fcribing and practising thefe and the like enormous fins, they clearly fhewed, that they were deftitute of the fear of God, that they had no regard to righteousness, and were indifferent to the divine difpleafure which they had awakened. The commiffion of fuch crimes is truly grievous; but the writing and prefcribing of them, by which they acquired a kind of fanction from abused authority, is indeed grievoufnefs itself.- Against perfons guilty of fuch flagrant acts of wickedness, wo, or complicated misery, is denounced. Those who enact unrighteous decrees, and require what is truly oppreffive and grievous, however elevated their ftation, and fanguine their hopes of impunity, fhall affuredly know, that he who loveth righteoufnefs, and hateth iniquity, will recompense them according to their works.

-What

the apostle Paul faith with refpect to fome other fins, I fay to you in reference to thofe now mentioned, • Let them not be once named among you, as be• cometh faints *.'

2 To turn afide the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherlefs.

The wicked defign of these unrighteous decrees is. particularly specified in this verfe.The poor and. needy of God's people were maltreated by thofe who ought to have vindicated and fupported them. Among perfons of this defcription, there are fome who are fo very poor, that they have nothing to lofe, and fo very needy, that they have hardly any thing of which injuftice can lay hold. They have neither bread to eat, nor raiment to put on. There are others who have fome little property, and who enjoy fo much as ferves merely to preferve them from abject poverty,

and to fupply prefent urgent neceffities. Both thefe conditions give rife oft-times to folicitude and dejection; and, therefore, people of this fort fhould be the objects of fympathy and compaffion to thofe who are in any measure able to affift and relieve them. They are weak and helpless, and often with great difficulty procure affiftance in the extremity of their need; and, therefore, they are described as those who have no

help *.' On this account, among others, God, who is gracious, hath recommended them to the care and patronage of those who are in opulence and power, whilst he hath taken them in a special manner into his own protection, and engaged himfelf to be their defence. The poor, of the last mentioned clafs, feem here to be chiefly intended, whom thofe invested with authority among the Ephraimites, are faid to turn afide from judgment, and to take away the right. Both expreffions feem to be of the fame import, the one ferving to illuftrate and explain the other. The judgment which was perverted, confifted of the right which, according to the rule of equity, those that were in indigent circumftances had acquired to their poffeffions, in which they juftly expected they fhould have been protected by thofe in fuperior station. This judgment, however, was turned afide from its proper channel: its courfe was retarded or ftopped; and thus the poor were either deprived of their right, or the determination of the causes wherein they were concerned were unneceffarily delayed, which is fometimes no lefs a hardfhip than unjust decifions. This is indeed a very great and aggravated crime. To turn afide the rich from judgment, and to take away the right of those who are in affluence, is a fin of very confiderable magnitude; but to act in this manner toward the poor, is ftill a greater tranfgreffion. To deprive of judgment and right those to whom we are obliged not

Pfal. lxxii. 12.

only

only to do justice, but to give liberally for their fupport; to refufe to do juftice to thofe to whom we are commanded to be charitable, to take away from him who is in want, to trample upon the rights of those who with difficulty can obtain redrefs, and to injure those who are unable to refift, yea, perhaps, dare not complain, must be the most complicated wickednefs: efpecially if we confider, that by taking away the right of the poor, God himfelf is deprived of the grateful homage and praife which is due to him by people of this defcription, for the feasonable affistance they receive, by the faithful performance of the promises which are the ground of their hope and truft.

That widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherlefs. The widow and the fatherlefs are commonly the most friendless and helplefs clafs of mankind, and being moft expofed to injuries and oppreffion, their interefts, with thofe of the poor and needy, ought to be patronised and fupported by perfons in authority. How odious and enormous the crime of the rulers of Ephraim, who acted toward the widows as the rapacious beafts of the field toward thofe that are weak and defencelefs, feizing upon them, and greedily devouring them as their prey, feafting upon their fpoils, rejoicing in their mifery, making themfelves merry with their forrow, and rich with their property!And that they may rob the fatherless, by violently depriving them of their juft rights, whom they ought carefully to have protected in the enjoyment of them. How daring is this iniquity, impudently committed in open defiance of thefe and fimilar divine prohibitions! Enter not into the fields of the fatherlefs.' Enter them not in a forcible manner, to take from them with violence that which is their right and property. Do you inquire, Is it more dangerous to enter their fields than the fields of other perfons? By this order the leaft permiffion is not given to injure the grounds of any

perfon

perfon whatever; but a fpecial caution is adminiftered, to beware of hurting those whom God hath engaged to relieve and protect. The reason is fubjoined in these words: For their Redeemer is mighty; he fhall plead their caufe with thee *.' Though the widow and the fatherless may be unable to plead their own caufe, and to vindicate their own rights, and though they may be deftitute of friends to patronife them, the almighty Redeemer will support their interefts, and effectually plead against those who wickedly injure them. Ye fhall not afflict any widow,

or fatherlefs child. If thou afflict them in any wise, ' and they cry at all unto me: I will furely hear their cry; and my wrath fhall wax hot, and I will kill you with the fword; and your wives fhall be widows, and your children fatherlefs +. Notwithftanding the many inftructive admonitions which God hath delivered upon this fubject, perfons in power among the Ephraimites perpetrated the moft flagitious crimes, in their conduct toward the widow and fatherless, with which they are here charged.To what I have faid on this head upon former occafions, I hope I need add nothing farther at prefent.

3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the defolation which thall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

The righteous judgment which God was about to inflict, on account of the above-mentioned wickednefs, is represented in this and the following verfe, wherein the condition of thefe tranfgreffors is defcribed as truly helpless and deplorable.As they had taken pleasure in trampling upon the facred rights of the weak and defenceless among their brethren, fo God, in punishing

* Prov. xxiii. 11. + Exod. xxii. 22, 23, 24.

them

them for their fins, would lay them defolate, and they, in their turn, fhould have none to defend them from the hoftile attacks to which they were to be expofed. In fcripture-style, the feafon in which God is pleased to draw near to a perfon or people, that he may accomplish various important purposes, is called a Day of vifitation. Sometimes his vifitation is intended to afford deliverance and confolation to the oppreffed, by extricating them from fervitude and mifery, and introducing them into a happy and comfortable condition. In this fenfe the Lord is faid to have vifited his people Ifrael, when he delivered them from Egyptian bondage*; and to have vifited and redeemed his people, when he bestowed upon them the greatest mercy. Sometimes it is defigned to manifeft his tender care and conftant infpection of his people, over whom he exercifeth the most vigilant attention, that he may effectually promote their best interests. With this view, he declares, that if his children 'fhall break his ftatutes, and keep not his command

ments, then will he vifit their tranfgreffion with the ' rod, and their iniquity with stripes .' Such times are indeed days of vifitation, wherein God fenfibly draws near with the proofs of his kindness and favour, which he most undefervedly confers; and in which he appears with his rod of correction, that he may administer neceffary chaftifements, and restore those who had forfaken his law from their wanderings. At other times, God vifits those who have not profited by the many warnings they have received, nor repented of the fins they have committed, notwithstanding the repeated corrections that he hath administered, to execute upon them defolating judgments and terrible vengeance. Hence he thus fpeaks, by the prophet Jeremiah: Shall I

not vifit for these things? faith the Lord: and 'fhall not my foul be avenged on fuch a nation as

Exod. iv. 31. + Luke i. 68.

Pfal. lxxxix. 32.