gour, and firmness of conftitution, with which he is elated? Though he be among the fons of the mighty, ftrong as the children of Anak, the weakness of God is ftronger than men; before the Almighty, he is only as a grafshopper, and is easily crushed as the moth. Is it courage and fortitude, which hath rendered him valiant, and made his heart as the heart of a lion? He who faith to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, can quickly deprive him of his courage, and render him timorous and faint-hearted, fo as to tremble at the fhaking of a leaf. Is it riches and wealth, which are reckoned a strong tower, a defence, and the finews of strength? The day of the Lord fhall blow upon them, and they fhall pais away as the flower of the field, or an eagle flying toward heaven. Is it honour and renown, that hath lift him up to the pinnacle of earthly glory? God, who overthroweth the mighty, fhall bring down all that dignity, on account of which he highly valued himself, and reduce him to the most humiliating condition.Hiftory, facred and profane, confirms the truth of this prediction, which hath been verified in numberlefs inftances. Zedekiah, king of Judah, deprived of his royal dignity, of his fons, who were flain before his eyes, and then of his eye-fight, was bound in fetters of brass, and carried to Babylon. Bajazet, the emperor of Turkey, was bound with fetters of gold, by the victorious Tamerlane, and carried along with him in his march through Afia, in an iron cage, as an object of ridicule. Henry V. emperor of Germany, was reduced to fuch poverty, that he went to the great church which he himself had built at Spires, begging the place of a chorifter, to keep him from ftarving. When the day of the Lord thus brings down the great and the lofty, let not mean men, who are proud and haughty, imagine they fhall escape; but remember, that he who humbleth the princes of the earth, will not fuffer the people to pafs unpunished. Let us then praife, and honour, and extol the the King of heaven, all whofe works are truth, and his ways judgment, and thofe that walk in pride he is able to abase 13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bafhan. In this, and the three following verfes, we have a ftriking inftance of that peculiar way of writing, frequently used by the prophets, in which they exhibit things divine, fpiritual, and moral, by images taken from things natural, artificial, and hiftorical. Cedartrees are remarkable for their great height, the almost incorruptibility and agreeable flavour of their timber: on these, and other accounts, they are called in fcripture, goodly cedars, and cedars of God. Lebanon was a mountain in Canaan, famous for its beauty, height, and fruitfulness; and had its name probably from its white appearance, occafioned by the white frankincenfe which it produced, and the fnow which continued to lie long on its fummit. By the cedars of Lebanon, in the allegorical language of prophecy, are meant the kings and princes of Judah†, who were elevated to great dignity, who feemed to be established in perpetual authority, and afforded an agreeable fhade of protection to their fubjects. The oak-tree, you know, is esteemed on account of the strength, the firmnefs, and durablenefs of its wood, and the extenfive fpread of its branches. Bashan was a very fruitful country, fituated beyond Jordan, of which Og, the giant, was once the king; and afterward it became part of the inheritance of the half tribe of Manaffeh. It was remarkable for the fertility of its foil, the excellence of its cattle, the ftateliness of its trees, and the gigantic ftature of its inhabitants. The oaks of Bafhan then, in a metapho * Dan. iv. 37. † See 2 Chron. xxv. 18. rical fenfe, denote the great and mighty kings, and princes of the highest rank, who were efteemed on account of their power and influence. 14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up. The land of Canaan, poffeffed by the people to whom Ifaiah delivered this prophecy, abounded with mountains and hills, which are repeatedly mentioned in the Bible; fuch as Hermon, Gilead, Tabor, and others. By the mountains and hills here intended, we may understand their inhabitants who poffeffed the higher and more inacceffible parts of the country, on whom divine judgments were to be executed for their fins, in the approaching awful day of the Lord, as well as on those who inhabited the lower grounds, which were more easily approached. Or rather, by the high mountains and lofty hills, are intended kingdoms, republics, states, and cities, which, like mountains, feem to be immoveably established, and elevated above others in the enjoyment of the most important advantages. The words, in their figurative fenfe, feem capable of either of these meanings; in both which they are used in other paffages of fcripture. 15 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall. There were a confiderable number of towers in the land of Ifrael and Judah. Some of them were built for the benefit of fhepherds, when looking after their flocks, and for watchmen, who were employed in keeping vineyards, that they might lodge there, and from thence have an opportunity of obferving the approach of danger. Thefe laft are called the towers of the watchmen. There were alfo high towers, in * 2 Kings xvii. 9. tended tended as a kind of citadels or fortreffes, commonly built on high grounds, for places of fafety and defence in time of war and invafion. Of this fort was the tower of Penuel, and others; and, in allufion to the comfortable retreat enjoyed in thefe, the royal poet thus fpeaks with triumph, God is my high tower." The fenced walls, next mentioned, were the walls built for defence around houfes, cities, or fortreffes, to fecure them from the inroads of enemies, and the attacks of fraud and violence. Thefe fhould prove utterly infufficient to afford shelter in the dreadful day of the Lord, when diftrefs and calamity was to be univerfal. In the metaphorical fenfe of the expreffions, we may understand them as fignifying wife counsellors, able statefmen, and military officers, who are the guardians and protectors of their country. 16 And upon all the fhips of Tarshish, and upon all the pleafant pictures. Various are the opinions of interpreters refpecting Tarfhifh, the recital of which might rather perplex than edify you; and therefore I fhall not stay to mention them, and the arguments whereby they are supported. Some learned writers have agreed, that Tarfhifh is Tarteffus, a city of Spain, fituated at the mouth of the river Betis. This place was once a most celebrated mart, or trading city, frequented anciently by the Phenicians, who conveyed from thence filver and gold, with which it then abounded. It proved one principal fource of wealth to Judea, and the neighbouring kingdoms. As the inhabitants enjoyed a very extenfive and lucrative trade, they must have had at fea many large veffels, employed in carrying various articles of commerce. In the allegorical language of prophecy, works of art and invention may here be intended; or rather, the merchants enriched by com Pfal. xviii. 2. merce, merce, and abounding with the luxuries of life. And upon all pleafant pictures. When the Lord fpake unto Mofes in the plains of Moab, he commanded him to speak thus unto the children of Ifrael; Ye 'fhall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from 'before you, and deftroy all their pictures, and deftroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places. Notwithstanding this order from Heaven, they made themfelves pleafant pictures, and images of various kinds, all of which were to fhare in the destruction of the day of the Lord. In their figurative fenfe, they may denote the beauties and elegancies which refined delicacy, and the culti vation of the different arts, had introduced; or rather, those who were most admired as perfons of taste and difcernment. The prophet, having fhewn, by an inftructive variety of figurative expreffions, that the judgments of God were to be very widely extended, even to all the proud and haughty, though they might appear in their own view, and in that of their admirers, goodly as the cedars in Lebanon, ftrong as the oaks of Bafhan, immoveable as the mountains, impregnable as high towers, encompassed with walls of defence, rich as the merchant fhips, and beautiful as the finest pictures, proceeds to declare what should be the effects of the day of the Lord.— This fubject inftructs us, that neither dignity of ftation, eminence of place, human policy or power, can afford fafety from divine judgments. Neither ftrength nor courage, horfe nor bow, forts nor treafures, can exempt men from feeling the effects of God's deferved difpleasure. Though they hide themfelves in Carmel, or in the bottom of the fea; though they dig down to hell, or climb up to heaven; though even their enemies fhew them favour; the Almighty will find them out, and punish them for their tranfgreffions. Be wife now therefore, O ye kings: * Numb. xxxiii. 52. • be |