Isaiah 51

Isaiah 51:1

Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

Bethink yourselves, and look back to your first original: consider how easy it is for me, who gave you a being from the dry and barren loins and womb of Abraham and Sarah, to revive and raise you up in your greatest distress.

Isaiah 51:3

For he shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, &c.

Thus shall the Lord comfort Zion, when she is most hopeless: he will so restore her, as that the most desolate parts of his Church shall be fruitful and beautiful, as the paradise of Eden, &c.

Isaiah 51:9

Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

Art not thou he, that hast pulled down the pride of Egypt, and discomfited Pharaoh, that proud king?

Isaiah 51:14

The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.

The captive Jews, now lying under an uncomfortable exile, shall soon address themselves to their return: let them not faint under their bondage, for they shall not long continue under it.

Isaiah 51:16

And I have put my word in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth.

I have put my word into the mouth of thee, my prophet, and thy fellows; but especially into the mouth of that great and divine Prophet and Redeemer of my Church; I have held my safe protection over thee, and him; that, by the saving doctrine which I shall send into the world, and that mighty and effectual work of his Mediation, I may set at peace and settle all things, both in heaven and earth.

Isaiah 51:17

Thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

Thou hast drunk deep of the grievousest of God’s outward afflictions; such, as thou mightest and didst justly tremble, to taste of: even the bitterest part thereof hast thou been forced to receive into thy soul. ISALAH, CHAP. I.—LII.

Isaiah 51:18

There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.

She is left utterly disconsolate: those, that should be most dear and most respective to her, (i. e. my Church.) even those spiritual sons, whom she hath brought forth to an outward profession, they ungratefully forsake her, and deny her their needful offices and attendance.

Isaiah 51:20

Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God.

Yea, those unthankful sons of thine are involved in the same calamity with thee: if they would, they cannot help thee: they are caught and entangled, like some wild bull in a toil; and so lie roaring in vain, within thy streets; for the wrath of the Lord hath thoroughly seized upon them, without all possibility of redress.

Isaiah 51:21

Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine.

Hear this, ye, that are giddily distracted, not with wine, but with extremity of sorrow:

Isaiah 51:22

Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, &c.

Behold, I have taken off from thee those heavy afflictions, under which thou didst justly tremble, &c.