" and a Saviour, there is none befide me." He exprefsly commands the Jews to bring these nations near to him, who were hitherto alienated from him. He directs as to the manner, they must be brought near, by perfuafion, "let "them take counsel together;" they are to be perfuaded, by urging on their confciences, the completion of the prophecy concerning the converfion and reftoration of the Jews, predicted fo long before; affording fufficient evidence to the rational mind, that JEHOVAH is the only true God, and the only Saviour of those who truft in him. "Look unto me, and "be ye faved, all the ends of the earth; for I "am God, and there is none elfe." He iffues a proclamation in his own name by way of direction to them to make a free offer of the Saviour, to all people without exception; and a promise of eternal falvation to those who look to him with the eye of faith; to remind them at the fame time that "there is no falvation "in any other," By way of encouragement to the Jews, to execute this commiffion faithfully and zealously, he intimates the fuccefs of it:

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fignify

I have fworn by myself, the word is gone out. It is my mouth in righteoufnefs, and fhall not famous, that unto me every knee shall bow, haps the tongue fhall fwear. Surely shall one exiled pen the Lord have I righteousness and "ftrength:

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ftrength: even to him fhall men come, and "all that are incenfed against him shall be "afhamed." He declares by a folemn oath, that every knee shall bow to his fovereignty, and every tongue confefs the juftice of his claim.

That multitudes fhall lay hold of the mercy offered, and cheerfully adore him as their Saviour; while thofe who obftinately reject him, fhall reluctantly bow the knee, to offer unavail. ing fupplications, and proclaim his juftice, by their fhrieks of woe, when he fitteth on the throne of his glory, and fhall call all nations before him'.

This is afferted in plain terms, Ifa. ii. 2, 3. "And it fhall come to pafs in the laft days, "that the mountain of the Lord's houfe fhall "be established in the top of the mountains,"and all nations fhall flow unto it ;-for out of "Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of "the Lord from Jerufalem." It is implied in the figurative description of the progress of the gospel in the latter days, which frequently occurs in the prophets. The gofpel, carrying divine grace to all nations, is represented by a river entering into the fea; but this river iffues from the fanctuary at Jerufalem; that is, the gofpel proceeds from, and is propagated by the Jewish

(1) Compare Phil. ii. 20, with Rom. xiv. 11.

Jewish church. "And the waters came down "from under the right fide of the house ;-then "faid he unto me, Thefe waters iffue out toward "the east country, and go down into the defart, "and go into the fea :" Ezek, xlyii. 1.—8, "And a fountain fhall come forth of the house "of the Lord, and fhall water the valley of "Shittim," Joel iii. 18. "And it fhall be in "that day, that living waters fhall go out from "Jerufalem: half of them toward the former "fea, and half of them toward the hinder fea; "in fummer and in winter shall it be," Zech. xiv. 8.

A narration of the fame event, is laid before us, Ifa. lxvi. 19. "And I will fet a fign among "them (the Gentiles), and I will fend those that "escape of them (the Jews) unto the nations, "to Tarfhifh, Pul, and Lud, that draw the "bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the ifles afar "off, that have not heard my fame, neither "have seen my glory; and they fhall declare

my glory among the Gentiles." These places to which the Jewish miffionaries are fent, lie in all directions, eaft, weft, fouth, and north from Judea. Tarfhish, as the name of a place on the eaftern ocean, is moft probably here a general term for the eastern nations; Pul and Lud reprefent the inhabitants of the continent of

Africa,

frica, for Lud is commonly tranflated Lybians; Tubal and Javan lie to the north, the former being commonly reckoned the Scythians or Tartars, the latter the Grecians; the Ifles afar off, ufually denote the western regions of the world'. The excellent fpirit and great fuccess of the Jewish missionaries, in propagating the gospel, is represented by a fignificant metaphor, Micah v. 7. "And the remnant of Jacob fhall be in "the midst of many people, as a dew from the "Lord, as the showers upon the grafs, that tar"rieth not for man, nor waiteth for the fons of

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men." As the dew defcends in abundancewithout noise-in its feafon, not regarding the defires or averfions of men-to make the earth fruitful in those productions that are neceffary

for

(1) When we compare this verfe, with that immediately following, " And they (the Gentiles) fhall bring 66 your brethren for an offering unto the Lord," &c. we fee that the two events last mentioned, are accomplishing at the fame time. The Jews fend miffionaries to all the nations from Judea, and the nations fend back to Judea fuch of the Jews as are difperfed among them, and have ' not yet joined their brethren: The providence of God feems to have appointed this twofold communication, betwixt the Jews and Gentiles, in the latter days, that the great arguments for revealed religion arifing from the completion of prophecy, may be more extenfively known, and more deeply impreffed on the hearts of mankind, for their eternal falvation.

for the life and happiness of man; fo the Jews directed by the Spirit of God, fhall liberally and extensively diffuse a knowledge of the truth; in all humility, without pride or babbling; independent of the approbation or disapprobation of man; to make those whom they instruct, fruitful in holiness, in order to their eternal happiness*.

CHAP.

(1) By comparing this verfe with that immediately following, "and the remnant of Jacob fhall be as a lion," &c. we learn the concurrence of this event, with the third mentioned, as a confequent of the battle of Armageddon.