unto thee The mouth of the Lord is put here by a Synecdoche for the Lord himself The name which the Lord shall give her shall consist rather in reality then in words for Gods word are operative and turn to deeds 3. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord i. e. Thou shalt also be as a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord that is Thou shalt also be precious in the eyes of the Lord. The Note of similitude As is here left to be understood and a substantive of the Genitive case viz. of glory is put for the Adjective glorious A crown is a rich and precious ornament of a King therefore he saith she shall be as a crown of glory or as a glorious crown to shew the happy and glorious estate which she shall attain to and how precious she should be And he saith In the hand of the Lord to shew that the Lord should delight in her and have a continual eye upon her For it is a sign that we delight in and take pleasure in a thing when we love to have it in our eyes and to look upon it And a royal Diadem in the hand of our God i. e. And as a royal Diadem in the hand of our God This is a repetition of the former sentence A Diadem was an Ornament or Crowne which Kings used to weare upon their heades It was made commonly of purple silke and beset with pearles and jewells and pretious stones 4. Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken i. e. Thou shalt be no more forsaken Note that to be termed or to be called so or so signifieth with the Hebrewes to be so and so for by being so or so they may be called so or so Sion was forsaken when God who was her husband left her for her whoredomes and had no pleasure in her Neither shall thy Land be termed any more desolate By the Land of Sion is here meant the Land of Judah whereof Sion or Jerusalem was the head The