Isaiah 6

This chapter, though not the first in order, gives an account of Isaiah’s call to the prophetic office (at least, of a new commission to him), together with a prediction of the unsuccessfulncss of his ministry, by reason of the hardness of the people’s hearts. The like account we have of- Jeremiah’s call, Jer. i. seraphims represented in this vision, in imitation of the two cherubims over the ark. [Ver. 2. Above it stood the cherubims.] The words might be better translated, Besides it (i. e. the throne) stood the cherubims, as attending upon him. So the LXX. understood it, and render it, The cherubims stood round about him. The Hebrew word miminahal signifies the same here with menal, which is rendered beside, Jer. xxxvi. 21.] With twain he covered his face.] Out of reverence towards trod, as being unable to bear the glory of his majesty. (See Exod. iii. 6. 1 llings xix. 13.) With twain he covered his feet.] Or lower parts: the Hebrew expresses the nakedness or Secret parts by the feet. (See Gen. xlix. 10. Deut. xxviii. 57. Judg. iii. 24. Isa. vii. 20.) The expression applied to angels imports those imperfections, to which even the angelical nature is liable, when compared with the infinite purity of the Divine Majesty; see Job iv. 18. the stars themselves not being pure in his sight, as the same holy writer speaks, xxyl 5.. With twain he did fly.] This denotes his’readiness to execute God’s commands.'

Isaiah 6:1

JL SAW the Lord. i. e. The Divine Schechinah, or the glory oftlieLord, as St. John explains it; (John xii. 41.)’ who also assures us, that it was the Logos, or second person of the blessed Trinity who now appeared, this vision having a particular relation to the times of the gospel: (see ver. 9, 10.) It was the unanimous sense of the ancient church, that all the Divine appearances in the Old Testament were made by the Son of God, by whom all the affairs of the church werq ordered from the beginning: see this proved both from the New Testament and the fathers, by- Bishop Bull, Defens. Fid. Niccn. cap. 1. sect. 1. Dr. Alix hath shewed that the ancient Jews were of the same Opinion, in his Judgment of the Jewish Church against the Unitarians, especially chap. 13 — 15. I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne.] A description of whatthe Jews call the Divine Schechinah, oraglorious representation of the Divine Majesty, which was exhibited in a mighty lustre, or flame of light, together with a visible appearance of angels as its attendants. (Compare Exod. xxiv.* 10. Ezek. i. 26. Dan. vii. 9, 10. Rev. iv. 2.) The Divine presence is usually represented in Scripture as a bright’ light, or flaming fire, breaking out of a cloud, or thick darkness. (See Psal. xviii. 12. 1. 3. Ezek. i. 5. Dan. vii. 10.) A lively*‘image of both was that pillar of cloud and of’ fire, which accompanied the Israelites in their journey, 1 (Exod, xiii. 21.) then settled upon the tabernacle, (xl. 38.) and afterward filled the temple, (1 Kings viii. 10.) This argument is handled with great accuracy, by his Grace of Canterbury, in his learned treatise of Idolatry, (chap. 14.) Ibid, and

Isaiah 6:2

And his train filled the temple. Above: it stood the seraphims. God is always represented as attended with a numerous train of angels. (See Psal. Ixviii. 17. Deut. xxxiii. 2. Dan. vii. 10.) For this reason the cherubims were placed in the temple, as overshadowing the mercy-scat, to which posture the next words here* allude, Above it stood the seraphims; which might better be translated above him, (f. e. tho Lord) stood the seraphims. We read in Ezekiel, (x. 20. xi. 22.) that the cherubims were under the God of Israel, and his glory teas over’ them above; but there God is represented as carried by them in a triumphal chariot, which the modern Jews call * the mercavah, and the Psalmist expresses by God’s riding upon the heavens, (Psal. Ixviii. 33.) and flying upon the wings of the wind, (xviii. 10.) The seraphims are called so from their bright colour, like that of flaming fire. (See Ezek. i. 3. Psal. civ. 4.) There seem to be ouly-two’

Isaiah 6:3

And one cried to another, and said. From hence ciame the custom of singing psalms and hymns alternately, which was used in the Jewish church; (see Ezra iii. 11.) and from thence derived unto the Christian. Thus many interpreters understand St. Paul’s words, (Eph. v. 19.) speaking to one another in psalrns and hymns. The same custom is mentioned by Pliny, in his famous epistle to Trajan, (lib. x. ep. 97.) where he gives an account of the Christians, and, describing their manner of worship, saith, that they do " Carmen Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem;" They sing by turns an hymn to Christ as God. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.] God’s holiness, or the superlative purity of his nature, implies in it all the rest of his attributes, especially his justice and mercy, which are dispensed by the most exact rules of rectitude. The Christian church hath always thought that the doctrine of the blessed Trinity was implied in this repetition; which is intimated in several other places of the Old Testament, particularly in that form of blessing which God commanded the priests to use in blessing the people, (Numb. vi. 24 — £G.) “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” Where the word Jehovah is thrice repeated, to denote some great mystery, as the Jews themselves acknowledge. The same doctrine is plainly intifnated in this prophecy, (xlviiL 16.) as shall be shewed in the notes upon that place. (See the note upon the eighth Verse of this chapter.) The whole earth is full of his glory.] Not only this temple, where there are at present such manifest indications of a Divine presence; but the whole world carries evident impressions of God’s majesty. (Compare Rev. iv. [The whole earth is full of his glory.] The Son of God being the person here represented, (see vi. 1.)* this may be understood of the times of the gospel, when the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, xi. 9. (Compare Psal. Ixxii. 19.) The following part of this chapter relates io the promulgation of the gospel, and foretells the Jews rejecting it.]

Isaiah 6:4

And the posts of the door moved at the voice’of him that cried:. The doors shook: the Very motion of the wheels of God’s triumphal chariot, described byEzekiel, (see note upon ver. 1.) being compared to the voice of the Almighty, for its greatness and terribleness, (Ezek. i. 24. X. 5.) And (he house was filled with smoke.] Or a thick cloud; the sign of God’s prfcs&ice,’ which filled the temple upon extraordinary Occasions. (See i KingS viii. 10. Rev. xv. 8.)

Isaiah 6:5

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone. God himself says, that no man can see Ids face and live;. (Exod. xxxiii. 20.) i. e. Unless his life be preserved by a peculiar favour. This made men afraid of approaching the Divine “presence’; (see Deut. v. 24. Judg. xiii. 22.) especially when they reflected up6n their sins, which made them unworthy to appear in the presence of God. (See Luke v. 8.) For I am a man of unclean lips’, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.] Isaiah was terrified at this vision> and withal sensible that God appeared to him, in order to send him upon some message to the people, to which end he had formerly appeared to Moses,’ (Exod. iii. 2.) as he did afterward to Ezekiel, (i. 4.) In these words, therefore, he deprecates the undertaking of the prophetical office, as one who had no extraordinary talent in speaking, especially to a people that were not at all disposed to hearken to God’s commands. (Compare this place with Exod. vi. 12.) What the prophet here calls unclean orunsanc tified, Moses there styles uncircumcised lips; where he excuses himself from the like employment, both from his own incapacity, and from the cold reception he was like to meet with among the Israelites. Ver. G. TItenflew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand.] Signifying thereby the gift of utterance, represented by fiery tongues, Acts ii. 3. and the efficacy of God’s word uttered by the prophets, compared elsewhere to firo, (Jer. y. 14. xxiii. 29.) The use of fire, likewise, is to cleanse and purify. (See the following verse.) WJiich he nad taken with the tongs from off the altar.] The altar of burnt-offerings placed near the porch of the temple, where the vision appeared.

Isaiah 6:7

And he laid it upon my mouth. To signify that all the gifts and graces that purify the mind, and enable us for the discharge of any particular function, come from God. (Compare Jer. i. 9.)

Isaiah 6:8

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send?. God asks this question, not as if he were not resolved whom to send, but that Isaiah might voluntarily offer his own service. So God is elsewhere introduced as asking questions, not to inform himself, but to condemn, or justify men out of their own mouths. (See Gen. iii. Who will go for us?] So God speaks in the plural number, Gen. i. 26. which is justly thought to imply a plurality of Divine persons: for it cannot be said with any probability, that God is described in Genesis as advising with, or communicating his purposes to, the angels, which is the fancy of the rabbins; because the history o^ the creation takes no notice of angels, -and/ consequently, there is no ground for interpreting any text in the first Chapter of Genesis with relation to them. Tlien said I, Here am J, send me.] Since the l)ivine assist-