lament; for they would find their country desolate, and their harbour blocked up; as the nations whom they passed in their voyage would inform them. The inhabitants of the isle of Tyre, long enriched as they had been, by their traffick with Zidon, and with Egypt, and all parts of the world, must be still," must cease to carry on their commerce. The sea, whence they derived their riches, is heard to say, that it will not continue to multiply and sustain their people. The report of their calamity shall be like that of the defeat of Egypt, one of the countries with which they chiefly traded. They are advised to flee from their isle to Tarshish; deserting their city, renowned for its wealth, luxury, and antiquity. And taking refuge in their colony, they must depend in their weakness on Tarshish, as a parent on a child, instead of their colony on them. And even in the place of their refuge they should have neither joy nor rest. During seventy years this "crowning city," whose merchants were princes, must be forgotten in obscurity, as any one king might be forgotten after his decease. But at the end of that period, its commerce, and its luxury, and its idolatry also, would revive. And then after another signal desolation, not here foretold, it would learn to dedicate its wealth to the true God, and to spend it not in luxurious feasts and fine raiment, but in sufficient food and "durable clothing."

The people by whom Tyre was to be first taken were the Chaldeans, the origin of whose empire is here stated, and their warlike preparations against Tyre described. And from the Jewish historian Josephus we learn, that Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldean king, was occupied many years in the siege. But it more nearly concerns us, especially as inhabitants of a rich commercial country, to note the reasons, for which it seemed good to God that Tyre should be thus laid waste. "The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.' This was the object for which "He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof." How awful, when viewed under the light of this prophecy, are the pomps and luxury, the pride in worldly glory, and the trust in worldly wealth, which abound in our own nation! How like unto a harlot's trade is ours, as well as that of Tyre, in proportion as we gain by art and subtlety, by giving to our merchandize a fair outside, concealing rottenness within; in proportion as we delight to spend our gains in selfish and sensual indulgences! God be praised that there are many amongst us, in all ranks of life, whose means, whether great or small, are neither treasured up for their own glory, nor squandered on their own lusts, but spent, as God would have them, in promoting his glory, by forwarding the welfare, temporal and spiritual, of his people.

How God will visit for sin, and will reign in Zion. 1 Behold, the LORD maketh with destruction. the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. 4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. 9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. 10 The city of confusion is broken down every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

11 There is a crying for wine in the street; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten

13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.

14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

15 Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings

of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered
together, as prisoners are ga-
thered in the pit, and shall be
shut up in the prison, and after
many days shall they be visited.

23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

LECTURE 1126.

The sins and judgments to which we are exposed.

The prophet turning his discourse from the various heathen nations which lay round about Jerusalem, now addresses himself to God's chosen people, and tells them of calamities hanging over their own heads; which he describes in terms so fearful, and after which he makes mention of a season so full of glory, that however properly his words may apply, in the first instance, to the Babylonian captivity and its ending, they seem no less plainly to foreshew the dispersed condition of the Jews at present, and that great movement among the nations of the earth, which will be followed by their glorious restoration. Then shall there be some dreadful visitation on those powers, which have delighted to oppress God's antient people. Then shall they from whom God has so long hidden away his face, be again visited graciously. Then shall the glory of the sun and of the moon be as nothing, compared with the grace and glory of the Lord of hosts, reigning in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem. But whatever be the right interpretation of this much disputed prophecy in all its parts, it admits of many a plain application to our own improvement. Here we learn, that God's judgments overtake all alike of every rank, station, and employment. Here we may observe, that there can be no so certain warrant that a thing will come to pass, as this, that "the Lord hath spoken this word." Here we find that nothing is more likely to deprive us of God's blessing, and provoke his curse, than transgressing his laws, changing his ordinances, and breaking that covenant which in Him can never fail. And these, let us remark, are offences committed not out of his church but in it; offences therefore, which we, who are now members of his church, might be tempted to commit; judgments these are which we are liable to suffer. Our church privileges, and our gospel privileges, are in jeopardy, if we thus transgress. Our abundance of the means of grace may suddenly be turned into a famine of the word of the Lord; and of all our religious communion only a lean remnant left, to glorify God in the fires of affliction and persecution, and to sing songs of praise unto our Saviour from the uttermost parts of the earth. Never then may we wilfully transgress God's holy laws! Never may we presumptuously change his divine ordinances! Never may we break, never fail to observe, honour, and uphold, that everlasting covenant, which He has given us in the Gospel, through Jesus Christ our Lord!

LECTURE 1127.

The Gospel blessings for which God is to be praised. These songs of thanksgiving follow in due order, after the deliverance referred to at the close of the preceding chapter. They may be well applied in the first instance to that great national prosperity, which God was pleased to allot to the Jewish nation, some time after their return from the captivity in Babylon. Thus we read in the First Book of Maccabees, concerning Simon Maccabæus, that he "enlarged the bounds of his nation, and recovered the country, and gathered together a great number of captives, and had the dominion of Gazara, and Bethsura, and the tower, out of the which he took all uncleanness, neither was there

any that resisted him. Then did they till their ground in peace, and the earth gave her increase, and the trees of the field their fruit. The antient men sat all in the streets, communing together of good things, and the young men put on glorious and warlike apparel. He provided victuals for the cities, and set in them all manner of munition, so that his honourable name was renowned unto the end of the world. He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy. For every man sat under his vine and his fig tree, and there was none to fray them: neither was there any left in the land to fight against them: yea, the kings themselves were overthrown in those days. Moreover he strengthened all those of his people that were brought low: the law he searched out; and every contemner of the law and wicked person he took away. He beautified the sanctuary, and multiplied the vessels of the temple." (1 Maccabees 14. 6-15.) But remarkably as this account agrees in many points with the prophetic words before us, it falls far short of fulfilling all the glory here foretold. It was when the Gospel was preached to the poor that a more ample fulfilment of these words began to take place. Then was a plenteous feast set forth, for all who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Then was that vail which had long been spread over all nations done away with, and the light of truth made free to all alike. And S. Paul is writing of a period still future, when he tells us, concerning one of these glorious promises, "then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Cor. 15. 54. And it appears to be of the same happy futurity that these same promises are thus repeated in the Book of Revelation, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev. 21. 4. Let us then exalt God, and praise his name, both for that which He has already done, and for that which He will yet do hereafter. For delivering his people of old, for overthrowing the power and bringing down the pride of their enemies, and for giving us an earnest in their safety, peace, and plenty, an earnest of those better things of which we are made partakers in the Gospel, and of which we trust that in no distant day we shall have full and glad possession; for all this let us praise God's holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.