e To wit, for multitude, according to my Promiſe, made to Abraham: Whereas now I have, for thy Sins, made thee to know my breach of Promiſe, as is ſaid, Numb. 14- 24. and greatly di- miniſhed thy Numbers. p Which come out of thy Bowels, or Belly, or Leins; for all theſe are but various Expreſſions of the ſame thing. q Which is continued in a Man's Poſterity, and com- monly dies with them; and ſo the Name here is the ſame thing in effect with the ſeed and of: ſpring in the former Clauſes, which, for the moſt part, are only the memorials of Men, and of their Names, when they are dead and gone. r As now it hath been ina great meaſure, and ſhould have been totally and finally cut cf, if Ihhad not ſpared them for my own Names fake, as he ſaid before. s Or, out of my ſight, out of their own Land, the place of my ſpecial Preſence and Reſidence. 20 Go ye forth of Babylon t: flee ye from the Chal- atans, with a voice of ſinging u, declare ye x, tell this utter 7t even to the end of the earth : ſay ye, The * Exodus LORD hath * redeemed his ſervant Jacob. 1941510 £ The Imperative is here, as it is very frequently, put for the Future. Ye jhall go forth, &c. For this is not iſo much-a Command as a Promiſe. Although this form of ſpeech may be the rather uſed to Ilatimate, That it was their duty to go forth as well as God's Promiſe to carry them forth. « With Joy and Songs cf Praiſe to the Lord. x Publiſh God's wonderful Woiks on your be- half to all Nations. | 21 And they thirſted not when he led them through , the defarts y : he cauſed the waters to flow out of the rock for them : he clave the rock alſo, and the- waters ,*;. guſhed out. \ y This is part of the matter which the Jews are obliged to de- clare to all People, as they have opportunity, to wit, 'That God took the ſame care of them in their return from Babylon to Canaan, which was through many dry and deſolate places, as he did in their march from Egypt to Canaan. They thirfed not, &c. i. e, They ſhall not Thirſt. He ſpeaks of things to come, as if they were already paſt or preſent, as the Prophets commonly do. | *Chap. 57 22 * There 5s no peace, faith the LORD, unto the... wicked z. x God having in the next foregoing Verſes, foretold that Peace and bleſſ:d Deliverance which he would certainly: give to his ſer- want Jacob, verſe 20, He here adds an explication and limitation of this Mercy; and declareth, That wicked men ſhould not en« joy the benefit of this Mercy. Where, by rhe wicked, he means, Either 1. The Babylonians, who well deſerved that Title; who
been there, (i.- e.) I have diligently purſued my Aa ret anion T have hearkned from time to time, to
kear what God would ſpeak to me, that I might impart it to you.
ſhall be deſtroyed, when God's Jſrael ſhall be: delivered: Or ra-
ther, 2. The unbelioring and ungodly Jews; Of whonr theſe very
words are uſed again, 1257.21, and te whom ſuch a nn | i@
thee my Counſels and Commands, bur thou haſt negleQed and =
ks 5
Chap. XLIX.
$7
PIPES IRE HEN
tion as this, was far more proper and neceſſary, at icaſt in this place than to the Babylonians 3 for he had already faid far more and worſe things. than this concerning them, havingagain and again declared, That Babylon ſhould be deſtroyed, in order to this deliverance of 50d": People out of it, But there was great need why he ſhould ſay this tc the ungodly Jews, becauſe they were exceeding prone to Cry peace peace to themſelves, when there was no ſolid ground of Peace 3 and they confidently expe&:d a ſhare in this great Deliverance. This therefore was a very ſeaſonable Caution to the Jews in Babylm to take heed to themſelves, and to prepare for this Mercy, and to purt- fie themſelves from all Wickedneſs; becauſe thoſe of them, who ſhould either wickedly tarry in Babylon, when God invited and requi- red them to go our of itz and when their Godly Brethren returned to their own Land, and to the place of God's Worſhip z .or continue in Wickedneſs, when they were reft>red to their own Country, ſhould not enjoy that Tranquility and Comfort which they promiſed to themſelves. And the neceility of this Commination appears from the event; for the Jews that returned to Canaan, did, for the moſt part, relapſe ro many of their former Sins, and therefoce fell ſhore of that Peaceand Proſperity, which otherwiſe they might have enjoyed.
CHAP. XLIX
Chrift being ſent to the Jews complaineth of them, r, 4. he is ſent to the Gentiles with gracious -romiſes, $,----12. Ged"s Lowe to his Church perpetual, 13,- 17. the ample reftoration of the Church and its enlargement, 18 ,----23, powerful deliverance out of « aptivity, 24--*-26,
Iſten, O Ifles a, unco me b and hearken ye peo.
ple from far c The LORD hath called me
from the womb 4, trom the Bowelsofmy mother hath he made mention of my name e.
a God having in the laft Words ſecretly ſignified the Wickedneſs of the Fewilh Notion. after ſo glorious a deliverance, and foreſeeing, that, for their Wickedneſs, he ſhould caft them off, he here turneth his Speech to the Nations of the Genes, whoare frequently deſcrib- edin this Prophecy, and elſewhere under the Title of Jes. as hath been formerly noted, and inviteth them to hearken to thoſe Counſe!s and DoRrines which the Jews would rejet. 5 Unto Chriſt . for it is apparent from ver. 6. andother paſſages of this Chapter, that
| Iſaiah ſpeaks theſe words in the name of Chriſt, by whoſe Spiric they