reflions vpon their minds, which yet they had ja great meafure Flomted our and forgotten, bur now by the preaching of the Goſpel they ſhall be revived : They thail remember their great and man?- fold obligations ro God, which they had quite forgotten, his patt- ence and goodneſs inſparing them ſo long, in the mia:t of all their Tmpieties. and in revealing his Goſpel to them, and giving his Son for them : They ſhall remember the gracious Words and glorious Works of Chriſt, and what he did and ſuffered for them ; which poſſibly divers of them had been Eye and Ear-witneſles of in Judea ( although, with the unbelieving Jews, they diſpiſed and milcon- ſirued them, ) and others ha4 heard the fame, and tidings of them. x Unto the only true God, and unto Jeſus Chriſt, ro whom this Name of Jehovah is oft-times aſcribed in Scripture. Y Heb. all the Families. © Which is not to be underſtood ſtriatly, of every partt- cular Perſon and family, bur of al ſorts, and of great numbers of them 3 asſuch univerſal phraſes are very frequently taken 1n Scrip- TuUre-
28 For the kingdom is the LORDS, and he z- the
g0vernour among the nations z.
z This is added as a Reaſon, why the Gentiles ſhould be con- verted, becauſe God is not only the God and Lord of the Jews, but alſo ofthe Genti/er, and of all Nations, Rom. 3. 29. 39+ And therefore, though for a time hethought fir to coafine his Kingdom to Iſrael, yer he had reſolved in due time to enlarge his Kingdom, andro ſet up his Throne and Government in the Gentile World, which were no leſs created and redeemed by him, than the Jews. Compare Zech. 13, 2 and 14+ 9.
29 All « they that be fat upon the earth b ſhall eat c and worſhip 4; all they thatgo down tothe duſt « ſhall
bow before him, and none can keep alive his own ſoul f.
a 1. e, Many of them, as the word 2! is oft uſed, as P/al. 72. 11. Mas. 3. 5- and 17+ 11, Luke 6. 26+» Jolm 3. 26. > Tim. 3. 9. b i. e, Kings and princes, and the great Men of the World, who are oft deſcribed by this Metaphor, as Pſa. 78. 31. 1/3. 10. 16. Compare Job 15. 27+ Pſal. 17. 10. and 73. 7, Whoſe Converſion to Chriſt, is alſo foretold in other places, as Pſal. 45+ 12+ and 72. 1, IT. 1/as 6o. 3, 5, 10. 1 Tim. 2, 1, 2. Rev. 21. 24 Thele are oppoſed ro the poor and r-ilerable part of the World, of whom he ſpeaks in the next words, as alſo v. 26, where ſee the firit note. So the ſenſe of the place is, that both poor and rich ſhould em- brace the Goſpel. Bur the Syr:ack Interpreter renders thele words otherwiſe, the hungry of the Earth, And another, to the ſame pur- poſe, thoſe that are turned to Aſhes ( for which I ſhould rather ſay, hoy that ly down in Aſhes, which is an uſual deſcription of poor, aflicted, and humbled perions ) on theground, For the firit Hebrew word, rend:ed fat, with the change but of one point, ſignifies Zſhez. c And be ſatisfied, as it was more fully exprefled, wv. 26. ſhall feed upon the bread of Life, Chrift and ali his benefits. 4 This 1s added to explain the former word, and to ſhew what kind of eating he ſpoke of, nor of a Carnal, but of a ſpiritual Feaſt. ec They that langu-th and draw nigh to Death, rhrough poverty or Miſery, oranguith of Mind and Conſcience: For ſuch are oft ſaid to 20 down into, or to ft in the Duſt, as Job 30s 19. Pſal. 44- 25 and T13--7. 1ſa. 29. 4-and 47. i» Theſe may be oppoſed ro the far ones mentioned in the firſt Clauſe of the Verſe. f This may ſeem to bea further deſcription of the ſame perſons, and an ag- gravation of their miſerable condition, from this circumſtance, that it wasnot in their power to help themſelves 3 their Soul was going down to the Duſt, as he ſaid in the laſt foregoing clauce, and now he adds that none of them could ftop it, or keep himſe]t alive 3 fo that their caſe was wholly deſperar as to themſelves 3 and this drove them out of themſelves, to 1eek relief from God, and to receive Jeſus Chriſt and the Goſpel of Salvation gladly. Heb. and he who ( the pronoun Relative being here underſtood, as it is in very many places) doth ner, or cannot quicken, or enliven his own Soul, 1. e. himſelf, as the Soul is often takenz and quickening may be put either for nouriſhing, as Tſa, 7. 21+ or for comforting, as here v. 26, or preſerv:ng Life, whether Temporal or Spiritual, and Erernal, as Gen. 19. 19. Exek. 13. 19. and 18. 27 Burt theſe words are and may be rendred otherwiſe, and that very agreeab!, to the Hebrew Text. and the ſcope of the place. Having ſaid that all Nations ſhould bow before hin, « e bcifore Chtiſt, and unto Chriſt, whom they ſhould own as their Lord and Siviour, he now adds theſe words, Either, i. As a Reaſon why they did re- ceive him, or believe in him, becauſe ( for {o the particle Yaz is frequently rendred, as 1 Kings 1. 21. and 18. 3, 4. Pſal. 60. 12. Iſa. 16+ 2. and 64. 5- and oft elſewhere ) he did not keep ale hs own ſoul, as he could cafily have done, by his Divine Power in ſpighrt ofall that his enemies could do, bur freely gave himſelf to Death for them. Becauſe he laid down his life for ſinners, which the Father had commanded him, and he had» promiſed to do, therefore God loved him, John 19. 17, 18. and glorified him, and performed his promiſe madz to him upon that condition, that if he did make his Soul an offering for ſm, he ſhould ſee his ſeed, &C. I/a. 53 10+ Or, 2. As an amplification or commendetion of the Faith of the Genezles, in coming and bowing to Chriſt, although { for ſo alſo the Hebrew Yau is oft uſed, as Pſal. 99. 8. Prov. 26. 24. Eccleſ. 9. 16.) he did not keep alive his own Sul, but laid down his own Life, and ſuffered himſelf ro be killed by wicked men : Which was one principal reaſon, why the Jews would not believe on him, as is noted, Mars 27. 40, 42, 43+ and therefore was a Juſt commendation to the Gentiles, that notwithſtanding this great Numbling-Block, believed on him. Bur this I propoſe with ſub- miſſion. Only it may be obſerved;that this laſt clauſe of the Verſe in the Hebrew, is in the ſingular number, and therefore more likely to belong to h:m, immediately going before it, which is of the ſam- number, thn to the other preceeding clauſes, which ace all expreſſed in the plural number. And though ] know Enallage of numbers, be very uſual, yet they are not to be ſuppoſed with- out neceſſity+