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Ver. 3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give Chapter unto them beauty for afhes, the oyl of joy for mourning, the LXI. garment of praife for the fpirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.] This is to be understood of the Jewish Captives, only thofe of the Inhabitants of Sion, who mourn'd in Captivity in Babylon, to whom the Prophet Proclaim'd joyful News, fuch a change of condition as would turn their mourning into Joy; which is the meaning of the various Metaphors of giving beauty for Ashes, oyl of Foy for mourning, and Garments of Praife instead of the Spirit of heaviness: that they might be call'd the Trees of Righteousness; that they to whom I Preach may by my Preaching become Trees of Righteoufnefs, agreeable to the Soil they were to be planted in, viz. Judea, the Holy Land, and fuch as the Almighty Planter might take a pleasure in, which could not be unless they bore fome refemblance to the Righteoufnefs and Holiness of his Divine Nature.

Ver. 4. And they fhall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former defolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the defolations of many generations.] Every one at first reading of thefe Words will be convinc'd they are to be understood of the Jewish Captives only, who reftor'd their defolate Cities to their antient Splendor, and rais'd up the defolations of many Generations, thofe places which had been uninhabited for 70 Years, ever fince they were carry'd into Babylon.

Ver. 5. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the fons of the alien fhall be your plommen, and your vine-dreffers.] The interpretation is easy, fays Sanctius, if underftood of the return of the Jews, and the happy change of their Condition: Strangers fhould toil for them, and do all their laborious Work, fome of which they should take Captives in War, and make their Servants; others they fhould hire for their Money, for they should be rich enough to afford it, fo that one way or other they should have all their drudgery done without any trouble to themfelves. Tho' we cannot fhew how this particular was fulfill'd, becaufe of the great Chafm in the Jewish History: Yet it is very probable that out of thofe Nations which

they

Chapter they conquer'd they brought home many Captives, whom they imploy'd in the drudgery of the Field.

LXI.

Ver. 6. But ye shall be named the priests of the Lord: men Shall call you the minifters of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory fhall you boast your felves.] As the Priests neither Till'd the Ground, nor fed Sheep, but were fupply'd with all Neceffaries by the labour of the other Tribes: So, fays the Prophet, fhall ye Jews, when refettled in your Native Country, be named the Priests of the Lord, that is, be as the Priefts and Minifters of God, ye that have been for many years the Slaves of the Chaldeans, and done all their fatiguing Work, fhall then have others to Toil and Sweat for you, and live at Eafe on the Fruit of their labour.

Ver. 7. For your shame you shall have double: and for confufion they shall rejoyce in their portion: therefore in their land they shall poffefs the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.] Inftead of that fhameful condition of flavery, to which they were reduc'd by their Conquerors, they shall receive double Honour; and inftead of that Ignominy which they underwent in the Land of Chaldea, they fhall triumph in their own Inheritance: Therefore, that is, for in their own Land they fhall poffefs a double portion of God's Bleffing, and injoy a long Succeffion of happy Years.

Ver. 8. For I the Lord love judgment, 1 hate robbery for burnt offering, and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.] The Prophet afligns the reason why God would deliver them, I the Lord love fuftice, and hate Robbery for burnt Offerings; or, as the Word by a different reading may be Tranflated, and hate injuft rapine, aprayua aixías, as the LXX render it, who read Naula inftead of Nola: And thus the meaning of the Prophet will be, I the Lord love Juftice and hate Oppreffion, therefore I will deliver my People, when they have fuffer'd proportionably to their Tranfgreffions, and punish their Enemies for their unjust Oppreffion of them. I will direct their work in truth, dabo illis aquam mercedem, as the Church Paraphraft renders it, I will reward them according to their behaviour under their Sufferings, or in proportion to the overplus

of

LXI.

of their Sufferings above their Deferts, which God, who Chapter knew the greatnefs of their Sins, and their Sufferings, exactly knew how to balance and adjust.

Ver. 9. And their feed fhall be known among the Gentiles, and their off-fpring among the people: all that fee them shall acknowledge them, that they are the feed which the Lord hath bleed.] That is, fhall be famous and bear a Figure among the Gentiles, and be refpected as the favourites of Heaven, as God is faid to be known in Judah, which the Pfalmift in the following Words explains, his Name is Ifrael.

great in Ver. 10. I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord, my foul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of falvation, he bath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth her felf with her jewels.] This is spoken by Ferufalem, as the Chaldee Paraphraft rightly obferves, who cannot contain her great Joy upon hearing fuch glorious Promises, or feeing the punctual accomplishment of them for the fpeaks as if her Sons were already redeem'd, He hath clothed me with the garments of Salvation, &c. but the Words fhould be render'd futurely; He will redeem my Captive Sons, and restore them to me again. and make me as glorious in the Eyes of the neighbouring Kingdoms, as if I were array'd in the richest Dress, like a Bridegroom, fet off with all the Ornaments which Art can furnish, on the Marriage Day.

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Ver. 11. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden caufeth the things that are fown in it to fpring forth: fo the Lord God will cause righteousness and praife to Spring forth before all the nations.] That is, God has ingag'd his Word that he will redeem them; and as the Seed which is fown in the Earth, puts forth its Head in Spring and begins to discover it felf, fo fhall the Righteousness, or Goodness, or Veracity of God be confpicuously difplay'd in the fight of all the Nations, in the wonderful Deliverance of his People.

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The ARGUMENT of Chapter LXII.

He wishes, fays Sanctius, to the Church Redemption from her Spiritual Enemies, and to Jerufalem deliverance out of Captivity: So he may fancy, but I am fure the Words can fairly be understood but of one of them, and I think it most natural, when the Prophet Speaks of Sion and Jerufalem, to understand him of the Affairs of that City, rather than of the Church, because I can fee no reason why the Church fhould be call'd either one or other. Those who understand it of the Church, are strangely put to it, to fhew, when the was forfaken, verfe 4. when her Land became defolate, or what particular place is meant by Eretz, her Land. In the times of Perfecution, which must be the fuppos'd time of her being forfaken, she had no Lands to be made defolate : And the Lands which the liberality of Christian Princes, and others beftow'd on her after these times, have never, that I know of, been in fuch a condition as to deferve to be call'd defolate; nor can I conceive in what Senfe the Land of the Church can be faid to be married to the Lord: But all is plain and easy at first fight to a common Reader, if the Words be taken in their genuin fignification. The three Laft Verfes particularly contain fo plain a defcription of the Return of the Captives, homeward, that it is impoffible to know the meaning of any Words, if the Prophet does not mean to fet forth their Redemption and Reftauration.

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CHA P. LXII.

Verfe 1.OR Zions fake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerufalems fake I will not reft, until the righteoufnefs thereof go forth as brightness, and the Salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.] Some fuppofe thefe Words to be spoken in the Perfon of God himself, profeffing that he will not let the Kingdoms of the World be at reft until he have reftor'd his People to their own Land, God being faid to fit quiet and be filent, while he fuffers Men to tyrannize over his People; others understand them as if fpoken by the whole Body of the Captive Jews, inceflantly folliciting God for their Reftitution; but others, with

whom

whom I concur, conceive them to be fpoken by. the Pro- Chapter phet, impofing on himself a continu'd Task, to be incef- LXII. fantly employ'd either in publishing thefe glad Tidings of Redemption, or by Interceffion and Prayer earnestly befeeching God to haften the Performance of it; this he did, not till they were deliver'd by Cyrus, (much lefs till the ap pearing of the Meffiah, as most understand by Righteousness) but the Prophet means no more than that he would do it as long as he liv'd, until the Righteousness thereof go forth as Brightness; that is, until God vindicate his own Juftice, and the Deliverance of Sion appear as confpicuously as a Forerian. burning Lamp on a lofty Mountain.

Ver. 2. And the Gentiles fhall fee thy righteousness, and all Kings thy glory and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord fhall name.] The Captivity of the Jews made a Noise not only in the Chaldean Dominions, but in other Nations alfo, who might justly conclude they were guilty of fome abominable Wickedness to deferve fuch hard Fortune; therefore the Prophet tells Sion that the Gentiles Shall fee her Righteoufnefs, how fhe is righted by God, and what Vengeance falls on the Head of their Oppreflors, and Kings not think it below them to take notice of their glorious Restoration.

Ver. 3. Thou shalt alfo be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.] Commentators are strangely puzzled to give a Reafon why the Crown, which belongs to the Head, fhould be worn in the Hand; but the Difficulty may be avoided by this Tranfla tion, Thou shalt be as a Crown of Glory through the Hand of the Lord, that is, by his Power, which fhall be manifefted in thy Deliverance, and make thee honourable in the Eyes of all People.

Ver. 4. Thou shalt no more be termed, Forfaken; neither fhall thy land any more be termed, Defolate but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land, Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land fhall be married.] That is, thou shalt no more be forfaken by God or thy Inhabitants, neither shall thy Land any more be laid waste by foreign Enemies, for thou, O Jerufalem, fhall be the Delight of the Lord, he fhall take a Pleasure in doing thee good, and thy Land shall be taken again into his Favour, and by folemn Contract

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