Ir *+ is in many other places ) of God, and of his _>Y pie, which Mis well be called by theſe Names, partly for their 'great Might, and partly for the great Terrour and Deſtruction which they cauſe upon the Earth, as the Leviathan Joth in the Sea. He ſeems to have a ſpecial reſpect to ſome pars ticular Enemy and Oppreſſor of Gods People ; eicher the Aſian Emperour, who now was ſo ; or rather the Babylonian, who ſhould be ſo : Some underſtand this of the Devil 3 Bur alrhough it may ed to him in a myſtical fenſe, 1t ſeems to be literally meant of ſome potent and viſible Adverſary ; which ſeems more aggreeable ro the following Verſes, and to the Uſage of this and other Prophets. 6 Which by its ſting pierceth quickly and deep= ly into Mens Bodies. Or, zhe bar (as this word 1s elſewhere uſed) Jerpent, as this may be called, either for its length, or ſtrength, or fwift motion. c Winding and turning it ſelf with great variety and dexterity. Whereby he ſeems to ſignifie the Crafrineſs and Activity of this Enemy, which being added to his Strength, makes it more formidable. 4 Or rather, the whale, as this word is rend- red, Gen. 1:21. Jeb 7: 12- and elſewhere ; which agrees better with the following words, hat 15 in the ſes, which poſlibly were added only to limite that general and ambiguous word to a Sea-monlter, and not to deſcribe the Place in which the Enemy ſignified by this Dragon hadhis abode. Although the (ea, which here follows, may
be metaphorically un
1:15. 2 In that day e fing ye unto her, A vineyard of red WIN f. | | e When this potent Enemy ſhall be deſtroyed. #f The words in the Hebrew Text lie thus, 4 vineyard ( Behold, 4 vineyard ; or Jacob or 1ſ-al, my Church and People, which is ſufficiently underſtood
. from the next Verſe, and is expreſſed wv. 6. ſhall be a vincyard,
ſhall be defended and dreſſed, ſhall thrive and flouriſh like a Vine- yard) of red wine (3.e. of the choiceſt and beſt Wine,which in thoſe parts was Red, as appears both from Scripture, as Prov. 23: 31. whence it is called the blood of the grape, Gen: 49: 11. Deut. 32: 14. and from other Authors ) ſg ye ( O you faithful Souls, ſing with Joy and thankſgiving to God ) to ( or of, or, concerning, as this Preax 1s elſewhere uſed) her, or it, to wit, the Vineyard or Church, (which is frequently compared to a Vineyard, as Pſal. 80: 8. Iſa; 5: 7.
and elſewhere ) now delivered from her great knemy, and blelſed |
with peace and proſperity. . : : 2 I the LORD do keep itg, I will water ic every moment : leſt ayy hurt it, I will keep it night and day. z I will ſecure it, that neither Men, nor beaſts, nor Drought ſhall ſpoil it ; which alone are the things that Can hurt it, T will prote& my Church from all the Aſſaulrs of her Enemies, and fup- ply her with all neceſſary Provittons, with my Ordinances, and
with my Spirit and Grace. | 4 Fury & is not in me : who would ſet the briars and
jOr,-rarch thorns againſt me in battel #I would | go through them,
I would burn them together z. EE
þ To wit, againſt my Vineyard, or my People ; which is eaſily underſtood both from the foregoing and following Verics,T have been diſpleaſed with them, and have chaſtiſed them ; bur I am not implacable towards them,and reſolved utterly to deſtroy them as their Enemies are, and would have me to be. # This is added as a Reaſon of the foregoing Clauſe and Affertion ; which may be conceived either, r. thus, I rather detire to contend with Brars and Thorns, 7. e. with the wicked Enemies of my Church, who arc tkus called, 1/a. 10: 17. Ezeck: 28: 24. and if my Wrath was now kindled againſt them, as it is againit my Perple, I wwuld be firious towards them, and never leave till I had utrerly conf.umed them ; but I will deal more indulgently with my people. Which Expoſition ſeems to receive ſome light and ſtrength from v. 6, 7, 8. Or, 2. thus, For I conſider the weakneſs of my People, thar if 1 ſhould let looſe my Fury upon them, they could no more ſtand before me, than Briars and Thorns ( to which Gods People, when they fall into Sing and provoke God, are not unfitly ref:m- bled) can ſtand before a devouring Fire,and therefore they would in an inſtant be utterly deſtroyed ; which I will not do. And this Confideration of Mans Imbecillity is elſewhere alledged as a
Reaſon of Gods Indulgence, as Pſal, 103: 13, 14, 15, 16. 1/2 57:16 |
Bur this I deliver with Submiſſion: 5 Or k let him / take hold of my ſtrength », ha:
he may make peace with me #, and he ſhall make peace
wich me, ,
k Or if at any time Fury be, or ſeem to be in me againſt my Vineyard or People. 1 My People, as 15 clearly implied from the following Words; far, there is no peace to thoſe who are not God's People, or to the wicked, Iſa. 57. 21. and is exprefled in the fol- lowing Verſe. m 5. e. Take hold of my Arm, which is metonymi- cally ſtrength, and ſtay it from giving the Blow, not by Force, which is impoſſible,but by humble Submiſſion and earneſt Suppliz cation. Or, frength:n himſelf or be ſtrong ( as this Word properly ſignifies, and is elſewhere uſed ) by my ſtrength : not by his own ſtrength, which he will oppoſe to mine,but by my Strength, which he may by humble and trequent Prayers nor only reſtrain from doing him hurt, but effeually engage to afliſt him, and do him good. He fſcems to allude to that Hiſtory of Jacob's Wreſtling with the Angel of God, Gen. 32. 28. which he could never have done but by a Strength received from God; » That in ſtead of oppoſing me, ke may in this manner reconcile himſelf to me. Or, and he jball make peace with me, as the ſame Words are rendred in the next Clauſe 3 which may be repeated to afſure them of that great & important Favour,that God wou'd make peace with them. Or,the Words may be rendred in both Clauſes, let h:m: make peace with me, yea let him make peace with me, this Future Verb being taken Im. peratively, as the orher is in the former clauſe of the Verſe.
6 He ſhall cauſe them that come of Jacob to take root 0: Ifrael ſhall blofſom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruitp. _-
e To be firmly ſetled in their Poſleſſions, and not toſſed hither and thither, as they have been. p Their Poſterity ſhall be ſo nu- merous, that their own Land jhall not be ſufficient for thew, bu
derſtood ofthe great largeneſs of his Empire, | and the multitude of his Subjects, by comparing this with Rev: 17.
az Chap. Kxvir |