other times it waftes and confumes them like a moth, or fuddenly devours them by fire and fword; and, in fome inftances, they are plundered by enemies of all their effects, or fnatched away from their enjoyments by captivity and death.What an instructive warning does this administer to us, my friends, to take heed and beware of covetoufnefs, which debafes the mind, excites infatiable defires of more than we can expect to acquire, and reduces thofe who live under its influence into a much worfe condition than if they had little or nothing with contentment! Even whilft the covetous and ambitious man is adding field to field, and houfe to houfe, and hath much goods laid up for many years, he is miferable. Let your converfation then be without covetoufnefs; be content with fuch things as ye have: for he hath faid, I will 'never leave thee, nor forfake thee *.' 9 In mine ears, faid the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houfes fhall be defolate, even great and fair without inhabitant. In this, and the following verfe, the punishment of the crime mentioned in the foregoing one is defcribed.The prophet introduces the fubject, by acquainting us in what manner this information was conveyed to him. It was gently whifpered in his ear by a voice from God, to excite him to receive this inftruction with the greatest attention and care; to intimate, that the subject made known to him remained a profound fecret, of which others were ignorant; and that it might leave fuch impreffion on his heart as might never be effaced. In this manner God was pleafed, from time to time, to reveal his mind to his fervants of old, as Elihu remarks, Job. xxxiii. 14, 15, 16. Thus the Lord of hofts, wonderful in counfel, and excellent in working, gracioufly condefcended to communicate to Ifaiah the knowledge of thofe awful judg ments which he was about to inflict on his people, on account of their avarice and ambition.To give the utmost certainty to this prediction, it is delivered in the form of an oath. The fentence in the Hebrew text seems to be incomplete; and is differently rendered in our verfion, and in the margent of fome of your Bibles. The Lord of hofts is frequently introduced in feripture giving the most folemn affurances to his people of the truth of what he declares, many inftances of which might eafily be produced. I only refer you to one, which you will find in Pfal. xcv. 10, 11.: Unto a people that do err in heart, and have not known my ways, I fware in my wrath, that they fhould not enter into my reft.' And in the words before us, he affirms, Of a truth many houfes fhall be defolate, &c. Great numbers of elegant houfes, and fumptuous edifices, had been built in the land of Ifrael, at a vaft expence, and beautifully adorned by the best of tradefmen; but being built out of the poils of the poor, and the gains of oppreffion, these large convenient ftructures were ta become defolate and ruinous, without inhabitant.. The poffeffions of wicked men, however excellent, fhall certainly be defolated; their profperity, not like the permanent light of the fun, but like that of a taper, which confumes itself, fhall foon be extinguished. This is a circumftance truly worthy of our ferious attention, and practical regard. 10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard fhall yield one bath, and the feed of an homer shall yield an ephah. In the former verfe, defolation was threatened to thofe fuperb buildings, which the covetous, among the pofterity of Ifrael, had erected, to gratify their pride and ambition. In this verse, the rich fields they poffeffed are threatened to be converted into a barren and defolate country.They expected great increase from from the vineyards and fields of which they had poffeffion, or hoped to acquire; whereas God here declares, that he would blast the fruits of both, and difappoint their expectations. An acre of land contains forty poles or perches in length, and four in breadth; or two hundred and twenty yards multiplied by twenty-two, being four thoufand eight hundred and forty yards. A large vineyard, including ten of thefe acres, was to produce only one bath. The bath and the ephah were measures of the fame fize. The bath, which contained about eight or nine gallons English, was used for measuring liquids. The ephah, which was equal to half a bufhel and a pottle English, was employed in measuring corns and dry goods. Each of them held the tenth part of an homer, which was equal to fourteen bufhels and one pottle. So very great was the change to be made upon the vineyards and fields in the land of Canaan, which yielded the most luxuriant crops, and abundance of the richeft wines, that, at the period to which this prediction referred, ten acres of vineyard were to yield only the fcanty produce of nine gallons of wine, and fourteen bushels of feedcorn was to bring no more than about the tenth part of the feed fown.The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth. The judgments of God are always inflicted in perfect righteousness, and the punishment often corresponds to the fin committed. This truth Adoni-bezek was obliged to acknowledge, after his thumbs and great toes were cut off: • Threefcore and ten kings, having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, fo God hath requited me*. In every age this remark hath been verified. Whofo,' faith Solomon, ftoppeth his ears at the cry of the 'poor, he alfo fhall cry himfelf, but fhall not be heard.' Ifrael were informed by the prophet Jeremiah, whom God inftructed to fay, Like as ye have forfaken me, * Judges i. 7. • and CHAP. V. and ferved ftrange gods in your land, fo fhall ye ferve ftrangers in a land which is not yours. The perfons to whom this prophecy was directed, had. endeavoured, through avarice, to deprive their brethren of their poffeffions; and therefore God threatens to take away the fruitfulness of their fields, and to fend them fcarcity of corn and wine, on the increase of which their hearts were keenly fet.This prediction was remarkably fulfilled about the time of the Babylonifh captivity, and afterward more efpecially at the destruction of Jerufalem by the Romans. 11Wo unto them that rife up early in the morning, that they may follow ftrong drink, that continue until night, till wine inflame them. Complicated wo and mifery are next denounced against those who are addicted to intemperance and luxury, and indulge in thoughtleffnefs and inconfideration.The prophet ftrongly condemns intemperance, and excefs in fenfual pleafures, particularly in drinking. Early rifing in the morning conduces much to give health and vigour to the conftitution. Lying long in bed is an intemperance of the worst kind: it generates diseases in the body; it enervates the mind, and is attended with many bad confequences. Rifing earlyis neceffary to the difpatch of bufinefs, the morning being the best feafon for arranging our affairs, for performing moft kinds of work, and making fuch progrefs as accidents and avocations may not difturb, nor on the whole greatly retard, in the execution of our well-laid fchemes. It is of confiderable importance to the interefts of devotion. In the morning the animal fpirits are recruited, our bodies are refreshed, we are furnished with new grounds of gratitude and praise; and being then moft lively and vigorous, it becomes the moft proper feafon for prayer, and other devo * Jer. v. 19. tional exercises. The most eminent faints, therefore, of whom we read in fcripture, fuch as Abraham, Mofes, David, and others, are faid to have risen early, to feek God, whofe going forth is prepared as the morning; and to direct their prayers to him, in expecta. tion of gracious anfwers.Those who are given to intemperance, rife early for other purposes than thefe ; namely, pro That they may follow ftrong drink, &c. They are as keenly employed in gratifying their finful, infatiable appetite, as the industrious mechanic, or laborious husbandman, in following the bufineffes of their feffion. Among the intemperate, there are fome who ftill retain a fenfe of decency, and confider drunkenness as a work of darkness: when, therefore, they get drunk, as the apostle Paul says, They are drunken in the night.' There are others who come under the defcription before us, and take pleafure to riot in the day, when they ought to be employed in following their lawful bufinefs. Fond of intoxicating liquors, they rife early in the morning to engage in the pernicious practice of drinking, and are afliduous in their application to this difgraceful employment from morning to night. By this criminal indulgence, they confume much of their precious time, they abuse the good creatures of God, they enfeeble their minds, they hurt their conftitution, they injure their temporal as well as fpiritual interefts, and expofe themfelves to the righteous judgments of Heaven. If you inquire with Solomon, Who hath wo? who hath forrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without caufe? who hath rednefs of eyes?' I return you his anfwer: They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to feek mixt wine.Take heed then to yourfelves, brethren, left at any time your hearts be over-charged with furfeiting and drunkennefs. Such is the divine Prov. xxiii. 29, 30. bounty, |