'foul, thou haft redeemed my life *. You, therefore, who walk before God in truth, and hope in his mercy, ought to derive ample encouragement from this amiable character of Jehovah, to truft in him for fupport under all your afflictions.-Behold I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling,&c. How reviving the intimation, of freedom from all the evils contained in the cup of aftonishment, of which they had been made to drink, efpecially when accompanied with the affurance that they were no more to taste its bitter ingredients. To these comfortable circumftances serious attention is demanded from the defponding people of God, as opening fources of pleafing expectation and genuine confolation.

23. But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee: which have faid to thy foul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou haft laid thy body as the ground, and as the ftreet to them that went over.

As a farther ground of comfort to the afflicted Church, Jehovah promifes to convey the cup of trembling, of which they had plentifully fhared, into the hand of their enemies and oppreffors. God, who had been juftly difpleafed with his people, had given them into the power of their foes, who had grievoufly diftreffed them, and fhewed them no mercy; he therefore determined to repay the injuries done to his Church, and with what measure their perfecutors had meted, to measure to them again. Accordingly, he declares that he would put into their hands the fame cup of fury of which they had caufed others largely to drink. Such juft retaliation, fuch righteous vengeance, hath been often experienced by the adverfaries of God's people, as the king of Jerufalem, the Edomites, and the Babylonians, with many others, have been compelled to acknowledge.-Which have faid to thy foul, &c. Such was the proud infulting

*Lam. iii. 58.

language

language used by thofe who were to have the cup of trembling put into their hands: They rigorously demanded from the fervants of the Almighty that they had got into their power, the most implicit fubjection to their tyrannical mandates, as a teftimony of the ignominious fervitude to which they were reduced. The expreffion plainly intimates the very humiliating abject condition in which they were detained by those who haughtily triumphed over them, and treated them with the greatest contempt. And fuch was their miserable ftate, that they were obliged to obey the infolent orders of their imperious mafters. The divine mercy, juftice and veracity were to be dif played in the condign punishment of these inhuman perfecutors, and in the deliverance of the godly, 'fo that men fhall fay, Verily there is a reward for the righteous, verily he is a God that judgeth in the ' earth.'-Pfal. lviii. II.

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PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

HE introduction to the long prophetic narration which commences in the next chapter, and extends to the fixtieth chapter, inclufive, probably begins at the feventeenth verfe of the fifty-firft chapter, and is continued in the one now to be confidered. The difcourfe, of which the exordium lies before us, delineates the fortunes of the Church, from the manifeftation of the Son of God in the flesh, unto the end of the world. It may be diftributed into feveral fections, that treat of the following fubjects. The profound humiliation, and complicated fufferings of the great Meffiah, with their causes and confequences, are related in chapter 53d.-The vast increase which the Church was to receive, from the acceffion of the Gentiles, after the glorious Redeemer's obedience, fufferings, and death, are described in chapters 54th and 55th.-The controverfies that were to arise refpecting fome important topics, and the corruptions that were to creep into the Church, which were to be the occafion of many fubmitting to martyrdom, are pointed at in chapters 56th and 57th.-Depravity of manners, and the vitiated inftitutions obferved by the Church, which were to bring upon them the awful displeasure of Almighty God, and to expose them to the fury of their adverfaries, are the subjects treated in chapter 58th, and part of chapter 59th.When in this deplorable ftate, Ifaiah foretels that God, who is rich in mercy, was to effect their deliverance, and to take vengeance on their enemies, by illuftrious displays of his power and majefty, chapter 59th, to the end. The very happy and honourable condition to which the Church was to be advanced, through the abundant communications of divine grace, after having fuftained various conflicts, is depicted in the moft fplendid colours, under a variety of beautiful images, by which the flourishing ftate of the kingdom of God, in the latter times, is VOL. IV. exhibited

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exhibited in chapter 60th.-The predictions contained in this large prophetic difcourfe are momentous and interesting, the confolations with which they are mixed are pure and fublime, the reproofs are neceffary and pungent, and the exhortations are pathetic and seasonable.

Our prophet begins that portion of his introduction on which we now enter, by calling the fervants of God to adopt fuch modes of worship as were fuited to the more glorious dispensation wherewith they were favoured, fpecifying the grounds upon which his exhortation was founded, verfe 1-3.-He then fhews that their deliverance from fervitude and captivity, both temporal and spiritual, fufficiently evinced the neceffity of compliance with his requifition, verse 4-6.-The excellence and magnitude of the benefit of the gospel, to be promulgated throughout the whole world, is next celebrated with joy and triumph, verfe 7-10.-The ministers of the word are then excited to engage in their arduous work, by the gracious affurance of the Divine protection and patronage, verfe 11, 12.-After which the humiliation, obedience and fufferings of the Mesfiah are brought forward, with his subsequent exaltation, as the basis on which the grand and distinguishing glories of the kingdom of God was to be established, verfe 13-15.

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CHAP. LII.

WAKE, awake, put on thy ftrength, O Zion, put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerufalem the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcifed, and the unclean.

Thefe

Thefe animating words were obviously directed to the Church, afflicted with manifold calamities, which for a long time they had fuftained, and which had reduced them to a ftate of inactivity and indolence. They were called upon, with great earneftness, to arise and beftir themfelves in faithfully improving the means God had appointed, in order to their receiving the accomplishment of the promifes made unto the fathers. And, left they might prove inattentive to this important business, the call is repeated once and again, Awake, awake. The Hebrew word here used denotes any kind of excitation, whether respecting the body or mind, fo that the expreffion may fignify, that the duty demanded of them required that they immediately lay afide indolence and fecurity, and be attentive to the longexpected Meffiah, and the falvation he was to effect, which were foon to be exhibited. At the 9th verse of the preceding chapter, this request was directed to the arm of Jehovah, at the 17th verse it was addressed to the Church, and to them it is here repeated under the well-known defignation of-Zion, and Jerufalem the holy city. The literal Jerufalem at this time could not properly be called holy, on account of the fanctity of its inhabitants. But this character is beftowed upon it, because God had appropriated that city to be his peculiar refidence, because he had appointed the moft folemn fervices of his worship to be performed there, and because it afforded an eminent type of the Church of God under the New Testament, which is fanctified by the will of God, and by the blood and Spirit of his Son.

Put on thy ftrength, O Zion, &c. The Church having requested the arm of Jehovah to put on his ftrength, to exert his omnipotence, that he might accomplish their deliverance, the Lord God now invites them to put on their strength, that, in the lively exercise of unshaken dependence, they might expect the fulfilment of his promifes. The Hebrew word here tranflated ftrength, fignifies any peculiar ex

cellence