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From the uttermoft part of the earth have we heard fongs, the difperfed people of God keep up and profefs their religion, [even] glory to the righteous God. But I faid, My leannefs, my leannefs, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers, or apoftate people, have dealt very treacherously; I am so affected with the people's hypocrify toward God, and dishonesty toward one another, that I am 17 confumed away. Fear, and the pit, and the fnare, [are] 18 upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it fhall come to pafs, [that] he who fleeth from the noise of the fear fhall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midft of the pit fhall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do fhake; an allufion to the deluge; they run any where for fafety, but still run into danger. 19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean 20 diffolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth fhall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage, or, as eafily as a cottage; and the tranfgreffion thereof fhall be heavy upon it, fin fhall fink 21 it; and it fhall fall, and not rife again. And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD fhall punish the hoft of the high ones [that are] on high, and the Kings of the earth, the Affyrian and Chaldean monarchs, 22 who have done fo much mischief upon the earth. And they fhall be gathered together, [as] prifoners are gathered in the pit, and fhall be fhut up in the prison, and after many days fhall they be vifited; that is, the jews, who had been as prisoners, shall be vifited in mercy, 23 releafed, and return to their own land. Then the moont fhall be confounded, and the fun afhamed, when the LORD of hosts fhall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerufalem; that is, the divine perfections fhall be fo illuftrated, that the brightness of them fhall obfcure the fun and moon, as they do leffer lights; and before his antients glorioufly; his priests and antient fervants, who faw the defolation of their country, fhall fee all the glory that shall be displayed in the deftruction of these monarchies, in punishing the wicked, and Sparing and restoring the righteous. REFLECT.

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REFLECTION S.

BSERVE how fin defiles and destroys a land. It is that which makes a land tremble, empties it of its treasures and inhabitants, and brings confufion and defolation upon it. See what fins in particular do this, namely, tranfgreffing the law of nature, the rules of the creation; changing the ordinances of God, the inftitutions of revealed religion; inventing new ones, neglecting the old, and making no confcience of complying with them: this brings great guilt on particular perfons, and on nations, that is, not complying with the terms of the everlasting covenant. See then how neceffary it is to observe the divine laws and ordinances if we defire to escape the curfe.

2. See the difference between carnal and spiritual joys; the joy of finners and faints. The joy of the finner arifes from mufick, wine, and gay company; and when these are gone, his joys are gone; his mirth is over, and it ends in heavi nefs. But the joy of the faint arifes from and centres in the bleffed God, and the foundation of his comfort will not fail. He can rejoice in tribulation; and when the judgments of God lay all around him wafte, he can joy in the God of his falvation. It is easy to infer who are the happieft people, and in which number we should defire to be found.

3. See the duty of God's people in seasons of affliction. v. 15. Glorify ye the Lord in the fires, acknowledge his hand in affliction, reverence his power and juftice. He who kindles the fire will moderate its violence; will be with his servants when they pass through it; and deliver them out of it: and on all thofe accounts they should glorify him, truft in him, and wait patiently for his falvation.

4. The various changes in ftates and kingdoms illuftrate the perfections, and difplay the glory of the Lord. It is he who doeth these things, v. I. When nations are made defolate, he commands it; when the high ones of the earth are humbled and punished, it is the King of Kings who doeth it. When oppreffors are brought down, and God's fervants delivered, it is a glorious difplay of his power and fovereignty, his hatred of oppreffion and injuftice, his VOL. V. faithfulness

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faithfulness to his promifes, and kindness to his people. Let us then carefully obferve his glories as thus difplayed, and lift up our voices, and fing for the majefty of the Lord.

CHA P. XXV.

The prophet in this chapter praiseth God for his judgments, for his faving benefits, and for his victorious falvation. This is applied by many to the victory of the Jews over the Affyrians; but it rather refers to the gofpel church, and God's appearances for it.

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LORD, thou [art] my God, I will exalt thee,

I will praise thy name; for thou haft done wonderful [things; thy] counfels of old [are] faithfulness [and] truth; thou haft punctually fulfilled what thou didst 2 declare of old. For thou haft made of a city an heap; [of] a defenced city a ruin: a palace of ftrangers to be no city; cities which were like palaces, to which strangers reforted out of curiofity, fhall be utterly ruined; it fhall never be built; which expreffes the church's complete triumph 3 over its enemies, especially over the heathen. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee; those that have been enemies to thee and thy caufe, fhall bring glory to thee: the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee; being humbled by thefe judgments, they shall be converted, or at least forced 4 to acknowledge thy power. For thou haft been a strength to the poor, a ftrength to the needy in his diftrefs, a refuge from the ftorm, a fhadow from the heat, when the blaft of the terrible ones [is] as a ftorm [against] the wall; when hot funs and burning winds are beating against them, which feem as if they would destroy them. 5 Thou shalt bring down the noife of ftrangers, as the heat in a dry place; [even] the heat with the fhadow of a cloud; thou wilt deftroy the enemies of thy church and gofpel as eafily as thou canst make a cloud to shelter men in the heat of the day: the branch, or rather, the rejoicing, of the terrible ones fhall be brought low, and thy people 6 have quiet and refreshment. And in this mountain, that

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is, Zion, or the gospel church, fhall the LORD of hosts make unto all people, to the gentiles, a feast of fat things, a feaft of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined; of wine that has flood long on the lees, that is rich and strong, and throughly refined; that is, they fhall feast on thy promises, 7 ordinances, and confolations. And he will deftroy in this mountain the face of the covering caft over all people, and the vail that is fpread over all nations; he will re& move their ignorance, darkness, and prejudices. He will, at the refurrection, fwallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people, all occafion of forrow, and all the reproach thrown upon his people, fhall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath fpoken 9 [it.] And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will fave us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his falvation; then the faints 10 fhall have the highest occafion for triumph. For in this mountain fhall the hand of the LORD reft, it shall exert itfelf and defend his people, and Moab fhall be trodden down under him, even as ftraw is trodden down for the dunghill: Moab is here put figuratively for the enemies of 11 the church. And he fhall fpread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that fwimmeth fpreadeth forth [his hands] to fwim; God can as eafily and effectually remove them on every fide, as a man when fwimming can his hand, and he fhall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands; their goods which were unjustly gotten, or the trophies of their victory, fhall be taken away. 12 And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls fhall he bring down, lay low, [and] bring to the ground, [even] to the duft. A very emphatical defcription; tho' a caftle, fituated on an eminence, and furrounded with strong walls, he shall not only take but demolish it; and that so entirely, that the fortification fhall be beaten to duft, and its eminence levelled with the ground; that is, the pride of hell Shall be mortified, Satan's strong holds be caft down, and all R 2

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the efforts made against the people of God prove vain, and end in the ruin of their enemies.

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REFLECTION S.

1. OD is to be praised for all the great and wonderful things that he doeth; in bringing down proud cities, ftates, and empires; confounding the devices of the enemies of his church; fupporting his fervants amidst dangers and perfecutions; and refreshing them with his favour and love, when they are ready to fink and faint. All are done according to the counfels of infinite wisdom, faithfulness, and righteousness, and it becomes us to admire them, as far beyond what any other Being could do, and exalt him who is glorious in holiness, fearful in praifes, doing wonders.

2. Let us particularly praise him for the riches of gofpel grace. What a noble feaft has he made for us gentiles! how refreshing and nourishing! infinitely beyond the delights of the fons of men. He hath made provifion for removing our prejudices and ignorance, enlightening our understandings, regulating our fpirits, and banishing all the forrows of the heart. Let us value his word, his ordinances and his comforts, as the choiceft dainties; make light of all the reproaches we may fuffer for God and conscience, and rejoice in hope of that day, when, as is expreffed Rev. xxi. 4. God fhall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and death fhall be fwallowed up in victory. Once more,

3. See with what temper mercies and deliverances are to be received, v. 9. they are to be rejoiced in; and our joy is to terminate in God; we are to wait patiently for his appearances, and then they will be more feasonable and welcome. We are to give him the glory of the greatness and perfection of our falvation; and while we own it as God's work, and exalt him as our God, let us behave suitable to our relation to him, that we may at length partake of that everlasting falvation, which he will beftow upon all his people.

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