type of the spiritual. The learned Vitringa expounds this verse, not of a literal restoration of the Jews, but of the first plantation of the Christian church. His exposition is perspicuous and satisfactory.

"to cause to inherit the desolate heritages." -"ad erciscundam [hæredibus] hæreditatem locorum desolatorum.' Intellige-gentes, longum tempus alienatas a Dei communione, versatas in crassâ ignorantiâ Dei ac veræ religionis quarum hæreditaria possessio promissa erat semini Abrahami. Hæ gentes, extra Cananæam omnes, Deo et sanctis spirituali oculo eas contemplantibus, obver. sabantur tanquam vastum mare; sterile desertum ; incultus vel vastatus ager, civitates desolatæ; confusum quoddam et permistum chaos; solum infrugiferum nullo cultu et curâ subactum hæredia desolata, quæ Messias, tanquam alter Josua, hæredibus veris, divisit, quippe curâ providentiæ suæ et gratiæ effecit, ut per totum orbem cultarum mundi regionum extiterint ecclesiæ." Vitringa in Is. vol. ii, p. 577, 578.

Verse 9. -"prisoners

them that are in dark

ness." "Refer hoc loco vinctos' ad Judæos

devinctos jugo collis ipsorum per Mosen imposito.

Per hos qui in tenebris sunt,' gentes, intelligentiâ omni verâ, et solidâ consolatione destitutas." Vi. tringa in Is. vol. ii, p. 578, 2.

"in the waysin all high places," "Phra sis' apud vias et in eminentibus locis pascere,' valet pascua habere non in desertis (quorum proprietas est non habere vias, nec frugiferos atque amoenos colles, in quibus greges pecudesque cum delectatione pascunt) sed in cultis habitatisque locis, per vias publicas distinctis; et in lætis gramine collibus, iisque subjectis vallibus, ubi commodissima pastio est.Quæris est. Quæris sensum spiritualem?--Docetur sub hoc emblemate, ecclesias, Christo Jesu ut pastori summo, primo tempore gratiæ non esse colligendas in locis obscuris, ignotis, longissimè dissitis a culto orbe; verum in celeberrimis, cultissimis, atque eminentissimis locis Romani imperii, in quibus usus hominum et commercia maximè vigerent.Antiochiæ, Alexandriæ, Tyri, Ephesi, Thessalonicæ, Corinthi, Romæ, aliisque eminentissimis locis Romani imperii." Vitringa in Is. vol. ii, p. 579, 580. Verses 10, 11. Compare Apoc. vii, 16. Verse 11." and my highways shall be exalted." "and my causeys shall be raised high." -"mountains-highways." "Mountains," great

kingdoms, such as those of Egypt, Syria, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Macedonia, Epire, Illyricum, the Spains, the Gauls, and many others. All these mountains were levelled and reduced to a plain; these great kingdoms being either destroyed by the Romans, or in one way or another brought into subjection to them, which was the means of opening that free communication between the principal nations of the civilized world, which gave great facility to the propagation of the gospel. See Vitringa, vol. ii, p. 583, 1.

-"highways.” —"Significatur fore, ut doctrina fidei-quæ doctrina est via quâ incedunt quotquot se aggregant ecclesiæ, circa illud tempus præcipue quod hæc prophetia in emphasi respicit [Constantini Magni] clarius demonstretur ad conscientiam, adstruatur, vindicetur, extollatur et omnium exponatur oculis tanquam una, vera, probataque via salutis. 2. Ut eadem via, sive doctrina ecclesiæ muniatur protectione ac defensione publicâ, atque adeo liceat absque metu discriminis, absque in cursu ferarum, sub umbrâ imperii civilis, eandem profiteri, plane ut propheta dixerat, cap. xxxv, 7, 8." Vitringa, ibid.

"land of Sinim;" i. e. of the Egyptians, so called from the frontier town Pelusium, the Hebrew

name of which was D. See Vitringa, vol. ii, p. 584, 1.

Verse 12.-" and these from the land of Sinim." Here I think the chapter should have been divided. These twelve verses should have been joined to the last chapter, and the next fourteen by themselves should have made the forty-ninth. The Messiah has been the speaker from the 16th verse of the last chapter. The subject hitherto has been the common salvation of Jews and Gentiles, with intimations of the incredulity of the Jews upon our Lord's appearance among them. In what follows from this place the Messiah is still the speaker; but the discourse is immediately addressed to the primitive apostolic church, consisting of native Jews; and when the converted Gentiles are mentioned, they are mentioned as an appendage of the original Jewish church, as adopted sons of Israel in some sort of subordination to Jerusalem, the mother of us all.

Verse 14." Zion said" Zion, the holy seed, the remnant of the true Israelites, which lay concealed in the mass of the natural Israel, from the time of the restoration from the Babylonian captivity to the epoch of our Lord's appearance, and the promulgation of the gospel.

Verse 17. "Thy children," &c.; rather, with

Bishop, Lowth,

"They that destroyed thee shall soon become thy builders, And they that laid thee waste shall become thine offspring." Or, which I should still prefer,

Thy builders are ready; thy demolishers
And destroyers shall depart from thee.

-"demolishers and destroyers." -"Falsi apostoli, falsi fratres ecclesiam primævam vastantes." Vitringa ad locum.

Verse 18. "Fige scenam in primis annis Trajani-Loquitur de statu atque incremento incredibili ecclesiæ sub Nervâ, Trajano, Hadriano, Antoninis.' Vitringa ad locum.

as a bride." Read, with LXX and Bishop as a bride her jewels."

; ככליה כלה,Lowth

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Verse 20. "The children--ears;" rather, with

Bishop Lowth,

"The sons, of whom thou wast bereaved, shall yet say in thine ears".

give place to me;" rather, "stand close for

Verse 21. I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro?" rather, "I was bereaved of my children, and barren, an outlaw [or exile], and an outcast?"