the cords thereof be broken p. ; 7 Contemplate Zions beauty and ſafety, and her glorious and peculiar Priviledges : it is an obje& worthy of thy deepeſt Meditai- on. o This he mentions, as the chief part of Zims Glory ond Hap- Pineſs,that God was ſolemnly Worſhipped, and the ſolemn Afffem- blies and Feaſts kept in her. p Wh:ch was bnt very obſcurely and imperfeQly fulfilled in the literal Zion ; but was clearly & fully accompliſhed in the myſtical Zzjon, the Church of God in the timesof the Goſpel, again\t which, we are aflured, that the gates of Hell ſhall
{ JOr, but
| Mw 1s the
not preva:l, Mat. 16. 18. : : Ps 21 || Bur there q the glorious LORD wl/ be unto us
thre ( glo- a place + of broad rivers and ſtreams r, wherein ſhal- go 3 galley with oars, neicher ſhal gallant ſhips paſs there. we
f Y $. - : rag wg 9 Tn and about Zioz. r Though we have nothing but a ſmall and
[ ro - contemprible Brook to defend us; yet God will be as ſure and broad of ſtrong a Defence to us, as if we were ſurrounded with ſuch grear paces oc Rivers, as Nilus or Enphrates, which were a great ſecurity to Egype hand; and Babylon. s But alrhough they ihall have from God, the ſecuri- : ty of a great River, yet they ſhall be freed fromthe diſadvantage of it ; which is, That the Enemies may come againſt them in Shipsfor no Galleys, nor Ships of the Enemies thall be able ro come into this River to atinoy them. WE 22 For the LORD 7s our judge ft, the Lord zs our "fan, . * | lawgivers, the LORD zs our king,he will ſave us " * eo judge for us to plead our Cauſe againſt our Enemies,as the t Heb flas ancient Judges of //rael did, Judg. 2. 16. « Our chief Governour,to twemaker, Whom it belongs, to give Laws, and to defend his People. ||Or, chey 23 || Thy tacklings are looſed x, they y ceuld nor bove frſs. well ſtrengthen their maſt, they could not ſpread the
po ſail : then is the Prey of a great ſpoil divided, thelame "3% take the prey &. |
x He directeth his Speech to the 4ſjrians ;
deſigned their Army under the notion of a galant S
here repreſents their broken and undone condition, by the Meta-
phor of a Ship, toſſed in a tempeſtuous Sea, having her Cables bro-
ken, and all her Tacklings looſe, and out of order, ſo as ſhe could
Maſts & Sails; and therefore is quickly
have no benefit of her ; Di broken, or ſwallowed up by the Sea. y The Aſyrianr, of whom he
and having tacitely "ip, ver 21. he
Came to ſpoil and prey upon my People, ſhall become a prey to them, and {hall be Gene on Fae away ſo ſuddenly, that they fhal] leave ſo many Spoils behind rhem, that when ftrong' and active Men have carried away all that they deſfred, there thall be enough Teft for the Lame, who come laſt to the Spoil. The general Senſe of the place is,tliat Gods People ſhall be Victorious over all their
Enemies.
| 24 And the inhabitant 4 ſhal not fay, T am ſick 6 :
the people that dwell therein (hal be forgiven their ini- uty c. |
. : ſalem; Gods people. 5 Shall have no cauſe
£o complain ofany
Kill ſpeaks, as in the firſt Clauſe be ſpake to them. = They who |
.intimations and inſtances in Scripture,
|
1 4 H. Chap. X AXP
from all their Enermies afid evil Occutrents ; - ſhall en;oy perfect
tranquility and profperity.. c This may beadded, Either 5. as tho ll Reaſon of the foregoing priviiedge;- Their Sins, the main cauſes of all their Diſtreſſes, ſhall bepardoned; and therefore. thei: Suffes rings, the effects of Sin, ſhall ceaſe; Or-2. as an addirioral Favour. They ſhall not only receive f:om me a glorious Temporal Delive. rancczbut, which is infinitely better.the pardon of al] theuSins:ar d all thoſe ſpiritual everlaſting Bleſſings, which attend upon that Mers
cy. C H A P. (XXXIVe
Gods fury and wrath againſt his Churches Enemies, x utterly deſolate, 11———15. the certainty hereof : and duration, ; |
Wiper near, ye nations,to hear, and hearken ye.peo- + Heb.||
ple 2: Tet the earth hear,and Þ all that is therein ;#uzeſ | þ thereof
To, their Land 16,
7 the world,and all things that come forth of it 6.
# Let the Peple of all Nations take notice of what I am about to fay and do, as that wherein they are generally concerned, and by the conſideration whereof, they may, if they will,be inſtrucred,and ſo delivered from the Calamity here denounced. 6 Heb: AU the off= ſprings of 7t : Either 1. all the Trees, and Fruits, and other produc. ttions of it ; foritis uſual with the Prophets, by a Figure, ro turn their Speech to theſe ſenſeleſs Creatures. Or 2. all the Inhabitants of the World, as the Chaldceand other Ancients reſtrain and un< derſtand this general Expreflion ; which alſo is Emphartical, and admoniſheth the proud and inſolent Sons of Men, of their mean and obſcure Original, that how great and gloricns ſoever they may ſeem to themſelvesor others; yet in truth, they are bur a berrex ſort of Muſhromes ſprining out of the Earth, for Duſ# they are, - and unto aufl they muſt return, as was ſaid, Gen, 3. 19.
2 For the indignation of the LORD 5s upon all nations c, andhis tary upon all their armies : he hath ut= terly deftroyed them d, he hath delivered them to the
{langhter. _
c Not only upon the 4ſjrians, and .thoſe Nations which were Confederate with them in this Expedition, but upon all other Enemies of my People whatſoever. d He will infaliibly Deſtroy all of them. £05 © KI Es
3 Their ſlain alſo ſhal be caſt out e, and * their ſtink
al come up out of their carcaſes, and the mountainsf
ſhal bemelted with their blood g.
e Into the Fields, where they ſhall lie unburied, and be left for a prey to all revenous Birds and Beaſts : Whereby he implies.cither the vaſt Numbers which ſhall be ſlain,ſo as they could nor have time or place to Bury: them:Or the curſe of God upon them,& the peoples contempr and abhorency of them. fAbour Feruſalew, where they are {uppoſed to be gathered to Fight againſt Jeruſalem, as the Aſrians now were, and as other Enemies afterward would be, Zech. 12, 2'&r I4. 2. g Shell be filled with their Blood, which ſha!l run ' down: abundantly from the Mountains with great force, and difſolve-and carry down part of the earth of the Mountains with it, as greaf thowers of Rain frequently do. PN TDs L
4 And all.the hoft of the heavens ſhal be * rolled together as a ſcroll &, and all their hoſt ſhai fall down as the leaf falleth off from
the vine /, .and as a * falling figm from the fig-tree.