told them of their Sins, and was often in danger of his Life for it; he was the just one, whom they endeavour'd to turn afide from his integrity, reprefenting him as a dangerous Perfon, and an Enemy to his Country, because he told them the fatal Confequences of continuing in their Sins.

Ver. 22. Therefore thus faith the Lord who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.] Because all these Things fhall moft certainly come to pafs, the Affyrians be overcome, the Infidel Jews be deftroy'd, and the Faithful deliver'd, therefore Jacob, the Father of the Faithful, fhall not be ashamed of his Children; he speaks of the Patriarch as if he were now alive, looking with Pleasure on the happy Condition of his Pofterity, flourishing under the Protection and in the Favour of God.

Ver. 23. But when he feeth his children, the work of mine bands in the midst of him, they shall fanctify my name, and fanEtify the holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Ifrael.] Prefervation from certain Death or unavoidable Ruin is, as it were, a new Creation, therefore on this Occasion he calls the Jews the work of his hands; as if he had faid, But when he looks on his Children whom I have redeem'd out of the Hands of their Enemies, he shall fee them fanctifying my name, for they shall fanctify the holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Ifrael; that is, this Deliverance fo feafonably wrought for them fhall make a deep Impression on their Mind, they fhall praise him for his Goodness, and ftand in awe of his Power, and it fhall please the pious Patriarch to fee his Defcendants fo dutiful to their Creator.

Ver. 24. They also that erred in fpirit fhall come to underfranding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.] That is, they that were mistaken in their Opinion, thinking there was no likelihood that they should be deliver'd from fo potent an Enemy, fhall fee their Mistake, and entertain better Thoughts of the Prophet; and they that murmur'd, (as probably fome of them might when they found themfelves pinch'd with Want and expos'd to Hardships) shall be better inftructed, and find it fafeft and beft to confide in the living God.

Chapter
XXIX.

Jerem. 42.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter XXX.

From the 13th to the 18th Verfe of this Chapter I find apply'd by Mr. Whiston to the Destruction of Jerufalem by the Romans, and then I am fure all the Chapter must be understood of the fame Time, because the 13th Verse is plainly connected to the former part of the Chapter by Laken, therefore, and the 18th Verfe, (at which he begins a new Prophecy relating to the Converfion of the Jews) is as plainly connected to that part, at which he fuppofes Ifaiah to prophesy of the Deftruction of Jerufalem by the Romans; but the Romans are no way concern'd in this Prophecy, for Egypt long before that DeftruEtion of Jerufalem was part of the Roman Empire, and it is abfurd to fuppofe the Jews at that Time fhould look for Affiftance from thence, St. Jerom thinks the Prophet is to be understood of thofe Jews who, when their Brethren were carry'd into Captivity, were left behind in Judea under Gedaliah, and upon his Death, for fear of the Refentment of the Chaldeans, left their own Country and retir'd into Egypt; but this cannot be, because the Jews bere spoken of are faid to go down into Egypt without asking Direction from God, v. 2. but thofe who upon the Death of Gedaliah fought Shelter there, confulted God by the Prophet Jeremiah, who exprefly forbad it, and yet they went. Lyranus and others think the Prophet denounces Judgments against those who upon the Approach of Sennacherib's Army thought it advifeable to send to Egypt for Affiftance, and Sanctius owns there are a great many Paffages in this Chapter which will be very difficult to explain if understood of any other Time: Thefe I follow, because the mhole Chapter exactly agrees with the Circumftances of the Jews in the Reign of Hezekiah, and cannot without a great deal of Violence and Wrefting be made Senfe of any other way; in the firft Seven Verfes be pronounces Wo against those who were for fending to Egypt for Help, and defcribes the cold Reception their Ambassadors met with in the Court of Pharaoh; at the 8th God bids the Prophet draw up a Character of that rebellious People, which he does in that and the four following Verfes; at the 12th he tells them their Sins fhould be the Caufe of their Ruin, which they might have prevented had

they

they rely'd on God, and not on Man; however v. 18. he promifes to give thofe Time to retire to Jerufalem who put their Trust in him, where he would keep them fafe from Harm, and tho' he fuffer'd them to undergo fome Hardships, and be in want for a while of fome of the Neceffaries of Life, yet he would make them fufficient amends, by giving them plenty of all Things afterward, and make their Condition a great deal more happy than they could ever remember it before, the time of which he plainly points out, v. 25. In the Day of the great Slaughter, which can be understood only of the Destruction of the Allyrian Army; then he deferibes God, as it were, in the height of Paffion, coming to take Vengeance on their Enemies, and their foy at their unexpected Deliverance; and at the 31ft Verfe, as if he defign'd to prevent any Miftake as to his meaning, he tells them, thro' the voice of the Lord shall` the Affyrian be beaten down.

CHAP. XXX.

Verse 1, 2, O to the rebellious children, faith the Lord,
Wot
to recounsel, but not
that take counfel, but not of me; and that
cover with a covering, but not of my fpirit, that they may add
fin to fin: That walk to go down into Egypt, (and have not
asked at my mouth) to strengthen themselves in the ftrength of
Pharaoh, and to trust in the fhadow of Egypt.] As foon as it
was known in Judea that Sennacherib was on the March
to invade them, the Jews were divided in their Senti-
ments as to the Methods of fecuring themfelves; fome
thought it most adviseable to make a voluntary Refig-
nation of themselves and Kingdom, fince it was not in
their Power to prevent it; others thought it more pru-
dent to make a League offenfive and defenfive with
the Egyptians, Ifaiah only and a very fmall Number
were for relying on God; upon this Account he calls
them a rebellious People, because they refus'd to follow
God's Directions, and obftinately adher'd to Ways and
Courses of their own. That cover with a Covering, but
not of my Spirit; that is, that form Designs of fecu-

1

Chapter
XXX.

ring themfelves which are contrary to my Will. Qui Port-Royalt forment des Entreprizes qui ne viennent point de mon Efprit. Verfion.

This is the true meaning of the Words, which are

me

XXX. leafter.

21.

Chapter metaphorically taken from Cafters of Metal, Nam quemadmodum ad fundenda metalla opus eft follibus, ita ad opus bonum faciendum opus eft Spiritu Dei. That they may add Sin to Sin; that is, whereby they add fin to fin; they fin in feeking Aid from Egypt against the Affyrians, as they formerly finned in feeking Aid of the Affyrians against their Confederate Enemies of Ifrael and Syria in the Reign of Ahaz. That they had apply'd to the Egyptian Court may 2 Kings 18. be gather'd from the Speech of Rabfhakeh, Thou truftest upon the Staff of this bruifed Reed. And the Affyrian we find had receiv'd Intelligence of the Correfpondence between them, and the vigorous Application they made to engage them in their Quarrel. Sanctius thinks they did give them Affiftance, but I meet no Footsteps of it in the Hiftory; and if they join'd with Tirhaka the Ethiopian, in order to raise the Siege, it is probable they were vanquifh'd by Sennacherib, who returning to his Army before the City with the Spoils of their Confederates, fill'd them with Horror and Confufion.

Ver. 3, 4. Therefore fhall the strength of Pharoah be your fhame, and the truft in the fhadow of Egypt your confufion. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.] Zoan was one of the Principal Cities in Egypt, and Hanes another; and fometimes perhaps the Court was at one, and fometimes at the other, upon which ac count the Jewish Ambaffadors, chofen out of the Prime Nobility of that Nation, were oblig'd to attend the Court, and move as that mov'd.

Ver. 5. They were all afhamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a fhame, and also a reproach.] This may be connected with what goes before; yet notwithstanding all the Affiftance they can obtain at the Court of Egypt, they fhall be afham'd of a People, who, if they were willing, were never confidera ble enough to do them any Service at fuch a time. Grotius thinks that Pfammiticus was then in Alliance with Sennacherib, and would not break with fo powerful a Monarch, and fo coldly dismiss'd the Ambassadors of the Jems; Sanctius, that he did affift them, but whether he did or did not, is not very material. If he did it was to no purpose, and they had reafon to be afham'd of their in

fignificant

7

fignificant Helpers; if they did not, they might recol- Chapter lect with themfelves upon the repulfe of their Ambassa- XXX. dor, how unlikely it was that fo weak a Kingdom could affift them against fo ftrong an Enemy, and be afham'd that they made any Application to them.

Ver. 6. The burthen of the beasts of the fouth into the Land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery-flying ferpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young affes, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.] Some think a new Prophecy here commences, but St. Jerom is of another Opinion; and the words may be render'd fo as to carry on the Thread of Difcourfe, The Beafts carry Bardens to the South, through a Land of Trouble and Anguish; as if he had faid, Methinks I fee the Beasts carrying Loads of Prefents to the Egyptians through that dangerous narrow Paffage infefted with Lions and fiery-flying Serpents, and other ravenous Beafts, they carry them on the Shoulders of young Alfes, and thein Treafures upon bunches of Camels to a People, who, whatever fair words they may give them, and large Promifes, fhall not be able to profit them. He calls the Ifthmus, between the Mediterranean and Red Sea, A Land of Trouble and Anguish, because of the difficulty of paffing it, upon the account of the exceffive Heats, fcarcity of Water, and the great Number of favage Beafts that harbour there. Tho others think the Prophet means the great Wilderness wherein their Forfathers ftruggled with fo many Inconveniencies in their way to the promis'd Land.

"

Ver. 7. For the Egyptians fhall help in vain, and to no purpofe: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to fit ftill. For whatever Pretenfions of Friendship they may make, I am well affur'd that the Egyptians fhall not be able to do them any manner of Service; therefore I I tell them it is their wifeft courfe, and will prove their fureft ftrength, quietly and patiently to refign themfelves into the hands of God, to fit ftill and fee the Salvation which he will work for them.

Ver. 8. Now go, write it before them in a table, and_note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.] What he would have writ, the following Verfes

thew;

Sandius,