or let them hear and ſay, 1: is truth y. n--- r To plead the cauſe of their Idols with me: s This wonderful work of mine in bringing my people ovt of Capriviry, which I have already foretold, and ſhall furcher declare; and thar ſoexaCt- ly, that I fhall name the perſon by whom this work ſhall be begun, even Cyrus, who is yet unborn, and ſhall be ſo for above 200 years; Jet any of your Heathen gods do the like. : Notthings already paſt, but ſuch things as ſhall happen long before the return from the Cap- tivity, which yet your blind Iaols cannot foreſee. See on 1/a.41. 22. #u Who can teſtifie the truth and certainty of any ſuch pre- ditions of theirs. x That they may be owned for trug Gods, which in that caſe I allow them to expe. But of this argument ſee on 1/a. 4T+ 22, 23- y Or if they can produce no evidence of any ſuch - thing, as Tam well affured that they cannor, let them be ſilent, and hear me and my witneſſes, as it follows in the next verſe; 2nd let them confeſs, that what I ſay is truth, that I only am the true God, and that they are but vanity and falthood.
10 Ye are my witneſſes z, faith the LORD, and my
ſervant whom [I have choſen a : that ye may know and
* Chap. believe me, and underſtand that I am he b: * before 4-4. and me there was ||no god formed, neither ſhall there be
Oo
; you our of Cop'ivity; and reſtore you to your Land :ccording to
promiſe. o From that height of power and glory to which they were advanced. þp Their Princes and great Commanders, who as they are called Shiclds, Pſal. 47. 9. So here they are ci1'ed Bars, for the ſame reaſon, becaulc of thar ſirength and defence which tl ey give to their people. 9 The common people of Chaldea, together with their g-eat men who had Palaces v1 Babylon, r Who make fearful outcries, as they flee'away frcm the Perſians in Ships ; which they had opportunity to do, becauſe of their two preat ard f:mous Rivers, Eruphretes and Tigris, and the ſevera) branches of them). I5 I amthe LORD, your holy One s, the Creator of Iſrael, your king- 5 The koly One of Jſrael, as he frequently ftileth himſelf, who ſan- Qifie and gJorifie my ſelf in this and ſuch orher glorious Works, with reſpe& to you, or for your ben«fir. : I6 Thus faith the LORD, which * maketh a way in the Sea, and a* path in the mighty waters : : s t Who as he formerly made a path-way tor his pec ple thre - Exod, Or y Pp y s pec ple through the Red S+a, ſo be will in no leſs wonderful) marner remeve all 2Mpe- diments or difficulties out of the way of his people, when they re- +, ſh, turn from Babylon. — 8 17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horſe, the ” "+ army and the power s ; they ſhall lie down together, they ſhall not riſe x: they are extin, they are quen- ched as tow y. u Or rather, Who brought forth the Chariots, 8c. i. e. Pharach and his Chrriots and Horſes, and Army: as may be gathered from the next Verie, where the things here menticned are called former things and things of old» x Org they did lie down together ( to wir, in the bot- rom of the Sea, ) they did not riſe ; they ſank like lead, as it is faid, Exod. 15. 10. and they never roſe again to moleſt rhe Iſraelites as God promiſed, Exod. 14. 13. Theſe rwo Hebrew Vetks are of the furure ſenſe, but that ſeems to be put for the Prerer-tenſe, becauſe therwo following Verbs, which treat of the ſame thing, and are added roexplain theſe, are of the Preter-tenie. y As the wieck of a Candle when itis put into the water is who!ly extinguiſhed, and not the Jeaſt ſpark of fire left, ſo werethey utterly deſtroyed, and not one of chem remained.
18 * Remember ye not the former things,. neither * Chip; conſider the things of old z,
z Bur although your former deliverance out of Fzypt was in it ſelf a moſt glorious work, which you oughr always to remember and conſider, yet this other work ot ycur deliverance out of Babylon by Cyrus, and thoſe blefiings which ſhall follow upcnir, and particu« larly that ineſtimable mercy of ſending the Meſjiab ſhall be to tran« ſcendenr a favour,that in compariſon thereof, al] your former delive.
++ 5 after mec.
[|Or, 10- z They can produce no witneſſes for themſelves, but you my people areable to witneſs for me, that I have given you many plain | demonſtrations of my certain forcknowledge of furure events. by | my predi&ions and promiſes delivered to you from time to time. # Either, 1. Iſaiah, and other Prophets, rheſingular word being pur Colle&ively : Or, 2. Cyrus, who is an eminent inſtance and proof of Gods forekrowledge: Or, 3. The Meſſiah, as not only Chriſtians bur even the Chaldee Paraphraſt underſtands it; who 1s called by this very title, 1/a. 42-1. who alſo is the moſt eminent witneſs in this caule; and thar both paſſively, as he and the time and place, and other circumſtances of his birth, and life, and death were par- ticularly foretold by God in Scripture ; and aQtively, as many fu- ture things were toretold by Chriſt, ef which we have many exam- ples in the New Teſtament. 6 Heof whom the preſent diſpure is, or he whom 1 have affirmed my ſelf ro be. That I only am thar true | God whom we are now ſeeking in this debate. c The gods of the Heathens neither had a beeing before me nor ſhall continue after me. herem more is underſtood than is expreſſed, That whereas the Lord is God from everlaſting ro everlaſting, theſe falſe preten- gers to the Diety are but of yeſterday, and ſhall ſhortly be aboliſhed. And withal he caHeth them formed gods, in way of contempt, and to ſhew the ridiculouſneſs of their prertence to the Divinity, which are formed by the hands of Men-
11 I, even T * am the LORD, and beſides me there
is no ſaviour 4.
d That can and doth favehis Worſhippers ; whereby he implies, that the falſe gods were not only weakand unable to ſave their peo- ple, bur alſo were the deſtroyers of their peeple, as being the great cauſe of their ruine-
12 T have declared, and have ſaved e, and I have ſhewed f, * when there was noſtrange gedamong youg : therefore ye are my witnefles, ſaich the LORD, that
I am God. ] | © e 1 firſt foretold your deliverance, and then eff.Qed it. 7 Ifore-
o Chap. 45» 21- Moſ. 1 3-4.
* Deuts J2. 12,