pretantur. Sane quidem extra Deum nihil est, quod potestatem ejus limitet. Sed potestas divina ab ipsâ naturâ ejus limitatur. Sunt in Deo justitia, æquitas, bonitas, veracitas, fides, amor majestatis suæ (virtutis ipsi naturales) quæ exercitium divinæ potestatis moderantur; ut potestas divina absoluta sit in creaturas intelligentes, in populum et ecclesiam suam, salvâ σx Dei morali erga homines. Nec aliter σχέσει apostolus, ubi hanc sententiam et similitudinem applicat ad consilium electionis et reprobationis, spectari vult." Vitringa in Is. vol. ii, p. 501, 1. Verse 11. "Thus saith-my sons." For 173'999 ויוצרו ויוצר אתו התשאלוני I would read האתיות שאלוני Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of his Israel, and his Maker, Will ye question me concerning my sons, And give me directions concerning the work of my hands? Verse 13. "I have raised him up." Raised up whom? We shall search the context in vain for an antecedent which this pronoun may rehearse. It can be expounded therefore of Him only, who in the most eminent sense was raised up by God, and he is described here by his work of gratuitous redemption. In whatever sense some may fancy this verse applicable to Cyrus, it is more clearly and naturally applicable to Christ. Compare chap. xlviii, 14; and see the xvth of Vitringa's canons. Verse 14. "The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans," &c. I take these phrases, labour of Egypt, merchandise of Ethiopia,' to be analogous to ẞm 'Hgazλnen, and to be descriptive of persons, by their qualities or occu pations. The labourer of Egypt, and the merchant of Ethiopia, And the Sabeans of tall stature. See Blaney on Jer. xx, 5; and the Layman on this place. -"Surely in thee is God," &c. Surely in thee is God, And none else than God himself. Verse 15. "Verily," &c. Verily thou art a God concealed [or concealing thyself], These words plainly allude to the concealment of the Divinity under the human form in the person of our Lord. They are not the prophet's; they are part of the devout confession of the labourer of Egypt and the merchant of Ethiopia, &c. -" Quocunque se verterint, non valebunt laqueos veritatis effugere. Fac enim esse in Cyro Deum, et non esse alium præter eum qui sit in Cyro Deus, quomodo Cyri personæ dici conveniet, Vere tu es Deus absconditus, Deus Israel, Salvator.' Ergo Deus, in quo est Deus, Dominus noster Jesus Christus rectius intelligitur et verius, qui in evangelio loquitur, 'Ego et Pater unum sumus. Qui Deus appellatur absconditus, propter assumpti corporis sacramentum, et Deus Israel, Salvator,' quod interpretatur Jesus." Hieronym. ad locum. And again," Hebræi stultâ contentione nituntur asserere, usque ad eum locum ubi legitur, Tantum in te est Deus, et non est absque te Deus,' vel ad Hierusalem, vel ad Cyrum dici. Hoc autem quod sequitur, Vere tu es Deus absconditus, Deus Israel, Salvator,' subitò ad omnipotentem Deum, apostropham fieri: cùm etiam stultis perspicuum sit, unum contextum esse sermonis, nec posse sensum dividi, qui in ipso narrationis ordine, et ratione, conjunctus est." Hieronym. ad locum. Verse 16. "6 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded all of them." After the verb ">, Bishop Lowth, upon the authority of the LXX, inserts ", which greatly improves the elegance of this distich. They are ashamed, and even confounded all his adversaries. The emendation however is not necessary to the sense. Verse 19." I said not to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain: I the Lord," &c. This passage seems to contain an oblique hint at least, of a future accomplishment of the promises to the seed of Jacob in a literal sense. 66 Notwithstanding the scheme of general mercy, and the temporary rejection of the Israelites, my promises to them shall not ultimately fail. I Jehovah speak in righteousness, with veracity, and declare upright things. I speak not in terms of equivocation like the oracles of the heathen gods." Verse 21. —“a just God, and a Saviour." צדיק ומושיע "God, the Just One and the Saviour." Verse 23." the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return." -"justice is gone forth from my mouth: the word is spoken, and shall not be revoked." "justice is gone forth," i. e. the just sentence; or rather, the merciful sentence of pardon. Upon the forensic sense of the word p, see my notes upon Hosea. Verse 24. Surely," &c. For, I would read. See Bishop Lowth. And without any other emendation, I render the whole verse thus, Surely to Jehovah it belongeth to speak truth, and Might is gorgeous robe. his He shall come and all that quarrel with him shall be ashamed. "He shall come," i. e. He, the great personage announced in the 8th and the 13th verses shall come; or, he, Jehovah, shall come in the person of the Messiah. CHAP. XLVI. Verse 1. The construction of this verse is not very perspicuous. I divide what follows the word Nebo into three clauses, by a comma fixed at ל ,נשאתיכם to be understood before and another at by. I suppose the verb to be understood in each of the two last clauses, and the preposition which word I take to signify, not carriages, but beasts of burthen. (See Parkhurst's Lexicon, NW, v.) And I render the whole thus: Bel boweth down! Nebo croucheth! Their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. They are become the lading (non) of your beasts of bur then, A load to the weary animal.* * Upon further consideration of the passage, I rather think that the prefix is not to be understood before 'nxw). That 6 w is not beasts of burthen, but rather carriers,' and is to be understood of the false gods; who, had their pretensions to divinity been founded, should have carried their votaries in the |