4 For thus ſaith the Lord GOD, My people went s. down aforetime into* Egypt to ſojourn there »,and 0 * the Aſſyrian p opprefſed them without caule 9. © n Where they had proteftion and ſuſtenance, and therefore owed ſubjeRion to the King of Fgypf. And yet when he oppreſſed them I puniſhed him ſeverely, and delivered them out of his hands. Which is eaſily underſtood from the following words, o Or, 6ut 3 for here is an oppoſition made between theſe two.cates, p The The King of Babylon, who is called the King of Aſſyria, 2: Kine 23: 29. compared with chap. 24. 7. as alſo the Perſian Emperour is called Exra 6+ 22. becauſe it was onc and the ſame Empire which was poſ- ſeiſed, firſt by the Aſſyrians, then by the Babylonians, and after- wards by the Perſians. q Without any ſuch ground or colour; by meer force invading their Land,and carrying them away into cap- tivity. For although it be ſaid that God gave this Land; and People into his hand, 2 Chr. 36. 17- by his Counſel and Providence, yet that was neither known to, nor regarded by the King of Babylon, nor was it agood and lawfull Title, God's Word, and not his Providerce being the Rule by which mens rights are determined 3; otherwiſe a Robber hath aright to my purie, which he cannot take from me. u- pon the high- way without God 's Providence. s Now therefore, what have I here r, faith the
' LORD, that my people is taken away s for nought 7+ they that rule over them «, make them tohowl « ſaith the LORD, and my name continually every day 7s | FEzeb, 36 * blaſphemed y.
20, 23» r Heb. What to me here ? Theſenſe 1s either r, What doT here ? Rom. 2,24 Why do I ſit ſtill here, and ot go to Babylon to puniſh the Baby- lonians, and todeliver my Pepole ? Or 2. What honour have 1 by ſuffering this injury to be done to my People? 5s Were icarricd 2- way Captive by the Babylonians. # Without any provocation or pretence of right- See before on v. 3+ « Who by their Office are ' obligedto deal juſtly and tenderly with their ſubje&s. * By *their - tyrannical and unmercifull uſage of them. » Inftezd of that praiſe and ſervice which the Babylonians owe me for all their ſucceſfes and Conqueſts, they blaſpheme me as if I wanted either power or good
will to ſave my People out of their hands. 6 Therefore my people ſhall know my name z: therefore they ſhall kyow a in that day b, thatT am he
that doth ſpeak, behold zz is I c i 2 They ſhall have ſcaſible Experience of my inficite power and rene in fighting for them and againſt you : whereby they fhall able to put your blaſphemous tougues to ſilence. a Which word is underſtood from the foregoing claufe, as is very frequent in Scrip- ture. b When I ſhall redeem my People : which Work was be- © gun by the return of the Jews from Babylon, and afterwards carried on, and at laſt perfe&ed by the coming of the Meſſiah. c Thar all theſe promiſesare not the words of a weak, or fickle, os deceitful man, but of him who is the Omnipotent, and Unchangeable, and Covenant keeping God. Or thus, That I who have formerly ſpoken to you by my ſervants the Prophets, C for it was the Spirit of Chyiſt aphich was and ſpake in them, 1. Yet.1, 18. )do now ſpeak to you in my own perſon, being cloathed with flzſh. Which agrees well, as with the Analogy of Faith, and with diverſe other Scriptures, ſo ; particularly with the next verſe, and} with divers following paſ- ſages, which ſo evidently ſpeak of the perſon and Kingdom of Chriſt, that they cannot without great force be underfiood of any other.
7 * How beautifull 4 upon the mountains 'e are the feet f ofhim'g that bringeth good tidings, that pub- liſheth peace, 'that bringeth good tidings of good, that publiſheth falvation 5b, that Pith unto Zion, Thy God
regpaeed z.
Theſe arewords of "rejoicing 'and admiration. They are ex- ceeding precious and acceptable. e Of Zion, and Moriah, which are "ſometimes mentioned as one Mountain, and ſometimes as two, Or, in the mountainious Country of Fades, 'to which theſe glad tidings were brought, and from which they were ſpread abroad into other Countries. f Which carry this welcome meſſenger ; or the meſſen- ger himſelf himſelf, g Or, of them, for the ſingular number fs oft put for the plural: although it may be here emphatically uſed,to ſig. : nifie, that although there were many Meffengers, yet one was the. chief, and Lord of the Embaſiy, whoſe ceming was more acceptable. than thereſt : which ſuits excellently to the Meſſiah, who is ycalled ghe Meſsenger of the Covenart, Mal. 3. I, and is oft ſaid tobe ſent by | God, as Fob. 6, 38. & 8. 16.18. &c, to publiſh the glad tidings of Salvation, þ Thoſe emphatical and repeated Expreſhons are a ſuf- ficient evidence, that ſomething farther and better is here intended than their deliverance out of Baby{sn, which init ſelf was but a very imperfe& work, and reached at firſt but to a few of that numerous People, and was attended with many fears and ſorrows, and rermain- ders of their bondage, Exr4 9+ 8, 9. Nebem. x. 3. and that although | that was the beginning of theſe glad tidings, yet they extended much 3 further even to the coming of Chriſt, by whom alone true Peace and Salvation were procured. It is true, this might in ſome ſort be ſaid when God ſo aver-ruled the affairs of the World, and the heart of Cyrus, that his People were freed from the Babyloniſh Captivity and reſtored intoand ſctled in their own Land. Although he that con- fiders the ſtate of God's People in their own Laud ater their return
Jen 41. *Jer. 5% a7:
"* Nabum 5 FT, IF, Rom. 10. I Fy
I # 4 4-H.
| advancement of the Meſſiah, is fitly put in
——— ——— A es, ans |. Chap, IM LIL,
will fiod that the reign of God in ard over the War'd was not then either very ccnipicucus cr x lorioutes And therefere it ſeems far more reaſonable to underſtand it of the days of the F'efiah. when God did diſcover and exerciſe his dominion over the Vorid far more emi« neptl y than ever he had done from the beginning of the World unto that that time,
8 Ihy watchmen & (ball lift up the yoice 7, with the voice together ſhall they ſing:for they ſhall ſee eye
to eye », when the LORD fhall bring again Zion o;