| on may ſeem to receive ſome contenance from wer. 5. 6. which a= grees wel! ro the practice of the Canaanites and Neighbouring Nati- ons; who upon Jraels March towards them were tilled with great * Conſternation, and uſed all poſſible diligence in ſeeking both co their Idols, and ro Men for helpagainſt them, as we read 1n_ that Sacred Hiſtory. And thus God's argument againſt Idolatry, 1s ta- ken from an illuſtriousexample of God's infinite Power, pur forth 1n ſaving of his People, and deſtroying their Enemies before them 3 and of the impotency of Idols ro hinder him in that work : Or, 2 Of Cyrus, who might be called # Righteous man: Or, as it is in the Hebrew, a men of Righteouſneſs; becauſe he was Raiſed up in Rightronſ- weſe, as it is ſaid of him, 1ſa. 45: 13. and was God's great inſtru- ment to manifeſt his Righteouſneſs; both his Faithfulneſs,in fulfil- ling his Promiſe of delivering his People our of Babylon after ſeventy years ( Righteouſneſs being often put for Faithfulneſs ) and his Ju- ſtice; in puniſhing the Enemies and Oppreffors of his People, the wicked Babylonians ; upon which account the Medes, who ſerved under Cyrus in his Expedition againſt the Babylonians, are called God's Sanfified Ones, I[ar13+3,17- And all the other Expreſſions here uſcd are "ny very-applicablero him, and were verified in him. He came from the ©” paft, from Perſia which was direRly eaſtward, both from Judeaand froni Babylon, and which is called the Eaft in this very caſe, Iſa. 46. 11. He was raiſed up by God in an eminent and extraerdinary manner, as is noted both by S:cred and profane Hiſtorians; and therefore this very word is ufed concerning him and his Army, not only here, but eliewhere ; as 1/a. 13. I7. Jer. 50. 9. and*5r. r, 12. To him alſo all rhe following paſſages agree, as we ſhal ſee. And although this grear Perſon and Attion were yet to come; yet the Prophes ſpeaks of them as if they were already paſt, as the Prophets moſt fr-quently do. - And as in the Clauſe of theformer Chapter he ſpeaks of God's People, as ifrhey were aCtuaily in the Captivity of Babylon, wer. 27+ ſo here he ſpeaks of them, as if they were aQtually bought out of Babylon by Cyrus, And by this inſtance he pleads his Cauſe againſt the Gent:les and their Idols; becauſe this was an evi- dent proof of God's Almighty Power, and of the vanity and weak- neſs of Idols, which eminently appeared in the Deſtruftion of the Babylonians, who were a People mad upon their Idols, as is ſaid, Jer.50. 38- and yet were deſtroyed together with their Idols, fer. 51s 47. ; From a Countrey Eaſtward from Judea, as Chaldes was in part, bur Perſia more direQly. & To march after him, and under God's Ban-
rier againſt Babyloy» Thus Baracks Army is ſaid to be of his feet, Juag. 4. 10. Compare alſo Gen, 3o. 30. { Subdued Nations and their Kings before him. » To be beaten by him as ſmall as duſt, as is ſaid, Pſal. 18. 42. Or, to be pur to flight as eaſily as the duſt is ſcattered by the wind, as the following Clauſe expounds this.
+ Heb, - 3 He purſued them and paſſed 7 ſafely »; even by the
i ptime, Way that he had not gone with his feet o. |
| *. © # Went on in the Purſuit with great caſe and ſafety, and Succeſs.
o\Which is added as a further evidence of God's wonderful Provi-
! Chap. 2
# Chap. $5. 33-
* Bo Der * Go © 10. 1c
: f Heb, | wuſes0 1.160
*Chap. 3 45.20, F 46.10. tHeb.ſer wr heart wu them,
dznce, 10 encouraging and inabling him to march by unknown paths ;- which hath oft proved dangerous and deſtruftive to great Armies This alſo was verified both in Abraham, and in Cyrus, as is well known»
14 Fear not, thou worm -r Jacob, and ye |) men of 5. <: Iſrael : I will help thee, faith the LORD, my thy i fy deemer, the holy One of Iſrael.
y Who art weak in thy ſelf, and deſpiſed and trodden under foot by thy proud and potent Enemies.
Bos cc fo; © 4 Who hath wrought and done it p, * calling q the Ep jun; generations from the beginning 7 2? I the LORD, the
& 44.6.6 * thirſt, and with the laſt 5, I am he. |
48.12. p Whoſe work was this but mine? 9g Either 1. Calling them
Rev. 1-17. our of nothing. giving to them Breath and Beeing: Or, 2. Cal-
| 15 Behold, I will make chee a new s ſharp threſh- ing inſtrument having F teeth : thou ſhalt threſh the 4 Heb; mountains #,, and beat them ſmall, and ſhalt make the wwb:.
& 22+ 23. ling them to his foot,
as he ſaid above, wer. 2+ diſpoſing and em-
loying them as he ſees fit, ſending them upon his errands. r All >erfoos and Generations of mankind from the beginning of the World to the end of it. 5s Who was before all things even from Ererniry, and ſhal be unto Erernity ; whereas the Idols, ro whom God herein oppoſeth himſelf, were but of yeſterday, being made
hills as chaff.
s And therefore ſharper and' ſtronger than another which hath been much uſed. # Such as were uſual in thoſe times and places : of whith ſee on 1/s. 28. 25,28. u The great and lofty Potentates of the World which ſet themſelves againſt thee, ſuch Perſons bing
frequently expreſſed in Scripture under the notion of Hills and Moune fazins,
by mens hands,and ſhal within a little tune vaniſh, and be deſtroy- ed. .
16 Thou ſhalt fan them x, and the wind ſhall carry them away, and the whirlwind ſhall ſcatter them : and thou ſhalt rejoyce in the LORD, and ſhalt glory in the holy One of Iſrael y. ED
x When thou haſt beaten them as ſmall as duſt or chaff. » For to him, and not to thy ſelf, thou ſhalt aſcribe thy viftory over thine Enemies.
17 VVhen the poor and needy ſeek water, and there 7s none, »d their tongue faileth for thirſt, Frhe LORD will hear them, 1 the God of Iſrael will not forſakse Ns them 2.
x When my poor people are come to the greateſt extremity of danger and miſery; then will I appear for their relief.
18 TI will open * rivers in high places a,and fountains in the midſt of the valleys 5: I will make the * wilder- x gy, ,,; neſs a pool of water,and the dry land ſprings of water c. , ,,& 35.
a Upon the Mountains where by the courſe of nature there are & 44.3-
no Rivers 6 Or, in the Yalleys, to wit, in ſuch of them as are* pſal. 197. | not well watered: c Theſe People who are like a dry and barren , 5, ; Wilderneſs, I will abundantly water with my Bleſſing, and make | them fruittul and beaviful,' as the next Verſe ſheweth + which
may