therefore he might redeeme them without money. Awake, Isai. 52.1,2,3. fortem posce animum. awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, put on thy beautifull garments, O Ierusalem the holy City; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the uncleane. Shake thy selfe from the dust: arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thy selfe from the bands of thy necke, O captive daughter of Zion: For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold your selves for nought: and ye shall be redeemed without money.
Thirdly, By former experience he doth assure them of their future return into their own place. For thus Isai. 52.4,5.saith the Lord God, My people went downe aforetime into Egypt, to sojourne there, and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howle, saith the Lord, and my Name continually is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my Name: therefore they shall know in that day, that I am he that doth speake. Behold it is I.
Fourthly, This shall be to the Lord for a name and glory. For Isai. 48.11.
and 42.8.mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I doe it: for how should my Name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another. I Jer. 33.7,8,9.
Ezek. 36.22,23.will cause the Captivity of Judah, and the Captivity of Israel to return, and will build them as at the first. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. And it shall be unto me a Name of joy, a praise, and an honour before all the nations of the earth, that shall heare all the good that I doe unto them: and they shall feare and tremble for all the goodnesse, and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it, &c.
Fifthly, That they might not faint through the long and great calamity which went before deliverance, the Prophet in the Name of the Lord, setteth before them the glory and dignity of the Messiah which followed his humiliation. Behold,Isai. 52.13,14. my servant shall deale prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his forme more then the sonnes of men) so shall he sprinkle many nations, the Kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them, shall they see, and that which they had not heard, shall they consider. Another Prophet directing the faithfull how to behave themselves in that long and grievous Captivity, scil. to wait patiently for the accomplishment of the Promise,because
