ready to destroy? and where [is] the fury of the oppreffor? it is ineffectual, vanished, and gone at once. 14 The captive exile hafteneth that he may be loofed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread. fhould fail; he fball quickly be loofed, and not die; neither 15 fhall his bread fail: and the reafon follows; But I [am] the LORD thy God, that divided the fea, whofe waves 16 roared: The LORD of hosts [is] his name. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the fhadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou [art] my people; that I may difperfe the clouds which hinder the light of the fun, moon, and stars, or even produce new conftellations, or a new world. Grand and beautiful figures, to express a wonderful scene opening, and great profperity to be restored! 17 Awake, awake, ftand up, O Jerufalem, which haft drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou haft drunken the dregs, the most bitter and nauseous part, of the cup of trembling, [and] wrung [them] 18 out. [There is] none to guide her among all the fons [whom] the hath brought forth: neither [is there any] that taketh her by the hand of all the fons [that] fhe hath brought up; no human power can restore her prof19 perity. Thefe two [things] are come unto thee; whe fhall be forry for thee? defolation, and deftruction, and the famine, and the fword; that is, defolation by famine, and deftruction by the fword: by whom fhall I comfort thee? who shall lament for thee in fuch pathetic 20 ftrains as thy cafe requires? Thy fons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God; they are languifbing, and yet are quite furious and defperate; as was the cafe when the city was taken and 21 deftroyed. Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and 22 drunken, but not with wine: Thus faith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God [that] pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the of trembling, [even] the dregs of the cup of my. fury; thou shalt no more drink it again; thou shalt cup 23 drink of it no longer: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have faid to thy foul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou haft laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over; it shall be given to the Chaldeans, who tyrannized over thee, oppreffed thy confcience, and to whofe infults thou haft too tamely fubmitted. :I. W REFLECTION S. E are taught how ufeful it is to look back, and contemplate our original, v. 1. We are born of the duft, (what an humble origin!) are in a feeble, helpless ftate, defcended from degenerate parents, and have many corruptions and finful propenfities. Let us often think of this, that we may be humble, adore the divine goodness in our formation and preservation, and especially his love to fuch mean and finful creatures in their redemption; that we may draw encouragement from hence to trust in him to fulfil all his promises, whatever difficulties may be in the way. 2. We fee the character and happiness of God's people, v. 7, 8. They know righteousness, have their minds enlightened, understand what is good, and what the will of the Lord is; they have his law in their hearts; take pains to ftudy and remember it, to feel its power, and obey its commands. They may be reproached and reviled, even for their piety and ftedfaftnefs; but these reproaches are not to be regarded. God will defend his caufe, and those who adhere to it; it fhall profper, and they fhall be happy; while fcoffers and revilers fhall wafte away, and be covered 'with everlafting fhame and reproach. 3. We fhould learn, from former experiences of God's power and goodness, to trust in him for futurity, as they are a great encouragement to our faith. God often reminds his people of this; and particularly in this chapter. It fhows the advantage of scripture hiftories, and the importance of recording paft appearances of providence for us. It would encourage our prayers in feafons of danger, and tend. to filence that fear of man which bringeth a 'fnare, which is often groundless, and always unbecoming. Our Y 3 remem remembering the power, faithfulness, and goodness of God, would prevent any inordinate fear of what frail, dying man can do unto us. Let us then think lefs highly of man, and more highly of God, if we defire to be eafy and happy. 4. We fee that God eafily can, and at length certainly will, change the afflicted condition of his people. He is the Lord, and their covenant God; who will plead their caufe, vindicate their character, confound their enemies, and fhow that his caufe was a righteous one. He may put a cup of affliction into their hands, and it becomes them to drink it with all fubmiffion; fenfible, that tho' it is not pleasant, it is wholesome, and will be exchanged for a cup of bleffings. But those who are enemies to God's ways and people, fhall drink the very dregs, and have no alleviation of their mifery. CHA P. LII. This chapter refers to the happy change made in the state of the jews by their return from their captivity, as illuftrating the more important deliverance by the gospel. A Y I WAKE, awake; put on thy ftrength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerufalem, the holy city; refume thy former strength and dignity: for henceforth there fhall no more come into thee the uncircumcifed and the unclean; there shall be no more idol2 atry within thee. Shake thyfelf from the duft, where thou haft fat as a mourner; arife, [and] fit down on thy throne, O Jerufalem: loose thyfelf from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion; take all prudent methods to recover thy liberty, and gain the favour of thy 3 conquerors. For thus faith the LORD, Ye have fold yourselves for nought; you have parted with your liberty only to enjoy your fins, and have got nothing by it, and ye fhall be redeemed without money; Cyrus fhall deliver 4 you freely. For thus faith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to fojourn there; and the Affyrian oppreffed them without caufe, and I de livered 5 livered them from both. Now therefore what have I here, faith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? what claim have the Chaldeans to keep my people in bondage, whom they have taken away without cause ? they that rule over them make them to howl, faith the LORD; and my name continually every day [is] bláfphemed; they are cruelly used, and God is blafphemed, as 6 if he had caft them off, or was unable to help them. Therefore my people fhall know my name, my power, therefore [they fhall know] in that day that I [am] he that doth fpeak: behold, [it is] I, who am come to fulfil my promife. 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publifheth falvation; meaning the messengers that come from Babylon to bring the news of deliverance; that faith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! his providence and care of his church now 8 appear in performing his promises. Thy watchmen fhall lift up the voice; with the voice together fhall they fing; the watchmen, seeing the messengers coming at a diftance, fhall begin a fong of joy and praife: for they fhall fee eye to eye, when the LORD fhall bring again Zion; they fhall fee face to face, that is, clearly and evidently fee his favour returning, and their glory dawning. 9 Break forth into joy, fing together, ye wafte places of Jerufalem: for the LORD hath comforted his peo 10 ple, he hath redeemed Jerufalem. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth fhall fee the falvation of our God; his power and holiness in their deliverance from Babylon, fhall be an emblem of, and ferve to introduce the 11 great falvation by Jefus Chrift. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean [thing;] go ye out of the midst of her; go out of Babylon, cleanfe yourfelves from idolatrous defilements and ceremonial pollutions; bring no idolatrous practices out of Babylon, as ye did out of Egypt; be ye clean, that bear the veffels of the LORD; ye priests, that bear the holy veffels which Cyrus 12 restored. Ye shall have time to cleanse yourselves, For ye Y 4 fhall fhall not go out with hafte, as ye did out of Egypt, in a diffident, distrustful manner, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Ifrael [will be] your rereward; he will defend you from enemies before and behind. 13 Behold, my fervant fhall deal prudently, he shall conduft himself in his office with integrity and wisdom, he fhall be exalted and extolled, and be very high; men and 14 angels fhall admire him, and God fhall exalt him. As many were astonished at thee; * his vifage was fo marred more than any man, and his form more than the fons of men; they were aftonished to fee fuch an alteration made in his countenance by his forrows and fufferings, and fuch a change in his circumftances between the multitude fol15 lowing him in triumph, and his being crucified. So fhall he fprinkle many nations, by his blood, his word, and fpirit, and the ordinance of baptism; the kings shall shut their mouths at him; hall attend to his doctrine in an humble, reverent manner: for [that] which had not been told them shall they fee; and [that] which they had not heard fhall they confider; that is, his heavenly doctrine, fuch as human reafon could not difcover. This is applied in Rom. xv, 21. to the gospel, I. WE REFLECTION S. E fee how the glad tidings of falvation should be received. The gofpel brings us news of a greater deliverance than that of the jews from Babylon; a deliverance from the captivity of fin and Satan; a meffage of peace with God, and the profpect of eternal life. We now fee heavenly truths clearly, and enjoy the favour of God. How thankfully then should thefe glad tidings be received, and how welcome fhould chriftian minifters be who publish them! Rom. x. 15. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good Here anothér fection begins, which contains a glorious pro phecy of Chrift, to the end of the next chapter; this divifion Spoils the beauty and fenfe of the prophecy. Or, at him, as the Syrian, Chaldee, and Vulgate verfions render it. |