known by his Prophet; this feems to be the Defign of the Pro- Chapter phet at the beginning of this Chapter: at the 9th Verfe he tells XLVIII. them he will not fuffer his Anger to rage against them any longer, that their Sufferings were defign'd to reform, and not deftroy them, and therefore they might expect to be redeem'd when they found they had that good Effect upon them; that they needed not to make the leaft Doubt of it if they became fit Objects of his Mercy, for he had Power to redeem them whenever he pleas'd, he had fix'd on One already, whom for their Sakes he would blefs, and enable him to execute on their Oppreffors thofe Designs which would procure them their Liberty: This I have told you, says the Prophet, v. 16. in plain Language, not fuch as Impoftors use; and tell you further, God would never have suffer'd you to be brought into fuch a Condition, had you regarded his Laws; however, thofe who fhall behave themselves decently under the afflicting Hand of God, fhall go forth out of Babylon, and return to their own Country, finging and praifing God their Redeemer by the way; but the Wicked fhall have no part in that joyful Restau ration. Verse 1. H CHAP. XLVIII. Ear ye this, O house of Facob, which are called by the name of Ifrael, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah; which fwear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Ifrael, but not in truth, nor in righ teousness. As if he had faid, Hear what I fay to you concerning the Fall of Babylon, ye Pofterity of Jacob, you who bear the Name of Ifrael, but have none of those Vertues which adorn'd that pious Patriarch; you who are of the Tribe of Judah, who fware by the Name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Ifrael, with a feeming Reverence, yet fhew by your Actions that ye are diffembling Hypocrites. Ver. 2. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themfelves upon the God of Ifrael, the Lord of hosts is his name.] As a Proof that all the outward Reverence they fhew'd to his Name was infincere, he tells them, They call'd themselves of the Holy City, and thought that fufficient to entitle them to God's Favour, without putting themfelves to the Trouble of being holy themselves; and they stayed themselves on X X 2 the Chapter L Chapter the God of Ifrael, that is, rely'd fo much on his Goodness, XLVIII. that they thought he would fave them let them do what they would, tho' they took no Care to deferve at his Hands fo great a Favour as Deliverance from Captivity would be. Ver. 3. I have declared the former things from the beginning: and they went forth out of my mouth, and I fhewed them, I did them fuddenly, and they came to pass.] That is, the Things which have befallen you in former Times I declar'd beforehand fhould come to pass, they went forth out of my Mouth, and just as I foretold them they came to pafs, fuddenly, beyond the Expectation of thofe concern'd in them; therefore ye may affure your felves that what I foretel concerning Cyrus and Babylon fhall be perform'd. Ver. 4. Because I knew that thou art obftinate, and thy neck is an iron finew, and thy brow brafs.] And this I did becaufe I knew that ye were a stubborn People, apt to follow your own headftrong Inclinations, and not kept within the Bounds of your Duty without terrible Threatnings, and as fevere Executions of Judgment, nothing lefs I knew could conquer that perverfe Obftinacy which run in your Blood. Ver. 5. I have even from the beginning declared it to thee: before it came to pass I fhewed it thee: left thou fhouldeft fay, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them.] Therefore now alfo I have beforehand declar'd to you that ye should be carry'd into Capti vity, and there remain many Years, and be at laft redeem'd by a Prince unknown to you; before it came to pass I have often told you of this, to prevent the ill Ufe I well knew you would be apt to make of it, by attributing your Deliver ance to your Idols, which ye cannot now do, fince I tell you beforehand the Name of your Redeemer, which none of your Idols can tell. Ver. 6. Thou hast heard, fee all this; and will not ye declare it? I have fhewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.] Thefe Things thou haft often heard me infift upon, behold now they are all come to pafs; and will ye not for the future believe me? I have no need to have recourfe to Events long fince pafs'd to prove my Veracity; behold I have fhewed thee new things, which thou haft not experienc'd of thy felf, Things which no Con jecture jecture could reach,which thou thy felf thought'ft impoffible Chapter before they came upon thee. Ver. 7. They are created now, and not from the beginning, even before the day when thou heardeft them not; left thou Shouldeft Jay, Behold, I knew them.] That is, The things I fpeak of are not Antient Oracles, fuch as ye have heard your Fore-fathers fay they remember the punctual Completion of, but fuch things as are now Created; that is, decreed by God, and confequently fuch as no Man could have any knowledge of, before they were reveal'd: So that ye can have no temptation to fay ye knew them beforehand, for till I made them known unto you, they were the unfearchable Secrets of God, into which ye could not have the leaft insight. Ver. 8. Tea thou heardeft not, yea thou knewest not, yea from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and waft called a tranfgreffor from the womb.] That is, Tea thou heard'st not of them, before my Prophet reveal'd them to Thee: Tea thou knewest not before I made them known unto thee, Tea from that time when thine ear was not open'd. I told thee of them, that is, at a time when thou had'ft heard nothing of them; and this I inculcate fo often because I knew thou would't deal very treacherously, and waft a tranfgreffor from the Womb: That is, I knew thou would't take all occafions to magnify thy Idols, and attribute thy Deliverance to them, if I had not fo particularly reveal'd it before. This is the best I can make of this very obfcure Place: Which I find moft Commentators have flightly pafs'd over, and left it in the fame obfcurity they found it. Ver. 9. For my names fake will I defer mine anger, and for my praife will refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off] As if he had faid, Think not when you fee the Redeemer at the Gates, that I have fent him upon the Account of any Merit in your felves: There is no fuch thing, 'Tis for my own fake that I will not fuffer you to perish in Captivity, leaft the Babylonians should Blafpheme my Name, and fay, the God of Ifrael could not Deliver his People: 'Tis for my Praife-fake that I ftop my anger, and will not fuffer it to confume you intirely, that I may be prais'd for XLVIII. my Chapter my Compaffion to you, and my Glory be exalted by bringXLVIII. ing you to a Senfe of your Duty by fuffering. Ver. 1o. Behold, I have refined thee, but not with filver; I have chofen thee in the furnace of affliction.] I have put thee into the Furnace of affliction, and refix'd thy Drofs but with a moderate unconfuming heat, with a gentle Fire not fo intenfly hot as that which is requifite to refine Silver: I have chofe, thee in the furnace of affliction, that is, I will choose Thee or make a Choice One of Thee,by making Thee pass through the Furnace of Affliction. Ver. 11, 12, 13. For mine own fake, even for mine own fake I will do it; for how should my name be polluted? and' I will not give my glory unto another. Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Ifrael my called, I am he, I am the first, I also am the laft. Mine hand alfo hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath Spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.] God fpeaks of himself, as of ́a Man of Honour nicely jealous of his Reputation, which he thinks would be fullied and tainted, fhould he suffer thofe Barbarians to infult over his People any longer. I will not give my Glory to another, I will not give occafion to the Heathen to think they were conquer'd by the Power of their Gods, when I my felf rais'd up NebuchadHicronymus. nezzar to this Purpose, and ftrengthen'd his Arm: Or I will not have it thought that their Idols are stronger then the God of Israel: To comfort the afflicted and deliver the Opprefs'd is my proper Bufinefs, and I will not fuffer any thing elfe to fhare the Honour with me. : Ver. 14. All ye Affemble your felves and hear: which among them hath declared these things? the Lord hath loved him he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.] He calls to the Idolatrous Nations, to come and defend the Divinity of their Idols, or the Ido latrous Jews to give a proof of the Divinity, of the Statues they worshipp'd. Here and in feveral other places he calls upon them to fee if they could produce any thing, whereby they might be able to juftify in fome meafure, the ridiculous worshipping of Inanimate Crea tures, and puts it upon this Iffue; he would allow they had reason to worship them, if any of them could prove that their Idols had foretold any thing in general which was was proved true by the Event, or any thing relating to Chapter their Captivity and Redemption out of it: Which makes XLVIII. me think I have given a right turn to the 7th Verfe. The ( Lord hath loved him, The Prophet certainly speaks of a) Gataker, Cyrus, the glorious Inftrument of the Redemption of his San&tius, People, and of the deftruction of their Oppreffors. Caftalio ་ Ver. 15. 16. 1, even I have spoken, yea I have called him: 1 have brought him, and he shall make his way profperous. Come ye hear unto me, hear ye this, I have not spoken in fecret from the beginning, from the time that it was, there am 1: and now the Lord God and his fpirit hath sent me.] That is, fince I began the function of a Prophet, I have not affeated obfcurity like the Heathen Diviners, I have publickly in the hearing of you All, deliver'd to you God's Meffages with an honeft freedom and plainnefs of Speech, fuch as Truth delights in. From the time that it was, there am I, in the Original, Meneth hejothah Sham Ani, A Tempore effe illud ibi ego; That is, even now before these things come to pafs, they are prefent to my Mind, I fee them as plainly as if I were in Babylon among my Captive Brethren. The Hebrew Phrafe a Tempore effe illud, fignifying, Forerius. Nondum exiftente tempore horum eventuum. Ver. 17. Thus faith the Lord thy redeemer, the holy One of Ifrael, I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way thou shouldeft go.] God tells them he had given them Laws, with a defign to reward their Obedience, and made it their Intereft, as well as their Duty, to obferve his Commands; and not only fo, but he offer'd himself to lead them in the way he would have them walk; and if they would have fuffer'd themfelves to be guided by him, they would have been the happiest People in the World.. Ver. 18. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the fea.] Had'st thou ferv'd me faithfully, and kept my Laws, the long Interval of 70 Years Captivity fhould not have broken the Series of happy Years 1 defign'd you, Peace and Profperity-fhould have flow'd in upon you like a running Stream, and made all thy corners green and fruitful. By Righteoufnefs the Prophet does Gataker, not mean any Moral Vertue or Difpofition of Mind, but |