Imatges de pàgina
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knewest not, thou fhalt call; and the nation 'who knew not thee, fhall run unto thee, for the fake of the LORD thy God; and for the Holy One of Ifrael, for he hath glorified thee." That even the nations whom Ifrael never knew, as alfo thofe who never knew Ifrael, thall all run to them to be inftructed in the true word of God, when Ifrael fhall be glorified, for their steady faith in the glori ous promises of God; and which will all then be fully accomplished. When therefore, the nations will hear of all this, they will all run to Ifrael to feek their God, and the Holy One of Ifrael, whose word and promise is eternal truth.

The Prophet now proceeds to explain the parabolic language he made ufe of above, when he said, Ho! every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters! And that hath no filver, come ye buy, and eat, &c. &c. by telling them what he meant by coming to the waters, viz, that they fhould feek the LORD, as in verfe 6th," Seek ye the LORD, while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near at hand." He farther explains, what he meant by the expreffion, "Wherefore do ye weigh out your filver for that which is no

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bread"? For that falfe philofophy, which leads men to scepticism, and to doubt the truth of divine revelation; and which he juftly calls the unrighteous man's thoughts; as in verfe 7th. "Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the LORD, for he will receive him with compaffion; and unto our God, for he aboundeth in forgiveness. Here I may say, the Prophet has not only given us an exact description of that false philofophy taught by the Heathens, but also an highly finished one of the modern philofophers; fuch as Bolingbroke, Hume, Voltaire, Hobbs &c. who denied Providence, and laughed at Revelation. These are the ways of the wicked, and the thoughts of the unrighteous; who by the pernicious tenets, which they inculcated in their writings, have been the ruin of many; for ignorant youth being deceived by their sophistry, fancy themselves to be philofophers, as foon as they become unbelievers. But, Alas! the knowledge of these philofophers, is as much beneath that of true philosophy, as all speculative knowledge is beneath the ftudy of the word of God; as the Prophet forcibly observes verfe 8th.

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8th. "For my thoughts are thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways, faith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth; fo are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." By this comparison, the Prophet meant not only to point out the great inferiority of the one to the other, as is the immenfe distance of heaven from the earth; but also to shew that, the thoughts of man in all his pursuits of philofophy, together with all his experiments and refearches, are all confined to the earth; i. e. to matter: but the word of God raifes us up to heavenly thoughts, to those that are spiritual. Hence the preeminence of the latter over the former, is clear to demonstration.

The Prophet then proceeds to fhew that the word of God, is as effective and beneficial to those who study it, as the rain that cometh down from heaven; verfe 10. II. "For like as the rain defcendeth, and the fnow from the heavens; and thither it doth not return; but moifteneth the earth, and maketh it generate, and fpring forth; that it may give feed to the fower, and bread to the eater fo fhall be the word, that goethi

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forth from my mouth; it shall not return unto me fruitlefs; but it fhall effect what I have willed; and make the purpose fucceed, for which I have fent it." And this, will all be effected, when the nation fhall joyfully return to the holy land, from their captivity among the nations, as is plain from the words of the Prophet, who, by images highly poetical, expreffes the happy ftate, attended with joy and exultation, which they are then to enjoy, verse 12. " Surely with joy fhall ye go forth, and with peace fhall ye be

led onward: the mountains and the hills shall burst forth before you into fong: and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Then alfo fhall those who have entertained erroneous principles, become perfect in faith; and thofe that were wicked, shall become righteous, verfe 13. "Inftead of the thorny bushes fhall grow up the fir-tree; and instead of the bramble shall grow up the myrtle; and it shall be for a memorial to the LORD; for an everlasting fign, which shall not be abolished. "The entire fubmiffion of all nations to the faith and worship of the One true God, will be for his honour and glory, and an everlafting fign of his mighty power;

power; and which fign will never be abolished: because, after the appearance of the Meffiah, and the restoration of the nation, there will never be any falling off from the true worship of God. Hence, it is manifeft that this prophecy, with all the great and glorious promises that it contains, describing the happy and exalted state of the nation, both temporal and fpiritual, after their restoration by the Meffiah, hath never yet been fulfilled; not at their return from Babylon; and much lefs in the time of Jefus ; and which is a demonstration that he could not be the Meffiah for the LORD hath fworn to the accomplishment of these promises, (See chap. liv. 9.) and declares that his words shall not return fruitless; (chap. lv. 11.) confequently, they remain to be fulfilled at the restoration of the nation, by the true Messiah.

The eleventh prophecy, commences chapter the lxth. verfe ift. and is continued to the end of the 9th verfe of chapter lxi.

Before we proceed, it will be necessary to premife, that this prophecy may be confidered as commencing chapter lixth. verfe ft. "Behold the hand of the LORD is not con

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