e An argument, or pathetical plea for Pity ; or notwithſtanding all this,thou art ourFarther both by Creation and by Adoption, there- fore Pit us thy Children. 4 A Metonymy of the matrer, clay for the eſfels made of clay : Or, we are clay, pointing at our Original matter : Or, it may relate to their ſtate, thar God framed them into a Body Civil and Eccleſiaſtical our of a confuſed multitude ; They plead at the ſame time their own frailty, why they would be piti- ed, and God's Covenant-intereſt in them, why he ſhould piry them. e Another argument of the ſame nature with the former, Pſalm 138. 8. not only as men, but as a Body of Men made thy pe- culiar People. |
9 Be not * wroth very fore, O LORD, neither re-
member iniquity for ever f: behold, ſee, we beſeech
thee, we are all thy people g.
f To wit, Thou haſt been angry with us a long time, be not ſo for ever, but deal with us as may beſt conſiſt with a Father's bowels : It hath reference both ro Qyantity and Time, that it might not be ve- ry great, nor of Jong durance. See on Pſalm 79. 8. g Thy Pecu- Gar People, Chap 63. 19. Another argument to back the former Pe- tition, Pſalm 28. 9. Though we are very bad in our ſclves, and very badly handled by our Enemies, thou ſuffereſt in our ſufferings, for thou haſt no People in Covenant but us, and wilt thou nor leave thy ſelf a People in the World?
Io Thy holy cities b are a wilderneſs, Zion 1s a wil-
_ derneſs, Jeruſalem is a deſolation 3.
h Either Sion, and Jeruſalem, being the Cities they inſtance in, g. d, Thy holy Cities, wiz. Sion, and Feruſalem : Or rather, other Cities alſo in the Land of Judes, beſides theſe two, called Holy, Ei- ther, 1. Becauſe they were built upon God's Inheritance, Chap. 63. x17. Or, 2. Becauſe they were inhabited by the Jews, who were an holy People, Deut. 5 6. Dan. 12.7. Or, 3. Becauſe God had his Sy- nagoguesin them, Pſa! 74. 8. For all which reaſons alſo they are cal- Jed Thy Cities. i Utterly waſte, not only the ordinary Cities, but even Jeruſalem, and Sion themſelves, the one called the Upper Jeruſa. lem, or, the City «ef David, becauſe it was built upon Mount Sen; the other the Lower City, becauſe it lay under the Hill of $:0# inthe Val- ley ; he particularizeth Sioz and Jeruſalem, though he had mentioned the other Cities before, b<cauſe the Chiefeſt of the Cities, it being uſu- al notwithſtanding the mentioning of Generals, in which all the par- ticu/ars, or individuals, are included, to name the particular again ; as, and fromthe hand of Saul, Palm 8. Title. 1x Our holy and our beautiful houſe #, where our
ZZ = & A
fathers / praiſed thee, is burnt up with fire: ang all our pleaſant things are »» laid waſte.
& The Temple, ch. 60. 7,q.4. Not only our Cities, and our Princina] Ciries, but even our Temple, which we ke Sacred and "behenwarn in which we have gloried, becauſe it was Thine, and our Father's, ang Ours, the Place where thy holy Service was performed, and thy Glory and Preſence was manifeſted. 1 Not preſuming to mention Ro felves, they had been ſo every way abominable, but their Farh::s m The King's Palace, and the Houles of the Nobles,and other pieces of State and Magnificence, 2 Kings 25. 9. Lam. 1. 7, 10. Or, their Synagogues: Or, thoſe ſtately Pieces about the Temple. ;
12 Wilt thou refrain thy ſelf for theſe :bings », O LORD ? Wilt thou hold thy peace os, and aflict us very ſore p?
n Viz. That are done by the Babyloniaw; do none of theſe things move thee to take vengeance on them? o Wilt thou be as one thar regards not? Wilt thou be ſtil}, and ſuffer them? p See verſe yg. For theſe our fins, or for theſe our ſufferings ; ſhall we feel the 1mart of it, that have done no ſuch thing, but have been ſufferers under the Babylonians? To which God anſwers in the next Chapter.
CHAP. LAY. The calling of the Gentiles, 1. The Jews for their Incredulity, Liolatry, and
Hypocriſie, rejefted, 2——7, A Remnant ſhall -be ſaved, 8 ; bo.
Judgements on the Wicked, and Bleſſings 0n the Godly, 11 16. The
Flour iſhing and Peaceable State of the New Jeruſalem, 17 26.
my name.
That in the primary Senſe of this Text, it is a Prophecy of the Converſion of the Gentiles, upon the Reje&ion of the Jews, for their contempt and erucifying of Chrift, cannot be aoubted by any, who will not arrogat to them= Jelves a greater Ability to interpret the Propheſies of the Old Teftoment, than Pau) had, who, Rom. 10. 20. expre/ly ſo interpreteth it, and applieth it, which ſheweth the vanity of the Jews in their other Interpretations of it.
a The word ſignifies properly a diligent Enquiry in things re- Jating to God, 2 Cor. 14. 4. Pſalm 34. 4. Jerem. 37. 7. Iam dili- gently _—_ of by them. 6b That 1n times before made no en quiry after me ; ( as the Gentiles, who are ſaid to be without God inche World, Epheſ. 2. 12.) As ſeeking may more ſtriQly relate to Prayer, as the word is uſed, Jjaiah 55. 6. 1o - this ws tranſlated aked, may alſo be ſo taken, and is ſo, 1 Sam. 1. 20. 1 Sam. 22. 13. But ( poſſibly ) ic is better interpreted more generally. c Yea, I was founi of them before they ſought me, thoſe who fore merly did not ſeek me, now ſeek me, but they were found of me before they ſought me, 1 prevented them by my Grace, ſending my Son to preach Peace to thoſe that were afar off, Epheſ. 2. 17. and my A- poſtles to jntreat them ro be reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5.' 20. and my Spirit 8 convince the World of Sin, Righteduſneſs, and Judgement. John 16. 8, d I invited whole Nations by the preaching of my Goſpel to behold me, and I invited them with importunity, doubling my Words upon them, and this I did unto a Natiow not called by my Name, with whom I was not in Covenant, and which did not profeſs any Relation to me, which none of the Gentiles could pretend unto. The Prophet ſpeaks of a thing to come many Years after, as if it were a thing then done,to ſignifie the certainty of it, God deth the ſame thing yer in every ſoul that is Converted. But the Text is ma- nifeſtly to be interpreted of the Converſion of the Gentiles.
2 I have ſpread out my hands e all the day long to a rebellious people f, which walketh in a way that was
not good g after their own thoughts 5.