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their Horfes mettlefome and hardy, and their Chariots ready to fly of themfelves.

Ver. 29. Their roaring shall be like a Lion, they shall roar like young Lions: Yea, they shall roar and lay hold of the Prey, and fhall carry it away fafe, and none shall deliver it.] It was an ancient Custom among Soldiers to give a Shout before they began an Engagement, of which a memorable Inftance occurs in the Roman Hiftory, when the Forces of that warlike Nation gave fuch a Shout, as made the Birds then flying over their Heads, drop dead between the Armies.

Ver. 30. And in that Day they shall roar against them, like the roaring of the Sea; and if one look unto the Land, behold darkness and forrow, and the light is darkned in the Heavens thereof. In that day when the Chaldeans fhall take Jerufalem, they fhall fall on the defenflefs Inhabitants, Shouting and Animating one another in their barbarous Executions. The wretched Inhabitants fhall look to Heaven, but there fhall be no Comfort, nothing but thick Clouds and melancholy Darkness; they fhall look to the Land and behold Darkness there alfo, a difmal Scene of Mifery, which in the Scripture-Language is defcrib'd by Darkness.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter VI.

Chapter

V.

Chapter vi.

This Chapter contains a Vifion, wherein God was reprefented to the Prophet in all his Glory; The Aftonishment of the Prophet; a new Commiffion given him, or the former confirm'd and a Prophecy concerning the Fate of the Jewish Nation. I feems most natural to understand the time pointed at of the Natural than Civil Death of Uzziah, as (a) some Me- (a) Chald. taphorically call his Separation upon the account of his Lepro- Paraph. fy, and most probably of that part of the Year which fucceeded his Death, than of that before. For if he had spoken of him alive, he would have faid in diebus Uzziæ, and yet he avoids faying in the Days of Jotham, because he would have us to understand that this remarkable Vision happen'd to him immediately after his Death, at the very beginning of Jo- origen born. (b) Hieron. tham's Reign. And if what the Fathers (b) alledge be true, in cap. 2.

that

Chapter

VI.

Lyran. (b) Pradus in jam Vizion.

that the Spirit of Prophefy was taken away toward the latter end of Uzziah's Reign, we have a reason why at this time the Prophet receives a new Commiffion to exercife his prophetical Office, or receives fresh Orders to refume his intermitted Charge. Moller thinks it probable that Ifaiah had prophefy'd 28 Years in the Reign of Uzziah, and began at last to be weary of upbraiding an obftinate Nation with their Sins to no purpose, upon which God thought fit to ftir up his Zeal, and animate him to a vigorous Profecution of his Office, by a fresh lively Representation of himself in fuch a manner, that the bare Narration of it should strike an Awe on the People, and make them afraid of offending him, who was attended with fuch a glorious Retinue of Seraphims,and other miniftring Spirits. Sanctius will have it that this Vifion was reprefented to the Prophet before the Death of Uzziah, but of this nothing certain can be determin'd; only to me it seems probable that the former Sermons were deliver'd in his Reign, this in Jotham's, and the next Chapter in the Reign of Ahaz, as the Title of the Book seems to require. Zach. Urfin.

CHA P. VI.

Verse 1. the Year that King Uzziah died, I faw also the Lord fitting upon a Throne, high and lifted up, and his Train filled the Temple.] God is not the Object of mortal Eye, we muft therefore understand by this Expreffion of feeing the Lord, that God by a vigorous Impreffion on the Prophet's Mind, rais'd fuch an Idea of himfelf as the Prophet would have had if he had really feen him in Robes of Majefty, feated on a Throne of State within the Temple, fill'd with his expanded Train. The Evangelift exprefly affirms that Adonai, whom the Prophet faw, was Chrift, which is fuch an Argument of the Divinity of our Saviour, as the Socinians can never evade.

Ver. 2. Above it stood the Seraphims: each one had fix (a) Bafil.Adam Wings, with twain he covered his Face, and with twain he covered his Feet, and with twain he did fly.] I think it not very material what the Number of the Seraphims were which appear'd to the Prophet in this Vision, whether Two, (a) as most think, and feems to me plain from the Context, or Four, as (6) others, or many, as Forerius; nor is it

Ezek. ix. 6.

Percira c. 4.
Apoc. difp. 7.

worth

VI. worth difputing whether thefe heavenly Attendants ftood Chapter about the Throne or hover'd in the Air above, or stood at a distance below; 'tis enough that near the Throne the Prophet defcry'd Creatures who by their glorious Appearance feem'd worthy to attend the God of Heaven, and yet by their reverent Behaviour fhew'd they were fenfible of the infinite Distance between themselves and their Creator; their Form was human, their Faces fhining like Fire, with Wings they fupported themselves on each fide of the Throne, modeftly hid their lower Parts, and kept off, as it were, the too glorious Light of God's Prefence from ftriking them blind.

Ver. 3. And one cried unto another, and faid, Holy, boly, holy is the Lord of Hofts, the whole Earth is full of his Glory.] That is, exceeding juft is the Lord of Hofts in his Sentence which he has pafs'd against the rebellious Nation; the Prophet fuppofes the Sentence mention'd, v. 10, 11, 12. to be pronounc'd in their hearing, upon which the Angels of God exprefs'd their Approbation after this folemn manner, which may in general refpect God's effential Holiness, but in particular that Attribute of his Justice which is more nearly concern'd; the whole Earth is full of his Glory. Kol Haaretz, all this Land,(a) that is, Judea, (a) Grotius. God fhall in her more particularly give abundant Proof of his Power and Juftice.

Ver. 4. And the pofts of the door moved at the voice of him

that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.] (b) Some think (b) Hieron. by this violent Commotion of the Temple the Destruction Cyril. Thom. of Jerufalem is portended; but this is only to fet out the Majesty of the God of Heaven, which the inanimate Walls were fenfible of, and trembled, as it were, for fear; for the fame Reafon the Prophet adds, and the house was filled with Smoke, or a Cloud, which was the Symbol of God's Prefence among the Jews, as appears by the Account the Sacred Hiftorian gives of the introducing the Ark into

the Temple. (c) And it came to pass when the Priests were (c) 1 Kin. 8. come out of the holy place, in which they had fet down the 10, 11. Ark, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minifter because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

G

Chapter
VI.

Ver. 5. Then faid 1, Wo is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have feen the king,the Lord of hosts. ] (a) Hom. 5. (a) St. Origen thinks Ifaiah here accufes himself of fome rafh Word, fome unguarded Expreffion, which had acci(a) Hieron. dentally dropt from him, but Grotius and others (b) that Cyril. Haymo. his Fault was holding his Tongue when he fhould have spoken; that by a criminal Silence he had encourag'd the King in thofe Sins which he ought boldly to have reprov'd. I am undone, fays the Prophet (within himself) when he first discover'd God with his Retinue of flaming Seraphs, furely 'tis impoffible fo finful a Creature as I am should live; I am a man of unclean lips, altogether unworthy to joyn with the holy Angels in praifing God, and dwell in the midst of a People of unclean lips. He adds another Cause of his Confternation, befides the Senfe of his own Unworthiness, he knew the Sins of his Nation were fo flagrant, that fince God was about to execute Judgment against them, he had Reafon to be apprehenfive of the Confequence, and fear left himself fhould be involv'd in the general Calamity.

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Ver. 6. Then flew one of the feraphims unto me, having a tive coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.] Interpreters are mighty follicitous what fhould be fignify'd by this live Coal; (c) fome will have it to be the Word of God, in calculo divini fermonis veritas & rigor, in carbunculo ejufdem lucens doctrina, and then the

Altar from whence it was taken must be either the Old or New Teftament, or (d) Chrift himself, whofe Speech the Two Difciples found to be fiery when they faid one to another, Did not our heart burn within us? Luk. 24. 32. But this is giving their own Fancies for the Prophet's meaning; certain it is this was only a Vifion, and the Prophet mentions a Coal from the Altar only because Fire is the great Refiner, and therefore fit to free the Prophet from that Pollution he before complain'd of; which, whether he means a natural Impediment in his Speech, which render'd his Preaching ineffectual, or the Corruption of his Nature, which expos'd him to the Anger of God, was corrected and taken away by this Application.

Ver. 7, 8, 9. And he laid it upon my mouth, and faid, Chapter Lo, this bath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, VI. and thy fin purged. Alfo I heard the voice of the Lord, faying, w Whom shall I fend, and who will go for us? Then faid I, Here am I, fend me. And be faid, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not: and fee ye indeed, but perceive not.] The Imperatives here, fays Vatablus, ftand for the Future Tenfes, and fo the LXX have tranflated them, and our Saviour makes ufe of their Verfion, Matt. 13. 14. The Time shall come when they fhall hear the Threatnings of the Prophets and yet not understand them, a fatal Blindness fhall befall the whole Nation, fo that tho' the Will of God was plainly reveal'd to them, and his Judgments denounc'd against them in fuch a manner, that the meaneft Capacities might understand what God defign'd to do with them, yet they fhall ftill go on in their Sins, as if they had quite loft their Senfes, and knew nothing of any ill Confequence of continuing in their Sins; and this the Event abundantly juftify'd; for tho' Ifaiah, Hofea, Joel, Ames and Micah prophecy'd in the fucceffive Reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Abaz and Hezekiah; Nahum and Habakkuk in the Reign of Manaffes, Jeremiah and Zephaniah just before the Captivity, fo many frightful Denunciations of Vengeance made no Impreffion on that obdurate People, they went on from bad to worse, till the Measure of their Sins was fill'd up, and then God gave them into the Hands of their Enemies.

Ver. 10. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes left they fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed It is repugnant to the Justice of God to make his People ftupid and incapable of Inftructi on, (which is the meaning of thefe Metaphors) and then to punish them for that Stupidity, which was not brought upon them by any Fault of theirs, but inflicted by God himself; therefore the generality of Interpreters fay, that the Prophet is not commanded to ftrike their Eyes with Blindness, &c. but only to tell them that they had already, or fhould by their Sins contract fuch a fatal Blindness as fhould expofe them to God's Indignation, which they had Means to avoid if they would but make a right Ufe

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