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Chapter trouble of procuring Incenfe to burn in my Temple; XLIII. for that was neglected, and never perfum'd with the

fmoak of Sweet Cane; nor didft thou glut me with the Fat of reeking Sacrifices, thefe thy Idols ingrofs'd: But inftead thereof, I was continually provok'd with the ill favour of thy Sins, and tir'd at last with thine iniquities, to fuch a degree, that I was under a neceffity of giving Thee over to thine Enemies, to fee if Afflictions wou'd make thee mindful of me..

Ver. 25. I, even I am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions for mine own fake, and will not remember thy fins.] But I am the only Perfon who can pardon your Tranfgreffions, and I will again restore you to my Favour, if I find this Punishment makes you better, and this purely upon my own account, not in refpect to your Ancestors, or your own good Behaviour for the future, but because I have a peculiar kindness for you.

Ver: 26. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayeft be justified.] But if it be otherwife, and ye fancy I ought in Juftice to pardon you, let us try the matter fairly, declare your Pretenfions, that if they be juft, I may deal with you accordingly. The LXX. render it, Remember that we may be judg'd, tell thy Sins first, that thou may'st be juftify'd; which the Greek Fathers produce to prove that Confeffion and Acknowledgment of Sin go before Juftification, which is true, and fcarce needs any Proof, and finds none here.

Ver. 27. Thy firft father bath finned, and thy teachers have tranfgreffed against me.] If ye infift that the righteoufnefs of your Ancestors fhould plead in your behalf, and skreen you from the Punishment due to your Personal Iniquities, remember that your Ancestors were Sinners as well as your felves.

Ver. 28. Therefore I have profaned the princes of the fanituary, and have given Jacob to the curfe, and Ifrael to reproaches.] The Verbs are in the future Tenfe, but according to the Idiom of the Hebrew Language, may be rendred in the praterfect, as they are by fome who give them this Sense; Because your fore-Fathers were Sinners, I fuffered them to perish in the Wilderness, even the Heads of your Congregation, and wou'd not permit them to enter into

the

the Promis'd Land: But I think they may admit of this turn; therefore I gave you over into the Hands of the Babylonians, fuffer'd them to prophane your Temple, carry away your Priefts and Holy Veffels, root out your Nation, and make Ifrael a reproach to all the World.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter XLIV. The fame Subject is still continu'd, as is plain by the conjunction Venatta, and Now. The first fix Verfes contain a Promife of Deliverance, under the Metaphor of pouring out water on him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground, and the Emulation which should then be feen among the Jews, every one endeavouring to recommend himself to God's Favour, and make out his Relation to him, in order to partake of the dawning Redemption. Then he fets forth the Power of God, and Vanity of Idols, and advises them to remember what he fays on that Subject, when they came to Babylon, where they were likely to fee Idolatry in its full Luftre. He gives them a hint of their Redemption, v. 22. the greatness of which he endeavours to give them an Idea of, by calling on Heaven and Earth to rejoyce at it; and after a fhort defcription of God's Omnipotence, tells them by Name, the Perfon by whom thefe glorious Promifes fhould be made good.

Verfe 1, 2.

Y

CHAP. XLIV.

ET now hear, O Jacob my fervant, and Ifrael' whom I have chofen. Thus faith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee, Fear not, O Jacob my fervant, and thou Jefurun, whom I have chofen.] He fpeaks to the Captives, and endeavours to diffipate thofe melancholy Thoughts which the long continuance of their Sufferings might be apt to raise in their Minds, that he had forfaken them intirely, and would look upon them no more. Fear not, a Facob my Servant, This from God was fufficient, becaufe, as he adds, he had form'd them and chofen them from the womb, and it could not be, that he fhould always fuffer

Sf 2

the

Chapter
XLIV.

Chapter the Objects of his Affection, his chofen People, to be handled fo cruelly.by the Heathens. Jefhurun is a Name given to Ifrael and his Pofterity, in regard of the Uprightness which was in him, and ought to have been in

XLIV.

(b) Lipf. lib. 1. de militia

Rom,

them.

Ver.3. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy feed, and my bleffing upon thine off-fpring] The different Metaphors contain'd in this Verfe, fignifie one and the fame thing: tho' the Jews were in a low condition, Slaves in a strange Country, under the Power of barbarous Mafters, yet God would fo blefs them, that they should recover their antient Splendor, and once more make a Figure among the Nations of the World. My Spirit, that is, my Blessing, as the Prophet explains himself in the next Words, which fhould make them and their State flourish like Plants after a seasonable shower.

Ver. 4. And they fhall Spring up as among the grafs, as willows by the water-courfes.] They fhall flourish like Trees planted by the Water-fide, in the Language of the Pfalmift, as Willows in rich Meadows near the Banks of a running Stream.

Ver. 5. One shall fay, I am the Lords: and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob: and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and firname himself by the name of Ifrael.] The Expofitions of this Expreffion, Another fhall. fubfcribe with his hand to the Lord, are various, yet come to the fame thing. He fhall write with his own hands, I am the Lords, that is, he fhall dedicate himself to his Service, by writing his Name in the Jewish Regifter; or he fhall write on his hands, I am the Lords, as Souldiers were mark'd on the Hand, to fignifie their being under fuch a Commander; (b) Or he shall inscribe his hands to the Lord, as Altars and Temples us'd to be Dedicated, by writing over them D. O. M. the Prophet means, that the number of the Jews fhould be increas'd by the addition of many Profelytes, who fhould give up their Names to God, and be inroll'd in the Jewish Cenfus.

Ver. 6. Thus faith the Lord, the King of Ifrael, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts, I am the first, and I am the last, and befides me there is no God.] Here God afferts a double Re

XLIV.

lation between himself and his People. As their King, it Chapter could not stand with his Honour to let them always remain Slaves to the Chaldaans: As their Redemer, he never could have a fairer opportunity of affifting them, therefore he gives himself thefe Titles, to fhew they were ftill under his Care, and adds to them the Lord of Hofts, to let them know he could make good his Title.

Ver. 7. And who, as I, fhall call, and shall declare it, and fet it in order for me, fince I appointed the atient people? and the things that are coming, and fhall come? let them fhew unto them.] That is, Who can tell as well as I, and declare whatsoever hath come to páfs, and can exactly fet down the things which have been fince I made the antient People? that is,fince I rais'd up the Jewish Nation. Who among the Gods of the Heathen can foretel thofe things which are near at hand,or at a greater diftance? let them fhew them if they can: God afferts his Divinity from bis exact Knowledge of all the Tranfactions which have happened in the World fince the calling of Abraham, (or fince the Creation, as fome think he means,) as well as from his being able to foretel what should happen in fucceeding Generations.

Ver. 8. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witneffes. Is there a God befides me? yea, there is no God, I know not any.] When the Jews were carry'd into Captivity, and faw the numerous Idols in the Temples of Babylon, they might be tempted to think their Enemies prevail'd over them, because of their Idols; but the Prophet bids them not be afraid, for fo it was determin'd by God; he had often declared they fhou'd be deliver'd into the hands of their Enemies, and as often told them, upon returning to their Obedience, he wou'd deliver them. This they had often experienc'd, and could teftify on. their own knowledge, that there was no one fe powerful to protect his Servants as He was.

Ver. 9. They that make a graven image are all of them vanity, and their delectable bings fhall not profit, and they are their own witneffes, they fee not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.] The obfcurity of this Verfe proceeds from too close a Tranflation, which may be clear'd up by this Para

phrafe;

Chapter They that make a graven Image are framers of a vain infigniXLIV. ficant thing, for their Idol can never profit them: They that make them, can witnefs for them, that they fee not, and have no knowledge, therefore they may be afham'd to worship

them.

Ver. 10. Who hath formed a God, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?] Who but a Fool wou'd pretend to form a God? a graven Image muft needs be unprofitable and infignificant:

Ver. 11. Behold, all his fellows fhall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them ftand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.] The whole Society or Fraternity of those who are concern'd in making Idols, may juftly be afham'd of them, for they must know that the Makers of them are but Men, Creatures too confcious of their own Infirmity to pretend to confer Omnipotence: If they think otherwife, let them gather themselves together in as great numbers as they please, let them ftand up and plead the Cause of their handy work. No, they would fear and tremble should they come once to the Tryal, and difcover the badness of their Cause, by the greatness of their Confufion.

Ver. 12. The fmith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his ftrength faileth; he drinketh no water and is faint.] The Smith toils in making a God which cannot recompenfe his Labour, nor fupply him with Meat or Drink to recruit his exhaufted Spirits: Tho' Forerius thinks, he fets forth the eagerness of the Workmen, who rather than put a stop to the Work, would omit their ordinary Repafts, tho' the difficulty and warmth of it requir'd a more than ordinary fupply of Spirits.

Ver. 13. The carpenter ftretcheth out his rule: he marketh it out with a line: he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the houfe.] By this the Prophet fets forth the exactness and care of the Workmen, who would not fuffer any thing to pass from their Shops to the Altars unpolish'd or illfhapen: The facred Statue must be made smooth with

Planes,

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