this? In this laft fenfe, I fuppofe, the day of vifitation is here meant, denoting that awful period wherein God was about to punish the prefumptuous finners of Ephraim, when he would appear in the moft formidable manner, to avenge their unrighteous decrees, and unmerciful dealings with the poor and helpless.In fuch a feafon, the prophet inquires, What will ye do? Permit me to put this queftion to you, my brethren. What will ye do in the day of vifitation? It is of much higher importance to have a proper anfwer prepared to this inquiry, than to have the question itself illuftrated. The eventful day is faft approaching, when God will vifit you not with mercies, and gentle corrections, as he is now doing, but with terrible things in righteousness, which it may be you look not for. What will ye then do? What bitter anguifh, and confufed horror, will then feize upon multitudes! You may flatter yourselves now in your iniquities, and endeavour to palliate your fins by various excuses. But then, O man! thou wilt be inexcufable, and fhalt not efcape the righteous judgment of God. If you are fo foolish as reject the relief offered you in the gofpel, and neglect to flee to the hiding-place which infinite mercy hath provided, like the man in the parable, you fhall be fpeechless and confounded.

And in the defolation that fhall come from far. The Hebrew word tranflated defolation, fignifies fuch a terrible commotion as is fuddenly raifed in the fea by a great ftorm, when the waves dash violently against one another with a hideous noife. This affords a juft emblem of the disturbance and confufion which was to be excited, by the report of a powerful enemy rapidly advancing with a view to invade and defolate the country of Ephraim, by whom the cities were to be laid wafte, the houfes demolished, the fields and vineyards laid open, and the inhabitants

killed or ftripped of their most valuable effects. In room of the greatest affluence, scarcity and want were to prevail; in place of tranquillity and fecurity, dread and terror were to be experienced; and inftead of the wine of grapes, and the oil of olives, the people were to drink the wine of aftonishment.This dreadful storm, which was to be attended with general defolation, was to come from far. It would not take rife from any of the neighbouring nation with whom Ephraim was furrounded; for being in league with Syria, which was one of their most powerful neighbours, they had nothing to fear from the kingdoms that were fituated near them. The prophet therefore informs them, that the affault by which they were to be laid wafte, was to come from a great diftance, from Affyria and Babylon, though for wife reafons their names were not now mentioned. Thefe kingdoms lay far to the northward of the land of Ifrael: for when Ifaiah inquired of Hezekiah, king of Judah, From whence came thefe men, who brought him letters, and a prefent, on his recovery from fickness, he received for anfwer, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.In the certain profpect of the threatened defolation, the prophet very properly inquires,

To whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? Affiftance you will then greatly need; and, therefore, you ought timeoufly to confider to whom you may apply with hopes of fuccefs. In vain fhall you look for fafety to the hills and the multitude of mountains; in vain fhall you feek help from men, if God be your enemy; in vain fhall you invoke the aid of the Egyptians; in vain fhall you trust to your own ftrength as means of defence; in vain fhall you expect the divine interposition and deliverance, without which your whole country and poffeffions fhall become a prey to the hoftile attacks

* Ifaiah xxxix. 3.

of your enemies. Where then will ye flee for help? From what quarter can you hope to obtain relief, in the time of the approaching defolation, and threatened ftorm of divine wrath? As the indigent and helpless implored your affiftance in vain, fo you fhall feek that help and relief from others which you fhall not obtain; in confequence of which you fhall be covered with fhame and difappointment, and lie at the mercy of your conquering enemies.And where will ye leave your glory? The glory of Ephraim confifted of their religion and liberty, their property and ftrength as a nation, with all thofe privileges which added to their fplendour and importance, whereof people are prone to boast and triumph. In fuch things as these, men are apt to confide and glory: hence these memorable words delivered by the prophet Jeremiah; Thus faith the Lord, Let not the wife man glory in his wifdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glo< ry in his riches. But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercife loving-kindnefs, judgment, and righteoufnefs in the earth: for in thefe things I delight, faith the Lord *.' "The glory concerning which our prophet inquires, might alfo comprehend in it the children of Ephraim, who were the crown and glory of their fathers. According to the faithful promife of God, that people were exceedingly fruitful, and their children were greatly multiplied; and, in the profpect of defolation, it became them seriously to confider where they would leave their children, and all thofe prerogatives of which they gloried. As the prophet Hofea foretold, Their glory fhall flee away as a bird,' when God would vifit their fins; yea, he adds, Wo unto them when I depart from them .'--Tranfgreffors ought ferioufly to catechife themselves on the fubjects here mentioned, in the

Jer. ix. 23, 24.

+ Hofea ix. 11, 12.

profpect

profpect of the day of visitation, and the defolation that fhall come from far. What will ye do, when God will call you to account for the improvement you have made of the talents with which you are intrufted? Where will ye flee, when God fhall arise to judgment, and his wrath fhall be revealed against all unrighteoufnefs and ungodliness of men? Where will ye flee for help, when God will lay judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail fhall fweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters fhall overflow the hiding-place? Where will ye leave your glory, when the day of the Lord, that you have put far away, fhall overtake you as a thief in the night? Make anfwer to these inquiries at the tribunal of confcience, as you would not be ashamed at the coming of the Son of God.

4 Without me they fhall bow down under the prisoners, and they fhall fall under the flain: For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is ftretched out ftill.

In these words the Lord, by our prophet, reprefents the deplorable condition to which those guilty of the crimes above mentioned fhould be reduced.Almighty God, in whofe name Ifaiah delivered this prediction, is doubtlefs the Perfon without whom, deftitute of whofe merciful interpofition and prefence, what is foretold in the following words fhould certainly come to pafs. Without his neceffary aid and protection, they fhall be taken captive by those who are themselves in captivity; they fhall be fubdued by those who are themselves vanquished. They Shall bow down under the prisoners. Bound with chains, and fent into places of confinement, they fhall be obliged to bow down among their fellowprifoners, through the weight of the fetters wherewith they were faftened, or the low roof of the place in which they were to be confined. Or the expref

fion may refer to the hard bondage in which they fhould be employed during their captivity, when they were to be compelled to bow down to the yoke of their oppreffors like beasts of burden.And they fball fall under the flain, or among the flain, who were to be killed, in the day of vifitation, by the powerful nation who was to invade and defolate the land of Ifrael. Either a miferable captivity, or a violent death, fhould be the punishment of those prefumptuous tranfgreffors to whom this prediction was delivered. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out ftill. Notwithstanding thefe dreadful threatenings of divine judgments to be executed upon this treacherous people, ftill greater calamities awaited them, which God, whom they had grievously offended, would afterward inflict upon them as the juft punishment of their crimes.This prophecy feems to have been accomplished by the calamities inflicted upon the Ephraimites by Tiglathpilezer, when many of them were flain in battle, and great numbers were taken captive into foreign countries, where they were employed in the most wretched fervitude.. -Hence we learn what we ought never to forget, that there is no Saviour befide God; no deliverance to be obtained without him, who commandeth deliverance for Jacob; no fafety to be enjoyed but in the care and protection of his divine providence. Convinced of this important truth, let us take heed that we live not without him in the world, deftitute of his fear and love, indifferent to his favour and approbation, without whom we must be miferable, and by whom alone we can be preferved in peace and fafety.

5 TO Affyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the ftaff in their hand is mine indignation.

Here begins the fourth fection of our prophet's difcourfe, which contains a new and diftinct prophecy.

The