ISAIAH CHAPTER 64 The church's prayer continued, for the illustration of God's glory, ISAIAH 64:1: with a confession of their sins, and complaint of their afflictions, ISAIAH 64:6. OH THAT THOU WOULDEST REND THE HEAVENS: either the earnest desire of the prophet, or the Jews strong wish, for the comi... [ Continue Reading ]
AS WHEN THE MELTING FIRE BURNETH; come with such zeal for thy people, that the solid mountains may be no more before thy breath than metal that runs, or water that boils by the force of a vehement fire; and thus, for the most part, when God will take vengeance of his enemies, the Scripture expresset... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THOU DIDST TERRIBLE THINGS: this may relate to what he did among the Egyptians, though it be not recorded, and afterward in the wilderness. WHICH WE LOOKED NOT FOR, viz. our forefathers, of whose race we are; before we expected them; or such things as we could never expect. THE MOUNTAINS FLOWED... [ Continue Reading ]
Whereas there are but three ways whereby men ordinarily come to the knowledge of a thing, viz. by the ear, either our own hearing, or by hearsay; and by the eye; and by reason, which the apostle adds, where he makes use of this text, 1 CORINTHIANS 2:9; two of them are mentioned here. BESIDES THEE; w... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU MEETEST HIM; or, _wast wont_ to meet him; or, thou preventest him, ISAIAH 65:24 PSALMS 21:2,3, as the father the prodigal. _That rejoiceth and worketh righteousness_, viz. that rejoice to work righteousness; the same thing expressed by two words, by a figure called hendiadis. THAT REMEMBER THEE... [ Continue Reading ]
WE ARE ALL AS AN UNCLEAN THING: he alludes either to things unclean under the ceremonial law, wherein the leprosy was found, and was to be burnt, LEVITICUS 13:55; or rather to persons unclean. They compare their present state with the former: q.d. Formerly there were some that feared thee, and walke... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE IS NONE; or, yet there is none, i.e. few, PSALMS 14:3; they are not to be discerned among the multitude. THAT CALLETH; such as call upon thee as they ought, as Jacob, and Moses, and David, &c. did, which often prevents the ruin of a state or kingdom: it points out the universal apostacy of... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOW, O LORD, THOU ART OUR FATHER; an argument or pathetical plea for pity; or, Notwithstanding all this, thou art our Father, both by creation and by adoption, therefore pity us thy children. WE ARE THE CLAY; a metonymy of the matter, clay for the vessels made of clay; or, we are clay, pointing... [ Continue Reading ]
BE NOT WROTH VERY SORE, O LORD, NEITHER REMEMBER INIQUITY FOR EVER, viz. Thou hast been angry with us a long time, be not so for ever; but deal with us as may best consist with a father's bowels. It hath reference both to _quantity_ and _time_, that it might not be very great, nor of long durance. S... [ Continue Reading ]
THY HOLY CITIES; either Zion and Jerusalem, being the cities they instance in: q.d. Thy holy cities, viz. Zion and Jerusalem: or rather, other cities also in the land of Judea besides those two; called _holy_, either, 1. Because they were built upon God's inheritance, ISAIAH 63:17. Or, 2. Because... [ Continue Reading ]
OUR HOLY AND OUR BEAUTIFUL HOUSE; the _temple_, ISAIAH 60:7: q.d. Not only our cities, and our principal cities, but even our _temple_, which we thought sacred and inviolable, in which we have gloried, because it was thine, and our _fathers_, and _ours_, the place where thy holy service was performe... [ Continue Reading ]
WILT THOU REFRAIN THYSELF FOR THESE THINGS, viz. that are done by the Babylonians? do none of these things move thee to take vengeance on them? WILT THOU HOLD THY PEACE; wilt thou be as one that regards not? Wilt thou be still, and suffer them? AND AFFLICT US VERY SORE: see ISAIAH 64:9: for these ou... [ Continue Reading ]