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that the time of their redemption is drawing nigh; as the Prophet fays, verfe 16th. " And he faw, that there was no man; and he wondered, that there was no interceffor." That there was no one among the nation, that had fo firm faith in the truth of the prophecies, as seriously to confider, the promise made to them conditionally, that they should repent, and be redeemed; and, confequently to stand in the breach, and make interceffion to the Supreme, by fasting, prayer, and a fincere repentance, for the redemption of the nation. But, when all this fhall come to pass," Then his own arm wrought falvation for him; and his righteoufnefs, it fupported him." His attribute of righteousness, will induce him thus to act towards the nation, according to the promise he had made, that he would redeem them, after they had received the full measure of the punishment due to their crimes, although they should not repent: and which fo perfectly agrees with what Mofes, and Ezekiel fay, as I have fhewn at large in the explanation of the prophetic Poem of Moses. (See, Vol. Ift. page. 59. 60. 61. 62. &c.) And, as the falvation of the nation will comprehend two things, viz. the punishment VOL II.

E

of

that is the Babylonians, who destroyed first temple: "recompenfe to his enemi which denotes the Romans, who deftr the second temple: and as for the diftant who were not at the deftruction of either firft, or fecond temples; yet, would he req them in fuch a manner, for the corrupt perverfe tenets, which they held; and t evil deeds, in the perfecution of the nati as that, "They from the weft fhall revere name of the LORD; and they from the rif of the Sun, his glory when he fhall co like a river ftraitened in its course, which mighty wind driveth along." The Proph thus compares the punishment of the enemi of the nation, to the violence of a ftorm in narrow fea, where the fury of the tempel fuddenly drives the veffel towards the fhor and it is instantly dafhed to pieces; but whic is not the cafe where there is fea room; fo then the veffel may ride out the ftorm, and efcape the danger of fhipwreck; even fo wil it be with the nations, and they will by no means be able to ward off, or efcape the com`ing calamity.

Having in this manner, defcribed the pu

*Heb. A wind of the LORD.

nishment

nishment of the nations, he proceeds to speak of the redemption of Ifrael; verse 20, " And the Redeemer fhall come to Zion; and to thofe that return from tranfgreffion in Jacob, faith the LORD." By the expreffion, And the Redeemer fhall come to Zion; the Prophet meant thofe, that through all their fufferings and perfecutions, made open profeffion of their faith, and were always known by the name of Jews: and by thofe that return from tranfgreffion; he meant fuch as had apoftatized, through fear of perfecution, but fecretly in their hearts, adhered to the truth: for thefe, are really the tranfgreffors in Jacob *; but who will nevertheless, be gather

ed

Not as Bishop Lowth has tranflated it, "And shall tura away iniquity from Jacob, " by miferably mangling and 'torturing the text, to make it read as St. Paul cites it in Romans 11. 26. This, may properly be termed the accommodating system; and which has been carried to a great length by Christian Writers, as I fhall fhew at large in a future publication, already noticed in this work; I fhall therefore, only obferve at prefent, that another Christian, also translates it thus: (See a New Translation of Isaiah by a Layman) and who goes farther than the Bishop, by reading from Zion, instead of to Zion; and feems furprised that the Bishop did not fee the ne ceffity of correcting the first part of the verfe, as well as the end of it, fo that it might be more conformable to the Apostle's

citation;

ed to the nation at the time of the rede tion, as mentioned Volume Ift. page

&c.

The Prophet then proceeds to inforn that, the covenant which God had made v them, and the prophecies delivered by Prophet, should never depart from them as to become null and void; but fhall fu be accomplished, verfe, 21, "As for me, t is my covenant with them faith the LOR my fpirit, which is upon thee, and

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citation; but if these learned Criticks had been thoroughly quainted with the idiom of the language, and acted fairly a honestly, they would not have seen any neceffity for corre ing either the one part, or the other, any more than t Tranflators of the common reading did: for they have ve properly expreffed the fense of the Hebrew, " And unto the that turn from tranfgreffion in Jacob. " And to which, Euf bius agrees; although, it is to be fuppofed, that if the text ha been corrupted, he had far better means of discovering i than the prefent tranflators. Note, The Lay Tranflator, ha made another pretty alteration, (all in the accommodatin ftyle) in verfe 21. where he reads, "when I fhall take awa their fins"; but which is not to be found in the Hebrew This he acknowledges in his Note on the place; I fhall giv it in his own words without any comment, and leave it to the candid reader, to form what opinion he pleases on the subject. "These words feem to be lost from the Heb. and Lxx. They are in Rom. 11. 27. joined with the former part of this verse, And ftand there as a part of the citation".

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words, which I have put in thy mouth; they shall not depart from thy mouth, nor from the mouth of thy feed, nor from the mouth of thy feed's feed, faith the LORD; from henceforth for ever. ". Thus are we affured that the Law of Mofes, which is the covenant God made with the nation, as also the prophecies delivered by the mouth of the Prophets, shall never depart from the nation, but remain as an everlasting witness of their future restoration; and, as this was an absolute promise, without any condition annexed to it; he immediately begins to publish the good tidings of the flourishing state of the nation, as the confequence of that glorious promise, Chapter Lxth, verfe ift. "Arife, be thou enlightened; for thy light is come; And the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee." The first part of this verfe, denotes the redemption and falvation of the nation; and the latter part, the return of the divine prefence among them, as aforetime in the temple, &c.

In verfe 2d, he compares the calamity and affliction of the nations, to darknels; and the falvation of Ifrael, to the glory of the LORD, that will then abide among them; and men.