under the rebukes of providence, and duting the delay of mercies. What-awful woes are denounced against those who strive with God! who impeach the wisdom and equity of his providence, and fret against him! And this is certainly very abfurd and impious; for he is a Being of almighty power, whofe counsel fhall ftand, and who will do all his pleasure. It is as abfurd, as for the clay to quarrel with the potter; and as indecent and wicked, as for a child to find fault with his parents, because he was not begotten an angel, or of fuch a particular complection or ftature. Let us guard againft this difpofition, efpecially in feasons of affliction; remembering, that God is infinitely above us; that he makes light and darkness, good and evil, and has fet one over against the other. Tho' he may fometimes feem to hide himself, yet he is the God of Ifrael, and the Saviour. Let his Ifrael therefore hope in the Lord, from this time forth and for ever.

3. The hint: that is given in v. 18, fhould raise our ideas of the grandeur of God's works, and of the number of his rational creatures. He created not the earth in vain he formed it to be inhabited; intimating, that, if it were not inhabited it would have been created in vain. And from hence we may fairly argue, that the other planets are inhabited by rational creatures as well as ours; tho' we know nothing of their particular rank and nature. This appears to be a juft, noble, and delightful thought; and gives us a high idea of the greatnefs, magnificence, and goodness of God. It may be part of the delightful employment of good men, when they leave this earth, to travel from world to world, to learn more of God's works and creatures, that they may for ever love and adore him.

4. Let us rejoice that in the Lord we have righteousness and Strength, and look to him for them. In and thro' the Lord Chrift we christians have them; we Britons, from the ends of the earth are invited to look unto Christ, and be saved; to look with an eye of faith and love, and humble confidence. In him we have righteousness for the pardon of our fins, and the acceptance of our fervices; ftrength to overcome temptations and to bear afflictions. In him we may be justified acquitted from guilt and condemnation; and

in him we ought to glory; to triumph in our relation to him, and our intereft in him. To him thefore let our knees bow, and our fouls fubmit; and let the life we live in the flesh be by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and himself for us.

gave

CHA P. XLVI, XLVII.

Left the Ifraelites fhould be led to worship the idols of Babylon, or fear their power, God here fhows their vanity, and foretells that they should be carried captives.

I EL boweth down, Nebo ftoopeth, the favourite

Brods of Babylon, their idols were upon the beafts,

and upon the cattle: your carriages [were] heavy load2 en; [they are] a burden to the weary [beaft.] They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity; thefe gods fhall be led away, and, fo far from delivering their worshippers, fhall be a grievous weight to the weary beafts 3 that carry them. Hearken unto me, O houfe of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Ifrael, which are borne [by me] from the belly, which are carried from 4 the womb: And [even] to [your] old age I [am] he; and [even] to hoar hairs will I carry [you] I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver [you;] I formed you into a ftate, brought you out of Egypt, and protected you; and I will take the fame care of 5 you ftill. To whom will ye liken me, and make [me] 6 equal, and compare me, that we may be like? They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh filver in the balance, [and] hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a 7 god: they fall down, yea, they worship. They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and fet him in his place, and he ftandeth; from his place shall he not remove yea, [one] fhall cry unto him, yet can he not VOL. V. answer,

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Bel fignifies lord, and Nebo prophet; they were deified men, and the names of their princes were formed out of them, as Bel-fhazzar, and Nebó-chadnezzar, &c.

8 anfwer, nor fave him out of his trouble." Remember this, and how yourfelves men: bring [it] again to mind, O ye tranfgreffors, who have been guilty of idolatry. 9 Remember the former things of old, what I have done for your nation formerly: for I [am] God, and [there is] none elfe; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, foretelling the moft cafual events, and from antient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, faying, My counfel fhall ftand, and I will do all my pleasure; fome have been accomplished, and others fhall be fo, particularly your deliverance by Cyrus: 11 Calling a ravenous bird, or, as it should be tranflated, an eagle, from the eaft, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country, that is, Cyrus; who had an eagle for his enfign; yea, I have spoken [it,] I will alfo bring it to pafs; I have purpofed [it,] I will alfo do it. 12 Hearken unto me, ye ftout hearted, that [are] far from

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righteoufnefs, or deliverance; namely, the stubborn jews, 13 who thought that God would not deliver them: I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my falvation fhall not tarry: and I will place falvation in Zion for Ifrael my glory; or, as it may be better rendered, I will give falvation to Sion, and my glory to Ifrael; I will prove the truth of my promifes, and Sion fhall still be faved.

I

CHAP. XLVII. Come down, and fit in the duft, O virgin daughter of Babylon, fit on the ground; She fhall fit on the bare ground, be reduced to the most abject ftate: [there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans for thou shalt no more be called tender and deli

2 cate.

Take the milftones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pafs over the rivers; you, that is, the Babylonians, fhall be made flaves, fhall labour at the most toilfome work, be ・forced to fly, and wade thro' rivers; all of which must be very mortifying to thofe who used to ride in ftate, and live

delicately.

God often reminds them of the inability of idols, because they were in great danger of idolatry.

* Cyrop. vii. fub. init.

Babylon had never been taken, and therefore is called a virgin.

3 delicately. Thy nakedness fhall be uncovered, yea, thy fhame fhall be feen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet [thee as] a man, whom thou mayeft fly from, or 4 refift. As for] our redeemer, the LORD of hosts [is] his name, the Holy One of Ifrael; he will speak comfort to Ifrael, and terror to the Chaldeans. A chorus of the jews, in which they break out in the midst of the prophecy to praise 5 God. Sit thou filent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms; the largest and most 6 powerful empire. I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst fhow them no mercy; upon the antient, or aged, haft thou very heavily laid thy yoke." 7 And thou faidft, I fhall be a lady for ever: [fo] that thou didst not lay thefe [things] to thy heart, that is, the injuries done to my people, neither didft remember the latter end of it; the inftability of human affairs, and the 8 confequences of pride and felf-confidence. Therefore hear now this, thou [that art] given to pleasures, that dwelleft carelessly, that fayeft in thine heart, I [am,] and none else besides me; I fhall not fit [as] a widow, neither fhall I know the lofs of children; 1 am fupreme in 9 power and dominion, and fear no danger: But these two [things] fhall come to thee in a moment in one day, the lofs of children, and widowhood: they fhall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy forceries, [and] for the great abundance of thine enchant10 ments. For thou haft trufted in thy wickedness: thou haft faid, None feeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou haft faid in thine heart, I [am,] and none elfe befides me; thou thoughteft thy policy fo deep that it could not be defeated. II Therefore

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* Or, I will suffer a man to intercede for thee. LoWTH. a This prediction is the more remarkable, as there was no difference at prefent between Judah and Babylon; they had fent compliments to Hezekiah, which had the appearance of friendship, yet they are here fpoken of as their most barbarous enemies. When Babylon was befieged by Darius, they were so resolute in holding out, that they deftroyed all their wives and children in one day, to cut off all unneceffary mouths. PRID. Con. vol. i, P. 188.

II Therefore fhall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it rifeth: and mifchief fhall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and defolation fhall come upon thee fuddenly, [which] thou shalt not know; which thou shalt neither be aware of, nor know how to remedy; and fo it was, for Cyrus took Babylon at 12 midnight, in the midst of their mirth and fecurity. Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy forceries, wherein thou haft laboured from thy youth; if fo be thou shalt be able to profit, if fo be thou 13 mayeft prevail, to divert thy calamities. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counfels. Let now the aftrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognofticators, whe pretend to foretell future events by the stars and afpects of heaven, ftand up, and fave thee from [these things] that 14 fhall come upon thee. Behold, they fhall be as stubble, the fire fhall burn them; they fhall not deliver themfelves from the power of the flame: [there fhall] not [be] a coal to warm at, [nor] fire to fit before it; they fhall be utterly destroyed, like whole magazines of coal burnt at once, which must give a great heat, but destroy the winter 15 ftores. Thus fhall they be unto thee with whom thou haft laboured, [even] thy merchants; from thy youth, thy negociators and aftrologers, and all that contributed to thy wealth and grandeur: they fhall wander every one to his quarter, turn to his own business; none fhall fave thee.

T

REFLECTION S.

HE promise to Ifrael, in v. 4. affords abundant comfort to every aged chriftian, that God will be the fame God to them as ever; will bear, and carry, and deliver them, amidst all their dangers and infirmities. He who made them, and has been the guide of their youth, will be the fupport of their old age! It becomes them therefore to thank God, and take courage.

2. Men never act like rational creatures till they renounce their fins, and become the fervants of God, v. 8. It is defirable that men should act as men; use their rational powers aright, and employ them upon their proper objects.