intimates, that they were refolved to use stronger and better materials in building their houses than formerly they had done. The walls, the roofs, and the finishing of the buildings they were hereafter to erect, fhould be composed of the best stone, and of the ftrongest and most durable timber. In this manner they explicitly declared their fecret unbelief and open contempt of the divine threatenings, according to which they were foon to be deftroyed by their enemies. This circumftance rendered their language, which in itself was inoffenfive, highly criminal, and exposed them to the fevere judgments denounced in the two following verfes.Thus warned, let us not flatter ourselves that we fhall escape threatened calamities, if we proudly and obftinately perfift in making light of the inftructions we receive from God, and act in direct contrariety to the admonitions that are given us.

II Therefore the LORD fhall fet up the adverfaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together.

12 The Syrians before, and the Philiftines behind, and they fhall devour Ifrael with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is ftretched out ftill.

In these verses the judgments are foretold that God was about to inflict upon Ifrael for the fin above de fcribed. A treaty of alliance now fubfifted between Ephraim and Syria, upon which the confident expectation of the former was chiefly placed. The Go vernor among the nations, however, admoniínes that people, that the very alliance with which they were fo highly pleafed fhould become the mean of their deftruction. The adverfaries of Rezin, king of Syria, whom the Lord was to ftir up against him, were doubtlefs the Affyrians, who afterward fmote Sama

ria, the chief city of Syria, carried the people away captive, and rendered that kingdom a province of their empire. Thus Affyria, Syria, and the other enemies of Ifrael, were to be united; and having joined their forces and arms, they were to attack Ephraim on different quarters.- -The event here foretold presents to our view a striking inftance of the vanity of human confidence, and the certainty of divine vengeance. Sinners may entertain delufive hopes of fafety from an arm of flefh, but God will fruftrate their expectations, and make them feel, that curfed is the man that trufteth in man, and whofe heart departeth from the Lord. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the fon of man, in whom there is no help. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whofe hope is in the Lord his • God *.'

The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind, and they fhall devour Ifrael with open mouth. The Syrians, with whom the Ephraimites had been confederate, were to invade and affault them before, i. e. on the east; whilst the Philistines, the ancient, inveterate enemies of Ifrael, were to attack them at the fame time behind, i. e. on the weft fide. The hoftile exertions of these nations were not to prove unfuccefsful: their armies, marching from oppofite quarters, with uninterrupted good fortune, fhould at last join and mingle together in the land which they meant to conquer. The confequences fhould be, as here predicted by our prophet, They fhall devour Ifrael with open mouth. The expreffion feems to allude to wild beafts, who greedily fall upon their prey, and voraciously devour it in the manner here mentioned. Like them the enemies of Ifrael were cruel, and fond of rapine: they were licentious and lewd, violent and impetuous, oppreflive and tyrannical in their treatment of thofe who fell into their power. They were, in fome

* Pfal. cxlvi. 3. 5.

refpects,

refpects, to refemble the nation of whom the prophet Joel thus fpeaks: A nation is come up upon my land, ftrong and without number, whofe teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek-teeth of a great lion. Fierce and rapacious in their nature, they were to exercise the most wanton and favage cruelty upon those who became their prey. Thus was the people of Ephraim to be punished for their pride and obduracy. Accordingly after Tiglath-pilezer had vanquished Syria, and incorporated the Syrians into his army, he invaded the kingdom of the ten tribes, and carried away the people captive to Affyria and Media f. It is very probable that about the fame time the Philiftines discovered their old hatred of Ifrael, by taking advantage of the diftreffes in which they were involved, invading and haraffing them to the utmost of their power.Whofoever exalteth himfelf fhall be abafed. This is one of the fundamental maxims laid down by Jefus Chrift, according to which he acts in the government of the world, and of the truth of which he presents to view a remarkable instance in this prediction. The proud and infolent language and conduct of Ephraim brought upon them the defolation here foretold, which loudly calls on us to beware of pride, which is one of the certain prefages of deftruction.

For all this bis anger is not turned away, but his hand is ftretched out still. These words occurred in Chap. v. 25. and are three times repeated in this chapter, to fhew that the displeasure of God against Ephraim was not to be averted by the execution of the judgments predicted, provided their repentance and reformation did not interpofe to prevent farther and greater calamities. The wrath of the Almighty was not yet pacified: the juftice of God was not yet fatisfied the enormous crimes of that stubborn people were not fully compenfated by the foretold diftreffes See 2 Kings xvi. 7.

* Joel i. 6.

and

and miferies, which were to be followed by others that were greater and more formidable.

13 For the people turneth not unto him that fmiteth them, neither do they feek the LORD of hofts.

Infenfibility and impenitence is another crime with which the Ephraimites are here charged. The omnifcient God clearly forefaw, that notwithstanding the above-mentioned calamities were to be inflicted, and his hand fhould evidently appear ftill to be extended to chastize them with more fevere judgments, they would not be attended with proper effects. He, therefore, informs them, by his fervant the prophet, what would be the certain confequences of their depravity and incorrigible difpofition.The God and Father of his people is here spoken of under the defcription of him that fmiteth. Though perfectly good, and taking no pleasure in thofe evils with which he fees neceflary to vifit the human race, yet for wife and falutary purposes he afflicts them. The manner in which he proceeds to this ftrange work, as our prophet afterward calls it, difplays his benignity, his tender compaffion, and long-fuffering. He begins by admonishing of the danger of tranfgreffion, which, if not abandoned, leads on to irretrievable ruin. If his inftructions are attended to, and produce their proper effects, the end he hath in view being anfwered, he proceeds no farther in the character of reprover. If, however, his counfels are rejected, and his people continue to go on in their treípaffes, he remonstrates against their ingratitude, their folly, and wickedness, and alarms them with awful threatenings. Should these prove ineffectual, he corrects them with equity and judgment; and if lighter chaftifements are de fpifed, he more grievoufly afflicts with greater calamities, and thus acts in the character of him that fmiteth. In the whole of this procedure, his defign is not to injure, but to do good to his people; not to destroy

destroy them, but their fins; not to withdraw from them, but to draw them nearer to himself; not to confume them, but to preserve them from utter ruin. In fmiting Ephraim, he reminded them of the just defert of fin, whereby they had wickedly departed from him; and inculcated upon them the indifpenfable neceflity of repentance, and an immediate return to him from whom they had deeply revolted.—Such being the gracious intention of God in afflicting that people, he justly expected they would have turned unto him, and fought the Lord of hofts. What an obftinate, perverfe people must they have been, who, instead of turning to the Lord, and feeking him early, in the time of their distress, held faft their iniquities, and refused to let them go? Strongly attached to their vices, hardened through prejudices, vitiated by corrupt affections, deluded by falfe prophets, and accustomed to wicked practices, in which they were confirmed by commerce with neighbouring nations, they had become proof against the rebukes and chaftifements of divine providence.Inftructed as to the danger of defpifing the chaftening of the Lord, remember, when you are fmitten, speedily to return unto him who waiteth to be gracious, and early to feek him who allows none to feek him in vain. In all the afflictive difpenfations with which you may be vifited, feek the Lord. Acknowledge, with humility and meeknefs, the weight of the burden he hath laid upon you earnestly requeft him to fhew you wherefore he contendeth with you, to ftrengthen you to bear your distress with patience and fubmiffion, to remove his ftroke from you in good time, and to grant you to be rightly exercifed under your afflictions, that they may yield those peaceable fruits of righteousnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift to the praise and glory of God.

14 Therefore the LORD will cut off from Ifrael head and tail, branch and rush in one day..