this waste and defolate condition. In this manner the remark of the royal poet was verified in the land of Judea : The Lord turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water-fprings into dry ground: a fruitful field into barrennefs, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.-They are diminished, and brought low, through oppreffion, affliction, and for row *.' 24 With arrows and with bows fhall men come thither; because all the land thall become briers and thorns. To amplify the ruinous ftate of that once de-. lightful, fertile country, the prophet declares, that thofe who fhould make an incurfion into Judea, would be obliged to take with them implements of war, to defend themselves from the attacks of robbers and wild beafts, as well as to kill the game that might ferve them for food,- -Bows and arrows were the inftruments used by warriors and hunters in ancient times; and thus accoutred were thofe to be, who entered the land of Judah, after the above-mentioned defolating judgments were inflicted.The reafon is fubjoined in the latter part of the verfe, becaufe all the land fhall become briers and thorns. Brambles were not only to cover fome particular fpots, which had been formerly fertile and beautiful, but they were to over-run the whole land, and to cover the face of the country. What a furprifing change! Inftead of people employed with fpades, pruning-hooks, and other inftruments of hufbandry, improving the grounds, and cultivating the vines; and others, with baskets and veffels, gathering the finest grapes and olives, of which were made excellent wine and oil; they were to go armed with bows and arrows, for their protec *Pfal. cvii. 33, 34. 39- tion tion from beafts of prey, as well as for killing those which were neceffary for their fuftenance, 25 And on all hills that fhall be digged with the mattock, there fhall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it fhall be for the fending forth of oxen, and for the treading of leffer cattle. The hills and mountains with which the land of Judea abounded, were not to be exempted from the visible effects of the general defolation which reached to all other places.The high grounds, that had been improved and inclofed with much labour, and at a vaft expence, were to be laid open for pafturage to oxen and leffer cattle, which difcovered not the leaft marks of fear to break through the hedges wherewith they were fenced. It is unneceffary to enlarge upon the fubject. -Such, in fact, was the defolate ftate of Judah in the days of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, when the whole country was laid wafte by the incurfions of its enemies, after multitudes of the inhabitants were flain by the fword, others perifhed by the peftilence, and the whole land was left like an unfrequented defert. The rich grounds, which were formerly inclofed with hedges, and exceedingly fruitful, were laid open to the cattle, and over-run with briers and thorns, as we learn from 2 Kings xxv. 12. et feq.How awful and defolating are the judgments which the Almighty executes upon kingdoms and churches, who obftinately perfift in provoking him by their fins! The happinefs and profperity of empires and ftates is not perpetual, but often varies, according to their improvement or abuse of the divine goodness. Of this important truth a memorable inftance hath now been prefented to our view. Becaufe the men of Judah ferved not the Lord with joyfulnefs and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things, therefore, as Mofes foretold, they served their enemies enemies which the Lord fent against them, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakednefs, and in want of all things. The remnant that were left in the land, found themselves in a wilderness, deftitute of the comforts of life, of the temple-fervice, the instituted worfhip of God, and expofed to innumerable hardships and dangers. Would you, my friends, avoid the dreadful judgments of heaven, and enjoy continued profperity? Beware of provoking God to anger by your fins: bring forth fruit correfponding to the important advantages you enjoy, and the peculiar kindness of the Lord with which you are favoured. Remember the abuse of profperity is extremely dangerous, and hath proved the destruction of multitudes. When, therefore, thou haft eaten and art full, then thou 'fhalt bless the Lord thy God, for the good land ' which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his com'mandments, and his judgments, and his ftatutes, ' which I command thee this day: left when thou • haft eaten and art full, and haft built goodly houses, ' and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy filver and gold is multiplied, and all that thou haft is multiplied: then thine heart ⚫ be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God t.' + Deut. viii. 10. et feq. * Deut. xxviii. 47, 48. PRELIMI PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. WE come now to the fecond part of our prophet's fifth difcourfe, in which he treats of the overthrow of the kingdoms of Syria and Ephraim-the calamities to be inflicted upon the Jews by the Affy. rians-and other events which were to precede the appearance of the Meffiah, with fome of the figns and confequences of his manifeftation.He begins with mentioning a confirming fign of the certain and fudden overthrow of the kingdoms of Syria and Ephraim, which was ordered to be given by divine authority, ver. 1.-4. He next proceeds to give a prophetical representation of the future fortunes of both the kingdoms of Ifrael and Judah, in confequence of the Affyrian invafion, ver. 5.-8. He then addreffes the Ifraclites and Syrians, affuring them, that their attempts against Judah would prove unfuccefsful and fruitlefs, becaufe God was with them, ver. 9, 10. After which, he folemnly warns the people of Judah against idolatry, divination, and other forbidden practices, to which they were inclined; and directs them to the exercife of thofe affections, and to that conduct, with which they ought to fuftain the hoftile attacks of their enemies, ver. 11. to the end of the chapter. In this, as in almost all of his difcourses, the prophet connects spiritual with temporal enemies, fpiritual with temporal deliverances, fpiritual with temporal felicity, as will appear more fully afterward. He hath allegorized the former to the accomplishment of the latter; and, under the image of temporal mercies, he hath fhadowed out fpiritual bleffings. CHAP. Mo OREOVER, the LORD faid unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a mans pen, concerning Maher-fhalalhafh-baz. The prophet begins by fetting forth the divine authority by which he acted, in the affair he proceeds to defcribe. To the inftructions which the Lord for merly gave Ifaiah, he added the following: Take thee a great roll, &c.; or, according to the Bishop of London's new translation, "Take unto thee a large mir"ror." The learned tranflator fuppofes, that the Hebrew word here rendered roll, is not derived from one that fignifies, to roll, but from one fignifying, to make clear or bright by rubbing, to polish, to fhew; hence the word before us fignifies, a polifhed tablet of metal, fuch as was anciently used for a mirror, instead of the glafs ones in fafhion among us. The prophet is commanded to take a large mirror, or polished tablet, fufficient for him to engrave upon it with a graving inftrument, in deep and legible characters, as might be eafily read and understood by thofe for whofe inftruction it was intended-Maher-fhalal-hafh-baz; which being interpreted, fignifies, to haften the fpoil, to take quickly the prey. In this concife manner, he was ordered to record the fubject and fum of the prophecy, relating to the deftruction of Damafcus and Samaria by the Affyrians. The perfon who was to make hafte to the fpoil, was the king of Affyria, whom God ufed as the rod of his anger, and the ftaff of his indignation, wherewith he feverely chaftized the men of Judah. This ambitious prince, animated by the prospect of the fpoil and plunder which he expected to acquire in Judea, was to undertake an expedition against that country with the utmost dispatch and alacrity. Similar to the order which our prophet at this time re |