Chapter meant the Pofterity of thofe neighbouring Nations, LX. which before they were carry'd into Captivity, were always difturbing their repofe, or elfe the Babylonians who were left in Judea, when they were tranfported to Babylon, who upon their return endeavour'd at first to hinder their fettlement; but finding their numbers Increafe and Success attend them, might endeavour a reconciliation and court their Friendship: Which is all the Prophet means by bending and bowing themfelves at thy feet.

Cbald.
Paraph.

Ver. 15. Whereas thou hast been forfaken and hated, that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.] He fpeaks to the City of Ferufalem, which had been uninhabited for many Years, fo that no Man went through her Streets: And promises to restore her to her antient Glory, and continue it to her for many Ages, which is all the means by the Hyperbolical Expreffion of an Eternal Excellency, and the joy of many Generations.

Ver. 16. Thou shalt alfo fuck the milk of the Gentiles, and fhalt fuck the breaft of Kings, and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy faviour and thy redeemer, the mighty one of Facob.] That is, thou fhalt draw the riches of the Gentiles to thy felf, and be glutted with them as a Child is with Milk from the Mothers Breafts; Satiaberis divitiis populorum: And accordingly we find in the Hiftory of their return, that among other things, Cyrus in his Proclamation gave strict charge, Whosoever remaineth in any place where he fojourneth: Let the Men of his place help him, with Silver and with Gold, and with goods and with Beafts; befides the Free-will Offering for the House of God, which is in Jeru falem. And we may take notice that as the Prophet reprefents them, as govern'd by their own Laws, and exhorts them to Charity and Brotherly kindness, a Virtue they could not poffibly Exercise, were they ftript of all and made Slaves of, according to our notion of modern Earah. 1. 4. flavery; So the Hiftorian reprefents them as fojourners in a Strange Land,where at first very probably they were roughly us'd and treated barbarously, but after fome Years they were settled in fuch and fuch places, under fuch restrictions as the Government thought fit to impofe on them, and left to their own Laws and Customs among themselves.

Ver. 17. For brafs I will bring gold, and for iron I will Chapter bring filver, and for wood brass, and for ftones iron: I will al- LX. fo make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. ] That is, I will give thee fuch Officers to govern thee, as fhall be meek and peaceable, not ready to facrifice thy Peace to their own Caprice, and declare War against their Neighbours, only to make themselves confiderable by the Management of it. And those who fhall be appointed to collect the public Subfidies, which the Affairs of the Kingdom fhall at any time make neceffary to be rais'd, fhall be Men of Integrity, who will not greedily extort any more than thy juft proportion, and honeftly apply what they gather to the Ufes for which it is given: Which the Prophet puts in, to prevent an Objection Sion might make, What shall I be the better, if thou givelt me Gold inftead of Iron, if I must be govern'd by fuch Magistrates as will take it away whether I will or no?

Ver. 18. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wafts ing nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls falvation, and thy gates praife.] That is, Thou shalt for the future be fecure from the Invafions of Enemies; thy Borders shall no more be infested by plundering Armies, nor thy Countrey be deftroy'd by Fire and Sword, as it has often been in times paft; but thou shalt call thy walls falvation; that is, Thou fhalt be fecure within thine own Walls, and fhalt praise God for the happy change of thy Circumstances.

Ver. 19. The fun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness fhall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord fhall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.] The Prophet does not mean, That when they were return'd to Judea, they fhould have no more occalion for the Light of the Sun or Moon; but that their Happiness should con- Gataker. fift in a full Enjoyment of God's Favour, and the Bleffings neceflarily confequent thereupon, in comparison of which, the Light of the Sun and Moon fhould be of no regard or account.

Ver. 20. Thy fun fhall no more go down, neither fall thy Moon withdraw it felf: for the Lord fhall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.] Sion's Sun was fet when God was angry with her, then the dark

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Night

Chapter Night of Affliction was upon her; but after her Restoration, fhe fhall be happy under the conftant Influence of God's Favour without any interruption or diminution.

LX.

Ver. 21. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they fhall in-herit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.] The greatest part of those which return'd to Sion were purg'd from their Sin by the Fire of Affliction, and were therefore righteous and good Men; that is, good intentionally, fuch as had an awful Senfe of the Majefty of God, and were refolv'd to obey his Commands, as far as Human Frailty would give them leave: And we have reafon to think, that no others return'd to their own Countrey, because the Sword, and the Famine, and Difeafes had confum'd the greatest part Cap. 57.20,21 of the Wicked, and many of them which remain'd alive, return'd not, but remain'd ftill in Babylon.

Ver. 22. A little one fhall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will haften it in his time.] This may be understood of a fingle Perfon, or a Family; and the Prophet, by the large Expreffion of one becoming a thoufand, means no more, than that God would caufe them to multiply and replenish the Land. I the Lord will haften it in his time; that is, In my time, in the time I have appointed for it.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter LXI.

The first, and part of the fecond Verfe, are literally true of our Saviour, and therefore they are justly by him apply'd to him- Luk. 4. 18. felf: They are literally true alfo of the Prophet Ifaiah, and must be understood of him, because they stand connected with the third and fourth Verfes; which it is impoffible to make Senfe of, unless referr'd to the time of the Reftauration of the Jewish Captives. The Prophet here again afferts the Divinity of his Miffion; that he was indu'd with the Spirit of Prophecy, on purpose to comfort his afflicted Countrymen, to proclaim that remarkable Period, wherein God would fhower down Bleffings on his diftreffed People, and revenge their Sufferings on their Oppreffours Heads. A Time which should give them the happy Opportunity of raifing Jerufalem out of that defolate condition, in which she had lain many Years; and make them forget the Thoughts of a long Captivity; alledging, that God is a God of Justice, and would therefore make all things even, reward them for their Sufferings, and their Enemies for their Inhumanity: And then, Verfe 10. he reprefents Jerufalem in a transport of Joy, at the pleafing proSpect of her Reftitution.

Verfe 1.

TH

CHAP. LXI.

LXI.

HE fpirit of the Lord God is upon me, because Chapter the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the pri fon to them that are bound. ] This the Prophet fpeaks in his own Perfon, of himself; as, if he had faid, The Lord has indu'd me with the Spirit of Prophecy, by which I am enabled to foretel what fhall befal my Brethren many Years yet to come; and he hath beftow'd on me this Prophetic Spirit, because he has anointed me to preach good Tidings to the Meek. Now while the Prophet was under the Influence of this Spirit, no body can deny that the Spirit was upon him; tho' in a different manner than he was upon Chrift, on whom he visibly defcended in the fhape of a Doev, and with whom he was perfonally uni

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ted.

LXI.

Chapter ted. Ifaiah was fent, or anointed, to preach good tidings to the poor afflicted Jews, as Nanavim fignifies; and Chrift to the poor in fpirit, as the fame Word fignifies alfo. To bind up the broken-hearted. This is a Metaphor taken from the Practice of Surgeons, who bind up any broken Part of Man's Body, and by that means keep it in the Natural Pofition, that when it is heal'd, it may be ferviceable to the fame Ufes as before: So that by binding up the broken Heart, is meant minift'ring Comfort to the afflicted Soul; which Ifaiah did to the Jews under bodily Affliction, and our Saviour to thofe who repented of their Sins, and were afflicted on their account. To proclaim liberty to the captives. This Ifaiah did by his Prophecies relating to their Redemption, which was the fame as if he had declar'd it by Word of Mouth to them; this our Saviour did to thofe who were under a Spiritual Captivity, Slaves to Sin and Satan, by the preaching of the Gofpel. And, the opening of the Prison to them that are bound, as the Jews were in clofe Confinement, whom Ifaiah did as it were tell aloud, Cyrus their Redeemer was coming, who would open their Prifon-Doors, and knock off their Fetters; and this our Saviour did, in a Figurative Senfe, to the Spiritual Captives.

Ver. 2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn.] of To proclaim the acceptable Year of the Lord, the Time in which God was pleas'd to exhibit Favour and Grace, to extend Mercy and Goodnefs: Shenath Ratzon, the Year or time of God's being well pleas'd. This Ifaiah Proclaim'd, when he foretold their Deliverance out of Captivity, at which time God was well pleas'd with and delighted in his People: And Christ, when he Preach'd the Gofpel, at which time there was in Heaven Ratzon, good will towards Men. Our Saviour came into the World about fuch bufinefs as God took pleasure and delighted in: And here it is to be obferv'd that our Saviour breaks off; plainly. intimating that He was no way concern'd in the following Expreffions, he was not to proclaim the Vengeance of God, which immediately follows: Love was the great Meffage he was fent on, that God had laid afide his Anger and would be reconcil'd to Mankind.