Exposition of the Whole Bible

r See gilt chapter contains a'vifion of the glory and majefty of Chrift, the miffion and commiffion of the prophet, and the deftruction of the Fews, In the vifion may be obferved the time of it, and the object féen; who is defcribed by the throne on which*he fat, ¥: 1. and by his minifters about him; and thefe, by their name, by their fituation, by their wings and the ufe of them, and by their employment, y. 2, 3. and by the effects their crying to one’ another had upon the place where they were, y. 4. and next follows the effect the whole vifion had on the prophet, which threw him into great diftrefs of mind; and the relief he had by one of the feraphim, and the manner of it, y. 6, 7. upon which a queftion being put, concerning fending fome perfon, the prophet makes anfwer, exprefling his readinefs to go, ¥. 8. when a commiffion is given him, and the’ meffage he is fent with is declaréd, ¥. 9, 10. whereupon he afks how long it would be the cafe of the ews mentioned in the meffage he’ was fent with; and he is told, it would continue until the utter deftruction of them, ¥. 11, 12. and yet,’ for’ the comfort of him and other faints it is intimated, that there would be a remnant among them, according to the election of grace, ¥. 13.

¥. 1. In the year that king Uzziah died, &c.] Which was the 52d of his reign, and in the year 3246 from the creation of the world; and, according to Ferom', was the year in which Romulus, the founder of the Roman empire, was born: fome underftand this not of his proper death, but of his being ftricken with leprofy, upon his attempt to burn incenfe in the temple; upon which he was fhut up in a feparate houfe, which was a kind of © a civil death: fo the Iargum, “* in the year in ‘© which king Uzziah was {mitten;” that is, with leprofy; and {fo archi and others interpret it, from the ancient writers; but the firft fenfe is the beft. Some, as Aben Ezra, would have this to be the beginning of the prophecy of Jaiah, becaufe of the miffion of the prophet in it; but others rightly’ obferve, that this.miffion refpects not the prophecy in general, but the particular reproof the prophet was fent to give to the Fews herein mentioned. The title of this chapter, in the radic verfion, is remarkable; according to which, this chapter contains the vifion which J/aiab, the fon of Amos, faw three years (or as others affirm) thirty years after prophecy was taken from him. He had prophefied about ten years before this, in the reign of Uzziah, and only this vifion was in the reign of

32. Fotham, the next prophecy was delivered out in the reign of Abaz, ch. vii. 1. and others in the time OF Hezekiah; and the date of this vifion is only mentioned, to obferve the order of the vifions, agreeable to ch, i. 1. and moreover 1t may be obferved from hence, that kings muft die as well as others; but the King of Kings ever lives, he is the living God, and the everlafting King, as follows: I faw alfo the Lord fitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; not God effentially confidered,. whofe eflence is not to be feen; but perfonally, Father, Son, and Spirit, for all the three perfons appear in this vifion, y. 3, 8. particularly Chrift, as is clear from Fobn xii. 41. who is the Adonai or Lord; he is Lord of all, of all men, even of the greateft among them, and of all the angels in heaven, and of the church of God, by his Father’s gift, by his own purchafe, in right of marriage, and thro’ the conquett of his grace. This fight was not corporal, but with the eyes of the underftanding, in the vifion of prophecy; and to have a fight of Chrift as the ‘Lord, and efpecially as our Lord, is very delightful and comfortable; for tho’ he is a fovereign Lord, he is*no tyrannical one, is very powerful to protect and defend, and has all fullnefs for fupply; and particularly as fitting upon a throne as a king, for he having done his work as a prieft, fits down on his throne as a king; and a lovely fight it is to fee him inthroned at the right-hand of the majefty on high; and therefore is faid to be high and lifted up; for this is to be underftood not of his throne, as if that was high and lifted up in the higheft heavens, as the Zargum paraphrafes it; but of himfelf, who is high and exalted above all creatures, as Aben Ezra obferves; and this fenfe the accents determine for: the vifion refers to the exaltation of Chrift, after his humiliation here on earth; and to behold him crowned with glory and honour is very delightful, fince he is exalted as our head and reprefentative in our nature, and acts for us in this his exalted ftate; and we may be affured of being exalted alfo. It follows, and his train filled the temple, either the material temple vifionally feen, where his feet were, and his throne in heaven, as archi interprets it; or heaven, as Kimchi, which is the Lord’s holy temple, where his throne is, Pf xi. 4. or rather the human nature of Chrift, the temple where the fullnefs of the Godhead dwells bodily, and which the train of divine perfections fill; tho’ it may be beft of all to underftand it of the church, the temple of the living God; and his train may denote the effects of Chrift’s kingly and prieftly offices, with which the church was filled upon his exaltation; as the gifts and graces of his Spirit in an extraordinary manner on the day of Pentecoff, and fince in a more ordinary way; whereby men have been made minifters of the New Teftament, and churches filled with them, and thefe made ufeful in filling the churches with members, The Targum is, ‘‘ and “* the temple was filled with the {plendor of his “© glory;” the ¢rain is the fkirts, borders, or lower parts of the garments, in allufion to thofe of a king, or rather of the high-prieft, a type of Chrift.

¥.2. Above it flood the feraphim, &c.| Not above the temple, nor above the throne, much lefs above him that fat upon it, but either dy him, on the right-hand and on the left, as dben Ezra; or near him, as Kimchi and Ben Melech, or before him, as the Targum; or round about him, as the Septuagint, all which denote the miniftering form in which

they ftood; by whom are meant, not the Son and Spirit, as fome of the ancients thought, who ima- ined the Father to be the perfon fitting on the throne; nor the two Teftaments, as Yerom; nor angels, which is the common interpretation; but minifters of the gofpel, the fame with the four _ beafts in Rev. iv. 6. and the four living creatures in Ezek. i. 5. the Fewifh commentators in agree, that thefe are the fame with Ezekiel’s livi creatures; fo farchi, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi; a the firft of thefe cites the Midrajb Agada, as faying this is the Mercavab, which is the name they give to Exekiel’s vifion of the living creatures and wheels; and this appears by their name /eraphim, which fignifies burning, and fo Ezekiel’s living creatures are faid to be Lke burning coals of fire, ch. i. 13. and the minifters of the gofpel are fo called, becaufe of their minifterial gifts, compared to fire, as the gifts of the Spirit of God are, efpecially thofe which the apoftles had beftowed on them, who were baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, Adaét, iii, 11. Asi. 5. and ii. 3. and even the ordinary gifts of the Spirit are fignified by the fame figure, 1 Tim, i. 6. 1 Thef. v. 19. and becaufe of their light, which they have.in the truths of the gofpel A and becaufe of their fervent and ardent love to Chrift and immortal fouls; and becaufe of their flaming zeal for his caufe and intereft: and this alfo appears, by their fituation near the throne, fee Ezek. i. 26. Rev. iv. 6. and Chrift on it; where they ftand as fervants waiting upon him, and in order to receive from him, and where they enjoy communion with him; or above it, may mean the temple, the church, where they ftand in the higheft place in it, and are over others in the Lord; the {tand as fervants to Chrift, but prefide in the tues as the rulers and governors of it; to which agrees the Zargum, “‘ holy minifters on high before him:” and this further appears by their wings, each one had Jix wings, as Ezekiel’s living creatures, Ezek. i. 4, 11, 23. and Fobn’s four beafts, Rev. iv. 8: with twain he covered his face; that it might not be feen, as the Targum adds; expreffive of their modefty and humility, looking upon themfelves as lefs than the leaft of all the faints, and the chief of finners, and as afhamed of themfelves before the Lord; or that they might not look upon the divine majefty, as Yarchi, or rather as being unable to look upon the dazzling glory, and infinite perfeétions of his being; fo £/jah wrapt his face in a mantle, when he heard the ftill fmall voice of the Lord,

Exod. iii. 6. being afraid to look upon God, con- {cious of creature-diftance, and of finfulnefS and unworthinefs; and therefore not fo fuitable to angels, who always behold the face of God, Matt. xviii. 10: with twain he covered bis feet; or body, that it might not be feen, as the Targum; as con- {cious of the imperfection of their conduét, walk,. and converfation, as minifters and chriftians, in the fight of God, however beautiful their feet may pear to others, J lit. 7: and with twain be aid fie; or minifter, as the Targum; this denotes their readinefs and fwiftnefs in preaching the everlafting gofpel, running to and bo with it, having their feet fhod with the preparation of the gofpel of peace; fee Rev. xiv. 6. Epb. vi. 15. ayy pe ERS notes the publicknefs of their miniftry, and their harmony and unity in it; they anfwered to one another, and agreed in what they faid; their preaching was not yea and nay, 2 Cor.i. 19: and faid, the fubject-matter of the gofpel-miniftry, refpecting the holinefs of God; all the doctrines of the goipel are pure and holy, and have a tendency to promote holinefs of heart and life, and are agreeable to the holinefs of God, and in them the holinefs of God in each of the divine perfons is declared; particularly the gofpel-miniftry affirms, that there is one God, who is the Lord of hofts, of armies above and below, of angels and men; that there are three perfons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Spirit, and that each of thefe three, are glorious in holinefs; there’s the Holy Father, and the Holy Son, and the Holy Ghoft, and the holinefs of them is difplayed in the feveral doétrines of grace: the holinefs of the Father appears in the choice of perfons to eternal life, thro’ fanctification of the Spirit; in the covenant of grace, which provides for the holinefs of covenant-ones; and in the juftification of his people thro’ Chrift, and redemption by him, whereby the honour of his juftice and holinefs is fecured: the holinefs of the Son appears in his incarnation and life; in redemption from fin by him, and in fatisfying for it, and juftifying from it: and the holinefs of the Spirit is feen in the doétrines of regeneration and fanctification, afcribed unto him. The whole earth is full of bis glory, as it was when Chrift dwelt in it, wrought his miracles, and manifefted forth his glory, and when his gofpel was preached every where by his apofties; and as it will be, more efpecially in the latter day, when it will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord; when the kingdoms of this world will become his, and his kingdom will be every where, even from fea to fea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth; and this is what gofpel-minifters declare will be: or the fulnefs of the whole earth is his glory™s the earth is his, and all that is in it, and all declare his glory; fee Rev. iv. 8.

¥. 4. And the pofts of the door moved at the voice’

of him that cried, &c.| That is, the pofts of the door of the temple, as the Targum adds, where this vifion was feen, as reprefented to the prophet.

Some think this refpects the earthquake in Uzziah’s time, mentioned in Zech, xiv. 5. Amos i. 1. and which they fuppofe was at the time he attempted to offer incenfe, and was {mitten with leprofy; but, as Kimchi obferves, this moving of the doorpofts was only in the vifion of prophecy, and not in reality; this fhaking therefore may denote ei-' ther the fhaking and removing of the templefervice and worfhip, at the death of Chrift, and thro’ the preaching of the gofpel; or rather the fhaking of the confciences of men by the word, which made them cry out, what fhall we do to!

be faved?. And the houfe was filled with fmoke; this was a token either of the burning of the temple, or of the anger of God againit the Jews, Pf. xviii. 8. or of their fuperftition, and will-worfhip the caufe of it, Rev. ix. 1. or of the judicial blindnefs and darknefs they were given’ up unto, ¥. 9, 10. or rather of the prefence of God in: his church, and with his minifters, Exod. xl. 3, 4. 1 Kings viii. 10. the allufion may be to the cloud of incenfe that covered the mercy-feat, on the day of atonement, Lev. xvi. 13. the paflage is cited on this accountin the Zalmud*, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hn $3 this expreffes

¥. 5. Then faid I, Wo is me, &c.| There’s no woe to a good man, all woes are to the wicked; but a good man may think himfelf wretched and miferable, partly on account of his own corruptions, the body of fin and death he carries about with him; and partly on account of wicked men, among whom he dwells, Rom. vii. 24. Pf. exx. 5: for I am undone 5 a good man can’t be undone, or be loft and perifh; he is loft in Adam with the reft; in effectual vocation he is made fenfible of his loft and undone ftate; and under the power of unbelief may write bitter things again{t himfelfy but he can never perith, or be loft and undone for ever. The Targum is, ‘* for I haye finned;” and his particular fin is after mentioned: fome~ render. it, for I have been filent; as if he had not performed the duty of his office, in reproving for fin, or declarin the will of God: others °, for I am reduced to i lence, | am forced to be filent; he could not join with the /eraphim, being confcious to himfelf of his vilenefs, and of his unworthinefs to take the holy name of God into his polluted lips, as follows: becaufe Tam a man of unclean lips, he fays nothing of the uncleannefs of his heart, nor of his actions, not that he was free from fuch impurity; but only of his lips, becaufe it was the fin of his office that lay upon his mind, and gave him prefent uneafineis; there’s no man but offends in words, and of all men perfons in public.office fhould be careful of what they fay; godly minifters are confcious of many failings in their miniftry. The Targum is, ‘* becauie I am a finful man to reprove;” and fo unfit for it. And I dwell in the midft of a people of unclean lips, fauch were the Yews, not only in J aiab’s time, but in the times of Chrift and his apoftles, who traduced him, as if he was a wicked perfon, calumniated his miracles,. faid he was a Samaritan, and had a devil; they taught for doétrines the commandments of men, and contradicted and blafphemed the truths of the gofpel; and to liye among men of a filthy fpeech and converfation, is a concern to a good man; he is vexed and di- {treffed hereby; he is in danger of learning their words, and of fuffering with them in a common calamity. For mine eyes have feen the King, the Lord of Hofts; the fame divine and glorious perfon defcribed in y. 1. who is no other than the Lord Chrift, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, King of faints, and Lord of the armies,. in heaven and in earth; and a lovely fight. it is’ to fee him. by faith, in the glory and beauty of his perfon, and inthe fulnefs of his grace; fuch a fight is fpiritual, faving, affimilating, appropriating, very endearing, and very glorious and delightful: wherefore it may feem ftrange, that a fight of Chrift fhould fill the prophet with dread; one would: think he fhould rather have faid, happy man that I am, becaufe I have feen this glorious perfon,: whom to fee and know is life eternal; but the reafon of it is, becaufe in this view of Chrift, he faw the imurity of himfelf, and was out of conceit with himelf, and therefore cries out in the manner he doess juft as ina fun-beam a man beholds thofe innumerable, motes and atoms, which before were ‘invifible.to him, It was not becaufe of his fight of Chrift he. reckoned himfelf undone; but becaufe of the impurity of himfelf, and thofe among whom he dwelt, which he had.a yiew of through his fight of Chrift: his fight of Chrift is given as a reafon of ‘his view of his impurity, and his impurity as the reafon of his being undone in his apprehenfion ‘of things. The prophet, in thefe his circumftances, reprefents a fenfible finner, under a fight and fenfe of his finfulnefs and vilenefs; as the feraph in the ‘following verfes reprefents a gofpel-minifter bringing the good news of pardon, by the blood and facrifice of Chrift.

y. 6. Then flew one of the feraphim unto me, &c.] When the prophet had confeffed his fin; for upon that follows the application of pardon, and when the feraph, or minifter of the gofpel had an order from the Lord to publifh the doctrine of it: it is God’s act alone to forgive fin; it is the work of his minifters to preach forgivenefs of fin, and that to fenfible finners; who, when they are made fenfible of fin, ‘and diftreffed with it, the Lord takes notice of them, and fends meffengers to them, to comfort them, by acquainting them that their iniquity is forgiven; who go on fuch an errand chearfully and fwiftly; and tho’ they don’t know the particular perfon, yet the Lord directs their miniftration to him, and makes it effectual. Having a live coal in his band, by which is meant the word of God, comparable to fire, and to a burning coal of fire, Yer. xxiil. 29. for the light and heat which it gives both to faints and finners, and for its purity and purifying nature: which be had taken with the tongs from off the altar; of burntoffering, where the fire was always burning; which was a type of Chrift, and his facrifice; and this fhews what particular doétrine of the word it was the feraph or gofpel-minifter took, and delivered in this vifionary way; it was the doctrine of pardon, founded upon the facrifice and fatisfaction of Chrift. To this fenfe of the words the Targum agrees, which paraphrafes them thus, ‘‘ and there flew to me one “© of the minifters, and in his mouth a word which “© he received from his Shekinah, upon the throne “* of glory, in the higheft heavens, above the al- Ps iia oh Sager Ta gy

¥. 7. And be laid it upon my mouth, &c.| Becaufe' he had complained of the impurity of his lips, and that his mouth’ might take in by faith this comfortable doctrine of pardon, and it might be filled with praife and thankfulnefs; it denotes the mini- {tration ‘of the gofpel, as a means of the application of pardoning grace: and faid, lo, this hath touched thy lips; this coal, as a fymbol of the word; the particle /o, or bebold, is prefixed to this declaration, as requiring attention to a matter of importance, | and as expreffing fomething wonderful, and declaring fomething fure and certain; all which the pardon of fin is, and which is fpoken of without a figure in the next words: and thine iniquity is taken ' away; which was abominable in his fight; a burden to him, and the caufe of his diftrefs; even all his iniquity, and particularly the iniquity of his lips he-had been mourning over, and conféffing; this was taken away, as by the facrifice of Chritt, from ‘the fight of God, fo from his own confcience, by the application of pardon: and thy fin purged; or atoned for, or covered? which is done. meritorioufly, only by the blood and facrifice of Chrift; and in a way of application’ by the {pirit of God, thro’ a promife, and by the miniftry of the word; which latter is here meant. -The Targum is, ‘ and ** he«difpofed it in my mouth; and faid, lo, I ** have put the words of my prophecy in thy