I S A 



tament, interfperfed alfo with manj' pafTages of tlie higheft 

 fublimity, was probably delivered in tlie latter part of the 

 reign of Hezekiah. They are chiefly of the confolatory 

 kind ; and therefore they are opened with the promife of the 

 reftoration of the kingdom, and the return of the people 

 from their captivity, by the merciful interpofition of God 

 in their favour. The prophet, however, extends their views 

 to the fulfilment of God's promifes of eftabhfhing a more 

 glorious and an everlallincr kingdom, under the Mefiiah to 

 be born of the tribe of Judah, and of the family of David. He 

 connefts thefe two events together, and hardly ever treats of 

 the former without throwing in fome intimations of the latter. 

 Ifaiah has been, with peculiar propriety, denominated 

 the "evangelical prophet,'" on account of the number and 

 variety of his prediftions concerning the advent and cha- 

 rafter, the miniflry and preaching, the fufFerinffS and death, 

 and extenfive permanent kingdom of the Mefliah. His pre- 

 diftions are, indeed, fo explicit and determinate, as well as 

 fo numerous, that no one can be at a lofs in applying them 

 to the miflion and charafter of Chrift, and the events that 

 are cited in his hiftory by the Ne^v Teliament writers. The 

 whole book of Ifaiah, fome few pafTages excepted, which, 

 if brought together, would not at moll exceed the bulk of 

 ■five or fix chapters, is confidered by bifliop Lowth as poeti- 

 cal (See the article Prophetic Poetry.) " He abounds," 

 fays this learned critic, "in fuch tranfcendent excellencies, 

 that he may be properly faid to afford the moft perfeft model 

 of the prophetic poetry. He is at once elegant and fublime, 

 forcible and ornamented ; he unites energy with copioufnefs, 

 and dignity with variety. In his fentiments there is uncom- 

 mon elevation and majefty ; in his imagery the utmoft pro- 

 priety, elegance, dignity, and diverfity ; in his language 

 uncommon beauty and energy ; and, notwithftanding the ob- 

 fcurity of his fubjefts, a furprifmg degree of clearnefs and 

 fimplicity. To thefe we may add, there is fuch fweetnefs in 

 the poetical compofition of his fentences, whether it proceed 

 from art or genius, that if the Hebrew poetry at prefent is 

 poffened of any remains of its native grace and harmony, we 

 fliall chiefly find them in the writings of Ifaiah : fo that the 

 faying of Ezekiel (xxviii. 12.) may moil juft.ly be applied 

 to this prophet : 



" Thou art the confirmed exemplar of mcafurea, 

 Full of wifdom, and perfect in beauty." 

 Ifaiah greatly excels, too, in all the graces of method, order, 

 conneftion, and arrangement ; though in aficrting this we 

 mult not forget the nat\ire of the prophetic in.pulfe, which 

 bears away the mind with irrefillible violence, and frequently 

 in rapid tranfitions from near to remote objefts, from human 

 to divine : we mull alfo be careful in remarking the limits of 

 p.irticular predictions, fince, as they are nov.' extant, they 

 are often improperly connefted, without any marks of dif- 

 crimination, which injudicious arrangement, on fome occa- 

 fions, creates almoil infuperable difiiciilties." Bilhop Lowth 

 has felecled as a fpecimen of the kind of poetry in the 

 language of which Ifaiah delivers his prophecies, the predic- 

 tion contained in the thirty-fourth and thiriy-fifth chapters ; 

 Hnd pointed out the beauties thai eminently didinguifh the 

 limple, regular, and perfcft poem, as he denominates this 

 prophecy. The latter part of the book, commencing at the 

 fortieth chapter, is, perhaps, fays the fame excellent judge, 

 ♦■ the moft elegant fpecimen remaining of infpired compo- 

 fition, and yet, in this refpeft, is attended with confiderable 

 difficidt)'. It is, in facl, a body or coUedlion of different 

 prophecies, nearly allied to each other as to the fubjeft, 

 which, for that reafon, having a fort of connection, are not 

 to be fcparatcd but will* the ulmoll difficulty. The general 



I S A 



fubjeft is the refioration of the churcli. Its dehverance 

 from captivity ; the deftrudlion of idolatry ; the vindication 

 of the divine power and truth ; the confolation of the 

 Ifraelites, the divine invitation which is extended to them, 

 their increduhty, impiety, and rejeftion ; the calling in of 

 the gentiles ; the refioration of the chofen people ; the glory 

 and felicity of the church in its perfeft ftate ; and the ulti- 

 matedellruftion of the wicked, are all fet forth with a fufficient 

 refpedl to order and method. If we read thele pafTages 

 with attention, and duly regard the nature and genius of the 

 myllical allegory ; at the fame time remembering, that all 

 thefe points have been frequently touched upon in other pro- 

 phecies promulged at different times, we fha'l neither find 

 any irregularity in the arrangement of the whole, nor any 

 want of order and connexion as to matter or fentiment in 

 the different parts. Grotius calls Ifaiah the Demofliipn.'s 

 of the Hebrews, and bilhop Lowth ranks him with Homer. 

 (See Jeuemiah.) As a commentator on this book, the 

 learned are under great obligations to Vitringa in his excel- 

 lent commentary in z vols. fol. Amongfl the Englifli tranfla- 

 tions, the firll place will be allowed to bifliop Lowth for his 

 admirable work, abounding fo much with learned criticifra 

 and correct tafle, entitled " Ifaiah. ; a new Tranflation, with 

 a Preliminary DifTertation, and Notes, critical, philological, 

 and explanatory," firfl pubhfhed in i-;8, 4to. in which the 

 author has purfued the metrical arrangement. The late Mi- 

 chael Dodfon, efq. alfo publiflied in profe " A New Tranf- 

 lation of Ifaiah ; with Notes fupplementary to thofe of 

 Dr. Lowth, late Bifhop of London, and containing Remarks 

 in many parts of his Tranflation and Notes, by a Layman," 

 1790, 8vo. We have lately had a valuable tranflation of the 

 prophecies of Ifaiah by Dr. Stock, bifliop of Killala. See 

 tlic works already cited, and Lowth's Prxledliones de Sac. 

 Poef. Heb. N- XX — xxi. 



ISAKLU, in Geography, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in 

 Caramania ; 12 miles N.W. of Akfliehr. 



ISAKOV A, a town of European Turkey, in Moldavia ; 

 60 milcsN.E. of Jafl)-. 



ISAKZI, a town of European Turkey, on the Danube ; 

 16 miles W. of Ifmail. N. lat. 4;' 18'. E. long. i<) 9'. 

 ISAMBLUCIS, in Natural Hi/lory, the name of a 

 genus of foflilsof the clafs of \.\\efelsnitit, but of the colum- 

 nar, not the rhomboidal kind. 



The felenita: of this genus confifl of fix fides, and two 

 obtufe or abrupt ends ; and all their fides being very nearly 

 of the fame breadth, they much refemble broken pieces of 

 the columns of fprig-cryftal. 



The bodies of this genus, as well as the reft of the colum- 

 nar felenitce, are fubjeft to a longitudinal crack, which 

 fometimes admitting a fmall quantity of clay, (hapes it into 

 the figure of an ear of grafs. Hill's Hill of FoiT. p. 121. 

 See the article Sklenites. 



IS.-iNDORA, in Geography, a town of Angola, on the 

 Coenza ; 25 miles S. of Loaiida. 



ISANI, in Mythology, one of the many names of the 

 Hindoo deity, Siva ; alio of his fakti, or confort Parvati : 

 it feems nearly fimilarwith Ifa. (See under thofe articles.) 

 The Hindoos reckon eiglit of their principal deities, as re- 

 gents or fupporters of the eiglit cardinal and intermediate- 

 points of the heavens. Of thefe regents, called Maruls, or 

 •win/Is, Indra is the chief, and rules the Eall. (See Indka 

 and M.MtUT. ) Ifaiii or Siva, in that form, is by fome my- 

 thologills, but not by all, reckoned another, and ruler of 

 the north-eafl. See Moor's Hindoo Pantheon, under /tiJra 

 in the index. 



ISANTHUS, in Botany, fo called by Michaux, front 

 i3-t!,s equal, and «»S:f, a Jloiver, becaufe this plant, unlike 



me ft 



