A

PARTICULAR ACCOUNT

OF

EACH CHAPTER,

IN ORDER.

ISAIAH.

ISAIAH, who stands in the foremost rank of

the Hebrew Prophets, began to exercife his office about 760 years before the Christian ærea. In the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham, under whom he first prophefied, the kingdom of Judah was in a very flourishing condition. But in the subsequent reign of Ahaz, it was brought to the brink of deftruction by the confederate forces of Ifrael and Syria. In this diftrefs, Ahaz fought aid from the King of Affyria. But this powerful ally, after reducing Israel and Syria, became the enemy of Ahaz, which encouraged the Syrians, Edomites, and Philistines, to renew their depredations. At the fame time the impiety of the nation was come

to

to a most enormous height: idolatry was efta blished in Jerufalem by the King's authority, and the temple itself was made the habitation of idols. But Hezekiah, fucceeding to the throne, reftored the worship of the true God, and purged the temple. He alfo refused to pay the tribute which the Affyrian monarch had imposed on his father Ahaz. This brought on that invasion, of which an account is inferted among the prophecies of Ifaiah. After a miraculous deliverance from fo great a danger, Hezekiah died in peace, leaving the kingdom in a flourishing condition to his fon Manaffeh, under whofe reign, it is faid, Ifaiah was put to death, after a faithful discharge of his office for a period of time extending, as some think, to 61 years, but which could not poffibly be lefs than 48. He was cotemporary with those other Prophets, Hofea, Joel, Amos, and Micah. His manner of writing is inimitably beautiful and fublime. His images, often borrowed from the appendages of royalty, (which were familiar to him, being one of the royal family,) are elegant and noble; and his prophecies are fo clear, minute, and circumftantial, that they might often feem to be rather narratives of things paft than predictions of things to come. Of these pro

phecies, the five firft chapters are generally fuppofed to have been delivered in the reign of Uzziah; the fixth in the reign of Jotham; the following chapters to the fifteenth, in the reign of

Ahaz,

Ahaz, and the remainder in that of Hezekiah.Isaiah fets out with remonftrating against the fins of his people, exhorting and encouraging them to repentance, and warning them of their danger, especially from the Babylonian invafion, if they continued impenitent. He is then led by the defcent of the Affyrians to declare the judgments of God concerning that powerful people. From thence he proceeds to prophefy the downfal of feveral other nations, the enemies of his country, especially the Babylonians. And as the overthrow of this people was connected with an event of the utmost importance to the Jews, their deliverance from a grievous bondage, the Prophet takes occasion to speak of it often, to enlarge on it greatly, and to diverfify it with all the rich eloquence and imagery of which he was fo great a mafter. But under the veil of this deliverance, he intimates a much greater, which was to be effected by the Meffiah; and feldom does he mention the one without alluding at the fame time to the other. Nay, he is often fo much enraptured with the prospect of the more diftant deliverance, as to lose fight-entirely of that which was nearer; and to defcant, without veil or allegory, on the Meffiah's perfon, office, character, and kingdom; as may be feen from a more particular view of this evangelical Prophet's writings as they lie in order.

CHAP. I. The prophecy in the first chapter, (to which, as well as to the whole book, the first verfe

forms

forms a general title,) is an entire piece unconnected with any other.-If it was delivered in the reign of Uzziah, the desolation it defcribes may allude to the calamities which were occafioned before that time by Jehoafh king of Ifrael (2 Kings xiv. 12—14,) or the Prophet may describe those fcenes that were ftill future, as already paffing before his eyes. But as prophecies are not always arranged according to the order of time in which they were delivered, it is probable this may have been uttered in the time of Ahaz, (which it fuits better than that of either Uzziah or Jotham,) and may refer to the invafion of Retfiri and Pekah. There are fome, however, who place it still later, and suppose, with a good deal of probability, that it was delivered when Jerufalem was befieged by Sennacherib. But however this be, the chapter contains a fevere remonftrance against the ingratitude and corruptions of the Jews of that age, warm exhortations to repentance, heavy threatenings to the impenitent, and (after previous corrections) gracious promises of better times. More particularly,

The Prophet, with a boldness and majesty becoming the herald of the Most High, begins with calling on the whole creation to attend, when Jehovah speaks, (ver. 2.) A charge of grofs infen. fibility and ingratitude is then brought against the Jews, by contrasting their conduct with that of the ox and afs, the most stupid of animals (ver. 3.)