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the houfe of David, this is a fign that that houfe fhall not 16 fall. For before the child, that is, this child that is now in my hand, Shearjaskub my son, v. 3, fhall know to refufe the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorret, the land that thou carest for with great concern, the land of Judah, of which they have now got poffeffion, fhall be forfaken of both her kings; the king of Syria and the king of Ifrael, fhall both be deftroyed by the king of Affyria, and the two hundred thousand captives they have taken fhall be restored by the influence of God upon their minds; according to the meaning of the name of the pro29, 30. xvi.

phet's fon. See 2 Kill fend a more terrible enemy upon

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them, because Ahaz will not trust God but feek help from 17 Affyria: The LORD fhall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's houfe, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; [even] the king of Affyria, to whom you 18 have fought for help. And it fhall come to pafs in that day, [that] the LORD fhall hifs for the fly that [is] in the uttermoft part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that [is] in the land of Affyria; the multitude of their enemies fhall be like fwarms of flies or bees, from which 19 no rank, and no place fhall be fecure." And they fhall come, and fhall reft all of them in the defolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bufhes; overspread and make havock of the whole 20 country. In the fame day fhall the LORD fhave with a rafor, th is hired, the Affyrians, whom thou hast hired to defend thee, [namely,] by them beyond the river Euphrates, by the king of Affyria, the head, and the hair of the feet and it fhall alfo confume the beard; he 21 fhall make a great and general deftruction. And it shall come to pafs in that day, [that] a man fhall nourish a young cow, and two fheep, fo few cattle fhall be left; 22 And it fhall come to pafs, for the abundance of milk [that] they fhall give, by reason of their having fo much room to feed, on account of the country being depopulated,

that

The Affyrians had conquered Egypt before this, and had many Egyptians in their army.

that he shall eat butter: for butter and honey fhall every one eat that is left in the land; they shall have no flesh to eat, neither corn, wine, nor oil, the produce of cultivation, 23 but only milk and honey, the gifts of nature. And it fhall come to pass in that day, [that] every place fhall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand filverlings, or Shekels,

at is, so much a year, it fhall [even]

thither,

be for briers and thorns; it shall be wasted, and over-run 24 with briers and thorns. With arrows and with bows fhall [men] come to destroy wild beasts or hunt for food; because all the land fhall become briers and 25 thorns. And [on] all hills that fhall be digged with the mattock, that is, the choiceft grounds that were used to be tilled, and where the vineyards used to be planted, there fhall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it fhall be for the fending forth of oxen, and for the treading of leffer cattle; there fhall be no hedge to defend them, but the cattle fhall graze upon them, that is, there fhall be a general defolation of all the country.

1.

W

REFLECTION S.

E are here shown the neceffity and advantage of faith in God in troublefome and dangerous times. It is our duty to take heed, to be quiet, to rule our fpirits, to command our paffions, and have faith in God; that is, to maintain a firm belief of his over-ruling. providence, and guard against that fear which hath torment. His words are true, his declarations are faithful; he knows how to deliver from the most formidable enemies; let us therefore commit our way to the Lord, trust also in him; and thus fhall we dwell fafely, and be quiet from the fear of evil.

2. Let us blefs God that this fign is come to pass, and that this glorious prophecy of Chrift is fulfilled! He was born of the Virgin Mary; his name was called Immanuel. God is with us, dwelling in human nature, and at peace with us. We fhould thankfully receive him as the Meffiah, who is to reign over the houfe of David, and whofe kingdom is everlasting. We fhould diligently feek an intereft

in him, and all leffer deliverances fhould lead our thoughts ot this great deliverer, who is God's falvation to the ends of the earth.

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3. Tho' God may not entirely caft off his people, yet he may fee it needful to correct them. Tho' Judah fhould be delivered from the defigns of Syria and Ifrael, yet they should be punished by the king of Affyria; tho' the house of David fhould not totally be ruined, yet great calamities fhould come upon the land. God often deals thus with his people. Tho' he does not quite forfake them, or give them up to ruin, yet he vifits their iniquity with a rod, and their tranfgreffion with ftripes. We fhould therefore maintain a holy caution and fear of fin, and glorify God by a faithful obedience to all his commands.

CHAP. VIII.

This and feveral following chapters are prophecies of the troubles of Judah by the Affyrians; intermingled with prophecies of the Meffiah, for the encouragement of the believing jews.

OREOVER the LORD faid unto me, Take thee

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a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen, in the common way of writing, and in a plain, legible manner, for the ufe of all, concerning Maher-fhalal-hafh-baz, 2 the name of his child. And I took unto me faithful witneffes to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the fon of Jeberechiah, to be witnesses that I now delivered 3 and recorded thefe prophecies. And I went unto the prophetess my wife; and the conceived, and bare a fon. Then faid the LORD to me, Call his name Maherfhalal-hash-baz, which fignifies, make speed to the spoil, haften to the prey. For before the child fhall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, that is, before the child fhall be able to speak plain enough to say father and mother, the first thing that children commonly learn, the riches of Damafcus and the fpoil of Samaria fhall be taken away before, or by, the king of Affyria,

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15

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and the wealth thereof fent into his own country; (which 5 accordingly came to pass, 2 Kings xvi. 9. xv. 29.) The 6 LORD fpake alfo unto me again, faying, Forafmuch as this people refufeth the waters of Shiloah, a little brook that ran thro' Ferufalem, that go foftly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's fon; are many of them uneafy at Hezekiah's reformation, and wifh well to the confederates; 7 Now therefore, behold, the LORD bringeth up upon them the waters of the river Euphrates, ftrong and many; a great power, as much fuperior to their's as Euphrates was fuperior to Shiloah; [even] the king of Affyria, and all his glory: and he hall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks; not keep within his own bounds, but invade and over-run the whole land of Ifrael, as an overflowing river does the neighbouring 8 meadows: And he fhall pass through Judah; he fhall. overflow and go over, he fhall reach [even] to the neck, to Jerufalem; fo that the kingdom shall be like a man up to his neck in water and in danger of drowning; and the ftretching out of his wings, his spreading army, fhall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel; a plain intimation that Judah fhould not be quite for faken, fince it was Chrift's land; he was to be born, to live, and to die there.

ye

Affociate yourselves, O ye people of Syria and Ifrael, and ye fhall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries, ye Affyrians; gird yourselves, and fhall be broken in pieces; gird yourfelves, and ye fhall To be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it fhall come to nought; fpeak the word, and it fhall not ftand; however confident of fuccefs, all is in vain; for God [is] with us, or, it is Immanuel's land.

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For the LORD fpake thus to me with a strong hand, by an extraordinary impulfe he infufed courage into me, and inftructed me that I should not walk in the way of this 12 people, faying, Say ye not, A confederacy, to all [them to] whom this people fhall fay, A confederacy; tho' this is the popular cry, and every one is afraid of it, 13 yet neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself, and [let] him [be] your

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fear, and [let] him [be] your dread; give him glory for 4 his power and providence. And he fhall be for a fanctuary, that is, a place of defence; or He, according to fome, refers to Immanuel, fpoken of before; he shall be a fanctuary to all believers, especially among the gentiles; but for a ftone of ftumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houfes of Ifrael, that is, both Benjamin and Judah, who would not believe, for a gin and for a fnare to the inha15 bitants of Jerufalem. And many among them fhall ftumble, and fall, and be broken, and be fnared, and be taken; their fin fhall be aggravated, and their punishment increafed, by what Chrift fhall do; and he will give 16 them up to a spirit of blindness and error. Bind up the teftimony, feal the law among my difciples. These are the words of Chrift; as if he had faid, Let the meaning of thefe prophecies be in righteous judgment concealed from the wicked jews, but let my difciples receive them, that is, understand and believe them: the accomplishment will explain them, be an evidence of God's truth, and a juftification of 17 those who depend upon him. And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. This, fome think, is the language of the prophet; as if he had faid, I will firmly expect this happy event, tho' I see no present marks of the divine favour to Ifrael: but it is rather, the language of Chrift; I will 18 wait for him to manifeft his favour to the gentiles. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me [are] for figns and for wonders in Ifrael from the LORD of hofts, which dwelleth in mount Zion; which may mean, that the children of the prophet were types and figures of great things; or rather, that the gentiles, Chrift's fpiritual Jeed, the children of Abraham by faith, should be wondered at for believing thefe promifes, and trusting in the Meffiah. 19 And when they fhall fay unto you, Seek unto them" that have familiar fpirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: the pious Ifraelites fhall anfwer, fhould not a people feek unto their God? for the living to the dead? Should they feek for living men to dead idols? 20 how abfurd and stupid were this! To the law and to the teftimony, keep close to them: if they speak not accord

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