Chapter a confluence of all good things, which God out of his BeXLVIII. nignity is wont to confer on an obedient People. Ver. 19. Thy feed alfo had been as the fand and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off, nor deftroyed from before me.] Had you been obedient, I fhould not have fuffer'd fo many thousands of you to perish in Captivity; but long ago I fhould have fulGen. 22. 17. fill'd my promife to Abraham, and made you the most populous Nation in the World. Ver. 20. Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of finging declare ye, tell this, utter it, even to the end of the earth: fay ye, The Lord hath redeemed his fervant Jacob.] That is, However tho' I have fuffer'd you to be carry'd into Captivity, ye fhall go forth out of Babylon, ye fhall be deliver'd from the Hands of the Chaldeans, and return to your own Country finging Praises to God your Redeemer, and telling the wond'ring Nations as ye pass by, We are the Servants of God, and he has fent us a mighty Deliverer. Ver. 21. And they thirfted not when he led them through the deferts he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock alfo and the waters gushed out.] Here the Perfon is chang'd from the Second, to the Third; but if we continue the fame Perfon, and render the Words futurely, the Prophet's meaning will be more eafily underftood. And ye shall not thirft in your return to Judea, tho' God fhould lead you through barren deferts, for he fhall caufe Waters to flow out of rocks for you, and make them gush out of the stony mountains in large ftreams; plainly alluding to thofe Miracles he wrought, when he brought their Ancestors out of Egypt. Ver. 22. There is no peace, faith the Lord, unto the wick ed.] This Grotius refers to the Chaldeans, but I think it may better be understood of the Jews, who during their Captivity fell off to Idolatry, and were not reform'd by that fevere Correction: as if the Prophet had faid: The Pious Captives fhall be deliver'd, and be conducted home with all Eafe and Convenience: But the Wicked fhall have no fhare in this Profperity. The The ARGUMENT of Chapter XLIX. This whole Chapter is understood by most Interpreters of Christ and his Church, but Sanctius owns that the first 14 Verfes only are to be fo understood, the rest of the Chapter being capable of a double Conftruction,and referring to the Reftitution of the Jews from Captivity, as well as the Church. But I think nothing can be more plain then that the Prophet speaks of himself, and not of our Saviour, because the Characters of the Perfon here Spoken of, are fuch as do not agree with our Saviours Character, who cannot be faid to have Princes arife to him, to establish the Earth, to raise up the Tribes of Jacob, and restore the preferv'd of Ifrael, or to caufe to inherit the defolate Places, and all agree with Ifaiah, as I shall shew in their proper places. The Prophet therefore, to gain credit to his Predictions, gives an account of his Commiffion, that his Words are not to be look'd upon as the private fuggeftions of his Imagination or Reajon, but the Dictates of God's Holy Spirit: That from the Womb he was as it were Confecrated to the Prophetic Office, that God defign'd him more particularly to foretel the Captivity of his People, and their Redemption; to fay to the Prisoners, go forth, and to them that fet in darknefs, fhew your felves: And then, at the 13th verfe he calls on Heaven and Earth to rejoice, because he forefaw God would comfort his People, and have Mercy on his Afflicted; which to me is a Demonftration, that by Prifoners and those who fit in Darkness, must be understood the Jewish Captives, and not Metaphorical Captives, under the Dominion of Sin and Satan: Efpecially confidering that from the 17th to the end of the Chapter he defcribes the Restaura-, tion of thofe Captives, the great increase of that People who should multiply fo faft, that their Land fhould not be able to hold them, and the wonderful kindness of all forts of People toward them, especially of the Persian Kings. A Chapter Verse 1. CHAP. XLIX. O Liften, o ifles, unto me, and hearken ye people from far, The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother bath he made mention of my name.] The Prophet directs himself to the Jews, featter'd in the diftant Regions of the Chaldean Empire, and calls upon them to take particular notice of, and give Credit to his Predictions; the Truth of which they might fecurely depend on, he being no falfe pretender to Divination, but one appointed by God to the Prophetic Office from his Infancy. The fame the Prophet Serem. 1.5. Feremiah faith of himself, and St. Paul alfo: And the Jews Calat. 1.15 fay, a Man is call'd to be a Prophet from the Womb, when he is endu'd by God with fuch a happy temperature of Brain, as makes him fit to receive Celestial Impreffions. Grotius, Ver. 2. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a, polished shaft, in his quiver bath he hid me.] He hath given me Authority and Courage to correct Vice fharply; and 'tis not to be doubted but the freedom the Prophet took in lafhing the Vices of his Age, and making head against the National Corruptions of the Jews, expos'd him to many dangers; but God was his Protection, hiding him under the fhadow of his Hand, which refers to his being a fharp Sword, which hangs under and is as it were fhaded by the Arm, and in his Quiver, which refers to his being a polish'd fhaft. Ver. 3. And faid unto me, Thou art my fervant, O∙Ifrael, in whom I will be glorified.] So Ifaiah might be call'd, because he was a true Ifraelite indeed; but the Words may be render'd in the Dative Cafe. Servus meus es Tu Ifraeli, thou art my Servant for Ifrael's good, in whom I will be glorified, by refcuing them out of their Enemies Hands. Ver. 4. Then Ifaid, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain, yet furely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. As if he had faid, Lord doft Thou expect to be glorified by the Mi nistry XLIX. niftry of thine unworthy Servant? How willingly would Chapter I do any thing to advance thy Glory? But alafs! I have hitherto labour'd in Vain, few there are that return to their Duty, tho' I urge them to it with all the earneftnefs I can. But this comfort I have in my unprofiting Ministry, that the Lord is to be my Judge, who knows how faithfully, how industriously I have executed the Commiffion he gave me, tho' with little Success. Ver. 5,6. And now faith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his fervant, to bring Facob again to him, Though Ifrael be not gathered, yet fhall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God fhall be my strength. And he faid, It is a light thing that thou fhouldeft be my fervant to raise up the tribes of Facob, and to restore the preferved of Ifrael: I will alfo give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my falvation unto the end of the earth.] Here the different reading produces two different Senfes, according as Lo is writ with an Aleph or Vau; if with an Aleph, the words may be thus Paraphras'd: And the Lord who form'd me from the Womb to be his Servant, and to be inftrumental in bringing back Jacob again to him, return'd this Answer unto me, Tho' Ifrael be not gathered to me by thy Ministry, yet halt thou be glorious in mine Eyes, and I thy God will ftrengthen thee againft all thine Ene mies: but if Lo be read with a Vau, the Words will admit the following Senfe: And now, faith the Lord, that Gatsker. form'd me in the Womb, to be his Servant for the reducing of Facob to him, that Ifrael may be gather'd to him, and I may be glorify'd in the Eyes of the Lord my God, who has been my strength even he said, it is a light thing: It is but a fmall matter for thee to reduce or reftore this handful of People, tho' thou fhould't have as ample fuccefs with them as thou defireft, in comparifon of that further Work, I defign to effect by thy Miniftry. But the first reading I prefer, and think the original Expreffions will bear the following Senfe: Tho' Ifrael by thy Exhortations be not now converted to me, yet fhalt thou be glorious in the Eyes of the Lord, and thy God fhall ftrengthen thee. For it is no Inglorious Matter to be the Servant of the moft High God, to be Inftrumental toward restoring the opprefs'd Tribes of Judah, and recovering Y y 2 them Chapter them to the fame flourishing condition they were in beXLIX. fore their Captivity: This thou fhalt do by thy Prophecies, which Cyrus hearing of fhall be incourag'd to undertake the Expedition against the Chaldeans, and the Jews being acquainted with them, fhall perfevere with refignation to Providence till the appointed time. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that is, the Nations beholding the exact accomplishment of things foretold fo long 'before-hand, fhall have their Eyes open'd and forfake the worthip of Idols, and thou shalt be my Salvation unto the end of the Earth, by turning the Heathen from Idolatry; which if they had perfifted in they must have been condemn'd before God, for acting contrary to the light of Nature, or fuffering that light to be extinguifh'd. " Ver. 7. Thus faith the Lord the redeemer of Ifrael, and his only One, to him whom man defpifeth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a fervant of rulers, Kings fhall fee and arife, princes alfo fhall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the holy One of Ifrael, and he shall choose thee.] Libzo Nephefh, ad contemptorem Anime, meaning himself, who without regard to his own fafety rebuk'd the Vices of the great Ones, with an undaunted Courage, to him whom the Nation abhors; that is, the Perfon the Nation of the Jews abhor, for no other reafon but for telling them the Truth. To Ifaiah a Subject of the King of Judah, fhall Kings themselves arife and not think it below their Dignity, to fhew him Refpect and Honour: Nothing of this nature ever happen'd to our Saviour, Princes alfo Jhall worship him. The Original fignifies a Civil as well as Religious Worship, in the first of which it is applicable to the Prophet, who was Honour'd by Eliakim, and other Princes of Hezekiah's Court. Ver. 8. Thus faith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of falvation have I helped thee: and I will preferve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to caufe to inherit the defolate heritages. The Prophet alludes to the Custom of Princes, who on purpose fet apart fome portion of their Time for receiving Petitions, and Addreffes from their Subjects, which are granted at fuch opportunities more readily, then if offer'd unfeafonably to the interruption of more important |