now must prompt him to act on our behalf, CHAP. II. 13. and "he cannot deny himself." How should this support the believer! he can no more finally perish, than God can deny himself, or Jehovah break to Christ, or Christ to the Father. "Once have I sworn by my holi ness, I will not fail David, HIS SEED SHALL ENDURE FOR EVER. The faith of the least believer can no more fail, than Christ can lose his reward: " He shall see of the Isa. liii. travail of his soul, and be satisfied." Now, justice itself is as sweet as mercy; the appeal to God's justice, is as strong as to his mercy; it is an attribute, that, when satisfied, is as comfortable, as when, unsatisfied, it is terrible. The relation The Inference," for which Cause." The thing affirmed, Christ calls them "Brethren." Actual relationship to Church in Glory," Declare thy Proof respecting Virtual relationship Children whom the Lord hath "Trust in him." to Elect Decreed given. APPENDIX H. APPENDIX H. I think the most satisfactory way of fixing the meaning of Isa. viii. 18, will be by taking a short view of the whole prophecy, from ch. vii. to xii. inclusive, a help to the understanding of which is found, in observing the relation, which the transaction of ch. vii., and the subsequent prophecies, have to the prophecies, ch. v. and vi. I will first, therefore, endeavour to shew, that ch. vii.—xii. has a relation to ch. v. and vi. We probably have the first allusion to the name of Mahershalalhashbaz in ch. v. 19, the wicked, who tauntingly say, Let him make speed (maher) hasten (hash) his work;" this the Lord answers, ver. 26, saying, the nation, whom he will bring to scourge them, "shall come with speed (maher) swiftly;" and in ver. 25 appears to be introduced the choral burden of the prophecy respecting Mahershalalhashbaz, which is repeated, ch. ix. 12, 17, 21, and x. 4. Again in ch. x. 5, we have the charge given to the Assyrian" to take the spoil, and to take the prey,” in allusion to Mahershalalhashbaz. In ch. vi. 13, appears to be the first allusion to Shear Jashub; "And yet in it a tenth," or as Gataker suggests, "God's tenth," that is, "the remnant," "and it shall return, and shall be to burn, i. e. his enemies, as Zech. xii. 6, Obad. ver. 18. To the name, Shear-Jashub, x. 21, xi. 11, 15, appear also to allude; and ch. x. 21, I farther suppose, connects with ix. 6, the mighty God, the King to whom they are to return, and the HOLY SEED,* the stem or substance, either of the "tenth" or of the land, is the stump cut down from which the Netzer, the BRANCH, shall spring, ch. xi. 1. It is pre-eminently the Holy Seed, because it alludes to "the holy thing" to be born of a virgin, ch. vii. 14, and to which allusion is again made in ch. viii. and 10. I also suppose, that viii. 22, and ix. 1, allude to the former darkness, mentioned ch. v. 30. And Hales renders Isa. vi. 12, “Even [until] Jehovah shall remove the man (Eth Ha Adam,) and shall multiply the residue [of the dispersion] in the midst of the earth." There are some more allusions and references, which APPENDIX H. shew, how completely the prophecy is interwoven, as xi. 13 is opposed to ix. 21; and indeed, I think, wa may trace an opposition throughout, between the mercies ultimately to be bestowed and,he judgments primarily inflicted, ch. xi. 4, to x. 2, 3; and xii. 3 to viii. 6, &c.; however, these are not of so much importance in fixing the interpretation. b is Theodore, Cyril, Brentius, Coccius, Schmidius. b Mark xii. 1-10. with Isa. viii. 14, and 1 Pet, ii. 7, 8, and Matt. xi. 25, with Isa. v. 21. c Matt. xiii. 14, 41; Acts xxviii. 25-27; Fry observes, that "we have the suffrage of many a Tertullian, commentators to understand the prophecy of ch. v. to Jerome, Luther, relate to the desolation by the Romans, which we now Ecolampadius, behold:" Indeed, I think it manifest, that our Lord alludes directly to it in the parable of the vineyard. Isaiah vi. is quoted three times, as fulfilled in the days of Messiah, or immediately subsequent, " And in them fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias," &c.; and again it is said, "Therefore they could not believe, because Esaias 15; John xii. 39– said," &c. Nevertheless, I conceive, that when Ahaz heard of the Isa. vii. 2. confederacy between Syria and Ephraim, his excessive fear betrayed his supposition, that the prophecies in ch. v. and vi., shortly before delivered, of the destruction of the Jewish church and kingdom, were then going to be accomplished; his being here called "the house of David," presents to our mind the promises concerning David's seed, Ps. Ixxxix.; the subsequent prophecy referring directly to those promises it also may be intended to remind us, that as yet the holy seed was in the loins of Ahaz-was not yet bornand would, therefore, be the substance of the stem of Jesse. The sign, that Ahaz was told to ask, has, I believe, been universally assumed as a sign, that Pekah and Remaliah's son should not destroy Judah; and the difficulties, which have followed upon this assumption, have confessedly been very great. It appears to me, that Bp. Horsley came very near to a more satisfactory interpretation: He objects, that "every interpretation, yet mentioned, makes the 16th verse a promise of providential deliverance abruptly introduced in the midst of a comminatory discourse. The prediction of the birth of Emmanuel, addressed to Ahaz, an idolatrous prince, was certainly, with respect to him, a threat: the whole discourse subsequently to the 16th verse to the end of the chapter is threatening. It is certainly strange, if a promise is introduced among 2 Sam. vii. &c. APPENDIX H. these threats, without any thing in the connexion of the Horsley Bib. sentences to mark the transition from threatening, in the 15th verse, to the promise in ver. 16, or back again from promise to threatening, the want of which in the latter instance was so strongly felt by Houbigant, that he makes a conjectural emendation of the text at the beginning of the verse 17, to produce that mark of transition, which he was aware was necessary, in the scheme of interpretation which he had adopted." Bp. Horsley shortly afterwards adds, that" the downfall of the Jewish kingdom, in both its branches, would be completed upon the exhibition of that sign." The interpretation of the Bishop I do not think satisfactory, though he probably had the key to the right elucidation, which I believe to be simply this, We have seen, that the obduration denounced, ch. vi. and the destruction predicted, ch. v., referred to the days of Messiah and his Apostles, but that the excessive fear at the confederacy betrayed by Ahaz, demonstrated his supposition, that the utter destruction there proclaimed was immediately to be accomplished. The Prophet, however, gives the birth of Immanuel as the sign to precede the destruction of ch. v., and hardening, ch. vi., and it is explanatory of how the holy seed should be the substance or stem of the land, even when all outward appearance of life had ceased, and by this sign those, and only those, who believed, would be established, ch. vii. 9. Thus Ahaz refuses to ask a sign, because it is an omen of evil, and "he will not tempt Jehovah" to bring the judgments by any thing like a taunt, or that would, as it were, fix the Lord in his determination; for we must remember, that Ahaz and all his people were in excessive consternation, ch. vii. 2, "His heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind;" and we must interpret the language of Ahaz, according to the passion of his mind then predominating, and not suppose, that, in the midst of his trepidation, he yet spake defiance to Jehovah, as is commonly said. Isaiah then says, ver. 13. "[It is] a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?" This I do not understand as confined to Ahaz personally, but as extended also to the sins of his successors, which at length Luke i. 31, &c. or "cream." wearied God, as the expression there is. It continues, APPENDIX H. ver. 14, "Therefore Adonai himself will give you a sign." Notwithstanding this sign of contrition and fear displayed by Ahaz, (something like Ahab humbling himself,) still a sign would be given, "Behold, the virgin has conceived, and she shall bring forth a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This brings us to the time of the Angel's Matt. - 22. 23; visit to Mary," Butter and honey shall he eat," denoting peace and plenty, (Jos. v. 6,) so that, so far from the outward appearances foreboding evil, peace would be the sign of that destruction-" that he know to refuse the evil and choose the good;" although the former clause, by occasion, denoted a state of peace, yet, I think the end of this verse is to mark, that, although born in a supernatural manner, yet, by natural means, this son should grow in wisdom and stature," and so, by knowledge of good and evil," in favour with God and man." 66 Annot. Dutch, Louth, &c. and so fulfilled 2 Kings xv. 30, and xvi. 9. Ver. 16. "Surely before this child shall know to refuse Assembly's the evil and choose the good, the land shall become Kennicot. desolate, by whose two kings thou art distressed." Upon this verse I do not feel confident, however I am inclined to follow Kennicot and many others, in understanding this of Shear-Jashub, else there does not appear any reason why the child should have been brought by Isaiah, but, according to the Law in Deut. xviii. 21, 22, there would have been a reason, if not perhaps a necessity, for this confirmatory sign. "Of this matter, the Hebrews say, 'every Prophet that riseth up among us, and saith, that the Lord hath sent him, it is not necessary that he do a sign like one of the signs of Moses, our master, or like the signs of Elias, or Elisæus, that there should be in them a change of the customs of the world, but his sign shall be, that he foretell things that are to come in the world, and so confirm his words,""&c. This then I view as the confirmatory sign of the preceding prophecy; but, on the other hand, it is with justice said, that it seems very harsh to make verses 15 and 16 refer to different persons, and also to call Israel and Syria combined, "the Land," &c.; however, the difficulties in the way of Horsley's interpretation appear to me greater. Either way, I do not think the general outline of the prophecy, which I have adopted, is affected. From ver. 17 to 25, I apprehend the Prophet proceeds Ainsworth in Deut. xviii. 21, 22. |