Planes, and all the Parts adjufted to an exact Proportion Chapter with one another. XLIV. Ver. 14. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he ftrengtheneth for himself among the trees of the foreft: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.] The Trees of the Foreft are not of any Man's planting, nor is any Care ufually employ'd about them to further Gataker, their Growth, therefore the Words may be render'd, He heweth down Cedars, and taketh the Cypress and the Oak, which had ftrengthen'd it felf, or was ftrongest among the Trees of the Wood; he planteth an Ash, and the Rain doth nourish it. As foon as he has cut down one Tree he plants another, and takes care of its thriving, for fear he should want Materials; but Grotius renders Natang, he fets before him an Afb, in order to fashion it, which the Rain had nourish'd. Ver. 15, 16, 17. Then fhall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it and baketh bread: yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it: he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire: with part thereof be eateth flesh: he rofteth roft, and is fatisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and faith, Aha, I am warm, I have feen the fire. And the refidue thereof be maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and faith, Deliver me, for thou art my God.] The Vanity of Idolatry cannot be fet forth in more lively Colours than it is by the Prophet here, of the fame Tree they make Fires to warm themselves, and with their Eyes behold it confume to Ashes,the fame Tree they make use of to heat their Ovens, and employ in all the low Offices of the Kitchen, yet ftrange! a piece of the fame Tree they make their God, bow themselves down before it and implore its Favour. Ver. 18, 19. They have not known, nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot fees and their hearts that they cannot understand. And none confidereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burnt part of it in the fire, yea, alfo I have baked bread upon the coals thereof: I have rosted flesh and eaten it, and fhall I make the refidue thereof an abomination? fhall I fall down to the stock of a tree? Such grofs Idolaters as thefe have no Senfe at all, they have quite loft the úfe of Reason, they are not able to XLIV. Chapter to reflect or draw any rational Confequence from the most obvious Principles, if they could they might easily discover how unlikely it was that a piece of Wood fhould help them, which could not ftir it felf one Inch from the Fire which was ready to confume it. Ver. 20. He feedeth of afhes: a deceived heart hath turned him afide, that he cannot deliver his foul, nor fay, Is there not a lie in my right hand?] Here the Verfions vary, He is a Companion of Ashes, fays Forerius, referring it to the Idol, part of the Tree out of which it was made being turn'd to Afhes; Vatablus and our Tranflators refer it to the Idolater, and think the Prophet means by the Proverbial Expreffion, He labours in vain, he is as grofly deluded as he that should feed on Ashes to fatisfy his Hunger; the poor Idolater thinks there is fome Divinity in his Idol, but finds himself fadly mistaken when he most stands in need of it; A Heart deceived with the false Perfwafion that there is Power in the Idol, or that which it reprefents, has turned him afide, that he cannot deliver bis Soul; that is, himself cannot shake off the Prejudice of Education, and fay, Is not this which I worship all Cheat and Delufion? Ver. 21. Remember thefe, (O Jacob and Ifrael) for thou art my fervant: I have formed thee, thou art my fervant: O Ifrael, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.] That is, remember thefe foolish Idolaters, or thefe Things which I have faid about Idols, when thou comeft into Babylon, where thou shalt fee every Temple replenish'd with them. Ver. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy tranfgreffions, and as a cloud thy fins: return unto me, for I have redeemed thee.] Thefe Words may be fuppos'd to be spoken to them as in Captivity; as if he had faid, Your Sins fhall no longer, like a thick Cloud, ftand between you and me, the Light of my Countenance fhall again fhine with full Luftre on you, I will deal with you like an honeft Creditor who has full Satisfaction made him, blot out the black Arrears which were due to my Juftice, but are now fully pay'd by your Sufferings. Ver. 23. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it: Shout ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into finging ye mountains, O foreft, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Ifrael.] The Pro phets phets are not us'd to call on the infenfible part of the Creation to joyn in the Praife of God, unless upon the greatest occafion, when the united Voices of all ManKind would be too little for the extraordinary Bleffing. Therefore fays Forerins, we must understand this of the Redemption of Mankind by Christ Jesus. What, when in the very fame Verfe he fpeaks of Jacob and Ifrael, whose Pofterity are likely to have the leaft fhare in that Redemption? And when he mentions the Name of the Perfon who fhould be the occafion of all this Joy? even Cyrus ver. 28. Ver. 24, 25. Thus faith the Lord thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretchet forth the heavens alone, that Spreadeth abroad the earth by my felf: That fruftrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad, that turneth wife men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish:] That makes the Diviners at their Wits-end, by crofling them in their Predictions, thofe efpecially who foretold long continuance to the Chaldean Empire. Ver. 26. That confirmeth the mord of his fervant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers, that faith to Ferufalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raife up the decayed places thereof: This Verse fufficiently proves to any one not over-run with prejudice, that the Prophet, in the foregoing Verfes, is to be understood, not of a Spiritual Redemption, but fuch a Deliverance whereby the Redeem'd fhould be restor'd to their own Country, and rebuild their ruinous Habitations; fuch a Redemption as fhould be fucceeded by raising the demolish'd Cities of Judah to their former Splendor, which was fulfill'd after their Return from Captivity. " Ver. 27. That faith to the deep, Be dry, I will dry up Chapter thy rivers:] Who with a Word of his Mouth can make the Channels of the Ocean dry. Tho' others by the Chald. Deep understand Babylon call'd the Sea, Chap. 21. and Paraph. perhaps the Prophet might allude to the draining of Euphrates at the taking of it. Ver. 28. That faith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and fhall perform all my pleasure, even faying to Ferufalem, Thou fhalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation fhall be laid.] Thou Tt Hieron. XLIV. Chapter Thou, Cyrus, fhall bring back my People from Babylon, as a Shepherd brings his Flock to the Field, and fay to Jerufalem, thou shalt certainly be built again, and to the Temple, thy Foundations fhall be laid. Here we find the Name of a King plainly mention'd, 210 Years before his Birth, according to the Computation of Fosaphus, who affirms that upon reading this Prophecy, Cyrus Antiq. 1. was incourag'd to undertake the Babylonian Expedition. Lib. 11. A Lapide. The ARGUMENT of Chapter XLV. Here the Prophet again mentions Cyrus, the decreed Redeemer of the Jewish Captives; promises to give him Success, and make him Mafter of the Riches of Babylon, for the fake. of his People, ver. 4. In the three fucceeding Verfes he runs out into a defcription of God's Power, and at the 8th fends up a hearty Prayer to Heaven, that God would be pleas'd to haften this Redemption. At the 9th he rebukes thofe Jews, who murmur'd at the long forbearance of Providence, which be tells them was in a manner fighting with God; advises them to pick out a more equal match and affures them that the fame God who made the World, would raise up this great Deliverer, who should fet the Captives at Liberty, rebuild Jerufalem, and extend his Dominions to a much larger Compass by the Conquest of feveral Nations: This he tells them they may depend upon, fince God who had promis'd, had Power to bring it about; challenges them again to give any proof of the Divinity of Idols, and advises them to trust in him the only true God. Now, tho? Cyrus is mention'd here by Name, and every Word in the most obvious fignification is applicable to him, and him only: Yet the Fathers underftand the beginning of the Chapter literally of Chrift; for no other Reafon that I can guess at, but because they find Mefhiko his Anointed in the First Verfe, which is applicable to Cyrus, or any other King appointed by God, to perform any Commiflion fram him. CHAP Verfe 1. TH CHA P. XLV.. Chapter Hus faith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand 1 have holden, to fubdue nations before him: and I will loofe the loyns of Kings to open before him the two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be fhut. That is, I will hold Thee by thy right Hand, and conduct Thee fafe through all Dangers I will give thee Strength to fubdue many Nations, Kings on their Thrones fhall tremble at the report of thy approach, and cause the Gates of their Cities and Palaces to be fet open to receive thee. Xenophon gives a large Catalogue Cyropad, of the Provinces Cyrus conquer'd and Herodotus affirms lib. 1. he was fuccefsful in all his Expeditions. Ver. 2. I will go before thee, and make the crooked places Straight I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in funder the bars of iron.] Fear not Danger in the undertaking, for I will lead the Van of thine Army, make thy paffage eafy, animate thy Soldiers, and caufe Succefs to attend thee in every Enterprize, which is the meaning of opening the two leav'd-gates, and breaking in pieces the of brass by sus hot qu ziți "BOY LO I gates Herod. inClic Ver. 3. And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of fecret places, that thou mayeft know that I the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Ifrael.] The Treasures of Babylon referv'd in private corners I will cause to fall into thy Hands, the valuable Goods which the frightned inhabitants hid under Ground fhall be dif cover'd to Thee, which Cyrus found in fo great quantities, as, according to Pliny's Calculation, and reduc'd to Lib. 33. c. 3. - our Modern Standard, amounted to three hundred Millions, -fays A Lapide. Some Chaldee MSS. at Complutum have at the beginning of the Book of Efther the following Remark: When Cyrus took Babylon bedug on the side of Euphrates, and found 680 Hydrie of Gold and precious Stones; and Diodorus Siculus, defcribing the Riches of one of the Temples of that City, adds, Qua omnia Pofteà Perfarum Re~ges furripuera. That thou mayest know that when all thofe Treafures fhall be at thy difpofal, and you shall know od b c vision to 120 Tt 21 10 ..that |