Chapter or lament the untimely Death of her flaughter'd Inhabitants, as he explains himself in the next Verfe.

LXV.

Ver. 20. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old, but the finner being an hundred years old fhall be accurfed.] Your Children (fpeaking still to feru falem) fhall not be fnatch'd away by untimely Death, nor. your Sons of riper Years be taken from you, till they have run the utmoft length of Life; that is, they shall not be kill'd by Enemies. But the finner being an hundred years old, Shall be accurfed. He prevents an Objection, That this is not fuch a fpecial Bleffing of the Righteous, or his Servants, for the finners alfo fhall fulfil their days; which if any of them fhould, fays the Prophet, yet fhall be be accurfed. Therefore the Prophet here not only promifes a long Life to his Servants, but a Bleffed long Life, which fhall be accompany'd with length of Joy and Happiness.

Ver. 21, 22. And they fhall build Houfes, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They fhall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree, are the days of my people, and mine elect fhall long enjoy the work of their hands.] That is, When they are return'd to their own Country; for the days of my People fhall be not like the fading Leaf, which every year drops off, but like the days of a tree, which continues for many years: So that they fhall live a long while to enjoy thofe Houfes which they have erected, tho' a great number of thofe that return'd could not but be very old.

23. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble: for they are the feed of the bleffed of the Lord, and their off-fpring with then.] The Prophet expreffes the fame thing in other Words; They fhall not be at the trouble to build Houfes, and not enjoy them; They fhall not bring forth Children to have them flaughter'd before their Eyes; for they are the true Seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom the Lord blessed in themselves, and in their Posterity, and their Children after them fhall partake of the fame efficacious Bleffing.

Ver. 24. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer, and whiles they are are yet fpeaking, I will hear.] That is, Whatever they ask, I will immediately grant.

Ver. 25. The wolf and the lamb fhall feed together, and the lyon fhall eat straw like the bullock and duft fhall be the ferpents meat. They shall not hurt nor deftroy in all my holy mountain, faith the Lord.] That is, Nothing but Peace and Harmony fhall reign among them, they fhall be quiet within, and fecure without, and duft fhall be the ferpents meat: That is, the Serpent, a venomous Animal, apt by nature to fly in Man's Face, fhall be contented with the Food affigned him by God, Duft shalt thou eat all the days of thy Life.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter LXVI.

This, as well as the former Chapter,is generally understood of the Rejection of the Jews,and the wonderful Increase of the Chuch of Chrift, by the flocking in of the Heathen Nations. But the Propher, as plainly as Words can do it, diftinguishes the Jewish Captives into two different Claffes, and promifes those who tremble at the Word of God, a joyful Restoration, V. 5. threatning as certain deftruction to the Idolaters, v. 17. and at the 20thVerfe, he defcribes the officious Nations conveying the Captives to Jerufalem, fome on Horfes, and fome in Chariots, fome in Litters, and fome on Mules, “according to what they were able to bear, and concludes all with a lively Defcription of the deftruction of those who Apoftatiz'd from him to the Babylonian Idols, whofe Carcaffes be foretels fhould lie unbury'd in the open Fields, rotting and stinking fo abominably, that no Body fhould be able to come near them. This is the natural Senfe of the Words, and I cannot imagine what should induce Commentators to understand them of the Church. The Temple, the City, the holy Mountain of Jerufalem, Priefts and Levites, New Moons and Sabbaths, are fuch things as the Church is as the Church is no way concern'd in, aud they who give themfelves fuch a liberty of Interpretation, make a Nofe of Wax of the Scripture with a witness.

CHAP

Chapter
LXVI.

CHAP. LXVI.

Ver. 1.Hus faith the Lord, the heaven is my throne,

T and the earth is my footstool: where is the house

that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my reft?] This implies that the Captives in their earnest applications to God, put him often in mind of their Temple, and very probably the more to move him to compaffion, made large promises to erect a more stately building to his Name; to which God answers here, tho' he was pleas'd to place his Throne, as it were, among them, and keep his refidence in their Temple, Heaven was his proper Throne, and the Earth his proper Foot tool. And, fince I fill both Heaven and Earth, where can ye build a Temple, or make fuch a place for me to reft in, as becomes the Majefty of so great a God?

:

Ver. 2. For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, Jaith the Lord but to this Man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite fpirit, and trembleth at my mord.] For all these things which ye behold in Heaven and Earth, are the work of mine hand, faith the Lord, and by me they have been fupported in being, ever fince they were created: What merit then can ye pretend to by building a Temple for me, which is only giving me what was my own before? but if ye have a mind to please, ye must take another course, for I have no regard to fuch actions as may be done without any Honour to me, but to this man will I look, him alone will I look on with a pleas'd Countenance, who fhews his refpect to me, by fearing to do any thing contrary to my Commands, and is humble and heartily forry for it, if by the infirmity of his Nature he be betray'd into an undefign'd Tranfgreffion: This the Prophet mentions to let them know upon what condition they were to injoy the lafting Bleffings promis'd, not vainly think to please God by building him a Temple and offering him Sacrifices, unless they were regardful of his Laws.

Ver. 3. He that killeth an ox, is as if he flew a man: he that facrificeth alamb, as if he cut off a dogs neck: he that of fereth an oblation, as if he offered wines blood: be that burn

eth

LXVI.

eth incenfe, as if he bleffed an idol; yea, they have chosen their Chapt own ways, and their foul delighteth in their abominations.] He acquaints them how little God valu'd their external religious Performances, when the inward affections and difpofitions of Mind, fuch as he delighted in, were wanting; nay, fo far was he from fetting any value on them, that he that kill'd an Ox for an oblation to him, fhould be look'd upon as a Murderer, if he had not at the fame time an inward reverence for his Laws, and behav'd himself accordingly. He fpeaks here of the Captives who thought they should merit God's favour, if they were but punctual in the obfervation of thofe Laws which God had given them concerning Sacrifices, and other external Injunctions; yea, they have chofen their own ways, but fo far have they been from reverencing me, that they have done all these things walking in their own ways contrary to my Commands, and have delighted in fuch things as are an abomination unto me.

Ver. 4. I also will choose their delufions, and will bring their fears upon them: because when I called, none did anfwer; when I Spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chofe that in which I delighted not.] The Original tangalulebem fignifies Illufions, Mockeries, difgraceful Usage full of Reproach and Indignity; as they have made choice of fuch courses as please not me, fo will I make choice of fuch things for them as they fhall find little Pleasure in, fuch as fhall bring a reproach and derifion upon them, make them the fcorn of Mankind.

Ver. 5. Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word, your brethren that hated you, that caft you out for my names fake, faid, Let the Lord be glorified; but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.] Now he directs himfelf to thofe among them who had not corrupted their ways fo far, but ftill retain'd on their Minds an awful fenfe of God's Majefty, and made a Confcience of violating his Laws, your brethren that hated you and caft you out of their company, because ye remain'd faithful unto me, us'd to fay, in derifion and mockery, let God be glorified: This ws the pious Ejaculation of the Religious Captives, with which they comforted one another under their affliations, God will at last be glorified in our Deliverance: This

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the

opter VI.

the wicked turn'd into Banter, ufing the fame Words with the addition of a ridiculous Tone, which fhew'd they sported themfelves with the credulity of their Brethren, and neither believ'd nor defir'd a Deliverance; and let them banter on, for God will be glorified, and will appear to your comfort and their confufion.

Ver. 6. A voice of noife from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendreth recompence to his ene mies. He fpeaks as if on a fudden he had been interrupt. ed by the loud exclamations of the Captives juft entring into Jerufalem, and had heard the Lord himself expreffing his Joy in Songs of Triumph, a voice of the Lord who has rendred recompenfe to his Enemies.

Ver. 7. Before he travelled she brought forth: before her pain came, fhe was delivered of a man-child.] Tho' the Captivity was from first to laft of feventy years duration, yet by his proverbial Phrafe we are to understand that they were deliver'd fooner than was expected, in which there may be an allufion to the expeditious Births of the Jewish Matrons.who were eas'd of their burdens fo quick, that the Egyptian Midwives could not come time enough to affift

them.

Ver. 8. 9. Who bath heard fuch a thing? who hath feen fuch things? fall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, or Shall a nation be born at once? for as foon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not caufe to bring forth, and shut the womb? faith thy God.] The Inhabitants of Jerufalem are reprefented all as her Children, of which fhe was depriv'd during the time of their Captivity: Upon this return to their own Country, it was as if a whole Nation was born in a moment, therefore the Prophet reprefents Sion as travelling with a numerous Progeny, deliver'd with all imaginable eafe, and with extraordinary quicknefs, which was not at all wonderful, fince God affifted her in her Labour, as the Prophet adds, Am I he that caufe to bring forth, and shall I reftrain? Shall any accident retard that Pit which God na motes?