21 of fin and mischief, are cut off: That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a fnare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn afide the just for a thing 22 of nought. Therefore thus faith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob fhall not now be ashamed, neither fhall his face now 23 wax pale. But when he feeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they fhall fanctify my name, and fanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and fhall fear the God of Ifrael; a new generation of the faithful fball fpring up, who shall be in covenant with God, and fhall fantify him, and all good men shall rejoice in the 24 progress of the reformation. They also that erred in spirit fhall come to understanding, and they that murmured fhall learn doctrine; those who were formerly prejudiced fhall become humble; thofe who faid the word is hard, or the law unreasonable, fhall find it otherwife, and be made wife and good by it. 1. FR REFLECTION S. ROM this chapter we are taught the vanity and wickedness of hypocritical devotion. The Ifraelites in their degenerated state went on, year after year, to kill and offer up facrifices; but all was in vain while they remained impenitent and unreformed. Thus vain will it be for men to go on in a round of religious fervices, while they do things that are unjuft, impure, and fenfual. May we guard against that deteftable character defcribed in v. 13. To worship God, is to draw nigh to him with an intent to honour him; but if the heart be not engaged, if that be absent, or unaffected, and we follow the precepts and cuftoms of men, and not the rules of fcripture, God will be highly displeased. It is no uncommon thing for persons to get a kind of mechanical habit of hearing and praying, without 2 Thofe who opposed Hezekiah's reformation, and mocked the prophets, were glad to find any defects and imprudences in good men, that they might wound religion thereby: for this purpose they ftrained every word, and were especially glad to find any thing amifs in magiftrates or minifters. Many of these were perhaps flain by the Affyrians. without attention or ferioufnefs, till they become quite ftupid, and incapable of receiving any religious impreffion. He that does not grow better by religious fervices, grows worse, and is hardened by the deceitfulness of fin. 2. We see the conftant dependance of the human mind upon God for all its thoughts and operations. He can eafily close men's eyes, and ftupify their understandings; can puzzle their politics, and confound their devices. They can no more do what they contrive and intend without him, than the clay can form itself without the potter. He can, on the other hand, enlighten the most stupid, and bring those that have erred to understand doctrine. This therefore should teach us to improve our wisdom and skill for God, and to pray daily to him, that he would enlighten our understandings, and direct our steps. 3. The great advantages of a meek, teachable difpofition of mind are here fet forth; particularly, as it will promote our cheerfulness. Those who are meek, poor in fpirit, humble and patient, will have joy in the Lord; and that joy will increase as thofe graces do. But paffion, pride, and impatience are the greatest enemies to the foul in which they are indulged, and deprive it of real joy. Let us therefore learn of Chrift to be meek and lowly in heart, and in patience to poffefs our fouls; that, whatever our poverty or afflictions may be, we may rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of our falvation. 4. We fee how odious to men and difpleafing to God, the character of cenforious and scornful men is. Too many who bear the chriftian name resemble the perfons here described; they watch for iniquity; take a malignant pleasure in discovering any blemishes in the characters of their neighbours, and reporting them to their difadvantage; they make a man an offender for a word; for a neglected compliment, a dubious expreffion, or a friendly admonition. They are particularly watchful to reproach a minister for a little impropriety of thought or expreffion in prayer or preaching; and are upon the watch to enfnare thofe who are appointed to reprove. However fuch men may pride themfelves in their wit and difcernment, and think themselves perfons of peculiar fagacity and penetration, the Lord calls S 3 them them fearners, and declares that they fhall be confumed and cut off. Wherefore, my brethren, let every one of us be fwift to hear, flow to speak, flow to wrath. CHAP. XXX. The Ifraelites here, as often before, are reproved for their confidence in Egypt, when the Affyrians came against them. W° OE to the rebellious children, faith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my fpirit; they feek fhelter in Egypt, but not fuch a one as I have directed them to feek; that they may add fin to fin, by trusting to ong 2 alliance after another: That walk, that is, contrive and take pains, to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to ftrengthen themselves in the ftrength of 3 Pharaoh, and to truft in the fhadow of Egypt. There. fore fhall the strength of Pharaoh be your fhame, and 4 the truft in the fhadow of Egypt [your] confufion. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambaffadors came to Hanes; the ambassadors of Ifrael met thofe of Egypt there; they had a congrefs to fettle the terms of the alliance: but 5 They were all afhamed of a people [that] could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but be a fhame, and 6 alfo a reproach, they were fo weak or fo treacherous. The burden of the beafts of the fouth; into the land of trouble and anguifh, from whence [come] the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying ferpent, they will carry their riches upon the fhoulders of young affes, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a . people [that] fhall not profit [them;] the Ifraelites will fend their wealth on affes and camels, as a fubfidy, or to bribe Pharaoh's minifters and courtiers, thro' that wilderness 7 which lies between them. For the Egyptians fhall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, and published it aloud, that Their strength [is] to fit ftill, in the use of regular means, and a humble, 8 quiet dependance upon God, who alone can help them. Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever; publish it, and let it be recorded, as a warning to 9 future ages: That this [is] a rebellious people, lying children, children [that] will not hear the law of the 10 LORD: Which fay to the feers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophefy not unto us right things; this is the true meaning and intent, of what they fay, while perfecuting and bantering the true prophets and encouraging the falfe ones, fpeak unto us fmooth things, prophefy deceits; preach only that which may gratify our bumours and our II lufts: Get you out of the way, turn afide out of the path, caufe the Holy One of Ifrael to ceafe from before us; do not stop us in our finful ways; do not preach up fuch Strictness; do not mention the Holy One of Ifrael, (with which the prophets ufually introduced their reproofs and 12 warnings;) we are weary of hearing fo much of it. Wherefore thus faith the Holy One of Ifrael, whofe name you do not like to hear, Because ye defpife this word, and truft in oppreffion and perverfenefs, and stay thereon: 13 Therefore this iniquity fhall be to you as a breach ready to fall, fwelling out in a high wall, whofe breaking cometh fuddenly at an inftant; your trust in Egypt Shall be like a bulging wall, that falls fuddenly and un14 expectedly. And he fhall break it as the breaking of the potter's veffel that is broken in pieces; he fhall not fpare: fo that there fhall not be found in the bursting of it a fherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water [withal] out of the pit; there shall not be a piece big enough for any common ufe; this your confidence in Egypt, 15 and yourselves thereby, fhall be shattered to pieces. For thus faith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Ifrael; In returning and reft fhall ye be faved; in quietness and in confidence fhall be your ftrength; in returning to God and your duty, and an humble confidence in his power, providence, and promises, ye shall find strength and falvation: 16 and ye would not. But ye faid, No; for we will flee upon horfes; therefore fhall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the fwift; we will hire horfes from Egypt to attack our enemies; therefore fhall they that purfue you be S 4 Swift. 17 fwift. One thousand [fhall flee] at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five fhall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an enfign on an hill; one of your enemies fhall chafe a thousand, and your whole army fhall flee before five, till fo few are left that you fball ftand alone, like a beacon on the top of a hill. 18 And therefore, or nevertheless, will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, will exercife patience toward you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you, and exalt his power and glory in humbling and reforming you; for the LORD [is] a God of judgment: bleffed [are] all they that wait for him. 19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerufalem; or the people of Zion fhall dwell at Jerufalem; continue there in fafety, notwithstanding Sennacherib's attempts; and alfo afterwards return out of Babylon thither again: thou fhalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he fhall hear it, he will answer thee; happy times fhall fucceed the defeat of the 20 Affyrians by Hezekiah's reformation. And [though] the LORD give you the bread of adverfity, and the water of affliction, yet fhall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes fhall fee thy teachers; tho' other afflictions may come, or fome be continued, yet the priests fhall come again to Jerufalem, (which they could not during the fiege) and you shall have prophets and know how 21 to value them: And thine ears fhall hear a word behind. thee, the admonitions of fome faithful friend, the dictates of confcience, or the influence of the fpirit, faying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, 22 and when ye turn to the left. Ye fhall defile also the covering of thy graven images of filver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold; you shall be refolved against fin and deftroy the most valuable remains of idolatry, the robes and ornaments of your images, and the coftly tents that were about them: thou fhalt caft them away as a menftruous cloth, or polluted garment; thou fhalt fay 23 unto it, with an holy indignation, Get thee hence. Then fhall he give the rain of thy feed, or rain in feed-time, that thou shalt fow thy ground withal; and bread of the increase |