move us; remembering and owning that the Lord is righteous, and that he has wife and holy ends in permitting it. While clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgment have their habitation in his throne. Let us endeavour to have our hearts right with him; then we may be fure that every thing will go right with us, and all things work together for our good.

2. Instead of finking under present troubles, it is good to expect and prepare for future and greater. Such we must expect; and it is needful to habituate our minds to patience and fubmiffion. Let us not raife our expectations too high from any thing to be enjoyed upon earth; but remember, that this is a state of trouble, because a state of trial; that changes and death are before us; and that future afflictions will be lighter, in proportion to the pains we take, under prefent evils, to poffefs our fouls in patience.

3. See what is neceffary in order to our being owned as God's people, viz. that we diligently learn their ways; the ways of fobriety, righteousness, and godlinefs. These are to be learned by obferving their walk, efpecially by ftudying the word of God: and this requires great diligence, because it is a way contrary to the bent of corrupt nature and the course of this world. Let it be our care to walk in the way of good men: then shall we be built up in holiness and comfort with them, and at length share their everlasting joys.

CHA P. XIII.

This chapter contains an entire prophecy. Under the fymbol of a linen girdle, left to rot near Euphrates, it foretells the manner in which the glory of the jews shall be marred during their long captivity in Chaldea.

TH

and

HUS faith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, put it not in water; do not wash it, let it be foiled; 2 to intimate how the jews had defiled themselves. So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put 3 [it] on my loins. And the word of the LORD came Ff4

unto

4 unto me the second time, faying, Take the girdle that thou haft got, which [is] upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. So 5 I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD COMmanded me. And it came to pafs after many days, 6 that the LORD faid unto me, Arife, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. Then I went to Euphrates, and 7 digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing. All this was tranfatted in a vifion, the more strongly to impress the mind of the prophet and the 8 people. Then the word of the LORD came unto me, 9 faying, Thus faith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerufalem; they shall be carried captive beyond Euphrates, and all their finery fhall be defaced; thus will I bring down the 10 pride of the countrymen and the citizens. This evil people, which refufe to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to ferve them, and to worship them, fhall even be as I this girdle, which is good for nothing. For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, fo have I caused to cleave unto me the whole houfe of Ifrael and the whole houfe of Judah, faith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear; they have been my peculiar people, have entered into covenant with me; they have been honoured with my name, and a Special relation to me, that I might be glorified by their showing forth my truth and praise to the world: but by their wickedness they are no more a glory to me, than a rotten, dirty girdle is to him that weareth it.

12

Therefore thou fhalt speak unto them this word; Thus faith the LORD God of Ifrael, Every bottle fhall be filled with wine, (probably a common proverb) and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle fhall be filled with wine? they will make a jeft of it, faying, Who does not know this? But the prophet is ordered to give them a terrible explanation of it. 13 Then

13 Then fhalt thou fay unto them, Thus faith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that fit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerufalem, with drunkenness; I will turn them all to confusion, and 4 put them to their wits end. And I will dafh them one against another like bottles, even the fathers and the fons together, faith the LORD: I will not pity, nor fpare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

15

Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud, fo as to defpife 16 what is faid to you: for the LORD hath spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God, by confeffion, humiliation, and returning to him, before he cause darkness, that is, trouble and great affliction, and before your feet ftumble upon the dark mountains, when flying over the mountains by night from the fword of the Chaldeans, and, while ye look for light, and wish for the morning, he turn it into the shadow of death, [and] make [it] grofs darkness. 17 But if ye will not hear it, my foul fhall weep in fecret places for [your] pride; and mine eye shall weep fore, and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away captive, for that will be the end of your pride 18 and obftinacy. Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, fit down as mourners: for your principalities fhall come down, [even] the crown of your glory; or, he will caufe to fall from your heads the diadem of your glory: probably referring to Jehoiakim and his mother, (2 Kings xxiv. 12.) who were carried captive 19 by the king of Babylon. The cities of the fouth fhall be fhut up, and none fhall open [them] Judah fhall be carried away captive all of it, it fhall be wholly carried away captive; all the cities fhall be befieged or forfaken. 20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north, that is, the Chaldeans, (this is addressed to the king and governors :) where [is] the flock [that] was given thee to take care of, thy beautiful flock, which thou haft neglected? what is become of them? to what state are 21 they reduced? What wilt thou fay when he, that is, God, fhall punish thee? for thou haft taught them [to be] captains, [and] as chief over thee; thy regard to thy

neighbours,

neighbours fhall be thy ruin: fhall not forrows take thee, 22 as a woman in travail? And if thou fay in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy fkirts difcovered, [and] thy heels made bare; for this thou art carried away captive, stripped of thy upper garments, and barefoot. 23 Can the Ethiopian change his fkin, or the leopard his fpots? [then] may ye alfo do good, that are accuftomed to do evil; fo accustomed to it, that it is almoft im24 poffible to reclaim you, there is no profpect of it. Therefore will I fcatter them as the ftubble that paffeth away by 25 the wind of the wilderness. This [is] thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, faith the LORD; because thou haft forgotten me, and trufted in falfehood; in allies that deceived thee, and disappointed thy 26 prefumptuous hopes. Therefore will I difcover thy fkirts upon thy face, that thy fhame may appear; an allusion to the way of punishing lewd women, by publickly expofing 27 them. I have feen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, [and] thine abominations on the hills in the fields; I have feen thy idolatry, which is fpiritual lewdness. Woe unto thee, O Jerufalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when [fhall it] once [be?] I will yet wait a while to see what effect these threatenings and expoftulations will have upon thee.

I.

WE

REFLECTION S.

He

E here see how much God is displeased with pride, whatever it be that we are proud of: and especially with those who think themselves too wife and good to be taught. God takes notice of the degrees of pride in the heart, tho' it do not appear to men. obferves the pride of the countrymen, and the greater pride of the citizens. Thofe who live in populous, wealthy places, are more apt to be proud of their fine houses, furniture, and entertainments, than thofe who live in the country. But it is a fin that easily befets all; and is ticularly abominable in God's profeffing people.

par

He has

many

many ways of marring it and bringing it down. Let us therefore examine our own hearts, guard against selfconceit, and earnestly pray that we may be clothed with humility.

2. The profpect of approaching evils fhould lead us to humiliation and amendment of what is amifs, v. 16. Pride makes men fecure and confident; but darkness is before them. Our afflictions, disappointments, and days of darknefs may be many at leaft death is before us; and on thefe dark mountains our feet may ftumble. To prevent this, let us give glory to God by confeffion and reformation, and living near to him. It becomes the greateft perfons to do this, even kings and queens; elfe all their glory and luftre will end in everlasting darkness; while the humble and pious fhall be exalted, and partake of the inheritance of the faints in light.

3. How tenderly ought God's people, and especially his minifters, to be affected with the obftinacy and impenitence of others, v. 17. It fhould grieve us to behold tranfgreffors, especially those who have enjoyed many and great religious advantages. Minifters, when they see their labours unfuccefsful, often weep in fecret, and pour out their prayers and tears to God on this account. But God bottles their tears; and woe be to those whose pride and obftinacy have occafioned them,

4. Let our minds be impreffed with the great difficulty of conquering bad habits. It is a thing next to impoffible. Hardly any principles of religion, any motives, either of fear or fhame, will work upon those who are accustomed to do evil. Fact and experience prove this. Let us be thankful if thro' the pious care of parents, and divine grace, we have never contracted them. Young people should above all things guard against them; and parents watch over their children to prevent them. Nothing is impoffible to divine grace and power. Let those therefore who are under the power of them, earneftly ftrive and pray against them, and do it without delay, left the difeafe fhould become incurable.

CHAP.