The ARGUMENT of Chapter LXV. Lyranus understands the beginning of this Chapter, of the fccond coming of Chrift to Judgment: Others of the first, whofe Opinion is imbrac'd by Sanctius; and yet there is more reafon to refer it to his second coming than his first,because that was far from carrying with it any thing of that Terror which is here defcrib'd: The Truth is, the Prophet is to be underftood neither of one nor other, the fame Subject being continu'd in this, which was handled in the foregoing Chapter, as feveral Commentators allow: In the Perfon of a Captive, he prays that God would come down from Heaven and destroy their Oppreffors, bewail their many Tranfgreffions which made them tabl. Grotius, unworthy of any favour from him, puts him in mind of the near Relation they stood in to him, of the ruinous condition of their Country, and of the Temple, the place where their Fathers prais'd him; and concludes with a paffionate Expoftulation, whether he could confider all this and not have pity on them. Hugo, Pintus, Didac. Alvarez. Va Gataker. Chapter Ver. 1. CHAP. LXIV. H that thou wouldeft rent the heavens, that thou wouldeft come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy prefence.] This is part of that earnest folicitation made by the Captives in the preceding Chapter, that God would deliver them out of their diftrefs. Beholding how barbaroufly thy People are dealt with, and thy glorious Temple, as it were infulted over by the Heathen; O that thou wouldeft no longer forbear, but come down to our affiftance, rending the Heavens before thee in thy paffage. He fpeaks of God, as of a Man, defcending from the upper Regions of the Air, in allufion to the receiv'd Opinion of the folidity of the Heavenly Orbs, which must be violently broke open before any paffage could be made through them. Ver. 2. As when the melting fire burneth, the fire caufeth the waters to boyl, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that that the nations may tremble at thy prefence.] Thefe Words are part of that Wifh contain'd in the former Verfe, in which the Prophet plainly alludes to the fhaking of Mount Sinai, when God defcended from Heaven and came upon it; now the real fhaking of a Mountain opens a paffage for the latent Springs to break forth: Therefore to give us an Idea of the efficacy of God's defcending, he fuppofes him furrounded with Fire, fo hot as to loofe the Texture of the Mountains, and make them pour down in liquid Streams. Ver. 3. 4. When thou didst terrible things, which we looked not for, thou cameft down, the mountains flowed down at thy prefence. For fince the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye feen, O God, befides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.] The Note of fimilitude is wanting, O that thou wouldeft fhew thy felf for us, as thou didst for our Fathers, when thou didst terrible things for them, fuch as they look'd not for, fuch as they could neither wish for. before-hand, nor account for when paft, meaning the Miracles he wrought for them in the Wilderness; Then thou didst come down from Heaven, and the mountains flow'd down at thy prefence: And no wonder God fhould do fo great things for them, fince from the Creation of the World to this Day, there never was a Man, nor never will be, who can comprehend how far the Power of God can reach, when he appears in behalf of those who put their trust in him. Ver. 5. 6. Thou meeteft him that rejoyceth, and worketh righteousness, thofe that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth, for we have finned: in thofe is continuance, and we fhall be faved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteoufneffes are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as aleaf, and our iniquities,like the wind,have taken us away.] This Verfe is very obfcure, fcarce two Interpreters agreeing either in the Tranflation or Expofition of it; the Senfe, which to me feems most natural, is this, Thou didst in former times meet our Fathers who rejoyced in keeping thy Laws, and working righteoufnefs, that is, thou didst prevent them very often with loving kindnefs, and pleasingly furprize. them with unexpected unfought for Mercies, even those Chapter LXIV. Biblia Maxima. who LXIV. Chapter who remeber'd Thee in thy ways, that is, because they were mindful of thee and had an Eye to all thy Commandments. Behold thou hast been angry with us because we finn'd, bahem in eis, in thy ways, by not walking in them in former Ages, yet were we fav'd and deliver'd. But now thou haft been angry with us fo long, that we almoft defpair of thy Mercy, and that juftly, for we are a corrupt degenerate People, unlike our Ancestors who walk'd uprightly in the ways of God, therefore we fade a way in Captivity like a Leaf blown from a Tree; and not the Babylonians, but our own Iniquities like a Whirl-wind, remov'd us from our own Habitations into a strange Land. Ver. 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that Stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and haft confumed us, because of our iniquities.] He fpeaks in allufion to Mofes, who is reprefented in Scripture as laying hold on God's Hand, and preventing him from deftroying his People, Let me alone, fays God, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven, as if his Hands were held, and he could do nothing against them, till Mofes let go his Arm; but now there is no Body, fays the Prophet, that can prevail fo much with God, no Body that has Intereft enough in him to bring him back, and make him look favourably on his forfaken People. Ver. 8. But now, O Lord, thou art our father: we are the clay, and thou our poster, and we all are the work of thy hand.] They put him in mind, that they are his Children, if by that means they may move him to compaffion: They tell him, they are the Work of his Hands, intimating that they hop'd he would vindicate his own Honour, which feem'd to lie under fome difgrace, while they were evil treated by the Heathen. Ver.9 10. Be not wroth very fore,O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever behold, fee, we befeech thee, we are all thy people. Thy holy cities are a wildernefs, Zion is a wilderness, Ferufalem a defolation.] Here they try another way to prevail on him, by putting him in mind of Ferufalem, his Holy City, which had now for many Years been a defolation, they justly deferv'd what they fuffer'd, but what had the Holy City done, or why fhould that fuffer for her Inhabitants? Ver. Ver. 11. Our holy and our beautiful houfe, where our fa- Chapter thers praifed thee, is burnt up with fire: and all our pleafant LXIV. things are laid waste.] They prefs him clofer ftill, and make use of an Argument which was most likely to affect him: The Temple wherein our Pious Fathers prais'd thee, the beautiful Sanctuary in which thy Honour us'd to dwell, is burnt with Fire, the pretious Materials it was made of are nothing but Rubbish and Dust. Ver. 12. Wilt thou refrain thy felf for these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very fore? That is, Can't thou hold out against fo many moving Confiderations? Is it poffible that thou can'ft behold thy Children in Chains, thy City in Ruins, thy Temple a heap of Stones; and not be prevail'd on to pity and put an end to our great Afflictions? The ARGUMENT of Chapter LXV. The first Verse of this Chapter, is apply'd by St. Paul to the Romans, Lo. Conversion of the Gentiles, to which the Words confider'd 20. by themselves, are very applicable: But I think it very unlikely that the Prophet should skip over fo many hundred Years; and then only mention that importent Event in a Word or two, and immediately return back again to the Jews in Captivity, of whom he had been speaking just before: Now that the following Verfes from the Second to the Eighth, are to be understood of the Jews, is acknowledg'd on all hands; and that they cannot be understood of the Jews, in our Saviours time who rejected the Gospel, is certain because the Jews here fpoken of are accus'd of Idolatry, which Sin they were never guilty of after the Babylonian Captivity: Therefore we must understand the Prophet of the Jews before or in Captivity; and fince in the foregoing Chapter he has been fpeaking of the Jews, as if they were then in Chaldea, and at the 17th Verfe of this, he mentions the rebuilding of Jerufalem, nothing can be more natural then to understand the Prophet of the Babylonian Captives ftill, to which the Words most exactly agree. CHAP. Chapter CHAP. LXV. Verse 1. Am Sought of them that asked not for me: I am found of them that fought me not: I faid, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.] At the Seventh Verfe of the former Chapter the Prophet in the Perfon of a Captive few fays there is none that calls on thy Name, that is, none that, like Mofes, by their prevailing Interceffion with God, were able to put a Stop to his Judgments, and appeafe his Anger, to which God returns a very gracious Anfwer here, I will be found of them that ask not for me, I will be found of them that feek me not, I will fay, Behold me, behold me, to a nation not calling on my Name; Thus the Words fhould be render'd, and the meaning of the Prophet is, that God will be merciful unto them, and redeem them, tho' there were very few among them that call'd on his Name as they should do, or remember'd God in their Captivity; and this comes in very naturally after that earnest Application to God at the latter End of the former Chapter, wherein the miferable Captives run over all the Topics of Perfwasion in the most moving manner that can be. Ver. 2. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts ;] The Connexion may be thus made plain: Though they deserve it not yet I will redeem them, and would never have faffer'd them to fall into fuch Misfortunes had they had any Regard to my Commands; but I spread out my Hands every Day to a rebellious People, who were obftinately refolv'd to follow the Conduct of their corrupt Imaginations; I call'd upon them by the Voice of my Prophets, and earneftly entreated them to be guided by me, and fo he goes on, drawing fuch a Character of the Jews as cannot be apply'd to them at any time after their return into their Country. Ver. 3. A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face, that facrificeth in gardens, and burneth incenfe upon altars of brick: The Verbs fhould be render'd in the Preterperfect Tenfe, They provok'd me to Anger continually to my Face, by giving the Honour due to me to Idols; They facrificed |