a

Chapter fpices, and the precious ointment, and all the hot of his armour, XXXIX. and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his boufe, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah fhewed them not.] He gave them a friendly and benign Audience, as Abarbanel explains it, being glad at their coming, because he knew them to be Enemies to Sennacherib, and was fo tranfported with Joy at the Honour the King of Babylon had done him that he not only gave them a gracious Audience, but order d his Officers to fhew them all the Rarities he had in his Treafures; for tho' his Country had been lamentably arafs'd by the King of Affyria, and he had endeavour'd to appeafe him with great Gifts, yet there were many good Things remaining in Jerufalem, and great Prefents had been made to Hezekiah, lince the Stroke from Heaven on Sennacherib's Army, 2 Chron. 32. 23. The precious Ointment here mention'd is call'd by Kimchi and other Hebrew Doctors, Apharfemon, which they fay was the true Balfam not to be found any where but near to Jericho.

Ver. 3. Then came Ifaiah the prophet unto King Hezekiah, and faid unto him, What faid thefe men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah faid, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.] He answers to the last part of aiah's Queftion, but not a Word of the first what their business with him was. And he calls that a far Country from whence they came, (tho' it was not very remote) to exprefs the great Honour which was done to him, by a Prince at fuch a distance from him.

Ver. 4. Then faid he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiab anfwered, All that is in mine houfe they have feen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not fhewed them.] He knew well enough what they had feen; but had a mind to hear whether Hezekiah would confefs the Truth, or excufe his Folly But he honeftly relates the Truth, being fenfible of how dangerous a piece of Vanity he had been guilty in fhewing Strangers thofe Treafures, which he might well think would invite them to endeavour to make themfelves Malters of them.

Ver. 5. Then faid Ifaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord of bofts. How he refents this Action? Which was the more blameable because he had lately receiv'd fuch great

Benefits

Benefits from God; and feen fuch an aftonishing Wonder, as he wrought for the Confirmation of his Faith: Whereby he fhould have been mov'd not to Glory in any thing but the Goodness of God to him: Nor confide in the Friendship of great Princes, but only in the Power of the Almighty.

Ver. 6. Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine houfe, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, fhall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, faith the Lord.] There had been feveral great Kings in Judah, who had overcome many Enemies and got great Spoils Some remainders of which were fill in their Stores; but Ifaiah foretels all fhould be carried away to that very place, from whence he had been complemented by thofe Ambaffadors. The moft pertinent Obfervation that I can make on thefe Words, is that of Dr. Jackfon (in his Anwer to John's Queftion) where he faith that whofoever will confider the ftate of things in this Time, and the finall Power which the Babylonians now had in respect of their mighty Neighbour the King of Affyria, (whom the Jews had reafon to fear above all other Princes:) The accomplishment of this Prophecy of Ifaiah, was according to Human Conjecture, far more unlikely and improbable, then if a Man fhould in the laft Age have taken upon him to foretel that the Duke of Saxony, or fome fuch Prince in Germany, fhould conquer France and Spain, and lead them Captive to Drefden: But the Word of the Lord ftands faft for ever: And Ifaiah was prov'd 125 Years afterward to be a true Prophet.

Ver. 7 And of thy fons that fall iffue from thee, which thou Thalt beget fhall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon.] That is, his Pofterity defcended from him, who fhould be Eunuchs in the Palace of the King of Babylon, that is, wait upon him as his Servants: Which was partly fulfill'd in Daniel and his. Companions, 1 Dan. i.

Ver. 8. Then faid Hezekiah to Ifaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou haft spoken: he faid moreover, For there fhall be peace and truth in my days. As if he had faid, Thanks be to God it is no worfe, let him do his Pleafare: Have I not reafon to be thankful, if according to

Chapter
XXXIX.

Chapter his Promife he delivers me from the King of Affyria; and XXXIX. not only prolong my Days but let me enjoy firm Peace,

and true Religion as long as I live. Some took this to be a careless Speech: As if he did not concern himself what became of Pofterity, fo he himself did but live happily: But this is inconfiftént with fuch a Pious Mind as he had; which no doubt was fenfible of the Vanity and Pride for which the Prophet reprov'd him; and fubmitted to the Punishment of it, which might have been immediately inflicted if God had not been very Merci. ful unto him.

(a) S. Thomas Hugo, Tolet in Luc. chap.4. Maldonat, Ibid.

Didac Alvarez Sanctius.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter XL.

Having Prophecy'd in unambiguous Terms, V.6, 7, of the foregoing Chapter concerning the Babylonian Captivity; and having a lively Senfe of the Miferies his Country-men were to undergo, Ifaiah breaks out into this Compaffionate Address to the Prophets, which should be in thofe Times, to keep up the Spirits of their Suffering Brethren, by putting them in mind of a joyful Reftauration. The fubfequent Sermons, fays Gataker, are generally, if not all, concerning the Deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity: But as all the Mercies of God to that Nation, bore fome refemblance to thofe glorious Things perform'd by our Saviour for Mans Redemption, they are by the Spirit of God exprefs'd in fuch terms as fhew plainly, that while he is Speaking of the Redemption of the Jews, he had in his Thoughts a more Glorious Deliverance; which does not hin der but we may interpret the Words literally of that first Redemption, (a) as feveral befides Grotius have done. And here once for all I take notice that Mr. Whiston countenances the Jews in their groundless expectations of their Meffiah, ftill to come, referring most of thefe Prophecies to their future Restoration, for which no manner of Reason can be affign'd: For if we should allow that the Jews are now in a miferable State of Captivity, groaning under Oppreffion, yet, with Dr. Alix, I maintain that Ifaiah fhould be underfood of the Deliverance of their Fore-fathers, out of the

Jame

Same wretched circumftances, because that was nearest his own time and has been acomplish'd: But in reality the Jews are no more in Captivity than the Chriftians; they enjoy as much liberty as the rest of Mankind, and generally Speaking fare better, and live more at eafe than ever their Predeceffors did, in their Land flowing with Milk and Hony? And I believe the greatest part of them would be of the Mind of one of their Brethren of Amfterdam; who frankly own'd, tho' they pretended to expect their Meffiah fhould restore them to their own Country, yet should he come in his time, he would beg his pardon and stay where he was. This, at least, I am fure of, that from the Words of this Prophet, they have no incouragement to expect a Reftauration; because they were exactly fulfill'd in that Remarkable Deliverance and Reeftablishment of their Ancestors, recorded by their own Historians.

CHAP. XL.

Verse 1, 2. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, faith your

Speak ye comfortably to Jerufalem, and t ery unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for he hath received of the Lords hand double for all her fins.] In the Original Dabberu Nal Leb Speak to the Heart of the People, tell them fuch agreeable News as will rejoyce their Heart; make it contract more briskly, and animate them with fresh Spirits. Tell them the time of their warfare is accomplished, in which the Prophet alludes to a Cuftom among Soldiers, who were oblig'd to ferve a fixt Number of Years, which expiring they were at liberty to quit the Service. Tell them their Iniquity fhall be pardon'd, for which God brought thefe Calamities upon them: And he that is Jerufalem, fhall receive of the Lords Hand double for all her Sins: That is, Bleffings abundantly fufficient to make her amends for all her Sufferings.

Ver. 3, 4. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the defert a high way for our God. Every valley fhall be exalted, and eve

mountain and hill shall be made law: and the crooked fhali be made ftraight, and the rough places plain.] That is, let

Chapter

XL.

XL.

Grotius.

Fletus,
Fanfenius.

Chapter this be the Voice of One crying in the Wilderness, Prepare ye the Way of the Lord; this fhall be the Subject Matter which fhall be proclaim'd; as if he had faid, Tell the Jews in Captivity that they muft shake off their National Vices, which, like Mountains, interpofe between God's Favour and them, before they can expect to be reftor'd; but this to me fecms flat and unnatural, and I fhould rather underftand the Words with others thus; Methinks I hear the joyful Heralds cry, Prepare ye a Way in the Wilderness for the People of the Lord to return to Judea, ye Nations thro' which they muft pafs make their Way plain and easy, ler every Valley be exalted, and every Mountain made low; by which we are not to imagine that the Hills were to be really deprefs'd, or the Valleys rais'd to a Level with them, the Design of the Prophet being only to set forth the Convenience and Pleasantnefs of their Journey homeward,they should not be fatigu'd in climbing fteep Afcents, but travel as easily as if the Road all along were finooth and ftrait; and he fpeaks as if God were refolv'd to march out of Babylon at the Head of his People, and make his Triumphant Entry into Jerufalem, preceded all the Way by Harbingers, who fhould clear the Roads, and remove all Impediments which might delay his Paffage or offend his Sight..

Ver. 5. And the glory of the Lord' fhall be revealed, and all flefh fhall fee it together for the mouth of the Lord hath Spoken it. That is, the Deliverance of the Jews out of Captivity fhall be fo furprising an Event, that all the neighbouring Nations fhall ftand amaz'd at it, and acknowledge the visible Interpofition of Providence in their Redemption.

1

Ver. 6, 7, 8. The voice faid, Cry, And he faid, What fball I cry? All flesh is grafs, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grafs withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: furely the people is grafs. The grafs withereth, the flower fadeth but the word of our God fhall ftand for ever.] The Prophet speaks of himself in the Third Perfon, He faid inftead of I faid, as if he had heard a Voice at a distance commanding him to cry aloud, and he, as not knowing the meaning, demanded on what Subject he should exert his Voice fo pow

erfully?