14 And makeſt & men / as the fiſhes »: of the ſea 7; as the || creeping things o zhar have no ruler p over
them ? | þ Not infuſing cruel, ravenous and unſatiable Appetires, but per- mitting them to a& according to ſuch Appetite which was already intkem. / Who ſhould be juſt to all, and wrong none z who were once framed for mutual Help in Civil Societies,and whoſe Life ſhould be Beneficence. mOF'which the greater/live on the lefler, and do orecdily and all the day long feed on the ſmaller Fry. n Where the Devourers are more for Number, of greater Bulk, and ſwallow grea- ter Numbers of- the ; lefſler. o Which in the Waters are Food for the leſſer Fry 3 ſo the World like. the Sea,. 1s;wholly Oppreſſion. > None to defend the- Weak, to reſtrain the Mighty, and to give Law to all. F00-IF1 : Ka : 15 They q * take” up all s of them with the an: ole t: they catch them in their net z, and gather. x them in their || drag y; therefore they = rejoyce a and
are giad b. |
q Eirher more generally Oppreſſors every-where, or elſe particu: ; larly the Chaldeans, r Draw them out ſlily and craftily when they ' are taken by his Bait. s Without diſtin&1on, all alike Good or Bad. | # It way refer to the Delight theſe Oppreſſors took in theſe Courſes, or to the more private way of deſtroying. - # Another Method of the Chaldean Rapine like catching of Fiſh, not ſingly and one by one, but deſtroying many together. . x As if they could neyer have enough; theſe Chaldeans do, Fiſher-like, drive Men into their Nets and Snares. y This is a third way of deſtroying Fiſh. The Chal- deans would uſe all ways to devour the Fews. x The greedy and cruel Chaldeans. a Both in their own Gain, and in the Fews Ru- ine. b 'Tis doubled to ſheiv the certainty of the thing, and pro- bably to intimate the double Joy they took in their proſperous Op- preſſion. ES | ;
16 Therefore c + they ſacrifice d unto their net e,
and burn incenſe f unto their drag g - becauſe by them their portion h zs tat z, and their meat & || + plen-
£
teous /. | c Becauſe they proſper and thrive, in which they ſhould ſee and acknowledge thy wiſe and mighty Providence. d Idolize and pay
preffions of the Righteous ? This Chapter repreſents the Prophet proof, or waiting and muſing, ſtudying with himſelf what account l:e might argutrg, give to himſelf, and waiting what 'account God would give him of ir. {| Oc, a: 22 He will ſtand in a Poſture of Meditating, obſerving and waiting, 2d with.
b Poſſibly the Prophet may have reſped to the manner of che Fews, who in their ſolemn Frayers and waiting on God had their Stations and Watches (as DD. Buxtorf obſerverh'in verboQy) in their Syna- gogues or at Feryſalem. | Bur T rather think the Prophet refolyeth ra be like one that is to be a Watchman, asProphets arc, Ezehb. 3. 17. for the Ptople of God. ' Or paſſively, in my Watch; 7. e. where my Adyerſaries like beſieging Enemies obſerve and watch me. tt contains his <igent and perſevering ExpeRation and:Obſerving, c Fixedly and with reſolution not to-leave my Sration.'as the Hb. implieth ; tis the ſame thing more empharically expreſt than in the word ſtand. d Either Watch-Tower, or, befieged Tower, or with- in a Circle, og of which I will oot..ſtic till I receive au Anſwer. e Moſt attentively obſerve. f The Lord, chap. 1. 12. g Oc ſigni- fie unto me. h Waiting for mine own SatisfaQion, and for the In- formation of others. i There are many that are perplexed at the Intricacy of Providence, and ſome enquire to be inſtrufted ; ſome propoſc Doubrs and Fears; and others do quarrel, and perverſly wrangle with God and his Prophets : And how I may anſwer rheſe from the word of God, is that I wait for, ſaith our Propher. þ When called to give an Account of the Myſteriouſneſs of Providence; when either to ſatisfic Doubters, or to ſilence Quarcellers.
2 And the LORD /anſwered »7 me, and faid, Write 7 the viton o, and make z plain p upon tables 9, that he may run 7 that readeth it.
! On whom he waited, and who ruleth all Affairs. #: Did hear my defire, and gave Dire&ion what 1 ſhould do. n What is only ſpoken is foon forgor, but what is written is more laſting z therefore write thou the: Viſion. ſhew'd to thee. o The things thou ſeeſt, or which chou ſhalc ſee. p. Make the /Writing.yery plain, engrave it, as was their manner. q What was of publick concern, and therefore to be publiſhed, was anciently written- or engraven upon Tablcs, ſmooth Stones or Wood, ,and then hang'd up in a publick Place to be read. r That noge may need to. make a. ſtop, but hold on his Courſe, in the greateſt haſte of Buſineſs, eyery one may plainly and clearly diſ- cern what is written, ' |
3 Fors the viſion 7 zs yet” for an appointed time , bur at the end -x it ſhall ſpeak y and not lie 2 : though
will not tarry d.
S The reaſon why it muft be writren 1s, becauſe it ſhould not be forgotten, whileſt the appointed time is ſomewhat far off; write it that it may be preſerved in memory. t The accompliſhment of the
things ſhew'd unto thee 3 what thou ſecſt is coming, and what thou -
foretelleſt to them, will take effett. u Derermin'd and fixed wich God, though unkr-2wn to Men, x When the Period appointed of God ſhall come, then, and not till then, 'twill be accompliſhed. y Be accompliſhed, and fully made good. x Not diſappoint your Ex- peRacion. @ From the time of the Prophets ſeeing it, which was about Manaſſeh's time,or from about the time of captivating the ten Tribes, until Cyrus his time. b Expett it, then 'twill ſpeak out that every one who hath an Ear may hear it. c When the ruine of Babylon, ne- ver to be more built, ſhall proclaim the Juſtice of God againſt his, and his Church her Enemies, and what difference there is between Correttions on his People, and Deſtruftion upon Enemies. d Not beyond the appointed time, which reckon'd from the Captivity of the Ten Tribes, was 150 Years, or trom Manaſſeh's Captivity, was
divine Honours; aſcribe the praiſe of his Viories and acquired Glory, e To his own contrivances, diligence and power, as if the Fi- ſher-man ſhould make his Net his God, and offer Sacrifice for a good
funnges 120 Years, more or leis, to the Deſtiuftion of Babylon by Cy- rus, when the Riddle was tully uatolded.
4 Behold e, his - foul f which is lifted g up, is not
it rarry 2;wait 6 for ir, becauſe it will * ſurely come c,it * Heb. 19- }
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