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Ver. 20. That they may fee, and know, and confider, and Chapter understand together, that the band of the Lord hath done this, XLI. and the holy One of Ifrael bath created it. That is, they fhall be fenfible that their Deliverance is from God, tho' brought about by the Perfians, That the Holy One of Ifrael hath created it: A bare repetition of the former Senfe by a different Word, which the Jews ufe when they would fignify any wonderful extraordinary Performance.

Ver. 21. Produce your caufe, faith the Lord; bring forth your strong reafons, faith the King of Jacob. God directs himfelf to the Idolatrous Nations, .challenging them to produce the strongest Pleas they can, in behalf of their Idols, and prove the Truth of their Religion by producing the like Works foretold firft, and afterwards effected by those whom they worshipped.

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Ver. 22. Let them bring them forth, and fhew us what shall happen: let them fhew the former things what they be, that we may confider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come, This is fpoken by God, as it were, pointing at the Idols themselves; Let them plead in their own behalf, becaufe, if they are Gods, they can do it much better than their Worfhippers; let them tell us thofe things which are near at hand, and fhall come to pafs first in order of time, that we may confider, and know the latter end, that is, the Event of them, whether it be answerable to their Predictions, or declare to us things to come at a greater diftance. Or let them bring forth the antient Oracles of their Gods and we will confider and weigh the Event of them, if they formerly foretold any thing which came to pafs exactly as they foretold it, it may justly be look'd upon as an Argument of their Divi- San&tius, nity; or if ye have no fuch Oracles to produce, let them · declare any thing which is yet in the Womb of futurity, either of which if they could do, they might have fome reafon to adore them.

Ver. 23. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be difmayed, and behold it together. This is another proof of their Divinity, which he was ready to allow, if they could prove they had ever conferr'd any good on

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Chapter their Worfhippers, or ever inflicted any remarkable Judgment on those who flighted them.

XLI.

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Ver. 24. Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought an abomination is he that choofeth you. Here we muft fuppofe the Idols were mute, and had nothing to reply in their own vindication, upon which, God, after the manner of Men, is introduc'd, as it were, triumphing over his Adverfaries, and upbraiding them with their Impotence. Behold ye are of nothing as if he had faid, why do I urge the inanimate Materials to give fuch a Proof of their Divinity, when I know they are fo far from being able to do any thing, Good or Harm, that they can do Nothing at all, have no Principle of Motion in them, and cannot fo much as defend themfelves ?

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Ver. 25. I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rifing of the fun fhall be call upon my name, and he hall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the porter treadeth clay. Having challenged them to prove their Godfhip by foretelling future contingencies, and finding them filent and unable to do any fuch thing; to fhew he was ready to be try'd by the fame Rule, God publicly declares he would call a Great King from the North, to the affiftance of his Captive People, upon the fulfilling of which, he would take his own Divinity; he fpeaks in the Prophetic Style, as if the thing were already done: But I think it wou'd be lefs puzzling to common Readers to render fuch præterperfect Tenfes by the Futures for which they ftand, Behold I will raise up one from the North, &c. The Perfon spoken of is Cyrus (b) who was a Perfian by his Father, and a Mede by his Mother Mandane, and carry'd along with him, against the Babylonians, fome of the Subjects of both Kingdoms out of Media, which lay North of Babylon; and out of Perfia, which lay more to the East. By calling on his Name, the Prophet means that Cyrus fhould fulfil God's Pleasure as exactly, as if he had ask'd what his Pleafure was. He fhall come upon Princes, that is, he fhall tread them under his Feet, as negligently as if they were the vileft Earth; alluding to the Custom of antient Conquerors, who were wont to tread on the Necks of their Captive Rivals.

Ver. 26. Who hath declared from the beginning, that we Chapter may know? and before time, that we may fay, He is righteous? XLI. pea, there is none that fheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. That is, He is to be juftify'd and allow'd of in his Pretences to Divinity, he fhall carry the Caufe as we now speak.

Ver. 27. The first fall fay to Zion, Behold, behold them, and I will give to ferufalem one that bringeth good tidings. The Words may be rendred more agreeably to the Hebrew, I first say to Sion behold them, returning, I give to Ferufalem one that bringeth glad tydings, meaning, as Grotius thinks, the Prophet saidh; as others Cyrus, who as foon as he took Babylon, proclaim'd Liberty to the Fems.

Ver. 28. For I beheld, and there was no man, even amongst them, and there was no counceller, that when I asked of them, could answer a word. Tho' I look about, I can fee no one among the Idols that has any knowledge of Futurity, no one that being ask'd of fuch things, can answer a

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Ver. 29. Behold, they are all vanity, their works are nothing their molten Images are mind and confufion. Behold they are vain Pretenders to Divinity, which they have no -manner of Rights too. They care for far from foretelling Thingst faturelo that they can do, nothing at all they are as infignificant as the Duft, which the Wind fcatters from Place to Place, and Confufion will attend those who depend upon them:

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The ARGUMENT of Chapter XLII.

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That the four for f Verfes of this Chapter, were by the Prophet defign'dsto point out the meek Redeemer of Mankind,

I am fully fatisfy'd of, upon the Word of an Evangelift, but Matt. 12. 18. that in a lower Senfe they may be apply'd to Cyrus, any unprejudic'd Reader will allow, if he confiders that the Perfon Ifpoken of in the firit, is the fame spoken of in the fixth Verfe, who in the feventh is faid to bring the Prisoners out of Prifon; that is, the Jews out of Captivity. And that the Prophet is not to be understood of the Spiritual

Bondage

Chapter

XLII.

Bondage of Sin, but of the melancholy Circumstances of Bodily Confinement, appears from the fixteenth Verfe, where God promifes to bring the Blind by a way that they knew not, meaning the fame Perfons whom he called before, the blind who fit in darkness in the Prison-houfe, and therefore he must be understood of bringing home the Jewish Captives; and then he goes on, defcribing more plainly who he means by thefe blind, and thefe in the Prifon-house, even his Servant Ifrael, as he calls the Jews, whofe wretched condition in Babylon he farther fets forth, A People robb'd and fpoil'd, fnar'd in Holes, and hid in Prifonhoufes, than which a plainer Character cannot be given of Captives. And here I leave Grotius, because I think the Words more applicable to Cyrus than Ifaiah, who cannot be faid to bring forth judgment to the Gentiles, or to bring the Prifoners out of Prifon, at least not fo as Cyrus, who actually fet them at Liberty.

Verse 1.

CHA P. XLII.

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Ehold Servant whom I uphold, mine elect in my B whom my Soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him: be fhall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles: Behold Cyrus my Servant, whom I will uphold, and make able to perform the great Bufinefs I have defign'd him for, the Inftrument I have made choice of to redeem my People out of Captivity. And great need he. had of this Divine Affiftance, for without it he could not have fubdued that Potent Monarchy of the Chaldeans, fo much stronger than his own Kingdom. I have put my Spirit upon him, that is, I will furnifh him with Gifts to perform the Bufinefs to which I have called him: He fhall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles, that is, he hall execute my Judgments upon the Babylonians, Fotzi-mishpat, he fhall make Judgment come fort's and overtake them; which must be understood of our Saviour in Spiritual Senfe, for He never had any intercourse with the Heathen World while on Earth, and never fent any remarkable Judgments upon them.

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Ver. 2. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the ftreet.] That is, He shall not, when he takes the City of Babylon, like a Man tranfported with Paffion, cry aloud to his Soldiers to kill all they meet promifcuously, but calm in the midst of Victory, he fhall give his Orders with a wonderful fedatenefs.

Ver. 3. A bruifed reed fhall be not break: and the Smoaking flax fhall be not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.] He fhall treat the languishing Captives with all imaginable Tenderness, not drive them away in a hurry, but give them leave to recover their Spirits a little, and make preparations for their long Journey Home: He fhall fpare the poor afflicted Jews broken like a Reed by their long Calamities, and like a twinkling Light just ready to expire; but upon the Babylonians, their Oppreflors, He fhall bring forth judgment unto truth, that is, He fhall punish them as they deferve.

Ver. 4. He fhall not fail, nor be difcouraged, till he have fet judgment in the earth: and the ifles fhall wait for his. law.] He fhall not faint, nor be difheartned by the difficulties he shall meet with, but go on couragiously, till he has accomplish'd the Redemption of God's People; which he fhall certainly bring to pafs; for the Iles, that is, the Babylonians, when they fee their chief City taken,, and their Forces overcome, fhall readily fubmit to the Laws which he shall prescribe them.

Ver. 5, 6. Thus faith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and ftretched them out; he that Spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it, he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and Spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of_the people, for a light of the Gentiles. He uses the fame Expreffion here, I will hold thine hand, as chap. 45. 1. where he fpeaks of Cyrus by Name: In the midst of fo many. Dangers as fuch an Enterprize muft needs be attended with, I will conduct Thee fafe through All, and bold Thee. by thine hand, fo faft that thou fhalt not fall; by thy means fhall my People be admitted again into Covenant with me; and the Gentiles injoy fuch Profperity as they were Strangers to under the Babylonian Yoke.

Chapter
XLII.

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