rhe Gods thar do them, never any other God could do like thee : Or, to things done, never any #id:s thee could do ſuch things ag were never 1ecn, or hcard of; he r<fers to thoſe terrible things men« tioned in the former verſe. I: ſeems to be clear by comparing this with Deur. 4. 31, 32,33, 34, 35- Not tobe reſtrained to thoſe, but to be applied to ail rhe wonderful Works, that God ar all times wrought for his People: And thus they are a Plea with God, thar they might well expe&t ſuch things from kim now, that hid done ſuch wonderful things fo: their Fatie:'s of old. h The Apoſtle tath it, that Love him, 1 Cor. 2. 9. To ſhew that none can wart on him,that Love him not ; ſo all that Love him will wait on lim. This may be taken with reference both to the State of Grace and Glo- roy, thoſs incomprehenſible things that are exhibited through. Chriſt in the myt'eries ofthe Goſpel, as well as the good things of - this preſent life, which the Prophet may here literally aim at, it being not unuſual for the Prophets in mentioning theſe temporal things to point at Spiritual, ejpecially being things that do ſo well ſuit with each other. :
5 Thou meetreſt ; him that rejoyceth, and work- _ I ech righteouſneſs &, *rhoſe that remember thee in thy ways *Ch. 26.2; i /: Behold, thou art wroth, for we have ſinned : in t1 thoſe is continuance », and we lhall be ſaved o.
; Or, waft wont to meet: Or, thou preventeſt him, ch. 65. 24? and Pſalm 21. 2, 3. as the Father the Prodigal. k Viz. That rejoyce to work Righteouſneſs, the ſame thing expreſſed by two words, by a Figure called Hendiadis. 1 An amplification of the former words, 9.4. To walk inthy ways, whether of Providence, Preceptor Coun« tel, by vertue of the Covenant they have with thee. 22 Or, greatly angry, for, or becauſe we have ſinned, and provoked thee to nk thereby, 4 Kings 8.46. 21.e. to thoſe that work Righteouſneſs : in for to. 0 Viz. In ſo doing, in workiag Righteouſneſs. Or as fome by way of Interrogation ; in zhoſe, 1. e. In our fins is continuance, and ſhall we be ſaved? Orin thoſe, viz. Works of Righteouſneſs, in keeping of them is our continuance, and means to be ſaved ; Or thou continueſt to ſhew Mercy, and or therefore we ſhall be faved.
ticy, whom thou didft not bear Rule over. Or, we are as if thou |
The meaning of the place is to comfort the Godly, . that though they may have provoked God by their fins, yet looking upon the ways of God's former proceedings (in which he ſtill continues;
CT Ci ' _ being
\ 6.
Tof. 7.7.
th.29.16 FL - 9- . 18.6.
4 ©
-,
TT
Palm F 9. 8,
LXIV.
_ cations; Or elſe, to their Perſons.
, were cut off.
0.9. 20,
being unchangeable) they may find hopes of Salvation, and ths is that which is amplified in the three following verſes.
6 But we are all as an unclean zhing p, and all our righteouſneſles 9 are filthie raggs r, and we all do * fade asa leaf s, and our iniquities, as the wind, have taken us away #.
p He alludes, either ro things unclean under the Ceremonial Law, wherein the Leproſy was found, and wasto be burnt, Levzs. T3: 55. or rather to Perfons unclean. They compare their preſent Kate with the former. q. «4. Formerly there were ſome that fear- ed thee, and walked uprightly beforethee, and were in thy favour; But now we are all as one polluted maſs, nothing of good left in us by reaſon ofan univerſal degeneracy, Iſaiah 1. 4, 6. 9q This ac- cording to the moſt Commentators, reters either to the Obſervances of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Law, wherein they thoughr their Riohteouſneſſes did much conſiſt; Or to the beſt work, and aQions that can be performed by us; Or to our natural, univerſal depravitics: Bur the beſt Interpreters, and ſuch as aim at the pecu- liar ſenſe of the place, refer it to the groſs provocations that this people were guilty of, cauſing God to caſt them out of their Habi- 1. e. The meſt Righteous a- mong us, and being plural, it raiſeth it up to the higheſt degree, the Scripture frequently putting the Abjira# for the Concrete, as Wiſ- dems for the greateſt Wiſdom, Prov. g. 1. and many the like inſtances formerly given, ſo that the meaning is, the very beſt of us all are no better than the uncleaneſt things or Perſons, ſee Micah 7. 2, 3, 4. and the rather becauſe he lived about the time of Jſaiah. r A cloath made up of patches, or ſuch as come from a putrid ſore, or are defiled with the menſtruous blood of a Woman, the LXX. as a rag of one that fits down, poſſibly alluding to Rachel, Gen. 31. 34, 35- or whatever may be molt filthy. s Blown off the tree, and ſo wi> thers. #2 Cartied us away to Babylon from our Habitations, as leaves hurried away by a boiſterous Wind ; our iniquities have been the
.. procuring Cauſe.
- And * there 5s none « that calleth x upon thy name, that ſtirreth up himſelf to take hold of thee y: for z thou haſt hid thy face from us, and haſt + conſumed us 8, becauſe of our iniquities 6.
# Or yet, there is none. i, e. Few, Pſalm 14 3. they are not to be de diſcerned among the multitude. x Suchas call upon thee as they 'ought, as Jacob, and Moſes, and David, &c. did, which often peeyeney the ruine of a State or Kingdom : Ir points our the univer-
1 Apoſtacy of the laſt times of the Jewiſh State, for which they y Either to ſtay thee from departing from us, ſee 24. 28, 29. or to fetch thee back, whendeparted, Jerem. 12.7.
_ Or it is an Alegoricol allufion to one ſtruck down and ſtill ſmitten, '* but never ftirs to lay hold on the arm that ſmites him, chap. 27+ 5.
it notes their great ſloathfulneſs, and.careleſneſs, and ſome refer it To their lukewarmneſs, and dead heaxzedneſs, relying upon their Priviledges before they went into Captivity, and ſo a great Preſage vftheir approaching Judgements. z Or when; ſo the Particle 1s uſed, Job 5. 21. Pſalm 75. 2. a Or melted; our fins have kindled ſuch a fire of thy wrath, that we are melted with it. þ Heb. 7» 7he of our iniquities. 1. e, Either, in the place of our 1511quiries, the Land wherein they were committed ; or, into the hands of our Iniquities to be puniſhed by them, and as it were conſumed, or melted down, or our ſtrength exhauſted by them, as wax before the fire Levir. 26. 39. Exzk. 33.10. or, as we tranſlate it, our ini- quities being rhe procuring Cauſe of it. 8 But now, O LORD, thou art our Father c: we
ere theclay «d, and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand e.