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II.

glory of his Majesty, when he arifeth to shake terribly the Chapter Earth. In the Original there is an elegant Paronomafia, Lanarotz haaretz. When God arifes to take Vengeance on this perverfe incorrigible Nation, his coming fhall be fo terrible, that the very Earth fhall fake as it were for fear.

Ver. 20. In that day a Man fhall caft his Idols of Silver, and his Idols of Gold, which they made, each one for himself to worship, to the Moles, and to the Bars.] What we render Moles, is in Hebrew, Lachpor Peroth; which Forerius thinks is a Compound fignifying Moles, from their digging of holes under-ground, for which the fore-feet of thofe Animals are by Nature contriv'd. The Prophet means they fhould be furpriz'd on a fudden, and Aling away their Idols into any dark holes or private corners, that they may fly with greater Expedition, or not be found with the Objects of their Idolatrous Worfhip about them.

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Ver. 21, 22. To go into the clefts of the Rocks, and into the tops of the ragged Rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his Majesty, when he arifeth to shake terribly the Earth. Ceafe ye from Man whofe breath is in his Noftrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?] The plain meaning of this Verfe I take to be this (a), Ceafe ye from put- (a) Grotius ting your truft in Man, whofe breath is in his Noftrils, that is, whofe Life is a meer Vapour; for wherein is he to be accounted of? What is his Power, if compar'd with that of the Almighty? I fhall add what other Interpreters fay of it, and leave the Reader to his own Judgment: Ceafe from vexing Christ (b fays One) who ac- (b) A Lapides cording to the Flesh is a weak Man, but has power to vindicate his Laws by punishing the Tranfgreflors of them, which is the Import of having breath in his Noftrils, in the Opinion of (6) many learned Men. Ceafe (c) Delri from Adam (d fays Another) from imitating the old Adag. 139. Man, for what is he if compar'd with the fecond Adam? (d) Montanus Truft not Man (e fays a Third) faying we have no (e) Leo CaKing but Cafar, for he alfo is but a Man. Forerius, ftriu who interprets this whole Chapter of the Gofpel-Times, labours hard to accommodate this laft Verfe to our Saviour, as if the Prophet pointing, as it were, at the

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Meffiah

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II.

Chapter Meffiah, advis'd the Jews to take care not to defpife him, tho' he appear'd in the form of a Servant, Quoniam Excelfum reputatus eft ipfe, because like fome lofty Temple he was to be approach'd with Veneration, having in him an extraordinary Holinefs. Which in my Judgment is very Forc'd and Unnatural.

(a) Haymo.
Grotius. Alix.
Munfter.

Chapter
III.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter III.

'Tis agreed on all Hands that the Prophet in this Chapter foretels the Destruction of Jerufalem, but whether by the Babylonian or Roman Monarch, is the Dispute: Almost all Interpreters, Antient as well as Modern, understand the Prophet of the taking of Jerufalem by Titus, and Mr. Whiston I find ranks the latter part of it among Prophefies relating to thofe times, from whom I am under a neceffity of diffenting for thefe Reafons: Because the Prophet in the foregoing Chap ter has been foretelling the Destruction by the Babylonians, as A Lapide acknowledges, and cannot be deny'd by any one who confiders, that they stand accus'd of Idolatry at the 8th Verfe, and we find this Chapter by a plain Connection joyn'd with it, For behold the Lord doth take away,which puts it out of difpute that the fame fubject is carry'd on. Secondly, because they had no Princes to Rule over them, at the time when Vefpafian fet out against them, but were Govern'd by Roman Deputies. And lastly, because the Prophet plainly points out the three fucceffive Reigns of thofe weak Princes, who after the death of Jofia fat on the Throne of Judah, and by the wickedness of their Lives, and weakness of their Government, contributed not a little to the Subverfion of that State by Nebuchadnezzar: For thefe Reafons I understand this Chapter of the Destruction of Jerufalem by the Babylonians, and have the Authority of fome (a) Learned Moderns, to oppofe to the Stream of Antiquity.

Verse 1.

F

CHAP. III.

OR behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hofts doth take away from Ferufalem, and from Judah, the Stay and the Staff, the whole Stay of Bread, and the whole Stay of

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Water.] This Chapter is connected with the former by
the Particle Ki. Ceafe to confide in Man, as if there were
of Power fufficient to deliver you from the Destructi-
any
on I have foretold: For behold the Lord, the Lord will
take from you every thing which may the least contri-
bute to your Security or Defence: Tho' there be among
you now perhaps fome mighty Men, brave Commanders,
and Men of Experience in State Affairs, yet before that
day comes God will remove away all these, and give you
Children to be your Princes.

Ver. 2. The mighty Man and the Man of War, the Judge, and the Prophet, and the Prudent, and the Ancient.] The original Word which our Tranflators have rendred Prudent, fignifies one that foretels things to come by the Stars, the flight of Birds, or any other amuzing Delufion; and may fignify, fays Forerius, A Man of Experience, who by long Obfervation and good Judgment, is able to give feasonable Advice in any emergent Occafion: But how can it be faid that the Prophets were taken away, when during the Siege Jeremiah and Baruc Prophefy'd among them, during their Captivity Ezekiel and Daniel, and after their Reftoration, Hagar, Zacharia, and Malachi? To this Sanctius answers, Prophets may be faid to be taken away, when there is no Body to foretel Things to come, or when no Body minds or takes notice of thofe who Prophefy: In the first fenfe, the Prophets cannot be faid to be taken away at the Destruction of Jerufalem, either by the Babylonians or Romans, fince at the first they were not all taken away, at the fecond there were none to be taken away; therefore God must be said to take away the Prophet in the fecond Senfe, only by fuffering the People to go on in their neglect of thofe Prophets he fent among them; and fo the Words can be understood only of the time preceding the Babylonian Captivity, fince when the Romans invaded them, there were no Prophets for them to difregard.

Ver. 3. The Captain of Fifty, and the honourable Man, and the Counsellor, and, the cunning Artificer, and the eloquent Orator] Fifty was the Complement of a Company, which was commanded by a Captain, as the Romans had their Centurions over each Body of an hundred Men; tho'

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Chapter

III.

Chapter others think the Prophet by Sar Kamishim means fuch III. inferior Magiftrates, as were appointed by Mofes Arbitrators in lefs important Caufes, Exod. 18. 21. By the cunning Artificer, Sanctius understands fuch as are skilful in contriving offenfive and defenfive Weapons, neceffary in a Siege to annoy the Enemy, and therefore he thinks it cannot be understood of the Roman Siege, because then the Jews contriv'd new Engines as faft as they, and oppos'd them with equal Ingenuity as well as Courage.

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Ver. 4. And I will give Children to be their Princes, and Babes fhall rule over them.] This refpects the Weakness and Youthfulness of their Princes, and feems to point at the inglorious Reigns of Joakin, Joachim and Zedekia: Thus, fays A Lapide, The English Schifmaticks refufing Obedience to the Pope, had by the juft Judgment of God fet over their Church, firft Henry VIII. a Laick, then Edward a Child, then Elizabeth a Woman. An Obfervation becoming a Jefuit, of which I fhall only fay thus much, that had the reft of the Cotemporary European Monarchs had as much Senfe or Courage as they, it had not been now in the Power of an ufurping Prelate to bully Emperors, and talk of putting on the Armour of one of his warlike Predeceffors.

Ver. 5. And the People fhall be oppreffed, every one by another, and every one by his Neighbour; the Child Jhall behave himfelf proudly against the Ancient, and the Bafe against the Honourable. This is the natural Confequence of having loft all thofe who by their Authority could awe, by their Counsel direct, by their Eloquence tame the Rage of a licentious hot-brain'd People.

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Ver. 6, 7, 8. When a Man fhall take hold of his Brother of the Houfe of his Father, faying, Thou haft Cloathing, be bou our Ruler, and let this Ruin be under thy Hand. In that day fhall he fwear, faying, I will not be an Healer; for in my Houfe is neither Bread nor Cloathing; make me not a Ruler of the People. For Jerufalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: becaufe their Tongue and their Doings are against the Lord, to provoke the Eyes of his Glory.] He calls the deplorable Condition they were reduc'd to, Ruin, becaufe tho' their Monarchy continu'd in the time of the Captivity, yet after the Death of Sofia it was in a declining. Con

Condition, and the third Invafion of Nebuchadnezzar Chapter may be look'd upon as the laft pufh which flung II. down the tottering Fabrick which he goes on to describe by reprefenting their Circumftances fo defperate, that no one would accept of the Government upon any Conditions; They fhall be in fo much Confufion among themselves, and Danger from their Enemies, that if they found any one Richer or better Drefs'd than ordinary, they should defire him to take upon him the Government. Be this Ruin under thy Hand, that is, let thy Hand be under this Ruin, fupport thy finking Country, but he shall decline the hazardous troublefome Undertaking, and swear he will have nothing to do with their Affairs; I will not be a Healer, I have no skill in Drugs, and will not pretend to cure a Difeafe fo inveterate: I have no Provision to fatisfy fo many Mouths as will be open upon me, nor Cloaths to cover their Nakedness. In the firft excufe or refufal, the Prophet had an Eye to that corrupt state of the Jews, which he compar'd to a Body full of deadly Wounds and Sores; in the fecond, to that Famine threatned ver. 1 of this Chapter.

Ver. 9. The fhew of their Countenance doth witness against them, and they declare their Sin as Sodom, they hide it not Wo unto their Soul, for they have rewarded Evil unto themfelves.] He aggravates their Wickedness by its provoking Circumftances, they glory'd in their Iniquity, and boafted of their Trangreffions, as if they had done fomething extreamly commendable: And therefore the Prophet pronounces a Wo against them, Wo unto their Soul, for they have rewarded Evil-unto themselves. By their monftrous Impiety they have drawn down Calamities upon themselves, and made it neceffary for God to vindicate his Juftice by a very remarkable Judgment.

Ver. 10, 11. Say ye to the Righteous, that it fhall be well with him; for they fhall eat the fruit of their doings. Wo unto the Wicked, it shall be ill with him: For the reward of his Hands Shall be given him.] The Prophet inferts the 1oth Verfe for the Comfort of those who liv'd Vertuously, that they might not be caft down with the melancholy Thoughts of being involv'd in the publick Calamity; fay to the Righteous, that is, let the Righteous beaflur'd that it fhall

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