set up, a banner displayed, is for the gathering of sol- diers together; it is a sign of preparation for war, and an encouragement to it; and is sometimes done when victory is obtained, see \\#Isa 5:26 Jer 4:19,20 50:2\\ and is a direction where soldiers should stand, when they should march, and who they should follow, as well as it serves to distinguish one company from another; and of all this use is the preaching of Christ and his Gospel: \*\\to it shall the Gentiles seek\\; that is, to Christ, signified by the root of Jesse, and set up for an ensign of the people; being sought out by him in re- demption and vocation, and being sensible of their need of him, and that there is something valuable in him, having had a manifestation of him to them; and there- fore seek to him, not out of curiosity, nor with worldly views, nor in the last, but in the first place, and chiefly; not hypocritically, but sincerely, and with their whole hearts; not carelessly, but diligently and constantly; not partially, but for every thing they want; princi- pally for the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, for eternal glory and happiness, and for a justifying righteousness, as the title to it: or to him shall they %betake themselves% {f}, see \\#De 12:5\\ as to an ensign, standard bearer, captain-general, leader and commander of the people; or as to a strong hold, for protection from enemies; or as to a city of refuge, to secure from avenging justice and wrath to come; and, under a sense of danger and ruin, to one that is able to save; and for help to one that is mighty; or him %shall% they %consult% {g}; or seek to him for advice and counsel, see \\#Isa 8:19\\ who is a most proper person to be consulted on all occasions, he being the wonderful Counsellor, \\#Isa 9:6\\. This is a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles, and which had its accomplishment, in part, in the first times of the Gospel, and will be completely fulfiiled in the last days: \*\\and his rest shall be glorious\\; either that which Christ gives to those that seek unto him, and which is both a spiritual rest here, from the burden and guilt of sin, and the tyrannical power of it; from the bondage, curse, and condemnation of the law; from a sense of divine wrath; and a rest in afflictions, though not from them; and an eternal rest hereafter, a %rest in glory% {h}; as the words may be rendered here; it will be a glorious one, the bodies of the saints at death rest in the grave, and their souls in the arms of Jesus; and after the resurrection, body and soul will rest together from sin and Satan, from unbelief, doubts, and fears, and from all enemies; or else this rest is what Christ himself enjoys. Some understand it of his death, which, though ignominious in itself, yet glorious in its consequences; a glorious display of the condescension and love of Christ was made in it; and glorious things have been effected by it: others, of his grave, which was an honourable man's; his grave was made with the rich; though perhaps better of his rest in glory; when he had done his work, and sat down at the right hand of God, he was crowned with glory and honour; or rather it may design his church, which is his rest, \*\\Ps 132:13,14\\ which is glorious, with his righte- ousness, grace, and presence, and being put in order by him, as an army with banners; and especially it will be, when all the glorious things spoken of it shall be fulfilled. \*Ver. 11. \\And it shall come to pass in that day\\, &c.] Before spoken of, and which includes the whole Gos- pel dispensation: \*\\[that] the Lord shall set his hand again the second time\\; which refers to a first, in which the Lord exerted his power in the recovery of his people out of the hands of their enemies; and that was the deliverance of them out of Egypt, and which was typical of the deliverance of the Lord's people in the times of Christ; and it is usual with the Jews {i} to call Moses the first redeemer, and the Messiah the latter; wherefore this %second time% refers to the times of the Messiah, and not to the time of the deliverance from the Babylonish captivity; for that, as Aben Ezra, Jarchi, and Kimchi observe, was not a perfect redemp- tion; only Judah and Benjamin returned, not the ten tribes, and so did not answer to the first time, when all Israel came out of Egypt; and much less can it be understood of the return of those, in the times of He- zekiah, carried captive by Tilgath-pilneser and Sal- maneser: or the first and second time may be distin- guished thus; the first time may intend the calling of a large number, both of Jews and Gentiles, through the preaching of the Gospel by the apostles; and the second time the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles, and the conversion of the Jews, in the latter day; or the first time may respect the calling of the Gentiles, and the second the gathering in of the Jews: or both may intend later times; the first time, the reformation from Popery; the second time, deliverance from Babylon, or the antichristian yoke, under which all nations will again be brought, before the destruction of the man of sin: \*\\to recover the remnant of his people\\; or to %obtain%, or to %possess% {k}; for this is not to be under- stood of the recovery or redemption of them by the price of Christ's blood, but of the calling and conver- sion of them, when the Lord claims them, possesses and enjoys them, as his own; and as they are but a remnant whom God has chosen for his people, and Christ has redeemed by his blood, so they are no other that are called; though here they may be called a remnant, or what remains, with respect to those who have been called already: \*\\which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt\\; Egypt, and other places fol- lowing, being joined with Assyria, shew that this can- not be understood of the deliverance from the Baby- lonish captivity; but designs the several places where Christ would have a people in Gospel times, and who would be found out, and called by grace; some of which already have been, as in Babylon and Egypt, \\#1Pe 5:18 Ac 2:10\\ and others will be hereafter, according to the prophecies, \\#Ps 68:31 87:4 Isa 19:18-25\\ and as Assyria and Egypt are now in the hands of the Turks, it may design the call and conversion of many in those parts, when the Turkish empire shall be destroyed; or else the deliverance of God's people from the tyranny of the Romish anti- christ, called Egypt and Babylon, at the time of his ruin: \*\\from Pathros\\; by which some understand Par- {f} \^vrd\^ %non? significat %quaerre%, sed %tendere%, aut %se confere%%, Bootius, Animadv. I.? 1. c. 5. sect. 6. {g} Ad eum consulent, Junius. {h} So Ben Melech observes that \^b\^ is wanting, and the sense is \^dwbkb\^, %in%, or, %with glory%. {i} Midrash Koheleth, fol. 63. 2. {k} \^twnql\^ %ad possidendum%, Grotius; \~tou kthsasyai\~, Aquila.