had of separating the notoriously wicked in any kinde from others, and not permitting them promiscuously to the holy Ordinance of the Lords Supper, as hath been done in the Primitive Church, and is now done in Churches most reformed, and endeavoured to be done in the Church of England.
Ye have sold your selves for nought and shall be redeemed without money. In the former verse he bids her shake off her dust in alluding to the Metaphor begun, Chap. 51. 23. where she is said to have lien down to be troden upon on the du∣sty ground, and to cast the bands off from her neck, implying her bound e∣state then, but her deliverance and advancement now; for so the advanced by God from a most low estate, are said to be raised out of the dust, Psal. 113. In this third verse he sets forth by another Metaphor what her condition had been, viz. as of those that are sold for slaves, but they take no price; for so indeed the Jews for their sins were made slaves to their enemies, and now he promiseth that they should likewise be set at liberty, nothing being paid for ransom; see the like before, Chap. 41. 13. where their being set at liberty by Cyrus is plainly spoken of, and therefore this is likewise to be expounded. But a spiritual application is to be made of all, the things done then not being only aimed at by the Prophet, but under them the spirituall deliverance of the faithfull from the sordes or dust and bands of sin by Christ, figured out in Cy∣rus, both by justification and sanctification, whereby this filth is shaken off, and there is newness of life. And as men sell themselves for slaves to sin and the devil, receiving nought, so beleevers are again delivered; the devil, by whom they were held, receiving nought therefore; and yet to satisfie Gods justice a great price is paid, even Christ most pretious bloud, 1 Pet. 1. 18. If profits and pleasures which men have for their souls sold by sinning, shall seem to be somewhat, they all verily are nothing, being compared unto the soul, [Note.] because they are momentary; the soul everlasting, they earthly and inferiour, the soul spirituall and supernall, as coming from heaven, and so of a conditi∣on so farre excelling, that if all earthly things be compared hereunto they are as nothing, for which our Lord saith, What shall it profit a man to win the whole world and to lose his own soul?
And the Assyrians oppressed them without cause. He commemorates here, first their going down into Egypt, being inforced by famine, and then speaks of their going into Assyria as Captives, upon no such occasion; for which he saith Without cause, yet not excluding a cause in themselves, viz. their sins; whereby, as was said before, they sold themselves into their hands.
Now therefore what have I saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? their rulers make them to howl, and my Name is every day blasphemed. The Lords people being carried away for nought, he here asketh what he had, as meaning that he had nothing; it was not a bargain of his making, but of their own, they had sold themselves, not he them, for then he would surely have taken a price for them. And having shewed that he was not the cause of their oppressions by the Assyrians, and coming into their hands, he next shew∣eth who were; Their rulers make them howl: Which Jerom expounds of the wicked Priests and Elders of the Jews, who stirred them up to cry against Christ, Crucifie him▪ crucifie him; and the blaspheming of Gods Name daily, of their custom in their Synagogues three times a day to blaspheme Christ Je∣sus constantly ever since. Junius, Their rulers howl, as if he had said, Not on∣ly the common people suffer grievously, but even men of greatest eminency, their rulers, to the making of them to cry out and howl, And my Name is dai∣ly provoked. But forsomuch as the word is in Hiphil, this cannot stand. Calvin expounds it of the rulers set over them by the Assyrians, who oppressed them so greatly, that they made them even howl under their oppressours, and here∣unto was added daily blaspheming on the enemies part, being ready to detract from their God, as if he were not able to deliver them, which is spoken in way of shewing the cause why the Lord would now deliver and restore his people, as being full time so to do, lest he should seem to those Heathens