in Gardens, to their new Gods, contrary to a pofitive Command I gave them relating to their Sacrifices; They burnt Incenfe on Altars of Brick, to Idols of their own chufing, in Places of their own appointing, and upon Altars of their own erecting, in this also running counter to an express Command of God.

Ver. 4. Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat fwines flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their veffels] Necromancy or Prophefying, by the Information receiv'd from Infernal Spirits, was in Vogue among the Pagan Idolaters, and this the fems, who ⚫ were fond of imitating them in all their fuperftitious Fopperies, had learn'd; therefore, fays the Prophet, they of ten reforted to dead Mens Graves, and lodg'd among the Funeral Monuments, either expecting to be inform'd of Things to come by the Spirits of those who lay bury'd there, or by the Devil, whofe ufual Haunt was fuppos'd to be in those melancholy Stations; They eat Swines Flesh, and Broth of fuch Things as by their Law they were not allow'd to make use of.

Ver. 5. Which fay, Stand by thy felf, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou: these are a fmoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.] And yet tho' they were as bad as well could be, living in an open Violation of all the Commands of God, they fancy'd themfelves fuperlatively holy, and would not come near any Perfons of other Nations for fear of contracting fome Pollution; these were the Things which offended me, and made me give them over into their Enemies Hands, like Smoke offenfive to the Eyes and Nofe of all within its reach, and like a Fire continually burning at last kindled my Anger into a Flame.

Ver. 6, 7. Behold, it is written before me, I will not keep filence, but will recompenfe, even recompenfe into their bofom, Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together (faith the Lord) which have burnt incenfe upon the mountains, and blafphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bofom.] Thefe notorious Tranfgreffions of my Laws, which they might fancy I took no notice of, were written in my Book of Remembrance, ftood upon Record always in my Sight, therefore I could not keep in mine Anger any longer, but repay'd into their Bofom

Chapter

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LXV.

Chapter all the long Arrears of Punishment which were due to their Tranfgreffions and the Tranfgreffions of their Forefathers; the Allictions they groan under are great indeed, but no lefs could fatisfy my Juftice for the unvifited Sins of many Generations; their Fathers were Idolaters, and fo were they, therefore have. I proportion'd their Punishment to the complicated Guilt of that finful Nation; he speaks, as he has done all along, as if they groan'd under their Oppreffion in Babylon, and God gives the Reafon why he fuffer'd them to fall into fuch Calamities.

Ver. 8. Thus faith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the slufter, and one faith, Destroy it not, for a bleffing is in it: fo will I do for my fervants fakes, that I may not destroy them all. Here he begins to fpeak kindly to them, Thus faith the Lord, As when a Vine is to outward appearance dead, and the Owner of the Vineyard is juft going to root it up, if one chance to efpy on fome Branch of it a Cluster of Grapes, and cries out to the Owner, Deftroy it not, for it is not quite decay'd, but may be recover'd, upon which he ftops his Hand, and fpares it; fo will I fpare my People, and preferve them from utter Deftruction, for the Sake of thofe few fincere Servants I have among them.

Ver. 9. And I will bring forth a feed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my fervant shall dwell there.] That is, fays Forerius, the Apostles and their Succeffors; but can any one think that they, who were hunted about from place to place, dragg'd before the Magiftrates, put into Prifon, fcourg'd like Malefactors, and at laft forc'd to leave that City, and preach the Gospel in more hofpitable Places, can in any Propriety of Speech be faid to inherit God's Mountains, that is, Jerufalem, part of which stood on Mount Sion, and part on Mount Moriah? Nothing can be plainer than that the Prophet means, God will preferve a Remnant of Jacob's Pofterity, and bring them back to their own Country, and re-cftablish them in Jerufalem and the other Cities which they dwelt in before.

Ver. 10. And Sharon fhall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lys down in, for my people that have fought me.] And Sharon, tho' it be at prefent defolate, fhall be ftock'd with Cattel once more, and the

LXV.

Valley of Achor yield Pafture to Herds for my People, who Chapter then fhall feek me, that is, call on my Name, and praife me for the Bleffings they enjoy. St. Jerom calls all that Champain Country about Foppa and Lydda Sharon, and Achor was a fruitful Valley near Jericho, where Achan was Fosh. 7. 25. fton'd to Death.

Ver. 11. But ye are they that forfake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink-offering unto that number.] He fpeaks to the Wicked among the Jewish Captives, thofe who by their Sufferings were fo far from being reduc'd to a Sense of their Duty to God, that they had quite forgot the Temple and Jerufalem, had no Defire to return to their own Country, but had rather stay and worship their Idols at Babylon; for fuch he forefaw there would be among them. By Troop he means the Multitude of their Idols, which they fo doted on, that they thought they could never have enough, and are therefore faid to be in their Whoredom infatiable; Ezek. 16. 24. Or the Heavenly Hoft of Stars, which they worshipp'd inftead of the Maker of them; that they us'd to spread a Table to their Idols, and furnish it with Provifions, appears by the Story of Bel and the Dragon; that furnish a Drink-Offering, that is, that facrifice to that Number, La meni in the Original, by which Forerius thinks the Prophet means the God Mercury, Prafes computuum & negotiationum, from Mana, to number; Pagnin the Planets, Vatablus Fate; but I think it very probable it refpects the Number of their Idols, which was fo great that he call'd them a Troop before.

Ver. 12. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye fhall all bow down to the flaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer, when I fpake ye did not hear, but did evil before mine eyes, and did chufe that wherein I delighted not.] The laft Word in the foregoing Verfe fignifying Number, the Prophet takes occafion to deliver their Doom in these Terms: Since ye worship that Troop of Idols, and pour out Drink-Offerings to fo great a Number of Deities, I will deliver you up to Slaughter by Number or Tale, fo that none of you fhall efcape, because when I called ye did not answer; he alludes to a Servant, who ought to be ready to run at his Mafter's Call, but they were quite otherMmm 2

wife,

Chapter wife, took no notice of what he faid to them by his ProLXV. phets, no more than if they had loft their hearing.

Ver. 13, 14. Therefore thus faith the Lord God, Behold, my fervants fhall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my fervants fhall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my fervants fhall rejoyce, but ye shall be ashamed. Behold, my fervants fhall fing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for forrow of heart, and shall bowl for vexation of fpirit.] Here the Lord makes a plain diftinction between his Servants, that is, those who kept themselves firm in the Worship of the God of Ifrael, and those who fell away from the true Religion, to the Idols of Babylon; and we must not understand the difference of their condition here foretold, while they were together in Captivity, because, if any difference was made, it is very likely they who worshipp'd the Chaldean Gods would be dealt with most mildly; but this difference was to commence when the faithful Servants of God were reftor'd to their own Country, and there enjoy'd an uninterrupted State of Happiness, while their Idolatrous Brethren were left behind in the fame woful Condition, in which they fhould remain as long as they liv'd.

Ver. 15. 16. And ye shall leave your name for a curfe unto my chofen: for the Lord God fhall play thee, and call his fervants by another name. That he who bleffeth himself in the earth, shall bless himself in the God of Truth; and he that fweareth in the earth, fhall fwear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. That is, Ye who have Apoftatiz'd from the Religion of your Ancestors, and forfaken me your God, hall be flain that is, die in Captivity, or elfe be flain by the Medes and Perfians, and your Names become a curfe to my Chofen. When your Brethren have a mind to gain credit to what they fay, they fhall fay fuch a Form, May I become like the Idolatrous Captives who perifh'd in Babylon, if it is not true. And he fhall call his Servants by another Name; that is, they fhall be differently dealt with, or they fhall be call'd by another Name, fuch as fhall be us'd in Bleffing, and not in Curfing; for he who bleffeth himself, that is, wishes himself good fuccefs in any undertaking, fhall fay, May the good God of Truth blefs me, as he blessed the pious Captives of Judah. Contingat mihi

:

id quod Deo dilectis fervis a Deo fidelitatis datum eft, because Chapter their former Troubles are forgotten: For they shall forget LXV.. the Afflictions they have undergone, and they fhall be hid from their Eyes, be quite taken away, and brought to an

end.

Ver. 17, 18. For behold, I create hew heavens, and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembred, nor come into mind. But be thou glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold, I create Jerufalem a rejoycing, and her people a joy.] That the Prophet is ftill fpeaking of the faithful Jews who fhould be redeem'd from Captivity, I think is very plain: At the 8th Verfe, in general, he promifes, That he will not utterly root them up, but restore fome of them to their own Country, and make them inherit the mountains of God; and in the 14th, The fame Servants of God, the fame pious Captives, fhall fing for Joy of Heart, their Troubles and Afflictions fhall be forgotten, v. 16. Why? For behold I create a new Heaven, and a new Earth. Which Hyperbolical Expreffion he explains in the following Verfe, Behold I create ferufalem a rejoycing, and her people a joy. And did he not do this when he brought the Captives from Babylon to Jerufalem? Had the fems ever greater occafion of Joy, than when they found themfelves in a peaceful Poffeffion of their Native Country, after the Hardships of a feventy Years Captivity? Then the Heaven and the Earth were new to them, the Sky not overcaft with gloomy Clouds, as it had feem'd to them in the long interval of their Captivity; the Earth had quite another Face than before, every thing look'd gay and pleafant to them. In vain then do the Jews expect the coming of Meffiah ftill, for this Reafon, because the Heavens and Earth continue the fame. The Words are only expreffive of the great Alteration which fhould be to the Jews, for their better; their Profperity fhould be fuch, in regard to their former Affliction, that they should seem to be, if I may ufe fo common an Expreffion among us, in another World.

Ver. 19. And I will rejoyce in Jerufalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping fhall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.] That is, I will take a delight in pouring Bleffings on Jerufalem, the fhall no more, for many Ages, have any fuch occafion to bewail her Condition,

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