1 however they have been ſcattered, they are thine heritage ſtill, hich thou, O Lord, haſt purchaſed of old ; ler them be ſo ſtill, and do __ bot't poſſeſs, rule, feed and preſerve, Dent. 4. 20. and ch.32+9- 7s 100. 3. 1 Feed, graciouſly protett, and guide thoſe that in their preſent captive ſtate are ſolitary, compalſſed wich dangers from wild B-afts; ſo thy Peopſlc are 1 danger by cruel Enemies, worſe than wild Beaſts. m A fruitful Place, and well inh2bited, whether you take it fi c Carmel with Elan frequented, or where Nabal dwelr, and where was rich paſtures and ſafe Feeding. n A place of note for fruitfulneſs 1 Canaan. 9 Equal with any of the other for plenty and ſafety. ,, Refore the fins of the People cauled their Captivity ; own them for *hineand proſper them, O Lord, in their own Land; a much-hke 5:omife or prediftion you have, Fer.50.18,19. and Ezeh.34.25, is According to the days 9 or thy coming out of the Lind of Egypt will I ſhew unto him s marvellous things 7.
Theſe words are by all look'd on as the anſwer made tothe prayer made inthe 14th Verſe. q You 7ews do often refle& on the wonders vour Fathers ſaiv in Ezypt ſome hundred of years ſince ; and ſome of cou think that ſuch wonders would both eftabliſh your hope, and engage your obedience for ever to God : You pray that you may be fed as in days of old ; it ſnall be ſo, according to what I have done { will again do. 7 There I ſlew the firſt-born e're they would let thee -1 free; that ſtroke of the Angel I will parallel with the deftruttion ©\ Senacherib's Hoſt in one night, and fo I will preſerve my People and City : Pharaoh and his Hoft were drowned in the Red-Sex; and the Babyloniſh Kingdom ſrall be ſwallowed up by Medes and Perſians to make way for my ranſomed ones. s The perſon changed, as is uſualin Scripture. # As indeed the reſcuing Feruſalem from the Aſſp- 7ian power was marvellous, and the bringing Iſrael out of Babylon was 1 marvellous work of God,ſtirring up the Spirit of Cyrus and Darius, and others, torelcaſe and ſet free, nay, to furniſh this captive people with necefſarics for their Journey, and for the Work they were to do : So Pſal.126.2, 'twas a work all wondred at, by thoſe paſſages, Jer,16-14,15, and 23. 7,8 it ſeems more wonderful ; but the great Redemption by the Mcſſtah here typified, is a moſt wonderful tulfil- ling of this.
16 T The nations z ſhall ſee and be confounded at all their might x . they ſhall lay their hand upon 7zherr 1.3. 5, mouth : * their ears ſhall be deaf 5.
\ -1.e, 4 The Heathen, Enemies to the Fews,as Pſal. 126. 1, 2,3, x Ama- >4, zed at what they ſee and know done amongſt theſe Nations for che 1:7.42, deliverance of his people : The enemy ſhall neither be able to bear the ſizhr, nor deny the certainty of the thing z it will make them en- viouſly look on rhe proſperity of the good and godly among the Jews. z As Mea ſeldom tail to hear the firſt report of what they defire,and as ſcldom open their ears to that they like not 3 ſo ſhall it be here: though they will nor ſpeak of it, nor defire others ſhould ſpeak of 1t, yet they ſnould totheir great grief, ſee their poor captives raiſed out of depth of ſhame to the height of honour, trom a contemprible remnant to 4 mighty Nation. As this had its typical Complement in the redu&ion of Iſrael out of Babylon, fo it had its anti-typical Completion in our Redemption by Chrift,as1 Cor. 2. 9.
| 17 They @ ſhall lick the dult 6 like a ſerpentc, they 17.4.% ſhall move out of their holes d like || worms of the 1carth e: they ſhail be afraid f of the LORD our God " 8, and ſhall fear becauſe of thee þ.
a The proud and cruel Enemies of Iſrael,the Babylonians. b In the molt ſubmiſſive, ſervile manner teſtifie their ſubze&ion, promiſe to ſerve and honour the Fews releaſed out of Captivity 31it is an Expreſ- fion which alludes tothe ſeryile manner of thoſe eaſtern Complimen- ters, P.72-9.Iſa.49.23. and was fulfilled in the days after the return when the Kings of Perſia favoured the Fews ; and (as manner of Courtiers is) in compliance with their Kings the Grandees, forwar- ded the proſperity of the Fews, as may eaſily be conjeQured from the 6th and 7th Ch. of Exra. c Condemned to eat the duſt,and per- petually to crawl on the duſt ;, it ſeems to intimate rne perpetuity of ſlavery and ſubjeRtion that rhe enemy ſhould fall under,and that it ſhould be on them as a curſe like that on the Serpent. d So the ſirong-holds and faſtnefles of the Babylonians, who kept Iſrael in cap- tivity,are called. e Which do with trembling and haſte,wrigele them- ſelves out of their holes, when the earth is ſhaken about them ; or as when Ants tumultuouſly in their fright run about from the Ant-hill ſcattered with the foot, ſo ſhould theſe Enemies of Iſrael fly out of their holds,and leave them to conquering Perſtans, as Iſaiah foretold chap. 45. 1, 2,3, 4+ f A panick fear, expreſſed by the looſning of the Loins of Kings, 1/a-45.1. ſo did the conquering Cyrus proceed in the courſe of his Vi&ories, as Iſa. 41. 2, 3. God ſtrengthned his Arm, and left the heart of Babylonians ſinking within them, g Who did powerfully work for Cyrus 1n order to the deliyering us out of captivity : It was our God (faith the Prophet in the perſon of 1ſra- el) for his promiſe-ſake made to us, who did thoſe great things by Cys, and for us. þ Sothat the Name of Fews, their power, and greatneſs, ſhall be terrible to their Enemies,
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18 Who 7s a God like unto thee z, that pardoneth ini- quity &, and paſleth by / the tranſgreſion #2 of the rem- nant oz his heritage z ? he retaineth not his anger tor ever o, becauſe he delighteth 77 mercy p.