XL. r erfully? To which this Proverbial Answer is return'd, All Chapter Flesh is Grafs, &c. by which he means that he had Orders. to acquaint the Jews that they should be redeem'd out of their Bondage, which, as improbable as it might feem to Perfons in their Circumftances, yet if they conûder'd the Almighty Power of him who promis'd it, they would have no reafon to doubt of it, for all Flesh is Grafs; the strongest Empire in the World, even the mighty Babylonians, are no more able to make Resistance against him who efpous'd their Cause than a Flower to refift the Violence of a Hurricane or a blafting infectious Wind. Ver. 9. O Zion, that bringeft good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain: O Jerufalem, that bringeft good tidings, lift up thy voice with ftrength: lift it up; be not afraid: Jay unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God.] Our Tranflators took Sion and Ferufalem in the Nominative Cafe, and fo did others Pagninus, before them, as if the Prophet call'd on the chief City to Vatablus. acquaint the other Cities of Judah with the joyful News of their returning Inhabitants; but others think they may Grotius. be render'd, Thou that bringeft glad Tidings to Sion get thee up into a high Mountain, that the Jewish Captives in the remoteft Corners of Chaldea may hear the joyful Sound of Liberty, and prepare to return to their own Country; and this was the conftant Practice of the Jews, as Montanus obferves out of Mifnaioth, to give public Notice to the People of their appointed Fafts and other Times of affembling from fome high Hill. Ver. 10. Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.] Bechazak, which we render with a ftrong Hand, may be better render'd, Against the strong or mighty Babylonians, for of them the Prophet is certainly fpeaking, and there is not the leaft Colour of Reafon to understand the Words of the fecond coming of Chrift, fince they were fulfill'd when God appear'd in Behalf of his People, and refcu'd them out of Bondage; behold, his reward is with him, he comes with a Recompence of Mercy and Bounty unto all thofe who have faithfully adher'd unto him, and conftantly depended on him, and patiently expected his Appearance for their Delivery; and his work PP before . Chapter before him, which is a Repetition of the former Sentence, Work by a Metonymy being put for Reward. XL. Ver. 11. He shall feed his flock like a fhepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bofom, and fhall gently lead thofe that are with young.] He fhews the tender Care God will have of them by making their Passage eafy, with as little Trouble as is poffible, under the Similitude of a careful Shepherd, gently driving his Flock before him, and carrying thofe which are not able to keep up with the rest in his Arms, much kinder than Virgil's Melibaus, Hanc etiam vix, Tityre, duco. Ver. 12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his kand? and meted out heaven with the Span, and comprehended the duft of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in fcales, and the bills in a balance?] To convince them that God was able to redeem them from Slavery he runs out into a bright Defcription of his Power, representing God like a Perfon of a prodigious Size and Strength, able to hold in his Hand all the Water of the Ocean, to grafp the expanded Heavens in his Arms, and, as it were, weigh the whole material World in Scales; or, as Grotius thinks, the Word may fignify, able to poife the Heavens in his Palm, to bear them up as it were at Arms-length, which goes beyond the Poet's Atlas, who was forc'd to put to the whole Strength of his Body, yet groan'd under the Weight. Baffhalifh, tribus digitis, as the Vulgat, he weigh'd the whole Earth with Three Fingers, in Allufion to Retailers, who in Things of fmall Weight ufe not the Strength of their whole Hand, but poife the Scales with their Fingers. Ver. 13, 14. Who hath directed the fpirit of the Lord, or being his counfeller, hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who inftructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and fhewed to him the way of underftanding?] Here the Prophet afcribes Wisdom to God, as he did Power in the former Verfes; in forming the World he stood not in any need of the Direction or Affiftance of any one, he had no need to confult any Body but himself after what manner he should make every Part of it, or how he fhould diverfify the fame Materials into that infinite Variety we now behold; in himfelf he had the clear Idea's of every thing, and had nothing to do but to copy after after the invifible Original, which exifted in his own Chapter Mind. Ver. 15. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small duft of the balance: behold, he taketh up the ifles as a very little thing.] All the Nations of the World are nothing when put in Competition with his Power, like a Drop of Water or a Speck of Duft, cafily diffipated or blown away by the leaft Breath of his Mouth. Ver. 16. And Lebanon is not fufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof fufficient for a burnt-offering.] This gives a lofty Idea of the Excellence of the Divine Nature; were we to offer him a Sacrifice fuitable to his Greatnefs and worth his Acceptance, the numerous Flocks which feed upon Mount Lebanon would make a very difproportionate Holocauft, nor would the Cedars and other Trees on that Mountain be able to confume fuch a Sacrifice as fhould come up to the Dignity of God, if it could otherwise be made up. Ver. 17, 18. All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him lefs then nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?] The Prophet takes occafion to caution them against Idolatry, which they were too much inclin'd to, and in all Probability would be kept back from with a great deal of Difficulty, when the Example and Authority of their Babylonian Mafters fhould fall in with their Inclinations. Ver. 19, 20. The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldfmith fpreadeth it over with gold, and cafteth filver chains. He that is fo impoverished that he hath no oblation, chufeth a tree that will not rot, he feeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved.] He can find no better Argument to diffuade them from Idolatry than by putting them in mind of the bafe Original of Idols, that curious Statue which Men fancy has fomething extraordinary in it, and therefore pay their Devotion to it, is the Work of Mens Hands, made by the Smith or Brafier of fome ordinary Metal, and overlaid with Gold and adorn'd with Chains of Silver on purpofe to ftrike the Imagination, and make the deluded People fancy there is fomething Divine in it; and if this be the Cafe of the flneft Idols, how defpicable muft thofe be which were ador'd by the poorer fort? Nothing but a bare piece of Wood, Pp 2 and XL. XL. Chapter and yet fo degenerate was Mankind, that the greatest number tho' they were fo poor as not to be able to procure more Ornamental Idols, would fet up fuch as they could get of the most durable Wood, made by the niceft Work-man, and faften'd carefully for fear of receiving any hurt by a fall. Gataker. Ver. 21. Have ye not known? have ye not heard? bath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the Earth.] It is generally thought the Prophet fpeaks here to the Jews, admiring at their ftupidity in adoring Inanimate Creatures, having not only the Light of Nature, but the Word of God, and the Hiftory of the Creation, which might give them truer Notions of the Deity.than the rest of the World could have. But I suppose he ftill perfifts in dealing with the Heathen Idolators, admiring their blockifhnefs, and asking them whether they never took notice, or had never heard any thing of God, or were not able to frame an Idea of him? What we render have ye not understood from the foundations of the Earth? may be better Paraphras'd: Have ye not understood, do ye not know that the Foundations of the Earth were laid by God. Ver. 22. It is he that fitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grafhoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and Spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:] He whofe Seat is in the Highest Heavens, in the Circumference of the Heavenly Globe, He laid the foundations of the Earth, He ftretched out the Heavens like a Curtain; dividing the groffer particles of matter from those of a finer make, which fubfiding according to their Comparative Gravity, left that clear Interval of Space, the Airy Region, open. Ver. 23, 24. That bringeth the princes to nothing, he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Tea they shall not be planted, yea they shall not be fown, yea their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall alfo blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind fhall take them away as Stubble.] The Lord cannot only bring Princes and Magiftrates, which are in a flourishing Condition to Nothing, but if he please he can blast them from the Womb; make them wither away like a Tree not planted, like a Stock XL. Stock which not taking Root in the Earth, fucks no Chapter Ver. 25, 26. To whom then will ye liken me, or Ver. 27. Why fayeft thou, O Facob, and speakeft, O Ifra el, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is paffed over from my God?] That is, Either he fees not underwhat Hardships we labour, or regards not our fad Condition; if he did, he would deliver us: Say not thus in your hearts, ye Captives, he advises them not to defpair or miftruft the Faithfulness of God, or think themfelves forfaken by him. Ver. 28. Haft thou not known? haft thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no fearching of his understanding.] He that Created the World at first, continues ftill to Rule and Govern it; and is not, like Men, weary'd with the employment, but as strong as ever, and therefore able to deliver you when he thinks. fit. There is no fearching of his understanding: The Jews might be apt to fay within themfelves, If God was not faint and weary of appearing in their Caufe, fure he would not fuffer them to be held in flavery fo long: To which the Prophet in thefe Words feems to Anfwer, That without doubt God had a reafon for continuing their Afflitions, tho' what that Reafon was as he had not reveal'd unto him, fo he would not prefume to guess at it, neither was it proper for them to be follicitous about it, fince there was no fearching of his understanding. Ver. 297 30. He giveth power to the faint, and to them. that have no might, he increaseth strength. Even the youths Shall 1 |