m "The ſtranger; as the jon of man is the ſame with the man. v. 2.the Gentile, who by Birth isaſtranger to God, and to the Common- wealth of rat. n» That hath rurned from dumb Idols to the living God, and to the true Religion : for ſuch ſhall be as acceptable to me as the Itraclites themſelves, and the partition-wall between Jews and Gentiles ſhall be taken down, and Repentance and Remiſſi:n of ſins ſhall be preached and offered ro men of all Nations. o Who 1s here joined with the ſtranger, becauſe he was forbidden to enter in- zo the Congregation of the Lord, Deur. 23. 7. as the ſtranger was, and by his barrennels might ſeem no lets than the ſtranger to be caſt out of God's Covenant, and cut offfrom his People, to whom the the blefſing of a numerousPoſterity was promiſed. And under theſe two Inſtances he underſtands all thoſe perſons, who either by Birth, or by any Ceremonial Pollution, were excluded from the partici- pation of Church priviledges, and ſo he throws open the door to all true Believers without any reſtriftion whatſoever. p A ſaplels | and fraitleſs Tree. accurſed by God with the curſe of barrenn fs, |
which being oft threarned as a Curſe, and being a marter of Re- proach among the Jews wr ealily occaſion ſuch diſcouraging | thoughts as are here expreſtc .
4 For thus ſaith the LORD unto the eunuchs that | keep my ſabbarchs, and chooſe rhe rhings that pleafe me
and take ho!d of my covenant r : 9 That obſerve my Commands nor by cuſtom, or force, or fear, but by free choice, and fuil conſent, with Jove ro them and delight in them. r That reſolvedly and ſtedfaitly ke:zp the conditions of my Covenant. ; Feb ; 5 Even unto them will I give in mine houſe s, and
within my walls t, a place and a name better than of ' ſons and daughters «: I will give them an everlaſting
name, that ſhall not be cut off.
+ In my Temple, to ſerve me there as Pricits, which Eunuchs were not allowed ro: do, Lev. 21. 17, &c. Dert. 23. I. t In tie Courts of my Temple, which were encompaſſed with Walls. This ſeems to be added with reſpe&to the People who were admitted 1n- to the Court, but not into the Houle it ſelf. » A far greater Bleſ- fingand Honour than that of having poſteriry, which was bur a temporal Mercy, and that common to the worſt of men, even my Favour, and my Spirit, and eternal Felicity. _
6 Alſo the ſons of the ſtranger, that join themſelves
" to the LORD x, to ſervehim, and to love the name of | the LORD y, to be his fervants, every one that keep- eth the ſabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of
my covenant :
x That with purpoſe of heart cleave unto him, as 1s ſaid, As 11. 23. » Toſerve him outoflove to him, and ro his Worſhip.
7 Ever: chem wili 1 * bring to my holy mountain z, * Ch.2.2. -ndmake them joyful a in my houſe of prayer 6: their | bucnt- offerings and their ſacrifices ſhall be accepred u- pon mine alcar c : for * mine houſe thall be called an houſe of prayer for all people 4.
z To my houſe, asit is explained in the following clauſe, which ſtood upon Mount Son, largely io cated, including Mount M:r:i2/. Formerly the Gentiles neither had any deſire ro come thither, nor were admitted there ; but now I will incline their hearts to come, and T will give them admiſſion and free liberty ro come into my Church. &# By accepting their ſervices,and comforting theirhearrs with the ſenſe of my Love, and pouring down all ſorts of Bleſſings upon them. 6 In my Temple, in and rowards which Prayers are daily male and direfted unto me, 1 Kings 8. 19, 28. c They ' ſhall have as free acceſs to mine Houfe and Altar, as the Jews them- ſelves, and their ſervices ſhall be as acceptable to me as theirs. E- vangelical Worſhip is here deſcribed under ſuch Expreſſions as agreed to the Worſhip of Ged which then was in uie, as it is Mal. 1. 11. and elſewhere. See alſo Rom. 12. 1. Heb. 13. 15. dJews and Gentiles ſhall have equal freedom of acceſs to my Houſe, and ſhall there cat] upon my Name. Poſſibly he may call it an Houſe of
d. +
7,
"x #4
* Mat.
#1. F3.
Var. 1.17 uk: 19.46
S 3 #4. Chap. LVIL
9 All ye beaſts of che field, ccme to devour, yea, all ye beaſts inthe forreſt g.
£ This invitatien or proclamation 1s a prediQtion of Iſraci's De. ſhuQion by their cruel Enemies, which are oft expreſſed in Scri. pture under the names of ravenous Beaſts. Burt the great Queſtion is, What connexion this part of the Chapter hath with the former? Which may be thus conceived : The Propher having Jargely dif. courted concerning the Meſſiah, and his Church and Kingdom, and particularly of the great acceſſion and converſion of the Gentiles to Ir, and of the Infidelity, Apoſtacy, and manifold Wickedneſles of the Jewiſh Nation, and having comforted and encomaged the Gentiles with God's gracious promiſes mat!e to them, he now pro- ceeds to terrifie the unbelieving and ungodly Jews,»nd to ſhew that as the Gentiles ſhould believe, and be 1taved, ſo They ſhould reje& their M:fiah, and be urterly deſtroyed;although we need not labour much about the coherence ; For this may be a new $crmon, and theref re many learned Interpreters make this the beginning of the 57:h Chapter.
Io His þ watchmen 7 are blind : they are all jgno- rant &, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark 7, | ſleeping, lying down, loving to ſlumber w. | Or
h Iſrael's, as is evident from the foilowing verſes : the Pronoun dreaming Relative being pur without, and inſtead of the Antecedent ; of or ralking which I have given divers Inſtances before. 3; Prieſts and Pro- in their phets, or other Teachers, who are commorly called Warckmen, as ſeep. Ezek. 3. 17. & 33. 2. Hoj. 9. 8. He mentions only the Teachers, be- cauſc Ignorance was moſt ſhameful in them, bur hereby he ſuppo-
; 1cth the grols ignorance of the People, who neither pretended nor