4 idolaters. Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, [and] draw out the tongue? ridiculing God's fervants, especially his prophets; making wry mouths, and hanging out your tongues to infult them: [are] ye not children of tranfgreffion, a feed of 5 falfehood, or, a falfe feed? Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, flaying the children in 6 the valleys under the clifts of the rocks? Among the fmooth [ftones] of the stream [is] thy portion; they, they [are] thy lot: even to them haft thou poured a drink offering, thou haft offered a meat offering; you have erected pillars to idols, and put them up in groves and by rivers, being quite given up to fuperftition and idolatry. Should I receive comfort in these? in fuch a people, and 7 from fuch fervices as thefe? Upon a lofty and high mountain haft thou fet thy bed; thou haft built thy temples and altars for idols upon high places: even thither wenteft 8 thou up to offer facrifice. Behind the doors also and the pofts haft thou fet up thy remembrance, thy domeftick idols: for thou haft difcovered [thyself to another] than me, and art gone up; that is, leaving me, thou art gone up into an adulterous bed; thou haft enlarged thy bed, and made thee [a covenant] with them; thou lovedft their bed where thou faweft it; thou haft multiplied thine idols and altars, and taken pattern by the idols of 9 others. And thou wenteft to the king with ointment, and didft increase thy perfumes, and didft fend thy meffengers far off, and didst debase [thyself even] unto hell; thou haft fent prefents to the kings of Affyria and 10 Egypt, in the most mean and abject manner. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; [yet] faidft thou not, There is no hope; courting one ally after another, yet wilt not own that it is in vain: thou haft found the life of thine hand; therefore thou waft not grieved; thou haft found out a way of preferving thy life for the prefent, and therefore haft refted in that, without confidering II that it will be upon the whole ruinous to thee. And of whom haft thou been afraid or feared, that thou haft lied, and haft not remembered me, nor laid [it] to thy heart? why haft thou been afraid of injury from idols and idolatrous idolatrous kings, and proved falfe to me? have not I held my peace even of old, forbearing to punish, and treating thee with the utmost tenderness, and thou fearest me not? 12 but haft fhamefully abufed my patience and goodness. I will declare thy righteoufnefs, and thy works; make it evidently appear, by my righteous judgments upon thee, that they are very different from thy own conceit of them: for they 13 fhall not profit thee, but prove thy ruin. When thou crieft, let thy companies, thy idols or allies, deliver thee; but the wind fhall carry them all away; vanity fhall take [them:] but he that putteth his truft in me fhall poffefs the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain; he shall continue in the land, or return from captivity; 14 And fhall fay, Caft ye up, caft ye up, prepare the way, take up the ftumbling block out of the way of my people; all impediments fhall be removed, and a way be 15 made for their fafe and honourable return. For thus faith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place,] with him alfo [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones; to afford them fupport and 16 comfort in all their difficulties and afflictions. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the fouls [which] I have made, left they should grow impatient, and their affliction fhould become infupportable, and I should only destroy 17 my creatures. For the iniquity of his covetoufnefs was I wroth, and fmote him; I hid me, and was wroth, 18 and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.' I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him alfo, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners; that is, to those who mourn for fin and the defolations of 19 their land, which were the effects of it. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to [him that is] far off, and [to him that is] near, faith the LORD; and I will heal him; I will give occafion for joy and praife to the pious jews • Covetoufnefs was a prevailing fin in Ifrael, therefore they were afflicted, but grew worse rather than better by the correction. Yet God would have compaffion upon them, out of regard to the few good men that were among them. 20 jews in every place, and heal all their grievances. But the wicked [are] like the troubled fea, when it cannot reft, whofe waters caft up mire and dirt; their guilty conScience fhall be a conftant fource of uneafinefs, like the troubled fea, which can never reft, and which, tho' it may fometimes appear clear on the furface, hath a thick fediment at the bottom, which is worked up when storms and tempests 21 arife, and is all filth and confufion. [There is] no peace, faith my God, to the wicked; whatever external profperity they enjoy, and tho' they may partake ever fo largely of the temporal bleffings of my people. 1. IT REFLECTION S. Tis difpleafing to God when the death of his fervants is not laid to heart. They muft die as well as others; fometimes he takes away many of them nearly together; and it is a bad omen to the publick, a fign of God's difpleasure, and that judgments are coming. The lofs is very great to the publick, as well as to their families. Not to lament it, and take warning by it, fhows that men are infenfible of the importance of religion, and unconcerned about it; that they are deftitute of zeal for the glory of God, and the intereft of the church. When God is exercifing us with fuch fcenes, let us be humble under his mighty hand; lament the publick lofs; be more zealous to make it up; and earnestly pray, Help, Lord, for the godly man ceafeth. 2. When finners contemn God, when they despise his laws, affront his meffengers, or neglect his inftitutions, they forget what a great and awful Being he is; that he is poffeffed of almighty power and inflexible juftice; they think him altogether fuch a one as themselves. But they will find, that the Lord, whom they provoke to anger, is ftronger than they; and that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 3. There is great reafon to lament the obftinacy of finners in an evil way. The conduct of thefe idolaters is very like the conduct of wicked men in general. They follow after happiness in this or the other creature enjoy ment; ment; are wearied in the greatness of their way; are always disappointed, yet will not give out, they will try fome other. They take unwearied pains to gratify their lufts; and, because it gives them fome prefent pleasure, they never think of the confequence, and that in the mean time they are dishonouring their rational natures, and debafing themselves even to hell. They had rather displease God than man, and be expofed to his vengeance, than receive and improve his mercies. But when trouble and death come upon them, it will be in vain to cry to their companions, all will end in disappointment, anguifh, and despair. 4. Let us adore the condefcenfion of God, in his regard to humble and contrite fouls. What a noble defcription is here of God! as the eternal Being, who only hath immortality; who is infinitely holy, and exalted above all creatures, and dwells in the glorious heavens. Yet he refpects and loves the lowly; vifits them with his comforts and his favour; condefcends to their weaknesses, mitigates their afflictions, and gives fupport under them. He will not contend for ever, for he knoweth their frame, he remembereth that they are but duft. Let us then cherish that, humble and contrite fpirit, which God will not despise. 5. The ftate of the wicked is a very deplorable one, and what we should all moft carefully avoid. The wicked jews, whether in Babylon or Jerufalem, are affured that they fhould have no comfort; and the cafe is the fame now with all the wicked. There is a principle of uneafinefs and mifery within; a guilty confcience, turbulent paffions, and fears of future wrath. They are often full of terror amidst their greatest mirth and gaiety; and efpecially in times of affliction, and in the near views of death. May we then be folicitous to be in a state of peace with God and our own consciences. To repent, and return to him, is the way to obtain it. Let us mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; his confcience is easy, his hopes are lively, and his end will be peace. CHAP. CHAP. LVIII. This elegant chapter contains a fevere reproof of the jews on account of their vices, and particularly of their hypocrify in their fafts and ceremonial obfervances. It clearly points out their duty, and gives large promifes of happiness and profperity. I CRY aloud, O my prophet, fpare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and fhow my people their tranfgreffion, and the houfe of Jacob their fins, ef2 pecially in their religious worship. Yet they feek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteoufnefs, and forfook not the ordinance of their God: they afk of me the ordinances of justice; are defirous of knowing their duty; they take delight in approaching to God; in coming to my temple and prefent3 ing their facrifices. Wherefore have we fafted, and performed all other parts of external worship, [fay they,] and thou feeft not? [wherefore] have we afflicted our foul, and thou takeft no knowledge? Behold, the reafon is, in the day of your faft ye find pleasure, and exact all your labour; you find wherewith to please 4 yourselves, and yet are rigorous in burdening others. Behold, ye faft for ftrife and debate, and to fmite with the fift of wickedness, that is, with a wicked fift, handling the poor with feverity: ye fhall not faft as [ye do this] day, if ye would have God hear your prayers, and answer them from heaven, to make your voice to be heard on high, either in clamorous devotions, or in quarrels one with 5 another. Is it fuch a fast that I have chofen? that I will approve and accept of? a day for a man to afflict his foul, to mortify himself by external abftinence, [is it] to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread fackcloth and ashes [under him?] wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? canst thou believe 6 it will be fo? [Is] not this the faft that I have chofen ? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppreffed go free, and that ye break every yoke? that is, cancel thofe obligations which have been extorted in an unjust manner, and loosen thofe in Some |