be dim, and the ears of them that hear fhall hearken; the prophets fhall deliver their meffage clearly and faithfully, 4 and the people attend to, understand, and obey it. The heart alfo of the rafh, the hafty and thoughtless, fhall underftand knowledge, and the tongue of the ftammerers fhall be ready to fpeak plainly; rude and illiterate people fball understand divine things, and speak readily concerning 5 them. The vile perfon fhall be no more called liberal, nor the churl faid [to be] bountiful, or honourable; a good judgment shall be formed of men; worthy, valuable perfons fhall be promoted, and others discountenanced; the reafon 6 of this is given afterwards. For the vile perfon will fpeak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practife hypocrify, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the foul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirfty to fail; a vile perfon will how his iniquity by his practice, his profaneness against 7 God, and his cruelty to man. The inftruments also of the churl [are] evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right; he will find some wicked men to be active in his evil defigns, and by fpecious pretences deftroy the needy 8 when he has a good caufe. But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things fhall he ftand; he will aim to do all the good he can, and shall be established in profperity and reputation.

9

Rife up, ye women that are at eafe; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my fpeech. The women are addreffed, because grown extremely delicate and 10 luxurious, and leaft able to bear publick calamities. Many days and years, or, as in the margin, many days above a year, or whilft the Affyrian invafion fhall laft, fhall ye be troubled, ye carelefs women: for the vintage fhall fail, I the gathering fhall not come. Tremble, ye women that are at eafe; be troubled, ye careless ones: ftrip ye of your ornaments, and make ye bare, and gird [fackcloth] upon [your] loins; or, as it may be rendered, upon 12 your mourning breasts. They fhall lament for the teats, for the lofs of their cattle and milk, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. Upon the land of my people shall

13

come

come up thorns [and] briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy [in] the joyous city; upon the playhouses, gaming houses, and taverns; the fenced cities of Judah fhall be deStroyed and laid waste, and they shall have no heart to follow 14 their pleafures even in Jerufalem, while it is befieged: Because the palaces fhall be forfaken; the multitude of the city fhall be left, or, the city fhall be forfaken of its multitude; the forts and towers fhall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild affes, a pafture of flocks; they fhall have no heart to repair them again, at least it will be a long time 15 before it can be done; Until the fpirit be poured upon us from on high, till God fhall fend his fpiritual influence to reform us, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a foreft; there fhall be good times after the Affyrians are deftroyed; the wilderness fball become fo fruitful, that what was before reckoned fruitful fhall appear like a forest in comparison of it; or it may 16 only denote a great and wonderful change. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field; righteous judgment shall be executed among the rich and poor in the city and country, in 17 the cultivated lands and in the wilderness. And the work of righteousness fhall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and affurance for ever; the increase of righteoufnefs fhall promote peace, harmony, and all good. 18 And my people fhall dwell in a peaceable habitation, 19 and in fure dwellings, and in quiet refting places; When it fhall hail, coming down on the foreft; and the city fhall be low in a low place, or, utterly abafed; there fhall be no invafion from foreign enemies, but they shall be destroyed, and their cities laid low; or it may fignify, you fhall be hel 20 tered from the ftorm. Bleffed [are] ye that fow befide all waters, and fend forth [thither] the feet of the ox and the afs; you shall go out without fear of your enemies, to cultivate your land, and enjoy great plenty as well as peace.

REFLECT.

REFLECTIONS.

OW kind is God who invites finners to return to

H. him, and promifes them protection and happi

nefs! Those perverfe people that trufted in Egypt and their own politicks, and had affronted the only wife and powerful God, were invited to return, yea, tho' they had deeply revolted. Thus does God ftill address finners, tho' their backflidings are great and aggravated, and long continued in; yet if they turn to him, he will receive and bless them. Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael?

2. See the happiness of a good prince, and a righteous government. This was defigned to encourage Hezekiah in his reforming work, to teach the people how to value and improve the bleffings which they enjoyed under him, and to give inftruction to future kings and princes. Let us blefs God that we have a king over us, who, we hope, will always rule in righteoufnefs, be a covert to the perfecuted and oppreffed, advance the worthy and virtuous, difcountenance and frown upon the wicked, and thus fecure the reputation of religion, and promote the publick peace. And let us pray that this may be more and more his character; and the bleffings here defcribed, be the bleffings of his reign.

3. It is a good fign, when men and things are called by their proper names; when vile perfons are not called liberal, or gentlemen; and churls, men of a selfish, furly difpofition, ftiled honourable. It is happy for a nation, when only good things are called by good names; when virtue and virtuous men are esteemed, and held in reputation; when men are valued, not by their rank and titles, but by their beneficence and usefulness. If difference of character was not fo wretchedly confounded as it is in our commonlanguage, and there was greater opennefs and plainness of difcourfe, it would tend greatly to the support of righteoufnefs. Let us then emulate the character of a citizen of Sion, in whofe eyes a vile perfon is contemned, and who honoureth them that fear the Lord.

4. Liberality is not the way to contempt and ruin, for

the

the liberal man devifeth liberal things, and by them hall he Atand. He contrives how he may be able to do good; he retrenches fuperfluities, and faves needlefs expenfes, not that he may hoard up wealth, but that he may do the more good. He endeavours to be as extenfively beneficent as poffible, and by his charity he shall stand; his profperity Thall be increased by the bleffing of heaven; he fhall be esteemed by men, have peace in his own mind, and obtain favour of the Lord; and he that does not think this an abundant equivalent for parting with his money, is a vile and churlish perfon.

The

5. We fee the wisdom of being religious, v. 17. pious fhall enjoy peace, undisturbed by the croffes of the world. Religious exercifes are pleafant; there is great fatisfaction in reflecting upon them, and a gracious reward awaits them, even everlasting quietnefs and affurance. These inestimable bleffings are only to be found in the way of righteousness; in that way therefore let us walk, and never turn aside from it.

6. Let us rejoice in the government of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the happiness of his faithful subjects, ch. xxxii. v. I, &c. Tho' this has a primary reference to Hezekiah, yet it has also a reference to Chrift, and the bleffings of his gofpel, as is common in the prophets. He reigns in righteoufnefs, being himself perfectly holy, and his adminiftration inflexibly juft. He is a fhelter and refreshment to his people in every ftorm. By his gofpel, knowledge, holinefs, liberality, peace, and joy are promoted and diffufed. Let us fhow, by the practice of these virtues, that we have received its influence; and earnestly pray that the fpirit may be poured forth from on high upon us, our churches, and all the world; that the wilderness may be a fruitful field, and the earth may become like the paradife of God above.

VOL. V.

T

CHAP.

CHAP. XXXIII.

This chapter has a reference to the invafion and deftruction of the Affyrians, and the happy effects of it to Ifrael.

I

W

OE to thee that spoileft, and thou [waft] not fpoiled; and dealeft treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou fhalt ceafe to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; [and] when thou fhalt make an end to deal treacherously, they fhall deal treacherously with thee; because thou hast broken the treaty of peace, and endeavoured to spoil and conquer when 2 no injury had been received. O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee; the prayer of Ifrael in their diftrefs: be thou their arm every morning, the arm of Hezekiah and his foldiers, our falvation alfo in the time 3 of trouble. At the noife of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyfelf the nations that were allied to 4 the Affyrians were scattered. And your spoil fhall be gathered [like] the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locufts fhall he run upon them; that is, the Ifraelites fhall gather the spoil, as easily as 5 locufts or caterpillers devour a field or a tree. The LORD. is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteoufnefs; he difplays his 6 power, and the effect of it shall be reformation. And wif dom and knowledge fhall be the ftability of thy times, [and] ftrength of falvation; piety and prudence hall eftablifh Hezekiah's throne: the fear of the LORD [is] his treasure; the worship of God, and promoting piety in others, fhall be a better fecurity than treasures or forces. 7 Behold, their valiant ones fhall cry without; they fall be disheartened, and think it in vain to oppofe; the ambaffadors of peace, that fhall be fent by Hezekiah to treat for peace, fhall weep bitterly, because the Affyrians will 8 be fo unreasonable, proud, and infolent. The highways lie wafte, the wayfaring man ceafeth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath defpifed the cities, he regardeth no man; Sennacherib will not stand to his agreement, he will 9 defpife the fenced cities, and have no compaffion. The

earth,