Chapter that I foretold they should be fo, you may acknowledge me to be the true God.

TXLV.

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Ver. 4. For Jacob my servants fake, and Ifrael mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have firnamed 'thee though thou haft not known me.] Cyrus was like the rest of the Pagan Monarchs, a mere Stranger to God, knew nothing of his creating the World, of the Immortality of the Soul, till he learn'd both of the Jews; I called thee by thy name, exprefly mention'd the Name of Cyrus, firnam'd thee, that is, gave thee the additional Title of mine Anointed for the fake of my People, that when they heard of the Approach of Thee they might know that their Deliverance was at hand, and all this tho' thou haft not known me, when thou hadst no Knowledge of me, as Vatablus renders it; Antequam quicquam de me fcires aut cogitares, fays Forerius.

Ver. 5, 6. I am the Lord, and there is none elfe, there is no God befides me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me. That they may know from the rising of the fun, and from the west, that there is none befides me, I am the Lord, and there is none elfe I am the only true God, neither is there any thing befides me that has the leaft Shadow of Divinity; and tho' thou art a Stranger to me I will prevent thee with my Favour, put on your Arms my felf, and fend thee to War with a good Omen; and all the World thall be convinc'd of my Power, that nothing is able to refift those who have God on their fide.

Ver. 7. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: the Lord do all these things. Our Tran-flators ufe the Word Create here improperly, Darkness, which is a mere Privation, not being an Object of Creation; God created the Sun, and in Confequence of the establish'd Motion of the Earth fome Places muft of Neceffity at certain Times be depriv'd of the Light, that is, be in Darknefs; 'tis us'd alfo improperly in the like Expreffion, create evil, that is, fend Judgments upon the Inhabitants of the Earth.

Ver. 8. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies · pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth falvation, and let righteoufnefs fpring up together: I the Lord have created it.] The Prophet by Righteousness means the Redemption of the Jews out of Captivity, fo call'd be

caufe..

XLV.

Grotius,

cause the Effect of God's Righteousness or Faithfulness in Chapter
keeping his Promife, or Goodness, as the Word often fig-
nifies in Scripture; the Jews in Captivity long'd for the
coming of Cyrus as earnestly as the industrious Husband-
man, when he beholds his Sun-burnt Acres, looks up and
wishes for refreshing Showers. St. Auftin took this for fo
plain a Prophecy of our Saviour, that he thought it needed Concil. Hifpan.
no Interpretation, and a Council has determin'd that from can. 13.
this Verfe the two distinct Natures of Chrift may be prov'd,
deitatis ibi, Rorate cœli defuper,humanitatis ibi,aperiatur ter-
ra. ALapide runs away with the ground lefs Hint,and makes
out nine Particulars, wherein he finds fome Refemblance
between Chrift and Dew; the Words are certainly appli-
cable to our Saviour, for at his Birth it might truly be faid,
The Heavens dropp'd Righteousness, then Salvation fprang forth
and overspread the World; but as they stand in the Con-
text they as certainly belong to the Redemption of the Jews
by Cyrus, as (a) feveral Interpreters allow; I the Lord have
(a) Forerius,
created it, that is, I the Lord, who have an abfolute Com-
mand and Power over Heaven and Earth, will do this, Munster,
make Salvation Spring up for my People, that is, will fave them. Clarim.
Ver. 9. Wo unto him that striveth with his maker: let the
pot-fheard ftrive with the pot-fheards of the earth: fhall the clay
Jay to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work,
He hath no hands?] We muft understand this and the fol-
lowing Verse as a Check to fome Infidels who prefum'd to
cenfure God's Proceedings, murmuring at the threaten'd
3Captivity, or the tedious Delay of their Deliverance; if
frail Man, who is made out of the Earth, must needs be
contending, let him cope with one of his own Species, a
frail Man like himself, but let him take heed he be not fo
prefumptuous as to enter the Lifts with his Maker, who
is infinitely stronger than he; to find fault with the Pro-
ceedings of God is equally infolent and unreafoñable, as
it would be in a piece of Clay in a Potter's Hand to direct:
what Form he fhould give it, or for a curious Piece of
Work to arrogate the Glory due to him that made it, and
tell him he had no hand in it, it made it felf.

Ver. 10. Wo unto him that faith unto his father, What be-
getreft thou? or to the woman, What haft thou brought forth ?]
Another Similitude, whereby the Prophet fhews them the

Unrea

4

Chapter Unreasonableness of those who will take upon them to find XLV. fault with the Divine Providence; 'tis juft as if a Child fhould quarrel with his Parent about the Methods of Education, or rudely demand why he did not make him of a fine Shape or beautiful Complexion.

Ver. 11. Thus faith the Lord, the holy One of Ifrael, and his maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my fons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.] Thefe Words may be render'd by way of Interrogation, Do ye question me concerning things to come? Will ye pretend to enjoin me how I fhall behave my felf toward my Children, and the Works of my Hands? Will ye prefume to appoint and direct me what I fhall do, or how I fhall difpofe Things in order to their Deliverance?

Ver. 12, 13. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their hoft have I commanded. I have raised him up in righte oufnefs, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he fhall let go my captives, not for price or reward, faith the Lord of hofts.] That I, who created the World, will raife up Cyrus in Righteousness, that is, according to my Promife, or fummâ cum Juftitia & Æquitate, fays Forerims, having exactly weigh'd the circumftance of Time, how long a period of Sufferings is due to their Sins: He fhall build my City, that is, give Order for the building of it, and contribute toward the Charges of it; for it cannot be fuppos'd that the Prophet should mean that Cyrus himself fhould build it, any more than that Solomon himself built the firft Temple, because he is faid to build it; See the Hiftory Ezrah 1. 1. 2 Chron. ult. in fine.

Ver. 14. Thus faith the Lord, the labour of Egypt, and merchandize of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of ftature shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine, they fhall come after thee, in chains they fhall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make fupplication unto thee, faying, Surely God is in thee, and there is none elfe, there is no God.] This the Fathers interpret of Chrift, to whom by embracing the Gofpel, thofe feveral Nations fhould fubmit: But the Prophet is fpeaking of Cyrus, as a Reward of whofe Generofity to his Captive People, God promifes to give into his Hands Egypt, Ethiopia and Sabea; and we find by the History he

was

was better than his Word, for Cyrus himself acknowledges, Chapter The Lord God of Heaven hath given me all the Kingdoms of the XLV. Earth, and he hath charg'd me to build him a Houfe in Feru

falem. And Prophane History confirms the truth of this Pro- Er. c. 1. 2. phecy, for Xenophon, fpeaking of the Dominions of Cyrus, makes the bounds to be the Red Sea to the Eaft, Egypt to the West, Ethiopia to the South, and the Euxine Sea to the North: They fhall be thine, they shall come after thee, in Cyroped. Chains fhall they come over and fall down unto thee, and make lib. 7. fupplication. Thefe Expreffions denote the fubjection of thefe Countries to Cyrus, which the Prophet describes by the various forms of acknowledging Subjection in ufe in thofe Times; they fhall attend thy Triumph with Hands tied up in, Chains, (which cannot be understood of Christ's Spiritual Victory) they fhall proftrate themselves low on the Ground before thee, they fhall humbly prefent thee Petitions, throw themfelves wholly at thy Mercy, and on-ly beg fome favourable Terms of Slavery, and unanimously declare that the God of Heaven fought for thee, therefore they could not withstand thee: This is certainly true, and therefore when he had finifh'd this Work of God, and his Commiffion from Heaven was expir'd, not above three Years after, we find his Fortune finking, he is overthrown, taken and flain by a Woman.

Ver. 15. Verily thou art a God that hideft thy felf, O God. of Ifrael the faviour.] The Prophet fpeaks in his own Perfon, Verily thou art El Miftartar, Deus abfconditus, whose unfpeakable Council leave Human Inquiries in the dark; but Sanctius fufpects that God is faid to hide himself, because he affifted Cyrus fo fecretly that he knew nothing of it.

Ver. 16. They shall be ashamed and alfo confounded all of them they fhall go to confufion together that are makers of idols. When the Babylonians fhall fee that their Idols cannot defend them, or make them able to oppofe the Arms of Cyrus, affifted by the true God, they fhall be full of Confufion to think on what infignificant Things they .depended.

Ver. 17. But Ifrael fhall be faved in the Lord with an everlafting falvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.]But the Jews fhall be refcu'd out of their Hands, and fav'd out of that deftruction which fhall fall on their

Oppref

: Chapter Oppreffors, which he calls an Everlasting Salvation, beXI V. caufe the happy effects of it should last for several Years,

ye shall not be afham'd nor confounded World without end. Your Enemies fhall never prevail against you, and use you after the fame difgraceful manner, if ye continue faithful in my Service.

"Ver. 18. For thus faith the Lord that created the heavens, God himself that formed the earth and made it, he hath efta blifhed it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabi ted, I am the Lord, and there is none elfe.] Having in the former Verfe promis'd to Deliver the Captives, he lets them know he would not only do fo, but restore them to their own Country, and ingages their Faith by this Argument: That He is the God that made Heaven and Earth, that He made the Earth to be inhabited, by Men, and therefore he would not always fuffer that Favourite Corner of it, Judea, to be defolate and uninhabited as it had been for the greatest part during the Interval of their Captivity.

Ver. 19. I have not spoken in fecret, in a dark place of the earth: I faid not unto the feed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain : I the Lord Speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.] I am not like the Gods of the Heathen, who deliver'd their ambiguous Answers out of dark obfcure Caverns. No, at Noon-day, in the Face of the Sun, on the Top of Mount Sinai, before the whole Collective Body of the fews, I gave them my Laws in the most public manner that could be. Neither did I, like them, expect they should serve me without any Prophet of Reward: A land flowing with Milk and Honey, all the outward Conveniencies and Bleffings of Life they were fure of, if they behav'd themfelves as I commanded. God makes a difference between himself and the falfe Gods in three refpects: He always declar'd his Will publicly and plainly, they out of fecret Caverns in equivocating Terms. They were Worship'd without any advantage to their Followers, but God always rewarded his People while they continu'd obedi-. ent and dutiful: They requir'd unlawful Actions, but God only Pure and Holy, which fome think is the meaning of Speaking Righteousness, and declaring things that are